I Drank 4 Cups of Coffee (in a critically evaluative way)

Last week, I bought 4 bags of coffee from one of my favourite Australian coffee brands (DC Coffee). I only really bought 4 so I could get free shipping, but I figured I would test each bean and see which one I preferred! Read on for my coffee experiment results…

THE BEANS

‘The Darkness’ — “The Darkness is bigger and bolder than anything you've had before. Full-bodied madness that will (not actually) gamma ray your brain with a buzz strong enough for you to face the day.”


‘Critical Hit’ — “Whether it's your late-night bean juice or an early morning kick start, this balanced and fruity blend will power up your play so you are ready to dominate the digital arena.”


‘B-Side’ — “The ultimate crowd-pleaser just like your favourite vinyl record, B-Side is pleasing to all the senses. The perfect balance of sweet and nutty, filled with mellow flavours and a deliciously smooth finish.”


‘Overdrive’ — “This is our strongest coffee - double strength + double flavour. Made to get your brain juices tingling and the body going.” (They claim this is double strength, which I was skeptical of... well, they're right).


THE PROCESS

I have a French press, so I brewed 3 tablespoons of coffee grounds for each bean. Bloomed for about a minute each, and then brewed with probably 2 ½ cups of water for 6 minutes each. Not as strong as I usually make it, but that’s fine, considering I was about to drink so much coffee.

image of coffee implements and beans... spoon, press, many mugs, on my dirty stove

I made hot coffee which I taste-tested first, and then put the remainder of each brew in the fridge to test their cold flavour profiles. Not sure if it’ll be any different, as it’s not actually cold brew, just chilled… maybe I’ll try cold brewing the beans at some point, but that’s going to take more time. I don’t have 4 French presses, after all.


THE RANKINGS

four bags of coffee with first, second, and third place, along with the final one labelled 'mid'
  1. The Darkness - Unsurprisingly, my favourite of these is the bean I drink every time. Tastes 'like coffee'; full-bodied, not too bitter but definitely has a strength to it.
  2. Critical Hit - I remember not liking this one as much when I had it previously, but it's actually lovely. Very fruity and light, smooth, but not as coffee-y as the rest of them.
  3. Overdrive - Very strong! I had assumed the 'extra strength' marketing was mostly exaggeration, but it actually was... more coffee per coffee. Taste-wise, I don't know if I would drink it for pleasure, but it works for sure.
  4. B-Side - Tastes similar to Critical Hit, but not as fruity. Nothing particularly special about it. However, it does donate to charity, so that's pretty cool!

COLD?

I drank some of each brew hot, and the rest I put in the fridge. Cooling them brought the flavours out a lot more, but didn't change the rankings too dramatically...

  1. Overdrive - Tastes nicer cold. Quite woody, tastes like the smell of plywood and pencil shavings, with a hint of gasoline (in a good way).
  2. The Darkness - Earthy and smoky. Tastes like getting a mouthful of dirt.
  3. Critical Hit - Still extremely fruity. Tastes of apples and nectarines.
  4. B-Side - Somehow not as nice cold. Almost sour?

Overall, this has been a fun way to figure out what kinds of coffee I prefer, and what flavour notes I actually enjoy! If you need some new beans, maybe consider taking a look at DC Coffee. Fair trade, and their packaging looks awesome.

Thanks for reading my coffee experiment! See you next time!