Counter Culture Coffee Even Keel Half-Caff review: the convenient 50/50 bag with a caffeine limit

Counter Culture says Even Keel combines regular and decaffeinated organic coffees in a 50/50 blend. It is distinct from Slow Motion, the full-decaf product, and from buying two bags to mix at home. The current roast-date selector shows several historical combinations; visible text does not reliably pair each component list with the selected period, so this review does not assign one origin percentage table to a bag it has not seen. The variety and decaffeination route of the complete current blend are not established by the accessible page. [1] [2]

The main product badge calls Even Keel medium-dark, while the story paragraph calls it medium. Both are roaster text on the same checked page. We disclose the mismatch rather than choosing one as a measured roast result. The 12 oz direct US base was $20, with 24 oz and 5 lb sizes listed. [1]

Graham cracker, molasses and soft are Counter Culture’s notes. The Guardian’s 2026 comparison tried a bag of Even Keel and found its flavor less distinctive than the reviewer’s favored coffees. That outside reaction can help set a risk, but is neither our tasting nor a verdict on every roast period. A half-caff discussion identified Even Keel as one whole-bean option; it did not measure caffeine or evaluate the current blend. [1] [3] [4]

The reason to choose this bag is routine simplicity. If distinctive flavor is the priority, a buyer may prefer to combine two coffees they already like, but that adds weighing and grinder-switch work. Even Keel trades that control for one packaged recipe.

Counter Culture publishes a French-press start of 50 g coffee to 800 g water at 205°F with a six-minute schedule. That is a 1:16 ratio for that method, not an espresso target. The bag can be ground for another brewer, but the water and grind should follow that brewer rather than a generic half-caff rule. [1]

Mixing regular and decaf beans does not make the cup’s caffeine exactly one half of a particular regular coffee. Bean lots and brewing extraction vary, and we have no assay for Even Keel. If a strict caffeine limit matters, ask the roaster for product-specific information or use an independently measured option; do not infer milligrams from the 50/50 ingredient statement.

A 12 oz first bag tests whether the premixed flavor and caffeine routine suit you before the 24 oz or 5 lb commitment. Match its roast date to the current blend selector if component identity matters. Keep opened beans sealed and dry; repeated freezer transfers can add moisture risk. [1] [5]

A half-caff household may consume fewer grams per week than a regular morning-coffee household. Calculate use before bulk buying. An unopened-looking bag image says nothing about the bag that arrives.

Even Keel’s October 16 US direct base was $20 per 12 oz, roughly $0.059 per gram. An illustrative 18 g dose contains about $1.06 of beans before waste, shipping, tax or milk. This is pack arithmetic, not a caffeine or cup-quality measurement. [1]

Two separate 12 oz bags let a household change its mix but cost more up front and can become stale at different rates. Even Keel simplifies inventory. Compare the actual combined checkout and likely consumption, not an assumed permanent subscription discount.

For full decaf, choose Slow Motion only if its cocoa-and-molasses brief and documented decaf route suit the brewer. For regular caffeine with a familiar medium profile, Fast Forward is the adjacent Counter Culture bag. Neither substitutes for an exact caffeine assay. [7]

The existing decaf guide addresses fully decaffeinated choices by brew method. Even Keel solves a different decision: a regular/decaf mix already packaged as one coffee.

This is a research-led US assessment. The exact roaster listing controls identity, current component description, base price and brew advice. Independent and owner reports are attributed to their own sample, date and recipe. Coffeedant has not bought, brewed, tasted, measured or photographed this coffee. We assign no numeric sensory score.

Sources were checked October 16, 2026. Recheck the delivered roast date, component panel, selected size, stock and checkout total. A packaged roast direction or flavor note is not a controlled comparison across bags.