No shit there I was, browsing through Twitter like I generally do, when something came along that was profoundly interesting. Lyons, a brand that I’ve never heard of, being that it’s generally not sold in the US, partners with Help for Heroes with a special blend of coffee where 50p are given to Help for Heroes, a very impressive organization that helps veterans in the UK. I’m not in the UK but I fully support any organization that helps out veterans, because just the mere transition into civilian life can be difficult, not to mention the other challenges with PTSD and other injuries that may also be at play. So any organization that can help is welcome and I’ll gladly do my bit.
You can help heroes out and have a surprising cup of Joe
The coffee that Lyons has partnered to create is actually instant coffee. I don’t even like instant coffee. I actually hate it, as a rule. I’ve had far too much poorly made instant coffee in my life to last a lifetime, or two. And even the magical method that Starbucks discovered on a tablet hidden on Mars does nothing to hide the general bad taste associated with freeze dried instant coffee. There’s an underlying taste that’s prevalent and makes it taste weird. Usually. Check your preconceived notions at the door please.
After checking it out, popping the seal and taking in a whiff of the stuff in a slightly strange, drawn-out affair, I put the recommended heaping teaspoon into a cup. Then I put boiling water into the cup and stirred. Turns out you definitely don’t want boiling water, and I definitely want a bit less coffee. Because it was way to strong, and didn’t taste right. Well, that’s okay. Time to try again.
Second time was slightly less than a heaping teaspoon and definitely not boiling water. The result was something really surprising. Keep in mind I hate instant coffee. With the right ratio of (very aromatic) coffee and water there’s a certain sweetness to it that’s incredible. I can understand now why they vehemently recommend not using boiling water. There’s a pretty big difference.
The taste is pretty phenomenal. It won’t substitute your super fancy coffee, but its a very surprising cup of Joe that’s very flavorful and seems to lack the usual strange flavor. It was nice to have something so tasty. And it’s even better that by purchasing this delicious tin of coffee you can support a very worthwhile charity. Veterans need our help. Especially when it comes to those that are injured, both externally and internally. Charities like Help for Heroes are doing great work raising awareness for the public and reaching out for those that need help. The great thing is that this particular coffee is actually better than expected. Way better. So it’s a win-win! You need your gamer fuel, so why not give back while enjoying a cuppa?