When YouTube star Emma Chamberlain announced her coffee line, she got roasted almost immediately. The anger makes sense: Chamberlain has been criticized for overpriced merch before, and her “coffee bags” — tea bags containing coffee grounds for single-cup brewing — cost US$60 for a pack of 30.
Thank god they make delicious coffee.
Chamberlain isn’t the first to dip her toe into coffee bags. In fact, Chamberlain Coffee is a collaboration with Steeped Coffee, which has been around since 2017. Nor is she the first influencer to release a coffee line. Remember Connor Franta’s coffee subscription service?
It makes particular sense, though, for Chamberlain to get into the coffee business. While not an incredibly unique trait, loving the stuff is a core part of her brand. Steeped Coffee is a natural fit, too. Chamberlain famously loves making cold brew at home, which the coffee bag facilitates well, and the company’s compostable packaging and environmentalist ethos feels very VSCO girl, an archetype Chamberlain played a huge role in popularizing.
In Chamberlain's video announcing the line, she is visibly, believably excited. “This is my baby,” she says to her followers. “You guys are really important people in my life, and in a sense, [Chamberlain Coffee] is our coffee bonding.”
So as far as product launches go, coffee is a perfect choice for Chamberlain. But her critics are right: This coffee is too expensive.
If you buy a 30-pack of Chamberlain Coffee bags, each cup you brew will effectively cost US$2. That might save you a bit of cash if you stop at a coffee shop every day, sure, but for people who make coffee at home, using a bag every day is so expensive as to be out of the question. The move, probably, is to save Chamberlain Coffee for specific occasions where quick single-serve coffee is best — camping, for example, or mornings where you'll be late for work unless you brew on the go. Be like a cat with salami: Have little a Chamberlain Coffee, as a treat.
The packaging (which is very pretty) suggests placing each bag into a mug, pouring 8oz of hot water over it slowly, dunking the bag repeatedly for 15 seconds, then leaving it to steep for five minutes. Chamberlain says in her video, however, that she prefers a stronger cup, so she steeps for 10. This is also what I’d suggest, to the point that 10 minutes should probably be the minimum.
I’d also suggest using a larger coffee cup than you usually do. While the bags are similar in shape to teabags, they are roughly twice their size and a little difficult to dunk without splashing hot water on yourself. Or maybe I have the dexterity of a two-year-old.
Despite these quirks, the process is remarkably easy and straightforward. And the result is delicious — smooth, fruity, and mostly grit-free. It definitely doesn’t taste like instant coffee.
The bags also made great homemade cold brew. (Can you imagine if they didn't? A bad cold brew from a diehard fan like Chamberlain would be a bummer.) To make your cold brew Emma-style, place three bags into a large mason jar of ice water, cover it, then put it in the fridge overnight. Did you just pay $6 to make your own jar of cold brew? Yes, you did. But you probably knew what you were getting into anyway.
It's unlikely that Chamberlain launched this project assuming it would become the go-to beverage for coffee snobs who don't know who she is. It's far more likely than she — and her team — knew that its audience would be her millions of fans, who are interested in becoming part of Chamberlain's world through any means offered. Is this coffee a practical everyday grocery item? No, and it's not intended to be one. It's intended to be merch.
So those of you who aren't Chamberlain stans will want to skip this. Tip: A 30-pack of regular Steeped Coffee is US$39.99 — still pricey but not as pricey — so pick that up if you're looking to give the coffee bag format a try.
If you know a die-hard Chamberlain fan, though, you know what to get them for their next birthday. Just be sure to grab a mason jar for them, too.
