We Tried It: ‘Yellowstone’ Star Cole Hauser’s Free Rein Coffee

The after-hours beverage of choice on Yellowstone has always been whiskey, but in the morning, the boys in the bunkhouse need a caffeinated pick-me-up — and that’s where Cole Hauser comes in.

The 49-year-old actor, who plays Rip Wheeler on the Paramount Network drama, launched his own coffee company, Free Rein, last year. Playing a cowboy on TV gave Hauser a greater appreciation for what it takes to rope and ride in real life, so he and his partners decided to create a coffee brand that would embody “the spirit of the west.”

In the latest edition of We Tried It, Us Weekly Deputy Editor Sarah Hearon and Music Editor Eliza Thompson taste-tested two varieties of Free Rein: American Dirt, a dark roast, and Prospect, a light roast.

Sarah agreed right away that Prospect is as “smooth, mild and bright” as its packaging promises, making it the perfect brew for sitting on the porch of your ranch house and taking in the Montana sunrise. American Dirt, meanwhile, is a little more earthy, and according to Sarah, gives enough of a jolt to “get up and get after it.”

Cole Hauser

While trying Free Rein, Sarah and Eliza also brewed up some theories about how Yellowstone will write off ranch patriarch John Dutton following Kevin Costner’s much-discussed exit from the show. The prevailing idea? He’ll be taken to the train station … by none other than Rip.

All seven varieties of Free Rein are available online in both whole and ground beans. Fans can also purchase boxes of coffee pods as well as bundles of the brand’s best sellers.

Yellowstone season 5B premieres on Paramount Network Sunday, November 10, at 8 p.m. ET.