Why Do Athletes Choose C&K Coffee?

What do Wes Kitts, Noah Ohlsen, Kari Pearce and Maddi Pannell all have in common? THEY DRINK C&K COFFEE. ☕ The caffeine in coffee helps with their training regimens by increasing their:

• Alertness
• Focus
• Blood Flow
• Muscle Repair
• Fat Burning
• Breathing

In honor of National Coffee Day, we asked four of your favorite athletes about their coffee quirks, pet peeves, and day-to-day routines for a glimpse into the life of an elite athlete. Some of their answers may surprise you, or have you nodding along, or—maybe grimacing. Here's what they said.

WES KITTS:

Why C&K?
"I drink it because it's delicious, there's lots of variety, and I work out a lot so I need a lot of caffeine. And I might have a little bit of a caffeine habit."

How do you coffee/what's your go-to beverage?
"Most of the time I have my coffee out of a pot. At the gym we’ve always got a pot on, but I do like a nice americano or cold brew when I get the chance."

How long before training do you drink your coffee?
"I probably start an hour before or as I start warming up and then I stop maybe a little bit after training."

Coffee pet peeve?
"I might take a jab at somebody with a really sweet milkshake-lookin' drink. The only bad coffee experience I've had is when I got a regular cold brew and I took a sip and it was sweet--and I didn't wanna finish it!"

Coffee quirk?
"If I don’t finish my pot I will just dump it on some ice even if it's up to a day old. At the gym sometimes you'll come across a big ol' pot that didn't get finished and I'll just throw it over some ice and then it's breakfast blend."

Coffee pro-tip?
"If you really need to get something done you should try that iced americano and then throw a couple’a add-shots, get it real dark. Then you can get some stuff done."

MADDI PANNELL:

Why C&K?
“It’s organic, and there’s so many different flavors and variety. I love supporting local businesses, and originally when I first started CrossFit I thought C&K was a super cool brand. I looked swagged out wearing the stuff, but now knowing Danny more and what you guys are about, that’s everything I stand for as well.”

How do you coffee/what's your go-to beverage?
“My go to is a regular coffee pot. Here’s everything I put in it: 2 oz of nonfat milk, 2 oz of almond milk, froth that up, and then in hot coffee I mix in the collagen, put a little creatine in there, and then I make my own pumpkin spice seasoning and mix that in there too. And 1 tsp of organic sugar.”

How long before training do you drink your coffee?
“In my morning session I drink 1 cup in the morning when I wake up and then I drink one on the way, so about ~1 hour before. And then for my evening session I drink it during out of convenience.”

Coffee pet peeve?
“When people go like, “*smack* ahhhh” after they drink. It’s so unnecessary. Just don’t. It’s not THAT good!”

Coffee quirk?
“I like it EXTRA hot. I like it when it’s burning my mouth. I pour my hot coffee and then I put it in the microwave for another minute.”

Coffee pro-tip?
“Make your own pumpkin spice blend, don’t use a syrup. And measure out your coffee grounds. Not enough grinds in your coffee maker ruins your coffee. I use 1 tbsp per cup.”

KARI PEARCE:

Why C&K?
“You guys have the PR blend, and the first time I had the PR blend was before one of the Open workouts and I ended up PRing my snatch right after the workout, and I guess it was the coffee! I also like all the new blends you guys come up with; there’s lots of new flavors which is really cool.”

How do you coffee/what's your go-to beverage?
“My preferred brew method is now the Aeropress. With a gooseneck kettle. And I have a grinder. Every once in a while I’ll use a French press or a pod if I’m being lazy. I usually just have it black. You wanna enjoy the different blends; when you add too much it takes away from the flavor.”

How long before training do you drink your coffee?
“My 1st session is cardio stuff in the morning so, I’ll get up and drink my coffee ~45 minutes or so before my cardio session. I’ve been having another cup before my 11:00 session, sometimes half an hour before and sometimes while I’m driving to the gym and then I finish it during my workout.”

Coffee pet peeve?
“I like it strong. I’m not a big fan of weak coffee, and a full cup. I used to drink hotel coffee, but now I bring my Caffeine and Kilos coffee with me so I never have to drink hotel coffee again!”

Coffee quirk?
“There’s 2 coffee mugs I drink out of. Usually I start drinking out of one mug and keep using that one even though I have like 15 different mugs from you guys. My morning coffee mug is the white Caffeinated mug, and I have my orange one for my nighttime tea.”

Coffee pro-tip?
“I’ve had a lot of people ask me what my favorite pre-workout is, and I just like coffee. Coffee is the best pre-workout.”

NOAH OHLSEN:

Why C&K?
“1000% because of the people behind it. Danny and Dean are just good dudes, and they believed in me almost before I even believed in myself. On top of that, they make awesome coffee and gear.”

How do you coffee/what's your go-to beverage?
“Miami feels like one of the hottest places in the world, so we primarily cold brew down here. I normally will make it with a cup of C&K grounds, mix it with 5 cups water, and let that soak in fridge for ~24 hours. That’ll last us a few days or if we’re not getting too crazy it could last a week.”

How long before training do you drink your coffee?
“I am usually a coffee w/ breakfast kind of guy, probably ~1.5 hours before training. I’ll have breakfast, drink some coffee and go crush the gym. But if there’s any reason I’m dragging mid-day I can grab a cold brew and work out immediately after.”

Coffee pet peeve?
“I’m not a huge coffee snob, but I do enjoy the pure taste of coffee which is funny because as a kid I thought the taste of coffee was gross. So, we usually just drink every coffee straight black.”

Coffee quirk?
“Cold brew only!”

Coffee pro-tip?
“I think the fact that you can make cold brew at home is not very widely known. I don’t know if people realize how simple it is—you literally just add grounds to water and let it cool, filter it out and that’s how cold brew is made.”