Kicking Horse Coffee, Cliff Hanger Espresso, Medium Roast, Whole Bean, 2.2 Pound - Certified Organic, Fairtrade, 35.2 Ounce

Kicking Horse Coffee has earned a permanent place in my kitchen. I’ve tried countless espresso blends over the years, but this one strikes the perfect balance of smoothness, richness, and aroma. The flavor is bold without being bitter. It's a complex mix of chocolate, fruit, and roasted depth that tastes like something you’d get from a specialty café. What really stands out compared to other coffees I’ve bought on Amazon is its consistency. Every bag I’ve ordered has been fresh, aromatic, and evenly roasted, which says a lot about Kicking Horse’s quality control. Whether I use it in my espresso machine or French press, it produces a thick, velvety crema and a satisfying cup every single time. It’s also worth mentioning that this coffee is organic and fair trade, which makes it an easy choice ethically as well as flavor-wise. For anyone who enjoys café-quality coffee at home, Cliff Hanger Espresso delivers a premium experience without the café markup. Great color and good acidity too.

The short & sweet: Pros: good quality, fresh beans. Con: might be too sweet for people that like espresso I am a big espresso fan and usually aim to try new flavors out there. Kicking Horse has been always on my mind when purchasing beans but I can't recall the last time I actually did. So, when I ran out of my personal batch, I decided to give them a try. I love medium roasts, although most of the ones I get are usually light because I prefer the bitter/acidity taste for my specialty drinks (mix with milk). Nevertheless, I wanted to try the Cliff Hanger medium roast and see if I would like it. Beans: the beans are oily and fresh in the packaging, and smell delicious Espresso: straight up pulled shot, the Cliff Hanger is aromatic and gives off (to me & my nose) a light taste of dark chocolate. It is sweet to the taste and acidity levels are minimum. Macchiato: I think this is where this bean shines! A macchiato with the Kicking Horse tastes heavenly! There is a sweet spot for any bean and I think this is it! Cappuccino: I do enjoy sweet cappuccinos, but do have to say the coffee is a little distant in this mixture Latte: I feel like this blend is too "smooth" for lattes and gets lost in the milk Overall: I think the Kicking Horse is a great bean if you want to use it for espressos, macchiatos or cappuccino. If you are an avid latte drinker and like the coffee taste, this might be on the lighter side for you.

Oh my! After years of Lavazza, to which I have been devoted, flirtations with Illy, roasters in NYC, North Carolina, and beans shipped straight from the source, I've found a sane, balanced, bold, not bitter, full espresso coffee that is affordable and made by a smaller company. Amazing. It works in a stovetop coffee maker (Bialetti) and it is particularly gorgeous in my Delonghi 702, producing a rich crema, dense flavor, smooth. Wow. Oily beans? Well, I guess they are a little oily, but no more than a Lavazza, Gaggia, or Illy bean... I've had NO trouble grinding (and I don't have a fancy burr grinder) to a mid-espresso grind, tamps well...it's running through the machine just fine...don't over grind or over tamp especially with an entry level 15BAR machine. Seriously, I just don't think it gets much better. November 2013.... But....after a year of drinking and enjoying this, I'm beginning to miss the bite of Arabica bean...or something. The roast may have been getting lighter in the past 6 months. Did they change bean type or source? Are they roasting lighter? It looks like they have but frankly, I don't know. It's still a good value but I've just ended my subscription for this in favor of a local coffee roaster. If I had to depend on what was here on Amazon, I'd likely go back to Cafe Espresso by Lavazza...or Illy if you can afford it. But I like knowing where my beans come from and like talking to my roaster...so goodbye Kicking Horse, it's been fun.

Kicking Horse Espresso - bought one a whim.....good espresso - used in my Breville

I mix my whole beans 50/50. A bag of dark roast Kult Coffe ( so smooth, no bitterness ) and a bag of this medium roast Cliffhanger Coffe that has SO much rich flavor and a wonderful milk chocolate body. I go for a medium/strong brew of espresso and it makes for a wonderful tasty cup of Coffe that’s full of flavor but not TOO strong so that I can drink a couple 10-12 oz cups. I make a double shot of espresso and make a Americano ( about 6 oz of hot water ) with a touch of real Madagascar vanilla home made sweetener, a squirt of smuckers caramel, 3 teaspoons of coffe creamer, and a small touch of half and half or teaspoon of blue bell vanilla ice cream. I know that sounds complicated but I don’t like frothed milk or flat steamed milk because it dilutes or masks some of the overtones and the taste of the freshly ground double espresso shot. That’s the heart of your drink and all that crema and aroma should show up in the end. Using hot water like an Americano and then blending in some dry coffee creamer actually adds its own nice flavor but not too much of a fatty cream taste. The coffe is 75% up front to the show and vanilla and caramel politely compliment the drink in on the last 25%. I’ve learned that you need to keep the coffee beans vacuum sealed because if you stop getting the froth/crema on your double shot or the pressure does not build up like when you first start the new bag of coffe..then those beans are no longer fresh and have dried out.. so I make a bunch of vacuum sealed bags of about 2 ounces of beans. After a year and a half with my Breville BES870XL Barista Express machine and about 8 brands and types of beans ( and tons of experimenting and tweaking this and that ) I can now honestly say that I can make a cup of coffee that rivals anything I’ve ever had ANYWHERE at any price. But taste is subjective and my way briefly explained above is not necessarily better than yours. I will say that THIS is my favorite coffee bean!! Lavaza Super Crema is a close second.

We love this roast of espresso. It's organic which is really important to us. I always feel like I have good energy without jitters when we use it. The smoothness is unmatched. It's a subscription purchase at this point because it's just so good!

The 1st Cliff Hangar I ever bought was a smaller package- I think 10 OZ? And it was THE BEST bean I've EVER HAD! hands down. bought a few and then didn't realize they got rid of that size option and now it's only the 2.2 LB and this bean was literally a different smell, flavor and not good at all. I don't know if I had a bad bag, or you should order direct from their website instead of from this buyer on amazon? I was SAD.

I'm a former barista and an espresso lover, so believe me when I say that this is some of the most delicious espresso I've ever had. I use a moka pot for simple at-home coffees, and I've been fiending for something higher quality than what grocery stores offer. Grabbed this on a sale, but I would pay full price in a heartbeat. It's smooth, it's got body, I've used it in everything from Lavender Lattes to Mochas to Blended coffees, and it has a way of blending perfectly with the flavoring without either overpowering the other. It almost makes me want to get an espresso machine so I can try pouring a good and proper shot. If it gives such a good kick with a barebones moka pot, I can only imagine how it'd turn out with an actual machine. Every time I crack the bag open, I take a good long sniff because the beans even smell wonderful. I should stop before I get weird about it lol. It's good coffee. You deserve good coffee.

Once in a while I would go on a journey and search for the next best tasteful bean, with reasonable amount of money can buy ... (less than $20/lb) Ended up always come back to this one, and so what I did is sign up for Amazon subscription. Roam free and try new stuff, yet keep my palate alive and calibrated with this awesome dark roasted beans! Not sure how this is even possible, flavor is super complex in this one, you get to extract different flavor and note highlights simply buy grinding this finer / coarser, and not to mention French press brewing it with different water temperature changes the whole experience too! My recommendation? Get the whole bean and invest in a good burr grinder, then join me with the coffee tasting adventure, cheers. Also, bean roasted in BC Canada is the cherry on the cake.

Great price for the size- this is my regular coffee so I always watch for it at the best price. Only Superstore and London Drugs have the same equivalent pricing for the 454 grams bag when they have a sale. Otherwise this is the best deal by far. Love the flavour of this coffee- rich and creamy with chocolate notes, made in my my superautomatic espresso machine. Everyone says I have the best coffee!

I love this coffee, the subtle chocolaty notes are so good. It's perfect when ground fine in a Bialetti, so good. One problem seems recently, like several months ago they changed to a new coffee bag. This bag does not stand up to shipping or use as well. It is easier punctured in transit. More importantly the light blocking color of the bag starts to degrade in bag creases, so by the time I am low on coffee a light is coming in through these creases in the bag designed to block out light. This however is not enough for me to stop loving the coffee and will continue to buy and enjoy but I have another container to store it now

This is our go-to bean for our espresso machine. Dark and rich, very low acidity. 1lb bags are normally $17 at the grocery store, $14 on sale, so 1kg for $20-30 depending on the Amazon price is good value. Have it on auto order every month, and the bags are about 2-3 months old when delivered - not ideal for espresso, but still tastes great, so not a deal breaker.

I love a good strong coffee and this espresso bean does not disappoint. The price point for a whole kg of beans can’t be beat, either. I’ve been a longtime fan of Kicking Horse Coffee and use it every day in my espresso machine. Hands down my favourite and would recommend to anybody that loves a healthy kick to their brew.