Dark Roasts Reviews

Roast-toned but spicy; sweet, intricate. Cocoa powder, lightly scorched sandalwood, peach, narcissus in aroma and cup. Lively, spice-toned acidity; light but buoyantly silky mouthfeel. Sandalwood, peach and chocolate carry into a rich though drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly roast-toned and deep. Dark chocolate, tangerine zest, lightly scorched cedar, vanilla, lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Smooth, slightly leanish mouthfeel; dark chocolate and tangerine zest carry into a richly drying finish. Smoothes out in three parts milk with chocolate and lily at the center.

(As brewed in a Keurig 2.0 K500 Series single-serve brewing device at a 6-ounce serving size). Sweetly roast-toned. Dark chocolate, fresh-cut cedar, raspberry, tea rose in aroma and cup. Richly brisk acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The roundly drying finish centers around cedar and tea rose.

(As brewed in a Keurig 2.0 K500 Series single-serve brewing device at a 6-ounce serving size). Sweetly roast-toned. Dark chocolate, almond, banana, lily, cedar in aroma and cup. Brisk though sweet acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate notes complicate a richly drying, nut-toned finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig 2.0 K500 Series single-serve brewing device at a 6-ounce serving size). Smoky and sweetly roast-toned. Cocoa powder, blackberry, sage, malt, a hint of lily in aroma and cup. Rich, bittersweet acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. The resonantly drying finish displays a pleasant cocoa-powder throughline.

Evaluated as espresso. Syrupy, savory-sweet, roasty. Dark chocolate, scorched mesquite, orange zest, very ripe peach in aroma and small cup. Fat, syrupy mouthfeel; heavy, savory-sweet finish. Fruit-toned chocolate and mesquite dominate in three parts milk.

Sweetly and gently pungent, quietly complex. Dark chocolate, cedar, hazelnut, plum in aroma and cup. Round, backgrounded but softly resonant acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Hints of dark chocolate, cedar and plum all linger faintly but persistently in a sweet-toned finish.

Intensely and sweetly roasty. Baker’s chocolate, scorched cedar, hints of apple and grapefruit in aroma and cup. Lightly syrupy, plump mouthfeel. The finish is drying but richly chocolate-toned.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, roundly and gently pungent. Dark chocolate, ripe orange, black cherry, walnut, a hint of narcissus-like flowers in aroma and cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; walnut and chocolate carry into a deep though drying finish. An orangy chocolate with hints of walnut and flowers dominates in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Very discreetly and mildly roast-toned. Ken (93) found the hint of roast fine, maybe even refreshing given all of the bright, lighter-roasted espressos he tastes, but Ethan (91) was not entirely happy with the roasty suggestions. Chocolaty and floral yes, but he also found the blend “bittersweet,” “dry”, even “gritty,” and “lacking complexity overall.” The term “dry” found its way into Ken’s notes as well, but nevertheless he appreciated the chocolate, the caramel, the raisin, the flowers and for him a pleasant hint of anise. True, Ethan did fall in line with Ken when it came to sampling the blend in three parts milk, where both found the chocolate and caramel notes appealing and the floral notes surprisingly clear and persistent.

Deeply and richly roast-toned, resonant. Dark chocolate, raisin, cedar, hints of lavender-like flowers and orangy citrus in aroma and cup. Roast-muted acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate and the lavender hint carry into a sweet though richly and roundly drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, complex, gently roasty. Sweet chocolate, raisin, ripe grapefruit, lightly scorched pine, a hint of lush flowers in aroma and small cup. Plush but drying mouthfeel; sweet though quite drying in the finish. Lightly and delicately chocolaty in three parts milk.

Heavily scorched wood dominates in aroma and cup, with hints of faded chocolate, clove and molasses. Acidity is folded inside the scorched pungency of the roast; mouthfeel is light and leanish. The finish is bittersweet and drying.

A tactful ultra-dark roast dominates a cleanly sweet green coffee: Gently charred aromatic wood with a backgrounded dark-chocolate sweetness and a hint of flowers at the top. Medium body, smooth mouthfeel; slightly astringent finish.

Deeply and intensely roasty aroma, with notes of charred cedar, walnut and spicy chocolate. Medium body, somewhat thin mouthfeel, flavors of charred wood with hints of raisin, dark chocolate and earth. The short finish is sweet and rich, but simplifies, with an astringent roastiness lingering in the long.

Intense, simple aroma: sweet scorched wood, hint of dark chocolate. More complex in the cup: nut and dark chocolate dominate, with a distinct herb note, somewhere between rosemary and peppermint. Smooth, sweet finish, only slightly heavy in the long.

(As brewed in a Keurig B60 single-serve brewing device using a "K-Cup" capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving size): Delicate, gently exotic, faintly smoky, with cocoa, cedar, floral and caramel notes in both aroma and cup. Lightly syrupy and bittersweet in structure. The short finish is sweet and cocoa-toned, the long mildly astringent.

Simple, roasty aroma, with smoke, toast, butter, cedar, a hint of bananaish fruit. In the cup heavily astringent but rich and sweet-toned with gently scorched cedar and dark chocolate notes and a surprising hint of night flowers. The rich sweetness dominates the astringency in the finish.

Intense, deep aroma: distinct dark chocolate, spicy cedar and hints of orange and nut. In the cup low in acidity but rather astringent, with a rich, attractive cocoaish chocolate. Both chocolate and astringency carry into the finish, where the shadow nut tones turn (to my palate) slightly cloying.

Evaluated as espresso. As a drip coffee fell quite short of 80. As espresso revealed some virtues. In the aroma sweet-toned with distinct chocolate and butter notes. In the small cup medium bodied, round-toned and sweet, with earth, aromatic wood and herbal notes (I read fennel) and hints of nut and chocolate. The finish was simple in the short and mildly astringent in the long. Surprisingly disappointing in milk: leanish in mouthfeel with banana and chocolate in front but a slight though disturbing note toward the finish that for me suggested salted meat.