I tried some top YouTuber coffee brands — and found a clear winner - 7 minutes read
A lot of influencers have turned their attention to selling coffee over the past few years.
Business Insider found 11 different content creators who sell their own branded beans, and decided to try a few.
Immediately, the experiment was held back by the number of companies that actually shipped to the UK, where this reporter is based.
But just four shipped to London: Dodger Coffee Co, Chamberlain Coffee, Carlin Brothers Coffee, and Top of the Mornin'.
Kramoda did technically ship to the UK, but it didn't seem worth the £138 ($175) FedEx fee, no matter how tasty their "Pumpkin Spice" beans sounded.
Armed with four bags, I made four coffees over the week in my usual way — a latte made with espresso from a stovetop percolator and heated oat milk.
Here are the results.
Chamberlain coffeeA bag of Emma Chamberlain's Chamberlain Coffee beans.
Lindsay Dodgson, Emma Chamberlain/YouTube
Chamberlain Coffee was the first I tried, as fashion vlogger Chamberlain was one of the first influencers I'd noticed from the coffee-bean trend. Chamberlain launched her brand at the start of 2020, and it raised $7 million in funding last year.
The beans are described as 100% organic Arabica coffee on the bag, sourced from Peru, Guatemala, and Colombia.
I went for the Original Family Blend, which claims to have notes of milk chocolate, almond, and black cherry.
I could definitely taste some fruitiness in there, but my main takeaway from the coffee was that it was quite bitter. It reminded me of a super-strong Italian coffee, which I didn't mind. The bitterness also softened with the addition of the milk.
Overall, the quality seemed very good. As someone whose partner has a fancy coffee bean subscription service, I feel pretty spoiled when it comes to the standard of my daily cup. And I thought Chamberlain Coffee measured up.
Cost: £16 ($20) per bag, £23 ($29) with shipping.
Rating: 3.9/5
Top of the Mornin'A bag of Jacksepticeye's Top of the Mornin' coffee beans.
Lindsay Dodgson, Karwai Tang/Getty Images
A nod to his Irish roots and his catchphrase "Top of the mornin' to ya, laddies," Jacksepticeye's coffee beans are named just that: Top of the Mornin'.
The gamer, whose real name is Seán McLoughlin, launched the brand in June 2020. At the time he promised there would be a charitable element to the company, which he fulfilled — 1% of profits are donated to the mental health charity Crisis Text Line.
I bought a bag of Twilight beans from the range as the flavor notes of cocoa, molasses, and brown sugar seemed up my street.
I wasn't convinced all of those came through — but I definitely got a hint of chocolate, and a bit of caramel. The flavors seemed enhanced when the coffee cooled a bit, so they may be more pronounced in a cold brew or iced latte. I'll have to try it again in summer to be sure.
The beans, which are described as 100% Arabica, seemed good quality, and they were very fresh when I opened the bag, so overall I found them to be of a high standard. On that basis, I'd definitely try the Golden Hour flavor, or even the more intense-sounding Midnight Oil.
Cost: £14 ($18) per bag, £23.60 ($30) with shipping.
Rating: 3.5/5
Dodger Coffee CoA bag of Dodger Coffee Co coffee beans.
Lindsay Dodgson, PressHeartToContinue/YouTube
Chamberlain was a major domino in the chain reaction of YouTubers starting up coffee companies since 2020. But Dodger, AKA PressHeartToContinue, AKA Brooke Leigh Thorne got there much sooner, setting up Dodger Coffee Co six years ago in September 2017.
Thorne was once a vlogger but now spends most of her time online gaming and streaming on Twitch.
Dodger Coffee Co describes its beans as 100% Arabica, and say they make "the perfect coffee for friends to share."
The taste is strong but light, and has hints of caramel. On the website, it claims to have notes of cocoa and peanut as well, but those didn't come through for me.
The beans were fresh, and the packaging is stylish and easily resealable, so I had no real complaints. I prefer my coffee a little more interesting, but there certainly wasn't anything wrong with it.
Cost: £15 (19) per bag, £26 ($32) with shipping.
Rating: 3.2/5
Carlin Brothers CoffeeA bag of Carlin Brothers Coffee beans.
Lindsay Dodgson, SuperCarlinBrothers/YouTube
SuperCarlinBrothers, also known as Jonathan "J" Carlin and Ben Carlin, have been on YouTube for over a decade, and are known for discussing and reviewing movies.
They set up their coffee brand in 2018, also predating Chamberlain's.
Their beans would be my fourth to try. But it was around this time in my coffee review week that I realized something. Three out of four of the bags I'd ordered came from Lincoln, Nebraska.
I'd never thought of the region as a coffee hotspot, so I looked deeper.
I found out that there's a coffee company based there that works with online creators to help them create their own coffee brands.
It's called Akira Coffee Co and it lists Top of the Mornin', Florida Man Coffee, Dodger Coffee Co, and Carlin Brothers Coffee as its partners, among others.
It might be for this reason that I couldn't really tell the difference between my third cup, which was made from Dodger Coffee beans, and my fourth, which was brewed with Carlin Brothers Coffee beans.
The beans look different so they haven't just slapped different branding onto two identical products. But seeing as they are both sourced from the same place by the same company, it makes sense that they would taste pretty similar. They even cost the same.
That being said, the coffee tasted good. It was strong, but not overly so. The beans seemed slightly sweeter than Dodger Coffee Co's, with a hint of citrus.
I probably wouldn't buy it again, mainly because I have a surplus of beans now, and I slightly preferred Dodger Coffee Co. But it isn't a bad product at all.
Cost: £15 (19) per bag, £26 ($32) with shipping.
Rating: 3.1/5
The verdictNone of the YouTuber coffees I drank were the best I'd ever had. They were all decent enough, and I'm sure none of the beans will go to waste in my household.
But judging by the similarity of some of the products, and the more memorable flavors of others, my winner has to be Chamberlain Coffee.
It stood out as an original product in a crowded field of a lot of other companies trying to do the same thing. It was clear to me that Chamberlain put a lot of work into creating the company, rather than outsourcing the process to a wholesaler, and I believe that pays off in the flavor.
It also came out the cheapest, probably because the company has a European warehouse in Denmark so it had less far to travel. And it was the first to arrive, which was nice even though it didn't majorly sway my opinion.
For fans of influencers, a bag of coffee beans is a nice gift. And if they are all up to the standard of the ones I tried, it probably won't be one that ends up in the trash either.
Source: Business Insider
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