Produced at Finca Santa Maria entirely of the celebrated Gesha (also spelled Geisha) variety of Arabica, and processed by the honey method, in which some sweet pulp or fruit flesh (“honey”) is allowed to adhere to the beans during drying. Finca Santa Maria is certified with the Con Manos de Mujer seal, verifying that it was produced by women farmers. SkyTop Coffee is a USDA certified-organic
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Darker-Roasted Espresso Blends: Variations On A Classic Theme
Each year, the Coffee Review team publishes an espresso report, for which we invite roasters to submit coffees on a specific theme. In typical years, we partner with an independent lab or roaster here in the San Francisco Bay Area and taste the espressos with at least one outside cupper and a barista or two dialing in and pulling shot after shot. But this year is certainly not typical. The
Colombia Finca Santa Maria
Produced by Mildred Muñoz of Finca Santa Maria from trees of the Caturra, Castillo, Colombia and Typica varieties of Arabica and processed by the natural method (sun-dried in the whole fruit). Rainforest Alliance-certified, USDA Organic, and Bird Friendly-certified by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Council. SkyTop Coffee is a USDA certified-organic specialty coffee roaster based in Manlius, New
Colombia Wush Wush
Produced by Oscar Daza of Hacienda La Pradera entirely of the Ethiopian Wush Wush variety of Arabica, and processed by the honey method, in which some fruit flesh is allowed to adhere to the beans during drying. SkyTop Coffee is a USDA certified-organic specialty coffee roaster based in Manlius, New York. For more information, visit skytopcoffee.com.
Fun With Ferment: Anaerobically Processed Coffees
In early April, some rather odd-smelling packages began arriving at the Coffee Review lab. Describing the collective aromas that wafted from them is difficult. And describing those aromas continued to be difficult once we started actually tasting the coffees inside the packages. Certainly, there was lots of fruit and chocolate. And fragrant cut cedar, and sweet flowers. But along with these more
Peru Buena Vista Valerio Almanza Ccahua
Produced by Valerio Almanza Ccahua of Buena Vista Farm entirely of the SL-09 variety of Arabica and processed by the washed method. SkyTop Coffee is a USDA certified-organic specialty coffee roaster based in Manlius, New York. For more information, visit skytopcoffee.com.
The Year 2020 in Coffee: Challenges, Trends, Surprises & Knockouts
In 2020, COVID-19 devastated lives and businesses, challenging the global specialty coffee community to its core. On the producing side, the pandemic added still another daunting challenge to growers facing endemic low coffee prices and an ongoing battle with leaf rust disease in Latin America. On the consuming side, roasters saw the pandemic shutter their bread-and-butter café businesses while
Celebrating the Top 30 Coffees of 2020
Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2020 represents our eighth annual ranking of the most exciting coffees we tested over the course of the year. The Top 30 celebrates and promotes coffee roasters, farmers, mill operators, importers, and other coffee industry professionals who make an extra effort to produce coffees that are not only superb in quality but also distinctive in
Peru Chacra Don Dago
Produced by Dagoberto Marin Ludeña from trees of the Bourbon, Catimor, Catuai, Caturra and Typica varieties of Arabica and processed by the washed method (fruit skin and pulp are removed before drying). SkyTop Coffee is a USDA certified-organic specialty coffee roaster based in Manlius, New York. For more information, visit skytopcoffee.com.
Colombia Planadas
Produced by members of the Asociación de Cafés Diferenciados Brisas Nevado de la Vereda el Mirador Cadibrine from trees of the Caturra, Castillo, Colombia and Typica varieties of Arabica and processed by the washed method (fruit skin and pulp are removed before drying). SkyTop Coffee is a USDA certified-organic specialty coffee roaster based in Manlius, New York. For more information, visit
Ethiopia Guji 1 Natural Hambela Lot 215
Produced at Hambela Estate, operated by exporter METAD, which also oversees the only privately-owned quality-control laboratory in Ethiopia that carries Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) certification. Processed by the natural method (dried in the whole fruit). SkyTop Coffee is a USDA certified-organic specialty coffee roaster based in Manlius, New York. For more information, visit
Ethiopia Duromina Agaro Gera
Southern Ethiopia coffees like this one are produced largely from local, indigenous varieties of Arabica. Produced by smallholding members of the Nano Challa Cooperative and processed by the wet, or washed, method (fruit skin and pulp are removed before drying). SkyTop Coffee is a USDA certified-organic specialty coffee roaster based in Manlius, New York. For more information, visit
Peru San Ignacio Calazobo Lot 2 FTO
This exceptional coffee was selected as the No. 30 coffee on Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2020. Produced by smallholding members of the Aprocanorsi Cooperative from trees of the Caturra and Catimor varieties of Arabica and processed by the washed method (fruit skin and pulp are removed before drying). SkyTop Coffee is a USDA certified-organic specialty coffee roaster based in
SkyTop Coffee
Based in Manlius, New York, SkyTop Coffee sources USDA certified-organic specialty coffees. They source single origin, organic, and ethically Fair Traded coffees with fully traceable supply lines. They believe that being environmentally conscious means doing the right thing for their customers and their farmer partners at origin. They work with green coffee importers to identify coffees that are
Anaerobic Fermentation and Other Palate-Bending Processing Experiments
I recall that, in high school, teachers graded essays based on various conventional writing categories — grammar and diction, clarity, organization, etc. But most also gave credit for originality. Often, some friend’s paper would show weaknesses in regard to comma placement, word choice, and clear organization but attract a high grade for originality. Perhaps you could say that some of the
Panama Perci Geisha Natural
This exceptional coffee was selected as the No. 10 coffee on Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2019. This coffee also earned the highest rating in a cupping of coffees produced using reduced oxygen (“anaerobic”) processing methods for Coffee Review’s November 2019 tasting report. The intensity and complexity of this extraordinary coffee are owing both to tree variety and processing
Cordillera del Fuego Costa Rica Anaerobic
This exceptional coffee was selected as the No. 19 coffee on Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2019. This coffee tied for second-highest rating in a cupping of coffees produced using reduced oxygen (“anaerobic”) processing methods for Coffee Review’s November 2019 tasting report. Anaerobic processing in this case means that producer Luis Eduardo Campos fermented this coffee, after
Peru Paltachayoc
This coffee tied for the fourth-highest rating in a cupping of coffees submitted by North American roasters in business for two or fewer years for Coffee Review’s October 2019 tasting report. Certified organic. Produced by Braulio Barazorda Borda and Valentin Champi Paullo of the Huadquiña Cooperative entirely of the Typica variety of Arabica and processed by the traditional wet or washed method
Idealism and Achievement: 8 New North American Roasting Companies
Opening a new coffee roastery today seems like a daunting idea. There's the increasingly troubled U.S. economy, but even more alarming is the unprecedented turmoil in the global coffee industry, which includes insultingly low prices paid to farmers, infrastructure challenges, and climate change, which has virtually wiped out some regional coffee industries, put many more under extreme stress, and
Geisha Coffees Continue to Shatter Sales Records — Are They Worth The Hype?
When we last wrote in depth about Geisha (also spelled Gesha) coffees in 2017, a 100-pound lot of this prized variety of Arabica, grown at Hacienda La Esmeralda by the Peterson family, had just broken the then-current record for the highest price ever paid for a green coffee: $601 per pound. Flash forward to July of this year, when that record was shattered by the Lamastus family, whose Elida
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