I’ve always thought Pete’s was overrated. I love robust black coffee and by that I don’t mean bitter. I do like bitter melon and bitter food so I don’t hate bitter taste. What I mean by robust is having a nice strong flavor and aroma not overpowered by bitterness or tartness. I usually purchase French roast. For some reason Italian roasts seem to have a sour aftertaste that I do not prefer like the current Major Dickensensons pods I just purchased from Costco. This coffee used to be bitter and not much of anything else, now it is kinda bland with a sour aftertaste. To make a comparison of full flavor and aroma without bitterness or tartness try some good quality pure fresh ground Kona coffee beans. It’s not a dark roast but you’ll see what I mean. You could roast the beans darker if you prefer bitterness but I prefer it the way it is. I also prefer food not to be overpowered by salt but have a balanced sutle flavor and aroma. Most western cooking judges are used to adding salt to their food that they’ll critic cooks if they can’t taste any salt. Delicious does not equal salty just like good coffee doesn’t equal bitter.