Top 30 Coffees of 2020
We are pleased to present our list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2020.
Our editors ranked this year’s most exciting coffees from the thousands we cupped over the course of the past 12 months. We rank these 30 coffees and espressos 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, tree variety, processing method, certification, and general rarity.
A ready-to-drink black coffee, tested cold. Notes of peach, pomegranate, a whiff of rum barrel, cocoa powder, jasmine. Sweet-tart structure with high-toned acidity; crisp, satiny mouthfeel. The acidy brightness fades in the finish, leaving pretty fruit notes (peach, pomegranate) with hints of vaguely fermenty sweetness we associated with rum barrel. In milk, fruit recedes and cocoa powder comes to the fore.
Crisp, gently fruit-toned. Raspberry jam, baking chocolate, magnolia, almond, cedar in aroma and cup. Sweet structure with round acidity; velvety-smooth mouthfeel. Quiet, chocolaty and nut-driven finish.
Richly aromatic, sweetly earthy, complex. Baking spices, mulberry, caramel, moist earth, rhododendron in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with bright, juicy acidity; viscous, creamy mouthfeel. The resonant finish is characterized by vanilla-toned mulberry with hints of fresh earth.
Rich-toned, fruit-forward, sweetly fermenty. Ripe blueberry, dark chocolate, Bourbon barrel, gardenia, molasses in aroma and cup. Sweet in structure with winy acidity; full, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Resonant, flavor-saturated finish.
Price: $21.00/12 ounces
Very sweet, high-toned, with savory underpinnings. Tangerine zest, cocoa nib, Bing cherry, amber, almond butter in aroma and cup. Tart-leaning but integrated structure with vibrant, juicy acidity; full, viscous mouthfeel. The finish is animated by notes of Bing cherry and amber.
Deep-toned, sweet-savory. Nectarine, narcissus, hop flowers, sandalwood, honey in aroma and cup. Richly sweet structure with gentle, round but engaging acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The richly bittersweet finish centers on honey and hop flowers in the short with nectarine returning in the long.
Price: $16.95/12 ounces
Fruit- and herb-toned. Lemon thyme, strawberry, dark chocolate, hazelnut, a hint of rum barrel in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with fruit-driven acidity; creamy-smooth mouthfeel. The quiet finish centers around notes of lemon thyme, strawberry and rum barrel.
Price: $18.00/12 ounces
Deeply and roundly roast-toned. Dark chocolate, singed cedar, raisin, almond, magnolia in aroma and cup. Sweetly savory with gentle, round acidity; crisp, velvety mouthfeel. Chocolate and raisin lead the way in the quiet finish.
Deeply rich, sweetly spice-toned. Cinnamon, nutmeg, pear, honey, lavender in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with lively, juicy acidity; silky, buoyant mouthfeel. The finish is spice-toned and rich.
Chocolaty and stone fruit-driven. Apricot, milk chocolate, narcissus, maple syrup, cedar in aroma and cup. Sweet structure with mild acidity; full, satiny-smooth mouthfeel. Finish consolidates to notes of milk chocolate and cedar with hints of apricot.
