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Chapeau! Watts/Crank/Fixed Coffee

8
£5.50

VERDICT:

8
10
Nice coffees, but the price may put some off
Weight: 
250g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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There are few times as a cycling reviewer that you are asked to review a coffee, so as a coffee lover, this review was far easier to put together than most others I have done. In fact, I am reviewing as I write with a cup of Chapeau! Fixed Coffee sat next to my computer.

These coffees come in three varieties, Crank, Fixed and Watts. Each is meant to provide a different flavour and power.

I can safely say that each of these coffees were pleasant tasting and great for ether pre or post ride. I personally like to drink deep hydration mixes before I go out, but as a substitute, each of these coffees performed well.

I'll assess each coffee individually, as each has different flavours that will suit different people.

Crank

Described as "A rich, sweet and balanced blend of Brazil Monte Cristo & Colombia Las Acacia coffee beans", it is certainly both rich and sweet. The overall flavour is the middle of the three in terms of power, it is pleasant to drink for most coffee drinkers, but the flavours could be stronger.

This may be down to my preference of coffee as I like mine to be strong and full bodied. However, this may be down to my use of a machine rather than a cafetiere, meaning that I was limited in the volume of coffee that I could use.

Fixed

This is the mildest and smoothest of the three, described as "A bright and fruity blend of Brazil Santa Colomba, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Colombia Las Acacias coffee beans". It is the one that I would have after a long ride where you are looking for a refreshing drink, rather than a full blooded coffee.

Again, like the Crank, I would have liked to have a little more kick, which may have been achieved through adding more coffee to a cafetiere. However, this is not a coffee that is designed to be a pick me up, so this may be the desired flavour and strength for many.

Watts

Of the three, this is the strongest coffee and also my personal favourite. It is described as "A strong, chocolatey and full of caffeine blend of Colombia Huila & Uganda Robusta coffee beans" and does fulfil what it claims in being the strongest of the three.

In terms of flavour is has the kick that the other two lack in the quantities that I used which is what I prefer with my coffees. It also provides the extra caffeine that you would want pre-ride, so this was certainly my choice before riding.

Overall

The three coffees are nice, but the one aspect that would stop me from buying them regularly is the price. At £5.50 per 250g pack they are expensive for what they are. However, the packaging is great, with what look like paper bags, but with a plastic interior that is resealable to keep the coffee fresh.

However, aside from the pricing, I think that the coffees are pleasant and with the three options available, will have a flavour and hit that a variety of coffee loving cyclists will appreciate.

Verdict

Nice coffees, but the price may put some off

road.cc test report

Make and model: Chapeau! Watts/Crank/Fixed Coffee

Size tested: 3x250g

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Chapeau! coffee are packs of ground coffee designed for cyclists.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

It is a pre-ground coffee that comes in resealable bags for added freshness.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Bags are well made with a paper look, but plastic lining for freshness. Very innovative.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

They taste good and will have at least one flavour that suits most people.

Rate the product for durability:
 
5/10

It's coffee, not sure how durable it could be.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

At £5.50 it is expensive.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It tasted good, but could do with being a bit stronger.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Watts was my favourite variety, I liked the kick and rich flavour.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

I found Crank to be a little weak, but this is personal taste.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Not to my taste.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 27  Height: 6 ft  Weight:

I usually ride: Cannondale Supersix Evo 6  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed,

 

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

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16 comments

Avatar
MrManners | 9 years ago
0 likes

Robusta....what is that doing in a 'premium' coffee...no comment from either the reviewer or producers to excuse it's presence. If you can't taste it it's either not there or you shouldn't be reviewing coffee.

Avatar
Jack Osbourne snr | 9 years ago
0 likes

Your sympathy is appreciated.

Avatar
Jack Osbourne snr | 9 years ago
0 likes

Your sympathy is appreciated.

Avatar
Jack Osbourne snr | 9 years ago
0 likes

Your sympathy is appreciated.

Avatar
Jack Osbourne snr | 9 years ago
0 likes

Your sympathy is appreciated.

Avatar
andyp | 9 years ago
0 likes

'I'm sorry... What the fuck is a coffee review (albeit an honest one) doing on a cycling website?

Coffee is at best incidental.'

I feel very, very sorry for you.

Avatar
Iamnot Wiggins | 9 years ago
0 likes

We all know that cycling & coffee go hand in hand so why begrudge the site for reviewing coffee?!

To be fair £5 for a bag of coffee isn't that bad. I could walk up to Monmouth Coffee and pay £7.50 for the same sized bag if I wanted.

Avatar
Nick T | 9 years ago
0 likes

The price is quite reasonable for a good quality coffee, God knows if this is quality though.

Check out this stuff if you want to moan about price

http://www.workshopcoffee.com/collections/coffee/products/kasigwa-espresso

Avatar
notfastenough | 9 years ago
0 likes

Cranktastics. Genius. Where can I buy them?!

Avatar
Kadinkski | 9 years ago
0 likes

I love reviews like this. I think if any company markets any product towards cyclists its viable for a review. Variety is the spice of life etc.

Avatar
Tin Pony replied to Kadinkski | 9 years ago
0 likes

I couldn't agree more, it's great that there's more lovely products out there for us to buy. I like the branding and enjoy a coffee after a winter ride. So why not.
www.tinpony.co.uk/shop

Avatar
MrManners | 9 years ago
0 likes

I've just seen a great review of a sh1te bike on a coffee site....

Avatar
Jack Osbourne snr | 9 years ago
0 likes

I'm sorry... What the fuck is a coffee review (albeit an honest one) doing on a cycling website?

Coffee is at best incidental.

Can we review Tangfastics next? They at least have a place in a jersey pocket or saddlebag.

I'm away to burn a effigy of someone wearing Rapha.

Avatar
Quince replied to Jack Osbourne snr | 9 years ago
0 likes
Jack Osbourne snr wrote:

Can we review Tangfastics next? They at least have a place in a jersey pocket or saddlebag.

Not until they start selling them with bicycle themed packaging and rename them 'CrankTastics'. Then, maybe.

Avatar
Sub5orange | 9 years ago
0 likes

Genius, source some coffee, market it to cyclists and charge them 3 times as much as you would pay for at a supermarket.....
Where did they think of that formula?

Avatar
jacknorell replied to Sub5orange | 9 years ago
0 likes
Sub5orange wrote:

Genius, source some coffee, market it to cyclists and charge them 3 times as much as you would pay for at a supermarket.....
Where did they think of that formula?

I guess you haven't noticed the nicer coffee beans in normal grocery stores are £5+ now then?

And for the other comment, not yours, about reviewing coffee on a cycling site... Most of the cyclists I know mainline the stuff.

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