Every coffee earns a single Overall Score out of 10. It blends our hands-on expert grade with the community's verdict, and our grade is built from five weighted criteria — so you can see exactly why a coffee ranks where it does.
The Overall Score
We weight our expert review heavily, because it's repeatable, controlled and hands-on. The community keeps us honest, so verified ratings make up the remaining fifth.
80%20%
80% — Our Coffee Score (expert, the five criteria below)20% — Coffee Lovers Score (verified community ratings)
Most coffees have no community ratings yet. Until they do, the Overall Score leans entirely on our expert grade — and the community weight kicks in automatically as real ratings come in.
We prioritise small, local roasters
Our grade is built from real Amazon signals — the star rating, the full 1–5 star distribution, and the price per ounce — but it deliberately ignores review volume. A beloved small-batch roaster with 800 reviews shouldn't be buried under a grocery-aisle giant with 40,000.
Because craft roasters consistently win on Freshness, Bean Quality & Sourcing and Roast Quality — small batches, roasted-on dates, transparent origins — they're rewarded on those criteria. Mass-market grocery brands, optimised for shelf life and price over the cup, are scored lower there (but never removed). Look for the Small-batch / craft roaster tag on reviews.
The five graded criteria
Each criterion is scored 0–10. Their weighted sum is our expert Coffee Score.
1. Taste
40% of our score
The objective sensory experience in the cup. This carries the most weight, as craft roasters consistently excel here.
Clarity & Flavor: Are the tasting notes distinct (e.g. berry, chocolate, floral), or does it just taste like generic “coffee”?
Sweetness & Acidity: Is the acidity bright and pleasant, or harsh and sour? Is there a natural sweetness present without sugar?
Mouthfeel: Does the coffee have a pleasing texture (heavy, creamy, or silky), or is it unpleasantly thin and astringent?
Aftertaste (Finish): Does it leave a lingering, pleasant flavor, or does it drop off immediately into a bitter, ashy finish?
2. Freshness
20% of our score
The baseline for specialty coffee. Mass-market beans lose points here immediately.
Roast Transparency: Does the bag feature a specific “Roasted On” date, rather than a vague “Best By” date?
Peak Window: Is the coffee being brewed within its optimal window (typically 7 to 30 days off-roast)?
Packaging: Does the bag use a one-way degassing valve and proper sealing to protect against oxidation?
3. Bean Quality & Sourcing
15% of our score
The raw ingredients. High-quality green coffee requires less manipulation in the roaster.
Visual Uniformity: Are the beans relatively uniform in size and shape?
Defect Rate: Are there visible physical defects in the bag (e.g. broken beans, insect damage, or pale “quakers”)?
Origin Transparency: Does the roaster provide clear details about the farm, region, elevation, and processing method?
4. Value
15% of our score
The real-world consumer metric. We evaluate the price strictly relative to the quality in the cup.
Price-to-Quality Ratio: Does the experience justify the price per ounce?
The “Second Cup” Rule: Setting aside the technical score, is this a coffee you would actually spend your own money on again?
5. Roast Quality
10% of our score
The execution. How well the roaster highlighted the bean's natural characteristics.
Evenness: Is the roast color uniform across the beans?
Development: Are there signs of scorching (burnt spots) or baking (dull, flat, bread-like flavors from stalling the roast)?
Intent: Does the roast level match the profile of the bean, or was it roasted too dark to hide poor-quality sourcing?
Ranked X of Y — and your percentile
Once every coffee has an Overall Score, we line them all up. On each review you'll see exactly where it lands — overall, within its category, and on each individual score:
Ranked #X of Y
Its position against everything else we've reviewed, and against others in its own category.
By each score
Separate ranks for the Overall Score, our expert Coffee Score, and the Coffee Lovers Score.
Top X%
A percentile so you can tell a genuine standout from a merely good cup at a glance.
What the scores mean
9.0–10Must Drink
8.0–8.9Highly Recommended
7.0–7.9Recommended
5.5–6.9Mixed
Below 5.5Skip It
Affiliate links never influence a score. Editorial and revenue are kept strictly separate.
