Wake up & smell (the world's strongest) coffee in Cape Town

27 March 2017 - 16:46 By Shelley Seid
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"I never laugh until I've had my coffee." - Clark Gable
"I never laugh until I've had my coffee." - Clark Gable
Image: iStock

Wake up and smell the coffee – it’s the strongest in the world and it comes from the Mother City.

The aptly named Black Insomnia coffee company has produced a roast that contains the maximum recommended daily caffeine allowance in one small hit.

According to internationally recognised test results‚ Black Insomnia‚ with 17,524 mg of caffeine per kg‚ is at least 33% stronger than its closest rival‚ the American based Deathwish Coffee.

And it seems that everyone wants that extra boost of energy. The company that was founded just ten months ago has gone global and their super charged product is now available through online retail giant‚ Amazon.

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Black Insomnia founder‚ entrepreneur and coffee addict Sean Kristafor (45)‚ says that by October last year‚ just four months into the business‚ they were already supplying 43 countries.

“On October 4 I got an order from a coffee shop in Finland. The owner later posted on Instagram that it was the best coffee he had ever tasted.”

The Ugandan and Brazilian robusta coffee bean blend became available in the US at the beginning of 2017.

Kristafor‚ who starts his day at 4am‚ drinks two cups of his high energy coffee daily and around two or three normal cups of coffee. “I won’t have a Black Insomnia after 3pm though. I would never sleep.”

He says it may have the kick of a donkey but it is a mellow tasting brew. “It is surprisingly smooth‚ a medium blend with a nutty taste. There’s no need to add sugar. People expect dark and bitter and are pleasantly surprised. The hit comes five minutes later.”

He describes it as “probably the most potent hit you can get legally”.

Kristofor retired at the end of 2014 from his position as GM of The Body Shop Southern Africa with the aim of taking it easy but soon got bored.

“I spent lots of time bouncing around local coffee shops. There’s a great coffee culture in Cape Town and its all about craft and taste yet there was no emphasis on getting a good hit.”

He partnered with well known coffee roaster Gerald Charles to make a great tasting coffee that would also knock one’s socks off. “I thought I would supply a couple of outlets in the area and let the business tick along.”

He is currently in discussions around distribution agreements with Australia‚ the UK and the UAE. The company is also producing caffeine added mineral water and a sugar free energy drink.

“We are quite small. Me‚ the roaster and about seven others. We are flying by the seat of our pants and building the airplane as we do it.” - TMG Digital/The Times

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