Instagram must have heard me think about whispering to someone while at a rock-n-roll concert that I enjoy coffee and cars because my feed for a month straight contained nothing but ads for this brand. At first I thought it was a cute gimmick, another one of those ambitious start-ups that puts Porsche logos on sunglasses, so I kept scrolling. But early in September I finally broke down…or maybe I just ran out of coffee beans at home…and put in an order. And I’ll tell you right off the bat, Drive Coffee is no gimmick.
When you first visit their website, it’s clear that Drive Coffee runs on two things: their love of coffee, and their love of cars. They carefully and responsibly select their beans from coffee-growing nations and then pair their roasting technique with a specific car and region. What do I mean by that? For example, one of Drive’s roasts features the famous Ferrari 312T Formula 1 car on the label and is paired with the name of the racing circuit it dominated throughout the 70s; Monoco. And to top it off, they scoop your order in a 12 oz container meant to resemble an old fashioned oil can! How cool is that?
My decision in which two to order was easy because I simply picked two of my all-time favorite cars. The Ford GT40 (Le Mans) and the Ferrari F40 (Imola). They arrived perfectly packaged and I made sure to enjoy every last ground before I wrote my review.
IMOLA | Medium Roast | Espresso Ethiopia
The Imola beans were the first I ground up and put in my french press. Drive Coffee describes it as a medium roast with “flavors of dark cherry and cacao”. Within the first sip I could taste the fruitiness of the dark cherry that left a pleasant taste in my mouth. However, the Imola did not pair well with the flavored creamer I typically use (Natural Bliss almond milk creamer; caramel or hazelnut). I suggest drinking this one straight up or with a bit of half and half.
LE MANS | Medium Roast | Columbia
The Le Mans was my favorite of the two I purchased. Although still a medium roast, it had a bit bolder of a flavor with none of the fruity undertones. It paired perfectly with half-and-half or with a sweetened creamer. If was very smooth to drink and I found myself refilling my mug a second or third time. I will definitely be returning to Le Mans!
Drive Coffee has excellent products that don’t stop at the beans. Also for sale are Baratza Virtuoso bean grinders and Technivorm Moccamaster coffee makers with your favorite racecar livery printed on them. They go for a pretty penny, but would fit right in on any counter top. I will definitely be getting my hands on one or both of these someday!
My favorite thing about Drive Coffee’s product is that, even if you didn’t like their coffee, you are still left with a premium decorative piece once the cans are empty. Every car person has a little shelf containing their automotive memorabilia and the Le Mans and Imola fit seamlessly onto mine. They’ve created a real “gotta catch ’em all” product that gearheads will keep drinking and collecting. Who knew cars and coffee could be a thing?
