The Dark Roast Coffee That You Should Skip Every Time

When a Foodie feature writer tackled a list of the best and worst dark roast coffee, one brew stood out in all the wrong ways — Skull Crusher Coffee. Emblazoned with a skull-and-crossbones logo on a black bag and the legend "Warning: F#cking Strong Coffee," this is a brand that clearly focuses heavily on caffeine content. A look at its website backs the assumption, with the bold assertion that Skull Crusher is the world's strongest coffee, packing 350 milligrams of caffeine per cup. Its manufacturers boast that the beans, which are available in original, French vanilla, and nootropic-infused flavors, contain both delicious flavor and exceptionally high energy.

If you want a jolt of java goodness before a heavy workout or are simply looking to really effectively pry your peepers open in the morning, a strong cup of robust dark roast coffee might be just what you are looking for ... on paper, anyway. The reality is that, while customers definitely agree that Skull Crusher will amp you up so much that you can taste colors, you may not enjoy the experience of drinking it. We're not mad at a good caffeine buzz, having previously tracked down the energy drinks with the most caffeine, but most reviews seem to indicate that Skull Crusher has sacrificed taste in its quest to be the most high-octane cuppa rocket fuel it can muster.

"They have produced a disgusting coffee, and seem to almost revel in it. Their copy described the ashen roast as 'full bodied', the lingering bitter finish as 'smooth', and the inclusion of robusta as a 'premium blend of beans'," reads a scathing Reddit review of Skull Crusher, which goes on to describe "the smell of rotting fish the beans give out." A taste test on the Bucklevision blog was similarly damning: "Tried it in the French press, couldn't even take more than a mouthful. The smell only hinted at the flavour. Burnt, bitter, yet somehow bland at the same time." On the TrustPilot review aggregator site, Skull Crusher earns a dismal 1.5/5 stars, with many customers posting now-familiar gripes with the flavor. "It is just cheap nasty coffee beans with loads of caffeine added and caffeine itself tastes horrible, so it is even worse," reads one such complaint.

We've got some experience with how to make coffee less acidic, but it's hard to say for sure if anything could redeem the flavor of Skull Crusher. There's a difference between high-quality dark roast coffee, which should taste rich and smooth with caramelized notes, and swill that's simply burnt — and, going by all the rough reviews, it seems this brand falls on the wrong side of that divide.