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.
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.
Richly pungent, sweet-savory. Coconut, violet, baker’s chocolate, musky hops, oak in aroma and cup. Vibrant, sweet acidity; delicate, velvety-smooth mouthfeel. The sweet-toned finish consolidates to floral and chocolate notes enveloped in a savory edge that suggests hops.
Deeply and richly sweet; floral-toned. Lilac, roasted cacao nib, cardamom, myrrh, mango in aroma and cup. Bright, juicy acidity; delicate, silky mouthfeel. The crisp, richly drying finish leads with notes of lilac in the short, consolidating to cacao nib and apricot in the long.
An exquisite Kenya: bold, richly sweet-savory, and deeply inviting.
Evaluated as espresso. Deeply and richly sweet-tart. Dark chocolate, hazelnut, black cherry, lavender, sandalwood in aroma and small cup. Delicate, silky mouthfeel; sweet, chocolate-toned finish with supporting notes of lavender and sandalwood. In three parts milk, pungent floral tones are elevated and sweet cocoa notes deepen.
Delicate, crisply sweet. Jasmine, cedar, pink grapefruit zest, mango, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Round, gentle acidity; satiny mouthfeel. The sweetly savory finish is carried by cocoa-toned floral notes with hints of citrus zest.
Delicate, sweetly tart, spice-toned. Nougat, orange, clove, rye whisky, baker’s chocolate in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet-tart acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The gently drying finish is richly aromatic and laden with chocolate tones, hints of orange, and a whisper of sweet ferment suggesting rye whisky.
Sweetly pungent, rich-toned, savory. Peach, violet, pistachio, molasses, thyme in aroma and cup. Gentle, backgrounded acidity; syrupy, lean though smooth mouthfeel. The resonant finish is long, leading with attractive floral top notes, followed by hints of stone fruit, finally rounding to cocoa and herb tones in the very long.
Sweetly savory, high-toned. Blackberry, freesia-like flowers, orange zest, brown sugar, juniper in aroma and cup. Rich, savory acidity; delicate, though rather syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is especially savory-toned, resonant with notes of juniper (berry and bark) and bittersweet orange zest.
Sweetly pungent, complexly layered. Baker's chocolate, pink grapefruit zest, dried mango, freesia, perique (fermented) tobacco in aroma and cup. Juicy, bright, balanced acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The resonant, richly drying finish has a throughline of baker’s chocolate and dried mango, accented by tobacco and spicy floral notes.
Richly sweet-savory, floral-toned. Mulberry, rhododendron, lemon verbena, white peppercorn, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Sweet, rounded acidity; plush, velvety mouthfeel. The resonant finish consolidates to mulberry and roasted cacao nib in the short; notes of white peppercorn return in the long.
Evaluated as espresso. Deep-toned, balanced, richly sweet. Dark chocolate, cherry blossom, pink grapefruit, coconut, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and small cup. Round, buttery mouthfeel; sweetly tart cedar- and floral-toned finish. Dark chocolate and coconut notes are amplified in three parts milk, supported by pleasant hints of aromatic cedar.
A grapey, fruit-saturated alcohol dominates, big and startling, though more grappa-like than whiskey-like. Pear, grappa, white oak, cocoa, raisin in aroma and cup. The acidity is essentially unreadable in coffee terms given the impact of the big, grapey alcohol sensation. The mouthfeel is light and pleasingly buoyant. The fruity alcohol dominates in a very sweet finish.
Complexly structured; tart, sweet-savory, balanced. Mango, cedar, molasses, fresh pipe tobacco, grapefruit zest in aroma and cup. Gently crisp acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Tobacco, cedar and the mango-like fruit carry into a quiet finish.
Sweetly pungent, roast-rounded. Dark chocolate, floral vanilla, orange zest, scorched cedar in aroma and cup. Pungent, bittersweet acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Bittersweet but resonant in the finish: Chocolate and orange dominate in a bittersweet but resonant finish.
Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly roast-toned and crisply chocolaty. Dark chocolate, gently scorched cedar, narcissus-like flowers, raisin in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel. Rich short finish, rather drying in the long. Dominates milk with a raisin- and floral-nuanced chocolate.
