What is Black Rifle Gunship Roast?
Gunship is a light-roast blend from Black Rifle Coffee Company, sold year round in whole bean, ground, and K-Cup formats.
Black Rifle Coffee Company positions Gunship as its lighter offering, publishing biscotti, caramel, and orange as the expected flavour profile. It is available in 12oz and 5lb bags, which lets buyers choose between a smaller commitment and a lower per-kilo cost on the larger format.
The coffee is not flavoured and is sold year round, so the blend is formulated for consistency across seasons rather than tied to a specific harvest. A subscription is available through the roaster's website for buyers who order regularly.
Black Rifle Gunship Roast Taste: What It Actually Tastes Like
Gunship carries biscotti, caramel, and orange as its published tasting notes, sitting at a light roast level.
Those three descriptors come from the roaster's own marketing rather than a published cupping score or independent assessment. That is worth noting because it means the notes describe what Black Rifle intends the coffee to taste like, not what a neutral taster recorded in controlled conditions.
A light roast at this price point typically preserves more acidity and fruit character than a medium or dark, which lines up with the orange note. The biscotti and caramel suggest some sweetness in the cup, though how pronounced those qualities are will depend on grind size, dose, and brew method.
- Biscotti, caramel, and orange are the roaster's own descriptors, not an independent cupping result.
- Light roast means higher retained acidity compared to medium and dark options from the same brand.
- The flavour profile points toward filter brewing methods where light roast character tends to come through most clearly.
- The coffee is not flavoured, so those notes reflect the roast and bean selection rather than added ingredients.
How fresh is it when it arrives?
Gunship ships without a roast date on the bag, so arrival freshness depends entirely on stock turnover at the roaster's warehouse.
The coffee is available as whole bean, ground, or K-Cup pods. Whole bean preserves flavour longer after the roast than pre-ground, because grinding accelerates staling. Buyers who want the most from a light roast profile should choose whole bean and grind close to brewing.
A subscription through Black Rifle's website is the most practical way to keep a regular supply moving, since repeated ordering tends to pull from fresher stock than a one-off purchase sitting in a retailer's warehouse. The 5lb format suits households that will work through it quickly enough that freshness does not erode before the bag is finished.
- Whole bean format retains freshness longer than pre-ground, which matters more at light roast where flavour is more delicate.
- The 5lb bag offers a lower per-kilo price but should be sealed and stored carefully, as it takes longer to consume.
- A subscription order cycles through stock more regularly than a single purchase and is the better choice for freshness-conscious buyers.
- K-Cup pods are individually sealed, which gives them a practical shelf-life advantage over an open bag.
Where the coffee comes from
Gunship is a blend, and Black Rifle names neither the origin countries nor any farm or cooperative behind it.
The roaster confirms the coffee is not flavoured and is available year round. A year-round blend typically combines beans from more than one growing region so the roaster can maintain a consistent cup profile as individual harvests come in and out of season.
Buyers who want to know the growing region, processing method, or producer behind what they are drinking will find the available information limited to the roast level and tasting notes. The blend structure prioritises consistency over traceability.
- Gunship is confirmed as a blend, not a single-origin coffee.
- No farm, cooperative, or growing country is named on the product listing.
- Year-round availability signals a multi-origin formula designed for batch-to-batch consistency.
- The coffee is confirmed not flavoured, meaning the tasting notes reflect the beans and roast alone.
Black Rifle Gunship Roast vs Black Rifle AK-Espresso Roast
Gunship is a light roast with orange and caramel notes, while AK-Espresso is a medium roast built around citrus, dark chocolate, and nuttiness.
The two coffees share the same price per kilo at $35.27 on the 5lb bag and the same $16.99 entry price at 12oz, so the decision sits entirely on roast preference and brew method. AK-Espresso, as its name signals, is formulated for espresso, where a medium roast tends to produce more body and less acidity than a light roast would.
Gunship suits drip, pour-over, or any filter method where a brighter, lighter cup is the goal. AK-Espresso gives buyers who want a darker, more chocolatey result a direct alternative from the same range, also available as whole bean, ground, or K-Cups, and also without a roast date on the bag.
- Gunship wins for filter brewing, where its light roast and orange note have room to express themselves.
- AK-Espresso wins for espresso and milk-based drinks, where its medium roast and dark chocolate note hold up under pressure and heat.
- Both land at identical pricing across all formats, so cost is not a tiebreaker.
- AK-Espresso offers 12-count, 32-count, and 50-count K-Cup options, while Gunship is available only in 12-count pods.
Black Rifle Gunship Roast price per kilo: how it compares
At $49.94 per kilo on the 12oz bag, Gunship is priced toward the higher end of the mass-market specialty range.
The 5lb bag changes the calculation significantly, dropping to $35.27 per kilo, which is a 29 percent saving over the small format. At 15 grams per cup, that works out to around $0.53 per cup versus $0.75 on the 12oz. For a household that drinks enough coffee to work through five pounds before it stales, the larger bag is the straightforwardly better deal.
K-Cup pods come in at $1.08 per cup, which is the least economical option but the most convenient. Buyers comparing Gunship against other light roasts in the same bracket should focus on the 5lb price, since that is where the per-kilo rate becomes genuinely competitive. At the 12oz price, the same money buys specialty single-origin beans from several independent roasters.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Gunship suits light-roast drinkers who brew filter coffee and want a year-round blend at a predictable price.
The light roast and the orange and caramel notes point toward drip machines, pour-over, or batch brewers. Buyers who already follow Black Rifle and want a lighter option than the brand's medium and dark roasts have a straightforward reason to choose it.
It is less suited to espresso drinkers, buyers who need roast date transparency to manage rest time, or anyone looking for traceable single-origin sourcing. The 12oz price is high enough that freshness-focused buyers can find more informative options at the same spend.
Buy it if
- You prefer a bright, lighter cup from a drip machine or pour-over and want a consistent year-round blend.
- You already buy from Black Rifle and want a lighter roast in the same ordering routine, especially on subscription.
- You need whole bean, ground, and pod options under one product so different people in a household can brew differently.
Skip it if
- You rely on a printed roast date to manage how long coffee rests before brewing.
- You want to know the origin country or producer behind your cup, since the blend is not broken down beyond the roast level.
- You are brewing espresso primarily, where the medium roast and darker notes of AK-Espresso will generally perform better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Black Rifle Gunship Roast good for pour-over?
It is a reasonable match. Light roasts tend to express more brightness and fruit character through pour-over than through espresso or a drip machine, and the orange note in the published profile lines up with what that method brings out. Choosing whole bean and grinding fresh will give the clearest result, since pre-ground stales faster and the light roast has less margin to hide behind.
Black Rifle Gunship Roast vs Black Rifle AK-Espresso Roast: which should I buy?
Gunship is a light roast with biscotti, caramel, and orange notes, suited to filter brewing. AK-Espresso is a medium roast with citrus, dark chocolate, and nutty notes, formulated for espresso. Both cost the same per kilo across every format. The choice is purely about roast level and how you brew, not price.
What is the cheapest way to buy Gunship per kilo?
The 5lb bag, in either whole bean or ground, costs $79.99 and works out to $35.27 per kilo. The 12oz bag is $16.99 but comes to $49.94 per kilo. That is a 29 percent difference for the same coffee. K-Cup pods at $1.08 per cup are the most expensive format by a significant margin. For regular drinkers, the 5lb bag on subscription is the lowest-cost route.
Does Gunship work in a drip coffee maker?
Yes. It is available as pre-ground, which is the most convenient format for a standard drip machine. A light roast at a medium grind is a common starting point for most home drip brewers. The caramel and biscotti notes in the profile suggest a cup that is sweet rather than sharp, which tends to translate well through auto-drip at the right dose.
How many cups does a 5lb bag make?
At a standard dose of 15 grams per cup, a 5lb bag, which is approximately 2,267 grams, yields around 151 cups. That works out to roughly $0.53 per cup. Dose more heavily, as many espresso recipes require, and the cup count drops. The roaster's own per-cup figure on the product page may use a different dose assumption, so check the math against your own brewing habit.
Can you get Gunship on subscription?
Yes, Black Rifle Coffee Company offers a subscription option for Gunship across its formats. Subscribing through the roaster's website is also the most practical way to keep stock moving regularly, which matters for a product that does not print a roast date on the bag. Fresher rotation through regular orders is a better freshness strategy than buying in bulk and storing.
