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 coffees by category below:
Cold Brews
No. 17 – Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, Red Bourbon Honey Cold Brew, 94 points
No. 21 – States Coffee & Mercantile, Reserve Cold Brew, 94 points
NR – Blue Bottle Coffee, Cold Brew, 93 points
NR – Cadence Cold Brew Coffee, Single Origin Ethiopia, 93 points
NR – Modern Times Coffee, Black House Blend Cold Brew, 93 points
NR – Roast House, F-Bomb (cold brew), 93 points
Hawaii
No. 1 – Hula Daddy Kona Coffee, Kona Mocca, 96 points
NR – Hula Daddy Kona Coffee, Karen J Red Bourbon, 94 points
NR – Rusty’s Hawaiian Coffee, Ka’u Oro Yeast Typica, 93 points
NR – Ka’u Specialty Coffee, Estate Medium Roast, 93 points
Asia-Pacific
No. 9 – Klatch Coffee, Sumatra Mutu Batak, 94 points
No. 22 – Flight Coffee Co., Sumatra Tano Batak, 94 points
NR – Bluekoff Company, Thai S.O. Natural-Processed Espresso, 92 points
NR – Green Stone Coffee, Indonesia Flores Island, 92 points
Alternative Africas (i.e. Not Ethiopia and Kenya)
No. 3 – JBC Coffee Roasters, Kiniyota Burundi, 95 points
No. 4 – Lexington Coffee Roasters, Tarime Tanzania, 95 points
No. 11 – Dragonfly Coffee Roasters, DR Congo FTO Bourbon SOPACDI, 94 points
No. 23 – Big Shoulders Coffee, Burundi Buhorwa, 94 points
No. 26 – Corvus Coffee, Tumba Rwanda, 93 points
No. 29 – Gorilla Conservation Coffee, Kanyonyi Blend (Uganda) – 92 points
Central America – Non-Gesha
No. 8 – Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, La Providencia Guatemala Maragogype, 95 points
No. 12 – PT’s Coffee Roasting, Finca El Socorro Maracaturra, 95 points
No. 14 – Durango Coffee Company, Costa Rica Perla Negra, 95 points
South America
No. 5 – PT’s Coffee Roasting, Granja La Esperanza Sudan Rume Natural, 95 points
No. 17 – Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, Red Bourbon Honey Cold Brew, 94 points
No. 28 – Paradise Roasters, Ecuador Pichincha Typica, 93 points
No. 30 – Red Rooster Coffee Roaster, Peru Finca Ecologica Colorada, 93 points
Darker Roasts
No. 14 – Durango Coffee Company, Costa Rica Perla Negra, 95 points
No. 18 – Simon Hsieh’s Aroma Roast, Mini-Me Washed Kaffa Forest 95 points
NR – Kakalove Cafe, Ethiopia Biftu Gundina Coop Espresso, 94 points
Certified Fair-Trade or Organic
No. 11 – Dragonfly Coffee Roasters, DR Congo FTO Bourbon SOPACDI, 94 points
No. 27 – Magnolia Coffee, Costa Rica Cumbres Del Poas “Perla Negra”, 94 points
NR – Paradise Roasters, Ethiopia Suke Quto Honey, 94 points
NR – Lexington Coffee Roasters, Guachepelin Costa Rica, 93 points
NR – Paradise Roasters, Organic Dulce de Guatemala, 93 points
Espresso Blends
No. 6 – Barrington Coffee Roasting, Twenty Five (espresso blend), 96 points
NR – Kakalove Cafe, Green Dolphin Blend Espresso, 94 points
NR – Kakalove Cafe, Summer Night Blend Espresso, 94 points
NR – Magnolia Coffee, Jade Espresso, 94 points
Non-Espresso Blends
NR – Allegro Coffee, Three Queens Blend, 94 points
NR – Water Avenue Coffee, Canoe Blend, 94 points
NR – Corvus Coffee Roasters, Dead Reckoning Blend, 93 points
Single-Origin Espressos
No. 14 – Durango Coffee Company, Costa Rica Perla Negra, 95 points
No. 15 – JBC Coffee Roasters, Alemu Bukato Espresso (Ethiopia), 95 points
No. 24 – Small Eyes Cafe, Gesha Village Lot 25 (Ethiopia), 95 points
NR – JBC Coffee Roasters, Kiniyota Espresso (Burundi), 95 points
NR – Taokas Coffee, YCFCU Banko Gototi Coop G1 (Ethiopia), 95 points
NR – Simon Hsieh’s Aroma Roast Coffees, Ethiopia Washed Phoenix Special “Muse”, 95 points
Best Values – Espressos
No. 6 – Barrington Coffee Roasting, Twenty Five (espresso blend), 96 points – $14.55/12 oz.
No. 14 – Durango Coffee Company, Costa Rica Perla Negra, 95 points – $16.95/12 oz.
No. 15 – JBC Coffee Roasters, Alemu Bukato Espresso, 95 points – $18.75/12 oz.
Best Values – Non-Espressos
No. 4 – Lexington Coffee Roasters, Tarime Tanzania, 95 points – $14.75/12 oz.
No. 9 – Klatch Coffee, Sumatra Mutu Batak, 94 points – $14.95/12 oz.
NR – Paradise Roasters, Organic Dulce de Guatemala, 93 points – $11.95/12 oz.
