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
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.
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
Blue Bottle to End Wholesale
James Freeman, the founder of Blue Bottle Coffee (website | reviews ), announced that the company will be closing its wholesale business. The company we will wind down their wholesale division in the coming months to concentrate on Blue Bottle's retail cafés and Blue Bottle at Home. On the company's blog, Freeman shared a personal story that contributed to the difficult decision. "On a visit
Americans Spending More on Coffee
A recent report by Reuters drew attention to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report that the consumption of coffee in 2015/16 will decrease over current levels. According to the report, U.S. coffee consumption will drop by about 1 percent. The United States is the only country among the top eight coffee-consuming nations that will show a decrease. Overall, consumption is forecast to grow by
Roaster of the Year Competition
Developed to recognize and inspire excellence in roasting, the Roast Magazine Roaster of the Year competition is now in its 12th year. There are two award categories - macro roaster and micro roaster - which are based on company mission, commitment to sustainable practices, commitment to employees and educational practices, coffee quality, commitment to and involvement in the industry, and
June Sample Window Changed
The acceptance window for submissions of samples for the July article “Blends Composed of Two or More Origins” has been postponed to June 20-26. Samples that have already been sent to Coffee Review will be cupped, but any arriving after this Friday, July 6 will need to be resubmitted later in the month. The postponement is owing to Kenneth Davids’ travel obligations. Similarly, new samples for
New June Tasting Report
We know the new Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle is a thoroughly conceived and unprecedentedly spectacular coffee space and facility. But what about the coffees it produces? For our June article we have changed direction rather radically, and in place of our originally planned survey of “Big Box” store coffees, we will publish the results of some blind testing of Starbucks reserve
2015 World Barista Champ Crowned
The 2015 World Barista Champion is Sasa Sestic from Ona Coffee in Canberra, Australia. A total of 49 National Barista Champions competed in the 16th World Barista Championship, which took place over four days in Seattle this past weekend, as part of the Specialty Coffee Association of America annual coffee conference. The World Barista Championship is an annual event for national barista
What’s In a Name?
It would come as no surprise to industry professionals or even your average coffee lover that specialty coffees have become, well, more specialized over the years. Nowadays, coffees are segmented and differentiated by every conceivable measure: by country of origin, farm, varietal, crop year, processing method, micro-lot, altitude, roast, blend... you name it. That's a good thing. It's a sign
