Boutique coffee brands pop up all the time. Everyone is trying to get into the coffee game, but so few actually do it well. We got turned on to a company called Defender Coffee last year and had a chance to try out four of their blends over the course of about a year. We specifically took a look at three of their dark roast coffees as well as tried out their extra caffeine variety, also considered a dark roast.
A little about Defender Coffee
Defender Coffee is a company that “represents a dedication to preserving our nation’s values and liberties.” When you buy from Defender Coffee, you’re given an option to donate funds to one of the three largest Second Amendment preservation organizations in the country. In a move where the company puts their money where their mouth is, they say that their “brand stands as a testament to the commitment of patriotic Americans who recognize the importance of defending the Second Amendment,” and they set aside portions of their sales to either the Second Amendment Foundation, Firearms Policy Coalition, or Gun Owners of America.
“By choosing Defender Coffee, you’re not only indulging in a superior coffee, but you’re also contributing to the cause of safeguarding our fundamental freedoms,” they state on their webpage. “We proudly allocate a portion of our profits to support gun rights organizations that tirelessly advocate for the protection of the Second Amendment. With every sip of Defender Coffee, you actively champion your right to keep and bear arms.”
Some of their roasts
Defender Coffee has all kinds of different blends and flavor profiles to meet the taste requirements of different coffee drinkers. They even have decaf coffee for those who are caffeine sensitive as well as a blend that has extra caffeine, with 3 x’s more, for those who like to feel their teeth vibrate.
Defender offers up one light roast coffee, which you can get in ground or whole bean form – Patriot roast. They have 11 different medium roasts, available in ground or whole bean, with one in coffee pod form. For dark roasts, there are six different varieties, several of which are available in pod form, whole bean, ground, 12 ounce bags, or even five pound bags.
We tried out some of the dark roasts
Dark roast coffee has always been what fell squarely into the flavor profile I enjoy. Looking over what’s offered at Defender Coffee, it appears that the dark roasts are popular there.
The bold flavors of dark roasted coffees always were more delightful to me than say a breakfast blend. That’s to say, there’s nothing wrong with a good breakfast blend, however between the flavor and caffeine content, I prefer dark.
The lower caffeine content of dark roasts allows for more coffee drinking throughout the day with less jitters.
When I got the coffee that we tried out, it was a dark roast bundle pack. At the time, in early 2023, when we ordered and received the blends, the following flavors came in the pack: Revolution, Swamp Fox, and 1776. There currently seems to be no dark roast bundle pack available now, however there is a “build a box” option that allows buyers to select up to six different products.
For the three dark roasts that I tried, I went through two 12 oz bags of each. I also would not have classified them as “dark” in coloration when examining the grinds, nor overly robustly flavored. However, they did have a bolder flavor, which I expected. Dark roasts from traditional coffee companies that I normally would drink are a few shades darker than what Defender Coffee produces.
Revolution
The Revolution dark roast was sweet and mellow. It had a slightly acidic hint of berry, and is reminiscent of a bolder version of a breakfast blend.
Swamp Fox
Flavor that came from a brewed Swamp Fox cup of coffee was creamy. This roast had notes of a French roast coffee and was more robust than Revolution.
1776
The 1776 roast had a touch of chocolate and a fruity berry undertone. It was not overwhelming. I’d consider this on the darker side of a medium roast. The 1776, almost with patriotic duty had a slight aftertaste consistent with flavor profiles of black tea.
For grins, we got a bag of the Militia roast
The Militia roast is Defender Coffee’s blend that’s enhanced with extra caffeine. Defender Coffee boasts that the Militia roast has 3 x’s more caffeine than regular coffee. Because of this, you can’t get the coffee in whole bean, only grinds. The Militia roast is considered a dark roast, however, like the other three varieties mentioned in this review, it’s not as dark as I’d personally like to see it.
On the page for Militia roast coffee, Defender Coffee has a disclaimer, “According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, besides death, a severe caffeine overdose can cause fast and erratic heartbeats, seizures, vomiting, diarrhea, and disorientation.”
What was the roast like?
I found the flavor to not be very rich and slightly bitter. It was not offensive, just not what I like. Let’s be honest though, the reason you buy this blend of coffee is for the kick you get from the extra caffeine.
Is there really that much extra caffeine in it? I’d say, “Oh, yes.” Two cups of this stuff will have you really buzzing, right down to your teeth. There’s so much caffeine in the coffee that if you drink too much of it, it’ll hurt when you pee.
Yes, that’s a real thing. And yes, I had to think through life choices from decades ago, that would not make any sense at the present date, to figure out why that was happening – maybe a dirty toilet seat? Thankfully I found a whole host of people that talked about burning pee from a caffeine overdose. Saved by the brew, there was nothing latent hanging around in the ole system harkening back to my early 20’s – whew – Just too much coffee.
The quick and dirty
Pluses: Good flavor. High quality and consistent. Donates to good causes. Affordable. Does not seem like they’ll sell-out if they get massive commercial success like other brands have.
Minuses: Dark roasts are just not dark enough for me.
Overall, the Defender Coffee that I had was phenomenal. While, no, the roasts were not dark enough for my taste, these were all great cups of coffee. I tried each roast with different brew methods and all of them produced flavorful coffee. I absolutely would recommend this coffee brand to friends and family, as well as continue to buy it from time to time. Best of all, this company really seems to walk the walk, and is not surfing on some corporate reputation. I don’t suspect Defender Coffee will be jumping on the bandwagon of sell-outs, and I look forward to seeing what else they concoct for us!
If you want to get a $5.00 off coupon, click through THIS LINK to order your coffee. For every coupon you get, I get one too!
