Kicking Horse Smart Ass Cold Brew

Finally an "energy drink" you can get in Canada! I found this can, and other Kicking Horse cold brews, at the local Independent City Mart (owned by the LobLaws company). I should point out that if you cannot find these cold brews, try looking for the Kicking Horse Smart Ass coffee and make your own. The coffee beans used for this cold brew are widely available, including at places like WalMart.

Taste

The aroma is sweet with subtle notes of spices and chocolate. The flavor is layered and amazing. It starts off light and a touch sweet, but very quickly subtle notes of cinnamon and nutmeg emerge, which are followed by intense flavors of chocolate and finally, very bright coffee. The profile starts light but within seconds transitions to a more intense one, leaving lots of lingering coffee and chocolate finishing notes. Excellent!

Energy

The can does not say how much caffeine is in the can, but I would guess that it is a bit more than a cup of coffee since cold brews tend to have a bit more caffeine. I got a very nice buzz going for a couple of hours without any jitters or the urge to run in circles. The energy was very well controlled and it did not interfere with any mental tasks I was performing.

Scores:
Cost - $3.99
Taste - 10/10
Energy - 7/10

Overall - 17/20...perhaps the best tasting cold brew I have had

Two Bears Cold Brew Coffee

Though I have tried Two Bears in the past, their cold brew coffee is surprisingly hard to find where I live considering the fact they are local. Luckily I happened to walk by a food fest along the waterfront where one of the vendors was none other than Two Bears! So brace yourself for reviews.

Taste

The coffee is a little cloudier than expected probably due to the sedimentation that I re-introduced when I shook the bottle. It smells like a sweet drip coffee with subtle chocolate notes. The taste is watery at first but develops as it travels along the tongue to the back. There is absolutely no bitterness at any point. Some sourness is present which gives the coffee some brightness, a clean finish and just a touch of citrus at the end.

Now, a word on the coffee. The flavor is light and free of bitterness but lacks boldness. The sourness dominates the taste at times I was expecting the coffee to shine through. That could mean that it is wasn't brewed long enough (underextracted),  maybe not enough coffee was used, or just that the coffee has high acidity. Whatever the case may be, I thought it could be bolder.

Energy

No mention of caffeine content anywhere on the label, but the effects are similar to that of a cup of strong coffee. The sourness also perked me up at the start so that's a bonus.

Scores:
Cost - $4
Taste - 7/10
Energy - 7.8/10

Overall - 14.8/20...sour

Two Bears Cold Brew Coffee Cacao

Two Bears Cold Brew Coffee is a new cold brew company whose products have started popping up in health food stores and grocery stores that like to offer a wider variety of beverages in GTA and Montreal. There are 3 varieties of Two Bears' cold brew, but I was only able to find the Cacao one so far.

Taste

The chicory root and cacao combo gives this cold brew an interesting aroma that resembles that of a chocolate desert more than that of a coffee. On the palate, the ingredients are dialed down and allow the coffee to shine through. Some unexpected acidity is present at the start but compared to a normal coffee, it isn't intense. I was just expecting a bit less given the fact that cold brews don't extract as much acids.

The chicory and cacao are very subtle, come in at the end and leave a subtle lingering note at the back of your throat. I wish these were more accentuated like on the nose because it will definitely give this cold brew a unique twist that will separate it from the rest.

Energy

It doesn't say how much caffeine is in the bottle, but if I had to estimate, I would guess in the range of 120 mg to 150 mg. The effects are similar to a cup of black coffee - no jitters, or crash with a good buzz for 2.5 hours or so.

Scores:
Cost - $3.99
Taste - 7.5/10
Energy - 7.8/10

Overall - 15.3/20...a bit over-acidic but an interesting twist with the chicory

Anchor Coffee Cold Brew

I was visiting Windsor last week and went to Anchor Coffee House, a highly recommended coffee shop on the west end. Aside from the easy to miss sign that blended with the rest of the building, the coffee shop was like an oasis in a sea of boring, identical commercial buildings. I tried a couple of coffees there and decided to get a cold brew for the road and for a review. If I remember correctly, the bottles were $5.

Taste

The coffee is very clear and not too dark. In fact it is more dark amber than black. The aroma is heavy on the coffee, but also features other notes like roasted nuts and sweet dried fruits. 

The flavor is mellow at first, but the coffee hits as it travels down the tongue. Subtle notes of sweet dried fruits (yes, some sweetness is present), chocolate and roasted nuts are present, but don't last too long. The finish is surprisingly clean for a coffee, but traces of coffee do linger. Very easy and enjoyable to drink without any of the acids and a lot less of the bitterness hot brewed coffees have.

Energy

It doesn't say how much caffeine is in here, but if it is anything like the cold brews I have made, then it is a ton! I was feeling it very energetic within 20-30 minutes of consuming the bottle. While I was drinking it, I felt focused for a bit until the caffeine kicked into overdrive and I was ready to fly off. That made for fast paced walk to work in the morning. The kick lasted for almost 4 hours and ended without drama.

Scores:

Cost - $5

Taste - 9/10

Energy - 9/10

Overall - 18/20...flavorful and easy to drink, great alternative to regular coffee in the summer

Califia Farms Cold Brew Dirty Chai

I got this bottle from a Target in Michigan near the Canadian border for $2.69.

Taste

The aroma is definitely of chai, but there is also a bit of rum, vanilla and a bit of chocolate. The taste is a bit watery at first, but after a few moments the chai kicks in, followed by some cinnamon giving the cold brew a slightly spicy twist. Almond milk is present in subtle amounts, but surprisingly there are no traces of the coffee anywhere. Even the aftertaste is overpowered by the cinnamon and tea notes.

Except for the cinnamon, I found this beverage to be very mild for most parts. It is very easy to drink, but there isn't as much flavor as the other Califia Farms Cold Brews.

Energy

Though it doesn't state that on the bottle, there are 125 mg of caffeine in the 310 mL serving. I was actually surprised by this as I was expecting the caffeine level to be closer to 100 mg.

The effects are quick, but I think that has a bit to do with the spicy twist. I started to wake up and feel focused within 10 minutes of starting to consume this drink and by the 20 minute mark I was pumped and ready to go. I still felt a tiny bit focused, but for the most parts I was just physically energized.

The effects lasted for almost 3 hours and ended without any drama.

General Comments

This beverage has tons of labels on it - GMO free, Vegan, Gluten Free, BPA free and Carrageenan free. The bottle also contains around 45% of your recommended daily intake of calcium.

Scores:
Cost - $2.69
Taste - 7.5/10
Energy - 7.5/10

Overall - 15/20...the taste is a bit too light, but the kick is OK

Califia Farms Cold Brew Salted Caramel

I bought this cold brew from a Target in Michgan near the Canadian border, for $2.69.

Taste

This cold brew has a heavy rum aroma with traces of caramel and almond milk. Don't be put off by the rum aroma because it doesn't come through in the taste, which is predominantly almond milk. The caramel doesn't come in until the finish and it is very modest compared to the heavy almond milk. The caramel opens up a bit more in the aftertaste, but you just don't get much of it while drinking. There salt comes as a twist near the end, so don't worry, this is definitely not a salty drink.

Energy

At 75 mg, the Salted Caramel cold brew has the least amount of caffeine out of all the Califia Farms offerings. Consider this when making the purchase.

The effects come moderately quick as it takes about 10 minutes to start feeling any sort of kick. I was very sleepy when I opened the bottle, but around the 10th minute I started to wake up and focus on what I was doing. A few minutes later I felt just the tiniest level of jitters, but that passed quickly. It took another 15-20 minutes to become physically energized and the kick lasted for a little less than 2 hours.

Scores:
Cost - $2.69
Taste - 7.8/10
Energy - 6.0/10

Overall - 13.8/20...a little light for my taste

Califia Farms Cold Brew Cocoa Noir

I got this bottle from a Target in Michigan, near the Canadian border, for $2.69.

Taste

By far, this flavor has the best aroma out of all the Califia Farms cold brews. Its like I shoved my nose into a frozen McCain Deep 'n' Delicious fudge cake. The taste is not far off, either. You get a rich chocolate flavor right from the start, followed by a complimentary almond milk note and a bit of rum. The sweet chocolate cake flavor and the almond milk actually blend very well together and create an interesting and enjoyable flavor. The finish is where the coffee flavors appear and linger well into the finish.

Very rich and enjoyable.

Energy

There are 105 mg of caffeine in the bottle, which is about the same as a small cup of coffee. The effects become apparent within 10-15 minutes when you start feeling a bit more focused. No jitters here guys! The caffeine starts kicking in after another 20 minutes and gives you around 2 hours of energy without a crash at the end.

Scores
Cost - $2.69
Taste - 9/10
Energy - 7/10

Overall - 16/20...my favorite Califia Farms Cold Brew so far

Califia Farms Cold Brew XX Espresso

I got this bottle of Califia Farms from a Target in Michigan, near the Canadian border, for $2.69.

Taste

This cold brew has an interesting rum/whisky aroma with a hint of sweet chocolate cake. The taste is heavy on the almond milk, pretty much all throughout. When the almond milk is not dominating your tastebuds, you get hints of vanilla, cocoa and just a bit of coffee near the end of the finish. Very subtle rum hints do appear in the aftertaste, but unlike the aroma, they are not present in the taste.

I was surprised this beverage didn't have a strong coffee flavor near the finish, or even less than subtle hints in the aftertaste.

Energy

According to the Califia Farms website, the bottle contains 150 mg of caffeine, which is exactly what you would get from most 473 mL energy drinks. The energy delivery is much smoother though thanks to the lack of jitters and the boost in focus that you get within 10 minutes. The kick lasts for about 3-4 hours and finishes without any drama.

Scores:
Cost - $2.69
Taste - 8/10
Energy - 8.4/10

Overall - 16.4/20...more of an almond milk flavor, but it is smooth and has an excellent kick

Califia Farms Cold Brew Triple Shot

I bought this bottle of Califia Farms at a Target in Michigan, near the Canadian border. Price was $2.69 for the 310 mL bottle.

Taste

Very sweet and interesting aroma with notes of almond milk, rum, sweet chocolate cake and a bit of espresso. The taste starts off with a mild sweet chocolate cake note, followed by the almond milk, then followed by rum which gives the finish a slightly alcoholic feel. Coffee comes in near the finish, but it is intense and is the dominant flavor in the aftertaste. Some raunchiness is also present in the aftertaste from the milk.

I usually don't have a problem with almond milk, but in this case, I think it gives the beverage a slightly chalky mouthfeel near the finish and dries out the aftertaste. However, it does make this coffee very easy to drink.

Energy

The caffeine content is not provided on the bottle, but Califia Farms' website states that there are 170 mg of caffeine in the Triple Shot cold brew. That's actually a very, very respectable amount of caffeine for a 310 mL drink. To put that into context, the caffeine ratio of this beverage is 0.548 mg/mL, while the ratio in a standard 473 mL drink is between 0.317 mg/mL and 0.338 mg/mL.

The kick comes in a few of stages and neither one of them involves jitters. The first stage resulted in clearing my cloudy mind within 10 minutes, while the second stage made me very focused for a good 20-30 minutes before the caffeine fully kicked in and I was feeling physically energized and ready to tackle the day.

The effects lasted for just over 3 hours and finished without a crash.

Scores:
Cost - $2.69
Taste - 8.2/10
Energy - 8.7/10

Overall - 16.9/20...interesting rum flavor with a great and very focused kick

Califia Fams Cold Brew Mocha Mexica

I found this cold brew at a Target in Michigan for $2.69.

Taste

The Mocha Mexica has an interesting chocolate cake aroma with a bit of almonds poking through. The mouthfeel is fairly heavy due to addition of almond milk, but the beverage goes down smoothly. Almond milk and cinnamon are the predominant flavors at first, but give it a few moments and you will be hit with a bit of chili and sweet chocolate. Don't worry, it isn't that spicy. There is just enough chili to give your tongue a tingle and warm the back of your throat a little. However, please note that I do like spicy foods so maybe if you are someone with low tolerance, you shouldn't try this one.

Coffee doesn't come in until the finish and when it comes, it isn't very strong. The finish and aftertaste are dominated by cinnamon and remnants of the sweet chocolate flavors with a bit of funk from the almond milk and a tiny bit of salt.

The cinnamon, chili and sweet chocolate was a very unique and interesting combination. There is a moment right in between the finish and aftertaste where you can taste only chili and cinnamon, which gives this beverage a very interesting clarity.

Energy

There is no caffeine content listed anywhere on the label, but I can tell you that this drink works quickly. I woke up with a foggy mind that was cleared within minutes by the chili/cinnamon combo. While my mind was clearing up, I did look up the caffeine content on the Internet and found through Califia Farms website that there are 110 mg of caffeine in this bottle. Not very much, but still a respectable amount.

Within 10-15 minutes after my mind cleared, I was already feeling pretty energized. I was a bit jittery, but not as much compared to an energy drink. The kick lasted for a couple of hours and just slowly faded away without much drama.

General Comments

This beverage has tons of labels on it - GMO free, Vegan, Gluten Free, BPA free and Carrageenan free. The bottle also contains around 45% of your recommended daily intake of calcium.

Scores:
Cost - $2.69
Taste - 8.8/10
Energy - 7.8/10

Overall - 16.6/20...thick, a bit spicy with a decent kick

Station Cold Brew Coffee

It is official, cold brew is picking up steam everywhere. Station Cold Brew Coffee Co. is a Toronto-based company that brews and sells ready to drink cold brew at a number of retailers in Toronto. I picked up one of the ready to drink bottles from The Cold Pressery for $5.

Taste

The coffee is on the lighter side and just a touch hazy. The aroma is intense with heavy chocolate and campfire presence in addition to the expected coffee notes. The taste is smooth and like their promise on their website - less bitter and acidic (OK, the acidic part is also on the label) than traditionally brewed coffee. Like with the aroma, there is a strong chocolate and campfire presence. I also detected notes of roasted nuts. The finish is also smooth and long with more of the chocolate and just a touch of roasted nuts.

This is such a smooth coffee that goes down so well on a hot summer morning. Can't wait to try it warm in the winter.

Energy

According to Station, the small bottles contains 153 mg of caffeine which is quite a lot for a 375 mL container. There is no initial jittery, sugary kick since there is no added sugar, but the effects to start rolling in around the 15 minute mark when I started to feel awake and focused. The focus lasted for about 20 or so minutes until the caffeine fully kicked. I didn't lose the focus immediately, it just started to slowly fade away and be replaced with a more of a physical energy. I bet if I had consumed the bottle slowly, I would have kept that focus going for longer. The kick lasted for about 3.5 hours before starting to fade away. No crash, no drama.

Scores:
Cost - $5
Taste - 10/10
Energy - 8.5/10

Overall - 18.5/20...fantastic cold brew, great kick

High Brew Coffee

After having tried High Brew's Double Espresso on its own, I decided to try and review the rest of the line up all at once and lump my thoughts into a single post. I got all 4 cans (including the Double Espresso) from a Target near Buffalo for $2.49 each.

Salted Caramel

This flavor has a medium brown color and pours with a skinny, tan layer of foam. The aroma reminds me of praline ice cream and lacks any coffee notes. It is very enjoyable to have the can right below your nose when you are working on the computer as sweet notes waft upwards and each time you inhale, you get a hint of sweetness.

The taste starts off sweet with very light hints of caramel and milk. A semi-bitter coffee flavor comes in quickly after and becomes the dominant one for a brief moment before the coffee and caramel and milk all blend into a bitter and slightly raunchy blend of flavors that also picks up a sweetener note from the added stevia. Remnants of the blend linger well into the finish. I can attribute the majority of it to the coffee, some to the added milk which tends to give iced coffee (I know this isn't technically one) a rancid-like aftertaste and the stevia, which puts the final nail in the off-putting blend of flavors. The saltiness comes in at the very end, mid-way through the aftertaste.

I cannot believe I am saying (OK, writing) this, but I think this coffee would have benefited from a bit more sugar and some more milk...or cream. And forget the stevia. This is what makes the odd and bitter blend even worse.

On the plus side, the coffee is very smooth and very easy to drink. That means that you can get through the off-putting flavor and get to the caffeine center.

Taste - 5.2/10

Double Chocolate Mocha

This variety has a very nice medium to dark brown color, similar to what you might get in a chain coffee shop. Like with the Salted Caramel, this one smells like an ice cream - a vanilla and chocolate blend. Coffee aromas are surprisingly absent.

The taste starts off a little bland, but quick enough chocolate comes in, followed by a very subtle coffee flavor blended with milk and...blagh....stevia!!!! This flavor suffers from the same raunchy blend of flavors thanks to the stevia and the coffee turning slightly bitter. The milk doesn't help it either, but at least it doesn't truly affect the flavor until the aftertaste, which also carries the remains of the stevia, some chocolate ice cream and coffee.

Halfway through the can I think I got used to the raunchiness because it didn't seem to bother me so much and the aftertaste tasted just a little better. But still, I don't think that using stevia with these kinds of drinks is a smart thing to do and yes, once again, I have to say that a bit more milk and sugar wouldn't hurt.

Taste - 5.3/10

Mexican Vanilla

The Mexican Vanilla one has a very interesting spiced aroma that reminds me of German gingerbread cookies. The taste starts off with a nice, bold coffee punch with subtle notes of vanilla and some ginger(?). For a moment I thought the raunchy taste won't be present, but it is. As soon as the milk and stevia come in after the coffee, the combination just turns into an odd, bitter-sweetener-milky mess. Unlike the previous 2 flavors, the raunchiness is not as intense and goes away a little quicker, leaving the bold taste of coffee with subtle vanilla notes and just a bit of sweetener.

The aftertaste is coffee-forward with a trail of vanilla and a quickly diminishing sweetener. This is probably my favorite one of these three flavors, but I would still be hesitant to buy it again. I would stick to the Double Espresso.

Taste - 6/10

Energy

Each of these cans contains 139 mg of caffeine. The effects resemble having a cup of coffee in the morning and are similar for all flavors.

I consumed each flavor of High Brew first thing in the morning after waking up (I lied at the start, I didn't try them all at once...muahahaha), when my mind was still slightly asleep. I felt a jolt that started to quickly focus the mind within 15 minutes of starting to drink each can of High Brew. Within another 5 minutes I was feeling a bit jittery, but that feeling always lasted for a few minutes before giving way to a smooth flow of energy that lasted for about 2 hours without a crash at the end.

Overall, the High Brew flavors all offered a great boost in energy, but some just lacked the enjoyable flavor. Would I buy them again? Well, I would probably buy the Double Espresso for sure.

Energy - 7.7/10

High Brew Coffee Double Espresso

Coffee reviews continue this week. It seems like the perfect time to start the shift from hot coffee in the early morning to iced coffee and cold brews. High Brew Coffee is the latter and cannot be called iced coffee due to its manufacturing process. To make a cold brewed coffee, the coffee beans are soaked in cold water for an extended period of time and slowly and the beans are then filtered out. Whereas iced coffees are made the normal way and then just chilled.

I got a bunch of these High Brew Coffees from a Target outside of Buffalo for $2.49 each. Though the can is about the same size as a small Red Bull, there are actually only 236 mL of coffee in it.

Taste

I am starting off with the Double Espresso flavor because I need just a little more caffeine this morning. This morning being the morning after Easter and first day of work after the holiday.

The coffee is not pitch black as I thought, but more of a dark brown. The reason? Milk and sugar have been added after the cold brew process. 

The aroma is predominantly espresso with a distant milk note. The taste is comprised of semi-sweet espresso beans with a light milk touch. That's it. There are only 7 grams of sugar in the can, but it feels like more because cold brew is less bitter than normal brewed coffee. The added milk makes this coffee incredibly smooth and easy to drink. The aftertaste doesn't have that extremely bitter flavor like normal espressos, nor does it have an overly rancid milk aftertaste like many of the sweetened iced coffees.

In fact, the smoothness of this drink and its smaller volume, compared to other iced coffees, make High Brew super quick to consume to get your caffeine fix early in the morning...or any time really. I am definitely buying more of these next time I am in the US.

Energy

There are 163 mg of natural caffeine in the can. That's 0.69 mg of caffeine per mL. By comparison, a normal can of Monster of Rockstar is around 0.34 mg of caffeine per mL. This drink is twice as potent. How awesome is that?

The effects are very similar to those of normal strong coffee - I felt awake and focused within 15 minutes without any of the jitters you might get from iced coffees. Another 15 minutes later I was fully energized with clean and jitter-free energy, which lasted for about 3 hours and ended without a crash. Super clean energy kick! I loved it.

Overall, I am super impressed by this cold brew. I love the rich and not too bitter flavor, I love its smoothness and I love the clean energy. 

Scores:

Cost - $2.49 from Target near Buffalo, NY

Taste - 9.3/10

Energy - 8.5/10

Overall - 17.8/20...great coffee taste and very clean energy kick