Best Dark Roast Coffee Beans (Best Tasting French, Italian, and more)

How to Choose the Best Dark Roast Coffee

Sure, there are a few important things to consider when buying the best tasting coffee beans. But, when buying dark roasted coffee beans, in particular, a few special considerations are necessary! 

This buyer’s guide will walk you through it.

It’s About the Roasting.

In a dark roasted coffee, the character of this type of coffee comes from the roasting process. It’s about the way the roaster uses heat and airflow to coax flavor from the beans. So the growing region of the coffee — meaning they’re from a single coffee region or country like Costa Rica, Sumatra, or others — has less influence on the taste of your brew. In comparison, with light roast coffee brands, the dominant flavor is of the coffee bean itself.

That said, growing conditions dictate the quality of the coffee. So you should still opt for coffees from regions known for high elevation, rich soil, and a favorable climate for Arabica coffee beans. 

Opt For Whole Bean Coffee When You Can.

To experience your coffee at its best, you should buy whole bean coffee and grind it right before brewing. Ideally, you should be using a good-quality burr grinder. As soon as you grind coffee beans, they begin to lose flavor. And we want more of that flavor to end up in your cup!

However, if you don’t have a burr grinder at home, a dark roast coffee is one of the best options for buying ground coffee. Because its flavors are so bold, they’ll persist much longer than the subtle notes of a light roast. 

If you buy pre-ground coffee, buy from a brand that grinds to order, and make sure you get the correct grind for your brewer: fine for espresso, medium for drip, coarse for French press. Then store your ground beans in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Here’s a list of the best ground coffees to help you.

Sweet Flavors Make The Best Dark Roast Coffee.

Of course, you should buy the coffee that tastes best to you. But as a general rule, coffee beans with more natural sweetness lend themselves best to a dark roast. The longer roasting process and increased caramelization enhance the sweet flavors. Just ask expert coffee roaster Kyle Ramage (1):

To avoid drinking one-dimensional coffee, look for beans from origins known for sweeter flavor profiles (2). Central and South America are known for chocolate and nut flavors. Indonesia features bold and earthy notes. And the best Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans and Hawaiian Kona beans are prized for their smooth caramel and fruit flavors (3).

The 6 Best Dark Roast Coffees in 2024

There is a surprising diversity of flavors among the best dark roast coffees, from classic chocolate to dried fruit and black licorice. So there’s sure to be one for you. Here are our 6 favorites.

Based in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, this premium coffee roaster offers two dark roasts, and they’re both so good that we couldn’t choose a favorite! So we suggest coffee fans try both.

The Grizzly Claw is a blend of Central and South American beans featuring the classic dark roast flavors of dark chocolate, cacao nibs, brown sugar, and toasted hazelnuts. It’s rich and soothing, with a heavy mouthfeel, low acidity, and virtually no bitterness. 

This is the coffee I drink every day at home. I love it in a Moka pot coffee maker, but it’s also one of the best coffees for French Press.

The Kick Ass blend is a bit more complex and unusual. It demonstrates how creative a skilled roaster can be with a dark roast. Beans from South America and Sumatra are blended for a sweet and smoky brew, with flavors of chocolate malt, licorice, and molasses. I think it’s some of the best coffee for cold brew.

Our pick for the best organic coffee in this round-up is Lifeboost Coffee’s dark roast. LIfeboost was founded to produce the healthiest coffee, and they take this mission very seriously. They use only the highest quality organic Arabica beans, grown high in the mountains of Nicaragua. Each batch of coffee is certified-free from mycotoxins, heavy metals, pesticides, and hundreds of other potentially harmful contaminants.

According to the founder of Mayorga Organics, a coffee distributor, this quality is vital for a dark roast:

And, hear, hear, Lifeboost’s specialty grade beans deliver an exceptionally smooth and clean tasting coffee! It’s consistently one of the best low acid coffees on the market. The dark roast is very bold, with an intense chocolatey flavor backed by earth and smoke undertones.

Advertised as the world’s strongest coffee, Death Wish has roughly DOUBLE the caffeine of a regular brew. If you really need a jumpstart in the morning, this is for you!

Although Robusta beans are generally considered inferior in flavor, this blend retains most of the Arabica beans’ character. It’s a sweet and smooth cup with flavors of dark chocolate balanced by bright cherries.

Not sure how that extra caffeine will sit with you? Death Wish offers a no-questions-asked money-back guarantee. So you can give it a try risk-free.

Volcanica Coffee sources coffee from volcanic growing regions. With their high elevation and mineral-rich soils, these regions produce some of the world’s finest coffees. Of course, this includes our pick for the best dark roast coffee from a single origin. 

This Sumatra Mandheling is RARE COFFEE from Indonesia known for being low in acid, heavy body, and an exotic flavor that will transport you to the tropical island. Coffee lovers know these as some of the best coffee beans for pour over method, and they’re also delicious as a cold brew.

Sumatran coffees are typically known for an earthy intensity, but this one is sweeter than average, making it an excellent foundation for a dark roast. The aroma is spicy, with cocoa and cinnamon notes, and the flavor offers brown sugar, dried fruit, and a syrupy finish. 

Cafe Don Pablo is the result of a love story between an American man and a Colombian woman. Her family connections to some of the Americas’ best-growing regions have allowed the business to thrive, build close relationships with farmers, and source top quality beans.

The best-selling Cafe Don Pablo coffee signature blend is a medium-dark roast combining beans from Colombia, Guatemala, and Peru. 

The three origins provide a complex layering of flavors that makes this brew more than the sum of its parts and certainly more than you’d expect from its low price. Expect a sweet, medium-bodied specialty coffee with low acidity and a dry, cocoa finish.

Today Peet’s offers a wide array of products, including one of the best coffee subscription services. Yet, their original specialties were dark roast coffees and masterful blends. So it’s no surprise that the dark roasted Major Dickason s blend is an all-time best seller. 

Like any good dark roast, it’s rich and smooth, but there’s also a surprising complexity that demonstrates their blending skill. You’ll taste multiple layers of flavor in this full-bodied brew, with delicate smoky notes building on a chocolate base. 

It’s a great choice for an espresso or cappuccino.

The Verdict

If you love the full body and bold flavor of a well-crafted dark roasted coffee, you’ll enjoy any of these brands.

Start with our overall favorite, Kicking Horse Coffee. The Grizzly Claw beans make for a crowd-pleasing brew, while the Kick Ass offers more complex flavors in your cup of coffee. Either way, your morning is off to a great start!