This has become the measure against which I evaluate all other coffees, and they all fall short. In fact, I think this coffee has ruined me for all other coffee, including other Starbucks varieties. The cocoa notes in it are wonderful and it has a sweetness to it without the bitterness often associated with dark roasts. There are times that drinking it reminds me of letting a really good dark chocolate just melt in my mouth. I can honestly say this is the only coffee my family buys.
I've tried all of the Starbucks dark roasts and keep coming back to Cafe Verona. Not too smokey with a bit more chocolate, I enjoy it prepared in both a moka pot and a French press.
I do a 50/50 mix of regular and dear Verona whole beans and grind them fresh every morning. Honestly, it is one of the last things I think about at night before going to sleep: "Coffee in the morning!!!!"