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Kicking Horse Coffee Review 2024: Pros, Cons & Verdict

Kicking Horse coffee varieties

Our Final Verdict

We give the Kicking Horse Coffee a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars.

Flavor
Varieties
Price

Review Summary

Whether you enjoy drinking gourmet coffee or are just looking for a great breakfast blend, Kicking Horse has you covered with a wide variety of roasts that will suit any taste. It’s a Canadian-based company from British Columbia that started in 1996 in a small garage before moving to its current location in 2004. If you are thinking about giving Kicking Horse coffee a try but would like to know more about it first, keep reading as we take a closer look at the varieties and flavors.

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Kicking Horse Coffee — A Quick Look

Kicking Horse Coffee, Grizzly Claw, Dark Roast

Pros
  • Many varieties
  • Great taste
  • Consistent quality
  • Organic
  • Fair-trade certified
Cons
  • Strong
  • Bags not resealable
  • All varieties not available in America

Varieties

Light Roast
  • Hola
  • Holy Crap! Decaf

Medium Roast
  • Smart Ass Medium
  • Three Sisters Medium
  • Hoodoo Jo
  • Pacific Pipeline
  • Z-Wrangler Medium

Dark Roast
  • Breakfast Blend
  • Long Black
  • Old Fashioned Roast
  • Kick Ass Dark
  • Half Ass Dark
  • Grizzly Claw
  • 454 Horsepower
  • French Roast
Espresso
  • Cliff Hanger Espresso

Many Varieties

The many varieties offered by Kicking Horse help ensure that you can find the perfect flavor for your cup. You can purchase everything from a light roast with light caffeine and an earthy, almost tea-like flavor to a dark roast similar to what you might find at Starbucks. Dark roasts have a more bitter flavor and more caffeine to help you get through a busy day.

Kicking Horse Coffee, Three Sisters, Medium Roast

Whole Bean or Ground

One great thing about Kicking Horse coffee is that you can purchase it as whole beans that you grind at home or in an already-ground state. Pre-ground coffee is extremely convenient because it’s ready to go — all you need to do is scoop it into your coffee maker for a perfect cup. It’s perfect for someone who is always on the move. However, coffee starts to lose its flavor once you grind it, so pre-ground coffee will never taste as good as freshly ground coffee, especially as you get to the bottom of the bag. Grinding the beans requires a special grinder, and you will have to learn how to grind them correctly, but whole beans retain their freshness much longer, so you can always have a great cup of coffee.

Organic and Free-Trade

All the beans that Kicking Horse uses in its many varieties are organically grown. The beans come from Free-Trade farmers, which is a system that helps ensure that farmers are treated fairly and get paid fair wages, which is a problem in the industry.

Packages Don’t Reseal

One problem with Kicking Horse Coffee is that you can’t reseal the packages. Many other brands have zip-lock seals that help keep the coffee fresh for longer. These are especially useful when using ground beans that will quickly lose their flavor.

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FAQ

Does Kicking Horse Coffee have a nice aroma?

Kicking Horse Coffee does have a strong aroma that many people enjoy.

Does Kicking Horse Coffee have an expiration date?

Yes, Kicking Horse prints expiration dates on the packages. The coffee beans usually expire about 10 months after purchase.

Can I use this coffee with the pour-over brewing method?

Yes, Kicking Horse Coffee works well with standard drip machines and the pour-over process. If you grind the beans at home, it’s easy to use this coffee with other brewing methods too. For instance, a French Press does better with a slightly coarser grind.

Are there flavored varieties of Kicking Horse Coffee?

Unfortunately, Kicking Horse does not provide flavored coffees. The many coffee varieties offered by Kicking Horse reflect differences in the roasting process, not added flavors.

a cup of coffee with coffee beans background
Image Credit: PublicDomainPictures, Pixabay

What the Users Say

We searched the internet to find out what other people were saying about Kicking Horse Coffee, and this is what we found. You can read many of these reviews on Amazon.

  • Most people love the flavor of Kicking Horse Coffee.
  • Many people comment about Kicking Horse’s expertise in roasting.
  • Several people describe the coffee as having a deep, dark, and rich flavor.
  • Some people had trouble getting a few of the varieties in the United States.
  • Some people think that this coffee is expensive.
  • A few people describe it as having a chocolaty flavor, while others say that it has a smokey flavor.
  • A few people commented that it’s a little strong.
  • A few people didn’t like the aftertaste of this coffee.

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Conclusion

If you enjoy a great cup of coffee, you can get one by brewing Kicking Horse Coffee. It has a strong flavor, and there are many varieties, from light roasts to dark. You can even purchase Kicking Horse espresso and decaf varieties. It can be more expensive than more common brands, but we think that you’ll agree that it’s worth it. The only downsides are that it can be hard to find all the varieties depending on where you live and that the bags don’t reseal, so you will need to clip them shut or put the coffee into another container.

See Also: Nguyen Coffee Supply Review: Pros, Cons, & Verdict

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Ed Malaker

Ed Malaker, a veteran writer, has contributed to a wide range of blogs that cover tools, pets, guitars, fitness, and computer programming, and of course, coffee. He drinks a lot of it when he writes, making him an expert indeed. When he’s not writing, Ed is usually performing DIY projects around the house or working in the garden. He’s also a musician and spends a lot of time helping people fix their guitars and composing music for independent films.

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