Hardcore coffee fiends rejoice — here’s a morning brew that packs an extra punch. Death Wish Coffee, a New York State creation and Internet sensation, arrived in February to retail locations in Scarsdale and Croton-on-Hudson.
Back in 2011, creator Mike Brown’s coffee shop in Saratoga Springs saw a daily stream of customers demanding his strongest cup of joe. Realizing that there was no extra-caffeine, great-tasting blend on the market at the time, Brown tracked down the strongest beans out there and blended them himself in his kitchenette lab. He gave his creation a skull-and-crossbones logo and a tough-sounding name—Death Wish—and started selling it online.
To Brown’s surprise, thousands of fans embraced Death Wish’s flavor, strength, and edgy branding. A coveted ad spot in the 2016 Super Bowl 50 helped rocket it to the top-selling coffee brand on Amazon. But Brown began to wonder: “How many people really, when they need a cup of coffee, go on the Internet to look for it?”
After talking it over with multiple distributors, the company brought Death Wish onto ShopRite shelves in their native Capital District. When the grocery chain suggested expanding their distribution to its Westchester locations, Brown says it was “a no-brainer” to accept. In early February, Death Wish debuted at the ShopRite stores on Central Ave in Scarsdale and South Riverside Ave in Croton-on-Hudson.
Death Wish is an arabica/robusta blend sourced primarily from India and Peru. “The robusta is what gives it that extra caffeine kick, and the fullness of body on the back of the tongue,” explains Brown. “The Peruvian arabica bean is where you get the sweetness from.”
Brown prefers to drink his Death Wish black to experience the full flavor, but says cream and sugar servings are popular among his customers and colleagues. “It just tastes good no matter how you brew it,” he says. “That’s why we made it this way.”
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