What is Grizzly Claw?
The sweetest of the dark roasts, and the only one in the range sold ground.
Kicking Horse publishes tasting notes of rich dark chocolate, cacao nibs, brown sugar and roasted hazelnut, an aroma of condensed sugar cane and cocoa powder, 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, ground.
Brown sugar and hazelnut on a dark roast
Sweet notes this far into a dark roast are worth a word, because they are not from flavouring.
Kicking Horse states that green coffee is the only ingredient and that the facility makes only coffee, with no flavouring, fillers or additives. So the hazelnut and brown sugar here come from the Maillard reaction and caramelisation during roasting, not from a sprayed flavour.
That is the difference between this and a hazelnut-flavoured coffee, which is made by coating roasted beans with flavour compounds in a carrier and which leaves residue in your grinder and brewer. Same words on the label, entirely different product, and the ingredient statement is how you tell them apart.
Buying it ground, and what that costs
Convenience paid for in aroma, and the trade is bigger than most people expect.
Whole beans hold their volatile aromatics until the cells are broken. Grinding multiplies surface area enormously; most of the aroma is gone within about fifteen minutes and oxidation starts immediately. A bag of pre-ground is weeks past that before it is opened.
This is why a modest grinder improves a cup more than an expensive brewer does, and it applies to every coffee on this site. If you own one, buy Kick Ass or 454 Horse Power whole and grind fresh.
That said, good pre-ground beats no coffee, and 10oz is a sensible size: small enough to finish before it flattens. Kicking Horse does not publish which brewer the grind is cut for, which is worth knowing if you use an espresso machine.
Grizzly Claw vs Kick Ass
Same roast level, opposite ends of the flavour, and one is ground.
Kick Ass is molasses, licorice and earth: the savoury, smoky dark roast, sold whole bean.
Grizzly Claw is chocolate, brown sugar and hazelnut: the sweet one, sold ground. If you have a grinder and like dark coffee, Kick Ass. If you do not, or if you want the sweeter cup, this.
Is Grizzly Claw worth it?
Worth it as certified ground coffee, which is a small field.
Pre-ground supermarket coffee almost never carries organic and fairtrade certification. This does, at a similar price, with published tasting notes and a stated no-additives policy.
Kicking Horse publishes no origin country, farm, altitude, varietal, processing method or roast date, and no grind size or target brewer. On a pre-ground coffee the missing roast date matters more than usual, because the clock started at grinding rather than at opening.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Buy it for a drip machine and no grinder.
It suits an office, a holiday flat, a household that will not grind, and anybody who wants a sweet dark roast with certifications behind it.
Do not buy it if you own a grinder, where the whole bean bags are better coffee for the same money. Do not buy it for espresso without checking the grind, which is not published. And do not decant it into something open, because ground coffee stales fast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grizzly Claw flavoured?
No. Kicking Horse states green coffee is the only ingredient. The hazelnut and brown sugar notes come from the roast.
Is it whole bean or ground?
Ground. It is the only one in this range sold that way.
What grind is it?
Not published. Check before using it in an espresso machine.
How does it compare to Kick Ass?
Same dark roast level, sweeter profile. Kick Ass is savoury and smoky; this is chocolate and brown sugar.
Is it certified?
Yes, Certified Organic, Fairtrade and Kosher.
