Best Dark Roast Coffee Beans (Best Tasting Brands)

Once an ashy excuse to mask sub-par beans, dark roast coffee is coming into its own with more specialty roasters giving it proper attention. The result is a new breed of dark roasts, featuring vibrant, exotic, and sophisticated flavors.

You’re probably here because you appreciate the chocolate, nutty, and toasty flavors of a well-roasted dark bean. Keep reading for some handy buying and brewing tips. Skim through our top eight picks for the best dark roast coffee in 2023.

The 8 best dark roast coffees in 2023

IMAGE	PRODUCT	DETAILS
TOP PICK TOP PICK	Koa Coffee Estate 100% Kona	Hawaiian origin Dark chocolate, roasted hazelnut, cedar, honey notes Arabica	CLICK TO CHECK PRICE
HEALTHIEST HEALTHIEST	Lifeboost Coffee Organic Dark Roast	Nicaraguan origin Chocolate, caramel notes Arabica	CLICK FOR BEST PRICE
Low Acidity Low Acidity	Volcanica’s Coffee Sumatra Mandheling	Indonesia origins Brown sugar, dried fruit, and a winey clean aftertaste Arabica	click to check price
Best single origin Best single origin	Atlas Coffee Club	Single-origin coffees Varying tasting notes Arabica	CLICK TO CHECK PRICE
AMAZING VALUE AMAZING VALUE	Peet’s House Blend	Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua origins Citrus, sweet, spice notes Arabica	CLICK TO CHECK PRICE
Freshest Coffee Freshest Coffee	Coffee Bros. Dark Roast	Brazilian, Sumatran origins Bold, chocolate, maple notes Yellow Catuai, Red Catuai, Catimor	CLICK TO CHECK PRICE
STRONGEST STRONGEST	Death Wish Coffee	Indian and Peruan origins Chocolate, cherry notes Arabica and robusta blend	CHECK PRICE
	Kicking Horse Coffee Grizzly Claw	South and Central American origins Dark chocolate, cacao nibs, brown sugar, roasted hazelnuts notes Arabica	SEE ON AMAZON

With their toasted aromas and chocolatey flavors, dark roasted coffee beans are what many of us associate with coffee, and these days, they are better than ever. Here are eight great coffee brands to try this year.

1. Koa Coffee Estate 100% Kona – Best Overall

• Origins: Hawaii

• Tasting notes: Dark chocolate, roasted hazelnut, cedar, honey
• Varietal: Arabica
• Certifications: Kosher
• Ground or whole bean: Either

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Kona coffee is world-renowned for its rich and complex flavors, many of which are naturally enhanced by a darker roast. Koa Coffee is one of the foremost purveyors of Kona coffee, so you can be confident you’re getting 100% Kona coffee beans rather than a lower-quality blend.

Estate Kona coffee is more than just a name; it’s a specific term that guarantees all the coffee beans come from a single coffee farm.

Upon first brewing, expect heady aromas of cedar and roasted hazelnuts. The dominant tasting note is rich chocolate, accompanied by hazelnuts and honey sweetness. A surprisingly bright fruit note of strawberry lingers on the finish.

2. Lifeboost Coffee – Healthiest Dark Roast

• Origins: Nicaragua

• Tasting notes: Chocolate, caramel
• Varietal: Arabica
• Certifications: Organic, Kosher
• Ground or whole bean: Either

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Every bag of this dark roast coffee from Lifeboost begins with impeccably sourced coffee beans, which is why they produce some of our favorite coffee. Their single-origin Arabica beans are organically grown in Nicaragua mountains, on a small plantation located at 5,700 feet on the slopes of Mt. Kilambe.

The Lifeboost team source each batch by hand and monitor them carefully to ensure the rich flavors of the single-origin don’t get lost in the processing. The result is a flavorful low-acid coffee with dominant notes of caramel and chocolate, backed by hints of toasted hazelnut and vanilla. It’s the perfect partner for a nutty praline or chocolate dessert.

Aside from our full Lifeboost Coffee review, we’ve also made a video review of Lifeboost coffees and their tasting notes. Watch it here:

3. Atlas Coffee Club – Best Single Origin

• Origins: Varies, but always single-origin

• Tasting notes: Varies
• Varietal: Arabica
• Certifications: Kosher
• Ground or whole bean: Either

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Atlas Coffee Club has long been one of our favorite subscription services, offering very high-quality coffee at affordable prices. 

Here’s how it works. Each month they feature a new single-origin coffee. And I don’t just mean a blend of beans from a single country. You’ll be able to trace your coffee to a specific region or even a particular farm. Along with the coffee, you’ll receive a beautiful postcard packed with information about where and how it was grown, recommended brewing methods, and tasting notes.

When you sign up, you can select delivery quantity (½ pound, 1 pound, or 2 pounds) and frequency (every 2 weeks or every 4 weeks). You can also choose your preferred roast level: light to medium, medium to dark, or all levels. Committed dark roast lovers looking to explore single-origin coffee should choose the second option. Each month you’ll enjoy a new coffee on the darker end of the roast spectrum. And while some might be a bit lighter than a traditional dark roast, one of the best things about Coffee of the Month Clubs like Atlas is that they can introduce you to delicious new coffees you might never otherwise have tried.

Volcanica Coffee sources exotic beans from volcanic regions across the world. Their Sumatra Mandheling Reserve is a rare Indonesian coffee. What makes it so special is the origin — it’s grown in the lush volcanic soils of Sumatra, which gives it complex notes. 

Sumatra Mandheling dark roast coffee has a full-bodied taste and a smoky aroma with hints of chocolate and spices. Low-acid beans are handpicked and roasted longer than regular Sumatra Mandheling beans. Longer roasting helps the beans slowly develop a rich taste profile. This dark roast is perfect for low-acid coffee lovers who want a potent cup.

5. Coffee Bros. Dark Roast – Freshest Roast

• Origin: Brazil, Sumatra

• Tasting notes: Bold, chocolate, maple
• Varietal: Yellow Catuai, Red Catuai, Catimor
• Certifications: Kosher
• Ground or whole bean: Either

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For a dark roast that skews a little lighter, check out this exciting option from young company Coffee Bros. Founded just two years ago by a pair of brothers, Coffee Bros. roasts premium coffees in small batches to get the best flavor from every bean.

This dark roast is bold and sweet, like you’d expect, with a creamy mouthfeel and heavy body. It’s fantastic brewed in a French press or as a shot of espresso, and it’s delicious with milk or cream.

It’s a well-crafted blend of beans from Brazil and Indonesia, with the latter contributing a distinct earthy note. You’ll get the classic dark roast flavors of dark chocolate, caramel, and maple syrup, but without losing the underlying character of the origins.

6. Peet’s House Blend – Best Budget

• Origins: Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua

• Tasting notes: Citrus, sweet, spice
• Varietal: Arabica
• Certifications: Kosher
• Ground or whole bean: Either

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Peet’s brand of coffee is well known for its signature blends, which they craft with more considerable attention to detail than any others at this price point. Their dark House Blend is their longest-standing offering, first crafted by Mr. Peet himself, and has remained a top seller through the decades.

It features a mix of beans from across Central America, all 100% arabica high-altitude grown. They are slow-roasted by hand to just beyond the second crack for a bright, balanced, and medium-bodied coffee. The result is a lively, sweet, and comforting Latin blend. It’s rich and approachable, with a pleasant spiciness and a crisp, citrus finish.

7. Death Wish Coffee – Strongest Coffee

• Origins: India and Peru

• Tasting notes: Chocolate, cherry
• Varietal: Arabica and robusta blend
• Certifications: Organic, Fair Trade, Kosher
• Ground or whole bean: Either

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Many dark-roasted coffee beans fans love the bold intensity of the coffee, and Death Wish has taken this to the extreme, claiming to offer the world’s strongest coffee. A 12-ounce cup has a whopping 728 mg of caffeine, more than twice as much as an average brew.

They achieve this strength by using a blend of arabica and robusta beans, as the latter has significantly more caffeine. Despite their reputation as lower quality, the robusta beans can still contribute balanced flavors to a darker roast, and Death Wish sources only organic and Fair Trade varieties.

The result is a smooth coffee, low in acidity, and without a hint of bitterness. It has a substantial body and bold roasted flavor with more subtle notes of cherry and chocolate.

8. Kicking Horse Coffee Grizzly Claw – Best for French Press

• Origins: South and Central America

• Tasting notes: Dark chocolate, cacao nibs, brown sugar, roasted hazelnuts
• Varietal: Arabica
• Certifications: Organic, Fair Trade, Kosher
• Ground or whole bean: Either

SEE ON AMAZON

Founded in the Canadian Rocky Mountains 25 years ago, Kicking Horse Coffee has become globally recognized for its high-end coffees.

The Grizzly Claw is a blend of 100% arabica shade-grown coffee beans sourced from across Central and South America. It’s a rich and decadent brew with a substantial body and bold, soothing flavors. Expect to taste dark chocolate, cacao nibs, brown sugar, and roasted hazelnuts in the cup, enhanced by sugar cane and cocoa powder’s aroma.

Brew this certified organic beans in a French press, drip machine, or pour-over brewer. Or, in the summer, take advantage of its low acidity and rich flavors, and whip up a batch of cold brew.

How to choose the Best dark roast coffee Beans

The “third wave” coffee movement has revitalized dark roast coffees (1). Now a good French or Italian roast can offer no shortage of complexity. Our buyer’s guide is here to help you distinguish the best from the rest.

Please note that this guide will cover dark roast beans exclusively. For other roasts, read our guide to the best coffee beans here.

The flavors of dark roast coffee

Sure, the roasting process affects the flavor of coffee beans. But, in the case of dark roasts, the flavor is defined by roasting (2).

Because darker roasts get so much of their flavor from the roasting process, they have a more uniform set of tastes and aromas. However, they are far from bland. Dark roasts usually taste like chocolate, toasted nuts, spices, and dark sugar, such as molasses and caramel, coupled with more substantial notes described as earthy, woody, and smoky. Great dark roasts often have to balance bright, fruity tones, including apples, cherries, and berries.

If you’re interested in roasting your coffee beans, check out our guide on how to roast coffee (or the video below) and our picks for the best home coffee roasters.

There are different levels of dark roast

To achieve a dark roast, coffee beans must reach an internal temperature of 464 ℉. This is a moment when the oils inside the coffee begin to migrate to the outside and give dark roasted beans their characteristic sheen. But beyond 464 ℉ there are different types of dark roasts.

The lightest dark roast is known as an Italian roast. Roasting to slightly darker than an Italian roast yields an espresso roast, though other dark roasts are often used for espresso. Darker still is a French roast, which has a heavier body and more toasted flavors. The darkest roast, which has an almost charred flavor, is a Spanish roast.

Unfortunately, many roasters use these terms interchangeably simply to mean dark roast. Thus, you can’t always count on all French or Italian roasts to be created equal. In conclusion, when shopping for dark roast beans, it will be more useful to look for flavors you enjoy than to trace the name of the roast.

Bean origin matter less

With light roasts, flavors are strongly influenced by where and how the bean was grown and processed. But this is less true of a dark roast coffee. With a darker roast, the toasted and smoky notes overshadow the flavors inherent in the green coffee bean.

Remember: when it comes to selecting dark roasted coffee beans, roaster’s skills are just as important as the quality of the coffee beans.

Robusta beans can play more of a role

There are two commercially grown coffee bean types around the world, Arabica, and Robusta. When it comes to darker roasts, producers use both equally.

They add a depth of flavor, but they offer double the caffeine, which is an appealing quality for some coffee drinkers.

Brew properly to avoid bitterness

Dark roasts have a reputation for bitter or burnt flavors. Still, in many cases, this is a result of the brewing process, not the beans. You should brew different types of coffee roasts differently, regardless of the brewing method.

Dark roast coffee beans are less dense, making it easier for water from entering them and extracting those delicious soluble compounds. That means you can pull more flavor from a dark roast, but you’re also at higher risk for over-extraction (3).

Generally, dark roasts make great coffee for Moka Pots (like some of these) and espresso machines. It’s also good for making Cuban coffee. To avoid bitter flavors, use a gentler recipe for darker roasts. Opt for lower water temperature and either coarser grounds or a shorter brew time.

The Verdict

All you need are the right coffee beans.

We gave you ten best dark roast beans to try. However, we recommend starting with our overall favorite, Koa Coffee’s 100% Kona Estate, which is sure to wow you with its flavors of chocolate, nuts, and strawberries.