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Death Wish Coffee Review 2024: Pros, Cons, & Verdict

Death Wish Coffee review

Our Final Verdict

We give Death Wish Coffee a rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars:

Flavor
Quality
Resources
Selection
Price

At a Glance:

Death Wish Coffee is famous for its deadly caffeine level, but does it have enough to offer beyond that? We took a closer look at this powerful coffee brand to find out!

Our conclusion? Death Wish Coffee, while intensely caffeinated, is also surprisingly delicious. It is dark, smooth, and not bitter. You may find it dangerously drinkable! Even better, these beans are certified Fair Trade and organic.

On the negative side, Death Wish uses lower-quality Robusta beans while still coming in at a fairly high price point. The beans are too oily for some grinders, and the company doesn’t provide a lot of information on where its beans are grown.

The bottom line: if you can handle the caffeine level and like dark roasts, Death Wish Coffee could be a great choice. It’s tasty, sustainable, and packs enough punch to keep you awake all day.

Death Wish Coffee brewing

Death Wish Coffee Quick Look:

Pros
  • Highly caffeinated
  • Delicious, smooth dark roast
  • Available in whole bean, pre-ground, and K-Cups
  • Fair Trade and organic
  • Satisfaction guarantee
  • Money-saving subscriptions available
Cons
  • No light or medium roast options
  • Oily beans won’t work in all grinders
  • Contains lower quality Robusta beans
  • Not cheap

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The Company

Death Wish Coffee comes from Saratoga Springs, New York. It was founded in 2012 by Mike Brown, a coffee shop owner, with the goal of creating the “World’s Strongest Coffee.”

Death Wish Coffee has even made it to space! In 2015, the company sent a package of freeze-dried instant coffee to the astronauts on the International Space Station. If you’ve ever wanted to drink coffee like an astronaut, this could be your chance.

Death Wish Coffee caffeine

The Ordering Process

Death Wish is easy to order on Amazon, though you can also find it on the company’s website. You have a choice of whole bean or pre-ground coffee in one-, two-, or five-pound bags. The pre-ground coffee is only available in a medium drip grind, so you won’t be able to order coffee specifically ground for an espresso machine or French press.

You can also order Death Wish’s K-Cups, which it calls “Death Cups.” These come in 10-, 20-, and 50-packs.

One drawback of this coffee brand is its price. It’s not the world’s most expensive coffee, but it’s also not a budget brand. Luckily, you can save 10% if you sign up for a subscription on the Death Wish website and 5-10% if you start an Amazon subscription.


The Coffee

Time for the big test: sampling the coffee. We took a close look at the caffeine level and flavor of this dark coffee:

Death Wish Coffee Caffeine Content

Death Wish Coffee’s claim to fame is its very high caffeine level. So when we set out to test these beans, we had one big question: is it really the world’s strongest coffee?

Death Wish Coffee warning label caffeine

From our test, we can tell you: this is definitely strong coffee. When we tried it, the caffeine had us energetic and alert in no time!

How much caffeine is in Death Wish Coffee? According to Consumer Reports, Death Wish Coffee has 59 milligrams of caffeine per ounce of brewed coffee. If you drink an eight-ounce cup, that’s 472 milligrams! The FDA recommends limiting your caffeine intake to 400 milligrams a day, so just one cup of Death Wish Coffee will put you over the limit. That’s why there’s a Death Wish Coffee warning printed on the bag!

The high caffeine level is the result of blending Arabica and Robusta beans. Robusta beans are highly caffeinated but have a less appealing flavor. Plus, many gourmet coffee brands use only 100% high-quality Arabica beans. If you’re a coffee snob, you may find this off-putting.

SEE ALSO: Easily Calculate Your Caffeine Intake!

Death Wish Coffee taste test

Surprisingly Smooth Flavor

On to the second most important factor: does Death Wish Coffee taste good? To this question, we can answer with an unqualified yes. Death Wish Coffee is dark but surprisingly not bitter at all. It does well with milk or cream but is equally tasty black. We brewed it using a Chemex and were very impressed with the results.


The Packaging

Death Wish Coffee’s packaging is playful, with a skull and crossbones on the front and caffeine warning label on the back. These beans aren’t for the faint of heart, and the package is pretty straightforward about it!

Death Wish Coffee packaging

We would prefer bags that reseal, but these coffee bags do have wire ties and one-way degassing valves.


Extras

Death Wish offers a 365-day satisfaction guarantee. If you don’t think it’s the strongest coffee you’ve ever had, you can request a refund.

The Verdict

What’s our verdict on Death Wish? If you’re searching for a strong, dark coffee — with a slightly dangerous level of caffeine — this coffee could be for you. It’s dark but smooth and not at all bitter. Plus, it’s certified Fair Trade and organic and available in whole bean, pre-ground, and K-Cup options.

This isn’t a cheap coffee brand, so it may not fit your budget. It also uses a blend of high-quality Arabica and lower-quality Robusta beans, and the dark roast beans may be too oily for finicky grinders.

Still, if you can stomach the price and the caffeine, we think you’ll enjoy this delicious dark roast. Try it for yourself and see what you think!

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Kate MacDonnell

Kate is a lifelong coffee enthusiast and homebrewer who enjoys writing for coffee websites and sampling every kind of coffee known to man. She’s tried unusual coffees from all over the world and owns an unhealthy amount of coffee gear.

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