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Taika
Coffee that accentuates reality
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Chris Messina

Taika Adaptogenic Coffee - Coffee that accentuates reality

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Ambassador
Taika (“magic” in Finnish) is a perfectly calibrated coffee in a can, balanced with adaptogens designed to keep you calm, focused and clear. Designed by world’s 9th best barista, Taika tastes delicious without any added sugar.

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Kal Freese
Maker
Hey Product Hunt! Thank you @chrismessina for hunting us. For the past year, I've been heads-down building Taika with my co-founder @michael_eyal_sharon. We’re super excited to finally share what we’ve been working on. My background is deep in coffee: I’m a two-time Finnish Barista Champion and was ranked 9th best in the world in 2015. Before Taika, I co-founded Sudden Coffee (YC W17) which makes “instant coffee you’ll actually want to drink”, as NYTimes put it. Both Michael and I love coffee (surprise). Alas, over the past few years caffeine started giving us nasty side effects many people are familiar with: anxiety, jitters, and crashes. Decaf wasn’t the answer: most of the time we wanted some caffeine, but not the side effects. This is when we discovered L-theanine and other adaptogens - natural plant extracts and functional mushrooms - that support the body’s ability to deal with stress. We started researching and experimenting with these compounds. Adaptogens turned out to be a game-changer in balancing the caffeine and reducing the side effects. However, keeping a bunch of random capsules with you and remembering to take them every time you have coffee sucks. We both hate compromising and set out to create a coffee that’s absolutely delicious and perfectly calibrated with the highest quality adaptogens. We’re launching with three flavors, each featuring the same adaptogen blend: - A sugar-free, keto-friendly macadamia latte that tastes like melted coffee ice cream. As far as we know, it's the first macadamia latte on the market. - Oat milk latte which tastes like coffee cereal milk but has no added sugar. - Black coffee - a brilliantly smooth, bold brew, never bitter. Unsweetened and keto-friendly. Taika is currently available in SF, LA, and NYC for 2hr contactless delivery, powered by Postmates. Our motto is for friends, by friends. We think sharing gifts is more fun than discounts. Enter code MYSTERYGIFT at checkout at on our website and we will mail you a fun surprise to go with your coffee 🎁 🔮 What questions can we answer?
Mario 🦊
@chrismessina @michael_eyal_sharon @kallefreese Just ordered some! Can't wait to try. And awesome to see what you're up to now, Kalle :)
Kal Freese
Maker
@chrismessina @michael_eyal_sharon Thanks @mdagabriele! Can't wait to hear how you like it ✌️
Tristan Pollock
@kallefreese this is incredible!
Kal Freese
Maker
@pollock Thanks Tristan!
Rob Morgan
@kallefreese super cool! Let us know when it makes it's way to Europe!
Ilona Mooney
Will you offer make-at-home version of Taika? Love my morning routine of making a cup of coffee, and would love trying your coffee 2.0!
Kal Freese
Maker
@ilona_mooney This is something we're working on. Stay tuned!
Ilona Mooney
@kallefreese Yay! Would love it on a subscription. Just a few days ago ran at 7 am something to grocery store because was out of coffee!
Ashu Desai
Taika is the best coffee in a can/bottle I’ve had. It’s rare that products become an instant favorite for me but this one did. Two of my roommates also started ordering it. Well done!
Kal Freese
Maker
@desaiashu Thanks Ashu!
Ryan Hoover
Love the branding, @kallefreese. What are the nutritional facts? I couldn't find anything on the site.
Kal Freese
Maker
Thanks @rrhoover! Here you go: https://taika.co/ingredients. There's a small link on the product detail page, made a note to make that clearer.
Ryan Hoover
@kallefreese aha! Thanks!
Nate Bosshard
Hands down the best canned coffee I’ve ever had.
Kal Freese
Maker
@natebosshard Thanks Nate!
Taylor Majewski
Very interested in this! It reminds me of Soylent's caffeinated option
Kal Freese
Maker
Thanks @taylormajewski! The key difference is that Taika is first and foremost delicious coffee, whereas Soylent is a breakfast that also includes your morning coffee.
Taylor Majewski
@kallefreese totally - I'm much more drawn to an option like Taika, as I enjoy eating vs. drinking breakfast. This is awesome and needed.
Kal Freese
Maker
@taylormajewski Yep, exactly our thinking as well.
Dr. Cameron Sepah
As a keto advocate, really nice to see no sugar drinks come on the market! This way you can get the beneficial coffee/antioxidants/adaptogens, without all the filler.
Kal Freese
Maker
@drsepah Yep exactly - and in a product that actually tastes great.
James Hoffmann
Hi! I’m a Taika investor/advisor and I just wanted to share a little about what made me so excited about what they’re doing. It wasn’t just that it tasted amazing (seriously, I’m obsessed with the Macadamia Latte - a phrase I never thought I’d say out loud), or that I liked the stack of adaptogens in there. What struck me was the way they were thinking about how coffee made people feel, about the deeper why of drinking a cup of coffee. Great coffee is, broadly speaking everywhere. However, I think specialty coffee has been obsessed with the journey of the coffee and not the destination of it: how it makes someone feel. There are lots of different reasons to drink coffee and I think Taika have picked a great one and absolutely nailed it. I love having this in my fridge, I love the clarity it brings and that I don’t have to compromise the quality or flavour of what I’m drinking whatsoever. So excited to see them launch, it's been fascinating (and frankly delicious) to see the product evolve in the run up to this. Congrats to the team!
Kal Freese
Maker
Thank you @jimseven! We're thrilled to have you on our team 🙌
Chris Messina
Ambassador
Hunter
As a beta tester, I've been enjoying the evolution of @kallefreese's new coffee product. It's super smooth and the adaptogens mean I get less of the jitters and don't crash as hard when I indulge in a second round of coffee. The branding is also genius! And I love that you can literally text them to make an order or just shoot the shit: TEXT US “🐬” IF YOU NEED ANYTHING (415) 212 7711
Kal Freese
Maker
@chrismessina Thanks Chris! Yeah, we're having so much fun with the texting 🙃getting people confused whether it's a bot or humans 🤖
E.b. Rosner
Why does it have a phone number on the can?
Kal Freese
Maker
@e_b_rosner We started by making Taika for our friends and their offices. At first, I put my personal number on the cans so people could text us feedback and order more. It worked so well that we decided to put the number front and center (now it's a shared one). We’ve had some hilarious philosophical discussions with people trying to figure out whether they’re talking to a bot or a human. It’s fun and weird - a pretty good substitute for not being able to go to your local coffee shop right now.
Sami Niemelä
Awesome, congrats @kallefreese & team! So, this is a 100% vegan product, right?
Kal Freese
Maker
Thanks @samin! Yep, all of our products are 100% plant-based.
Rudi Skogman
Well done Kalle and Michael! Tried out the product last summer. Have the products developed since then and what's next in terms of flavors or "coffee meets x"-combos?
Kal Freese
Maker
@rudi_skogman Thanks Rudi! Yeah, I took a look at our change log: we've made 22 iterations to the recipe since last summer and changed the packaging completely. The coffee is so much better than last summer, even if I say so myself 🤠 We have a lot of ideas in the pipeline, including non-coffee products. One that I've been working on for a while is a zero-sugar macadamia chocolate milk that is insanely tasty 🍫
Tiina Liukkonen
I'm not a coffee person and really want to keep my caffeine levels in control so I've preferred tea for several years. But, I did taste an early version of Taika and was sincerely amazed by the rich macadamia flavor and how good I felt after drinking it. What exactly is the magic behind this?
Kal Freese
Maker
@tiinaliu Great question. That's because Taika is not just coffee. We tested dozens of adaptogen blends until we found one that balances the caffeine really nicely for that calm and focused feeling. Our blend includes: - L-theanine for focus: an amino acid found in tea leaves that counteracts some of the negative side effects of caffeine (jitters, crashes) and helps improve focus - Ashwagandha for calm: A leafy, flowering plant that helps you cope with daily stress and promotes calm. - Lion's Mane for clarity: An odd-looking mushroom that supports memory, concentration, and cognitive function. Reishi for improved immunity: A mushroom that supports the immune system and aids the body in coping with daily stress. Cordyceps for energy: A mushroom that supports better energy levels, stamina, and physical performance.
Zain Memon
Whoa -- so exciting to see this on PH. I've ordered so many boxes of this and it is absolutely delicious (I chug the oat milk one). You guys should lean into the "accentuates reality" bit!! I want to text the phone number and play an alternate reality game where the number responds with "Help! I'm a coffee can designer stuck in a factory!!!" :)
Kal Freese
Maker
@zainy Funny you should say that - we've been scheming on building some text adventure games 🤓Also so happy to hear you like the oat milk 🔥
Natasha Pecor
?makers Amazing! I tried this coffee at an event and loved it. However, I’m sensitive to caffeine... are there any low caffeine products coming out?
Kal Freese
Maker
@natasha_pecor Yep, we're working it! We don't have an exact timeline yet but looking to roll out some beta products in the next few months 🎉
Alex Zhang
Drinking coffee typically makes me super jittery and unproductive, somehow Taika does the opposite. Serious superpowers in this can...
Kal Freese
Maker
@alexzanderzhang Glad to hear you like it 😎
Michael Eyal Sharon
Maker
@alexzanderzhang so glad you like it!
Alex Finnemore
I've had two cans of Taika today and I feel great. You can't argue with that!
Kal Freese
Maker
@alex_finnemore1 Hah! Thanks Alex.
Jenna Hannon
Taika is so magically delicious! Thanks Kal and Michael for bringing this to us! 🙏
Kal Freese
Maker
@jenna_hannon Thanks Jenna!
Ari Tulla
Looks awesome! What kind of flavors you offer?
Kal Freese
Maker
@ari_tulla Thanks Ari! We're launching with three flavors: - A sugar-free, keto-friendly macadamia latte that tastes like melted coffee ice cream. - Oat milk latte which tastes like coffee cereal milk but has no added sugar. - Black coffee - a brilliantly smooth, bold brew, never bitter. Unsweetened and keto-friendly.
Adam Caplan
Delicious mental boost throughout day
Kal Freese
Maker
@happycappytime Thanks for sharing Adam!