There are plenty of great coffee roasters out there, and a quick search on Amazon for coffee beans yields thousands of results. However, one particular roaster really stands out: LifeBoost Coffee.
They have thousands of raving fans, and people who taste their coffee don’t ever seem to look back. So what’s the big deal? Let’s find out in this LifeBoost Coffee review.
Quick Summary: Lifeboost Coffee Review
The brainchild of renowned chiropractor and healthy living expert Dr. Charles Livingston, LifeBoost is low acid coffee that is organic, single origin, fair trade, toxin-free coffee that tastes great and is very easy on the stomach.
They offer a wide variety of roasts and flavored coffee beans, so there’s plenty to choose from for everyone. Best of all, you’ll always get delicious coffee.
LifeBoost coffee is a touch more expensive than other craft coffee, but once they get hooked on to the taste, most people don’t mind shelling out the extra cash for a great morning cup.
In fact, they’re so confident that you will love their coffee that they offer a 30-day money back guarantee if you don’t like it.
Lifeboost Coffee Review: What Makes It Special?
LifeBoost is single origin
Single origin coffees come from a single geographic location. Many coffee beans are in fact blends, which means they are a mix of different coffee beans. Blends are usually made to balance the properties of one kind of bean against another.
However, blends don’t allow quite as much control over the growing process as single origin coffees do.
LifeBoost is grown in the highlands of Nicaragua in the Mt. Kilamb region. Central American coffee is some of the best coffee in the world, so you’ll get some really unique flavors and tasting notes in every sip.
The coffee plants are shade-grown, since the coffee plants fall under the canopy of the larger rainforest trees.
LifeBoost is mycotoxin-free
One of the biggest selling points for LifeBoost is that they use coffee beans that are free from mycotoxins.
What are mycotoxins, you ask?
They’re a byproduct produced by molds, and are commonly found on coffee beans. Mycotoxins can cause many health issues such as cardiomyopathy, hypertension, cancer, and kidney disease.
Studies have found that coffee beans contain mycotoxin. These usually develop due to molds forming on the coffees during growing and production.
Mass-producing coffee means there will not be any scope for taking the time out for making sure the coffee is mold-free before shipping it out.
LifeBoost uses an elaborate process to make their coffee mycotoxin-free. For starters, they use a unique twist on the wet-dry process so there is as little mold growth as possible.
They take painstaking steps to ensure the quality control of the water, as poor water is generally a leading cause for mold development.
The coffee cherries are then pulped and the beans are then sun-dried. Finally, the roasting process ensures that any molds that may have sneaked through are eliminated. Once the beans are separated from the coffee cherries, the coffee is tested by the Agriculture department before receiving a green signal for shipment.
LifeBoost is organic
The Mt. Kilamb region is a protected area, which means the government has strict restrictions on pesticides and chemicals.
As a result, the coffee beans are shade-grown naturally and free from pesticides and harmful chemicals. If buying organic coffee(and non GMO coffee) is important for you, LifeBoost is a great option.
It’s more expensive than other organic coffee brands, but the taste more than makes up for it.
LifeBoost is Fair Trade certified
LifeBoost coffee is Fair Trade certified, which means the coffee farmers doing the hard work of growing your coffee are well paid for their efforts.
Fair Trade works in two ways: coffee farmers can either be paid a set extra amount per unit of coffee, or they can negotiate their own prices to make sure they’re making a good living.
Buying Fair Trade means you know that your coffee was not the result of an evil corporation exploiting foreign labor!
LifeBoost is low acid coffee
Lifeboost coffee is one of the best low acid coffee brands out there. The lower acidity is great for folks who love their coffee but need something that is easy on the stomach.
Additionally, the reduced acidity lets many of the other flavor notes in your coffee really shine through.
Whether you opt for low acid because of a stomach problem or just because you enjoy the taste difference that low acid coffee brings, there are few coffees that are as good as LifeBoost in this respect.
Lifeboost Coffee Review: The Roasts
Lifeboost carries all the standard roasts: light, medium, and dark, and then some. All of these roast levels have low acidity.
Embolden Dark
Dark roast coffee is naturally the strongest and boldest roast you’ll find. Lifeboost Coffee’s dark roast has very strong earthy, woody, and chocolatey notes. Of course, there will be a very caramelized, intense sweetness.
The dark roast is great for french press, as this method really brings out the boldness. Plus, since the beans are low-acid, you won’t get that excessive tanginess you often see with french press coffee.
Espresso
Interestingly, LifeBoost makes a special espresso roast coffee which has notes of chocolate, caramel, and a bit of a fruity kick to it.
Espresso is typically a very acidic brew, and the resulting shot has a low to medium acidity, which is very impressive!
Espresso roast is a good choice if you prefer intense coffees.
Optimist Light
Although personally, I am not a fan of light roast, many people prefer the lighter and brighter cups that light roast produces.
LifeBoost’s light roast coffee are the most acidic of all the coffee beans they sell, and light roast does really well as a cold brew or pour over.
Medium
LifeBoost coffee does medium roasts as well. Medium roasts tend to be the most balanced and can do well in any brew method.
They’re best enjoyed as pour-overs or cold brews, but they also make a very pleasant french press and a slightly milder espresso for those of us who find dark espresso to be too intense!
I ordered the medium roast coffee and found it to be very nice and balanced.
As soon as you open the bag, you get a whiff of heavenly coffee aromas that’s much deeper than other coffees I’ve tried.
The first time I brewed it was in a french press, and I was blown away by how smooth it was!
French press is usually quite tangy and acidic, so I used it as a litmus test to see how low acid LifeBoost coffee actually was.
The french press brew tasted as smooth as a pour over! I’m not gonna lie, this knocked my socks off!
Biotics Cold Brew
If you’re into cold brew and low-acid coffee that’s easy on the stomach, Lifeboost coffee has the thing for you. Their Biotics cold brew is quite unique because they have an added probiotic that helps promote digestive health.
They’re very secretive about what the probiotic actually is, but considering there are so many raving Lifeboost coffee reviews everywhere, it must be good!
I have not personally tried the cold brew yet, but I plan to soon.
Decaf
Lifeboost Coffee also carries decaf coffee varieities of all their top coffees. I really like how they went out of their way to make decaf varieties for not just one roast or flavor, but so many different ones.
Coffee lovers include people who are tolerant and not tolerant of caffeine, so good on them to go the extra mile!
Here are some of the roasts and flavors available in decaf:
- Light roast
- Dark roast
- Medium roast
- Pumpkin spice
- French vanilla
- Highlander grogg
- Caramel macchiato
- Creme brulee
- Hazelnut
- Peppermint mocha
- Pistachio
- Half caff
Flavored Coffees
You can also find a lot of interesting flavored coffee on LifeBoost.
I am not a fan of flavored coffee beans in general because they tend to have too much of an aftertaste, but from what I’ve seen, LifeBoost’s flavored beans do a respectable job of preserving the original flavor of the bean and adding an extra kick to it.
Caramel macchiato
Lifeboost makes a mean caramel macchiato. The caramel macchiato is a favorite in most coffee shops, but it is usually full of sugar and calories. Lifeboost has done a remarkable job of replicating the flavor for nearly 0 calories.
Hazelnut coffee
Hazelnut is another flavor that pairs really well with a cup of coffee. Lifeboost’s coffee uses natural oils for adding flavor, so there’s no added sugar or chemicals. If you like nutty, sweet coffees, the hazelnut is worth a try.
Peppermint mocha
Peppermint mocha is incredibly reminiscent of the winter holiday season, and if you enjoy a minty, punchy flavored coffee, the peppermint mocha is definitely worth trying.
French vanilla
French vanilla is another one of Lifeboost’s trademark flavors. The vanilla adds a natural sweetness to the coffee and once you brew it, you won’t find yourself needing to add more sugar.
Limited collection
While the signature line of LifeBoost Coffee beans are all sourced from Central America, the Limited Collection includes low-acid beans from other locations such as Java(Indonesia).
These are Limited for a reason: they only get stock once a year, and once they sell out, they’re out!
Trying LifeBoost for ourself
A Lifeboost coffee review would not be complete without actually trying some for ourselves, and I could not wait to get my hands on some LifeBoost coffee so I ordered myself some medium roast(my favorite) and twiddled my thumbs in eager anticipation until the mailman dropped it off at my place.
The packaging is quite nondescript. They used to send their coffees in signature burlap sacks but now they’ve switched to regular packaging.
If you ask them, they can send it to you in a sack!
Opening the package, I was greeting with a whiff of heaven! The aroma wafting out of the coffee was so good it was almost intoxicating.
I ground up the beans and made a cup of pour over(nothing beats pour over for me). The coffee grounds smelled even better, and I started the brew.
For me, most medium roasted pour overs have a very rich but smooth mouthfeel. They leave a lingering, earthy taste in my mouth that is enjoyable for hours after finishing the cup.
LifeBoost’s coffee was easily one of the best cups I’ve tried. The smoothness of the medium roast was out of this world, and every sip was just incredibly satisfying.
The notes of chocolate and caramel were incredible and it was almost like biting into a bar of dark chocolate.
LifeBoost Coffee Pros
Healthier coffee
LifeBoost Coffee has low acidity, certified organic, non-GMO, and 3rd party tested for mycotoxins. All in all, it’s definitely healthier for your gut and overall health than other coffees. We would rank supermarket coffee as the most unhealthy, followed by craft roasters in the middle, and LifeBoost as the healthiest coffee.
Wide variety of choices
LifeBoost is really unique because of all the different flavors they carry. Even if you’re not a fan of straight black coffee, you may find the flavored coffees to be quite enjoyable since they have an added kick.
Lifeboost coffee tastes great
LifeBoost’s single origin arabica beans have the rich and earthy flavor notes of Central American coffee. Many folks who have tried LifeBoost end up declaring that this was the best cup of coffee they ever had.
Easy on the stomach and teeth
LifeBoost Coffee’s low acidity means it’s easier on your teeth and easier on your gut. Acidic environments allow teeth-eating bacteria to thrive, so cutting back on the acid goes a long way for your gastrointestinal health.
Lifeboost coffee is available as as whole bean or ground
If you like to grind your coffee beans just before you brew, Lifeboost offers whole bean coffee as the default. However, not everyone has a grinder, so they also offer ground coffee as well.
LifeBoost Coffee Cons
Lifeboost coffee is expensive
The biggest put-off of LifeBoost is the cost. Most 12 ounce bags of craft roasted coffee are between $15 to $20 – these will set you back $35 per bag, though you can get discounts for purchasing more than one bag at a time.
Just one origin to choose from
Lifeboost’s certified coffee is all single-origin coffee that comes from a single region in Central America. This makes sense: to be able to maintain such strict standards for quality and testing, they have to limit the places they source from. However, this does mean a lack of choice as far as origins go. The limited collection coffees are available, but they’re expensive and not necessarily to the same extra-strict standard.
Some people like acidic coffee
Truth be told, many people enjoy the acidity of french press and espresso. Of course, this is hardly a con – if you don’t like low acid coffee, there is certainly other coffee you can try!
Final Verdict: Is LifeBoost worth it?
To conclude this Lifeboost Coffee review, there’s no doubt that LifeBoost is incredibly high quality and healthy specialty. It’s definitely the best quality coffee for people with sensitive stomachs, or those who are looking for an organic coffee and wish to eat as clean and natural as possible.
Coffee lovers will appreciate this specialty coffee, the quality beans, and smooth flavor.
For most casual coffee drinkers, the deciding factor will be the cost. At $35 per 12 ounce bag of Lifeboost, your cost per cup comes out to nearly $1.50.
That’s still cheaper than going to a Starbucks, but a lot more expensive than other coffee beans.
