SugarBean Sea Salt Double Shot Review: The Pocket-Sized Coffee Fix I Didn't Know I Needed (2026)
Last Updated: June 2026
TL;DR
- Coffee Bean Brûlée is a glass-like crunchy candy inspired by the caramelized top of a crème brûlée, made from cane sugar and freshly ground coffee beans with Jacobsen Salt Co. pure flake sea salt from Netarts Bay, Oregon, in a 1.7oz bag with a 3-month shelf life.
- Winner of the World Coffee Innovation Awards Best Coffee-Flavored Product (Double Shot), and finalist at the World Food Innovation Awards for Best Confectionery Product and Best Artisan Product, validating its place as something genuinely novel in the category.
- Works as a standalone snack, ice cream topping, cocktail garnish, yogurt or granola topping, and a sweet cheese board alternative to crackers and jelly, with caffeine equivalent to approximately half a cup of coffee per serving.
SugarBean Sea Salt Double Shot Coffee Bean Brûlée is a handcrafted Oregon candy made from three ingredients: cane sugar, freshly ground ethically sourced coffee beans, and Jacobsen Salt Co. pure flake sea salt harvested from Netarts Bay on the Oregon Coast, with caffeine equivalent to about half a cup of coffee per serving, a 3-month shelf life, and no gluten, dairy, corn syrup, preservatives, or artificial ingredients. If coffee-flavored candy has always disappointed you because it tastes more like sugar than coffee, SugarBean is the product that closes that gap in 2026.
SugarBean Sea Salt Double Shot at a Glance
- Price: $8.50
- Net Weight: 1.7oz (50g)
- Shelf Life: 3 months
- Made In: Oregon, USA
- Ingredients: Cane sugar, ground coffee, sea salt flakes
- Salt Source: Jacobsen Salt Co. pure flake sea salt, Netarts Bay, Oregon
- Caffeine: Approximately half a cup of coffee per serving
- Free From: Gluten, dairy, corn syrup, preservatives, artificial ingredients
- Allergen Note: Produced in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, and sesame seeds
- Awards: Winner, World Coffee Innovation Awards Best Coffee-Flavored Product
- Best For: Coffee lovers, gourmet gifting, dessert toppings, cocktail garnishes, afternoon energy
What Is SugarBean Coffee Bean Brûlée?
SugarBean Candy's Coffee Bean Brûlée is a candy category that the brand essentially invented for itself. The concept draws from the crunchy caramelized sugar crust that forms on top of a crème brûlée when you torch it, applied to a confection that incorporates real ground coffee beans directly into the sugar rather than coating a coffee bean in chocolate or flavoring sugar artificially.
The Sea Salt Double Shot is the Double Shot recipe, the brand's strongest coffee intensity, combined with Jacobsen Salt Co. pure flake sea salt harvested from Netarts Bay on the Oregon Coast. Jacobsen is one of the most respected American artisan salt producers, and using their flake salt rather than a commodity sea salt is a production detail that reflects the same sourcing philosophy the brand applies to its coffee beans.
What Makes It Different?
The texture is the immediate differentiator. Most coffee candies are chewy, hard, or chocolate-based. Coffee Bean Brûlée shatters like caramelized glass when you bite into it, which is a completely different physical experience from anything else in the coffee candy category. That crunch is not an accident. It is the defining characteristic of the brûlée technique, and it is what makes the candy feel sophisticated rather than gimmicky.
The three-ingredient formula is the other meaningful distinction. Cane sugar, ground coffee, sea salt flakes. There is nothing in the bag that requires explanation or that you would not recognize immediately. For a candy, that simplicity is genuinely rare, and it is what allows the coffee flavor to come through cleanly rather than being diluted by stabilizers, coatings, or artificial flavoring.
The sea salt's role is supporting rather than starring. It enhances the roasted coffee character and balances the caramelized sweetness without announcing itself, which is exactly the right application of a quality flake salt in a confection.
What Are the Ingredients and Awards?
The full ingredient list is cane sugar, ground coffee, and sea salt flakes. The coffee is freshly ground and ethically sourced. The salt is Jacobsen Salt Co. pure flake from Netarts Bay on the Oregon Coast. Everything is handcrafted in small batches in Oregon.
The Double Shot won Best Coffee-Flavored Product at the World Coffee Innovation Awards. The Single Shot and Cardamom Double Shot have been finalists at the World Food Innovation Awards for Best Confectionery Product and Best Artisan Product. For a small Oregon candy company, that recognition across both coffee-specific and broader food innovation categories confirms that the concept is genuinely novel rather than merely clever.
The 3-month shelf life is worth noting. This is not a shelf-stable pantry staple you stock indefinitely. It is a fresh artisan product with a finite window, which is consistent with the small-batch production philosophy and worth factoring into purchasing decisions, particularly for gifting.
How Does It Compare to Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans?
Chocolate-covered espresso beans deliver coffee flavor mediated by chocolate, which means the cocoa and sugar profile often dominates what the coffee contributes. SugarBean Coffee Bean Brûlée has no chocolate. The caramelized sugar enhances the coffee rather than competing with it, and the brûlée crunch means you are experiencing the coffee's texture and flavor more directly than you do through a chocolate coating.
For buyers who have always found chocolate-covered espresso beans too sweet or not coffee-forward enough, that is a meaningful difference. For buyers who prefer the chocolate delivery, they are genuinely different products rather than substitutes.
Best Ways to Use SugarBean Sea Salt Double Shot
As a standalone snack or treat, the 1.7oz bag delivers the coffee hit and crunch combination in a portable format that travels easily. Crushed into smaller pieces, it becomes one of the more interesting ice cream toppings available, adding coffee flavor, caramel sweetness, and textural contrast simultaneously. As a cocktail or coffee drink garnish, the shards dissolve gradually and contribute flavor as they go.
The brand's suggestion of pairing the plain flavors with cheese as a sweet alternative to crackers and jelly is worth taking seriously. The brûlée crunch and coffee bitterness work well against aged cheeses in the way that honey and candied nuts do on a traditional board. For a cheese plate that needs something unexpected, it earns its place.
Pros and Cons
- ✅ Three-ingredient formula: cane sugar, ground coffee, Jacobsen Salt Co. sea salt flakes
- ✅ Crème brûlée-inspired glass crunch, unlike any other coffee candy texture
- ✅ Winner, World Coffee Innovation Awards Best Coffee-Flavored Product
- ✅ No gluten, dairy, corn syrup, preservatives, or artificial ingredients
- ✅ Caffeine equivalent to approximately half a cup of coffee per serving
- ✅ Versatile as a snack, topping, garnish, and cheese board component
- ✅ Handcrafted in small batches in Oregon with ethically sourced coffee
- 🟡 3-month shelf life, not a long-term pantry staple
- 🟡 Strong coffee flavor may not appeal to casual or non-coffee drinkers
- 🟡 Premium price compared to conventional candy
Who Is SugarBean Sea Salt Double Shot Best For?
- Coffee enthusiasts: A candy that actually tastes like coffee rather than coffee-flavored sugar.
- Foodies and artisan snack collectors: An award-winning handcrafted product in a category it largely invented.
- Gift buyers: A distinctive, giftable food product for coffee lovers that billing information is not included with, making it ready to send directly.
- Home bartenders and dessert makers: A versatile topping and garnish with genuine flavor contribution beyond decoration.
- Cheese board enthusiasts: A sweet, crunchy coffee component that brings something genuinely unexpected to a charcuterie or cheese plate.
Final Verdict: Is SugarBean Sea Salt Double Shot Worth It?
SugarBean Sea Salt Double Shot succeeds because it does not feel like another coffee candy. It feels like an entirely new category built from three honest ingredients and a cooking technique borrowed from fine dining. The Jacobsen salt sourcing, the ethically sourced coffee, the brûlée crunch, and the World Coffee Innovation Award all point toward a product made with genuine craft rather than a clever concept executed cheaply.
At $8.50 for 1.7oz with a 3-month shelf life, it is priced and sized as a premium treat rather than a pantry staple. For coffee lovers, foodies, or anyone looking for a gift that will actually surprise someone, it is one of the more memorable gourmet food discoveries available in 2026.
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