The World's Leading Coffee Guide
The coffees and espressos that appear below demonstrate exceptional value relative to other coffees of similar quality and distinctiveness as reflected in their overall score. These best value coffees often sell out quickly and may no longer be available. Older reviews may no longer accurately reflect current versions of the same coffee.
Evaluated as espresso. Exquisitely aromatic: high-toned, savory and impossibly floral. Toffee, dried black currant, myrrh, lavender, fine musk in aroma and small cup. Plush, syrupy mouthfeel; big, complex finish that is equal parts sweet and savory. In cappuccino-scaled milk, a whole new mid-palate is created, something akin to a mushroom custard.
Deeply sweet, fruit-toned, with a hint of sweet ferment. Baker’s chocolate, plum, narcissus, barrel-aged rum, cedar in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned structure with brisk acidity; full, satiny mouthfeel. Richly drying, flavor-saturated finish.
Deeply rich, equally sweet and savory. Brown sugar, hop flowers, toasted coconut, chestnut, sumac in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart-savory structure with vibrant, juicy acidity; viscous, satiny mouthfeel. The resonant finish consolidates to coconut and chestnut with undertones of brown sugar.
High-toned, fruity, deeply savory. Cocoa nib, plum sauce, brown sugar, sumac, freesia in aroma and cup. Round and deep, richly sweet-savory structure; full, chewy mouthfeel. The finish resolves with a simple yet compelling sweet and tart resonance.
Evaluated as espresso. Deeply cocoa- and nut-toned, brightly fruit-forward. Cocoa powder, caramel, almond butter, dried black cherry, myrrh in aroma and small cup. Velvety mouthfeel, crisp, chocolaty and nut-toned finish. The milk shot leads with notes of black cherry and cocoa powder, supported by rich aromatic wood and almond butter.
Evaluated as espresso. Classically cocoa-toned and sweetly tart. Nutella, pink peppercorn, pomegranate, molasses, magnolia in aroma and small cup. Creamy-smooth body; short but resounding finish. The milk shot is lush and fudgelike, with undertones of pomegranate and magnolia.
Evaluated as espresso. Balanced, richly bittersweet. Baker’s chocolate, dried apricot, hop flowers, sandalwood, hazelnut butter in aroma and cup. Plush, creamy mouthfeel; bright, fruit-forward finish. In milk, crisp chocolate notes envelope notes of stone fruit and bittersweet florals in the short, with rich aromatic wood tones resurfacing in the long.
Evaluated as espresso. Richly sweet, fruit-toned and chocolaty. Dark chocolate, dried cherry, fresh-cut fir, almond blossom, molasses in aroma and small cup. Full, satiny-smooth mouthfeel; flavor-saturated finish driven by chocolate and stone fruit notes. This blend sings in milk, elevating notes of both cherry and chocolate in lasting vibrancy.
Richly and cleanly fruit-toned. Bing cherry, freesia-like flowers, fruit taffy, fresh-cut oak, lemon verbena in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned structure with vivacious acidity; vibrant, creamy mouthfeel. Gentle, fruit-forward finish with spicy floral notes.
Balanced, high-toned, richly sweet. Molasses, crisp green tomato, wisteria, Nutella, fresh pipe tobacco in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory-tart structure; very syrupy mouthfeel. Rich-toned finish with notes of dark chocolate, hazelnut and wisteria.
Juicy, bright, deeply and richly sweet. Dried strawberry, toffee, lilac, myrrh, maple syrup in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with vivacious acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The resonant finish consolidates to notes of strawberry and toffee.
Evaluated as espresso. Round, balanced; softly and sweetly tart. Mango, orange zest, pistachio, cedar, cocoa. Satiny mouthfeel. Cedar, nut and cocoa carry into a resonant, lightly drying finish. Custardy orange and chocolate dominate in three parts milk.
Soft, balanced: cocoa and nuts. Baking chocolate, tangerine zest, nut (hazelnut, pistachio), fresh-cut pine in aroma and cup. Delicately brisk in structure; light though silky mouthfeel. Finish is resonant but drying, consolidating around unsweetened chocolate and nut.
Roasty-sweet, spice-toned. Banana, orange blossom, cocoa powder, scorched cedar, molasses in aroma and cup. Bittersweet structure with a brisk touch of acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish leads with notes of cocoa and orange blossom in the short, with scorched cedar and molasses in the long.
High-toned sweetness, crisply tart, pleasantly salty-edged. Dried apricot, tamarind, salted chocolate, cedar, magnolia in aroma and cup. Gently low-toned with balanced tart and salty/savory structure; briskly juicy acidity. Full, buttery mouthfeel. Flavor simplifies in the finish, with hints of salted cocoa and dry cedar carrying into the long.
Evaluated as espresso. Richly savory-leaning, deeply sweet. Tamarind, dark chocolate, sunchoke, wisteria, almond butter in aroma and small cup. Velvety-smooth mouthfeel; cocoa- and nut-toned finish. In three parts milk, sweet and savory present in particularly harmonious balance.
Richly sweet-savory, spice-toned. Baker’s chocolate, spice box, narcissus-like flowers, almond, peach in aroma and cup. Savory-sweet structure with gentle, round acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The crisp finish centers on notes of baker’s chocolate and almond with a hint of sweet flowers.
Sweetly pungent, earthy. Moist, fresh-fallen leaves, orange zest, fresh-cut pine, cocoa, lily in aroma and cup. Richly tart in structure, with a savory edge. Light but buoyant mouthfeel. The finish consolidates around cocoa, orange and a deep, lily-like floral note.
Sweetly and deeply pungent: earth and chocolate. Rich dark chocolate, fresh-turned humus, black currant, magnolia, cedar in aroma and cup. Pungent, sweet-tart in structure, with a profound savory bottom. The mouthfeel is not particularly full, but smooth, satiny. Nothing is lost in a flavor-saturated finish.
Simultaneously citrusy and floral, yet deeply resonant and tobacco-toned. Cocoa, pink grapefruit zest, perique (fermented) tobacco, sandalwood, aromatic orchid in aroma and cup. Sweetly and exhilaratingly tart in structure; light, juicy mouthfeel. Grapefruit, sandalwood and flowers carry gracefully into a long, layered finish.
