Like everything bought and sold, coffee can be a vehicle for profit or a tool for changing the world. Sometimes, it is both. 2020 was, unequivocally, a difficult year for the coffee industry, globally speaking, as it was for many of us working in that industry. One response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic is to help others make it through the storm. Our report this month
Journal
Coffee Review publishes regularly scheduled monthly coffee tasting reports according to our editorial calendar as well 100-point wine-style coffee reviews throughout the month. Our Journal page is where we share news, updates, and general blog posts to keep readers and industry professionals up to date about Coffee Review and other topics of interest to coffee lovers.
The Year 2020 in Coffee: Challenges, Trends, Surprises & Knockouts
In 2020, COVID-19 devastated lives and businesses, challenging the global specialty coffee community to its core. On the producing side, the pandemic added still another daunting challenge to growers facing endemic low coffee prices and an ongoing battle with leaf rust disease in Latin America. On the consuming side, roasters saw the pandemic shutter their bread-and-butter café businesses while
Top 30 Coffee Countdown Begins November 27
Coffee Review's countdown of the Top 30 Coffees of 2020 begins on Friday, November 27 and ends with the announcement of the Top 5 coffees of 2020 on Tuesday, December 1. In the meantime, you can view the Top 30 coffees from past years using the links below. Since 2013, our editors have published an annual list of the year's Top 30 Coffees, ranking the most exciting coffees from the thousands
Holiday Gift Guide for Coffee Lovers
As the number of cups of coffee enjoyed around the world flies north of two billion every day, it's clear that humanity's love of the beverage runs as deep as December nights run long. And yet like winter solstice snowflakes, no two coffee lovers are exactly alike in habits and preferences. Consequently, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to gifting for the coffee lovers in your life, and
Two Centuries of Enslaved Labor: The Contributions of Blacks in the Early Americas Coffee Trade
Introduction by Kenneth Davids, Editor in Chief Phyllis Johnson, longtime president of green coffee importer BD Imports, has emerged as an eloquent spokesperson for acknowledgement and change at a time when specialty coffee is searching for an effective response to systemic racism in the U.S. Her writing and speeches have rallied the specialty coffee community and she has created an
Recognizing the Coffees, Communities, and Contributions of Black-Owned Coffee Companies
For the past several months, Coffee Review has been intensely focused on helping small coffee roasters survive the coronavirus crisis. We rolled up our sleeves, put down our heads, and continued to pursue our mission of helping consumers find superior quality coffees, while recognizing and rewarding the roasters and farmers who produce those coffees. However, as we reflected on the tragic
Coronavirus Impact on the Coffee Community
In April 2020, Coffee Review conducted a survey of its readers to better understand the impacts of the coronavirus crisis on members of the coffee community. We received over 100 survey responses from readers in 19 countries. Roughly three-quarters of respondents were from the United States, with 30 states represented. Nearly eight out of ten respondents were consumers; the remainder were coffee
Buy Coffee E-Gift Cards
One of the best ways you can support coffee companies and their employees during the COVID-19 crisis is to simply purchase their coffee. Better yet, you can purchase e-gift cards, which provides immediate cash support. If possible, buy gift cards in excess of your immediate needs. Perhaps get an early start on your holiday gift shopping with some special stocking stuffers. On behalf of the
New Series of Equipment Reports
Our mission always has been to help consumers identify and purchase superior quality coffees. But purchasing superior quality coffee beans won't guarantee a superior quality coffee experience if poorly prepared with inferior equipment. So it's not surprising that we frequently receive requests from readers for reviews of coffee equipment. In our most recent reader survey, 88% of respondents were
An In-Depth Look at the Top 30 Coffees of 2019
Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2019 represents our seventh annual ranking of the most exciting coffees we tested over the course of the year. This annual effort supports our mission of helping consumers identify and purchase superior quality coffees and, in the process, helping drive demand and increase prices to reward farmers and roasters who invest time, passion and capital in
Best Value Coffees of 2019
Some readers seek coffees with highest scores regardless of price. Others look for great value, that is highly rated coffees that are also affordable relative to other similar quality coffees. The coffees and espressos below were singled out on our 2019 list of Top Coffees by Category as the best values in 2019. Best Values – Non-espressos No. 6 - Dragonfly Coffee Roasters, Kenya
Top Coffees by Category – 2019
In 2015, we began the practice of recognizing top coffees by category to focus attention on fine coffees that may not have earned a place on our Top 30 Coffees list. The coffees below may not have attracted the highest scores of the year but they merit recognition for their excellence nonetheless. For more information, visit our expanded rankings post from 2015. We are pleased to recognize
Shop the Top 30 – 2019
Coffee Review‘s mission is to help consumers identify and purchase superior quality coffees and, in the process, help drive demand and increase prices to reward farmers and roasters who invest time, passion, and capital in producing high quality coffee beans. Many of our readers seek out highly rated coffees for their own enjoyment or as thoughtful gifts for coffee lovers. Coffees that appear
Top 30 Kicks Off Monday, November 25
On Monday, November 25, Coffee Review will begin revealing its list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2019. We previously expected to start the countdown on Friday, November 22 but we are working to reduce the impact of an ongoing denial of service attack and want to make sure the Coffee Review website is stable, fully functioning, and capable of handling the surge in traffic that accompanies the Top 30
Top 30 Coffees – Past Rankings
Since 2013, our editors have published a list of the year's Top 30 Coffees, ranking the most exciting coffees from the thousands we cupped over the course of the year. Each year, we rank the 30 most exciting coffees and espressos based on quality (represented by overall Coffee Review rating); value (affordability relative to other similar quality coffees); and other factors that include
At Long Last, a 98-Point Coffee
For years, we have deflected criticisms that, on one hand, Coffee Review ratings are too high (though they are in line with wine reviews) and, on the other hand, that we never go past 97, even with coffees that propose a combination of flawless perfection with startling distinctiveness. I recall a conversation with George Howell, who years ago challenged me when we lavished great praise on one of
Geisha Coffees Continue to Shatter Sales Records — Are They Worth The Hype?
When we last wrote in depth about Geisha (also spelled Gesha) coffees in 2017, a 100-pound lot of this prized variety of Arabica, grown at Hacienda La Esmeralda by the Peterson family, had just broken the then-current record for the highest price ever paid for a green coffee: $601 per pound. Flash forward to July of this year, when that record was shattered by the Lamastus family, whose Elida
Coffee’s Economic Paradox: $40 Charged in Paris, $3 Paid in Kenya
The Coffee Paradox, by Benoit Daviron and Stefano Ponte (Zed Books, 2005) analyzes at length the disturbing trend that, just as coffee has grown fashionable and retail prices for coffee have increased in regions where coffee is consumed, like North America, Europe and East Asia, the basic prices paid to growers for their green coffees have decreased, rather radically. In 1997 the composite price
Introducing Tea Review
In 1997, Coffee Review pioneered the first-ever 100-point, wine-style reviews in the specialty coffee industry. More than two decades later, Tea Review, a long overdue offshoot of Coffee Review, is introducing 100-point reviews to the tea industry. In addition to his existing role with Coffee Review, Ron Walters will lead Tea Review's efforts to roll out tea reviews in the specialty tea market.
Exploring “Classic” Espresso Blends: Taiwan Roasters
When we put out our call for classic espresso blends for our June 2019 report, we were not prepared for the overwhelming response: We received 54 samples from roasters based in North America and 46 from roasters based in Asia, all in Taiwan. The magnitude of the response was, perhaps, due to our openness. We had decided not to be prescriptive about what constitutes "classic," but to let roasters
