Yesterday, in the spirit of April Fools' Day, we posted a 100-point review for O'Ima Lion Farms April No. 1 Natural by San Veritas Roasters. In case you missed it, the spoof appears below: Coffee Review has never awarded 100 points to a coffee. Since 1997, twelve coffees have earned a score of 97 points. Of the twelve, four are geishas, three were Kenyas, two were Ethiopias, two were
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Top 30 Coffees of 2014
We are pleased to present our Top 30 Coffees of 2014, Coffee Review’s second annual ranking of the most noteworthy coffees we reviewed over the past year. We selected and ranked these exceptional coffees and espressos based on quality (represented by overall rating), value (reflected by most affordable price per pound), and consideration of other factors that include distinctiveness of style,
Kenya Kigwandi AA
Produced mainly from trees of the admired, Bourbon-derived SL28 and SL34 varieties of Arabica. This coffee was produced by the Mutheka cooperative, formed in 2003 from the merger of two older cooperatives. Klatch Coffee is an award-winning small-batch roasting company in the Los Angeles area whose resident barista and trainer, Heather Perry, won both the 2003 and 2007 United States Barista
Honey and Natural Process Coffees, Central America 2014
Nine years ago I organized a panel for the Specialty Coffee Association of America called “Using Alternative Processing Methods to Create Product Differentiation: Perspectives and Opportunities.” Presented in Spanish and English, it attracted around five hundred coffee producers and roasters. The overall premise of the panel was simple: coffee is no longer a commodity beverage but a specialty
Panama Ironman Camilina Geisha
This exceptional coffee was selected as the #1 coffee on Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2014. Produced from trees of the rare Ethiopia-derived botanical variety Gesha (also spelled Geisha) by farmer Roberto Brenes of Auromar Estate. With its generally elongated beans and distinctive floral and crisp, often chocolaty cup, the Gesha variety continues to distinguish itself as one of
El Salvador Cerro Las Ranas Espresso
Composed entirely of beans from the heirloom Bourbon variety of Arabica and prepared by the honey method, meaning the skin was removed from the coffee fruit immediately after picking but the beans or seeds were dried with at least some of the fruit pulp or “honey” still adhering to them. Klatch Coffee is an award-winning small-batch roasting company in the Los Angeles area whose resident barista
El Salvador Las Mercedes Pacamara Honey
This lot is comprised entirely of the much admired, bold-bean Pacamara variety of Arabica, a cross between the giant-beaned Maragogipe variety and Pacas, a selection of the heirloom Bourbon. It was prepared by the honey method, meaning the skin was removed from the coffee fruit immediately after picking but the beans or seeds were dried with at least some of the fruit pulp or “honey” still
Ethiopian Kochere Washed
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 citrus and floral notes. Like virtually
The Coffee Ritual
Ritual often chooses for its vehicle consciousness-altering substances such as wine, peyote or coffee. People may assume a bit of God resides in these substances, because through using them they are separated for a moment from the ordinariness of things and can seize their reality more clearly. This is why a ritual is not only a gesture of hospitality and reassurance, but a celebration of a break
Kenya Makwa AB
This exceptional coffee was selected as the #4 coffee on Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2014. Produced from trees of the admired Bourbon-derived SL 28 variety of Arabica as well as the hybrid Ruiru 11 variety. Despite grower discontent, confusing government coffee policy and urban encroachment on prime coffee lands, the famed Kenya coffee auction system and its participating
The Top 30 Coffees of 2013
View list of Top 30 Coffees of 2013 Coffee Review introduced 100-point reviews to the specialty coffee industry in 1997. Over the years since then we’ve cupped tens of thousands of samples and produced reviews for nearly 3,500 coffees. We are often asked, “What is the best coffee?” To which we give the obvious answer: “There is no single ‘best’ coffee.” Of course, visitors to our website
Holiday Blends and Gift Coffees
This month’s reviews fall neatly into two categories: first, five exceptional holiday blends; second, an assortment of fine single-origin coffees offered only for the holidays that range from versions of familiar names to three holiday splurge coffees likely to satisfy money-is-no-object gift-giving and holiday impulsiveness. Starting with the holiday blends, the most striking finding of this
Original Christmas, Nicks Holiday Favorite, Organic
A blend of two distinguished dried-in-the-fruit Ethiopia coffees, a Gedeo Worka from the Worka cooperative in Yirgacheffe and an Amaro Gayo from Asnakech Thomas’s famous mill in the Sidamo/Sidama region. Both are dry-processed or "natural" coffees, meaning the beans were dried inside the fruit rather than after the fruit has been removed, as is the case with wet-processed or "washed" coffees. Like
Guatemala Huehuetenango
Produced from trees of the Caturra and the heirloom Bourbon varieties of Arabica. Huehuetenango is a particularly admired Guatemala growing region. Klatch Coffee is an award-winning small-batch roasting company in the Los Angeles area whose resident barista and trainer, Heather Perry, won both the 2003 and 2007 United States Barista Championships brewing a Klatch Coffee espresso blend. Visit
Ethiopian Kochere Grade 1 Natural
Yirgacheffe is a coffee region in southern Ethiopia that produces distinctive coffees from traditional varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. A “natural” or dry-processed coffee, meaning the beans were dried inside the fruit, encouraging a flavor profile that is lower-toned and more pungent than the more familiar wet-processed floral- and citrus-toned Yirgacheffe profile. Like virtually
Ethiopian Kochere Grade 1 Washed
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 citrus and floral notes. Like virtually
Suave and Idiosyncratic: Coffees of Guatemala
The thirty Guatemala coffees we sampled for this month’s article overall were remarkably true to form for this storied and celebrated origin. For the most part they were beautifully structured and balanced, yet surprising and original in detail. Most likely it is the traditionalist nature of Guatemala coffee production – the often unpredictable mix of traditional varieties of Arabica making up
Guatemala Covadonga Micro-Lot
Produced on Finca Covadonga by farmer Roberto Sanchez. Guatemala’s Antigua Valley produces some of Central America’s most traditional and classic coffees. Klatch Coffee is an award-winning small-batch roasting company in the Los Angeles area whose resident barista and trainer, Heather Perry, won both the 2003 and 2007 United States Barista Championships brewing a Klatch Coffee espresso
Nicaragua Adeprofoca Maragogype
This exceptional coffee was selected as the #27 coffee in the Coffee Review Top 30 Coffees of 2013. Maragogipe (Maragojipe in Spanish; also spelled Maragogype) is a variety of Arabica first discovered growing near the Brazilian town of the same name. It is a seldom-grown variety that produces enormous beans. Klatch Coffee is an award-winning small-batch roasting company in the Los Angeles area
Three Trends at the Cusp of the New Year
As the New Year settles in I thought it might be worthwhile revisiting some interesting coffees recently reviewed outside the framework of our monthly review articles. All but one were reviewed in either December 2012 or January 2013, and all reflect in one way or another ongoing trends at the top end of the specialty coffee business. Kenya Endures Or more than endures; continues producing