7 Best Dark Roast Coffee K-Cup Pods: A Flavorful Review

If you’re a dark roast coffee fan and own a Keurig, that’s a perfect match! There are several good brands in the market. However, due to the differences in dark roast, you might require help picking the best option. To help you make the right choice when shopping, we reviewed some of the best dark roast K-cups available.

Our Top Picks For Dark Roast K-Cups

Our top pick overall for dark roast coffee k-cups is Blue And Buried Death Cups. It's a simple single-origin dark roast coffee with a specific flavor profile. It’s an all-around great coffee, so it takes our top spot. Runner up is Green Mountain Dark Roast K-Cups. It's an excellent option for sustainability and has an impressive flavor profile, although it's expensive. 

1. Death Wish Blue And Buried Death Cups

5 out of 5

Death Wish Coffee is a popular brand of coffee known for its strong and bold flavor. The company offers a variety of products, including the Death Wish Blue and Buried Death Cups, which are single-serve coffee pods designed for use with Keurig machines.

Pros

• Strong flavor: Death Wish coffee is known for its high caffeine content and bold taste, which can be appealing to those who prefer their coffee strong.
• Convenient: The Blue and Buried Death Cups are designed for use with Keurig machines, making them a quick and easy option for coffee lovers on-the-go.
• Variety: The Death Wish company offers a range of products, including flavored and decaf options, giving consumers a variety of choices to suit their preferences.

Cons

• Expensive: Compared to other single-serve coffee pods on the market, Death Wish Blue and Buried Death Cups are relatively expensive, which could be a deterrent for some consumers.

2. Green Mountain Dark Roast K-Cups

4.8 out of 5

This coffee is one of Keurig’s featured brands, making it a household name in the coffee industry. Green Mountain’s Dark Magic is highly rated for its ability to satisfy any need you'll want from a good dark roast coffee. Green Mountain’s Dark Roast K-Cups beans are roasted perfectly to give a coffee with delicate flavor enhanced by a rich, bold taste due to the long roast time. 

One major downside of dark roast coffee is the bitter aftertaste, and Green Mountain’s Dark Roast did a great job of addressing this challenge by making it clean and removing all traces of a bitter aftertaste. They also addressed common concerns about environmental footprint and Keurig’s pod-style brewing. 

The uniqueness of this coffee does come at a price. Keurig brewing is usually expensive, and a top K-cup coffee like Green Mountain’s Dark Roast will cost a little more.The bottom line? Green Mountain’s Dark Magic pods is our favorite dark roast K-Cups.

Pros:

• Bold flavor
• Clean and no bitter aftertaste
• Guilt-free brewing
• Perfectly roasted beans 

Cons:

• Quite expensive

3. Lion French Roast Single Serve Coffee Pods

4.8 out of 5

Hawaiian coffee is regarded as one of the best in the world, and Lion French Roast Single Serve Coffee Pods is a perfectly created Hawaiian coffee. This means you'll get outstanding value for your money in your Keurig machine. 

There's no need to worry about the brand's competence; Lion is one of the oldest roasters in the US. So, you'll get consistent coffee anytime you buy a pack. The roast is French Roast which means it'll be very dark. This smooth, rich, bold, and full-bodied coffee goes well with sugar and cream. The major downside is that the French Roast takes away some of the exciting and unique flavors you'd typically find in a lighter roast.

Pros:

• Bold, rich, smooth, and full-bodied coffee 
• Hawaiian coffee is highly rated
• Consistent coffee flavor 
• Affordable

Cons:

• Its dark roast removed the unique and exciting Hawaiian coffee profile.

4. Death Wish Dark Roast Death Cups

4.7 out of 5

One notable feature of Death Wish Coffee is its strong taste. If you're wondering if it'll be the same with its K-cups, the answer is a resounding yes! Death Wish Dark Roast Death Cups are arguably the strongest in the market. 

Regardless of the size or strength you brew, Death Wish dark chocolate and black cherry notes are spot on and would leave you wanting more. Also, because Death Wish roasts this coffee in little batches, you'll always get a smooth and fresh coffee. You can be sure not to ever taste bland or stale coffee from any of its pods. 

If you're searching for an extra caffeine boost in your cup, then Death Wish Dark Roast Death Cups might be your best choice. A blend of Robusta and Arabica beans achieves the extra caffeine. So, you must sacrifice some taste for that extra caffeine boost. 

Pros:

• Extra caffeine boost
• Note of black cherry and dark chocolate 
• Bold, strong taste
• Coffee is roasted in small batches to give fresh and smooth beans
• An excellent choice for caffeine lovers. 
• Death Wish uses USDA Organic and Fair Trade beans.

Cons: 

• Sacrifices some taste for caffeine 

5. Starbucks Italian Dark-Roast K Cups

4.7 out of 5

If you often don't fancy a bitter-tasting coffee, Starbucks Italian Dark-Roast K Cups might not be your best choice. But if you do, you'll find this one very interesting. 

Italian roast usually depends on a longer roasting time at a higher temperature. As such, coffee made from such beans will have a bitter nature which will not suit most people's taste. 

Aside from its taste, Starbucks is known for making excellent coffee, and its dark Italian roast is no exception. If you’re just starting your Keurig journey, you can start here knowing what you’ll get. However, it is pretty pricey.

‍Pros:

• Great coffee
• Known brand

Cons:

• Quite expensive
• Specialty roast

6. Illy Extra Dark Roast K-Cups

4.6 out of 5

Italy is one of the most notable countries for espresso, so, unsurprisingly, illy’s Extra Dark Roast K-Cups is one of the best available. Illy’s Extra Dark Roast K-Cups is known for its rich, complex taste and incredible crema. However, dark roasts are mostly known for their bold and full flavor, and that’s precisely what Illy’s dark roast k cups offer with a well-tuned note.

One major bonus about this coffee is that they offer it at a per-unit price, which is a great deal. However, the downside is that its bulk purchase is not a variety pack. But if you fancy its flavor, why not stock up?

Pros:

• Reasonable per-cup price and value 
• Dark, full-flavored, and bold taste 
• Famous Italian coffee
• One of the world’s most ethical companies 

Cons:

• Large bulk quantity
• Not a variety pack

7. Lifeboost Dark Roast Coffee Pods

4 out of 5

Lifeboost has been taking the coffee world by storm for a while, so it’s only suitable for its traditional dark roast single-serve coffee pod to make our list. Lifeboost Dark Roast Coffee Pod is arguably the most solid dark roast K-Cup in the market.

One of the significant reasons this coffee is rated highly is because the roast makes the coffee smooth, rich, and bold. It is a dark roast in the most traditional sense and a single-origin dark roast, making it unique. The pod stands out mainly for its consistency, classic taste, and low acid level.

If you're wondering about the production standard of Lifeboost dark roast coffee, it's as standard as it gets. Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, and USDA Organic certified this coffee. Each pod can also be easily recyclable, which allows you to reduce the effect of your K-Cups on the environment. 

If you’re searching for something unique and exciting, then the flavors of this coffee might seem a little boring as it's mainly for traditionalists.

Pros:

• Get the complete flavor profile because it's a single-origin dark roast
• An excellent choice for traditional coffee lovers
• Certified by Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, and USDA Organic
• It has a consistent and classic taste
• Low acid coffee
• Each pod is recyclable

Cons:

• A bit boring for a coffee connoisseur.