By Nigel Ong
Coffee roasters like to give their roasts fancy names to invoke some emotional response in their drinkers. Perhaps this explains why Kicking Horse calls one of their roasts ‘454 Horsepower’.
The question is, will the coffee really be able to perk you up and add more ‘horsepower’ to you? I picked up a bag to find out.
I will sample and review the Kicking Horse 454 Horsepower Dark Roast in this post. I will try it as French press, pour-over, and espresso before comparing it with other relevant coffee in my collection.
About Kicking Horse Coffee Roaster
Kicking Horse Coffee Roasters may have a rather unique name, but it is not the only reason it is popular. Elana Rosenfeld and Leo Johnson founded it in Invermere, British Columbia, Canada, in 1996.
This brand has evolved from humble beginnings in a small home garage into a beloved staple across North America, thanks to its quality brews and loyal customer base.
One way Kicking Horse built its brand is by having whimsically named roasts, which some of you may not be able to relate to coffee directly. Some of these roasts include Grizzly Claw, Smart Ass, There Sisters, or the Lucky Jim.
Another unique thing about Kicking Horse Coffee is its commitment to organic and fair-trade coffee sourcing. Their deep respect for environmental sustainability and the well-being of coffee farmers around the globe has helped them win many customers.
First Impression
Kicking Horse 454 Horsepower Dark Roast shares a packaging design similar to its sister roasts – a black exterior, small wordings in modern fonts, and a brightly colored logo.
In this case, the 454 Horsepower Roasts uses a brown background, with the number’ 454′ in black in the center of it. At least Kicking Horse is being a bit more toned down here; they could have hyped up the roasts more by placing a horse or an engine piston in the logo.
The coffee is a dark roast, using 100% Arabica beans from Indonesia. However, the flavor description does not mention anything ‘herbal’ or ‘spicy’ with this coffee.
Instead, Kicking Horse used the wording ‘velvety, earthy, and spirited’ to describe the taste of the coffee. These are not flavor descriptions, so seeing how the coffee tastes in the review remains interesting.
When I opened the bag, the smell was intense and fragrant. Aside from the coffee aroma, I also seem to pick up a bit of sweetness. The sweetness somehow reminded me of unburnt cigarettes. Tobacco maybe?
Reviews by customers on Amazon seem to indicate they appreciate the coffee being straightforward in its flavor – dark, intense, and bold, without the additional flavors. Let’s see if I would have the same experience.
How Does Kicking Horse 454 Horsepower Dark Roast Taste?
Brewing coffee usually involves two major methods – immersion and filtration. I will use both in my brewing test and add espresso brewing just to sample the coffee in a concentrated form:
French Press: A popular method of immersion brewing, French press coffee is murky, full-flavored coffee with floating particles. This should allow me to sample the coffee in its full flavor.
Pour Over With Filter Paper: A popular filtration brewing method, it produces a ‘cleaner’ cup of coffee without too much oil and particles floating about. This should help me to sample more of the subtle notes.
Espresso: Espresso condenses the coffee into a small, compact cup. This should help me sample some unique flavors that may not be present in the usual brewing. The 454 Horsepower is a dark roast, so why not try it as an espresso?
French Press
For my French press brew, I went with my reliable Bodum Caffettiera. I keep it at a 1 to 12 coffee-to-water ratio, similar to all the other coffee reviews I have done.
In practice, I combine 15 grams of coffee (about 0.6 ounces) with 180ml of hot water, aiming for around 185°F (85°C). I gave both a good stir and waited 4 minutes before pouring.
As the coffee brewed away, I was greeted by a deep, earthy aroma that dark roasts are known for. There is also some sweetness too. The brew looked dark yet slightly translucent as I poured the coffee out.
The Kicking Horse 454 Horsepower Dark Roast is not a ‘shy’ coffee. I get a nice dose of intense, bold coffee on my first sip. However, it does not punch my palate; instead, it delivers itself smoothly. This is the ‘velvety’ part of the coffee bag’s packaging.
As the coffee sits in my mouth a little longer, I can pick up a bit of bittersweetness with a bit of a cocoa-like quality. There’s also the light sweetness in the coffee, which I would, again, relate to unburnt tobacco.
The coffee also finishes with a hint of sweetness, which turns a bit chocolatey towards the end.
Pour Over With Filter Paper
For my pour-over brew, I use the following gear:
I added 20 grams of ground coffee and slowly poured in 360ml of water, taking about 3-4 minutes to pour all my hot water.
The pour-over brew of the Kicking Horse 454 Horsepower Dark Roast definitely has less grit, probably because the filter paper caught a bunch of the toffee bits. The color seems to be lighter, too, but not too obvious.
Taste-wise, the pour-over feels lighter and not as bold as the French press version. That’s probably the filter paper doing its thing, snagging the coffee particles and some of the oils.
The cocoa and sweetness in the coffee stand out more in this brew. I also seem to notice a bit of spice in the coffee, perhaps cinnamon or nutmeg.
To me, this spicy note quite confirms the Indonesian origin of the coffee beans inside this roast. Indonesian coffee beans tend to be spicy, earthy, and herbal in some ways.
Espresso
The espresso looked great, with a thick, smooth layer of crema on top. It smells smoky but with a hint of tobacco and spice.
Taste-wise, the espresso was strong, flavorful, yet smooth. It is strong, but I do not feel like I want to chug it, which explains the smoothness of the espresso.
The espresso eventually mellows down slightly, revealing a bit of cocoa and spice notes. Once you swallow the espresso, there’s a nice, lasting aftertaste to enjoy.
Kicking Horse 454 Horsepower Dark Roast vs Kicking Horse Roasts
As a start, I decided to compare the 454 Horsepower Roast with other Kicking Horse coffees in my collection.
I made coffee with these roasts and then drank them one after the other with the 454 Horsepower Roast:
- Kicking Horse Kick Ass Roast
- Kicking Horse Smart Ass Roast
- Kicking Horse Grizzly Claw Roast
These are all dark roasts, making this a rather close comparison. I have a medium roast from Kicking Horse – the Lucky Jim, but I thought I’d leave it aside for now.
I would list the 454 Horsepower Roast as the best roast. It has this smoothness and a combination of flavor notes I enjoy.
The Kick-Ass does not have many flavor notes, while the Grizzly Claw Roast does not have the smoothness the 454 Horsepower roast has.
Kicking Horse 454 Horsepower Dark Roast vs Popular Dark Roasts
Next, I lined up some popular dark roasts to compare against the 454 Horsepower Roast. I brewed all this coffee using my French press and then tried them one after the other with my 454-horsepower roast.
These roasts are:
- Peet’s Major Dickason
- Community Coffee Signature Dark Roast
- Lavazza Crema E Gusto Dark Roast
- Dunkin Midnight Dark Roast
The 454 Horsepower roast has more flavor and aroma than the Dunkin Midnight or the Community Coffee Signature Dark Roast. The flavors are also more intense.
However, I cannot say that the 454 Horsepower is as nice as the Major Dickason Roast. The flavor profiles are close, but I think Major Dickason delivers a simpler and clearer flavor experience – there are not too many flavors in the coffee to complicate things.
Is Kicking Horse 454 Horsepower Dark Roast For You?
The 454 Horsepower Roast is probably the best dark roast from Kicking Horse. Intense, bold, yet smooth, it delivers a beautiful coffee experience and allows you to sample the unique flavors of Indonesian coffee – earthy, spicy, and with some cocoa bittersweetness.
I may reserve this coffee for the afternoon, as it is strong enough to help you beat the afternoon slump. It also has enough flavor to make it something to be enjoyed after a long work day.