While this is not as intense or as full bodied as a typical dark roast, it does have some interesting attributes. It does not have a powerful aroma, and upon first sip seems to lack flavor; but upon hitting the back of the throat you get a nice aftertaste that is rather pleasant. I'd say it has a vanilla quality to it that provides a rather smooth finish. Not at all unpleasant, though that wasn't my first impression.
I was not sold on this right away. As usual I tried all the various brewing techniques and believe it or not, this one works pretty well dry in the 2-cup insert. Perhaps a little better if the pod is wet beforehand, but either or, this one is a simple brew with water level 3 on the 1-cup button.
The description on the 18 count pod box says "Rich Dark Roast with Deep Full Flavor and Smooth Finish." Though it does not seem to be that at all upon sipping, it does start to fulfill the promise upon finish.
I still wasn't feeling it though and decided to try different sweeteners. As you probably know, I lean toward light agave syrup for a sweetener, I feel it adds the least amount of outside flavor to the cup. Well the agave wasn't helping this and neither was sugar. Stevia and monkfruit 0 cal natural sweeteners only enhanced the bitterness to a near undrinkable level.
Now I'm not a big fan of honey in my coffee. I like honey, but not usually in coffee. Well we happened to have a jar of honey from a local farm, not that overly processed grocery store Sue Bee type stuff. So I gave it a whirl with a half a teaspoon. WOW! That stuff just brought this cup to life! It complimented the flavor profile nicely, smoothing out the rough edges and making it a truly drinkable cup. Being that it is lighter than my typical fare, I found myself going for another cup more often than I usually do.
So while this does not go on my "must get more now" list; it is a decent cup when using a bit of premium honey. Perhaps in the future I'll try it with different styles of honey. At least I will start trying honey more often now that I see it can be a benefit some coffee varieties.
