Panera Dark Roast – What I’m Drinking

The Drink: Panera Dark Roast Coffee
Type: Pre-heated Carafe
Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 coffee cups

Even though my last coffee experience at Panera was so-so, I couldn’t wait to go back there for my next meeting to try something else.

This time it was the Panera Dark Roast Coffee. Dark roasts seem to be hit and miss for me, this was closer to the miss side of things. It was alright, but it wasn’t great either.

A mellow smell greeted my nose. It was enough to wake me up, but not much more. Cinnamon, chocolate and a nutty flavor flowed into my nose. There was just a hint of dark roast smokiness.

A bold, but bitter taste almost attacked my mouth. It was stronger than I was expecting. It had a very nutty flavor, with almond specifically leading the charge on my tongue.

Other than that, there wasn’t much that I could pick out. It wasn’t because it was too much of a dark roast that it roasted out the flavor. It’s more like the coffee had been sitting their too long and lost some of it’s flavor. I know, I could’ve complained and got a fresh pt made, but I’m all about the real life experience. If I was in a hurry on my lunch break, I wouldn’t have time to ask for a fresh pot to be brewed.

The after taste was smooth, with a slightly dusty feeling. That was definitely the highlight of this coffee for me.

The Panera Dark Roast was slightly below average, 2.5 out of 5 on the scale.. I’ve definitely had worse coffee out on the road, but I’m sure that I could’ve made better coffee at home for a lot less.

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Photo by stevendamron.

Category: Coffee Reviews