What is Cup of Ambition Medium Roast?
The all-day coffee of the three, and the one most people will like.
Cup of Ambition Medium Roast is described by its makers as a balanced coffee with notes of milk chocolate, berry and caramel. It has moderate body and brightness, with rich sweetness while keeping some of the blend's natural liveliness, and they call it a smooth, versatile, all-day coffee with broad appeal. It is sold ground in a 12 oz bag, and as K-Cup pods in boxes of ten.
What Cup of Ambition is
Dolly Parton's own coffee line, made with a Louisiana roaster that has been at it since 1919.
Cup of Ambition is Dolly Parton's coffee brand, named after a line in "9 to 5" and developed with Community Coffee, a family-owned Louisiana roaster founded in 1919. It went on sale online on 29 September 2026 in three roasts, and every cup supports Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Our guide to Cup of Ambition tells the story of the line and compares all three roasts.
Where it sits in the line
Between a bright light roast and a bold dark one.
A medium roast keeps some of the coffee's fruit, here the berry, while the longer roast builds the caramel and chocolate sweetness most people expect from a morning cup. It is the one to buy if you are not sure which you like, or if one bag has to please a household. The Cup of Ambition Light Roast is brighter and lighter bodied; the Cup of Ambition Dark Roast is bolder and made for milk.
Price, and what a cup costs
Supermarket money, and the ground bag is much cheaper per cup than the pods.
| Format | Price | Per kilo | Per cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground, 340 g (12 oz) | $12.99 | $38.18 | $0.57 at 15 g |
| K-Cup pods, 10 count | $12.99 | n/a | $1.30 a pod |
At 15 g a cup, the standard we use across the site, a 12 oz bag makes about 22 cups, at 57 cents each. The pods cost $1.30 each, more than twice as much per cup, which is the usual price of convenience. The pods are on pre-order and are expected to ship from 15 October 2026. Everything is sold in the US only, and the official store marks it final sale. A subscription on cupofambition.com saves 20% and ships free, which takes a bag to about $10.39.
For comparison, the single origins from Fresh Roasted Coffee cost $14.99 to $18.99 for 12 oz, roasted to order with the date on the bag. Cup of Ambition is a little cheaper and much easier to find; Fresh Roasted is fresher and tells you more.
Cup of Ambition Medium vs Peet's Big Bang
Two chocolate and fruit medium roasts, sold ground.
Peet's Big Bang Medium Roast is the closest match on this site: also sold ground, with notes of fruit tart, milk chocolate and graham crust. Peet's is the specialty-leaning choice from a roaster known for darker coffee; Cup of Ambition is the gentler, sweeter pitch, and supports the Imagination Library. Both keep their origins to themselves. The Stumptown Homestead Blend, with milk chocolate, cherry and orange, is the whole bean alternative.
How to brew it
Ground for any brewer, and the maker gives its own dose.
The bag recommends 2 heaping tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 oz of filtered water, which is roughly 10 to 12 g to 180 ml, close to the 1:15 to 1:18 range most brewing guides use. It is ground for drip machines, pour over, French press, percolators and cold brew, so one grind has to serve all of them: it will be a little fine for a French press and a little coarse for a cone. Our coffee to water ratio guide explains how to adjust strength without changing the grind. For the pods, the maker recommends the 10 oz setting on a Keurig.
A medium roast is the most forgiving coffee there is, and this one is pitched at a drip machine: use the maker's dose, a paper filter, and drink it within half an hour, since a hot plate cooks the caramel into bitterness. In a French press it gets heavier and more chocolatey; steep four minutes and pour it all off the grounds. The bag also names the percolator, and a medium roast is the sensible choice for one, since the repeated boiling pass punishes a dark roast first.
What the bag does not tell you
The usual gaps of a supermarket blend.
Cup of Ambition is 100% Arabica, but neither the store nor the bag says which countries the coffees come from, and there is no roast date on the back label, only the reclosable bag with tin ties to keep it fresh once open. No certification is claimed. None of that is unusual for a coffee made for grocery shelves, and the Arabica claim is worth having, but it means the tasting notes are the only guide to what is in the bag. If you want to know the farm or the roast date, a specialty roaster is the place to look.
Is it worth it?
Yes, and it is the one to start with.
The medium roast is the safe pick of the three, built to please most people in most brewers, at 57 cents a cup. Like the others it keeps its origin and roast date to itself, so buy it for an easy daily cup and for what it supports, not as a specialty coffee.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Buy it if
- You want one easy coffee for the whole household.
- You like chocolate and caramel with a little fruit.
- You want to support the Imagination Library with a daily purchase.
Skip it if
- You grind your own beans; it is sold ground only.
- You want a roast date or a named origin.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Cup of Ambition Medium Roast taste like?
The maker lists milk chocolate, berry and caramel, with moderate body and brightness.
Which Cup of Ambition roast should I buy first?
The medium roast. It is the balanced middle of the line and suits any brewer.
How much does it cost?
$12.99 for a 12 oz bag of ground coffee, or $12.99 for 10 K-Cup pods.
Where can I buy it?
On cupofambition.com and CommunityCoffee.com; the launch news also names Amazon, Walmart and TikTok Shop.
Does it support a charity?
Yes. Every cup supports Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
