Are you crazy about Keurig coffee? Then the best, most delicious dark roast k-cups are a must-have! A savory cup of dark roast java is the perfect way to start the morning, and if you’re a Keurig brewer, enjoying your delicious dark roast is even easier.
At A Glance: Best Dark Roast K-Cups
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With just a push of a button, your Keurig will perfectly brew a cup of dark roast coffee for you. But what are the best dark roasts to choose from?
There are so many different dark roasts out there, but there are only a few that are delicious enough to deserve to make it from the shelf in the store to your favorite mug at home.
Quick Summary: Best Dark Roast K-Cups
 | Our Top Pick Atlas Coffee Club Medium to Dark Roast |
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 | Lifeboost Coffee Dark Roast |
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 | Emeril Coffee Keurig Single-Serve K-Cup |
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 | WANDERING BEAR DARK ROAST K-CUPS |
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 | Dunkin Donuts Dark Roast K-Cups |
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 | SAN FRANCISCO BAY FRENCH ROAST K-CUPS |
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 | Starbucks Italian Dark Roast K-Cups |
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 | Community Coffee Signature Blend K-Cups |
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 | Koffee Kult Dark Roast K-Cups |
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 | Death Wish Dark Roast K-Cups |
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 | Tim Horton's Dark Roast K-Cups |
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 | PEET’S DECAF DARK ROAST K-CUPS |
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The Deets About Dark Roast Coffee
Ask any coffee addict and they’ll give you various reasons to join the dark side. They are bold and rich in flavor, with a silky-smooth texture to sip on.
Their savory characteristics show up in many different kinds of coffee, including french roasts, cold brews, and espresso roasts.
If lighter roasts are ideal for flavors like fruity citrus and nuttiness, then you can expect general flavors like chocolate, caramel, spice, and earthy tones for darker roasts.
Dark roast coffee is a rich source of antioxidants that many people enjoy because they aid in fighting free radicals.
Some of these include riboflavin, an important vitamin that contributes to healthy cell growth and production, as well as pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), which helps to convert digested food into energy.
Decorating and Brewing Dark Roast Coffees
Many coffee drinkers tend to drift towards darker roasts because when it comes to the roasting process, it’s easier to implement additional natural or artificial flavors or sweeteners.
You’ll rarely find a lightly roasted coffee flavored with pumpkin spice, hazelnut, or mocha. Most of the time, these roasts will be darker because the longer roasting process diminishes the authentic flavor of the beans and holds onto the flavor that’s created during the roasting process itself.
When it comes to brewing, we recommend methods that will help you amplify and coax out the roasting flavors inside the coffee grounds. Some of the popular brewing methods are the French press, cold brewing, and even espresso brewing.
Darkly roasted coffee beans are often more robust and oilier than their lightly roasted counterparts, so the brewing method will help you to accurately extract the flavors in the beans.
If French press brewing isn’t for you, don’t worry. These K-Cups will help bring the flavors and qualities of dark roast coffee to your speedy and convenient Keurig brewer!
The Best Dark Roast K-Cups
Atlas Coffee Club Medium to Dark Roast
Atlas Coffee Club Medium to Dark Roast
With 50+ countries to discover, you’ll try amazing micro‑lot coffees from around the world.
Atlas Coffee Club coffee pods bring freshness to the world of K-Cups. The coffee in these pods is freshly roasted, then shipped directly to consumers as part of a subscription service. There’s no sitting around on the shelf for this coffee pod!
Each month, Atlas will send subscribers pods with coffee from two different countries, accompanied by a postcard that explains the tasting notes of the coffee and information about the coffee culture in that country.
Atlas Coffee Club pods are filled with specialty-grade coffee and were carefully developed to find the ideal grind size, roast level, and fill amount for each type of coffee.
If all of that isn’t enough to convince you, you might be glad to hear that this coffee is fair trade and sustainably grown and harvested. The freshness, variety, and sustainability of this coffee brand make it a shoo-in for our top choice.
Lifeboost Coffee Dark Roast
Lifeboost Coffee Dark Roast
The Non-GMO, single-origin, USDA-certified organic Low-Acid Healthy Coffee is shade-grown & sun-dried high in the mountains of Central America, and is delicious, immune-boosting.
If you’re a health-conscious coffee drinker, Lifeboost Coffee is the perfect choice for you.
This coffee is non-GMO, USDA-certified organic, and tested to ensure that it is free of chemicals, heavy metals, and mycotoxins. You can feel confident that this coffee is as pure as it gets.
Indigestion, heartburn, and stomach upset can be a problem for some coffee lovers, but you won’t have to worry about that with Lifeboost coffee. This coffee is over 27% less acidic than most store-bought coffees and is guaranteed to not bother your stomach.
Lifeboost Coffee is sustainably shade-grown without pesticides in Central America, and the farmers are paid a fair-trade wage. That adds up to a coffee that is good for you, the farmers, and the environment.
Emeril Coffee Keurig Single-Serve K-Cup
Emeril’s Dark Roast K-Cups are just a jewel in the crown of culinary genius, chef, restaurateur, and nationally renowned TV personality Emeril Lagassé.
Emeril’s Big Easy K-Cups are filled with rich flavor that reflects the spunkiness and savory flavor of cajun/creole New Orleans cuisine. With smooth, smokey earth tones and sweet cocoa flavors in each sip, Emeril’s Coffee is roasted to perfection –upholding the reputation of quality that Emeril is known for.
You can expect plenty of dark roast flavor in each cup. In fact, you can enjoy it as a simple cup of black coffee, or add a little razzle-dazzle with cream and sugar!
Wandering Bear Extra Strong Organic Coffee Pods
Wandering Bear Dark Roast K-Cups
With a little extra boost of caffeine packed in and the slightly sweet flavor, these organic dark roast K-cups are hard to beat.
With a little extra boost of caffeine packed in and a slightly sweet flavor, these organic dark roast K-cups are hard to beat.
Treat yourself to a bold cup of coffee with Wandering Bear’s organic pods. We think you’ll really enjoy this dark roast variety for a couple of reasons.
First of all, the intense flavor and high caffeine level (with 250 milligrams of the stuff per cup) pack a serious punch on an early, groggy morning.
The second reason we think you’ll love brewing these recyclable K-Cup pods is that it leaves no bitter aftertaste in your mouth once you’ve finished your cup.
We can’t forget to mention the hints of chocolate and caramel that give this java a sweeter taste — no creamer and sugar necessary.
Dunkin Donuts Dark Roast K-Cups
America runs on it, and it was one of the first coffee chains to make its debut in the United States.
An original staple, Dunkin is known for roasting and brewing some of the most delicious coffee made out of 100% arabica beans.
Dunkin’s Dark Roast is similar to the medium roast, but with deeper, richer flavor notes. Certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, Dunkin’s Dark Roast has flavors that are sweet, smoky, and silky-smooth in texture.
We recommend this K-Cup roast for those who really enjoy a dark roast that brings a deep, dark, sweeter flavor.
San Francisco Bay French Roast K-Cups
French roasts are a kind of gourmet coffee that’s cherished by coffee lovers, not only in France but everywhere else!
A difficult roasting technique to master, San Francisco Bay has perfected it with their French Roast K-Cups. With each sip, you can expect savory flavors of sweet chocolate, spicy cinnamon, and a luscious smokey finish. Also, they offer a decaf version!
Before the roasting process even begins, San Francisco grows their beans under the shade of mountain shadows in Central and South America. As a result, the amount of acidity in the coffee diminishes, making it easier on the stomach.
In addition, San Francisco Bay packages its coffee in a compostable, environmentally-friendly K-Cup that’s mostly made of a filter-like material instead of a solid plastic casing. That’s a major win for the environment!
Starbucks Italian Dark Roast K-Cups
A delectable Italian roast is a MUST on any list of dark roast recommendations. One of the giants of the coffee industry, Starbucks’s Italian Roast is a flavor-filled, mouthwatering roast that will satisfy your deepest coffee cravings.
With notes of subtle smoky undertones and caramelized sugar, Starbucks crafts this roast using 100% arabica beans.
The roasting technique is carefully crafted and well-balanced to ensure that this roast is darker than Starbucks’s espresso roast, but also lacks the overwhelming smoky flavors of the french roast.
Community Coffee Signature Blend K-Cups
A classic and favorite of the local coffee industry in Louisiana, Community Coffee is a Baton Rouge-based coffee company that’s been crafting gourmet beans with a southern twist ever since its debut in 1919.
Known for its rich, bold, locally inspired flavors, Community Coffee has been roasting some of the best dark roast coffee to cure southerners’ cravings for over 100 years now.
The Signature Blend consists of arabica beans that have been roasted to perfection while embodying flavors like decadent dark chocolate.
Community Coffee believes that–as its name implies–the community is an important factor of life, and what brings people together better than coffee? Its beans are sourced from companies that support military service members, local schools, educational programs, and much more.
Koffee Kult Dark Roast K-Cups
Koffee Kult roasts their coffee in smaller batches to ensure that the taste in every batch of beans each batch is roasted to highlight the unique, intricate flavors within the beans.
It’s this strategy that makes the Koffee Kult’s Dark Roast K-cups so succulent and delicious in the first place. The beans sourced for Koffee Kult’s dark roast are fair trade certified from areas like Sumatra, Columbia, and Brazil.
You can expect a heavy body, notes of cinnamon, caramel, and slightly brighter acidity.
Making sure to not over-roast their coffee through strictly supervised hand-roasting, this dark roast has flavors that are soothing to enjoy at any time of day!
Koffee Kult has K-Cups that make it convenient for brewing, and they’re compatible with Keurig 1.0 and 2.0–not to mention they’re also 100% recyclable!
Death Wish Dark Roast K-Cups
Calling their version of K-Cups “Death Cups,” Death Wish Coffee markets itself as one of the strongest coffees on the market today.
Though the caffeine content is pretty much the same as other coffees like it, Death Wish is potent when it comes to savory flavors. The signature dark roast has flavor profiles like ripe cherry and chocolate and also has a lower acidity, making it easy to enjoy.
During the roasting process, Koffee Kult roasts their beans for the dark roast until what’s referred to as the “second crack” (which we’ll explain later).
After this point, the beans are taken out of the roaster and placed into a bin to cool, which is a great roasting technique because it amplifies the flavors within the coffee beans.
That’s one of the primary reasons why we enjoy Death Wish– because of the careful measures taken during the roasting process.
Tim Horton’s Dark Roast K-Cups
Another popular coffee company across the United States, Tim Horton’s has been crafting quality coffee since the company’s debut in May of 1964.
A Canadian company, Tim Horton’s coffee has found its way across the world: throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Mexico, the Philippines, and more–and now to your Keurig!
Tim Horton’s Dark Roast is made up of beans sourced from Central and South America and is rich, smooth, and full-bodied with a smoky undertone of flavor.
This blend by Tim Horton’s is beloved by many, primarily because it has one of the smoothest textures of all the coffees on our list.
The secret behind the silky-smoothness is that Tim Horton’s has a team of experts to select and filter through the coffee beans to make sure that only the ripest, highest quality beans make it from the roasting process and to your favorite mug.
Peet’s Decaf Dark Roast K-Cups
If you’re a dedicated dark roast lover, but don’t enjoy the annoying effects that caffeine can have, then Peet’s Decaf Dark Roast K-Cups are the answer to your prayers!
Still maintaining the signature style of distinctive, authentically cultivated, and quality roasted coffee, Peet’s Decaf Dark Roast lacks the caffeine, yet is deeply roasted to maximize the lively and sweet flavors within the beans.
Peet’s has been in the business of roasting and brewing delicious coffee since 1966. The beans sourced for these K-Cups are 100% arabica beans and are roasted to perfection to ensure that you get a robust cup of coffee every time.
Things to Keep in Mind
Lack of Unique Flavor Profiles
Dark coffee is enjoyed by many because of its smooth, smoky-sweet flavor, as well as its ability to be paired well with sweeteners and creamers.
However, darker roasts usually don’t have a wide range of complex flavors, simply due to the way that the beans are roasted. Heated over a longer amount of time, the more complex, succulent flavors that are unique to single-origin roasts are cooked away.
The roasting process, especially for darker roasts, replaces the unique coffee bean flavor with the desired flavors during the roasting process.
For example, some coffee roasters cook their beans with the addition of natural ingredients like cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Differences in “Cracks”
During the roasting process, as the coffee beans begin to heat up and release gasses and moisture, a cracking/popping sound occurs.
After the second cracking noise, simply referred to as the “second crack,” beans that are being darkly roasted will be removed within about 30 seconds to a minute. After this, the beans are highly vulnerable to burning.
Something else to keep in mind about dark roasts is that the beans can burn easily if the roasting process isn’t carefully monitored, resulting in a burnt aroma/flavor.
That’s why so many coffee fanatics enjoy the art of darkly roasted coffee because the flavor of the beans is fully amplified and caramelized, yet isn’t overcooked.
Acidity and Caffeine
Need another reason to love dark roasts? Contrary to common belief, darker roasts are often less acidic than lighter roasts which typically have a stronger, brighter acidity. This makes darker roasts easier and more comfortable for those with sensitive stomachs.
Another common misconception about dark roast coffee is that it contains more caffeine than other roasts. In actuality, dark roast coffee contains the least amount of caffeine.
This is because, as the beans are roasting, the caffeine compound is broken down and loses its potency. The difference is minor, but if you’re choosing a roast simply based on the caffeine content, you may want to look for lighter roasts.
The Verdict
We recommend these K-cups for those who want to enjoy the sweet, bold flavors of dark coffee without worrying about having to buy whole beans, grind them, and brew the coffee themselves.
Keurig and its K-Cups satisfy your taste buds and your need for speed by brewing a satisfying cup of dark roast coffee at the push of a button.
If you love dark roast coffee and find yourself constantly brewing with a Keurig, any of these dark roast K-Cups will make a great addition to your K-Cup collection. So have fun brewing these dark roast K-Cups, and as always:
Happy caffeinating!
