The Good: Great taste, Appropriately caffeinated, Good aroma, Reasonably priced!
The Bad: None that I can find!
The Basics: Maxwell House Dark Roast Coffee is incredible, setting a decent standard for a dark coffee.
It always pleases me when I try something new from a brand whose first product I tried did not impress me and I find something truly delightful. That is how it was for me with Maxwell House. I had the Maxwell House South Pacific Blend (reviewed here!) and was not impressed. But, when I went back for their Dark Roast, I found something better . . . much better. In fact, I found perfection!
Basics
One of the dominant coffee roasters and distributors in the United States, Maxwell House produces a number of blends. Dark Roast is one of the darkest blends by Maxwell House that I have found in stores and for the 1 pound, twelve ounce plastic container it is priced on par with the other, similar sized, containers. Dark Roast is deliciously dark, coffee flavored coffee that lives up. This is a 28 oz. plastic canister of ground coffee. Because it is not whole bean, no grinding is required. With a plastic lid that one simply lifts off, the Dark Roast Coffee is easily protected from absorbing scents of other foods. The container has a nice grip to the side of it, to make the otherwise bulky container easy to handle.
Dark Roast Coffee is an aromatic blend that smells potently of coffee beans and it is caffeinated.
Ease Of Preparation
Dark Roast Coffee is remarkably easy to prepare, no advanced culinary degrees necessary! First, open the can. Maxwell House Dark Roast Coffee is vacuum sealed when first purchased, but it has only a foil seal to get through to break the vacuum seal. After removing the foil seal, procure a scoop (not included) and measure out one heaping tablespoon for every two cups of water in your coffee maker. Dark Roast Coffee is intended for automatic (drip or percolating) coffee makers, like my Hamilton Beach coffee maker (reviewed here!). This is NOT an instant coffee. As a result, it needs to be brewed.
Consult your coffee maker's instructions for how to brew the coffee. However, as far as the basics go, you'll need a coffee filter, like the Melita coffee filters (reviewed here), which you put the Dark Roast Coffee in and then brew through your coffee maker. The directions recommend making a pot at a time. Maxwell House does not take a stand on refrigerating the container after opening it.
Taste
Maxwell House Dark Roast Coffee has an appropriately dark scent to it. It smells like coffee with a smoky underscent, like there is a fire brewing it.
On the tongue, Dark Roast Coffee has a dark, but delightful flavor. The coffee tastes like super concentrated coffee, entirely like a dark roast should. There is a slightly earthy, but dominantly smoky taste, like one is consuming liquefied coffee beans. This coffee tastes very much like coffee beans that have been heated from a solid to a liquid; there is no hint of watery taste in this blend. The Dark Roast has only a slightly bitter aftertaste and it does not endure for more than a few seconds.
A teaspoon of sugar does almost nothing to the Dark Roast Coffee. This coffee takes on the sugar and refuses to be sweetened by it. Creamer is able to assert its flavor, but only with about double what the recommended serving is.
Nutrition
This is coffee, not something that appears on the nutrition pyramid! Maxwell House Dark Roast Coffee does not contribute anything to one's daily recommended allowance of anything. In fact, the canister lists only 100% pure coffee as the only ingredients.
This is a caffeinated blend, though and it feels like it! This has enough caffeine to pop one's eyes open between the taste, aroma and caffeine. Because it is a caffeinated coffee, it appears to not have undergone any of the chemical processes that sometimes cause complications in decaffeinated coffees.
Storage/Clean-up
Dark Roast Coffee ought to be stored sealed in its container with the top firmly on. Coffee is known to absorb flavors of food nearby it, so keeping the top on is highly recommended. There are different schools of thought on refrigerating open coffee and I have a very clean refrigerator with a lot of ways to segregate coffee, so I tend to come down on the side of refrigerate it. Stored properly, this coffee might have easily made it to the October 23, 2013 expiration date found on the bottom, but we won’t let it survive that long (it is that good!)!
After brewing, coffee grounds ought to be disposed of. This does not seem like an ideal coffee to make a second pot with (though a second brewing came out ¾ as potent, which is about as strong as a standard cup of coffee). These grounds may be thrown in the trash when used or put in a compost pile, if available. Coffee grounds make great compost.
Overall
Maxwell House Dark Roast Coffee is an exceptional coffee. In fact, I could find nothing wrong with it . . . and so much right! This is a perfect dark blend for those who like bold, but not bitter, coffee!
For other coffee reviews, please visit my reviews of:
Seattle’s Best Level Three
Tasters Choice Gourmet Roast
Folgers Gourmet Supreme
10/10
For other drink reviews, please check out my Drink Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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