Amazon's ChoiceGreat Value

Kicking Horse

Kicking Horse Coffee, 454 Horse Power

Velvety, earthy, spirited. This smooth riding dark horse conjures up power from the depths of the shadows. This is the winner, the champion of taste. Hop on, hold on, and head for the hills.

9.1 /10
★★★★½ Must Drink Overall Score · 80% expert / 20% community Ranked #147 of 1193 (Top 13%)
Our Coffee Score 9.1
Coffee Lovers Score 9
Overall Ranked #147 of 1193 (Top 13%)
Coffee Beans Ranked #58 of 200 (Top 29%)
Our Coffee Score Ranked #140 of 1193 (Top 12%)
Coffee Lovers Ranked #586 of 1193 (Top 50%)

Our verdict: Ranked #69 of our top 200 coffee beans — an outstanding dark pick with earthy, smooth, sweet notes, earning a 4.5★ average across 1,774 Amazon ratings.

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Key facts

Roast
Dark
Origin
Multi-region blend
Process
Organic
Size
35.2 oz
Price / oz
$1.25
Best for
Cold Brew, Drip, Pour-Over, French Press

Flavor notes

EarthySmoothSweet

The Coffee Score review

Velvety, earthy, spirited. This smooth riding dark horse conjures up power from the depths of the shadows. This is the winner, the champion of taste. Hop on, hold on, and head for the hills. Our team spent hands-on time with the Kicking Horse Coffee, 454 Horse Power to see how it holds up against the rest of the coffee beans we've tested.

Across repeated sessions we evaluated it on the categories that matter most: quality, consistency, value, and how likely we are to reach for it again. Ranked #69 of our top 200 coffee beans — an outstanding dark pick with earthy, smooth, sweet notes, earning a 4.5★ average across 1,774 Amazon ratings.

From the roaster

  • TASTING NOTES: Heavy body, sweet tobacco, earthy with a black licorice finish.
  • DARK ROAST: Velvety, earthy, spirited. This smooth riding dark horse conjures up power from the depths of the shadows. This is the winner, the champion of taste.
  • ROASTED IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS: It’s all deep, dark and delicious, roasted right below the towering Canadian Rocky Mountain peaks. In our facility we only make only one thing: coffee! It's roasted from one ingredient only: green coffee. We don't use preservatives, additives, fillers or flavoring.
  • AROMA: Cacao nibs, peat, and hints of nutmeg.
  • ALL ORGANIC & SUSTAINABLY SOURCED: Grown in a socially and environmentally responsible way, by farmers with sustainable businesses they can depend on.

What we liked

  • Strong overall Coffee Score of 9.1/10 — ranked #147 of 1193 (13% percentile).
  • Distinct flavor profile: Earthy, Smooth, Sweet.
  • Community agrees — a Coffee Lovers Score of 9/10 from 1,774 ratings.

How we graded this coffee

Small-batch / craft roaster Grading framework
Taste 40% weight 9.2
Freshness 20% weight 9.6
Bean Quality & Sourcing 15% weight 9.6
Value 15% weight 7.6
Roast Quality 10% weight 8.9
Our Coffee Score (experts, 80% of overall) 9.1/10

The Coffee Lovers Score

Averages 4.5★ from 1,774 verified Amazon shoppers.

5 star 75%
4 star 13%
3 star 6%
2 star 2%
1 star 4%
  • Zenopause Verified purchase ★★★★★

    Six years later and my superior rating still holds

    Updated review, Dec 2022:I first tried the 454 in 2016, and my initial review below stands. I've sampled others in the Kicking Horse stable too, and while they're quite good, they don't have the seductive oomph of the 454.

    835 found this helpful

  • Jafo Verified purchase ★★★★★

    It's just good coffee

    I am not going to claim to be a coffee expert but this blend (454 Horse Power) is one of the best coffees I have had in my life. The coffee is strong, tastes great and is dark. It all comes together great. It's not one of those blends that have a great aroma but lacks body or taste. This is complete!

  • David Schloss Verified purchase ★★★★★

    Best coffee around

    454 is some of the best dark roast out there. It delivers deep, earthy flavor without that overly burnt, unpleasant taste so many other brands have. The balance is just right. I recently picked up a medium, more floral roast (not Kicking Horse) and couldn’t even finish the bag…I needed my 454 to start the day.

    1 found this helpful

  • Richard Palmer Verified purchase ★★★★☆

    Price jumping...

    Good coffee. Start buying it....THEN THEY JACK THE PRICE ON YOU......FORGET THAT! 1 month ago 32 bucks..this month 42 bucks WTF! There are so many coffee options to choose from I mean ALOT. I feel like this company just slapped me in the face. I will be looking at those other options.

    3 found this helpful

Read all 1,774 reviews on Amazon