We are pleased to present our list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2016, Coffee Review’s fourth annual ranking of the most exciting coffees we reviewed over the course of the past year. In 2016, we cupped thousands of samples and published nearly 400 coffee reviews. Approximately 90 of the reviewed coffees scored 94 points or higher. Obviously, all coffees earning scores of 94 points or more are
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.
2017 Cupping Calendar
At the beginning of each month, we publish a new tasting report with reviews. The planned calendar for 2017 tasting reports is now available. The schedule is subject to change. Professional roasters are encouraged to nominate their own coffees. The window during which we accept coffees for these review articles is usually the fifth day through the twentieth day of the month prior to
Reader Survey Complete
In late December 2016 and early January 2017, nearly 600 Coffee Review readers completed a survey about their coffee preferences and habits. One lucky survey participant, Skip K, was randomly chosen as the winner of our January 15 drawing for $250. Congratulations, Skip! We are compiling and analyzing the survey results and will share them later in the month.
Category Rankings – 2016
In the past, our Top 30 Coffees lists tended to favor high-scoring coffees produced from botanical varieties of Arabica with striking sensory properties such as Geshas, coffees from the distinctive traditional Ethiopian varieties, Kenyan coffees, and so on. Last year, we began the practice of recognizing coffees by category to focus attention on fine coffees from other parts of the world and/or
Q&A With Tony Greatorex of Red Rooster Coffee Roaster
How did you end up as a coffee-roaster? I worked at Starbucks for a few years, then discovered the larger world of independent specialty coffee when I moved to southwest Virginia and started working at a newly opened local shop. There, I met Haden Polseno-Hensley, the co-owner of Red Rooster Coffee Roaster, a small, young roasting company that was providing some of the beans we used. Haden
April Tasting Report Posts April 7
This month's tasting report looks at how six national coffee brands fare in a cupping of their online whole-bean offerings. First, we look at several small companies that have grown large and national, while still trying to preserve the special standing they established early on among consumers. Then we examine two much larger companies that grew up riding the previous “wave” of specialty coffee
June Tasting Report: Coffees from Australia
Australia is one of the most vibrant of the consuming world’s coffee cultures. I recall visiting Sydney some years ago and being astounded by the size of the crowd of consumer visitors and the quality of the espressos being served in the booths of roasters and cafés at a local coffee festival. But despite the vitality of the Australian coffee tradition Coffee Review has never reviewed an
Roasters: Send Us your “Macro-Lot” Samples
We review many superb “micro-lots” at Coffee Review, small lots of special, extremely refined green coffees. For next month, however, we are reviewing what we are calling “macro-lot” coffees, coffees produced from large lots of green coffee, coffees that are likely to be sold over weeks or months, and represent the sort of staple offerings that anchor a roaster’s regular business, week in and week
CoffeeCon in Los Angeles Saturday
This coming Saturday, January 30, CoffeeCon, the consumer coffee festival/event, arrives in Los Angeles at The Magic [email protected] Reef, 1933 South Broadway. The event is a genuine consumer-facing event that combines a casual, intimate feel with coffee-obsessive rigor. Most of the LA area’s leading roasters will be represented with tables or booths. There are hands-on classes in brewing on a range of
How Coffee Review Works
Coffee Review is an online publication that reviews coffees and comments on them in formally written tasting reports and informal blogs. Kenneth Davids and Ron Walters founded Coffee Review in 1997. Today it hosts over one million unique visitors per year. All of Coffee Review’s past seventeen years of reviews, tasting reports and blogs are archived and available on the site. Coffee Review
The 100-Point Rating Paradox
This is a revision of an article first published by Coffee Review editor Kenneth Davids in Roast Magazine in 2010. We offer it here as a considered overview from Ken on 100-point ratings systems for coffee and on the problematics and philosophy of coffee evaluation. In 1997, Coffee Review started reviewing coffees for consumers and the trade using a 100-point scale. Such ratings were widely in
One Million Readers Strong
When Coffee Review launched the world’s first-ever 100-point coffee ratings in February 1997, we posted them on the Internet, a novel idea at the time. We didn't bother emailing a newsletter because, well, most of our potential readers didn't have email addresses. To make sure a least a handful of people read those early tasting reports and reviews, we printed and mailed paper copies to a hundred
Category Rankings
Over the past couple years, Coffee Review's annual “Top 30” ranking of the year's most noteworthy coffees has attracted considerable attention. As many readers have noted, our rankings tended to favor high-scoring coffees produced from botanical varieties of Arabica with striking sensory properties: coffees of the Gesha/Geisha variety, coffees from the distinctive traditional Ethiopian varieties,
Best Value Coffees in Top 30
Our list of the Top 30 coffees of the year recognizes the skill and hard work of the growers and roasters who produce these fine coffees. However, as a consumer, it's only an academic exercise unless you can actually buy and enjoy the coffees on the list. And, the coffees on the list are often expensive, at least compared to ordinary everyday coffees. Enjoy this list of the best value coffees in
Expanded Rankings in 2015
Our annual “Top 30” ranking of the thirty most noteworthy coffees of the year has attracted considerable attention over the past two years. As several readers have pointed out, however, our rankings have tended to favor high-scoring coffees produced from botanical varieties of Arabica with striking sensory properties: coffees of the Gesha/Geisha variety, coffees from the distinctive traditional
Peet’s Buys Stake in Intelligentsia
On the heels of its acquisition of Portland's Stumptown Coffee Roasters, California-based Peet's Coffee & Tea has bought a majority stake in Intelligentsia Coffee. Read more coverage at Fortune.com. Coffee Review has rated 40 Intelligentsia coffees over the years, starting with their famous Black Cat Blend in way back in 1998. The average rating for Intelligentsia's coffees is an excellent
Crimson Cup, Propeller Named Roasters of the Year
Crimson Cup Coffee and Propeller Coffee Co. were awarded Roaster of the Year honors by Roast magazine, an industry publication for coffee roasters. According to Roast, Roaster of the Year awards "recognize companies that roast coffees of superior quality, exemplify a dedication to sustainability, promote employee and community education, and demonstrate a strong commitment to the coffee
Zimbabwe Coffee: Once Flourishing, Now Rare
We just rated a sample from Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) for the first time since 2008. The Zimbabwe AAA from New Year's Gift Estate from Green Dragon Coffee earned a respectable 88 points (see review). In the early years of Coffee Review, coffees from Zimbabwe were certainly not common but they were not unheard of either. In fact, a coffee from Zimbabwe was included in our second tasting
Peet’s Acquires Stumptown
According to Business Wire, Peet’s Coffee & Tea and Stumptown Coffee Roasters have announced an agreement in which Peet’s will acquire ownership of Stumptown from its existing shareholders, which include majority-owner TSG Consumer Partners LLC. Stumptown, founded in Portland, Oregon in 1999, will continue to operate independently while having full access to Peet’s resources and scale. Peet’s
Latte Art Goes High Tech
Creative baristas will often add some flair to cappuccinos or lattes by cleverly pouring the milk in a way that leaves an appealing design on the surface of the drink. In fact, this simple gesture has become the artistic focus of competitions such as the World Latte Art Championship. Latte art is now going high tech. Steam CC, a start-up and parent company of Ripples, unveiled the Ripple
