Black Rifle Coffee Company Review: All-American Roasts Worth Your Patriotism?

As an avid coffee lover always on the hunt for my new favorite morning brew, I‘ve become pretty obsessed with researching all things coffee. So when Black Rifle Coffee Company started popping up on my radar, I knew I had to test this buzzy brand for myself.

Keep reading for my first-hand experience with Black Rifle‘s full product range after months of in-depth evaluation. I‘ll reveal whether this self-proclaimed "coffee company for people who love America" is all hype or actually worth the premium price tag.

Spoiler alert: this patriotic java giant won me over – even as a left-leaning latte liberal! Here’s why…

Introducing Black Rifle Coffee Company

Founded in 2014 by Evan Hafer, a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Salt Lake City-based Black Rifle Coffee built an explosive cult following catering to right-leaning coffee drinkers tired of “latte liberal” corporate coffee.

But Evan didn’t stop at just roasting quality beans…

Spreading awareness through savvy social media outreach to its over 1.6 million Instagram followers, BRCC morphed into both a coffee juggernaut and pro-military lifestyle brand. We’re talking apparel, drinkware, instant coffee mixes – even a famously foul-mouthed YouTube comedy series.

Yet behind the brashly patriotic image lies a fast-growing startup taking coffee and company culture very seriously. While skeptics dismiss BRCC as pandering or style over substance, I found sincerity and quality setting this rising coffee star apart.

Curious how I went from doubter to super-fan? Keep reading…

Inside Black Rifle‘s Meteoritic Rise

For a self-funded startup selling dark roast wrapped in gun imagery and slogans like “Make Coffee Great Again”, Black Rifle Coffee’s rise seems nothing short of astronomical.

Get this…in 2021, only 7 years after launching online retail, Black Rifle Coffee is poised to hit over $555 million in sales revenue. Now boasting 1,951 employees, they plan to open hundreds more new brick & mortar coffee shops they call “Outposts” nationwide.

But this direct-to-consumer coffee behemoth didn’t grow through gimmicks and empty patriotism alone. Key facts behind Black Rifle’s extreme growth trajectory:

• $90 million in new capital helped expand production capacity and retail footprint

• PepsiCo marketing whiz Tom Davin hired as co-CEO to drive consumer reach

• Focusing expansion on rural and exurban areas ignored by mega-chains

• Coffee Club subscription loyalty program keeps quality consistent despite rapid scaling

• Still 100% self-owned by CEO/founder Evan Hafer and team

Impressed as I was with Black Rifle’s technology-forward approach disrupting the coffee industry status quo, I still entered my product tasting phase cautiously optimistic yet skeptical.

Surely growth this uncontrolled will start impacting quality, right? I mean, how good can such a button-pushing not-so-humble #brand really be?

Time to find out…

Inside the Black Rifle Coffee Selection

Diving into the specifics of what Black Rifle Coffee Company actually sells, you’ll find a bevy of mostly dark roast coffee blends with macho names like Silencer Smooth, AK-47 Espresso, Beyond Black and even a seasonal ‘Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal’.

Yeah, remember the gangster movie dialogue from Home Alone? I had to laugh too.

In total, the self-named “America‘s Coffee” offers 19 unique roast profiles ranging from light to French/Italian dark. Spanning fruity, nutty, chocolaty and caramelly flavor notes, their roster leaves ample room to explore.

Let’s analyze some BRCC best-sellers up close:

☕ Black Rifle Beyond Black Coffee Roast Review

Living up to its ominous name and equally dark bag, Beyond Black earns honors as Black Rifle’s boldest take-no-prisoners roast. Promising to be so strong it "goes beyond typical dark roasts", I liken it to a thick, viscous Turkish coffee or espresso.

With intensely bittersweet cocoa and earthy walnut tones dominating, Beyond Black utterly steamrolls meek and mild cups daring to enter its blast radius. Fans call it “black gold” and “intensely satisfying” – both accurate depictions in my experience!

The whole bean density proves consistently on point while my ground sample felt slightly less oily than ideal. But overall? Beyond Black hits the target for hardcore dark roast devotees.

☕ Black Rifle Just Black Coffee Roast Review

A far more approachable crowd-pleaser, BRCC‘s top-selling light/medium Just Black provides wonderful drinkability without the searing heat intensity. With pleasantly smooth body and subtle sweetness plus notes of milk chocolate and toasted nuts, I’d call this Black Rifle’s “Goldilocks blend” balancing complex flavor with inoffensive ease.

An ideal starting point for BRCC newcomers, but with enough depth to still appeal to snobs like myself, Just Black makes a consistently satisfying choice that’s hard to get bored of.

☕ Black Rifle Coffee Freedom Fuel Roast Review

Playing directly to Black Rifle’s pro-military branding in standard or decaf versions, Freedom Fuel bottles that gritty Americana vibe straight black no sugar.

While just a moderately bold dark roast more one-note than complex, Freedom Fuel lures loyalists more through brash packaging sentiment than refinement. I mean, the bag literally shows someone parachuting with a giant US flag!

Its classic roasted profile proves plenty drinkable but quite middle-of-the-road for my tastes. Still the best-seller lists reveal Freedom Fuel’s emotional appeal continues gaining a cult-like following.

☕ Black Rifle Coffee Rounds (K-Cups) Review

For days I‘d rather let my Keurig do the work instead of my pour over setup, I thoroughly enjoyed the convenience of Black Rifle’s K-Cup Rounds. Offering single servings of their most popular blends from Just Black to Beyond Black and more, the pods brew up exactly as satisfying as their name-brand Keurig counterparts.

While K-cups will never equal small batch pour over perfection, Black Rifle certainly didn‘t cut any corners on quality control even on these convenient copies.

Analyzing Black Rifle Coffee‘s Pricing

Diving into exactly what you can expect to pay filling your cupboard with these patriotic beans, Black Rifle Coffee positions at a moderate premium above conventional grocery store mainstays.

Let’s compare standard 12 oz bags of dark roast whole beans:

• Dunkin’ Original Blend: $8

• Starbucks Pike Place Roast: $11

• Peet’s Major Dickason’s Blend: $11

• Black Rifle Beyond Black: $14

• Death Wish Coffee: $19

Given specialty daily drinkers from Peet’s or Starbucks fall in the $10-12 range, Black Rifle’s $14 tag feels reasonably priced for what I would classify as a small batch artisan offering.

Not dirt cheap but cheaper than ultra-premium niche brands like Death Wish while beating grocery store bulk beans on quality.

One stellar way to save on Black Rifle coffee? Join their Coffee Club subscription loyalty program.

Score an automatic 10% discount plus free shipping on every shipment. Given their utter fanaticism, most Black Rifle regulars will easily save enough through the Club to justify the $25 monthly membership fee.

For me, the convenience of automatically restocked freshly roasted coffee arriving at my door trumps even the savings.

How Black Rifle Coffee Company Gives Back

Making lofty claims about supporting veterans and first responders, skeptics often critique brands like Black Rifle Coffee as merely exploiting sympathy and patriotism to score sales.

But the proof lies in the actual deeds…

• $2+ million donated so far supporting pro-military nonprofits

• 10% discounts for military personnel

• By 2024, Black Rifle plans to employ 10,000 veterans

• Their 2020 Give Back campaign raised $116k benefitting homeless veterans

Rather than crass exploitation, I believe the way Black Rifle Coffee walks the talk uplifting American heroes sets a positive example other corporations would do well to follow.

But only their own customers can tell if this community engagement actually resonates. Let‘s check recent reactions…

What Black Rifle Coffee Customers Actually Think

Analyzing real buyer sentiment reveals a brand firing on all cylinders with fans and skeptical newcomers alike applauding their coffee, conduct and community building.

★ Black Rifle earns an impressive A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau with 98% positive reviews

★ Amazon reviews: 4.7/5 stars among 17,000+ ratings

★ Podchaser Rating: 4.8/5 stars

★ Facebook Rating: 4.5/5 stars

★ Instagram Followers: 1.6+ million

Perusing customers’ social buzz and reviews, some themes quickly emerge:

Quality – Fans call Black Rifle’s roasts smooth, complex, and bold while respecting lighter palates too. Complaints of over-roasted or burnt batches seem relatively rare.

Price – Most agree Black Rifle coffee justifies moderately above average pricing through flavor, freshness and social impact.

Brand Identity – Their shameless pro-military positioning resonates with supporters as authentic and heartfelt even if the imagery seems over-the-top to outsiders.

Here’s a brief taste of fans’ flavor feedback:

"Freedom Fuel has been my daily go-to for 3 years straight. Incredibly smooth with no nasty acidity. I can‘t drink grocery store coffee anymore!"

"First time trying Black Rifle’s Justice League Blend. WOW this flavor is complex! Way better than Starbucks burnt motor oil."

"Just Black has the perfect balance of boldness without going overboard. Better than anything from gas stations and corner stores."

Bottom line: these off-the-charts customer satisfaction scores for a company barely 7 years young confirms Black Rifle Coffee is definitely brewing something special.

Now let’s see how their fiercest competition fares…

Black Rifle Coffee vs. Death Wish Coffee

No conversation about über-macho coffee brands goes long without mentioning Death Wish Coffee. Boasting the "world‘s strongest coffee" naturally positions them as Black Rifle’s biggest rival.

While Black Rifle leans into the edgy pro-gun veteran angle, New York-based Death Wish built their hyper-caffeinated loyalty through dark roast purity and smart digital marketing, not politics.

Comparing these two strapping coffee brands:

• Both offer intensely bold dark roasts claiming much stronger caffeine content than national chains
• Prices run moderately cheaper at Black Rifle for comparable quality
• Death Wish Beans test marginally higher in measured caffeine
• Black Rifle’s provocative pro-military branding inspires cult-like fans

The verdict? While Death Wish makes a great option for those solely seeking maximum caffeine Standard, I believe Black Rifle Coffee wins onprice and emotional engagement.

Simply put: BRCC roasts connect beyond sheer intensity. Backed by a fiercely dedicated community aligned around shared values, their approach fosters unity pride rather than more societal division.

Now let’s explore where to snag your own bag of this patriotic brew!

Where You Can Buy Black Rifle Coffee

Formerly direct-to-consumer online, Black Rifle Coffee‘s exploding fanbase now sees their dark roasts invade convenience stores and cafes nationwide.

But does this rapid retail expansion sacrifice freshness and quality?

While scaling fast certainly invites risks, so far Black Rifle seems to balance ambitious growth with smart branding choices that maintain integrity.

For example, you can now order BRCC brews inside Bass Pro Shops and hospital cafeterias – environments better matching their identity than, say, Whole Foods. And their Handsome Coffee shops nested inside Gym Guy fitness centers? A total no-brainer.

You may even find Black Rifle coffee kiosks popping up soon inside Cabela’s locations or 5-star hotels!

Clearly this scrappy upstart stays unafraid to ruffle feathers. But more importantly, their executive team insists on retaining 100% company ownership under CEO Evan Hafer’s vision rather than selling out to corporate interests.

This conscious commitment to answering only to their people gives me confidence despite the risks their wildfire growth presents. So far so good!

For online ordering, Black Rifle Coffee bean prices remain consistent whether purchasing direct from BRCC.com or their Amazon storefront.

One newer development, Black Rifle Coffee Rounds (K-cups compatible with 2.0 Keurigs) sell for slightly cheaper on Amazon making this the preferable source in my opinion.

As for brick and mortar retail availability, Black Rifle’s store locator shows options centered around the Midwest and Southeast regions for now. But if current trends continue, we could see the Black Rifle brand invading communities coast to coast before long!

My Final Take: Is Black Rifle Coffee Worth Buying?

For lovers of intensely dark roasted coffee, rich with oil and packing a notorious wallop, Black Rifle beans earn distinction right up there with leading artisan rivals.

Their loyal community happily pays a slight premium knowing spending fuels charitable veteran causes rather than anonymous corporate pockets overseas.

Of course that undeniable emotional pull stems from Black Rifle’s shameless embrace of military-themed packaging almost sure to elicit reactions, positive or otherwise. But polished presentation aside, their brew stacks up.

In an era of fraying public trust towards faceless globalist institutions, Black Rifle Coffee Company makes a stand for something bigger shared between people of all backgrounds. Their carefully crafted identity feels authentic in ways impossible for conglomerates that have sadly lost touch with local communities.

At a human level, Black Rifle’s leadership and employees walk the talk supporting heroic Americans through substantive action – not just ad campaigns. That brand integrity means something.

While aspects of Black Rifle’s tactically-tuned aesthetic won’t resonate with all palates, their dark roasts earn distinction through technical quality and a fierce commitment towards unifying people around shared values.

In the end – setting politics completely aside as I did – Black Rifle Coffee wins my endorsement for bold brewing and giving a damn. I happily award them my Caffeine Commando Stamp Of Approval! 👍☕