The Brew that Kicks like Coffee and Tastes Like Tea - Golden Ratio Coffee Review
There is something about Fall that gets me inspired to write about coffee and well, warm beverages in general. I thought it would be perfect timing to share with you about a brew that has really created a whole new category of its own. It’s not quite tea and it’s not quite coffee. But what it is - is quite delicious.
The Golden Ratio team was kind enough to offer 15% off for TCN readers. Just use code NOMADSGOLD. :)
What is Golden Ratio?
First off, I am reserving the category “coffee” here because it really is its own new category. But if I were to lean one way, I’d lean towards more tea than coffee. (And therefore I will continue to reference it as a “brew.”)
Their website states that
“Gold Coffee is a new kind of coffee that falls between a light roast and a white coffee. We roast our beans at lower temperatures to create a smooth coffee, golden in color, to naturally perk up your day. This new coffee is 5x less acidic than regular coffee and has a smooth taste with zero bitterness. From early tests, we hear time and again that it drinks like tea -- no bitterness, only smooth sips.”
But that doesn’t really tell me what this Golden Ratio brew is as there are far more ingredients to this brew aside from coffee:
Ground coffee beans
Monk fruit extract (More on this magical stuff below)
Erythritol (Used to reduce the sweetness of the monk fruit; More below)
Gum acacia.
The Chai Spiced will also include cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and natural flavors while the Vanilla offers “natural vanilla flavors”
(When they tested, they found that vanilla beans overpowered the flavor of the gold brew. Instead, Golden Ratio uses natural vanilla flavor to deliver a balanced flavor with their gold coffee base and coconut.)
The Coffee In the Brew
What I wanted to know was the quality of coffee in the brew (or to learn more of its whereabouts). I got in touch with their team via email and this was their response:
“We source our beans from Ethiopia, Brazil, and Nicaragua currently.
The "original" blend is just Ethiopian coffee.
The Chai Spiced blend is made with just Brazilian coffee.
The Vanilla Coconut blend is made with a blend of all 3.
We source the beans through Anthem Coffee Imports, and work side-by-side with our coffee roasters in Austin (who personally know the farmers of each farm we source from) on contracts that are economically sustainable for the farmers we source from, often paying above "fair trade" prices which can sometimes not meet our economic sustainability standards.”
Why does it matter? Beyond just quality control of the coffee (which if its pre-ground, I’m always skeptical), I also want to know about the relationship between the roaster and farms the coffee was sourced from. But - back to the product….
How did it taste?
I personally loved the taste of Golden Ratio brew, ahem, coffee. Again, you would be mislead if you started the experience believing you were making coffee or about to taste coffee. This brew offers a smooth tea-like body and has little to no appearance or taste to coffee. That being said - it is comforting, delicious and something to look forward to especially during these cozy Fall mornings.
There are three variations of the brew: Original Gold Coffee, Vanilla Flavored Coconut Gold Coffee, and Chai Spiced Gold Coffee.
I’ve tried all three and can say, it’s hard to pick a favorite. I ended up alternating between the flavors depending on my mood in the morning. The names of the flavors are pretty straight-forward and won’t leave you astray. They all also offer a natural, light and subtle sweetness that I explain more in the below.
What I loved about it
1. The Taste
Already discussed above but just had to put it here because if I didn’t love the taste then that would outweigh pretty much everything else.
2. The Low Acidity
During my second trimester of pregnancy, there was one week where my heart burn was beginning to flare up. I chalked it up to poor diet and perhaps, coffee (even though I have been limiting my intake). I took a break from my coffee and switched to this in the mornings and whether or not it was the sole reason will be a mystery (as I also began to watch what I ate a little more carefully), it seemed to have helped. Heart burn aside, I think sensitivity to acidity is something to be aware of in general and it’s nice to know that while this may pack a little caffeine punch, it won’t flare up sensitive stomachs.
3. The Prep
Does it get any easier? (New Girl Fans anyone?)
…ehem - and “gold coffee,” monk fruit extract, and other natural flavors.
It’s add some hot water and then - let it seep. Because some mornings are the “I-need-the-caffeine-to-make-the-caffeine” sort of mornings.
4. The Natural Sweetness
Hello monk fruit extract. I had to do a little digging as to what was to credit the delightful, natural sweetness in this brew as I had no idea what monk fruit was.
Monk fruit is also known as luo han guo or “Buddha fruit.” It’s a small, round fruit grown in Southeast Asia. This fruit has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) didn’t approve its use as a sweetener until 2010. The sweetener is created by removing the seeds and skin of the fruit and crushing it to collect the juice, which is then dried into a concentrated powder. Monk fruit contains natural sugars, mainly fructose and glucose. However, unlike in most fruits, the natural sugars in monk fruit aren’t responsible for its sweetness. Instead, it gets its intense sweetness from unique antioxidants called mogrosides. During processing, mogrosides are separated from the fresh-pressed juice. Therefore, monk fruit sweetener does not contain fructose or glucose. Because this extract may be 100–250 times sweeter than table sugar, many manufacturers mix monk fruit sweetener with other natural products, such as inulin or erythritol, to reduce the intensity of the sweetness. Monk fruit extract is now used as a standalone sweetener, an ingredient in food and drinks, a flavor enhancer, and a component of sweetener blends. - Healthline article source here
5. My husband loves it!
By day (and many nights) my husband is hard at work in his medical residency and by night (and many late nights) he is also working on his online MBA classes (yes, he could be partly insane.) In any case, he needs his caffeine pick-me-ups. And when he first tried Golden Ratio he was so confused as to what it was and after the 50 questions, he would be in the kitchen the next morning opening the cupboards (or late at night), “Hey babe, do we have more of that Golden Coffee stuff?” It’s great because he doesn’t try to coerce me into making the brew like he does his coffee (“But babe, you make it way better”), because again — it’s water and leaves (ahem, monk fruit extract, golden coffee, etc., etc.)
6. Great Packaging and Branding (and while I’m here - Great for Gifting)
If you are a tea-lover but need that caffeine kick or have a friend that is sensitive to coffee, this makes a really unique and lovely gift. It’s beautiful packaging and just something different to send someone this year.
If you end up giving this a whirl, share with us in the comments below.
Oh, and don’t forget - The Golden Ratio team was kind enough to offer 15% off for TCN readers. Just use code NOMADSGOLD. :)
Cheers to mornings made easy and tasty this Fall.
Mugs Up,
The Coffee Nomad