30 Best Tasting K-Cup Flavors in 2023

K-Cups are a quick and simple way to fulfill a coffee addiction. However, just because you’re drinking a K-Cup doesn’t mean you have to settle for subpar coffee. Here are the best tasting K-Cup Flavors.

The best part about K-Cups is every brand is making its own branded coffee pods. Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, even Cinnabon, the maker of cinnamon rolls, makes a few K-Cup flavors. Here’s where it gets tricky. Which K-Cups should you spend your money and time on? When you buy coffee for K-Cups you may be stuck with many servings and if you aren’t satisfied they will sit around forever.

This is why our team at Coffee Informer, with 22 years of coffee industry knowledge has done a blind test and chosen 30 of the best coffee in K-Cups.

Quick View – Best Tasting K-Cup Flavors You Should Try

Green Mountain Coffee Caramel Vanilla Cream	Best Added Flavor
Death Wish Coffee K-Cups	Trendiest K-Cups
The Original Donut Shop Regular Medium Roast	Best Coffee Flavor
Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll	Cinnamon Flavor
Eight O’Clock Coffee 100% Colombian Peaks	Best Medium Roast
Wolfgang Puck Coffee, Jamaican Me Crazy	Unique Coconut Flavor
Timothy’s World Coffee Rainforest Espresso K-Cup	Faux Espresso

1. Green Mountain Coffee Caramel Vanilla Cream. Best tasting K-Cup flavors

This coffee is the yummiest coffee we’ve tried. It’s very smooth and it’s a medium type of coffee. Perfect for a young child or for a relaxing day. It is not too sweet and has a great balance between the caramel and vanilla flavors. After dinner, this would be the perfect dessert coffee and is amazing with a sweet pastry.

There is no sugar added to this K-Cup and brews a wonderfully aromatic and sweet coffee without any sweetener additions. There are no fats or carbohydrates in this k-cup despite the name “Caramel Vanilla Cream” containing only 2 calories per cup.

It has been recently repackaged with the new recyclable style k-cups, but all the original coffee goodness remains the same. In our opinion, this is one of the best overall best tasting K-Cup Flavors.

If you have a friend that is on the fence about trying coffee, this is what you give them to get them hooked. It’s not bitter and has hints of caramel, brown sugar, and vanilla cream that smell amazing! It would make non-coffee drinkers dying to try a sip.

2. The Original Donut Shop Regular Medium Roast

This coffee has a wonderful aroma that lets you know Donut Shop is in the house! It’s enough to make any coffee drinker salivate and is perfect from the first sip to the last. There is a smooth and clean flavor without the overly bitter taste found in a lot of other K-Cup coffees. There are thousands of fans that swear by the Donut Shop and there is a clear reason why. The main difference is this coffee has no acidic taste.

I highly recommend this medium roast from Donut Shop for any avid coffee drinkers. And you get all this at a reasonable price! The 72 pack comes in a box with six of the 12 packs inside so it’s easy for storage and cheaper to buy in bulk. Unlike the other brands which are just scattered and thrown into one big box. Any OCD coffee drinkers are sure to appreciate this small detail. We all want to experiment with new coffee and k-cups, but when you need something consistent, this medium from Donut Shop is our ol’ reliable.

3. Wolfgang Puck Coffee, Jamaican Me Crazy

If you like a coffee with a nice body you need to try this one. You’d be surprised what’s inside this coffee. It has coconut inside and the taste is unique and smooth, never bitter or burnt. The light coconut flavor is absolutely the best out of all flavored K-Cups. When the coffee cools down it still tastes great and it makes it easier to appreciate the nutty flavors of the coffee. As a result, this is definitely a coffee you need to try hot or cold.

If you’ve never tried coconut in coffee before you’re in for a treat. The flavor is not strongly coconut but there is an essence of coconut and it’s not overpowering. This is one of those coffees that you either love or hate. Give it a shot and let us know what you think! We’re on the love it side!

4. Death Wish Coffee K-Cups

Death Wish sounds very intimidating for any K-Cup Coffee drinkers. However, this coffee is not overly strong as the name would suggest. These cups smell amazing and fill the whole room with an amazing aroma. Unlike most other coffee K-Cups the aftertaste lingers pleasantly and washes away all morning grogginess. If you like your coffee strong, this is the coffee you need.

There is a lot of “hype” around this brand and it’s definitely worth a try. They have great marketing for their product and the coffee definitely packs a punch. This is a great k-cup to share because it causes people to be curious and want to try it. There is a great story behind it… “coffee so strong it could kill you”. When we brought some of this to the office even the non-coffee drinkers wanted a taste! Something anyone who works long hours would enjoy.

5. Barista Prima Coffeehouse Italian Roast

Italian roast is a flavor you can never get sick of. It’s dark and bold, almost taking like espresso. This coffee is geared towards the stronger coffee lovers out there. If you regularly drink breakfast blends or light roast coffee, this is not the right coffee K-Cup choice. However, those who love dark or medium blends, will not be disappointed.

This k-cup is unique and high on our list because it can brew a strong coffee. Sometimes we’re in the mood for something strong or we need something to start our day off right. Typical Keurigs offer 6, 8, and 10 oz cups, and sometimes even at 10 oz, there isn’t enough flavor to do the job right. However, when popping this bad boy in your machine you can always expect a strong brew with great dark notes and milk chocolate flavor.

6. Caribou Coffee Caribou Blend

For a medium roast coffee, it is soft with very little bitterness. This coffee is very good. It is very smooth and is not bitter at all compared to other blends. In the last few years, they repackaged this coffee so some OG coffee drinkers may not recognize it, but the flavor is the same. There is no acrid aftertaste that most medium / dark roasts have.

7. Eight O’Clock Coffee 100% Colombian Peaks

One thing special about this coffee is there is almost no after-taste. As a result, each sip tastes like your first, with no aftertaste. We can sip on this coffee all day and not even realized how much we have drunk.

If you a fan of medium roast coffee this would be a good fit for you. Very smooth with low acidity, and a full-body coffee flavor. Naturally, this coffee is very well balanced and does not need any milk or sugar.

This has been updated for 2021 and has been lowered on our list. There have been issues with this k-cup from the factory which have caused inconsistencies with the products. This is a great coffee to try… if you get a good batch.

8. Peet’s Coffee Major Dickason’s Blend

Peet’s K-Cups have the originality and boldness that many other pods have. It is both bold and flavorful and tastes like a real cup of coffee. Brews a strong cup of coffee and is always rich and robust. Best of all it’s a dark brew coffee.

When brewing this coffee it smells great and tastes great as well. There are no burnt flavors and all the good flavors you would want in a cup of coffee. Peet’s is a great brand that really knows their coffee and the k-cups are no different. If you opt for the decaf version of this cup (not available in k-cup form) it is one of the best decaf coffees I’ve ever tried. It actually tastes full-bodied like a full-flavored GOOD regular cup of coffee and it has a chocolate/nutty flavor without the bitterness, and it does not taste watery at all.

9. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Breakfast Blend

Green Mountain is a company founded on sustainability and they promote a style of living that helps the small farmer. They are a small farm business and their breakfast blend is on the lighter side, but it’s great for something light on your stomach in the morning. Do not purchase this expecting something similar to death wish coffee. This is a more relaxed blend that is flavorful, but light.

10. Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll

While it might be strange drinking coffee from Cinnabon, rest assured this is a great underlying brew with cinnamon overtones. For flavored coffee, this is a very good-tasting coffee. It is not overly sweet so it’s still good black or with additional milk and sugar. This is more of a coffee you drink with some pastries and some friends. Not a coffee you would wake up to and start your day with.

11. Starbucks Caramel K Cups

In our opinion, Starbucks has one of the best K-Cups for caramel flavoring. The coffee comes out creamy and smooth without any additions. This coffee is perfect for someone with a sweet tooth and tastes really great with a touch of creamer. To make the perfect caramel coffee just add some creamer!

Sure, it’s basic but Starbucks knows their war around flavorings and coffee. The flavor is rich for a medium roast coffee and there is no denying these taste great. This would be more tailored for someone who doesn’t like bitter coffee and wants to try something with a lot of variety. There are many flavors and choices you can choose from with Starbucks and they are all worth trying! Caramel was my favorite but hazelnut and cinnamon are also very tasty.

12. Timothy’s World Coffee Rainforest Espresso K-Cup

This is as close to espresso you are going to get from a K-Cup. This may be the best tasting K-Cup flavor if you’re going for espresso. All espresso is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing water through finely-ground coffee. While this may claim to be an “espresso” it will never be a true espresso without pressure in the brewing process. That being said we still enjoy this product and it makes a rich, dark, and bold coffee that is satisfyingly bitter.

13. Newman’s Own Special Blend

Newman tastes as strong as brewed coffee. There is no chemical taste found in this coffee that is common in a lot of other brands. Caffeine-free coffee is rare to come by while tasting good. Great flavor, organic, fair trade certified, and 100% of all the profits go to charity.

14. Island Coconut Coffee

If you’ve ever been to Hawaii this is what this coffee reminds me of. The aroma is amazing, and there is no aftertaste or acidity when it comes to this K-Cup. The coffee perfectly blends with the coconut flavor. It serves to improve an already great coffee.

15. Green Mountain Nantucket Blend

Green Mountain makes really great not bitter coffees. This is a really smooth and light blend of coffee, even less bitter than the Green Mountain breakfast blend. This K-Cup really comes down to personal preference. If you really do not like bitter coffee this is something you should consider. The roast and taste are very mellow and it is completely organic and all the money goes to charity!

16. AmazonFresh French Vanilla Flavored Medium Roast

The best description for this coffee is like a pound cake in a cup. A very light coffee with a flavor reminiscent of a vanilla pound cake. When brewing it gives off a heavenly aroma of desserts and coffee. A bit too sweet and desserty for a breakfast coffee, but would be great for a lunch break.

17. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Hazelnut

Another classic by Green Mountain. This coffee in our experience is a crowd pleaser and appeals to almost all taste buds. Even if the drinker doesn’t like coffee this would be a good one to try out. This a pretty rare flavor and we only see it online. The Hazelnut brings out the nuttiness of the coffee and with the hazelnut, it is very flavorful without being too overwhelming.

18. Tully’s French Roast Coffee

This is one of our go-to breakfast coffees. It is the perfect medium of bold taste and bitterness. It is a perfect coffee blend for a medium roasted coffee. Doesn’t have any acidity or bitterness and goes down very smooth.

19. Green Mountain Coffee Colombian Fair Trade Select

Can you tell? We really like Green Mountain. A great coffee in between a light roast and a medium roast. Like we stated before we like supporting this company because it’s organic and supports fair trade.

20. Starbucks French Roast, K-Cup

Starbucks makes some of the stronger coffees for a K-Cup. Rich, and bold flavor while staying smooth. Compared to other brands it makes them taste watered down. Always flavorful and never disappointing.

21. Folgers Classic Roast K-Cup

The Classic. You can’t go wrong with Folgers K-Cups. Very cheap and you can get a great deal for a 72 pack K-Cup purchase for $40. That comes out to .55 cents a cup of coffee.

22. Peet’s Coffee Big Bang Medium Roast

Someone in our offices touts Peet’s like the best coffee in existence. We think Big Bang is really great. A well-rounded medium roast with Ethiopian coffee. It is an interesting addition to your K-Cup collection. Can’t go wrong with this purchase.

23. Green Mountain Southern Pecan

Southern Pecan is a taste you don’t usually have with coffee. We think it works well. Don’t get scared off by the Pecan. It actually blends very well with the coffee’s natural nuttiness and creates a mild scrumptious coffee.

You don’t need to add anything to this coffee to get an amazing drink that will bring anyone within smelling distance to ask what you’re brewing. It smells like donuts and tastes great with cream, without cream, with sugar, and without sugar. It just tastes great!

24. Dunkin’ Donuts Original Blend Coffee

This is different than the other coffee K-Cups we recommended in this list. There is something special about a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee because this is a low-end K-Cup but still tastes great. Tastes close to a real cup of Dunkin’ for less than half the price.

25. Victor Allen’s Coffee Medium Roast Caramel Macchiato

It is rare to find unsweetened flavored coffee. This is one of those coffees that you have to try to understand how amazing it is. After you read this article, you really have to order one to try. It has a strong flavor of caramel macchiato without any additional sugars. You can drink it as a morning coffee or as a dessert.

26. Martinson Coffee Italian Roast

Martinson coffee is a great coffee company and they make solid K-Cups. The strange thing about this coffee is that it seems to be a mild roast, but is the smoothest taste of any of the coffees on this list. We are sold on this coffee as a breakfast coffee and have implemented it into our daily morning routine.

27. San Francisco Bay Coffee French Roast

If you’re looking for a cheap, but high-quality coffee K-Cup you’ve found your winner. The strength of this coffee is about as strong as Starbucks K-Cups at half the cost. The San Francisco Bay French Roast is very close in taste to the Starbucks French Roast K-Cup. The pods do not have plastic cups like most K-Cups. There is an exposed filter and is better for the environment because it uses less plastic.

28. Maxwell House House Blend

Another economy pod. Each K-Cup comes out to approximately 49 cents a pod. It is a great deal for someone who just needs something to drink in the morning to get them out of bed. This brand has been a classic for years and has been around forever so you know they are high quality.

29. Green Mountain Coffee, Kenya Keurig K-Cup Pods

Of all the Green Mountain products this is like a hidden gem. Kenya has very little to no aftertaste and is perfect for something to sip on while you work in the office. The reason why this is so low on our list is because we already have multiple k-cups from Green Mountain on this list.

This is a seasonal release and may not always be available, and as a result, may be a bit more expensive. These usually pop up around fall and if you see these on shelves or on Amazon be sure to snap them up because they go fast!

30. Marley Coffee Get Up Stand Up Light Roast

Light Roast is a slightly fruity K-Cup blend. It is slightly acidic, but won’t destroy your tongue. It is like the more flavorful and fruity version of Green Mountain Breakfast Blend.

This is a rock-solid product offered by Bob Marley’s family and with or without the Marley branding it’s a great product. It definitely holds up when being compared to other brands. This is something you should take out on weekends for a nice leisurely cup of coffee, not for a jolt of caffeine to get you up for work.

How to Make The Perfect K Cup Coffee

Here are some tips you can use on your next K-Cup to brew a better cup of coffee! This will help you bring out all the best tasting K-Cup flavors.

Double Up on Flavor

If you have a weak K-Cup that you want to pull more flavor out of you can use the lowest ounce setting your machine has and replace the K-Cup after the first brew. This way you have 2 fresh K-Cups worth of coffee.

Add a Pinch of Salt

Much like we add salt to lemonade to bring out the best flavors of the lemon we can do the same to coffee. Therefore, when we add a pinch of salt to coffee it creates a chemical reaction that mellows out the acidity and makes a smoother coffee.

Clean Out Your Machine

Sometimes we forget to clean up after ourselves. Neglect can lead to coffee build-up or even mold and bacteria. As a result, this may have an effect on the taste of your coffee. To fix this fill your water reservoir with vinegar and brew cups of nothing until it uses all the vinegar. Run it through with water a few times to remove the vinegar taste.

Get a Better Machine

This is our choice for our favorite K-Cup coffee maker. This will bring out all the best tasting K-Cup flavors. As you can see this is a premium machine that is fully programmable and versatile for brewing the perfect cup of coffee. It has adjustable brewing temperatures, adjustable cup sizes, and can prepare an array of drinks. You won’t be disappointed!

Conclusion

As you probably expected this is a long blog article to review all 30 of the best tasting K-Cup flavors. If you are a college student who needs to drink K-Cup coffee to survive and need a coffee maker to check out our blog article on the best coffee maker for college students.

Surprisingly these old-school coffeemakers can hold up to modern new coffee roasters.

It’s impressive to see all the different types of coffee pods out there and how each K-Cup can be uniquely delicious. That being said, this is our list of what we think are the best tasting K-Cup flavors.