Skull Crusher Coffee
Buy now £14.99, Skullcrushercoffee.com
- Rating: 5/10
- Caffeine level: 350mg of caffeine per cup
- Grind options: Ground or whole bean
- Sizes available: 500g
Strength
As promised on the label, Skull Crusher Coffee is very, very strong. We’re focusing on caffeine strength here rather than bold flavours (which we’ll get into later).
After taking the first few sips, we felt the jolt from the extra caffeine within minutes, as well as an immediate boost in energy. However, after a little while we also experienced negative side effects including jitteriness and anxiousness – which are very rare for this tester. In terms of heart palpitations, we didn’t see any changes while monitoring via our fitness tracker.
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While certainly potent, it’s hard to confirm whether this is in fact the “world’s strongest coffee”. Several other high-caffeine coffee brands around the world also claim to be the same (and use hard to confirm figures) – researchers at Caffeine Informer found much higher doses of caffeine from brands like Devil Mountain Coffee Company, for example. It’s also a hard title to prove as factors like processing and brewing time can affect caffeine levels.
To get into the maths of it, Skull Crusher Coffee estimates its beans have 350mg of caffeine per cup which is about the maximum amount of caffeine experts recommend in a day. By contrast, a regular cup of coffee normally has around 90mg of caffeine while a double espresso can rack up to 125mg per cup, according to the British Dietetic Association.
Flavour
Skull Crusher Coffee’s dark roasted scent hits your senses as soon as you open the bag. There are no subtleties over here. The in-your-face just-roasted smell is likely helped by the fact that the beans are in fact freshly roasted daily at the Manchester roastery.
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Like the coffee’s supercharged caffeine-count, our tester found the taste similarly potent, with the flavours bitter and overly roasted. We wouldn’t choose to drink it again for its flavour, however fans of dark roasted coffee may find it more pleasant.
Sustainability
When it comes to supporting the environment, coffee brands know how important it is to go the extra mile these days and Skull Crusher Coffee is no different. In order to offset the carbon footprint of each purchase the brand has partnered with TR[1]BE who protect five mature trees and 100sq. metres of rainforest for every order placed on the site.
The brand’s coffee is also Rainforest Alliance certified, a seal which is audited annually and takes a detailed look into environmental, social and economic criteria for protecting forests and improving the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities.
The verdict: Skull Crusher Coffee
While this reviewer in particular will not be brewing this coffee again, if you are looking for the strongest, darkest cup of coffee this side of the Atlantic and you have an extremely high tolerance for caffeine, Skull Crusher Coffee could be for you. At £14.99, it’s an affordable purchase (and it comes with a free mug), which also makes it a unique gift for coffee lovers.