*My Coffee Review Process
As an independent coffee reviewer, I have a thorough process to find and recommend the most amazing and affordable coffees. Here’s how I do it:
- Coffee Acquisition: To ensure complete independence and zero bias in my reviews, I always buy coffee with my own money. I never accept payment to review any product.
- Preparation: Consistency is key for a fair comparison. I prepare every coffee I test using the same exact conditions: a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:17, and I always add two tablespoons of Chobani Sweet Cream coffee creamer because that’s how I enjoy my daily coffee.
- Evaluation: Now comes the fun part, tasting and analyzing the coffee! I use a variety of specific metrics to rate each coffee:
- True Roast™: I validate if the coffee’s roast level matches what the manufacturer claims. On a scale of 1-5, a 5 means the roast level is exactly as advertised.
- Body: I rate the body of the coffee based on its roast. Light roasts tend to be more watery, and dark roasts are thicker. The score, from 1-5, depends on how well the body fits the expected profile for its roast level.
- Flavor: The depth of flavor also depends on the roast. Lighter roasts generally have more nuanced flavors, so I rate each coffee’s flavor on a 1-5 scale based on how well it meets the expectations for its particular roast.
- Acidity: I assess acidity in relation to the roast. Light roasts are generally more acidic, which is a good thing for them, while dark roasts should have little acidity. On a 1-5 scale, I rate how well a coffee’s acidity matches the ideal for its roast.
- Aftertaste: The aftertaste of a coffee isn’t tied to its roast. Instead, I use a simple 5-point scale to rate the quality of the lingering taste after a sip.
- Price to Value: My aim is to find great coffee that’s also a great deal. So, I look at the coffee’s price per ounce and compare it to the quality as determined by the other metrics. In the wise words of Warren Buffett, “Price is what you pay, value is what you get.”
I calculate the final score by averaging all the individual metric scores. This score helps me—and you—to understand the overall quality and value of each coffee I review.
My ultimate goal is to guide you to the most amazing, affordable coffees that fit your taste!