If we had to pinpoint the exact moment Second Amendment coffee companies were born, I would have to say it was when that big coffee chain (you know the one) took a hard stance against open carry and asked us to leave our guns at home. Well, with that statement dozens of competitors were born, all of whom support the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Today, we’re running a taste test on six Second Amendment-friendly brews to perk up your morning.
1. Filthy Pirate
Filthy Pirate is one of the newest players in the game and, like any veteran-owned company, they deserve a spot in this round-up. Their success has been so overwhelming that they have opened a walk-in establishment right in their hometown of Tucson. Thanks to the Arizona heat, their most popular offering is the cold brew. I liked that it came in six individual bags instead of one big one, as this allows you to brew it in small quantities or adjust strength to individual tastes. The recommended dosage yielded a product that was about as dark as iced tea. I found it to perfect just the way it was on the 85-degree day that we drank it. The brew itself was very refreshing as initially it cleanses the palate like an iced tea and then the flavor profile starts to develop at the edges of the tongue before it fills in. Needless to say, this brew did not last long in our house. Filthy Pirate
2. Operator Coffee
Operator Coffee is another veteran-owned coffee company. My first exposure to this brand was during their 2019 Try & Buy event. A portion of the proceeds of each bag of coffee goes towards SOWW (Special Operations Wounded Warriors), making it easy to click the buy button. We tried four different roasts from OC, each with its unique strength and tasting notes.
Roast 22 is their medium blend, with the moniker referencing the average number of veterans who are lost to suicide every day. It’s a reminder that grabbing a cup of coffee and calling someone who you suspect needs an ear can make all the difference. The grinds were of a good, coarse consistency, making it ideal for a French press or a campfire percolator. We found it to be a good all-around coffee with a powerful message.
The SWAT and Trident roasts offer a step up or down in strength with a traditional profile to their respective target tastes. SWAT had a more intense flavor, hitting the front of your mouth first. While the company claims notes of chocolate, roasted nuts and berries, the flavor is so intense it's hard to pick out any one of these in abundance. This indicates the perfect balance of all of these flavor notes leaving you with a lot going on. Breacher’s blend is exactly what you would think. It is their darkest roast and yields a remarkably full-bodied cup of joe, delivering most of its flavor to the back of the palate. This quickly became my go-to for late-night cigars on the porch. https://operatorcoffee.com/
3. Hunter’s Blend
Second Amendment coffee is most often associated with the military and the tactical minded, but what about those who just enjoy an extended sit in the frozen-foods section? Hunter’s Blend is owned by a trio of active sportsmen who seek to uplift local farmers and do their part to conserve the environment. We were lucky enough to sample both their Original and their Black Powder blend for this evaluation. The Original is exactly what you would expect, just a good balanced blend perfect for any time of day. It had the punch to wake you up, without making you so jittery that you’d miss your shot on that early-morning trophy buck.
The Black Powder blend was more like double-based nitro smokeless and got things up and running in a hurry. This blend is a great option if you need to stay up late enough howling at the moon to see what decides to howl back. It was exceptionally rich, yet smooth—and was likely the most aesthetically pleasing grind that we set eyes on during our testing. https://www.huntersblendcoffee.com
4. CMMG Coffee
Yep, the same folks responsible for high-end firearms now deliver high-end coffee. CMMG is no stranger to food products. They currently offer Tactical Bacon and Tactical Beef sticks…so coffee just made sense as the next logical range refreshment. The three blends that they came up with were Safe, Semi-Auto and Full-Auto. The clever names are easy to decipher as Safe is the light blend, Semi is the medium, and Full is, well, full. We found that the Full-Auto had the taste that you would expect from a dark roast, however it did come with a touch of bitterness in the finish. Semi-Auto and Safe follow the same flavor profiles just dialed up or down. Each one delivered the intensity that you would expect and displayed a fine balance of smoothness to bitterness. Hopefully next year they come out with Tactical Hash Browns and you’ll have yourself a complete breakfast! CMMG Provisions
5. EDC Coffee
EDC Coffee boldly supports law enforcement and the concealed carry community. We liked that they had some of the rarest blends on the market, to include a Kona and a Jamaican Blue. To keep the playing field level we kept to their standard brews which included the Tanto, Slip Joint and Drop Point Blends. Drop point comprises the company’s medium roast; it was very light in color and exceptionally smooth. Next, we sampled the Tanto, which we opted for in the coffee pod format. I found these to be flavorful and “punchy” even at the 10 oz. setting on my coffee maker. They earned a lot of points here because K-Cup style coffee is rarely ever as strong as I want it to be (or maybe I just have some problems). Also in our sample kit was a 2-oz. pack of Slip-Joint. This brew is intended for an espresso machine, but it brewed quite well in my no-name drip machine. The flavor was on par with any other espresso blend we sampled during this evaluation, and we appreciated the option of trying a small sample before committing to a full-sized bag. https://edccoffeeco.com/
6. Black Rifle Coffee
Our last brand is likely the best known of the batch, and has a tremendous industry presence both through their social media outlets and their publication “Coffee or Die.” Yes, from humble beginnings with just one offering, The Black Rifle Coffee Company now has dozens of different blends and a handy subscription option to help keep the go-juice flowing. We started our flight with the Suppressor Smooth blend which lived up to its name and didn't produce any bite at all. It makes a perfect wake up blend as the citrus tones get the mouth watering, alleviating even the worst case of morning dry-mouth.
Moving on to Black Beard’s Delight we had a chance to experience the brilliant flavor of a 100 percent Brazilian roast. It engulfed the palate with a bouquet of flavors, yet didn’t finish with any anticipated bite. We wrapped things up with the AK espresso roast. This extra full-flavored grind hits the taste buds like 7.62 x 39 and finished strong, definitely for the more advanced coffee drinkers in the group. This offering is perfect if you are looking for a cappuccino that doesn’t lose any strength to its froth. BlackRifleCoffee
Editor's Note: Are you suddenly feeling full of restless energy, and the need to read more about coffee, coffee, coffee? Click here for this fun article from our friends at NRA Women!
