Palouse Coffee Club
What is dark roast?
Dark roast is coffee roasted to or past the second crack, until the beans turn deep brown and oils rise to the surface. At that point the flavors made by roasting outweigh the flavors the bean brought from its farm. French roast and Italian roast are names roasters give to dark roasts.
What happens in the roaster
After first crack the beans keep swelling from the pressure inside them. At roughly 224 °C (435 °F), according to Wikipedia's roasting article, they crack a second time as their structure turns brittle and fractures. A dark roast is dropped near that second crack or after it.
By then the lipids inside the bean have liquefied under heat and pressure and started to work their way out, which is why dark beans look glossy. The same article notes that if roasting keeps going, the coffee "begins to take on the characteristics of the roasting process" and loses its origin character.
The names on the bag vary. French roast, Italian roast, double dark and special dark all describe coffee at the dark end, but no shared scale says exactly where one ends and the next begins. The Specialty Coffee Association's roast level test method, SCA-131, was still listed as in development when we checked on September 27, 2026.
How dark roast tastes
Our plan builder calls dark roasty, heavy and good with milk. Wikipedia's roasting article puts it more strongly: at darker roasts the roast flavor is so dominant that telling where the beans came from gets hard. That is the trade. You give up the farm's fingerprint and get a heavy, roasty cup that stands up to milk.
It is not stronger in caffeine. Roasting barely changes caffeine content. Dark beans lose water and expand, so a scoop of them by volume holds a little less caffeine than a scoop of light beans.
Dark roast vs medium roast
| Dark roast | Medium roast | |
|---|---|---|
| When roasting stops | Near or past second crack | Between first and second crack |
| Surface | Oily, glossy | Dry or a faint sheen |
| Flavor comes from | Mostly the roast | Origin and roast together |
| Caffeine per scoop | A little less | A little more |
| Our plan builder says | Roasty, heavy, good with milk | Chocolate, caramel, easy every day |
For the other end of the scale, see light roast.
Dark roasts from Washington roasters we list
These local favorites publish dark roasts on their own shops, checked September 27, 2026. A listing does not mean the roaster is part of the club.
- Zoka Coffee in Bellingham lists dark roasts and sells a dark roast subscription.
- Lighthouse Roasters in Fremont sells a French Roast and a French Sumatra, roasted on its 1952 Gothot drum.
- Dillanos Coffee Roasters in Sumner has Double Dark and Special Dark blends and a French Roast Decaf.
- Fidalgo Coffee Roasters in Burlington lists an Organic French and an Organic Italian.
- Indaba Coffee Roasters in Spokane sells a French Roast Blend.
- Caffe Vita in Seattle roasts Organic Fiore French and runs its range up to dark.
- Seven Coffee Roasters in Seattle lists dark roasts, including a seasonal Winter French Roast.
Broadcast Coffee and Fulcrum Coffee Roasters in Seattle each tag dark roasts in their lineups as well. Dark roast drinkers in Washington have plenty of choice without leaving the state, and every bag bought from these shops pays a Washington roasting crew. Why local roasters matter explains why that counts.
Dark roast in the club
Pick Dark as the roast level in the plan builder. The quiz sets it when you answer "Toasty and smoky". Dark pairs with any style, including decaf and espresso-friendly, and in a two-bag box the second bag can take a lighter roast for someone else in the house. $16.99 a bag, a different Washington State roaster each box. First bag free, you pay $7.99 shipping.
Related terms and sources
Related: medium roast, espresso roast, crema, French roast, Italian roast, second crack.
- Wikipedia: Coffee roasting (second crack, oils, roast flavor, caffeine)
- Specialty Coffee Association: Coffee standards (SCA-131 in development)
- Roaster blends and roast levels: each roaster's own shop, checked September 27, 2026.