Death Wish Coffee Review – One Of The Strongest Coffees In The World

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Wake up and get moving with Death Wish Coffee one of the strongest coffees in the world. Death Wish Coffee is one of the leading coffee roasters in the USA. The Death Wish Coffee team is edgy, hyped, strong, sarcastic, fun, and stylish – just like the coffee! We’ll take a closer look at Death Wish Coffee and include some reviews from top blogs around the world.

What is Death Wish Coffee?

Death Wish Coffee was created in the summer of 2012 by Mike Brown and a group of friends who wanted to make coffee that tasted great but also had some kick. They were inspired by their love for coffee and their passion for making good-tasting coffee at home. The goal was to create an espresso-like drink with a bold taste and a smooth finish.

Death Wish Coffee Co’s slogan is ‘Rebellious by Nature’, this is a not-so-subtle hint that this company does things differently.

Death Wish Coffee Co roasts its own coffee from a unique combination of Arabica and Robusta coffee beans.

Why call it Death Wish?

The name Death Wish alludes to the strong coffee and high caffeine content of the roasted coffee. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you will die nor that you have a death wish. It is just a fun sarcastic pun indicating the strength of their coffee.

Achievements of Death Wish Coffee

The Death Wish Coffee team has achieved some tremendous milestones ever since its inception. Here are some of them…

Death Wish appeared on Good Morning America in 2013

Death Wish Coffee appeared in the 2016 Super Bowl Ads. It was the smallest company to run a commercial during Super Bowl 50, exposing 167 million viewers to Death Wish Coffee. Death Wish managed this by winning Intuit QuickBooks’ “Small Business, Big Game” competition in 2015, allowing it to have a Super Bowl commercial carried nationwide free of charge during Super Bowl 50. (en.wikipedia.org)

In 2017, owner and founder Mike Brown was named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Emerging Business in New York.[2] Mike Brown was also named 2018 40 Under 40 by the Albany Business Review (en.wikipedia.org)

Death Wish Coffee developed an instant freeze-dried blend of its coffee to fuel the astronauts on the International Space Station. This was done in collaboration with NASA Food labs in 2018 (deathwishcoffee.com)

In June 2020, Death Wish Coffee was the primary sponsor of NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Anthony Alfredo in the eighth race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway. They went on to sponsor other drivers in subsequent years but supported Alfredo once again in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (en.wikipedia.org)

September 2022 Death Wish Coffee donated $50,000 to the Saratoga Hospital Foundation to support higher education for nurses (Saratogian)

How Strong is Death Wish Coffee?

In our post ‘What is the strongest Coffee‘, we saw that strong coffee can mean it has more caffeine than any other coffee. It can also mean that it is a coffee with a high level of total dissolved solids (TDS).

Total dissolved solids are all the components of coffee that are extracted and dissolved in water during the brewing process. It is all the ‘stuff’ extracted from coffee that ends up in your cup of coffee!

For the purpose of this article, we will say that a strong coffee is a coffee with high caffeine content.

Death Wish doesn’t specify the caffeine content of their coffee but the coffee is roasted from a blend of both Arabica and Robusta coffee beans. Robusta coffee beans usually contain more caffeine than other coffee beans, so you can expect the caffeine content to be reasonably high. 

Caffeine informer has reported that Death Wish coffee has about 728 mg of caffeine per 12 fl oz (355 ml). This seems less than the reported levels of other ‘strong coffees’.

However, caffeine values can vary considerably depending on the coffee beans, coffee roasting, coffee brew technique, and assay method. Nevertheless, a level of 728 mg per 12 fl oz is still plenty strong.

The average caffeine content in a 12 fl oz cup of coffee is about 142 mg. However, you should note that the amount of caffeine in coffee depends upon the type of coffee beans, the way the beans are roasted, and the brewing method (e.g. French Press, espresso, and pour-over).

While there might be “stronger” coffees out there, Death Wish Coffee delivers sustainable, smooth strength every time. Higher in strength than those sugar-soaked drive-thru brews, you can always bank on a bold, smooth and strong cup of coffee when you’re drinking Death Wish Coffee (DeathWishCoffee).

How is Death Wish Coffee Roasted?

Death Wish Coffee uses both Arabica and Robusta beans, sourced from mainly, India and Peru. Various roasts include…

Death Wish also offers flavored coffees such as Gingerbread, Pumpkin Chai,  and alcohol-infused coffee beans, and cold brew coffee.

Most Death Wish Coffees can be bought as coffee beans, coffee grounds, or K-cup coffee pods.

All coffee beans are sourced from the highest quality coffee beans and are Fair Trade and USDA-certified organic.

Positive Reviews of Death Wish Coffees

Death Wish Medium Roast Coffee

Death Wish Medium Roast coffee has over 970 four to five-star reviews on the Death Wish Coffee site and over 37,000 five-star reviews on Amazon.

Tasting notes – a balanced blend was grown at high altitudes for hints of caramel and roasted peanuts, notes of stone fruit and smooth milk chocolate to finish.

Death Wish Medium Roast Coffee Beans

Death Wish Dark Roast Coffee

Death Wish Dark Roast Coffee has over 3,680 five-star reviews on the Death Wish Coffee site and over 15,300 5-star reviews on Amazon.

Tasting notes – notes of dark chocolate + black cherry

Death Wish Dark Roast Coffee Beans

Rik Paul from Wirecutter had this to say about Death Wish Dark Roast…“I found the taste hearty and, yes, potently strong—all coffee, no subtlety. It was stronger than two Starbucks dark roasts I compared it with, but not bitter or unpleasant.

Julia Bobak from homegrounds gave Death Wish Coffee 4.7 out of 5 for a combination of blend, taste, freshness, price, and caffeine.

The product review site Vetted gave Death Wish Coffee an Excellent rating.

Death Wish Espresso Roast Coffee

Death Wish Espresso Roast Coffee has over 15,000 5-star reviews on Amazon and over 350 5-star reviews from a total of 409 reviews on the Death Wish site.

Tasting notes – Rich, intense and smooth with notes of caramelized sugar, cocoa, and black cherry. Bold finish.

Neutral Reviews of Death Wish Coffee

Benji from The Coffee Concierge rated Death Wish Coffee as 3.9 out of 5. He wrote that…

If you are not getting the caffeine pick-me-up you are seeking in the coffee you already drink, then Death Wish Coffee is definitely worth a try. In my opinion, Death Wish Coffee doesn’t taste bad, but it doesn’t taste good either.”

Negative Reviews Of Death Wish Coffee

Some customers and critics don’t like Death Wish Coffee, but this is to be expected.

We all like or dislike different things. We all have different tastes. 

On Amazon, there are about 700 1 to 2-star reviews for Death Wish Dark Roast coffee and most of those didn’t like the taste. This contrasts starkly with over 3680 5-star reviews.

Nathan from thedarkroast had this to say about Death Wish Coffee (roast unspecified)

“This coffee wasn’t as rich, deep, strong, or heavy as I was expecting for a dark roast….I was looking forward to a sumptuous cup of coffee with a serious flavor hit, but unfortunately, this isn’t what I got. I’d give Death Wish Coffee a 3 out of 5-star rating, and I wouldn’t buy it again.”

Fortunately, the positive reviews outnumber the negative reviews by a substantial margin.

What is the Price of Death Wish Coffee?

Death Wish Coffee is reasonably priced with a price range from $15.99 (Valhalla Odinforce) to $19.99 (Dark Roast, Medium Roast, and Espresso Roast) per 1lb (454 g) bag of whole coffee beans or ground coffee.

The flavored coffees, alcohol-infused, and cold brew coffees have various prices such as Cold Brew $39.99 for 12 pack, Pumpkin Chai Coffee $19.99 for 12 oz (340 g), and Dark Spirits Chocolate Rumball $29.99 for 8 oz (226 g).

What is Valhalla Java from Death Wish Coffee?

Valhalla Java Odinforce is another coffee blend developed by Death Wish Coffee Co. and is different from the well-known Death Wish coffee blend.

It has over 5700 positive 5-star reviews on Amazon and over 2100 5-star reviews on the Death Wish Coffee Co website. The product review site Vetted also gave it a ‘GOOD’ rating after analyzing other online reviews or posts.

Valhalla Odinforce Blend Coffee Beans

Valhalla Java Odinforce uses a blend of Arabica and Robusta beans sourced from Honduras, Guatemala, Sumatra, Peru, and India.

Of course, if you are a fan of Vikings then you know that Valhalla is a majestic hall in Asgard where Vikings go after dying in battle.

Why name a coffee Valhalla? 

It is fun innovation from the team at Death Wish Coffee and yet another allusion to strong coffee. That is, drink this coffee and go to Valhalla!

As Death Wish Coffee Co say…”this blend is strong enough to wake the dead and chariot them gloriously through the gates of Valhalla.”

Valhalla Coffee isn’t as strong as Death Wish coffee but it has its own unique taste and flavor profile.

How to Brew Death Wish Coffee 

The company recommends two and a half tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water when preparing your coffee but the company doesn’t say which brewing method is used. 

French Press, Pour Over, or Drip Coffee Brewing

The 2.5 tablespoon to 6 oz brew ratio is likely to be for French Press, pour-over, or drip. Of course, you should adjust the coffee grind size and brew ratio to suit your brew method.

Aeropress

This Aeropress recipe comes from thedarkroast

  • Grind 15g of ground coffee to a fine consistency, assemble your AeroPress, press the cone onto the top, and add your coffee.
  • Pour in around 30 ml of hot water, stir and then leave to settle for around 30 seconds.
  • Add the rest of the water, position the AeroPress cap and filter onto your cup or mug, and pour out around 100ml of water.
  • Screw the lid into place firmly on your cup and then press the top of the tube down until it starts to make a hissing noise.

Once again you should adjust the grind and experiment with temperature and time to suit your taste.

Espresso

To pour the perfect espresso please read our post How to Make the Perfect Espresso on National Espresso Day

You can use a coffee grind and coffee-to-water brew ratio to suite your taste and your espresso machine. Usually, a 1:2 brew ratio is used for espresso. This translates to about 18 g of finely ground coffee made into 36 g of water.

Should You Use Whole Bean or Ground Coffee? 

You can buy both whole beans or ground coffee from Death Wish (you can buy K-cup pods too but we’ll not discuss these here). 

According to Lisa Frania from Death Wish Coffee, there are three reasons to consider when deciding on either coffee beans or coffee grounds…

  1. Freshness
  2. Versatility
  3. Convenience

Freshness

Grinding fresh whole coffee beans will make you a strong, fresh, flavorful, and aromatic cup of coffee. Grinding whole coffee beans gives you the best chance to extract optimal flavors and aroma from your beans.

The image below from DeathWish gives you some idea of the grind needed for various brewing techniques. 

chart with different grind sizes

Versatility

Whole-bean coffee allows you greater versatility because you can adjust the grind to suit different brewing methods. 

Ground coffee is already ground and the size of the grind may not suit some brewing methods.

Convenience

Whole-bean coffee is a little less convenient than ground coffee because it is more time-consuming compared to ground coffee. You have the ‘extra step’ of grinding the coffee beans before brewing.

You can use a manual or electric grinder and a burr grinder is better than a whisk grinder.

Ground coffee is a little more convenient than whole-bean coffee because you don’t have to grind it.

Regardless of whole-bean or ground coffee you still need to weigh your coffee to measure an appropriate coffee-to-water brew ratio and to scale for the number of cups you want to brew.

Pro and Cons: Whole Bean And Ground Coffee

Lisa Frania from Death Wish Coffee nicely summarizes the pro and cons of both whole bean and ground coffee.

Whole Bean Coffee Pro and Cons

Pros:

  • You are in control of your brew
  • Stays fresh for a longer amount of time before tasting stale
  • You have the power over your coffee’s flavor
  • You can grind beans right before brewing to ensure more flavor, aromas and freshness
  • You have power over grind size and can grind for any brewer

Cons:

  • More time-consuming to make coffee using whole beans
  • You need additional equipment like a coffee grinder to grind your beans
  • Uncertainty of grind size for different brew methods

Ground Coffee Pro and Cons

Pros:

  • Convenient and timesaving
  • You don’t need to have a coffee grinder
  • No guesswork in the grinding process
  • No need to experiment to see which grind size works best for your coffeemaker
  • Wide variety of flavors
  • Packaged ground coffee is readily available wherever you shop

Cons:

  • Loses most of its natural flavor quickly
  • You are restricted to limited brew methods due to grind size
  • Too coarse for other brewing methods like a percolator or espresso machine

You Can Have Both Whole Bean and Ground Coffee!

You don’t need to choose one type of coffee over the other – you can have both!

Use ground coffee or K-cup coffee pods when you are in a rush. Use whole-bean coffee and grind to suit your brewing method when you have a bit more time to enjoy your coffee.

Where Can You Buy Death Wish Coffee?

You can buy Death Wish Coffee from Amazon or directly from Death Wish Coffee Co

However, Death Wish Coffee Co recommends that you buy Death Wish Coffee directly from its website to ensure a fun, fully involved, and guarantee backed experience. They can also answer your questions directly if you buy on their site.

Are There Mycotoxins in Death Wish Coffee?

Mycotoxins are naturally occurring molds (fungi) and are found in varying amounts in most plants and crops. Very small amounts can be found in all green coffee beans.

The adverse health effects of mycotoxins range from acute poisoning to long-term effects such as immune deficiency and cancer (WHO).

However, about 90% of mycotoxins will be removed when roasting coffee beans. Caffeine is also a natural mycotoxin inhibitor, and given that Death Wish Coffee beans are highly caffeinated, then the effective concentration of mycotoxins would possibly be even weaker. 

Mycotoxins in coffee, and highly caffeinated coffee, do not seem to be a significant problem.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What happens if we drink Death Wish Coffee?

I’m unsure what ‘happens’ to you but hopefully, you will enjoy your coffee. With any coffee, you may be a little more alert and energized. If you experience symptoms such as rapid heartbeat or insomnia then it is probably best to lay off coffee for a while. You can learn more about the effect of coffee on your health in our posts – Is Coffee Healthy For You – Mixed Ideas, 8 Benefits and 6 Cons of Coffee on Your Health, and Is Coffee Good For You?

Is Death Wish Coffee FDA approved?

The FDA has approved coffee as a safe and healthy addition to your diet because of the high amount of antioxidants it contains. However, the FDA also recommends limiting caffeine consumption to just 400 mg a day to prevent negative side effects (coffeewitness)

Is it safe to drink Death Wish Coffee?

It is safe to drink Death Wish Coffee provided you are not allergic to coffee or have any adverse reactions to drinking coffee. It isn’t always caffeine in coffee that is the problem you can be allergic to any of the natural organic compounds in coffee. Obviously, if you find you suffer from any adverse effect after drinking any coffee then you should try and avoid all coffee not just Death Wish Coffee.

Is Death Wish Coffee high in caffeine?

Yes, Death Wish Coffee is high in caffeine with about 728 mg of caffeine per 12 fl oz (355 ml). This is about 5 times more caffeine than the ‘average’ cup of coffee containing 145 mg of coffee per 12 fl oz (355 ml).

Why is Death Wish Coffee the strongest?

Strong coffee can mean high caffeine content or high Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). Death Wish Coffee does not have the highest caffeine content or TDS.

Is Death Wish Coffee Expensive?

Death Wish Coffee is reasonably priced but the price varies with the type of coffee (flavored, roast, and cold brew). A pack of Death Wish Dark Roast coffee is $19.99 (Dark Roast, Medium Roast, and Espresso Roast) per 1lb (454 g) bag of whole coffee beans or ground coffee.

Does Death Wish Coffee wake you up?

The only way Death Wish Coffee will wake you up is if it a cup is spilled on you whilst you are sleeping. If this happens you either have a friend with a warped sense of humor or is angry at you for some reason. 

However, Death Wish Coffee, like any other coffee, may cause insomnia if you drink it too close to bedtime. 

Which Death Wish Coffee is the strongest?

The Death Wish Dark Roast probably has the highest caffeine content so if ‘strong’ means caffeine then this is the strongest coffee.

Does Death Wish Coffee support the military?

I believe that Death Wish Coffee Co offers a 15% discount for members of the armed services. However, you would need to check directly with Death Wish Coffee on their website.

Why is it called Death Wish Coffee?

The name Death Wish alludes to the strong coffee and high caffeine content of the roasted coffee. It is a pun and shows the delightful rebelliousness and sarcastic nature of the Death Wish Team.

How much caffeine is in an 8 oz cup of Death Wish Coffee?

If there is 728 mg of caffeine per 12 fl oz (355 ml) then we can calculate that there would be 

8/12 x 728 mg = 485 mg in 8 oz cup of coffee.

How do you drink Death Wish Coffee?

You usually drink it from a cup. Of course, you may also like to drink it from a jug, mug, flask, paper cone, bottle, Mason jar, shoe, or any other version of a container. 

Seriously, you drink it however you like and brew it however you like. 

How strong is Death Wish Coffee K cup?

The coffee in a K-cup coffee pod is the same as the coffee in coffee beans or ground coffee. However, the amount of ground coffee in a K-cup is much less than that used in espresso, pour-over, or French Press. Consequently, you may not get as much total caffeine or TDS in a K-cup compared with other brewing methods.

Is Death Wish Coffee an energy drink?

Death Wish Coffee is not promoted as an energy drink. However, like any other coffee it does help ‘energize’ you. Please read our post on the health benefits of coffee.

Is 700mg of caffeine a lot?

Yes, 700 mg of caffeine is a lot. It is 5x the caffeine found in an average cup of coffee.

For healthy adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams a day—that’s about four or five cups of coffee—as an amount not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects (FDA).

Which is the strongest coffee in the world?

Please read our post What is the Strongest Coffee? Best Top Strongest Coffees in the World

Is Death Wish Coffee stronger than espresso?

Espresso is a way to brew coffee from ground coffee beans. Death Wish Coffee is sold either as coffee beans (which you grind for your brew method such as espresso), ground coffee, or K-cups. The strength of an espresso thus depends upon the coffee used to make the espresso.

Is Death Wish Coffee stronger than Starbucks?

Yes, Death Wish Coffee is probably stronger, in terms of caffeine content, than a Starbucks coffee. The maximum eported level of caffeine in a Venti-sized (20 fl oz) Blonde Roast Starbucks coffee is 475 mg (caffeineinformer). This is about half of the caffeine found in 12 oz Death Wish Coffee.

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Top Posts and Reviews For Death Wish Coffee Worldwide

  • Death Wish Coffee Company: Rebellious by Nature – Death Wish Coffee Company delivers a bold, full-bodied yet flavorful brew that will awaken your taste buds, with an extra kick of caffeine to ignite your attitude. Made with Fair Trade and Organic beans. (deathwishcoffee.com)
  • Death Wish Coffee Review: Do Not Drink (Before You Read This) – Looking for a Death Wish Coffee review to decide if it’s worth buying or even drinking? Then stop what you’re doing right now and keep reading. The Ultimate Death Wish Coffee Review There’s been a huge amount of hype (thedarkestroast.com)
  • What Does Death Wish Coffee Taste Like? (And Is It Safe?) | Wirecutter – Death Wish coffee has a skull on the bag and 600-plus milligrams of caffeine per cup. We asked 17 staffers to do a taste test and to record how buzzed they got. (nytimes.com)
  • Death Wish Coffee – Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
  • Death Wish Coffee Review [DON’T BUY BEFORE READING] – Drinking 5 cups in a row can give you a stomach ache. What you need is a way to condense all those cups into 1 perilous beverage. So, buckle up your seatbelts, our Death Wish Coffee review… (homegrounds.co)
  • How a free Super Bowl ad turned Death Wish Coffee into a household name – After startup Death Wish Coffee scored a rare free Super Bowl ad in February, its presence and sales skyrocketed. (money.cnn.com)
  • ‘Death Wish’ Coffee Recalled For Potentially Lethal Botulism Risk – Customers are being warned of a fatal form of food poisoning (eater.com)
  • Death Wish Coffee to donate $50,000 to nurses – Death Wish Coffee is donating $50.000 to the Saratoga Hospital Foundation to support higher education for nurses. (wnyt.com)
  • Death Wish Coffee Review (thecoffeeconcierge)

Death Wish Slogan: LET’S DRINK COFFEE AND THROW THINGS AT HAPPY PEOPLE

death wish coffee review
Fun Pic – Drank too much Death Wish?

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