Community Coffee
Café Special Medium-Dark Roast Ground Coffee (12 oz)
7.4Good
Louisiana's family-roasted medium-dark blend: full-bodied, low-acid and nutty, with caramel and cocoa notes.
4$0.44 / cup
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Starbucks
Pike Place Roast Ground Coffee (12 oz)
Starbucks' everyday house coffee at home: a smooth, cocoa-toned Latin American blend roasted darker than most 'medium' coffees.
6.9
Fair
Coffee Reviews score
See the breakdown →
Community
—/10
- Roast
- Medium
- Format
- Ground
- Caffeine
- Regular
- Price per serving
- $0.56 / cup
- Cocoa Powder
- Caramel
- Dark Chocolate
- Smoky
Kosher
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Last reviewed October 17, 2026 by the Coffee Reviews editors · How we score
Starbucks' everyday house coffee at home: a smooth, cocoa-toned Latin American blend roasted darker than most 'medium' coffees.
Pike Place Roast is the medium-roast, 100% Arabica Latin American blend that Starbucks created in 2008 to brew all day in its cafés. The ground version suits drip machines, pour-over and French press. Starbucks lists notes of cocoa and rich praline; Coffee Review's 2022 blind test measured a very dark roast and found the cup flat and bitterish, while everyday drinkers value its smooth, consistent taste.
Best for
- Starbucks fans who want their café drip at home
- Drinkers who take coffee with milk or creamer
- Low-acid daily drip coffee
What we like
- Consistent, familiar Starbucks café taste at home
- 100% Arabica with low acidity
- Easy to find in 12 oz and 28 oz bags
- Works in drip, pour-over and French press
Watch-outs
- Roasted much darker than most medium roasts, so smoky and bitter for some
- Coffee Review found the cup flat with little nuance
- Costs more per cup than Dunkin', Folgers or Bustelo
Flavor profile
What it tastes like.
In the roaster’s words
“A smooth, well-rounded blend of Latin American coffees with subtle notes of cocoa and rich praline. Notes of Cocoa & Rich Praline.”
- Cocoa Powder
- Caramel
- Dark Chocolate
- Smoky
- acidity
- body
- sweetness
- bitterness
LightMediumDark
How it scored
The breakdown.
6.9Fair
Cup score out of 10, weighted across five factors.
- Flavor & cup quality30%6.9
Smooth and consistent with cocoa and nut tones, but Coffee Review scored it 84 and called the cup flat and bitterish, and reviewers note smoky, woody notes up front.
- Quality & freshness20%7.1
100% Arabica in a sealed bag from a major roaster, but no roast date and a roast measured as very dark for a 'medium'.
- Value20%7.3
About $0.56 a cup at 15 g per cup from a $12.79 12 oz bag, mid-pack for supermarket coffee and cheaper in the 28 oz size.
- Sourcing & transparency15%5.8
Starbucks names the region (Latin America) and runs an ethical-sourcing program, but the bag lists no specific origins or third-party certification.
- Community love15%7.3
Hugely popular with everyday drinkers and a top Amazon seller in its 28 oz size, but widely panned by coffee enthusiasts as burnt or flat.
Creator video reviews
Watch it in action.
2 positive
Independent creators, verified with YouTube and TikTok. We don’t pay for reviews and creators don’t pay us.
What people are saying
From the forums.
Verbatim from Reddit, forums and long-term owner write-ups — linked so you can read the full thread.
Details
The particulars.
- Species
- Arabica
- Format
- Ground
- Caffeine
- Regular
- Ingredients
- 100% arabica coffee
- Best brewed as
- Drip machine, Pour-over, French press, Iced / over ice
- Certifications
- Kosher
- Typical price
- $12.79 for 12 oz (checked October 2026)
- Servings
- ≈ 23 cups at 15 g per cup (Target shelf price; Starbucks at Home does not sell direct)
Community
Member tasting notes & discussion.
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Discussion
No discussions yet.
Own Starbucks Pike Place Roast Ground Coffee (12 oz)? Ask a question or share your recipe — you’ll be the first.
FAQ
Good questions.
Is Pike Place a medium or dark roast?
Starbucks labels it a medium roast. Coffee Review's 2022 lab reading (Agtron 34/44) classed its sample as very dark, which explains why many drinkers taste smoke and bitterness.
What does Pike Place taste like?
Starbucks describes subtle notes of cocoa and rich praline in a smooth, well-rounded cup. Independent tasters also report woody, smoky notes up front and bittersweet chocolate as it cools.
Is Pike Place Roast 100% Arabica?
Yes. Starbucks lists the ingredient as 100% arabica coffee, from a blend of Latin American beans.
Sources (8)
- athome.starbucks.com/products/pike-place-roast-ground
- athome.starbucks.com/learn/ethical-sourcing
- target.com/p/starbucks-pike-place-roast-medium-roast-ground-coffee-12oz/-/A-12954151
- amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Grocery-Gourmet-Food-Ground-Coffee/zgbs/grocery/2251593011
- coffeereview.com/?p=22155
- clearlycoffee.com/?p=2985
- news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34953399
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starbucks
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