In the past, our Top 30 Coffees lists tended to favor high-scoring coffees produced from botanical varieties of Arabica with striking sensory properties such as Geshas, coffees from the distinctive traditional Ethiopian varieties, Kenyan coffees, and so on.
In 2015, we began the practice of recognizing coffees by category to focus attention on fine coffees from other parts of the world and/or produced from less celebrated botanical varieties. The coffees below may not have attracted the highest scores but they merit recognition for their excellence nonetheless. For more information, visit our expanded rankings post from 2015.
See top coffees by category below:
Decaffeinated
Old Soul Co., Decaf Ethiopia Sidamo – 90 points
Espresso Republic, Static Brazil Decaf Midnight – 89 points
Bootstrap Coffee Roasters, Decaf Colombia Select – 87 points
Darker Roasts
No. 27 San Francisco Bay Coffee, Panama Geisha – 94 points
Another Beans Coffee Roasters, Kenya Top Nyeri Tekangu – 94 points
Mellolo Coffee Roasters, Ethiopia Organic Dark – 93 points
Non-Espresso Blends
JBC Coffee Roasters, Rock the House Blend – 93 points
Equator Coffees & Teas, Mocha Java Blend Fair Trade Organic – 91 points
Cimarron Coffee Roasters, Chimney Rock Blend – 92 points
Espresso Blends
No. 13 Red Rooster Coffee Roaster, Flight Seasonal Espresso – 95 points
Propeller Coffee, Ace Espresso – 94 points
Temple Coffee and Tea, Dharma Blend Espresso – 93 points
Alternative Africas
No. 12 JBC Coffee Roasters, Rwanda Bufcafe – 95 points
No. 26 Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters, Uganda Fair Trade Bukonzo – 93 points
No. 30 Question Coffee, Rwanda Twongere Umusaruro – 93 points
South Americas
No. 15 Kakalove Cafe, Colombia La Palma and El Tucan Espresso – 94 points
No. 21 Amavida Coffee & Tea, Finca El Obraje Colombia Gesha – 95 points
No. 28 Durango Coffee Company, Colombia Finca Campoalegre – 94 points
Certified Coffees (Organic, Fair Trade, etc.)
No. 17 Reunion Island Coffee, Ethiopia Sidama- 94 points
No. 26 Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters, Uganda Fair Trade Bukonzo – 93 points
No. 29 Black Coffee Roasting, Peru Cajamarca Organic – 93 points
Asia/Pacific
No. 3 JBC Coffee Roasters, Ulos Batak Sumatra Peaberry – 97 points
No. 14 Park Avenue Coffee, Papua New Guinea PB Kimel Estate – 94 points
No. 18 Equator Coffees & Teas, Aged Ulos Batak Sumatra Peaberry – 94 points
Single Origin Espressos
No. 11 Kakalove Cafe, Guatemala Finca Cappuccino Echo-Lot Espresso – 95 points
JBC Coffee Roasters, Karuthi Espresso (Kenya) – 95 points
No. 15 Kakalove Cafe, Colombia La Palma and El Tucan Espresso – 94 points
Best Values – Espressos
No. 13 Red Rooster Coffee Roaster, Flight Seasonal Espresso – 95 points, $16.49/12 ounces
Espresso Republic, Static Cali Classic Espresso – 94 points, $14.95/12 ounces
JBC Coffee Roasters, Twisted 4.0 Espresso – 94 points, $15.75/12 ounces
Best Values – Non-Espressos
No. 28 Durango Coffee Company, Colombia Finca Campoalegre – 94 points; $12.95/12 ounces
No. 30 Question Coffee, Rwanda Twongere Umusaruro – 93 points; $13.99/12 ounces
Topeca Coffee Roasters, Kenya Boma AA – 94 points, $15.99/12 ounces
Central Americas (Non-Gesha)
No. 6 PT’s Coffee Roasting, El Salvador Finca Kilimanjaro Cascara Fermentation Aida Batlle – 95 points
No. 16, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters – El Salvador Finca Kilimanjaro – 95 points
No. 19 Giv Coffee, Nicaragua Un Regalo de Dios Bourbon – 94 points
