What is Black Rifle Bourbon Roast?
Black Rifle Bourbon Roast is a medium roast, bourbon barrel flavoured coffee sold as ground or K-Cup pods by Black Rifle Coffee Company.
It comes in an 11 oz bag of pre-ground coffee or as a 22-count K-Cup box, priced at $17.99 and $21.99 respectively. Both formats are available as a standing subscription, and the coffee is a year-round product rather than a limited seasonal release.
The blend is built around a bourbon barrel flavouring, with the roaster publishing caramel, floral, and vanilla as the cup profile. It sits firmly in the flavoured commercial roast category alongside the rest of the Black Rifle range.
Black Rifle Bourbon Roast Taste: What It Actually Tastes Like
The roaster describes a medium roast with caramel, floral, and vanilla notes, all carrying the character of bourbon barrel flavouring.
The published tasting notes are the roaster's own marketing copy rather than a third-party cupping score. That is standard practice at this price point, and it means the caramel, floral, and vanilla descriptors reflect intended flavour direction rather than an independently verified result.
A medium roast at this level generally preserves sweetness and body without pushing into heavy bitterness. The bourbon barrel process adds an aromatic sweetness on top of that, making this a coffee aimed at buyers who want a characterful, easy-drinking cup.
- Caramel, floral, and vanilla are the three notes the roaster publishes for this blend, all from their own copy.
- Medium roast level keeps bitterness low and lets the bourbon barrel flavouring read clearly in the cup.
- Bourbon barrel flavouring is an applied process, not a naturally occurring note from the green coffee itself.
- No independent cupping score or third-party review is attached to these tasting notes, so treat them as a flavour intention.
How fresh is it when it arrives?
There is no roast date on the bag, so buyers are working on trust when it comes to how recently the coffee was roasted.
The subscription option is the most practical tool available to buyers who want a steady supply of relatively recent stock. Regular automated reorders reduce the chance of a bag sitting unused for weeks between purchases, which matters more when you cannot read a roast date.
The 11 oz bag size is a factor here too. A smaller bag bought more frequently is a reasonable workaround, though the per-kilo cost stays fixed regardless of how often you order.
- Subscription ordering is available and reduces the idle time a bag spends before being opened.
- The 11 oz bag format means most households will work through a bag within a reasonable window before staleness sets in.
- Ground coffee loses volatile aromatics faster than whole bean, so the bourbon barrel and floral notes are most vivid in freshly opened bags.
Where the coffee comes from
This is a blend with no farm, cooperative, or specific growing region named by the roaster for this coffee.
Black Rifle Coffee Company positions its brand around its veteran-owned identity and its commitment to supporting military and law enforcement communities. That is the primary story the company tells about its sourcing values, rather than farm-level or regional coffee provenance.
For buyers whose purchasing decisions rest on knowing where the green coffee grew, the blend format here offers little to go on. The bourbon barrel flavouring is a process applied to the finished roast, and is separate from any question of origin.
- Sold as a blend, so no single origin or growing region is attached to this coffee by the roaster.
- Black Rifle Coffee Company is veteran-owned, which is the sourcing identity the brand leads with publicly.
- The bourbon barrel process is a flavouring step applied post-roast, distinct from the green coffee's country of origin.
Black Rifle Bourbon Roast vs Black Rifle Maple Pecan
The Bourbon Roast and the Dark Chocolate Roast share the same format and bag size but differ on roast level, flavour direction, and price.
Both are 11 oz ground blends, both lack a roast date, and both carry a flavoured profile. The Dark Chocolate sits at $51.28 per kilo against the Bourbon Roast at $57.70, making it the more affordable of the two on a per-kilo basis. The Dark Chocolate is also available as a 12-count K-Cup box, while the Bourbon Roast comes in a 22-count box at $21.99.
The roast level is the other meaningful difference. Dark Chocolate is a medium roast with cocoa and dark chocolate notes, leaning heavier and more straightforward in profile. The Bourbon Roast targets a sweeter, more aromatic cup with caramel, floral, and vanilla sitting over the barrel character. Neither is better in absolute terms; the choice depends on whether you want something rich and roasty or sweet and fragrant.
- Dark Chocolate costs less per kilo and suits buyers watching spend without switching brands.
- Bourbon Roast offers a more complex, aromatic profile with floral and vanilla notes the Dark Chocolate does not carry.
- The Bourbon Roast K-Cup box holds 22 pods against the Dark Chocolate's 12, giving more cups per box purchase.
- Dark Chocolate's cocoa-forward profile is a better match for buyers who want a coffee that reads bold rather than sweet.
Black Rifle Bourbon Roast price per kilo: how it compares
At $57.70 per kilo for the ground bag, the Bourbon Roast sits at a price point that reflects its flavoured, commercial roast positioning.
For context, the ground bag works out to roughly $0.87 per cup at a 15 g dose. That is a calculation based on dose size and will vary with your brewing habit. The K-Cup route costs $1.00 per pod exactly, and that figure is fixed by the count on the box.
Whether $57.70 per kilo is reasonable depends on what you are comparing it to. Specialty single-origin coffees with published roast dates often reach similar or higher prices, but they come with more provenance detail. Mass-market supermarket blends come in cheaper. The Bourbon Roast lands in between, paying a premium for the bourbon barrel flavouring and the brand identity rather than for traceable sourcing or freshness transparency.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
This suits flavour-forward coffee drinkers who want convenience; it is a harder sell for buyers who prioritise provenance or freshness data.
The bourbon barrel flavouring and sweet, aromatic profile make it a natural fit for anyone who enjoys flavoured coffees but wants something less obviously synthetic than a syrup-added roast. Ground and K-Cup availability keeps it accessible for standard home setups.
Buyers who track roast dates, care about single-origin sourcing, or dose carefully by kilo will find the offering thin on supporting detail. At $57.70 per kilo it is the dearest coffee Black Rifle sell, which matters if cost is a factor.
Buy it if
- You enjoy sweet, aromatic flavoured coffees and want something easy to brew at home.
- Convenience matters and you want a subscription that runs without thinking about it.
- You already buy from Black Rifle and want a lighter, more fragrant option than the Dark Chocolate.
Skip it if
- Knowing when the coffee was roasted is part of how you shop.
- You want to trace your coffee to a specific farm or growing region.
- The per-kilo cost is a deciding factor and you are open to other brands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Black Rifle Bourbon Roast good for espresso?
It is sold as pre-ground coffee rather than whole bean, which means you are locked into whatever grind size the roasting plant uses. That grind is designed for drip and similar methods, not for espresso, which needs a much finer, consistent grind. If espresso is your primary brew method, a whole bean coffee you can grind fresh will serve you better.
Black Rifle Bourbon Roast vs Black Rifle Dark Chocolate Roast: which should I buy?
Buy the Bourbon Roast if you want a sweeter, more aromatic cup with caramel, floral, and vanilla character. Choose the Dark Chocolate if you prefer a cocoa-forward, straightforward medium roast at a slightly lower per-kilo cost. Both are year-round blends in the same 11 oz bag size, so the decision is almost entirely about flavour direction.
How many cups does an 11 oz bag make?
At a standard 15 g dose per cup, an 11 oz bag yields approximately 20 cups. Dose heavier and you get fewer; dose lighter and you get more. The K-Cup format removes that variable entirely, with each pod delivering one fixed-size serving and the 22-count box giving you exactly 22 cups.
Does the bourbon roast coffee actually contain alcohol?
The bourbon barrel label refers to a flavouring process, not to alcohol content. Coffee described as bourbon barrel is typically flavoured using barrel stave extracts or similar agents to impart the aromatic character of aged bourbon. Finished coffee of this type does not contain measurable alcohol. If you need certainty on that point, check directly with Black Rifle Coffee Company.
What brewing methods work best with it?
It comes pre-ground, so your brewing method is constrained by the grind size in the bag. Pre-ground coffee at this style is generally calibrated for automatic drip machines. French press and pour-over are possible if the grind happens to match, but you cannot adjust it. K-Cups are single-serve pod format and work only in a compatible pod machine.
Can you get it on subscription and does it save money?
Subscription is available directly through Black Rifle Coffee Company. The published bag price is $17.99 for the 11 oz ground format. Whether a subscription discount applies and at what percentage is worth checking on their site at the time of ordering, as promotional terms change and we do not hold a current subscription rate in our pricing data.
