In our continuous search for some of the best and rarest coffees on the planet, we recently had a chance to try some of Spirit Animals Coffee’s most popular offerings. They sent us their coffee in exchange for an unbiased and honest assessment of their coffee. The following Spirit Animal Coffee review will cover everything you need to know to determine whether this specialty coffee is worth your hard earned coffee dollars.
Before diving into my experience with this coffee, please allow me to provide a little context.
Who is Spirit Animal Coffee?
Spirit Animal Coffee is a distinctly high-end specialty coffee company focused on delivering the freshest and highest quality bag of coffee directly to your doorstep. Specialty coffee is a designation given to coffee beans that are rated above an 80 on a scale of 1-100 by the Specialty Coffee Association. Only coffee that meets a very high and standardized set of criteria earn this title.
The brand was started by Paul Gromik and Kathia Irias with the goal of delivering the best Honduran coffee in the world. With this goal in mind, Spirit Animal Coffee looks to distinguish itself from the competition in many notable ways.
Sustainability
First, the company sources their coffee directly from Honduras via sustainable and transparent trade practices. The company is clear about their intentions of investing into the farming communities that produce their coffee. In fact, they pay their farmers 300% more of what’s prescribed as fair trade wages. Beyond financially supporting their farmers, Paul and Kathia are also supporting these communities with coffee knowledge and know-how which is arguably more important.
Freshness
Virtually every coffee company will make promises of delivering a fresh coffee experience. However, Spirit Animal Coffee ensures this by transporting their beans by air freight directly from Honduras to Miami, FL.
The idea behind this is that the beans are much fresher and don’t lose their taste and flavor while deteriorating in slow cargo shipments. They estimate that the usual coffee route takes weeks before it reaches the consumer where theirs takes a mere 2-hour flight.
The company has a few different blends of premium coffee and I had the opportunity to review their Catuai/Bourbon blend. Having provided a little context for this Spirit Animal Coffee review, I’ll get right into sharing my experiences.
Spirit Animal Coffee Review: Packaging
While packaging is probably the least important aspect of a coffee review, I always appreciate it when roasters take the time to present their coffee well. The coffee arrived at my doorstep and I was instantly amazed at the packaging of the coffee. The coffee came in a elegantly designed wooden box with the Spirit Animal Coffee logo on the outside of it. When I opened up the wooden box, the bag of coffee was wrapped in burlap and elegantly tied with some string. The impressive presentation was unlike any other coffee I have ever had before – I was immediately excited to try my first cup.
Spirit Animal Coffee Review: Tasting Notes
The bag of coffee was full of aromatic whole beans just waiting to be ground. I pulled out my coffee grinder, prepared my French press, and began to brew my first cup of Spirit Animal Coffee.
I took my initial sip.
Immediately I was blown away by the smoothness of the coffee. It is probably the smoothest cup of coffee I have ever tasted and carries flavor throughout the experience. And given how much specialty-coffee I’ve tried over the years, that’s saying a lot.
I can definitely see why the coffee scored such a high score of 90.5 points on the coffee quality scale as established by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).
The coffee was also very sweet. Sometimes when a coffee is ultra smooth, it can lack flavor. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case here. This brew had a delightful fruitiness to it that was very appealing. The blend was of a medium roast and had a unique flavor profile. The cup had deep chocolate undertones and the entire cup of coffee was bursting with flavor. It was very easy to drink and created a very enjoyable coffee drinking experience.
Over the next couple days, I enjoyed more cups of this wonderful coffee and had similar positive experiences. Consistency of flavor and roast is something that’s often overlooked by even some of the best coffee brands out there. Spirit Animal Coffee clearly invests money, time, and effort into the quality control of their coffee and that’s reflected in this consistency.
One thing that really stands out about Spirit Animal Coffee is how much it elevates the coffee drinking experience. From the packaging, to the coffee itself, the experience that Spirit Animal Coffee creates is second to none.
It is truly a premier coffee experience that any coffee connoisseur should experience for themselves. This coffee makes the perfect gift for any coffee lover in your life and also makes a great gift to yourself. Being that this is some of the highest quality coffee available, the coffee isn’t cheap. Nor should it be given the luxuriously rich experience it offers.
Spirit Animal Coffee Subscription
One way to help get more bang for your coffee buck is to make use of the Spirit Animal Coffee subscription which entitles you to a 50% discount off of your first order.
With their coffee subscription, this luxury coffee becomes significantly more affordable.
Spirit Animal Coffee: Selection
In addition to offering whole bean coffee, Spirit Animal Coffee sells their brews in the form of single serve pour over pouches. If you’re unfamiliar with this term, you’re not alone. It’s a relatively new delivery form that appeals to coffee connoisseurs who also want convenience. These are pouches that contain fresh coffee grinds in them. You suspend this pouch over the mouth of your coffee mug and simply pour hot water on top of them much like you would a standard pour over. It’s a simple yet highly effective design.
These pouches are incredibly convenient and allow you to enjoy an incredibly high quality cup of coffee on the go without having to sacrifice flavor to do it. I’d recommend checking out their sample set which includes their espresso blend, bourbon, and Parainema brews.
Why it’s worth drinking Specialty-Grade Coffee
Spirit Animal Coffee is a prime example of why it’s worth paying extra money for specialty-grade coffee. It’s not just another type of coffee, it’s a different experience altogether similar to how a standard burger differs from a perfectly grilled prime rib. Unlike the mass-produced coffee you may find in your local supermarket, specialty coffee is crafted with care and precision by skilled roasters and baristas who are passionate about their craft.
Quality
One of the main reasons why you should drink specialty coffee is the quality. Specialty coffee beans are sourced from high-altitude farms that produce superior coffee beans, resulting in a tremendously complex and flavorful brew. The flavor of specialty coffee in general is incredibly nuanced and your taste buds will appreciate it.
Additionally, the roasting process is done in small batches where more of the roasting variables can be controlled and fine-tuned. The roasting is carefully monitored to ensure that the beans are roasted to perfection, bringing out the unique flavors and aromas of each bean.
Transparency
Another reason to drink specialty coffee is the transparency. Specialty coffee roasters are transparent about where their beans come from, the processing methods used, and the different participants involved in their supply chain. This level of transparency allows you to make an informed decision about what you’re drinking and ensures that the farmers who grow the beans are being treated fairly.
Supports Small Businesses
Drinking specialty coffee also supports small businesses. Specialty coffee roasters are often small, independent businesses that are committed to quality and sustainability over just the bottom line. By choosing to drink specialty coffee, you’re supporting these businesses and helping to ensure that they can continue to produce high-quality coffee for years to come.
Having said all of this, I personally think Spirit Animal Coffee embodies the ethos that captures the specialty coffee and Third Wave coffee movement.
Spirit Animal Coffee Review: Final Thoughts
In concluding this Spirit Animal Coffee review, this is a coffee that I would most certainly recommend. The entirety of the experience is what makes this cup of coffee so good and you simply can’t duplicate what Spirit Animal Coffee has done. The coffee tastes great, and you feel like you are brewing something special when you open the bag. If you are a true coffee lover, you must try Spirit Animal Coffee.
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to review many premium and even ultra-premium coffees. Every now and then we review a coffee that exceeds our 5 star scale on multiple metrics. For these rare coffee masterpieces, we award them with our Best Quality Coffee Editor’s Choice Award. I’m pleased to say that the Spirit Animal Coffee is a recipient of such a distinction.
Use our exclusive Spirit Animal Coffee discount code and get 10% off your entire order: BESTQUALITY
Spirit Animal Coffee Bundle
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For a limited time, Spirit Animal Coffee is offering an exclusive bundle of some of the best Honduran coffee on the planet. Their lab tested mycotoxin and pesticide-free coffee delivers a coffee flavor that’s as clean as it is robust. Their lab tests are also publically available so you can know for certain that the coffee has passed the company’s rigorous standards. This bundle is currently being offered for $59 at nearly over 40% off it’s retail price and is an excellent way to experience a taste of Spirit Animal Coffee. |
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