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.
Crisp, quietly juicy. Orange, roasted cacao nib, caramel, wisteria-like flowers, a brisk hint of peppermint in aroma and cup. Gently bright, fruit-toned acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Flavor, particularly an orangy chocolate, saturates a richly drying finish.
Intricate, exhilarating; crisp yet juicy. Honey, roasted cacao nib, tangerine, sandalwood and very complex flowers, particularly rose and jasmine, in aroma and cup. Juicy, gently tart acidity; plush mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists in a long, sweet, resonant finish.
Juicy but brisk, intricate. Honey, orange, mango, lilac-like flowers, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Rich acidity; smoothly satiny, lively mouthfeel. Flowers and cacao nib in particular saturate a deep, crisply bittersweet finish.
Sweetly pungent, delicately complex. Honey, tangerine, apricot, lilac in aroma and cup. Gently tart, almost effervescent acidity; very light but silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a sweetly resonant, richly drying finish.
Delicate, lively, sweetly tart. Roasted cacao nib, orange marmalade, pear, narcissus-like flowers in aroma and cup. Delicately bright acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. The tart character softens and smoothes in a gently flavor-saturated finish.
Big, round, ringingly sweet, vivacious. Caramel, roasted cacao nib, rose-like flowers, tangelo, saucy cranberry, pear in aroma and cup. Deep, nuanced, lively acidity; velvety mouthfeel. Cacao nib, rose and pear in particular saturate a long, sweet-toned, resonant finish.
Pungent, deep, spicy. Milk chocolate, Concord grape, passion flower, aromatic sandalwood, a hint of savory black truffle in aroma and cup. Tart, juicy acidity; syrupy, lively mouthfeel. Rich, spice-toned, slightly savory finish.
Crisply sweet, giddily lively. Complex flowers (lilac, lavender, freesia), butter, roasted cacao nib, brown sugar, dry berry in aroma and cup. Delicate, sweetly bright acidity; silky mouthfeel. Sweet-toned, flavor-saturated finish.
Rich, crisply balanced, deep. Blood orange, fresh-cut oak, narcissus, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Rich, round, low-toned acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The flowers and a particularly chocolaty cacao nib carry persuasively into a crisp finish.
Evaluated as espresso. Deep, sweetly pungent. Brown sugar, blood orange, apricot, roasted cacao nib, fresh-cut cedar, a hint of narcissus-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Silky mouthfeel. The cacao nib softens to chocolate in a very sweet, smooth finish. Outstanding in three parts milk: a crisp, cedary chocolate dominates, nuanced by the orange and a hint of narcissus.
Intense, dynamic, lush yet crisp. An avalanche of floral notes (rose, lily, gardenia), sandalwood, lemon zest, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart acidity; plush, buoyant mouthfeel. Flavor simplifies but saturates a richly dry finish.
Dynamic, deeply layered, complex. Pungent suggestions of humus-like, moist fresh-fallen leaves, fragrant pipe tobacco, malted barley layer with fruit (honeydew melon, mango, blood orange) and narcissus-like flowers. Gentle, very sweetly tart acidity; lightish but smooth, silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates without losing character in a rich, sweet-toned finish.
Evaluated as espresso. Crisp, rich, fudgy. Dark chocolate, butter, fresh-cut cedar, apricot/plum, lavender in aroma and small cup. Buttery mouthfeel. Chocolate and a hint of lavender in a sweet-toned finish. Handles three parts milk with considerable dry, cocoaish authority and continued hints of lavender and stone fruit.
Big, sweet, plumy. Dark chocolate, brandy, ripe strawberry, kumquat, honeysuckle in aroma and cup. Lively, flavor-saturated acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Rich finishing, saturated with flowers and a fruit-toned chocolate.
Balanced, engaging depth, quiet complexity. Raisiny dark chocolate, ripe tangerine-like citrus, night-blooming flowers, all deepened by a savory hint in the structure. Low-toned but vibrant acidity; smooth, plush mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists in a long, gently sweet finish.
Deep, sweetly pungent, intricate. Black currant, jasmine, banana sweetness, minty dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Richly rounded acidity; full, buttery mouthfeel. Flavor, particularly chocolate and black currant, lasts far into the long finish.
Delicate but grandly and exhilaratingly aromatic. Sweet narcissus-like flowers, sandalwood, dark chocolate, orange marmalade in aroma and cup. Crisp, balanced acidity; plush, buoyant mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but deepens in a long, richly drying finish.
Delicate yet richly complex. Roasted cacao nib, sandalwood, blood orange, narcissus, an herby hint of oregano in aroma and cup. Sweetly and gently brisk acidity; light though silky mouthfeel. Cacao nib and sandalwood carry into a crisp finish.
Spicy, chocolaty. Sandalwood, dark chocolate, pluot, narcissus-like flowers in aroma and cup. Intense, richly tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The sandalwood and cocoa-like chocolate in particular carry into a deep, flavor-saturated finish.
Evaluated as espresso. Intense; sweetly and roundly bright. Crisply nut-toned chocolate and very sweet, very zesty, very complex citrus (tangerine, lemon) in aroma and small cup. Relatively light in body but surprisingly syrupy in mouthfeel. The bright, fresh citrus carries into a very rich finish and dominates pleasingly in three parts milk; think lemon tart with a rounding suggestion of chocolate.
