Espresso Evaluation’s tasting reviews goal to reply espresso questions that may solely be answered by tasting the coffees that pose the questions. Normally, this implies blind-tasting a complete lot of coffees — 50 to 100 per article — and reporting actually on what we discover, together with calling consideration to the best of those coffees with evaluations and scores.
In 2025, we plan 5 such tasting reviews.
February-March: Nationwide Roasters
This 12 months’s first report for February/March asks the query: What is going to espresso lovers who take pleasure in refined small plenty of traceable coffees from smaller roasters discover once they purchase from bigger specialty roasters that promote nationwide, in some instances, worldwide? (We’re taking a look at you, Starbucks, Peet’s, Blue Bottle, Counter Tradition, Entire Meals, et al.) We’ll anonymously order a spread of coffees from a number of these massive nationwide roasters, blind-taste them and take a look at them for freshness, then report on each the successes and failures with scores and evaluations.
April-Could: Roasters on Route 66
Highways and occasional have lengthy been entwined in American delusion, and for our April/Could report we’ll take a digital drive alongside some of the storied highways within the U.S.: Route 66. We’ll pattern coffees from a number of the many regional roasters near that route, a stretch of freeway that for many years carried vacationers throughout the U.S. heartland from Chicago to Los Angeles, by eight states and 292 cities.
June-July: Robusta and Different Non-Arabica Species
Espresso Evaluation readers are likely conscious of one among specialty espresso’s most persistent taboos: Thou shalt not roast or promote espresso from timber of the Robusta (Coffea canephora) species. Traditionally, the specialty espresso world has averted having something to do with Robusta, the hardier, cheaper different to Arabica that now provides round 40% of the world’s espresso. This prohibition is essentially tacit and unspoken, however relies on a judgment of Robusta’s cup character as inescapably bland and bitter in comparison with Arabica’s larger sweetness, brightness and complexity. The one purpose a espresso firm would roast Robusta, espresso lovers have been given to imagine, is to economize.
Now, on the extra adventurous edges of the specialty espresso world, there’s a new curiosity in Robusta. It’s pushed largely by the specter of international warming, which has the potential to radically scale back lands appropriate for the manufacturing of Arabica, a fussy plant that requires comparatively excessive rising elevations within the tropics with cool nights however no frost. Robusta, however, can thrive at hotter temperatures than Arabica and is usually a lot hardier. Just lately, the seek for a extra climate-resilient espresso plant has prolonged to different espresso species as nicely — to Liberica, a hardy species extensively grown and consumed in southeast Asia; Excelsa, carefully associated to Liberica; and Stenophylla, a uncommon and just lately rediscovered species that, analysis suggests, tolerates excessive temperatures whereas displaying a spread of sensory character much like high-grown Arabica.
For our June/July 2025 report, we can be testing as many examples of specialty Robustas and specialty variations of different non-Arabica species as we are able to flip up. We are going to probably contemplate blends that make important use of Robustas (minimal 50%) in addition to single-origin choices, and can settle for submissions supposed for both brewed or espresso preparation.
August-September: Mocha-Java Blends
The world’s first mix, Mocha-Java, mixed the one two coffees the world knew in round 1720: Mocha from Yemen and Java from the Dutch colony of that title. Regardless of the arbitrary nature of this mixture and uncertainty about how these early coffees really tasted, Mocha-Java has remained a remarkably productive mix idea, retaining a core sensory expectation whereas stimulating typically impressed variations. Are up to date variations of this mix worthy of its lengthy and distinguished historical past? We are going to survey and rejoice a number of the newest variations on the richly generative Mocha-Java theme with our August/September 2025 report.
October-November: Costa Rica Coffees
For many years, Costa Rica was famed for its high-grown, meticulously ready washed coffees, cleanly traditional in profile, the last word in consistency. Then, beginning within the 2000’s, the Costa Rica “micro-mill revolution” exploded with its processing experiments. Instantly, we had brandy-toned natural-processed Costa Ricas, svelte honey-processed Costa Ricas, and finally, candy-toned anaerobic-processed Costa Ricas, all competing with the clear, sweetly shiny Costa Ricas of custom.
Whither Costa Rica in 2025? Will it lean extra towards the sensory surprises of processing experiments or the hovering magnificence of the traditional? Discover out with our October/November report.
December: High 50 Coffees of 2025
Yearly since 2013 we’ve printed a listing of the High 30 most fun coffees from among the many 1000’s we examined. In 2013 roughly sixty coffees scored 94 factors or increased. Clearly, any espresso incomes 94 factors or increased is phenomenal. Nevertheless, some coffees are rarer and extra distinctive than others. We felt we might make some tough selections and arrive at a closing record of 30 with out omitting any that clearly deserved inclusion.
Nevertheless, the variety of coffees we take a look at every year has grown from roughly 300 in 2013 to over 700 up to now 12 months. And in these intervening 11 years, we now have seen increasingly distinctive coffees come throughout our cupping desk, as producers, merchants and roasters all develop extra artistic and resourceful, and alternatives for collaboration amongst them intensify. If, in 2013, 60 coffees out of 300 scored 94 factors or increased, in 2024, roughly 30 out of 700 scored 96 factors or increased. It seems that the time has come to develop our record of 30 prime coffees to 50. We stay up for sharing our High 50 Coffees with you on the finish of the 12 months.
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