He will still have to keep trying.
Cash-strapped former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has reason to hope for his new coffee brand, but it’s a stretch to think it will save him from a mountain of debt, coffee experts tell The Washington Post.
Giuliani announced the launch of Rudy’s Coffee in June as he was facing potential debts of at least $148 million and was in legal trouble.
To test Giuliani’s beans, The Washington Post brought two of New York’s most respected tasters, who both serve as consultants to the Intercontinental Exchange, to his Midtown offices on Thursday for a coffee tasting.
After a couple of hours of smelling and sipping, Steven Carten, a coffee merchant and grader with 50 years of experience, concluded: “Could this be a sustainable source of income for him? I don’t think so.”
Carten and fellow coffee merchant and grader Glenn Garnes sampled three bags ($29.99) of light and dark roasted beans and decaffeinated beans.
Still, the freshly brewed coffee, made from 100% organic Arabica beans from Honduras, wasn’t nearly as disastrous as the former mayor’s stain.
“The quality is good, but we don’t see it as a paragon of specialty coffee,” Carten said.
“There’s nothing embarrassing about this coffee.”
Garns panned the lighter “Morning” blend, calling it “a little tart, a little burnt,” while Carten praised the tartness and “a little fruitiness” of the slightly cooled cup.
“Bold” coffee, which has the words “Fight for Justice” written on the bag, was described by Garns as “a bolder, more straightforward coffee.”
The decaffeinated beans are “more balanced,” but ultimately “very neutral in flavor,” Kalten said.
“He’s not selling rubbish,” Garns concludes, adding that he feels the price is appropriate for what he claims is “good quality commercial coffee.”
According to bankruptcy court records, Mr. Giuliani, who was disbarred in New York last week, struck a deal in April with Miami-based roaster Bark Brands that guaranteed 80 percent of the net profits from sales of Rudy Coffee, or about $5 per 2-pound bag, would go to the company for which the product is named.
But the coffee industry is competitive and “very crowded,” especially when it comes to celebrity-branded products, experts noted.
“All they need to do is look at the celebrity coffee crowd, what’s there, what’s not, and who’s left, like Snoop. [Dogg]” said Carten.
In December, a jury awarded Giuliani $148 million in damages for defaming two former Georgia election workers who allegedly committed voter fraud in the 2020 election.
A week later, “America’s Mayor” filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane on Friday dismissed Giuliani’s lawsuit, saying he had not been transparent about his assets and that dismissal of the case was in his creditors’ best interest.
The ruling means that Giuliani will no longer be protected from creditors who may be targeting his assets to collect on debts.
Giuliani did not respond to a request for comment.
