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.
Balanced, sweet-savory. Red currant, roasted cacao nib, clove, blood orange zest, frankincense in aroma and cup. Savory-sweet structure with lively acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. The resonant, spice-toned finish leads with intimations of clove and roasted cacao nib in the short, rounding to rich fruit tones with hints of frankincense in the long.
Crisp, richly sweet. Lemon blossom, caramelized banana, fir, nutmeg, baker’s chocolate in aroma and cup. Bittersweet structure with mild acidity; lean, satiny mouthfeel. The gently drying finish leads with citrusy floral notes and caramelized banana in the short, consolidating to crisp, nutmeg-toned cocoa in the long.
Evaluated as espresso. Raspberry jam, juniper, dark chocolate, candied tangerine zest, tea rose in aroma and small cup. Lively, syrupy body; flavor-saturated, resonant finish. In cappuccino-scaled milk, notes of raspberry, chocolate, spicy florals, and sweet-toned citrus zest harmonize with balanced complexity.
Crisply sweet-tart, fruit-toned. Notes of cascara (dried coffee cherry), lemon verbena, honeysuckle-like flowers, dark chocolate, black peppercorn in aroma and cup. In structure crisp but almost candy-like sweet and deeply fruit-forward; syrupy mouthfeel. The finish, long, resonant and consistent, foregrounds the sweet herbaceous notes, both lemon verbena and cascara, wrapped in dark chocolate.
Delicate, subtly and richly sweet. Dried hibiscus, pistachio, black currant, roasted cacao nib, myrrh in aroma and cup. Sweetly savory, gently bright structure; smoothly satiny mouthfeel. The finish, both deeply sweet and richly drying, consolidates to dried hibiscus in the short, while cocoa-toned black currant with a hint of myrrh return in the long.
Delicate, balanced, sweetly spice-toned. Strawberry, almond, cocoa powder, fine musk, narcissus-like flowers in aroma and cup. Integrated, juicy, balanced structure. Velvety, lively, almost effervescent mouthfeel. The resonant, flavor-saturated finish leads with notes of sweet berries in the short, rounding to deep florals in the long.
High-toned, crisply sweet-tart, richly savory. Jasmine, roasted cacao nib, lemon verbena, grapefruit zest, aromatic mushroom in aroma and cup. Balanced sweetly tart structure with a rich umami undercurrent; buoyant, satiny mouthfeel. The flavor-saturated finish leads with floral notes (jasmine) and closes with crisply sweet citrus (lemon verbena, grapefruit zest).
Complex, richly sweet-savory. Jasmine, pomegranate, nutella, marjoram, frankincense in aroma and cup. Crisply bittersweet structure with high-toned acidity; velvety mouthfeel. A surprising coconut note surfaces in the immediate finish, which proceeds with chocolate-toned sweet herb hints in a larger context of sweet-tart, pomegranate-like fruit.
Sweetly pungent, richly savory. Dried mulberry, bay leaf, butterscotch, violet, Meyer lemon zest in aroma and cup. Delicate, sweet-savory structure; buoyant, silky mouthfeel. Floral tones and notes of dried berries lead the resonant finish in the short, rounding to butterscotch with herbaceous undertones in the long.
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.
Evaluated as espresso. Deeply and richly sweet-tart, spice-toned. Dark chocolate, blood orange zest, licorice root, dried mango, caraway seed in aroma and small cup. Full, creamy mouthfeel; the finish moves from crisp, sweet cocoa tones in the short to caraway and licorice root in the long. In cappuccino-scaled milk, floral, fruit and savory spice tones richly converge.
Deeply aromatic, floral-toned, sweetly and brightly tart. Star jasmine, dried apricot, myrrh, wild raspberry, maple syrup in aroma and cup. Lively, richly sweet-savory in structure; buoyant, silky-smooth mouthfeel. The finish is resonant and flavor-saturated, leading with fruit and floral notes in the short and closing out in the very long with rich tones of myrrh.
Sweetly delicate yet deeply pungent: fragrant, intricate. Red clover honey, black currant, dark chocolate, fresh-cut pine, violet-like flowers in aroma and cup. Richly and roundly sweet-tart in structure; velvety yet lively and light-footed in mouthfeel. Flowers in particular carry into a long, deeply flavor-saturated 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.
Cleanly and sweetly bright; pure; elegant. Lime zest, baker’s chocolate, ripe pear, floral-toned vanilla, myrrh in aroma and cup. Deeply and sweetly tart in structure; delicately satiny in mouthfeel. Baker’s chocolate and vanilla-toned flowers carry into a sweet, quiet 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.
Richly pungent, resonantly roast-toned. Musk, orange zest, baker’s chocolate, scorched mesquite, floral top notes in aroma carry into the cup, where the chocolate moves forward. In structure sweetly and vibrantly roast-toned, balanced, resonant. Light, satiny mouthfeel. Chocolate and flowers dominate in the short finish; the long turns slightly scorch and dry, though flavor persists.
Wood-framed, spice- and flower-toned. Brazil nut, wisteria, pink peppercorn, dark chocolate, lightly scorched fir in aroma and cup. In structure sweet, with a salty/savory edge. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Pleasantly drying in the finish, with a rich aromatic wood supporting nutty chocolate and floral suggestions.
Deeply and richly sweet, wood-framed. Geranium, cedar, chocolate fudge, ripe banana, perique (fermented) pipe tobacco in aroma and cup. Gentle, crisp acidity; viscous, satiny mouthfeel. The long, resonant finish is centered around notes of deep chocolate and pipe tobacco, lifted by suggestions of ripe tropical fruit.
Richly sweet, intricately layered. Lychee, chocolate fudge, bay leaf, pipe tobacco, aromatic orchid, a hint of fresh-turned earth in aroma and cup. Juicy, sweet-tart acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Notes of cocoa and sweet pipe tobacco resonate in the crisp, dry finish.
