The Company – Kicking Horse
In 1996, 112 years after the launch of the first espresso machine, the founders of Kicking Horse opened their doors—actually their garage door—to start selling their home roasted coffee. Over the years Elana and Joe have taken what was once a small roasting operation and grown it into the Kick Ass Canadian coffee brand that it is today.
Jump to a roast:
In 2003 the company made a commitment to roast 100% organic coffee, saying goodbye to the conventional stuff. In 2007, added to this commitment by sourcing only fair trade green coffee.
Since then the company has grown and expanded its offerings to include both ground and whole bean coffee. They offer 12 different roasts of whole bean coffee and 6 varieties of ground coffee.
The Beans and Roasts
We looked at four different blends from Kicking Horse: Kick Ass, 454 Horse Power, Three Sisters, and Grizzly Claw. These blends seem to be their most popular, and each is available either pre-ground or whole bean. We definitely recommend the whole bean option if you have a grinder. That way you get to enjoy a much fresher, bolder, all-around better tasting cup of Joe.
We love that Kicking Horse offers most of their coffees in 2 lb bags… someone must have told them about how much we drink.
Kick Ass
What. A. Name.
It’s hard not to get pumped in the morning knowing that you’re starting the day a cup of Kick Ass. Kicking Horse says this coffee is sweet, smoky, and audacious.
But is the stuff actually good? We think so.
Aroma and Tasting Notes
Kick Ass ticks all the boxes of a solid dark roast. It’s earthy and full bodied but doesn’t come across as burnt or scorched—something we’re always leery of with darker roasts. The finish is earthy and lingering.
Other tasting notes for this coffee include chocolate malt, molasses, and licorice.
Origin
If you’re looking for a single origin, this blend isn’t it. Kick Ass is a blend of Indonesian and South American beans.
Brewing
The secret to making the Kick Ass really shine is a solid brewing process. Because it’s a dark roast, however, there’s a bit more forgiveness in the brewing process. So don’t stress the times and temperatures too much.
For this roast, Kicking Horse recommends drip, pour over, or French press—we think AeroPress is a good fourth option.
454 Horse Power
Velvety, Earthy, Spirited, and loves traveling.
Okay, I made that list one up, but these do read like Tinder profiles for coffee.
In any case, the 454 Horse Power turns out to be another great coffee by Kicking Horse.
Aroma and Tasting Notes
It’s low on acidity and has a very smooth finish, but the body is where this roast really stands out. There are distinct notes of chocolate and smokiness but nothing over the top. Other tasting notes include: sweet tobacco and earth with a black licorice finish.
The aroma of all this Horse Power can be best described (by Kicking Horse themselves) as cacao nibs, peat, and hints of nutmeg.
Origin
The 454 Horse Power blend is sourced from three different global regions: Indonesia, Central America, and South America. Like all Kicking Horse coffee, this blend is 100% arabica. Yuuum!
Brewing
Again, French press, drip, or pour over will all perform well here and are all recommended by Kicking Horse. Do remember to go with a coarser grind if you’re using a French press.
Three Sisters
The Three Sisters blend is a medium roast and is much lighter than both the Kick Ass and 454 Horse Power.
Aroma and Tasting Notes
Smooth, savory and seductive? Yes. A coffee that’s actually well-rounded and delicious? That too.
This blend smells of dried fruit, coconut, and chocolate malt—with some toasted notes for good measure.
Sweet tobacco, drupe, and cocoa are some of the notes that might be picked up in tasting.
Origin
The Three Sisters blend hails from Indonesia, Central America, and South America and is also 100% arabica.
Brewing
Brew Three Sisters with whatever method you prefer. The ground coffee is best for either drip or pour over, but with your own grinder you unlock the full range of brewing methods.
Grizzly Claw
We’re still talking coffee when we say that the Grizzly Claw roast is rich and decadent. This dark roast from Kicking Horse likened to dark chocolate.
This coffee is popular with the keto crowd looking to make bulletproof coffee because of its lower acidity. Butter in your coffee though? That’s not for us.
Aroma and Tasting Notes
When you first open the bag, you’ll get aromas of concentrated sugar cane and cocoa.
The wonderful aromas manifest themselves with flavors of dark chocolate, cacao nibs, and brown sugar—and a hint of hazelnut for good measure.
Origin
This roast is sourced in the Americas, both central and south.
Brewing
These beans are oily but only slightly more than a typical dark roast. If you’re using a grinder, clean it more frequently while you’re working through the Grizzly Claw.
The standard brewing methods work well for this dark roast—French press or pour over being our top picks.
Storage
All good coffee is worth storing properly, and Kicking Horse is no exception. Unless you go through coffee insanely fast, it’s probably worth investing in some storage containers. And no, the bag the coffee comes in isn’t what we’re talking about here.
What’s a good pick? Get something that’s air tight and opaque—we don’t want any light getting in. If you’re feeling extra fancy, get something with a one way CO2 valve, which will let your coffee off-gas as it ages without letting in any pesky oxygen. In our minds, it’s well worth it in the pursuit of great coffee. You don’t need to go all out by any means. Most anything you end up with here is better than just using the bag.
Finally, make sure you’re not exposing your coffee to any extreme temperatures. Too hot and your coffee will go rancid faster. That means less great flavors at best and lots of off-flavors at worst.
Where to buy?
Each of the above blends is available on Amazon. You can also find them through Jet, Target or you local grocery store.
Have you tried them? Like them? Send us a note! We always love hearing what our readers think.