Gourmet Lifeboost Coffee Review

Lifeboost is one of those brands that makes you think about the broad set of inputs needed for growing and roasting premium coffee beans.

It’s a brand that does ‘all the things’, and if you had a checklist, Lifeboost would meet every requirement and probably then some. 

On top of being organic, shade-grown, and produced at a high-altitude, these coffee beans are both strictly quality-controlled and fairly traded. 

If you’ve been looking for a gourmet coffee brand that raises the bar then keep reading for your our Lifeboost Coffee review below. 

Lifeboost coffee review

While most brands focus strictly on flavor, Lifeboost coffee is different.  

The founder, Dr. Charles Livingstone has found a unique angle to focus on aside from flavor: health. This is Lifeboost Coffee’s selling proposition (aside from the perfect balance of flavor).

Not to say the beans don’t make a mean cup of coffee. They do! When it comes to flavor, Lifeboost gourmet coffee is bright and nutty, with notes of chocolate goodness towards the darker roasts. 

Their assortment includes light, medium, and dark roasts. Along with a variety of naturally flavored blends, including Peppermint Mocha, French Vanilla, and Smoky Butterscotch.

Lifeboost Is High Altitude Grown In Nicaragua

High-elevation-grown coffee develops complex flavors and sweetness. The harsh conditions at higher altitudes slow the growth of the coffee plant and force it into survival mode. 

This allows more time for sugars and acids in the beans to develop. You can think of it as the plant’s survival instinct, which causes it to focus on producing quality beans. Shade-grown, well-irrigated farms are ideal add-ons to these conditions, promoting growth.

Nonetheless, many farms all over the world grow coffee high-up in the hills. Lifeboost Coffee has taken it a step further. Their practices produce 100% organic coffee that is free of mycotoxins (more on this later).

Coffee lovers run most coffee companies. It’s the natural order of things. But, Lifeboost is run by an individual who’s a doctor first and coffee lover second.

He’s coupled expert coffee making with high levels of natural biodiversity and also committed to taking care of not just the outputs but the beautiful region of Nicaragua they’re grown. You see the work from start to finish when you try the final product in Lifeboost Coffee beans.

Lifeboost The Company

Lifeboost arabica coffee beans are from a nationally-protected area in Nicaragua. 

The coffee plots are elevated 1700masl. These are surrounded by guava trees that provide shade. Coffee farmers happily cultivate the land–a direct result of fair trade. All this results in the low acid (the reactive type with your stomach), certified organic coffee that has grown in popularity over the years.

Dr. Charles Livingston started the company to share his love for good, clean coffee. In doing so he also used his passion for spreading the potential benefits of his morning cuppa produced the best way. Lifeboost’s beans are cared for from start to finish.

Lifeboost is a small business so supporting it goes to the benefit of the small families that run it. It doesn’t hurt to contribute to the growth of Lifeboost as a company that does business (and coffee) ethically either. They produce excellent beans that ones’ that they believe in. So much so that they even have a money-back guarantee for unsatisfied customers.

Now let’s talk about their products. How they treat their beans, and what they add on to the bean itself sometimes.

For the purists, Lifeboost has organic single-origin selections. These hand-picked, high-quality beans are roasted light, or medium, or dark, depending on your preference. I recommend this for the purists. 

Also, if you enjoy coffees straight up, these single origins are the ones for you. You’ll be in for a clean, straightforward tasting coffee.

Probably as a result of popular demand, they have expanded their product lines to interesting blends and even coffee pods! This step further proves that the company is steered by an ethical businessman first and a coffee lover second.

Coffee is a personal drink prepared in many different ways. What Lifeboost Coffee has done is to follow come trends and bestsellers and do them in their own way. 

A medium roast coffee lover is no different than a hazelnut coffee drinker. Both are targeted by Lifeboost, which is good business sense for a coffee company.

So why is Lifeboost Coffee popular?

I remember seeing Lifeboost Coffee a few years ago. As a barista, I was surprised by the health-angle they used for marketing (and the lack of flavor notes on the label). 

There was an undivided level of attention on coffee farmers as well as being organic fair trade certified. I doubted the quality of the cup of coffee I could make from these beans.

Yet, I remember reading the word “mycotoxins” from a Lifeboost website for the first time. It’s one thing I remember the most about this brand.

Mycotoxins are toxic substances produced by fungus. It finds its way into your cup from less than ideal farming and processing techniques. 

Even well-known farms can produce coffee beans with high mycotoxin levels just by using the wrong water for processing. Or fermenting the coffee cherries for too long.

I am now a coffee professional who spends time in coffee farms for farming and processing. It’s clear how essential coffee farmers are to making good coffees. 

They’re closer to the coffee trees than baristas. This means that their actions have a more significant effect on the end product. In this case, you will have fewer mycotoxins from Lifeboost Coffee than your grocery-bought beans for sure.

Lifeboost Coffee have their employees and partners working together to make sure their coffee cherries are taken care of. From growing, picking, farming–all the way to processing. I can imagine partner coffee roasters having an easier time cupping batches of beans, grading, and blending them.

Many people now argue about how harmful it is at the levels it’s at in your coffee. It’s found in higher concentrations in other food and drinks. My personal take?

The coffee is beyond just good. Yet, the company is small. But they do things the right way (high altitude, shade-grown, hand-picked, semi-washed, 3rd party tested for mycotoxins, fair trade). 

We lose nothing by supporting a small but growing movement. In fact, any extra benefit from your daily coffee becomes a bonus!

Diving Deeper Into Lifeboost Coffee

Lifeboost Coffee sells arabica beans for different types of coffee drinkers.

For the purists, they have the usual light roast, medium roast dark roast options. The best way to taste coffee is via pour-over, and these are the best coffees to brew as such. 

You can still add milk and sugar to harness the natural flavors in ways you want them. But Lifeboost Coffee built its name by showcasing these light, medium, and dark options. 

Remember that they have a money-back guarantee if you are totally disappointed by their beans. But, remember that there’s a difference between beans and recipe!

Low Acid Lovers Unite

The light and medium roasts are the best way to experience acid as a flavor. “Acid” in coffee is more of a flavor than the unpleasant reactive chemical that we feel in our tummies. These are the fruity, citrusy, and bright flavors in your cup.

So when Lifeboost Coffee claims that their coffee has “low acidity,” they mean that it’s lower than your usual. Because it’s rooted in good farming, processing, and roasting. Your coffee bean is only in its final form while brewing, and even then, it’s subject to so many changes.

Dark roasts are low acid in content just because the whole bean has already been “cooked’ at that point. 

The reason people feel hyperacidity with these roasts is because they tend to add milk and sugar to balance out the bitterness. 

These can contribute to levels of acid. Coffee roasted dark just takes on a bit of an extra hit on reputation as flavors turn roasty instead of complex and fruity. Coffee brands don’t communicate this enough.

The safest bet is the Lifeboost Medium and Dark whole bean options for the purists trying them for the first time. See for yourself and compare with your old faithful coffee brands to test the “low acidity” claim. If you really want super low acid coffee, use a cold brew extraction.

Cold-brew is widely established as low acid coffee regardless of the beans. The absence of heat results in a more natural extraction of acids and sugars from the bean. 

This leaves some of the acids usually extracted by heat and pressure in the coffee beans. The result is low acidity coffee that I am a huge fan of. Cold-brew sales worldwide will also confirm that I’m not the only new fan of this type of coffee.

For the more curious and adventurous drinkers, Lifeboost Coffee company also produces and sells blends. Interestingly these are naturally flavored with no added sugar. 

They’re a combination of medium roast and dark roast coffee from different origins or lots. Put together, and they bring you a few steps closer to whatever the label says.

Blends & Flavor Explosions 

Bean blends from Lifeboost are cafe bestsellers from different brands. You have caramel macchiato,  french vanilla, and hazelnut coffee, just to name a few. 

Flavored coffee usually has added sugar and chemicals. So for Lifeboost Coffee to claim that their caramel macchiato blend is still organic, low acid coffee is intriguing (but it’s true!). 

Recipes will also become easier to make when the flavors are already incorporated into your medium roast or dark roast blends. Might be a way for a small brand to increase loyalty via coffee. Lifeboost cold brew using their Blueberry Cinnamon Crumble blend sounds life-changing.

Among other Lifeboost Coffee products you’ll find on their page are coffee pods, recipe books, and a health drink. 

You can see from their products how rooted they are in their vision and mission of spreading good coffee and contributing to better health. Some coffee brands may have better beans from more origins, but few are as consistent.

These are positive, small indicators about how Charles Livingston and his company do things end-to-end. The side effect is laying concerns to rest for customers and increasing the circulation of good coffee in the market.

Nicaraguan Coffee Flavors

Nicaraguan coffee tends to be pleasant, balanced, light, and familiar. In my opinion, they work best as a medium roast. 

Dark roast Nicaraguan coffee would be a waste of fine fruity, citrusy, floral, spice-y flavors. A medium roast would bring these out, with extra nutty, chocolatey flavors too.

How “familiar” or “relatable” coffee partly determines its success. One half is experiencing quality through flavor but the other half is nostalgia.

Nicaraguan beans are lighter than some in circulation. Yet, the flavors they bring out are clear and familiar. This is why Lifeboost has done so well with their farms. They’ve produced a product that is new and yet familiar at the same time!

The Final Verdict

This coffee brand would serve adventurous drinkers looking for new experiences. Since it’s from a single origin, this is for drinkers who rely on brewing methods as well to mix things up.

Nicaraguan grounds also profile well with cold brew, so lovers of this method can also enjoy Lifeboost’s blended offerings.

I hope you learned a few things from this Lifeboost Coffee review. Good luck choosing one (or a few) of your next coffees!