Let's look at Black Rifle Coffee, the first real "threat" to my dependence on Starbucks for a caffeine fix.
First things first, the box it arrived in is awesome:
As an artist, I gotta add: nice branding.
So far, I have tried AK Espresso (brewed):
Nice shiny beans:
Ground up and ready to brew:
Cupped:
AK was really smooth and a little smoky. This is the first one I tried, and I think it is my favorite so far. Earlier in the day before the Black Rifle Coffee beans arrived, I had just finished my final batch of "Starbucks Reserve Jamaica Blue Mountain." At 1/4 of the price of the overpriced Starbucks beans, AK blew them out of the water. So happy to find quality coffee at a much more reasonable price!
Next I tried Freedom Blend:
Once again the beans look great. Like I mentioned earlier I had just finished a batch of the special Starbucks reserve so I don't have those beans to compare, but I did have some Breakfast Blend (disclaimer: not freshly opened) and here are the Starbucks beans for comparison:
The Starbucks beans are in the measuring cup and the Freedom Blend is in the grinder.
Here is the Freedom Blend cupped. Darker in flavor than AK, and still smooth and enjoyable!
This week I tried Beyond Black:
As promised, this is the darkest roast yet. And still wonderfully smooth. All of these brews lack bitter and ashy flavors. They are really wonderful and I'm so excited to try the rest! My boyfriend who is the true coffee connoisseur also agrees: Black Rifle Coffee Company gives us little reason to purchase Starbucks beans ever again.
If you're interested in trying them for the first time, this link will get you 20% off your first order.
As a longtime Starbucks customer, I am truly happy to find a better alternative. I am not happy about the political nature of Starbucks and how they respond so terribly to controversy. Most recently I heard Howard Schultz, executive chairman of Starbucks say that mentally ill and homeless people warrant being kicked out of Starbucks while defending non-paying customers who are occupying table space. I think it's bizarre that they are defending non-paying customers occupying seats that paying customers could use, while also discriminating against the homeless and mentally ill. There have been times I have purchased food/drinks at Starbucks and there was no seating available. I have been a regular and Gold customer, I pay almost $9 for a latte/Frappuccino, and I think they need to show that they value their actual customers. I don't even know how to process that they single out and discriminate against the mentally ill and homeless while saying other non-paying customers with entitlement issues are welcome. My only wish is that Black Rifle Coffee had physical stores for when I am feeling too lazy to make my own coffee, or when I want espresso/lattes. Maybe one day?
A little bit about Black Rifle Coffee Company:
They are veteran-owned, small batch, and roast to order! They are conservative and pro-second amendment! I became aware of them after they pledged to hire 10,000 veterans. I appreciate their American attitude, and now I can say I appreciate their delicious coffee.
(R.I.P. the carafe in these images. It was glass-insulated and shattered yesterday when I accidentally dropped a spice jar in it while preparing to brew a pot of Beyond Black!)