Produced entirely from trees of Bourbon-related varieties of Arabica by members of the SOPACDI coop. Located overlooking Lake Kivu, on the opposite side of the lake from Rwanda, this rapidly growing cooperative now has nearly 6,000 members and apparently is succeeding in its goal to help heal wounds left by the latest in eastern Congo’s seemingly endless string of horrific rebellions and civil
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Top 30 Coffees of 2018
We are pleased to present the Top 30 Coffees of 2018, Coffee Review’s sixth annual ranking of the most exciting coffees we tested over the course of the past year. Coffee Review’s goal is to celebrate coffee roasters, farmers and mill-owners who make an extra effort to produce coffees that are not only superb in quality but also distinctive in character. In particular, we aim to honor the
Gayo Aceh Sumatra
JBC Coffee Roasters’ vision is simple: “let the coffee lead the way” through sourcing and roasting the best and most unique coffees available and rewarding the farmers who grow those coffees with substantial premiums. Visit www.jbccoffeeroasters.com or call 608-256-5282 for more information.
JBC Coffee Roasters
JBC Coffee Roasters was founded in 1994 as Johnson Brothers Coffee Roasters and is a family-owned specialty coffee roastery located in Madison, Wisconsin. JBC Coffee Roaster’s vision is simple: let the coffee lead the way. Licensed Q grader and experienced international coffee judge/cupper Michael Johnson and his team share their knowledge of and passion for quality coffee with all of their
Top Coffees by Category – 2018
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 tip our hat to our 2018 top
Best Value Coffees of 2018
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 below were singled out on our 2018 list of Top Coffees by Category as the best values in 2018. As of November 29, 2018, all of these fine coffees are available for sale on the roasters'
Shop the Top 30
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
El Aguila SL28 El Salvador
Finca El Aguila is owned by Mauricio Ariz and his sons. It occupies 63 hectares in Cantón Ojo de Agua, municipality of Chalchuapa, near the Santa Ana Volcano. A small portion of the farm is devoted to the production of SL 28, the tree variety most responsible the great coffees of Kenya. This is a wet-processed or “washed” version of the SL 28, meaning the fruit skin and pulp were removed from the
Karimikui Kenya
Despite grower discontent, contested government coffee policy and urban encroachment on prime coffee lands, the famed Kenya coffee auction system and its participating cooperatives continue to produce some of the world’s most elegant and distinctive coffees. JBC Coffee Roasters’ vision is simple: “let the coffee lead the way” through sourcing and roasting the best and most unique coffees available
Kariru Kenya
Despite grower discontent, contested government coffee policy and urban encroachment on prime coffee lands, the famed Kenya coffee auction system and its participating cooperatives continue to produce some of the world’s most elegant and distinctive coffees. JBC Coffee Roasters’ vision is simple: “let the coffee lead the way” through sourcing and roasting the best and most unique coffees available
Alemu Bukato Espresso
This exceptional coffee was selected as the No. 15 coffee on Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2018. Yirgacheffe is a coffee region in southern Ethiopia that produces distinctive coffees from traditional varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. Yirgacheffe coffees like this one processed by the wet or washed method (fruit skin and pulp are removed before drying) typically express
Alemu Bukato Ethiopia
Yirgacheffe is a coffee region in southern Ethiopia that produces distinctive coffees from traditional varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. Yirgacheffe coffees like this one processed by the wet or washed method (fruit skin and pulp are removed before drying) typically express great aromatic complexity and intensity with a particular emphasis on floral notes. Almost all Yirgacheffe
ASOPEP Colombia
This coffee is certified organically grown and certified fair trade, the latter meaning it was purchased at no less than a minimum price determined by the certifying agency to be economically sustainable for farmers. Produced by the Asociación de Productores Ecológicos de Planadas (ASOPEP) and Asociación de Agricultores y Productores de Café Especial de Montalvo (AGPROCEM) from trees of the
Karimikui Espresso
Produced by members of the Rungeto Farmer’s Cooperative Society from trees of the heirloom SL28 and SL34, and recent hybrid Ruiru 11 and Batian varieties of Arabica. Despite grower discontent and urban encroachment on prime coffee lands, Kenya continues to produce some of the world’s most elegant and distinctive coffees. JBC Coffee Roasters’ vision is simple: “let the coffee lead the way” through
Tano Batak Sumatra
This coffee was grown by indigenous Batak people, who have been involved in coffee production since the practice was brought to Sumatra by the Dutch in the late 19th century. Coffees from the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra are admired for their complex aromatic wood and fruit notes that appear to result largely from unorthodox fruit removal and drying practices called “wet
Tarime Tanzania
This coffee earned the highest rating in a cupping of coffees from the Great Lakes region of Africa for Coffee Review’s June 2018 tasting report. Produced from the admired Bourbon and Kent varieties of Arabica by smallholding farmers. This is a wet-processed or “washed” coffee, meaning the fruit skin and pulp were removed from the beans immediately after harvesting and before drying. JBC Coffee
African Great Lakes Coffees: Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Congo, Tanzania
The countries whose coffee regions nestle around the Great Lakes of Central Africa—Rwanda, Burundi, and key growing areas of Uganda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—make appearances in the news cycle more often for conflict than for coffee. But these countries are also longtime coffee-producing lands that have, within the last 10 years or so, emerged as important sources of
Kiniyota Espresso
Produced entirely of the heirloom Bourbon variety of Arabica and processed at the Gomba Washing Station, which works with 2831 registered farmers. JBC Coffee Roasters’ vision is simple: “let the coffee lead the way” through sourcing and roasting the best and most unique coffees available and rewarding the farmers who grow those coffees with substantial premiums. Visit www.jbccoffeeroasters.com or
Gedeb Espresso
Southern Ethiopia coffees like this one are produced from traditional Ethiopian varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. A wet-processed or “washed” coffee, meaning the fruit skin and pulp were removed from the beans immediately after harvesting and before drying. Like virtually all southern Ethiopia coffees, this coffee is produced by villagers on small, garden plots interplanted with food
Gaitania Espresso
Certified organically grown and produced by members of the the ASCI’SP cooperative from mixed varieties of Arabica. Processed by the conventional wet or “washed” method, in which skin and fruit flesh are removed from the beans or seeds before they are dried. JBC Coffee Roasters’ vision is simple: “let the coffee lead the way” through sourcing and roasting the best and most unique coffees available
