Dark-roast coffee has a somewhat bitter taste but is not sour. It can awaken all your senses with a rich flavor that overwhelms any light-roast coffee.
However, not all dark coffee has a rich and attractive flavor. Are you looking for a bold morning drink? Or want something more awake, focused, and powerful?
Check out the suggestions below. I spent time experimenting and found the 10 best dark roast coffee that you should consider in this article.
Our Top Picks: Best Dark Roast Coffee
- Don Pablo Gourmet Coffee – Best for Overall
- Mayorga Dark Roast Coffee – Best for Home Dark Roast Coffee
- AmazonFresh Dark Bean Coffee – Best for Cold Brew Dark Roast Coffee
- Community Coffee Blend Ground Coffee – Best for Various Concoctions
- Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast Grounds – Best for Stomach
- Koffee Kult Dark Roast Whole Coffee Beans – Best for French Press
- Olde Brooklyn coffee Dark Roast Whole Bean – Best for Budget
- Starbucks Dark Roast Ground Coffee – Best for Daily Use
- Victor Allen’s Coffee French Roast – Best for K-Cup Keurig 2.0 Brewers
- Solimo Dark Roast Coffee Pods – Best for Arabica Dark Roast Coffee
Best Dark Roast Coffee Review
Although the same dark roast coffee, each manufacturer has different methods. So, the final dark roast coffees which you receive will have different aromas.
Consider your personal preferences and read the reviews below, and you will soon find the best dark roast coffee. Scroll down for more!
#1. Don Pablo Gourmet Coffee – Best for Overall
Product Highlights
Don Pablo Gourmet is the full-flavored choice of deep-roasted coffee. It is a blend of Arabica dark roast coffee from Colombia, Guatemala, and Brazil.
This unique combination gives it a distinctively rich flavor. When I first tasted it, I noticed the sweet taste. Its aftertaste is characteristically bitter, which lovers of dark-roasted coffee always look for.
Don Pablo is also one of the few dark roasts with optimal freshness. Before shipping, the producer manually roasts the Arabica dark roast coffee in small batches. Thus, these cups are always fresher than any regular instant coffee.
In short, Don Pablo Gourmet is the ideal choice if you love roasted coffee but still retain the natural flavor and sweet aftertaste.
The only downside is that it requires complicated preparation. You should use cold water for your brew to get delicious light roast coffees.
I had to let the water cool longer than when making a regular medium roast. And everything is perfect only when your light roast coffee has a characteristic caramel, chocolate, and bitter taste.
What We Like
- Sweet aftertaste.
- The full flavor of dark-roast coffee.
- Suitable for dark roast coffee lovers.
- Unique caramel and dark chocolate aroma.
- Combining Arabica coffee from three different lands
Things to Consider
- The complex concoction
#2. Mayorga Dark Roast Coffee – Best for Home Coffee
Important Specifications
- Weight: 2 Pounds.
- Form: Whole bean.
- Flavor: Coffee Cubano roast.
Product Highlights
Compared to pre-ground coffee, I prefer to use whole beans. Blending at home gives me a smooth, fresh, and flavorful dark roast blend.
Mayorga Dark Roast Coffee is my top choice when making my coffee at home.
Mayorga offers signature Latin slow-roasted Arabica coffee. Instead of a large-scale production process, Mayorga applies a manual slow-roasting method, processing the coffee in small batches.
So, the finished product that reaches the user has the highest quality taste. Its coffee beans are dark, smooth, and unblemished with impurities.
During brewing, I get coffees with a sweeter vanilla flavor and smoother aftertaste than many of the coffees I’ve had before.
In addition to the unique taste, I also love Mayorga Dark Roast Coffee because of its low acidity. It is the ideal advantage for those who love coffee but have sensitive stomachs.
Overall, I am satisfied with Mayorga Dark Roast Coffee. It has a mild bitterness, even slightly less bitter than some organic coffees I’ve used. There may be better choices if you are looking for solid coffees with a distinctively bitter taste.
What We Like
- Sweet vanilla scent.
- Bold aftertaste.
- Smooth and fresh flavor.
- Not mixed with impurities.
- Low acidity with sensitive stomachs.
Things to Consider
- Less bitter than some other organic dark roast coffees.
#3. AmazonFresh Whole Bean Coffee – Best for Cold Brew Coffee
Important Specifications
- Weight: 32 Ounces.
- Form: Whole bean.
- Flavor: The bold, dark roast.
Product Highlights
I own quite a few coffee-making supplies, from grinders to espresso machines. However, I am particularly interested in cold brewing, which requires complex ingredient standards.
And AmazonFresh Dark Roast Whole Bean Coffee is the name I always choose if I need to enjoy a cold brew coffee.
This whole-bean coffee is relatively fresh. It is packed almost immediately after roasting, free of impurities. Its taste is natural, intact, and rich.
Even the most discerning people will discover the dark chocolate flavor in coffee. Thanks to this ingredient, its flavor is intense to satisfy the user.
The manufacturer says this product can make espresso or flavorful coffee.
Yet, I only recommend you use this coffee to make cold drinks because it is pretty bitter. If prepared in the usual way, AmazonFresh Dark Roast Whole Bean Coffee will not be a drink that can conquer many users.
To overcome this drawback, you can mix AmazonFresh with lighter roasted coffees in addition to cold brewing.
I picked it up from the cart to make cold-brew coffee. And amazingly, it quickly thickens with a richer flavor.
A small note is that you should refrain from re-roasting these beans. Its taste will be more bitter and unbalanced in hot water.
What We Like
- Rich and natural flavor.
- Carefully packed with a fresh taste.
- It has a little dark chocolate flavor.
- Ideal for cold brewing dark roasts.
- High-quality ingredients without impurities.
Things to Consider
- The bitter taste is not suitable for all users.
#4. Community Coffee Ground Coffee – Best for Various Concoctions
Product Highlights
With their distinctive bitterness and texture, dark roast coffee beans are often unsuitable for too many brews. Some coffee beans are not even suitable for use with automatic dispensers.
However, Community Signature Blend Ground Coffee is an exception. This product is medium roast coffee. It’s compatible with many coffee makers, including my French coffee maker. I also regularly use Community Coffee to make hot, iced, and cold coffee beans.
But Community Coffee is more than simply choosing to be compatible with different equipment and brewing methods. This one deserves to appear on the best dark roast coffee beans list because of its original bold flavor.
Its taste and scent are also relatively uniform. There is almost no difference in the smell and texture of each coffee bag.
The only thing the manufacturer can do better is its strong taste. I refilled my filter several times to get the desired intensity and flavor.
What We Like
- Rich dark chocolate flavor.
- Suitable for a variety of recipes.
- High-quality Arabica coffee beans.
- The dark roasts do not affect the brewing equipment.
- Consistent flavor and odor between production batches.
Things to Consider
- Need a bit more strength.
#5. Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast Grounds – Best for Stomach
Product Highlights
You regularly drink dark-roasted coffee beans daily, but their acid affects your sensitive stomach. Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast Grounds will be the right choice for a balance of taste and health that you should consider.
This coffee is quite strong and therefore has slight acidity. The slow roasting process in batches ensures that the dark roasts are not bitter and burnt, minimizing the acid in the grounds and making the coffee more friendly to people with sensitive stomachs.
I especially appreciate its rich and robust flavor. These dark and intense dark roasted coffee beans are strong enough to awaken all my senses early in the morning. It even helps me stay energized and ready to be creative at any time.
Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast Grounds has a good taste and is stomach-friendly.
It is coarsely ground coffee, so you can use it in a drip coffee maker. To avoid clogging the coffee machine, you should grind it finer several times.
What We Like
- Low acidity and is suitable for the stomach.
- Novelty dark chocolate and dark cherry flavors.
- Ideal for use early in the morning or when distracted.
- Premium arabica and dark robusta roast coffee beans combination.
Things to Consider
- Need to grind finer before putting into drip dark roasts coffee machine.
#6. Koffee Kult Dark Coffee Beans – Best for French Press
Product Highlights
I usually choose Koffee Kult Dark Roast Whole Coffee Beans whenever I make coffee with French Press and espresso beans.
Moderately dark-roasted coffee beans are handled quite well by Koffee Kult. It is a great ingredient to prepare by filtering, soaking, and enjoying the full flavor.
Unlike the names I introduced earlier, Koffee Kult has fine whole coffee beans. It’s not too bitter. Instead, it has a rich flavor with a long aftertaste.
If you like dark-roast coffee, Koffee Kult is worth a try. Combining Colombian, Guatemalan Brazilian, and Sumatra ingredients and profound Arabic roasting results in the strong coffee I’ve always wanted.
The only minus point is that its scent could be more specific. I understand the manufacturer intentionally does not use flavoring with the desire to provide the purest product. However, this inadvertently made my dark roasts have a less attractive scent.
What We Like
- Rich flavor
- Not too bitter.
- Long aftertaste.
- Fine hole coffee beans.
- Ideal for use with French Press.
Things to Consider
- Long-lasting unattractive scent.
#7. Olde Brooklyn Coffee Whole Bean – Best for Budget
Important Specifications
- Weight: 5 Pounds.
- Form: Whole bean.
- Flavor: Breakfast dark roast blend.
Product Highlights
Enjoying drinking coffee every day costs me a lot of money. That’s what I thought until I found Olde Brooklyn coffee, dark roast coffee beans that are reasonably priced but still hold up excellent quality.
The 5 lbs bag includes dark roast coffee beans. These coffee beans come to my hand, always fresh and fragrant. Even the most demanding people must be satisfied with a product whose quality is quite strictly controlled.
Another thing I love about dark Italian roast is that it offers a wide range of roasts, including dark Italian roast, bold Brazilian roast, and mixed roast.
With Olde Brooklyn, I usually start my mornings with a cup of pure dark roast beans, drink espresso at noon, and make a drip every weekend night.
The wide selection helps me discover many delicious dark roast coffee beans in the most budget-friendly way. I am satisfied with Olde Brooklyn’s pure coffee. My only complaint is its oiliness and lack of flavor.
What We Like
- Save budget.
- Fresh and fragrant.
- Standard quality.
- The excellent whole bean.
- Comes with a variety of roast coffee beans
Things to Consider
- No unique taste.
#8. Starbucks Dark Roast Ground Coffee – Best for Daily Use
Product Highlights
Are you a big fan of Starbucks coffee and want to be able to make these delicious drinks at home? Starbucks Dark Roast Ground Coffee is the solution for you.
Starbucks has selected 100% Arabica coffee. Careful handling and processing have resulted in Starbucks coffee’s uniformity in aroma, strength, and acidity.
The packaged coffee is of the same quality as Starbucks’ coffee ingredients. I also appreciate its high applicability.
I experimented with different brewing methods, including drip, overflow, and Moka pots. All of them yielded the desired results.
If you love dark roast beans at Starbucks, you will love the unique flavor of this product: not too bitter, solid, and rich.
It lacks a bit of necessary mellowness. However, Starbucks coffee beans are still a worthy choice with their affordable price and convenient preparation.
Even though I’ve tried a lot of dark-roasted coffee beans, I still have to return to Starbucks Sumatra for its natural flavor.
As a traditional coffee lover, I grind the beans by hand and use a drip machine to handle their powder most efficiently. Sumatra is perfect for you to drink this way in winter.
What We Like
- Suitable for the budget.
- The taste is not too bitter.
- Easy to prepare at home.
- Coffee beans are under a strict process.
- Available with many different mixes.
Things to Consider
- Hard beans
#9. Victor Allen’s French Roast – Best for K-Cup Keurig 2.0 Brewers
Product Highlights
Like other dark roast lovers, I have tested many different brands. And Victor Allen’s Coffee has been one of my favorite products recently.
Victor Allen’s roasted coffee beans differ from many market options. The manufacturer’s roasting process is precise to perfection. And the result is an authentic French-roasted taste.
Right at first taste, I was surprised by the rich bean dark roast coffee flavors and characteristic aroma. Its aftertaste is also unique when it is not too bitter, suitable for many users.
These dark roast coffee beans also work well with the K-Cup Keurig coffee machine. Thanks to this outstanding advantage, I can make my favorite drinks quickly and conveniently.
What We Like
- Rich flavor
- Characteristic fragrance.
- The aftertaste is not too bitter.
- Suitable for different tastes.
- Compatible with K-Cup Keurig coffee machines.
Things to Consider
- The coffee can clog the machine.
#10. Solimo Dark Roast Coffee Pods – Best for Arabica Coffee
Product Highlights
Coffee Arabica has a sour taste mixed with bitterness. It also has a light roast aroma, which is very close to the fruit and the honey smell.
Overall, these coffee beans will give you a feeling of refreshment and richness right from the first try. If you love the above characteristics of Arabica coffee, you cannot ignore Solimo Dark Roast Coffee Pods.
This coffee is in certain pods. I quickly had hot and decadent coffee cups combined with the 1.0 or 2.0 K-Cup coffee maker.
I usually use Solimo Dark Roast early in the morning. Delicious taste, aroma, and fresh ingredients make a great cup of hot coffee in the morning before work.
What We Like
- Many flavor options.
- It has the typical taste of Arabica coffee
- Suitable for people who are always on the go.
- Compatible with 1.0, 2.0 K-Cup coffee machines.
Things to Consider
- Need to change the filter design.
Best Dark Roast Coffee Beans: Buying Guides
After searching for dark-roast coffee, I have gained some selection experience. You can refer to the criteria below to make it easier to find your favorite coffee.
Freshness
Coffee will change flavor depending on the distance from harvest to roasting.
With dark-roast coffee, you should choose fresh products. Its flavor will be the most total and most intense. However, sometimes old coffee has a distinctive taste, especially after removing carbon dioxide and other unwanted substances.
Source
I always encourage you to opt for single-origin coffee. These products will have a distinctive flavor. You will also find it easy to trace your coffee.
You can also find mixed coffee. The unique combination of many different coffees can provide an impressive drinking experience.
Shape
Quite a few people judge the coffee quality by the amount of oil inside or the cracks in the coffee bean. However, the oil on the surface does not accurately reflect the coffee bean’s freshness and quality.
Meanwhile, you can rely on the cracks in the beans to identify dark-roasted beans. Light roast coffee will show small cracks at 385°F. When the temperature goes up to more than 435°F, a second crack will appear.
Smell
Dark-roasted coffee does not have a distinctive flavor. If you are used to enjoying drinks with a pleasant floral aroma, there are better choices than dark roasting.
Yet, you can combine chocolate with coffee to get rich drinks and a mellow feeling.
FAQs
Why is dark roast coffee healthier?
Dark-roasted coffee has a strong flavor and bitter aftertaste. Whether enjoyed alone or paired with chocolate or milk, this green coffee bean delivers an unforgettable taste.
Dark-roasted coffee is also relatively healthy. It helps users stay awake and relaxed while providing a hefty dose of antioxidants.
Even in the American diet, this lighter roast coffee bean is the best antioxidant, which fights free radicals that cause cell damage and have been available to cancer.
What is the darkest robust coffee?
Devil Mountain Coffee is always on the list of the most robust coffee in the world. According to the manufacturer’s claims, each cup contains 1,555 mg of caffeine, which is three times the FDA’s adult daily recommendation.
What dark roast does Starbucks use?
Starbucks offers a variety of dark roasted coffees such as Sumatra, French Roast, Italian Roast, and Espresso Roast. The dark roast flavors at Starbucks are a blend of coffees from the Americas and Asia – Pacific.
What is the number 1 coffee in the world?
Starbucks is the coffee brand with the highest coverage and revenue globally. This coffee bean retailer has stores in over 80 countries and territories, earning more than 23.52 billion USD annually.
What is the top 5 best coffee?
The most experimental coffee bean brands include La Colombe, Cafe Bustelo, The Organic Coffee Co, and Peet’s Decaf Major Dickason’s Blend.
Conclusion
I highly recommend Don Pablo Gourmet because it has all the advantages I look for in a dark roasted coffee: rich flavor, attractive aroma, and reasonable price.
I will suggest Death Wish Coffee for those with sensitive stomachs due to its low acidity. Meanwhile, Mayorga is a great choice for making daily coffee at home.
You should rely on the reviews and selection guides in the article to choose a strong roasted coffee that suits your taste.
I hope you find your best dark roast coffee soon and have a great time with your favorite drink. Thanks for taking the time to follow us!