If you’re like me, you’ve probably spent your nights writing your screenplay. While I enjoy this time of the day for writing, I can’t help but to succumb to the melatonin released by my body which induces sleep. There’s a few things you can do to combat the big bad sandman if you find yourself in situations like this. The use of stimulants in the form of prescribed medications like modafinil, armodafinil, and methylphenidate might help, but I wouldn’t recommend the use of these unless you were suffering from serious sleep disorders like sleep apnea or narcolepsy. Depending on the substance, there may be risks of addiction, weight changes, mood effects, and cardiac arrhythmia. However, there is one common stimulant that every screenwriter is very familiar with; caffeine. Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in coffee, tea, and other products. Furthermore, it blocks the receptors for adenosine, which blunts the signal for sleepiness. Since screenwriters spend the bulk of their time writing at their local coffee house, it’s only fitting to suggest 5 brands of coffee you’ve never tried before.
Death Wish
Need a serious dose of caffeine? Death Wish coffee won’t disappoint. Death Wish boasts that it’s the world’s most dangerous coffee and who could disagree? It contains 200% more caffeine than a normal cup of coffee. The bag has marked sell by dates so you don’t have to worry about its freshness. The option of buying whole bean instead of pre-ground is available in case you’re a stickler for freshness.
In my opinion, the best way to brew it is with a manual brewing tool like a French press or an Aeropress. This allows you to increase and still control the brewing time with precision. Other brewing methods you can try are drip brewing and cold brewing. Find what works best for you. I found that the French press did bring out the flavor character of the roast better than the Aeropress.
The flavor of the coffee is tasty enough to drink without any sweetener. It tasted fresh and rich without the bitterness of other high caffeinated alternatives. The dark roast of the coffee bean gives it a bold taste with a slight inoffensive salty twinge.
Usually with coffee, you get the buzz and later the crash comes. With Death Wish, I didn’t get the crash. I was able to write through the night without having to reach for another cup. A major pro of drinking Death Wish is that it has a great long lasting caffeine kick, which makes it perfect for your late night writing session.
Kicking Horse
Tasty coffee can come from many places in many ways, but none are quite as authentic as Kicking Horse. Besides an awesome motto, “wake up and kick ass!”, Kicking Horse incorporates its five core values, awake, authentic, inclusive, curious, and courageous with their coffee making.
Their positive spunky attitude is backed up by their great coffee. I recommend the whole bean option if you have a grinder. Whole beans will allow you to enjoy fresher, bolder, all around better tasting cup of coffee. The most popular blends are the kick ass, 454 horse power, grizzly claw and the three sisters. Out of the four, I tried the 454 horse power.
The 454 horse power is low on acidity with a smooth black licorice finish. There’s a subtle taste of chocolate and smokiness that’s not too over the top. I recommend the French press, drip or pour over method for brewing this kick ass kicking horse cup of joe.
Wake The F Up
With a name like this, how could you not be tempted to try it? Well, I did and let me tell you about it. It’s a very strong coffee so if you like your coffee with some strength to it, Wake The F Up won’t let you down in that department. I found the taste to be on the smoother side and gives quite the kick to your taste buds.
As for the ingredients, they consist of a secret blend of Costa Rican & Brazilian coffees, artisan roasted and ground in New Orleans. This is one of the most powerful coffees I’ve had and is sure to give you that needed late night boost.
Banned
Banned is billed as the “world’s strongest coffee” because it has 4 times the caffeine content of most beans. It’s a medium dark roast and only comes in ground. On the company’s website, it says that its focus is to produce a coffee that gives you enough of a caffeine kick to arm wrestle a gorilla without sacrificing flavor.
If you’re a hardcore coffee snob, you probably won’t be running out to buy this since pre ground coffee is never truly fresh. For someone pursuing a spike in energy though, it hits all the right places. It has a bold taste without being harsh and bitter while being smooth, which is surprising for such a strong coffee. If you don’t like drinking cup after cup, you might appreciate the stronger dose of caffeine you’ll get with Banned. This coffee comes with a legal disclaimer so you know what you’re getting into. It’s best to go easy on this one until you see how it affects you.
According to official lab results for the caffeine content of Banned and Death Wish, Banned has 2.56% of caffeine per any amount of coffee while Death Wish has 1.14% of caffeine per any amount of coffee. Banned has almost double the caffeine content of Death Wish. That’s quite the punch in your cup of joe.
Biohazard
Biohazard contains four to five times the caffeine of your typical cup of coffee. It comes in at 928mg of caffeine per 12oz cup of coffee. For comparison, Death Wish has 944mg of caffeine for a 16oz cup. Based off of this information, Biohazard is a bit stronger in terms of caffeine content.
I found that Biohazard tasted pretty good. Robusta beans has a pretty bad wrap in the coffee world but that didn’t deter my assessment. Biohazard is a pre ground dark roast coffee. Despite it being pre ground, I didn’t feel the need to add any milk or sugar to mask bad flavors. It had a similar taste to Death Wish with those prominent popcorn flavor notes. In contrast, Biohazard tasted cleaner, less bitter, and less gritty.
If you’re looking for a coffee with the highest possible caffeine content without compromising too much flavor, then I’d recommend Biohazard. Any number of these 5 brands of coffee you’ve never tried before are great fuel to help burn the midnight oil while writing.
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