Top 30 Coffees of 2017
Coffee Review‘s Top 30 Coffees of 2017 appear below.
We selected and ranked these 30 exciting coffees and espressos from the thousands we cupped throughout the year. The rankings are based on quality (represented by overall rating), value (reflected by most affordable price per pound), and other factors that include distinctiveness of style, uniqueness of origin or tree variety, certification, and general rarity.
Round, crisp but simultaneously deep, complexly layered. Lemon zest, baker’s chocolate, plumeria, incense-like myrrh note in aroma and cup. Balanced in structure: resonant, sweetly tart acidity with a savory edge. Satiny mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around floral notes in a long, resonant finish.
Crisply sweet, intricate, delicately rich. Jasmine, tangerine zest, sandalwood, sweet ripe banana, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Balanced, roundly and gracefully sweet/tart in structure. Light-footed and plush in mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around jasmine, sandalwood and banana in a sweet, lasting finish.
Price: NT $550/8 ounces
Subtly intricate, deeply sweet. Star jasmine, roasted cacao nib, dried mango, myrrh, fresh spearmint in aroma and cup. Bright, juicy acidity; plush, velvety mouthfeel. The resonant, flavor-saturated finish leads with notes of star jasmine and dried mango, balanced by suggestions of crisp cocoa tones throughout.
Crisply sweet, fruit-forward. Ripe strawberry, aromatic orchid, honey, toasted pine nut, a hint of sumac spice in aroma and cup. Lavish, elegant structure, with sweet-tart-savory in harmonious balance. Syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is resonant, long and flavor-saturated, maintaining the promise of the complex flavor notes from the cup.
Deeply sweet with a resonantly savory edge; intense and original. Peach, lavender, coconut and oak are complicated by a pleasing alcohol suggestion that no doubt reflects the bourbon-barrel conditioning, but in the sensory context of the coffee reads more brandy- or wine-like. Round, vibrant acidity; satiny mouthfeel. The peach note in particular carries into a flavor-saturated finish.
Price: $19.75/16 ounces
Zesty but deeply and resonantly nut-toned. Roasted cashew, oak, apricot, orange zest, magnolia-like flowers in aroma and cup. Zesty yet sweet, almost sugary, in structure, with a savory hint. Plush, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Fruit notes in particular persist in a round, resonant, quietly flavor-saturated finish.
Roast-encapsulated complexity; sweetly and exhilaratingly pungent. Richly scorched cedar, rose-like flowers, orange zest, black sage, a hint of cocoa-ish chocolate in aroma and cup. Bittersweet but zesty in structure; light though plush mouthfeel. Flowers and cocoa in particular carry into a roasty but cleanly sweet-toned finish.
Brightly sweet-savory, richly layered. Narcissus, roasted cacao nib, dried apricot, sandalwood, maple syrup in aroma and cup. Juicy, lively acidity; deeply sweet structure with savory undertones. Plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The long, resonant finish consolidates to attractive floral and cocoa tones.
Quiet, complete; complexly chocolate- and fruit-toned. Dark chocolate, ripe black cherry, coconut, cashew, complex flowers (lavender, honeysuckle) in aroma and cup. The structure is sweetly juicy with a slight, deepening bitter edge. Light but satiny, lively mouthfeel. Drying though sweet finish, saturated with chocolate and flowers.
Sweetly pungent, rich-toned, savory. Peach, violet, pistachio, molasses, thyme in aroma and cup. Gentle, backgrounded acidity; syrupy, lean though smooth mouthfeel. The resonant finish is long, leading with attractive floral top notes, followed by hints of stone fruit, finally rounding to cocoa and herb tones in the very long.
