Starbucks Pike Place Vs Dark Roast: Which one tastes better?

Starbucks offers a variety of drinks and what some people do not know is that there are different roasts that give distinct tastes to your coffee. When on a coffee date with my friends, I encourage them to try different roasts, such as pike place and dark roast, to understand the varying intensities and flavors. I realized most people do not understand the different coffee bean roasts available at Starbucks. Thus, I created this article to help you understand the main differences between two of Starbucks roasts; Pike Place and Dark Roast. At the end of this post, you will also know which one tastes better and which one to get. Read on!

What are the differences between Starbucks Pike Place Vs Dark Roast?

Feature/Coffee Roast

Starbucks Pike Place

Starbucks Dark Roast

Ingredients

Latin American coffees

100% Arabica coffee

Taste Profile

Mild-bodied (smooth and balanced) with a rich, approachable taste

A fuller body with robust, bold taste.

Caffeine Content/ Nutritional value

310 milligrams in a Grande serving

260 milligrams in a Grande serving

Availability/ Accessibility

Easy to access every day in a Starbucks store near you all year round.

Easy to access every day in a Starbucks store near you all year round

Roast level

Medium roast

Dark roast

Starbucks Pike Place Vs Dark Roast – How They Compare

Starbucks Pike Place

Ingredients

Ingredients determine a coffee brand’s taste and nutritional value. 

Starbucks Pike Place Roast is a medium roast coffee that is a blend of Latin American coffees. Latin America is home to some of the finest coffee beans worldwide. A favorable climate, high altitude, and regular rainfall make Latin America the perfect place to grow coffee. The region is the largest coffee producer worldwide. Coffee beans from the area have a stronger, darker flavor. 

It is from the Latin American coffees that Pike Place Roast was birthed. Starbucks decided to create the coffee after its royal customers from all over the world requested a freshly brewed coffee that they could enjoy throughout the day. 

In 2008, Starbucks master roasters and blenders made the Pike Place roast just for you. The smooth and well-balanced coffee has a rich, approachable taste and hints of toasted nuts and cocoa. 

Starbucks Dark Roast is made with 100 percent Arabica coffee. Arabica coffee has nearly twice the amount of sugar and almost 60 percent more lipids, which play an essential role in not only the body and aroma but the flavor of the coffee. Coffee made from Arabica coffee beans tastes better because the high amount of sugar in the beans gives the coffee a cleaner mouth feel, a better taste, and less bitterness. 

Starbucks Pike Place wins in this category because it blends several Latin American coffees to create a mild-bodied coffee with a rich, approachable taste.

Taste Profile 

The taste of a particular coffee brand is determined by the blending and roasting process. 

Light roast (Blonde) coffee beans have a shorter roasting time. The outcome is coffee beans with mellow flavors. 

Medium roast coffee beans have a medium roasting time. The result is a smooth, balanced coffee bean roast with rich, approachable flavors. 

On the other hand, Dark roast coffee beans have an extended roasting time. The outcome is fuller body coffee beans with a robust, bold taste. 

Starbucks Pike Place Roast is a Medium roast coffee. Therefore, it is smooth and balanced coffee with rich, approachable flavors.

Conversely, Starbucks Dark Roast is made from Dark roast coffee beans; therefore, it is full-bodied with a robust, bold taste.

Starbucks Pike Place Roast wins in the category because it is stronger. It is smooth and balanced with rich, approachable flavors. 

Caffeine Content/ Nutritional value

Caffeine is good for your body; however, excessive consumption might harm your health. The recommendation is that a healthy adult should not consume more than 400 milligrams of caffeine daily. 

For genuine coffee lovers, caffeine is a major factor when choosing between two Starbucks beverages. 

A Grande serving of the Starbucks Pike Place Roast contains 310 milligrams of caffeine. On the other hand, the same serving of the Starbucks Dark Roast contains 260 milligrams of caffeine.

If you are a genuine caffeine lover, Starbucks Pike Place Roast is the best pick between the two. Starbucks Pike Place Roast wins in this category because it has higher caffeine content than the Starbucks Dark Roast. 

Availability/ Accessibility

The most fulfilling feeling is finding out that your favorite Starbucks drink is readily available at a Starbucks store near you throughout the year. 

Starbucks Pike Place Roast is easy to access daily in a Starbucks store near you all year round. Starbucks Dark Roast is also easy to access daily in a Starbucks store near you all year round.

This category is a draw because both drinks are easy to access daily in a Starbucks store near you all year round.

Roast level

Roast level is critical in the coffee industry. Coffee beans are light, medium, or dark roast. 

Light or blonde roast coffee beans have a shorter roasting time. The outcome is coffee beans with mellow flavors. 

Medium roast coffee beans have a medium roasting time. The result is a smooth, balanced coffee bean roast with rich, approachable flavors. 

On the other hand, Dark roast coffee beans have an extended roasting time. The outcome is fuller body coffee beans with a robust, bold taste. 

Starbucks Pike Place Roast is a Medium roast coffee. Therefore, the coffee is a smooth and balanced coffee bean with rich, approachable flavors.

Conversely, Starbucks Dark Roast is made from Dark roast coffee beans; therefore, it is full-bodied with a robust, bold taste.

Starbucks Pike Place Roast wins in the category because it is stronger. It is smooth and balanced with rich, approachable flavors.

Starbucks Pike Place Vs. Dark Roast: A comparison review

Starbucks Pike Place – Overview

Starbucks Pike Place

The go-to option if you crave a medium roast coffee with high caffeine content. Starbucks Pike Place was birthed after customers requested Starbucks to create a freshly brewed coffee they could enjoy all day. 

Due to Starbucks’s love for its customers, a group of master blenders and roasters embarked on the task of giving the customers what they wanted. In 2008, Starbucks happily announced the arrival of Pike Place Roast.

I liked not only its smooth and precisely balanced coffee notes but also its rich, approachable taste and hints of toasted nuts and cocoa.

The Starbucks Pike Place is suitable for genuine coffee lovers who like a medium roast coffee with high caffeine content.

What I liked;

  • It is smooth and precisely balanced 
  • It has a rich, approachable taste 
  • It has a decaf option 

What I didn’t like;

  • It is very high in caffeine content 

Who it’s best suited for.

  • Best suited for genuine coffee lovers who like a medium roast coffee with high caffeine content. 

Starbucks Dark Roast – Overview

Starbucks Dark Roast

The best pick if you want a dark roast coffee with high caffeine. The coffee is prepared using 100 percent Arabica coffee which Starbucks sources from the Pacific Asia region.

The Arabica coffee beans’ high sugar and lipids content influence its flavor, aroma, and body. Coffee made from the beans has more sugar which offsets the bitterness and gives you a cleaner mouth feel coupled with a better taste. 

The Starbucks Dark Roast is one of the coffees made from Arabica coffee beans. I liked not only its fuller body coffee notes but also its robust, bold taste.

It is suitable for genuine coffee lovers who like dark roast coffee with high caffeine content.

What I liked;

  • It has a fuller body
  • It has a robust, bold taste 

What I didn’t like;

  • It has a very high caffeine content 

Who it’s best suited for.

  • Best suited for genuine coffee lovers who like dark roast coffee with high caffeine content. 

Final Verdict: So, Which is Better? – Starbucks Pike Place or Dark Roast

Starbucks Pike Place is better than Starbucks Dark Roast. The former has a high caffeine content tan the Starbucks Dark Roast, making it the ideal option for genuine caffeine lovers. It is neither bold nor mellow; it is smooth and balanced with a rich, approachable taste. 

FAQ Section

Is Pike Place stronger than a dark roast?

Dark roast is roasted for a more extended period, so it features a more robust and intense taste than Pike Place.

Does Pike Place or dark roast have more caffeine?

Yes, Pike Place has more caffeine than a dark roast, with a serving size of 16 fl oz of freshly brewed Pike Place coffee having 310 milligrams, while the same serving of freshly brewed dark roast coffee has 260 milligrams.

Is pike place bitterer than a dark roast?

Dark roast is roasted for a longer time compared to medium roasts, and Pike Place being medium roast, is not bitterer than dark roast. The explanation is that dark roasted coffee beans give a bitter taste than light and medium roast because the longer the beans are heated, the acidic taste becomes stronger.

Is pike place easier to brew than a dark roast?

Pike Place is a medium roast that is balanced and smooth with a rich and approachable flavor that gives a hint of toasted nuts and cocoa. On the other hand, dark roast is bold and fuller-bodied and features robust flavors and intense roast. Since Pike Place takes a shorter roasting time, it is easier to brew than dark roast.

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