Top-Rated Coffees (94+ points)

Massively rich and intricate. Minty dark chocolate, sandalwood, vanilla, narcissus-like flowers, a pungent hint of ripe mango in aroma and cup. Sweetly brisk acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Flowers, chocolate and mango ring on in a resonant, richly drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Deeply sweet yet richly tart; intricate. Bakers’ chocolate, raspberry, blood orange, lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Plump, velvety mouthfeel. Lightly resonant, savory-sweet finish. In three parts milk, buttery cocoa, tart fruit and big floral notes.

Immense, sweet, juicy, intricate. Lilac and jasmine, peach, apricot, rosehip, much more in aroma and cup. A vibrant but unobtrusive acidity shimmers in the heart of the sweetness; mouthfeel is satiny, full, almost nectar-like. Flavor, particularly the crisper notes, carries deep into a sweet, peachy finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Deep, pungent, complex. Dark chocolate, black cherry, musky lily, hints of oak and thyme in aroma and small cup. Plump, satiny mouthfeel. Lily and oak in particular carry into a crisply sweet finish. Maintains pungent authority in three parts milk: fudgy chocolate, cherry, oak.

Extraordinarily deep, resonant, juicy. Minty dark chocolate, orange marmalade, raspberry, hints of wisteria-like flowers and myrrh in aroma and cup. Vibrant, low-toned acidity; syrupy but buoyant mouthfeel. Long, echoing, flavor-saturated finish.

Extraordinary authority and complexity. Honey, complexly-expressed flowers – lavender, lilac – candied grapefruit, underlying suggestions of sweet herb. Sweetly and richly bright acidity; buoyantly syrupy mouthfeel. Finishes with immense sweetness enveloping a crisp, drying edge.

Richly sweet; layered complexity. Pomogranate, narcissus, round, caramelly chocolate, a pungent hint of pine in aroma and cup. Balanced, lyrically lively acidity; plump, satiny mouthfeel. Chocolate and a hint of pine in a lightly drying finish.

Complex, deep, sweetly tart. Tangerine, fresh-cut cedar, freesia-like flowers, honey in aroma and cup. Richly vivacious acidity; syrupy, buoyant mouthfeel. Tangerine and honey-toned flowers carry into a sweet, gently drying finish.

Vivid with complex, shifting fruit and floral notes. Vanilla, raspberry, roasted cacao nib, sandalwood, hints of spearmint and violet in aroma and cup. Balanced but vibrant acidity; syrupy, lively mouthfeel. Deeply sweet, flavor-saturated finish, very slightly though richly drying in the long.

A fine coffee that is fine in unusual ways. A sweet, fragrant wood note dominates; we associated it most closely with sassafras. In and around it: vanilla, rose-like flowers, musk, a richly tart citrus (candied tangerine?). Tartly juicy acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Vanilla, musk and rose in particular carry into a finish that, as it lengthens, continues to modulate and surprise.

Immensely sweet, lushly aromatic. A complex layering of fruit – strawberry guava, pomegranate, mango – plus plumeria-like flowers, sandalwood, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Plump, juicy acidity; syrupy though lively mouthfeel. Deeply flavor-saturated finish.

Delicately but deeply complex, seductive. Jasmine, sandalwood, pineapple, papaya, crisp roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Gently lush, juicy acidity; very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Jasmine, sandalwood and a hint of bergamot last far into a sweet, resonant finish.

Intense yet delicate; intricate. Star fruit and sweet strawberry, jasmine, sandalwood, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Sweetly crisp acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. Flavor deeply saturates a resonantly sweet, gently drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Brightly juicy, sweetly floral. Honey, tangerine, red-currant jelly, lilac, backgrounded chocolate fudge in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish, sweet and richly drying, consolidates around citrus and chocolate. Smoothly bright and balanced in three parts milk – delicate chocolate, creamy citrus, a continuing hint of flowers.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, deep, balanced. Dark chocolate, grapefruit, fresh-cut cedar, crisp flowers – lavender, freesia – in aroma and small cup. Heavy, syrupy, almost chewy mouthfeel; dark chocolate and cedar in a rich though drying finish. Strong presence in three parts milk: dark chocolate, cedar, flowers, anise.

Brisk yet juicy; complex. Honey, hazelnut, roasted cacao nib, peach, wisteria-like flowers in aroma and cup. Crisp, balanced acidity; lightly smooth, satiny mouthfeel. Peach, honey and cacao nib in particular carry into a flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Exhilaratingly bright without sharpness; juicy. Mango, pineapple, roasted cacao nib, honeysuckle-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Lively, effervescent mouthfeel. The pineapple fruit softens and the cacao nib deepens toward chocolate in a long, very sweet finish. In three parts milk the tropical fruit notes turn almost buttery: think ripe papaya.

Monumental yet elegant. Explosive aromatics: Papaya and orange, baker’s chocolate, sweet layered flowers (lilac, honeysuckle), pungent hints of juniper and myrrh carry intact into the cup. Brisk but juicy acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. A dry chocolate hint in particular carries into a deep, long finish.

Deeply complex, resonant. Lavender-like flowers, perique-like fermented tobacco, white truffle, pink grapefruit, and supporting it all a fudgy chocolate. Richly balanced acidity, lightly syrupy and lively mouthfeel. Chocolate, tobacco and flowers all carry with impressive continuity into a long finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Lush tropical fruit and tart berry dominates with a chocolaty depth that for co-taster Ethan Hill (94) evoked “chocolate-covered raisin and tropical fruit.” Ken (94) for his part cited cleanly sweet alcohol suggestions (“fruity cabernet”), and both remarked on a sweetly tart pineapple top note that carried throughout the profile. For both tasters the mouthfeel was “plush [and] velvety,” the finish a bit drying but still saturated with the fruit and chocolate suggestions. In three parts milk the fruit and chocolate rounded but persisted with satisfying continuity.