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.
Subtly lush, crisply chocolaty. Violet, baker’s chocolate, blackcurrant, fresh-cut oak, almond in aroma and cup. Zesty, sweet acidity; delicate, satiny mouthfeel. Blackcurrant notes dominate in the crisp, resonant short finish, with oak and violet carrying into the long.
Evaluated as espresso. Deeply sweet-tart. Lemon curd, walnut, roasted cacao nib, honeysuckle, candied apple in aroma and small cup. Crisp, silky mouthfeel. Bright, balanced short finish; sweetly nut-toned in the long. Maintains its composure in three parts milk, where both chocolate and lemon notes converge and fatten.
Delicate, crisply tart. Blackcurrant, walnut, lemon zest, carob, violet in aroma and cup. Brisk, sweet-tart acidity; plush, satiny mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates to carob and blackcurrant in the crisp finish.
Delicate, sweetly fruit-forward. Brandy, raspberry, honeysuckle, tangerine zest, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Very tart acidity; billowy-smooth mouthfeel. The rich, resonant finish consolidates around cacoa nib and berry.
Delicately sweet, complex. Honey, frankincense, wisteria, nectarine, pistachio in aroma and cup. Richly vibrant acidity; very silky mouthfeel. All flavor notes carry over into the flavor-saturated short finish, with frankincense-laced nectarine lingering into the long.
Deep, savory, yet profoundly sweet and floral. Magnolia, lavender, mulberry, oak in aroma and cup. Rich, roundly ringing acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor deeply saturates a crisply dry finish: flowers, oak, mulberry.
Immaculate, complex. Mango, cinnamon, cocoa powder, white truffle, orchid-like flowers in aroma and cup. Lyrical, balanced acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The richly drying, resonant finish is compelling for its savory-umami character, leading with white truffle, then rounding to quiet cinnamon notes, with the sweet presence of orchid throughout.
Deep, subtle, resonant. Concord grape, fresh-cut cedar, wisteria-like flowers, black sage, lemon zest in aroma and cup. Roundly and richly bright acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around grape and cedar in a continued deep, ringing finish.
Crisply sweet, elegantly tart. Blackcurrant, baker’s chocolate, lemon verbena, lavender in aroma and cup. Round, richly tart acidity; lightly plush mouthfeel. Blackcurrant and lemon verbena carry into a resonant finish.
Richly sweet-savory, intricate. Sweet chocolate, juniper, red currant, a violet-like floral top note in aroma and cup. Resonant, low-toned acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The juniper note is crisply bright and almost gin-like in the finish, though cushioned by sweet chocolate and a continued shimmer of violet.
Big, deep, sumptuous. Intricate flowers (lavender, wisteria), lushly complex fruit, roasted cacao nib, fragrant sandalwood in aroma and cup. Round but crisp acidity; lightly syrupy, buoyant mouthfeel. The massive flavor-saturated finish fades slightly as the cup cools.
Delicately and sweetly earth- and tobacco-toned. Mango, rich pipe tobacco, caramel, cherry blossom, earth-toned chocolate in aroma and cup. Juicy, rounded acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The resonant finish with all flavor notes intact concludes in a crisply sweet denouement of mango and pipe tobacco.
Complex, sweetly rich. Pungent grapefruit, sweet violet, almond brittle, pipe tobacco, fragrant sandalwood in aroma and cup. Juicy acidity; lightly syrupy, buoyant mouthfeel. The crisply rich, long finish retains a pretty combination of violet and tobacco tones.
Evaluated as espresso. Balanced, deeply and richly sweet. Blood orange zest, hazelnut butter, narcissus, sandalwood, caramel in aroma and small cup. Crisp, velvety mouthfeel. Sweetly tart in the nut-toned short finish; lightly resonant in the citrusy long. Juicy, balanced in three parts milk; floral notes deepen and nut and caramel notes round to chocolate.
Delicately intricate, deeply sweet. Dried mulberry, jasmine, sandalwood, roasted cacao nib, lime zest in aroma and cup. Juicy, effervescent acidity; silky, levitating mouthfeel. The finish, crisply tart with sweet floral and cacao tones in the short, turns delicately resonant in the long with revived suggestions of mulberry and lime zest.
Delicate, sweetly floral. Dried peach, honeysuckle, roasted cacao nib, lemon zest, cedar in aroma and cup. Balanced, lyrical acidity; billowy, smooth mouthfeel. The crisp finish follows through on the peach and roasted cacao nib of the aroma in the short, while the long resurrects hints of aromatic cedar.
Evaluated as espresso. Delicate, exotic, profoundly floral. Star jasmine, tamarind, saffron, bittersweet orange blossom, dark chocolate in aroma and small cup. Sumptuous, levitating mouthfeel. Bittersweet, citrus-driven short finish; dark chocolate enveloped in jasmine in the resonant long, with waves of saffron notes best described as umami-floral. Maintains its nuance in three parts milk, where dark chocolate and saffron round and deepen.
Intense, delicately fruit-forward. Wild strawberry, rum, gardenia, dark chocolate, a hint of mustard seed in aroma and cup. Balanced, quiet acidity; plush, fudgy mouthfeel. Chocolate and rum carry from the short finish into a deep, lingering long.
Intricately rich, tartly sweet. Lilac, wild strawberry, sandalwood, roasted cacao nib, grapefruit zest in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet, vibrant acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. Aromatic sandalwood notes are amplified in the richly drying short finish, with a return of cacao nib and quietly spicy grapefruit zest in the resonant long.
Deeply pungent, sweet-savory. Magnolia, dried mango, toasted barley, hops, thyme. Plump, juicy acidity; silky-smooth, delicate mouthfeel. The rich-toned finish consolidates to a citrus-leaning hops, complicated by hints of sweet thyme.
