So I thought I would give this a shot as I am huge fan of dark roast coffee beans. My favorite are the Italian Roasts, French Roasts, etc. In my house, we have a fancy coffee maker that automatically grinds the beans and makes 8 different coffee drinks. I love the smell of freshly ground and freshly brewed coffee. This purchase I got the Brazil dark beans and initially I compared it to one of my favorite beans and I noticed right off that it wasn't quite as "dark" in color as my usual brand. It smelled heavenly straight from the bag, preground. Aside from the lighter color, I have to say, it did not affect the taste at all. I noticed no difference between my usual brand and this brand in regard to taste or smell. It had that same aroma that my usual brand has when it is being ground and brewed. I will definitely add this to my regular rotation when I can't get my hands on my favorite brands.