by Nigel Ong
I recently tried Kicking Horse’s Grizzly Claw roast, and I found it pleasant and rather enjoyable. This made me wonder if other Kicking Horse coffees would give me the same experience.
This made me pick up almost all of their coffee roasts to try out. In this post, I will write down my experience with the Kick Ass roast.
I will brew the Kicking Horse Kick Ass Roast three ways and then sample them. I’ll also compare it against other Kicking Horse coffee and dark roasts. Let’s go.
About Kicking Horse Coffee Kick Ass Roast
Kicking Horse Coffee is more than a unique name that makes it easy to remember. It was established in 1996 by Elana Rosenfeld and Leo Johnson in Invermere, British Columbia, Canada.
It has since grown from a modest start in a home garage to widespread popularity throughout North America, earning a dedicated following.
This could be because the company is committed to ethical practices, emphasizing organic and fair trade procurement, ensuring sustainability and support for the farming communities.
In addition to its ethical foundations, Kicking Horse Coffee is celebrated for its distinct and engaging brand identity, with each coffee blend featuring a unique name and design.
Some of their popular roasts include:
- Grizzly Claw: deep and chocolatey
- Smart Ass: bright and fruity
- Three Sisters: dried fruit, malt, coconut
- Lucky Jim: chocolatey, spicy
First Impression
My bag of Kicking Horse Kick Ass Roast would not really stand out – it is vividly black, with small white letterings around it. The only thing that popped was the green logo, with a black mule inside. Kicking Horse uses these brightly colored logos to tell apart the roasts.
The description of its flavor is straightforward and concise, which should help people make swift purchasing decisions. It claims to have a sweet, smoky, and ‘audacious’ flavor; I wonder how ‘audacious’ tastes.
The coffee’s packaging is practical, featuring resealable tabs for freshness and a one-way valve to release carbon dioxide while blocking air entry.
These features are typical of quality coffee packaging, and kudos to Kicking Horse for including these, yet they can sell at an affordable price point.
Upon opening the bag, the rich aroma of the coffee was immediately noticeable, signaling a dark roast through its strong, smoky aroma.
I can detect hints of smoke and wood, which I found quite appealing, and there seemed to be a sugary note, though I was less certain about that.
Since the coffee is pre-ground, directly assessing the beans’ quality isn’t impossible. The grind is relatively coarse, making it suitable for brewing methods like the French press, pour-over, and standard drip coffee machines.
How Does Kicking Horse Coffee Kick Ass Roast Taste?
For brewing, I will go back to the usual three methods with the Kicking Horse Kick Ass Roast. These methods allow me to brew the coffee using filtration and immersion. They are:
French Press: A popular method of immersion brewing, French press brewing makes a murky, full-flavored coffee with floating particles. This should allow me to sample the coffee in its full flavor.
Pour Over With Filter Paper: The gold standard in filtration brewing. This method produces a ‘cleaner’ version of the coffee without too much oil and particles floating about. This should help me to sample more of the subtle notes.
Espresso: Espresso is coffee in one of its most concentrated forms, and it only makes sense to try this dark roast as an espresso. I look forward to seeing if the concentrated coffee can reveal unique flavors.
French Press
For my French press, I relied on my trusty Bodum French press, following the brewing tips from Illy Coffee.
I stick to a ratio of 1 part coffee to 12 parts water, so I’ll use 15 grams of coffee with 180ml of hot water, heated up to about 185°F (that’s 85°C).
I mixed the coffee grounds with hot water, stirred it well, and let it sit for 4 minutes before it was ready to pour.
When I add hot water to the Kicking Horse Kick Ass Roast, I immediately get hit with a rich, earthy smell that is typical of dark roasts. The coffee itself looks pretty dark with a bit of a see-through look.
On the first sip, the coffee is intense, packing a punch of smoky and woody notes. I was prepared for bitter, intense notes in the coffee, too.
However, as I kept sipping, the coffee flavor seemed to be mellower and smoother than I had expected. It is strong, but not the kind that makes you just want to gulp the coffee. I can let the coffee sit in my mouth for a bit and find it enjoyable.
As I finish, the coffee leaves a strong impression, with a sweet aftertaste that reminds me of brown sugar.
Pour Over With Filter Paper
For my pour-over coffee, I relied on my IKEA Overst Coffee Pour Over Kit, and Hario filter papers. I follow the pour-over method that Starbucks recommends.
I start with 20 grams of coffee and gradually add 360ml of water, taking time to pour over 3-4 minutes.
The pour-over coffee comes out tasting lighter and crisper than French press coffee. It doesn’t have that ‘gritty’ feel.
It’s also not as smoky or intense, probably because the filter paper catches many of the oils and bits from the coffee. However, Kicking Horse Kick Ass Roast is still a dark roast, which means you still want to expect a stronger punch of flavor.
I can taste other flavors more clearly with the smoky and woody flavors toned down. The smoothness of the coffee and the brown sugar notes stand out more with this method.
If you like your coffee clean and clear, pour-over is a great choice. I generally enjoy French press coffee, but I think pour-over brewing helps accentuate this coffee’s characteristics, making it prefer it more.
Espresso
The coffee ground is too rough for espresso, so I started by grinding my Kick Ass Roast a bit finer first. Then, I used my Wacaco Minipresso GR to make an espresso shot.
The espresso looked great, with a thick, smooth layer of crema on top and a rich, dark brown color. It smelled a bit like smoke and earth but not too overpowering.
Taste-wise, the espresso was strong, flavorful, and smoky, just like how a regular espresso should be. The smoky and woody punch eventually gave way to a smooth, mellow coffee, which is quite nice.
The sugary notes also show up stronger here, especially if you resist swallowing the espresso and allowing it to linger on your tongue.
Once you swallow the espresso, there’s a nice, lasting aftertaste to enjoy. To me, it is a brown sugar-like sweetness.
Kicking Horse Coffee Kick Ass Roast vs. Other Dark Roast
I decided to start with dark roasts for comparison since the Kicking Horse Kick Ass Roast falls into that category. I picked a few other dark roasts to see how my Kick Ass Roast stacks up.
My lineup included:
- Peet’s Major Dickason
- Community Coffee Signature Dark Roast
- Dunkin Midnight Dark Roast
- Green Mountain Dark Magic Roast
I brewed each one in my French press and tried them out one after the other, together with the Kick Ass Roast.
After tasting them all, I’ve got to say that The Kick-Ass Roast isn’t the top of the pack, but it is close.
This intense, smooth, and sugary flavor makes it more interesting than some of the standard dark roasts like Community Coffee’s Signature Dark Roast. It also seems to have a better aroma and flavor than Green Mountain’s roast.
But when it comes to satisfaction, flavor, and overall quality, it doesn’t quite match up to Major Dickason, which are top-notch dark roasts.
Major Dickason has this chocolatey note that makes the coffee slightly more enjoyable compared to the Kick Ass Roast.
Kicking Horse Coffee Kick Ass Roast vs. Other Kicking Horse Coffee
Next, I’ll compare the Kicking Horse Kick Ass Roast with the other Kicking Horse coffee I have. These include:
- Smart Ass Roast
- Lucky Jim Roast
- Grizzly Claw Roast
- 454 Horsepower
As a smooth but intense dark roast, it may lack the flavor to match Grizzly Claw or 454 horsepower. But its smoothness is better.
My palate enjoys medium and light roast coffee, which makes me prefer the Smart Ass and the Lucky Jim more.
Is Kicking Horse Coffee Kick Ass Roast For You?
I think the Kicking Horse Kick Ass Roast has a special place in the dark coffee market. It is intense, smoky, and bold but does not contain too much flavor. Instead, you get a smooth cup of pure, mellow coffee.
This makes it perfect for folks who like their dark roast coffee strong and tasting ‘regular.’ The Kick-Ass Roast can also be a good daily go-to coffee, especially if you need something strong to beat the post-lunch slump.