I’m the kind of person who will try almost anything once — especially when it comes to coffee. New beans? Sure. Weird flavor combo? Pour it. A brewing method that looks like it belongs in a chemistry lab? Hand me the goggles. Curiosity is half the fun, and honestly, you never know when you’ll stumble onto something worth writing about… or something you’ll want to keep stocked forever. But every now and then, a line appears. A hard stop. A “nope, not even for the blog.”  And for me, that line is Black Rifle Coffee Company.

A Brand That Tells You Exactly What It Is

Even before you get into the politics, the name alone gives you the whole thesis. Black Rifle Coffee Company. Guns and coffee — it’s a pairing that feels less like a lifestyle and more like a marketing experiment. It’s the kind of branding you’d expect if the NRA suddenly decided to get into the roasting business. When a company leads with weapon imagery before flavor notes, it’s pretty clear what conversation they want to be part of. Coffee, to me, is about connection, curiosity, and comfort. 
Not combat.

Where Values and Economics Meet

And yes, there’s also the political layer. Reporting has tied Black Rifle Coffee to conservative politics and to support for Donald Trump. That’s their choice — but it’s also mine not to participate in it. Because beyond the moral dimension, there’s the practical one: trade decisions and tariffs under Trump contributed to higher import costs, including for coffee. When you’re a coffee lover watching prices climb, it’s hard not to notice the connection between policy and the price of your morning cup. So when a brand aligns itself with the very forces that helped make coffee more expensive for everyone, it becomes even easier to say, “No thanks.”

My Line in the Sand

So yes, I’ll try almost anything. 
But I won’t try something that asks me to set aside my values — or ignore the real‑world impact on the industry I love — just for the sake of a sip. There are too many good coffees out there crafted by people and companies who don’t make me choose between flavor and conscience. And honestly? That’s a line worth keeping.