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.
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.
Deeply sweet, intricately rich. Jasmine, date, pistachio, blood orange zest, coconut in aroma and cup. Delicate, sweetly tart acidity; liltingly satiny mouthfeel. The resonant, long finish is saturated with deep, continued notes of date, pistachio and coconut.
Delicate, herby, brightly floral. Sweet, spicy flowers (lemon blossom, lavender) spearmint, fresh-cut fir, black currant, dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Juicy, sweet acidity; light but silky mouthfeel. The finish, both delicate and resonant, is saturated with bright floral tones in the short and dark chocolate with a hint of spearmint in the long.
Deeply rich, sweetly tart, complex. Orange marmalade, lilac, roasted cacao nib, myrrh, ripe passionfruit in aroma and cup. Balanced, sweet-tart acidity; delicate but full, satiny mouthfeel. Notes of orange marmalade and lilac characterize the sweetly dry finish in the short, while the long settles into pretty hints of myrrh.
Delicate, intricate, refined. Lychee, pink peppercorn, candied ginseng, jasmine, honey in aroma and cup. Lyrical, complex, balanced acidity; juicy, silky mouthfeel. The finish, saturated with sweet and spicy tones (lychee, pink peppercorn), is resonant in the short and elegant in the long, where candied ginseng reappears and an intriguing coconut note surfaces.
Fruit-forward, spicily herbaceous, intricate. Complex wild berry notes, cocoa powder, lavender, aged Cognac, blood orange. Juicy, floral acidity; delicate though syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. The round, rich finish is saturated with cocoa, citrus and lavender.
Quietly pungent, sweetly and gently roasty. Baked apple, singed oak, dark chocolate, a hint of orange blossom in aroma and cup. Mild, gentle acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. The crisp finish consolidates around apple and singed oak in the short and dark chocolate in the long.
Rich, crisply sweet, spice-toned. Honeysuckle, pear, cocoa powder, candied walnut, myrrh in aroma and cup. Juicy, balanced acidity; buoyant, velvety mouthfeel. The richly drying finish combines notes of cocoa and and honeysuckle in the short and intimations of myrrh in the long.
Big, floral, quixotic. Lavender, lemon zest, caramel, chocolate fudge, oak in aroma and cup. Bright, sweet acidity; full, richly round mouthfeel. The gently drying finish centers around suggestions of chocolate and lemon zest, with a hint of lavender.
Delicately rich, subtly intricate. Violet-like flowers, pink peppercorn, almond butter, peach, myrrh in aroma and cup. Juicy, vibrant, balanced acidity; silky, buoyantly levitating mouthfeel. The crisply sweet, flavor-saturated finish is animated by spicy suggestions of myrrh and pink peppercorn.
