YouTuber Coffee Brands: How And Why They're A Thing

Disclaimer: this is not really a coffee review, but more a business exploration. However - you should be aware that I have a conflict of interest in coffee, as I am involved in a UK coffee roasting company.

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My Books:

Neewer Products I Use:

[DavidSievers]

To clarify, for anyone watching wondering what the beans actually were:
-Colombia single origin bean
-Specialty Grade
-Locally owned farm
-Carbon neutral import
-100% Organic
Full City + roast so very dark for craft coffee, indeed.

I'm the CEO of Akira, happy to answer questions. Remember, we're not claiming to be the epitome of craft coffee. Rather, we have a challenge of bringing better sourced, higher quality, better handled coffee to people who have no idea what that means. Someone like Jacksepticeye can't do a deep dive into craft coffee because his audience won't really track it. That doesn't take away from the effort he's put in or the fact that we're operating a better supply chain than the typical grocery store/super mega corp/private equity coffee that's out there. Are we the best in craft coffee? Hell no. Am I proud of what we're building as a better for the world company than alternatives out there? Absolutely.

Also thank you James for even taking a look at it. I'm honored that we've even hit the radar and I felt the actual review of the coffee was extremely fair. To pass a taste test from someone like you is a major feather in the cap, even if this particular blend isn't your preference and spent too long in transit to hold up fully. (Will look into 12 days of shipping, that's nuts).

[LeonTodd]

Really hope James' channel becomes big enough that he can have his own coffee brand. He knows lots about coffee after all.

[bjorngerlach]

Will be placing my order right now - at Square Mile.

[jameshoffmann]

EDIT: Not having a disclaimer at the start of this about my involvement with a coffee roasting company was a mistake, and I apologise.

So I just want to respond to the entirely reasonable questions asking why I'm reviewing coffee after saying I wouldn't review bags of coffee, or specialty businesses. To me this falls outside of that scope, as it doesn't really have the transparency and traceability that I'd consider the bare minimum of speciality. Secondly, this isn't really a coffee review. The coffee's flavour isn't really central or overly important to the brand or business. I talk about the flavour a little, but it is far from comprehensive enough to be useful as an actual coffee review. I also don't really see this as a small business - Sean has a huge channel, and I suspect a very good business all around. The thing that was interesting was the approach of both business and creators to finding new ways to grow their businesses, and why we might see more of this in coffee in particular.

[prijaymistry]

Please let this be the start of a series where James reviews haircuts.

[aaronson]

I love the coffee business talk aspect of this video over the review itself

[tireld]

A video suggestion: Buy the coffee's of the other influencers that akira offers, and compare to see if there's an actual difference

[kevinpoole]

My daughter is a follower of him and ordered a bag. I brewed it standard 18:1 press and thought it tasty. Tried to get more of it today actually and realized it’s back ordered. I’d buy again, but not because of his YouTube influence but rather I tried the brand and enjoyed the experience. So kudos to my 16 year old!

[DanielLearmouth]

"My hair idol, David Lynch..."

...how have I only just noticed the similarity?

[MacClellandMan]

Ghost roaster: the equivalent of a ghost writer for famous people without the chops.

[jackbeville]

We can only hope and pray that Logan and Jake Paul never make coffee at this point

[thetruth]

I watched Jack's video, and in one of his video, he mentioned that he just bough his first expensive coffee machine set-up when he started the company so he can be better at brewing coffee.
So yeah, the man loves coffee, but definitely not a big enough fanatic to start his own coffee company.

[juananjuanan]

An “OK” from James is an immense compliment.

[aclabonte]

"My hair idol David Lynch"

THIS ANSWERS SO MANY QUESTIONS

[pithyginger]

In Asia, there's a big focus on pour over skills. They talk about phases of brewing with sour, sweet, and bitter flavors extracting at different times. They talk about changing the pour method to move the slurry differently. They talk about using different brew technique to change aspects of coffee flavor. Have you ever spent time speaking with people who practice these ideas?

I met a more approachable cafe owner in Taipei and talked a little about my own brew techniques (your technique but modified with a more conventional bloom) and showed him a little, asking about how I should change my technique to brew to achieve more sweetness. He gave me a few suggestions, ground some coffee for me, and gave me another opportunity to brew. Lo and behold, I brewed one of the best coffees I've ever brewed, with a sweetness that evolved four or five flavors.

I went back home with probably only one thought about the whole experience:

[clericneokun]

When jacksepticeye made the announcement and said more about the logo than the actual coffee, I feared that they were just selling his brand and I really hoped that I was wrong.

[MohanKumar-xnvr]

So now we know where your hair inspiration comes from!
You are our hair idol James. And having tasted your coffee, I have to say, the illusion has not broken!

[charlestwoo]

Trusting influencers to deliver any form of quality products IS the biggest scam since the Nigerian Prince.

[azzarooni]

3 videos in less than a week! Come on you're spoiling us Mr Hoffman

[jessetatum]

In the US, I got some of this coffee within 4 days of purchasing and loved it. It is a solid dark roast Colombian coffee for around $16 total. It's not the best coffee I've ever had but it was a good way to support a creator I like and indulge in my passion for more coffee.