Ground beans and K cups are both pleasant drinkers. I made a cup hot then stuck it in the fridge for a mock "cold brew" for the next day, as well as a hot cup for the next day. Had two cups because I was about to spend time on the freeway for an hours-long event. Hot drink: went perfectly with my breakfast; it's smooth without being overly bitter or metallic that you'd find with most commercial medium roasts. No judgment; I've had my fair share of 7-11/fast food coffee, and more than enough diner coffee and, let's just day, "S-bux" to last a lifetime. There's nothing inherently wrong with those, but they can be inconsistent, and even bags you buy for home tend to have a touch more bitterness to them. Not just the robustness of coffee, but that lingering bitterness on your tongue.
The Itasha brew does still have bitterness (it's coffee, after all), but it doesn't stay on the tongue. It's rich, and the hazelnut is not overpowering. The smell is pleasant, and as someone who generally goes for plain coffee, this hazelnut has just enough smell in the bouquet to make sips enjoyable. I thought I "outgrew" things like macadamia nut and vanilla beans, but it turns out I just needed to find a brew that wasn't trying to punch me in the nose with overly-scented flavors.
Hot was perfect for my morning breakfast and chill. Cold with ice was almost too easy to chug. If you like cold coffee, I recommend trying it over ice or with a splash of cold water once it's been chilled from hot, unless you're doing a proper cold brew.
Caffeine content seems standard; best guess is 90 or so mg per 8 oz (a rough standard for a medium roast with Arabica beans). Side effects from 30 ounces in a short span include singing an R&B rendition of "Never Gonna Give You Up" at the top of your lungs while driving on the freeway. Or maybe that's just me.
Would recommend.
PS: uploading a picture of the packaging, because coffee in a mug looks just like any coffee you've seen in a mug.
PSS: if you're curious, the R&B version of "Never Gonna Give You Up" I was singing in a caffeine-induced haze is by Jay Diggs. Check him out if you've got the time.
