Hook Line and Sinker
“You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Photo credit: Angler’s Coffee
Have you ever been scrolling your Instagram, and get a notification from one of your buddies tagging you in a giveaway? I certainly have, and boy, am I a sucker. Follow, tag your friends, and share; you know the drill. It’s almost like buying a scratch-off lottery ticket. That chance of winning fires me up!
Gambling, as an industry, is fascinating. There are so many levels on which it thrives: lottery, casinos, horse races, fantasy football, and like in Bryan Gill's novel, The Devils in Alabama, sports betting. All are behemoths making billions of dollars each year. But why? To the gambler, it’s a small victory, a “close but no cigar,” the thrill of almost hitting it big, and the taste of winning (or at least the chance to win), that fires off neurotransmitters, making you feel excited. That powerful dopamine hit is what makes you come back for more and also what makes you spend more money. It truly is addictive.
Now that I think about it, this dopamine hit is precisely what brings me back to fly fishing. Each cast is full of the anticipation of catching a fish and pulling out a treasure from beneath the water. Fishermen are some of the most hopeful people on the planet because we truly believe that that next cast is the one! Just one more cast and I’ll catch the big one. Just one more.
But, about these Instagram giveaways. I am a sucker for them. It’s mainly because I have won some incredible gifts in recent years! In 2020, a company gave away an electric compression massage gun. As an endurance athlete, it is spectacular. It has proven to be a helpful tool for recovery time and time again–especially during my Ironman triathlon training. The second and more recent giveaway I was fortunate to win involved perhaps one of my favorite things, coffee.
The Instagram algorithm's accuracy that placed this company’s ad smack dab in front of my bearded face is terrifying (and somewhat creepy). However, I was equally as excited about the company, Angler’s Coffee, as I was creeped out about how Instagram knew I’d like them–which was a lot.
Photo: Brad Hill
Angler's Coffee and Alpine Leasure teamed up for a giveaway to promote some of their products. To enter, you simply requested a sample of Angler Coffee's new "Dry Dropper instant coffee," and they would send you the sample. Then, take a picture of you and your sample in the wild, which would obviously be free advertising for them on your personal page. Brilliant really. So, I brewed this instant coffee and took some pictures of it for my Instagram page, thus entering this enticing giveaway. All in good fun with the potential of the illustrious sweet dopamine hit we all crave, driving us to pick up our phones more than we should throughout the day.
After a few days, low and behold, I picked up my phone and received that glorious notification that I had won the giveaway from Angler's Coffee and Alpine Leasure (cue the dopamine). Not long after, I returned home to see a box adorned with Angler's Coffee logos awaiting me. As I opened it up, a burst of coffee aromas hit me like a shockwave to my olfactory sensors. Inside were my winnings and then some. The kind folks at Anglers Coffee included a metal camp cup with their logo branded on the side, an additional bag of coffee, along with an assortment of stickers from their excellently designed and branded company.
“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons”
The selection of coffee they sent me was wide, but, again, the genuinely intentional folks there at Angler's asked me what kind of coffee I liked and were kind enough to curate my prize with lighter roast coffees from their product line. Each blend was enjoyable, beautifully packaged, expertly described and, excellently roasted.
Unquestionably my favorite roast was the "CUTTHROAT ROAST - DEYOUNG ARTIST SERIES."
The coffee descriptions were spot-on and I was able to identify most of the tasting notes they used. Often, I honestly struggle to get the delicate notes listed on other roasts, but I was able to taste what they described as "Mild, sweet and smooth with citric acidity, almond and praline flavors." I brewed it in a aero press for full flavor and my Hario V60. The latter delivered the smooth taste I was hoping for while the aero press brought out the almond and praline flavor. (Why do I all of a sudden want some candied pecans?)
Their language, coffee blend names, and artwork are directed solely at fly fishermen. It sucked me in “hook, line, and sinker,” but, if I’m being honest, I entered the contest with a very low bar of expectation for the quality of the coffee. However, to my surprise, I found the "Dry Dropper" instant coffee to be on par with most instant coffees, except that it was in the form of a teabag rather than a powder. I enjoyed this aspect because it reduced the graininess or film that powdered instant coffee typically leaves. At any rate, each coffee was uniquely flavored, and worth a try. Now that I have run out of my free coffee, I just ordered a bag. All in all, Dry Dropper instant coffee is delicious…especially when I’m beside a river.
Oh, and Keep your eyes open for one of those enticing Instagram giveaways on The Storied Outdoors Instagram and Facebook. We are cooking up a good one to kick off Season 4.
Check out the other products from www.anglerscoffee.com and the Veteran owned Alpine Leisure Let them know we sent you!
