Top-Rated Coffees (94+ points)

Evaluated as espresso. Exhilaratingly bright without sharpness; juicy. Mango, pineapple, roasted cacao nib, honeysuckle-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Lively, effervescent mouthfeel. The pineapple fruit softens and the cacao nib deepens toward chocolate in a long, very sweet finish. In three parts milk the tropical fruit notes turn almost buttery: think ripe papaya.

Monumental yet elegant. Explosive aromatics: Papaya and orange, baker’s chocolate, sweet layered flowers (lilac, honeysuckle), pungent hints of juniper and myrrh carry intact into the cup. Brisk but juicy acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. A dry chocolate hint in particular carries into a deep, long finish.

Deeply complex, resonant. Lavender-like flowers, perique-like fermented tobacco, white truffle, pink grapefruit, and supporting it all a fudgy chocolate. Richly balanced acidity, lightly syrupy and lively mouthfeel. Chocolate, tobacco and flowers all carry with impressive continuity into a long finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Lush tropical fruit and tart berry dominates with a chocolaty depth that for co-taster Ethan Hill (94) evoked “chocolate-covered raisin and tropical fruit.” Ken (94) for his part cited cleanly sweet alcohol suggestions (“fruity cabernet”), and both remarked on a sweetly tart pineapple top note that carried throughout the profile. For both tasters the mouthfeel was “plush [and] velvety,” the finish a bit drying but still saturated with the fruit and chocolate suggestions. In three parts milk the fruit and chocolate rounded but persisted with satisfying continuity.

Beautifully structured, seething with intricate aroma and flavor notes. Lavender, jasmine, kiwi, pomegranate, sandalwood, much more in aroma and cup. Sweetly juicy, complexly expressed acidity; syrupy, gently buoyant mouthfeel. Flavor carries deep into a long, arcing finish.

Gentle and roundly bright, quietly intricate. Honeydew melon, almond, spicy fresh-cut redwood, lush lily in aroma and cup. Suave, lively acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Poised, gently flavor-saturated finish.

Softly pungent, lushly exhilarating. Narcissus-like flowers, dark chocolate, sweet lime, myrrh in aroma and cup. Quietly though complexly bright acidity; buoyant, syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor carries deep into a sweet finish.

Juicy, velvety, complete. Crisp roasted cacao nib, ripe citrus and strawberry, honeysuckle, sandalwood in aroma and cup. Gently vibrant, perfectly balanced acidity; plush mouthfeel. Sweet, flavor-saturated finish.

Lush, intricate, with a deep, cushiony sweetness. Lavishly complex floral notes – cherry blossom, lavender, saffron, more – complicated by mulberry, tangerine and a crisp roasted cacao nib. Round, floral-toned acidity; plush, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor, particularly the floral notes, sustain in a long, balanced, lightly drying finish.

Massively complex: original; brisk yet juicy. Lilac, tropical fruit, floral-toned herb, vanilla, frankincense in aroma and cup. Big, richly juicy acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Flowers and fruit leave the herbs and incense behind in a long, shimmering finish.

Soft, enveloping, resonantly complex. Rose and violet floral notes, apricot, dark chocolate, clove and marjoram in aroma and cup. Bright, juicy acidity; satiny, buoyant mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a brisk short finish; floral and chocolate return sweetly in the long.

Big, pungent, zesty. Pink peppercorn, grapefruit, narcissus, brown sugar in aroma and cup. Lilting, very sweetly and gently bright acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. Flowers and citrus in particular saturate a crisply drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Vibrantly rich, sweet, intense. Chocolate fudge, passion-fruit, mango, jasmine, sandalwood in aroma and small cup. Smooth, silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around cocoa and sandalwood in a resonant, slightly drying finish. Chocolate dominates in three parts milk with continued hints of passion-fruit and mango.

Sweetly bright; exhilaratingly floral. Honeysuckle, lavender, apple, walnut in aroma and cup. Crisp, very sweet acidity; lively, syrupy mouthfeel. The distinct apple and floral notes carry into a long, resonant finish.

Very sweet, exhilaratingly floral, lavishly complex. Lavender honey; floral notes ranging from violet to lily; candied lemon and blood orange; roasted cacao nib; black cherry in aroma and cup. Delicate, gently crisp, very sweet acidity; syrupy, buoyant mouthfeel. Deep, long, resonantly flavor-saturated finish.

The intoxicating spirits-rich aromas of the cask dominate in the nose, but a fine coffee character emerges in the cup to balance and support the casky rum notes with suggestions of dark chocolate, vanilla, raspberry, almond, passion flower. Smooth, rounded acidity; plush, buoyant mouthfeel. Very long, resonantly flavor-saturated finish.

Intense, flamboyantly lush yet elegantly crisp. Complex floral notes (lilac to lavender), roasted cacao nib, mango, sandalwood, a hint of rye whisky in aroma and cup. Richly and sweetly tart acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Long, resonant, deeply flavor-saturated finish.

Very sweet, very tart, intense. Red currant, honey, blood orange, cumin, narcissus-like flowers in aroma and cup. Richly bright acidity; syrupy but lively mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates and acidity rounds in a resonant finish.

Deep, resonant, opulent. Blackberry, kumquat, chocolate fudge, the lush scent of plumeria in aroma and cup. Big, juicy acidity; syrupy though buoyant mouthfeel. The blackberry and chocolate notes in particular lead into a very sweet, flavor-saturated finish.

Immense; opulent. Strawberry guava, grapefruit, roasted cacao-nib, sandalwood, hop flowers in aroma and cup. Crisply juicy acidity; full, satiny mouthfeel. Crisply sweet-toned, resonantly dry finish.