by Nigel Ong
Peet’s Coffee may not be as popular at Starbucks or Dunkin’, but it has its set of fans. Of its coffee, the Major Dickason blend may be the most popular, with many review videos giving raving reviews about it.
This made me wonder if these reviews really show the quality of the blend, or is it just a matter of everyone jumping on the bandwagon? I picked up a bag myself to try it out.
About Peet’s Major Dickason Dark Roast
Peet’s Coffee has been around for decades, first founded in 1966 in Berkeley, California. The company is named after its founder, Alfred Peet. The company specializes in producing unique coffee.
Many coffee enthusiasts widely credited Peet’s for introducing Americans to high-quality, specialty, dark-roasted Arabica beans. Peet’s also seems to retain the image of being a small, independent roaster while having a large commercial presence.
Peet’s Coffee is not ‘everywhere’ as in Starbucks or Dunkin’, but you can still get them on grocery shelves. This, at times, makes the coffee appealing to gourmet drinkers.
Their most popular roast? The Major Dickason Roast. The roast was developed together by Alfred Peet and one of his most loyal customers, a retired army sergeant named Key Dickason.
This dark roast claims on delivering a rich, balanced experience while keeping the full-bodied flavor of a dark roast. Reviewers online seem to enjoy the coffee, and with so many sales, I suppose it appeals to many drinkers, too.
How Does Peet’s Major Dickason Dark Roast Review Taste?
First Impression
The coffee bag I have in my hand is not the newest packaging Peet’s has on the Major Dickason Roast. However, my roast is fresh and should give me a good taste of the coffee.
When I first opened the coffee bag, I was greeted by a fresh smell of coffee. It is not as intense as when I opened it on coffee grounds, but the aroma is there. I immediately picked up a strong aroma of chocolate, which was very appealing to me.
I poured some coffee beans onto a white plate to see it closely. The beans are quite even in shape, with some smaller ones here and there. There are no broken or odd-shaped beans, meaning the roast uses pretty good coffee beans.
The color of the beans is quite dark, with some shine on them. I don’t think it is as dark or shiny as espresso roasts. I don’t think Peet’s roasted these beans within an inch of its life.
I decided to scoop out some other coffee beans to compare its color and shine:
- Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast (Light Roast)
- IKEA Patar Roast (Dark Roast)
- Lavazza Qualità Oro (Medium Roast)
As you can see, Major Dickason’s Roast has pretty dark beans, even darker than the IKEA Patar. I suppose the coffee will have more flavor and smoke than IKEA Patar.
OK, enough with the predicting. Let’s get brewing.
French Press
I started off my brewing with a French press. The idea here is this brewing method allows me to enjoy the coffee with all its oils and particles. This should be a cup of ‘dirty,’ murky, full-flavored coffee.
I relied on my Bodum Caffettiera French press and brewed a 2-cup batch for the French press. I used the 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio recommended by Illy Coffee, similar to my other coffee reviews.
The aroma is there, signaling the good coffee it is. My kitchen instantly smells of coffee and is very inviting, too. The aroma is chocolatey, with some smoke. As I took my first sip, the aroma filled my nostrils, too.
I am instantly surprised by this coffee. Peet’s Major Dickason is a dark roast but does not have that strong, smoky, and earthy taste. Instead, the coffee tastes smooth and easy to drink, like a medium roast.
My palate picked up bittersweet notes, similar to dark chocolate. The coffee also has a bit of sweetness and savoriness, which reminds me of Graham crackers.
The coffee has a medium finish. The flavor lingers in my mouth, but not as long as some smokier dark roasts.
Pour Over With Filter Paper
Next, I begin brewing Peet’s Major Dickason with my pour-over setup. Pour-over coffee helps to extract coffee via filtration instead of immersion (such as in the French press), which helps me to sample the coffee better.
Plus, the filter paper will help to remove some of the coffee oils and fine particles, making my coffee cleaner and possibly less intense.
I use the following gear for this brewing method, as well as the pour-over brewing method from Starbucks:
Since the pour-over coffee has fewer oils and particles, it actually tasted cleaner and even less smoky than the French press coffee. I can taste the deep cocoa-like notes better, and also seem to pick up a bit of acidity, citrus, maybe.
The finish also mellows up slightly, making the flavors disappear in my mouth faster. This makes me kind of want to chase the taste by sipping faster.
I prefer the French press version, although your palate may disagree with mine.
Espresso
With dark roasts like the Major Dickason, I just have to make an espresso out of it. I aim to see how it tastes when you concentrate the flavors into a small, nifty package.
I used my Wacaco Minipresso GR to pull out a shot. The result is an espresso with rich, thick crema.
The crema does smell a little smoky and intense and may remind you of regular espresso. There is also some woody smell.
When sipping, the espresso does deliver a punch, but not as intense as a full espresso roast. To be honest, it kind of leaves me hanging and unsatisfied. The coffee hit is not enough to satisfy me.
The coffee, however, shows its dark roast origins much better as an espresso. The smoke and woody notes are stranger, and the deep, dark chocolate note embellishes the whole package.
What Flavorings Work Best With Peet’s Major Dickason Dark Roast?
I decided to try Major Dickason’s roast with flavorings, as many like adding things to their black coffee. I experimented with sweeteners, milk, creamers, and some ice for this post.
Sweeteners
I have two sweeteners: brown, granulated cane sugar and Equal artificial sweetener. These two are probably the most popular sweeteners, so I used them here.
I made two full cups of French press brew. I added two drops of Equal artificial sweetener for the first cup, with a stick of brown cane sugar on the other.
Regular sugar helps to make the coffee silkier and slightly shinier on the outside. I think it also makes the coffee smoother to drink.
The best thing, however, is since this is not a very smoky coffee, the sugar does not need to compete or try to ‘beat the smoke.’ As a result, the coffee tastes natural and smooth.
As for the Equal, I think it helps give the coffee a smoother finish, too.
However, I dislike the long, sweet aftertaste lingering on my palate. The latter is probably more of a characteristic of Aspartame (the sweetening ingredient in Equal) and not the coffee.
Milk
I used whole, fresh, UHT cow’s milk here. I added a milk shot (about 1 oz or 30ml) into my Major Dickason’s Blend. Since this is a dark roast, I am not worried about drowning in the milk.
Instead, I am keen to see if milk’s slight sweetness and cream can open up the coffee.
The milk instantly turns the coffee brownish, making it look appetizing. I was tempted to add more milk but stopped to ensure I used the same amount as my other coffee recipes.
The milk made the coffee a little silkier and thicker. The texture made the coffee glide in my mouth smoothly. I actually enjoyed playing and swishing the coffee in my mouth. Cheeky me.
Flavor-wise, this coffee has enough in it to handle some milk. It softens the coffee but does not drown away its flavor.
The creaminess of the milk helps to mellow the coffee nicely and removes some of the smoke. The slight sweetness from lactose also made the coffee incredibly enjoyable to sip.
Aside from black, this is the second best way to enjoy the coffee. However, I can see some people preferring this coffee with milk.
Creamer
I used one of the most popular creamers around for creamer, the Coffee Mate. I added two teaspoons of it to a fresh cup of coffee. Coffee Mate is a non-dairy creamer made of palm oil.
The coffee now tastes richer and creamier. The coffee also looks paler, which may be appetizing to some. The fat content in the creamer also made the coffee silkier, slightly thicker, and smoother to sip.
The creamy note cuts into the smoke and slightly accentuates the chocolate note. However, the creaminess does not seem to have the same depth as milk. Which makes me prefer the milked version.
Peet’s Major Dickason vs. Popular Dark Roasts
At this point, I am quite impressed with Major Dickason’s blend. However, I thought I’d compare its taste against the popular dark roasts I have in my collection to keep myself grounded.
I brewed coffee from these dark roasts and then sipped them side by side with the Major Dickason Blend:
- Starbucks Caffe Verona
- Dunkin Midnight Blend
- AmazonFresh The Bold
- McCafe Colombian Roast
From these roasts, I do have to say that Peet’s Major Dickason is the best of all. It has some smoke, but not to the point it’s overwhelming. It is a dark roast, but the type you can sip and enjoy slowly. You certainly do not have to suck it down like an espresso.
The other dark roasts, such as Caffe Verona or McCafe Colombian, lack the depth of flavor that Major Dickason has, so I am less satisfied after sipping them.
The Dunkin Midnight Blend may be close enough to challenge Major Dickason Blend, but I still rank the latter first. My reason is that the Major Dickason Blend tasted better with milk than the Dunkin Midnight Blend.
Peet’s Major Dickason Dark Roast vs. Regular Coffee
I picked up a cup of regular Americano from the most regular of places, a 7-Eleven. The idea here is to compare the taste of Major Dickason Roast with regular brewed coffee and see if it will taste better.
Major Dickason Roast wins hands down here. It tastes better and provides me with more satisfying sips. The 7-Eleven coffee just tastes flat and lacking in depth. I also tasted some watery tastes, indicating possible underbrewing.
When comparing coffee with regular quick coffee places, such as gas stations or other convenience stores, you will have the same impression.
Is Peet’s Major Dickason Dark Roast For You?
Peet’s Major Dickason Dark Roast is a surprising package. It is a dark roast but does not seem to have the intense smoke and earthiness like one. Instead, it has a mellow taste and depth that reminds me of medium-dark roasts.
This is a smooth dark roast you can slowly sip and enjoy black. If you enjoy medium-roasted coffee, you should enjoy the coffee similarly. Some light roast drinkers may find this too strong – it is, after all, a dark roast.
The flavor also does not seem too edgy, keeping things like smoke, acidity, and notes in check. This makes this a balanced dark roast that many will enjoy.
This is a great coffee if you are exploring dark roasts for the first time. Major Dickason roast is also for you if you want something strong and full-bodied yet do not want smoky and woody coffee.