What is 454 Horse Power?
The most intense coffee Kicking Horse publishes, and it does not hide it.
Kicking Horse publishes a heavy body with sweet tobacco, earthy character and a black licorice finish, an aroma of cacao nibs, peat and hints of nutmeg, a dark roast described as velvety, earthy and spirited, Certified Organic, Fairtrade and Kosher status, and green coffee as the only ingredient. The bag is 10oz.
Peat and tobacco are unusual notes to publish
They are savoury descriptors, and most roasters avoid them.
Coffee marketing runs on chocolate, caramel and nuts, because those are flavours nobody dislikes. Tobacco and peat are the vocabulary of whisky and cigars: dry, smoky, vegetal and distinctly adult.
Publishing them is a filter. It tells the buyer who this coffee is not for, which is more useful than another bag promising smooth chocolate. If those words appeal, this is the coffee. If they do not, Grizzly Claw is the sweet dark roast in the same range.
Heavy body, and what that actually means
Body is mouthfeel, not strength, and the two get confused constantly.
Body is the weight and texture of the liquid: whether it feels like skimmed milk or like cream. It comes from dissolved solids and suspended oils, and it is largely independent of how much caffeine or how much coffee flavour is present.
A heavy-bodied coffee carries through milk without vanishing, which is why this is the bag in the range best suited to a flat white or a moka pot with hot milk. It also means a French press or a metal filter suits it better than paper, since paper strips the oils that carry the body.
What it does not mean is more caffeine. Kicking Horse publishes no caffeine figure for any coffee in this range, and dose matters far more than roast for that in any case.
454 Horse Power vs Kick Ass
Both dark, and this is the one with fewer friends and more character.
Kick Ass is chocolate malt and molasses: the crowd-pleasing dark roast, and by review count much the more popular.
454 is savoury where Kick Ass is sweet, and heavier in the mouth. For a household buying one bag, Kick Ass. For somebody who finds most dark roasts samey, this is the interesting one.
Is 454 Horse Power worth it?
Worth it if the tasting notes appeal. Genuinely not if they do not.
It carries the same three certifications and the same no-additives policy as the rest of the range, at the same supermarket price. The only question is whether you want a savoury, peaty coffee, and the listing tells you honestly.
Kicking Horse publishes no origin country, farm, altitude, varietal, processing method or roast date on this bag. Nor does it publish a caffeine figure, despite the name inviting the assumption.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Buy it for milk drinks, a press, or a palate that likes whisky vocabulary.
It suits a moka pot, a French press, an espresso machine used for milk-based drinks, and anybody bored of chocolate-and-caramel dark roasts.
Do not buy it as a first bag from this roaster, which is Kick Ass's job. Do not buy it for a paper filter, which strips the body that is the point. And do not buy it expecting more caffeine, because none is published.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 454 Horse Power have more caffeine?
No figure is published. The name refers to the blend, not a measured caffeine content, and dose matters more than roast anyway.
What does it taste like?
Heavy body, sweet tobacco, earthy, with a black licorice finish, and an aroma of cacao nibs, peat and nutmeg.
How is it different from Kick Ass?
Savoury rather than sweet, and heavier in the mouth. Kick Ass leads on chocolate malt and molasses.
Is it certified?
Yes, Certified Organic, Fairtrade and Kosher.
What brewer suits it?
A metal filter or a press keeps the oils that carry its body. Paper strips them.
