Coopers Cask Coffee: Barrel Aged Coffees for a Morning Kickstart
Cooper’s Cask Coffee is a Rhode Island-based coffee roaster that roasts its beans differently from other US roasters. They use award-winning Whiskey and Rum barrels to create a unique line of gourmet coffee.
Can Cooper’s Cask Coffee meet your coffee expectations with its unique way of roasting? What rum, whiskey, and wine coffee options do they offer?
What is Barrel-Aged Coffee?
As the name suggests, barrel-aging coffee involves aging green coffee beans inside barrels that were used to age whiskey, bourbon, rum, or other liquor. Not only does this enhance the flavors and complexities of the beans, but it also adds distinct notes of liquor from the used barrel.
Get to Know Cooper’s Cask Coffee
Cooper’s Cask Coffee started out of curiosity. John Speights, one of Cooper’s co-founders, learned from a few companies that aging tea leaves in wine barrels creates a unique taste. The barrel aging method gave John the “Aha!” moment of “What about coffee?” So, he ordered a bunch of barrel-aged coffee from different coffee companies but was disappointed after tasting them.
Just because someone is already doing something doesn’t mean it’s too late for you. For John Speights, he firmly believes that he can roast better barrel-aged coffee -better. So, he contacted his friend, Jason Maranhao. He told him about his big coffee plans and onboarded Jason to create the best-tasting whiskey and rum barrel-aged coffee. That’s how Cooper’s Cask Coffee was born.
What Separates Cooper’s Cask Coffee from the Coffee Competition?
Many coffee companies were established with a significant focus on sustainability. Cooper’s was founded to share a coffee experience that every coffee lover deserves – a barrel-aged coffee roasted to perfection.
Pros
Cons
Cooper’s Cask Coffees
Cooper’s Cask Coffee offers two types of coffee. These are the single origin sourced from top coffee regions around the world and their unique barrel-aged coffee beverages. They also offer their coffee in K-Cups for Keurig coffee machine users.
Single Origin Coffees
The Single-origin coffee series by Cooper’s are Grade 1 beans with great taste scores. Each coffee blend has specific nuances that make it unique from one another. Here are some of their bestsellers.
Single-Origin Box Set
The Box set contains four different single-origin coffee packed in a black, environmentally-friendly box. Each coffee bag is 4 oz. It’s a great gift box for coffee lovers who love coffee from Sumatra, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Kenya.
- Sumatra coffee: A smooth, bold coffee with flavors of dark chocolate, woody earth and dark cherry with hints of tobacco undertones.
- Ethiopian coffee: Bold and intense coffee with flavors of lemon tart, raw honey, and floral nectar.
- Rwanda coffee: A full-bodied medium roast with rich caramel and brown sugar flavor with hints of honeyed sweetness and ginger snap undertones.
This product is a set of four bags of single origin coffees from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Sumatra. The coffee beans are roasted and packed in the U.S.A., and the set is positioned as a suitable gift or a way to sample different single origin coffees.
Ethiopian Bold Roast
The bold Ethiopian roast is a dry-processed micro-lot single-origin coffee sourced from organic and Fair Trade-certified coffee farms in Ethiopia.
- Roast level: Light Roast
- Cup notes: Intensely bright and clean, bold coffee.
- Taste Notes: Has recognizable flavors fruity and floral tones with hints of wild berry undertones.
- Brew Method: French Press, Auto-drip, Espresso, Turkish
The Ethiopia Bold Light Roast Coffee is noted for its intensely bright and clean flavor profile, including notes of lemon tart, raw honey, and floral nectar.
This coffee uses a dry processing method that retains a fruit peel pulp on the cherry during drying. The result is a unique blend that offers a subtle citrus taste combined with raw floral honey and wild berry undertones, particularly when roasted to a light level.
Kenya AA
The Kenyan AA Cask Coffee is a gourmet coffee sourced from Farm Direct Trade-certified coffee farms. The coffee plants are from the Bourbon varietals, known for their combination of sweet and fruity tones.
- Roast level: Medium-Dark roast
- Cup notes: Bold, smooth and flavorful coffee
- Taste Notes: With delectable bittersweet chocolate and sweetness of dark cherries tastes.
- Brew Method: French Press, Auto-drip, Espresso, Turkish
The Kenya AA Medium Dark Roast Coffee is a fully washed product roasted in the USA, originating from Kenya. It is known for its distinctive juicy and sweet flavor with notes of baked peaches and a heavy syrupy body, suitable for those who prefer a medium to dark roast. This single-origin coffee is celebrated for its full-bodied and bright characteristics, derived from Kenya's unique soil conditions.
Sumatra
The Cooper’s Cask Sumatran coffee is a bold dark roast with an impressive flavor profile. The coffee beans are sourced from the Lintong region, where coffee farms cultivate the plants on volcanic soils.
- Roast level: Dark Roast
- Cup notes: Bold, smooth coffee with dark rich flavors and rustic, earthy tones.
- Taste Notes: Has noticeable flavors of woody cedar, dark chocolate, and a slight taste of dark stone fruits with hints of tobacco undertones.
- Brew Method: French Press, Auto-drip, Espresso, Turkish
Cooper's Cask Coffee's Sumatra coffee, sourced from the Lintong region, is a full-bodied, dark roast with a unique, earthy flavor profile. The beans, which are grade 1 and wet-processed, are partially sun-dried, resulting in a coffee with a fuller body and lower acidity.
Barrel-Aged Coffees
The barrel-aged coffees were aged from freshly emptied casks for several months before roasted. The coffee beans stored in the whiskey & rum barrels absorb the natural flavors and aroma imprinted in the charred oak barrels.
Bourbon, Whisky, & Rum Barrel-Aged Coffee Box Set
The coffee box set contains a pack of four coffee bean bags that weighs 4 ounces each. It showcases the barrel-aged coffee bestsellers such as the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel, Uprising Stout Whiskey, Battle Cry Rye Whiskey, and the Thomas Tew Rum coffee.
The product is a barrel-aged boxed set featuring four varieties of coffee: Kentucky Bourbon Barrel from Colombia, Stout Whiskey from Sumatra, Rye Whiskey from Ethiopia, and Thomas Tew Rum from Rwanda. Each set includes four 4oz bags, one of each type, totaling 16oz of coffee. This best-selling collection offers a unique tasting experience by combining different coffee beans with barrel aging methods.
Kentucky Bourbon Barrel-Aged Coffee
The Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey coffee is a Colombian Grade 1 coffee beans. The coffee beans are aged in the whiskey barrel for 45 to 60 days and roasted the beans to medium-dark.
- Roast level: Medium to dark roast
- Cup notes: Bold, smooth coffee with vibrant taste profile and rustic sweetness with a bourbon finish.
- Taste Notes: With hints of cocoa and dark fruit notes.
- Brew Method: French Press, Auto-drip, Espresso, Turkish, Cold Brew
This coffee, imported from Colombia, undergoes a unique aging process in an empty bourbon barrel for up to 60 days in the US, aimed at intensifying its flavor. The beans are of grade 1 quality, ensuring a high standard for the final product. The resulting coffee has a distinctive taste profile featuring rustic sweetness, dark fruit notes, a hint of cocoa, and a smooth bourbon finish.
Uprising Sumatra Single Malt Whiskey Barrel-Aged Coffee
The Uprising Sumatra is a single malt American whiskey barrel-aged roast with beans sourced from the Lintong region. The beans are Graded 1 for its excellent taste profile (90+ points).
- Roast level: Medium to dark roast.
- Cup notes: Bold, smooth coffee with a long whiskey finish and aroma of sweet vanilla and caramel.
- Taste Notes: With hints of woody earth and mild sweet tobacco.
- Brew Method: French Press, Auto-drip, Espresso, Turkish, Cold brew
Cooper's Cask Coffee offers a malt whiskey barrel-aged coffee, using grade 1 single origin beans from Sumatra's Lintong region. The beans undergo a signature barrel aging process in the U.S.A. to enhance their flavor profile. The resulting coffee boasts tasting notes of woody earth, tobacco, tropical fruits, vanilla, and caramel.
K-Cups
Cooper’s Cask also offers its cask coffee in K-cups. Each box contains six K-cups.
Kentucky Bourbon Barrel-Aged K-Cups
Freshly roasted Grade 1 coffee beans aged 45-60 days in a Bourbon barrel is what you’ll get from Cooper’s in K-cups. These K-cups are compatible with Keurig 2.0.
- Roast level: Medium to dark roast.
- Cup notes: Syrupy and smooth coffee with some toasted vanilla oak lingering on the palate.
- Taste Notes: With unusual flavors of honey, nutty butterscotch, and hints of rustic chocolate notes.
- Brew Method: French Press, Auto-drip, Espresso, Turkish.
The Bourbon Barrel Aged Variety Single Serve Coffee Cups is a 12-count box set featuring Grade 1 Single Origin Colombian coffee beans. These beans are aged in Kentucky Bourbon barrels and roasted in the USA, offering a unique flavor profile. The coffee boasts tasting notes of rustic sweetness, a hint of cocoa, dark fruit notes, and a distinct bourbon finish.
What People Love About Cooper’s Cask Coffee
Alternatives
If you think Cooper’s whiskey barrel-aged coffee is too strong for you, Big Cup of Coffee highly recommends these coffee alternatives below.
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Coffee by Oak & Bond Coffee Co.
It’s a Brazilian single-origin coffee aged in Bourbon whiskey barrel. The beans are sourced from a family-owned small coffee farm in the Southeast of Brazil.
- Roast level: Medium roast.
- Cup notes: Sweet-toned and smooth coffee
- Taste Notes: With notable flavors of rich chocolate, caramel, and Mandarin orange
- Brew Method: French Press, Auto-drip, Pour-over
Oak and Bond's Bourbon Barrel Aged Coffee offers Brazil single-origin coffee aged in Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey Barrels, offering a distinctive flavor profile of chocolate, caramel, mandarin orange, and sweet bourbon. The coffee is meticulously monitored during the aging process and roasted to a medium level to enhance its rich taste. Suitable for various brewing methods, this whole bean coffee is ideal for both coffee and whiskey enthusiasts, ensuring a rich and flavorful experience in every cup.
Stillhouse Blend by Traverse City Whiskey Co.
These grade 1 coffee beans are roasted in collaboration with Roaster Jack Coffee Co. The beans are aged in a 10-year-old Bourbon Barrel.
- Roast level: Medium roast.
- Cup notes: Well-balanced, smooth coffee with an elegant finish
- Brew Method: French Press, Auto-drip, Pour-over
The Traverse City Whiskey Co. offers a medium roast, Grade 1 coffee that boasts a smooth and elegant finish. This unique blend is aged in 10-year-old used bourbon barrels, adding a distinct flavor profile. It is packaged in 12oz bags, sealed for freshness, and crafted in small batches every few weeks to ensure quality.
Storyteller Espresso Roast by Clout Coffee
The Storyteller Espresso roast is a Columbian single-origin coffee aged in a Bourbon barrel.
- Roast level: Dark roast.
- Cup notes: Rich and smooth coffee
- Brew Method: French Press, Auto-drip, Pour-over
Clout Coffee offers a unique coffee experience by aging pure Colombian coffee beans in bourbon barrels, ensuring that no two batches are the same due to collaborations with various distilleries. The beans are sourced exclusively from barrels used for aging bourbon, whisky, rye, or rum, highlighting the distinctiveness of each batch. This process aims to provide an indulgent coffee experience, emphasizing the individual stories and characteristics of each barrel used.
Conclusion
Cooper’s Cask Coffee does not only offer delicious barrel-aged coffee but a unique experience that makes us think outside the box (and into the barrel?) The barrel-aged coffee is refreshing for those who want to be adventurous with the way they drink coffee.
For Cooper’s, it’s challenging to create a unique flavor out of aging the beans from used barrels because the outcome is not always the same. Likewise, the beans have to be roasted to perfection to create a taste profile that makes barrel-aged coffee of Cooper’s different.
Yet, Cooper’s promises that you’ll crave its savory notes and pleasing aroma every time you open a bag of any of their barrel-aged coffees.
Have you tried barrel-aged coffee? What do you love/hate about it? Please share with us your whiskey & rum barrel-aged coffee experience in the comments below.
