Yearly in December, Espresso Evaluation’s editorial staff hustles to decide on the subjects for the next 12 months’s editorial calendar. This, our January report, shares some ideas on the subjects we selected and the way we selected them.  See our full 2024 Editorial Calendar.

In November, as Espresso Evaluation compiles its annual High 30 Coffees checklist, we rigorously take into account the components that made the coffees we tasted in 2023 so thrilling. We ponder the hundreds of samples cupped over the course of the 12 months and the almost 600 evaluations we printed. The High-30 checklist is primarily designed to acknowledge and reward the farmers and roasters who produce these high-quality top-scoring coffees, but it surely additionally serves as a shopping for information for espresso lovers.

As well as, the method serves to tell and encourage Espresso Evaluation’s alternative of report subjects for the upcoming 12 months’s editorial calendar. We inevitably uncover thrilling new coffees and tendencies, new roasters and roast kinds, rising origins, new varieties and processing strategies, in addition to outdated favorites that spur our concepts for exploration within the coming 12 months.

Our checklist of potential subjects all the time exceeds our capacity to cowl them. That is much more true in 2024, as we’ve determined to trim the variety of scheduled studies from 10 to five. Usually, we start our cuppings in January and wrap up the 12 months with our ultimate report in November. Within the coming 12 months, to ascertain a extra sustainable tempo and higher serve our readers, we’ve determined to publish studies each different month reasonably than each month. It’s going to give us a bit of extra respiratory room, and it’ll open the door to including a few impromptu studies on thrilling subjects that pop up in the course of the 12 months.

So, how can we select subjects?

From the perspective of sourcing samples, we attempt for a subject that may generate a candy spot of between 30 and 100 coffees. If we select too slim a subject (or a poorly timed one), we might not have the ability to supply sufficient high quality samples for a significant cupping and report. If we select too broad a subject, we will probably be inundated with samples, and testing too many coffees limits our time for researching and writing the report and evaluations.

Keep in mind that Espresso Evaluation additionally accepts each roasted and inexperienced samples for blind overview all year long as a part of our fee-based providers. Not surprisingly, roasters and farmers normally attempt to put their greatest foot ahead, which suggests we usually obtain high-end coffees from widespread origins that always earn deservedly excessive scores. That’s high-quality with Espresso Evaluation, as our mission is to assist shoppers discover superior high quality coffees. Nevertheless, as a result of we already obtain many coffees from such high-profile origins, we have a tendency to not characteristic these widespread origins as report subjects. We strive to decide on subjects that may tease out thrilling coffees that we’d not in any other case have a possibility to overview.

Roasters typically don’t submit many decafs, darkish roasts, or coffees from lesser-known origins for standalone overview as a result of they could not garner attention-grabbing excessive scores. And since our mission is to assist shoppers discover and luxuriate in superior high quality coffees — not “out” coffees, roasters or farmers that don’t earn a excessive rating — one tends to see solely the cream of the crop reviewed on our web site. We cup loads of unremarkable coffees over the course of the 12 months to uncover the 500-plus coffees that benefit 90 factors or increased. If one casually reads Espresso Evaluation, one would possibly incorrectly assume each espresso will get a 90-plus rating, when the truth is, solely 10 to fifteen % of coffees we cup earn a rating of 90 factors or increased.

For every report, we take a look at anyplace from 30 to greater than 100 coffees that relate to the report subject. Primarily based on our tasting, descriptions and rankings, we select 10 or extra coffees that we overview intimately, and that present the descriptive spine for every report.

These are the report subjects we’ve chosen for 2024, based mostly largely on what we’re excited to discover within the coming 12 months.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024: COFFEES ROASTED IN HAWAII

We frequently begin the 12 months with a regional report, exploring what native roasters are as much as in a specific space of the US. Final 12 months, the subject was “10 Ski Nation Coffees.” This 12 months, in sharp distinction, we are going to report on coffees roasted in Hawaii.

Hawaii, usually, and the famend rising area of Kona, specifically, are well-known for rising glorious coffees. Most of the farmers who develop coffees in Hawaii additionally roast their very own coffees on the market at their native tasting rooms and on-line. Many of those producers are well-known to Espresso Evaluation readers, as a number of have frequently appeared on our High 30 Coffees checklist annually. Nevertheless, not all espresso roasted in Hawaii is grown in Hawaii. There are a lot of high quality roasters on the islands who put out unbelievable coffees from different nice origins, as properly.

Espresso Evaluation cups and scores coffees on a blind foundation. We consider coffees. We don’t endorse corporations. We don’t play favorites. Nevertheless, it will be disingenuous to counsel that we don’t have buddies within the espresso business. After the tragic wildfires on the island of Maui in August 2023, we’ve heard immediately from our buddies that it has been harder than normal to function a enterprise in Hawaii, each emotionally and financially.

So Hawaii is a good subject any time, however it’s a significantly well timed subject now. We’re excited to judge the coffees that roasters in Hawaii are at present producing for locals, vacationers and low lovers on the mainland and around the globe.

APRIL/MAY 2024: SINGLE-ORIGIN COFFEES DESIGNED FOR ESPRESSO BREWING

Espresso Evaluation frequently evaluates espressos for standalone overview that don’t seem in our tasting studies. Roughly 20 % of the evaluations we’ve printed over time have been for coffees designed for espresso brewing. Of late, nevertheless, it looks like we obtain fewer requests for espresso evaluations. This lower might return to adjustments within the espresso market in the course of the peak of Covid. Competitions and occasions that featured espresso brewing had been canceled, and there was a dramatic drop in espresso consumption at cafes and low retailers. Customers drank extra espresso at dwelling, the place fewer folks have espresso machines.

For our half, as a doable indicator of pleasure ranges, half as many espressos appeared on our High 30 Coffees lists over the previous 4 years in comparison with earlier years. From 2020 to 2023, the typical variety of espressos on the checklist was simply 2.25, down from 5 in 2019 and 4 in 2018, a median of 4.5.

Evaluating espressos at Espresso Evaluation is extra complicated and time-consuming than evaluating non-espressos, so we’ve to gear up bodily and mentally for tasting studies that require espresso brewing. One of many advantages of Espresso Evaluation’s revised editorial calendar is that we’ve extra time to conduct an espresso-focused cupping and publish a report on coffees designed for espresso brewing.

We haven’t printed an espresso report since Darker-Roasted Espresso Blends in August 2021, so we’re trying ahead to evaluating the present choices from roasters who’re producing single-origin espressos in 2024.

JUNE/JULY 2024: READY-TO-DRINK PURE BLACK COFFEES IN CANS OR BOTTLES

When the warmth of summer time begins to kick in, general espresso consumption tends to wane. That is when refreshing iced coffees and chilled ready-to-drink (RTD) canned and bottled black coffees take off. So, summer time is the proper time to check RTD coffees.

The supply and recognition of RTD coffees has exploded since Espresso Evaluation first reviewed them in our July 2014 report titled Bottled Iced Coffees. Virtually all of the submissions for that first report weren’t solely blends, however blends of principally unnamed elements and, frankly, generic in profile.

On the time, Espresso Evaluation Editor-in-Chief Kenneth Davids noticed:

“The perfect of those bottled chilly coffees appeared to us to ship a product worthy of the North American specialty business: much less distinctive and fewer pronounced in character than analogous hot-brewed coffees, however smoother, extra refreshing, but nonetheless distinctive sufficient to shock and have interaction.”

Certainly, 5 RTD coffees earned scores of 90 factors or increased, together with the 94-point Chilly Brew by Slingshot Espresso in Raleigh, North Carolina.

In our 2018 report — Chilly-Brewed Black Coffees: High quality in a Can? — we had been impressed by the complexity of the handful of top-scoring cold-brewed coffees we examined, however had been left questioning if the RTD development was only a passing fancy.

On the time, we famous:

“Specialty espresso corporations small and huge are intensely at work attempting to carry a number of the sensory refinement and differentiation obtainable in whole-bean espresso to the sector of ready-to-drink chilly black espresso in cans and bottles.”

The 24 RTD coffees we examined for that 2018 report averaged 89 factors, from a low of 75 to a excessive of 94, and for the primary time, an RTD espresso — the 94-point Reserve Chilly Brew from States Espresso & Mercantile — appeared on our High 30 Coffees checklist, showing at #21.

So, why did we dip into this class once more in 2020, regardless of a scarcity of general enthusiasm in regards to the style in 2018? Properly, it wasn’t misplaced on us that the expansion of the chilly brew phase is way more than a passing fancy. RTD black espresso is right here to remain, and high quality 1s on the rise. Of the 37 RTDs we examined in July 2020’s RTD Rising: Single-Origin Chilly Coffees Elevate the Sport, 11 scored 92 factors or increased, together with Corvus Espresso ‘s 94-point Guji Uraga Nitro Chilly Brew, which earned the #21 spot on our checklist of the High 30 Coffees of 2020.

With Chilly Black Espresso: Simplicity Guidelines the Submit-Pandemic RTD Panorama in July 2021, we revisited cold-brewed bottled coffees within the context of a altering, post-Covid market. The pandemic introduced into focus what’s primary and elementary, and the ten RTD cold-brewed coffees we reviewed in that report, rated 92 to 94, displayed the frequent denominator of simplicity, in one of the best sense of that phrase: basic and direct.

In our June/July 2024 report, we are going to as soon as once more take a look at the variability and high quality of RTD coffees as they march on into {the summertime} espresso mainstream.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2024: DECAFFEINATED COFFEES FOR BREWED APPLICATIONS

The rule of thumb is that about 10 % of shoppers drink decaffeinated espresso. So, why are solely 2 % of evaluations on coffeereview.com decafs?

A part of the reason being apparent. Ninety % of espresso drinkers don’t drink decaffeinated espresso, so that they are usually ignored by the overwhelming majority of espresso drinkers. Moreover, as a result of decaffeinated coffees typically don’t match the standard of their caffeinated counterparts, many roasters take into account them solely as a obligatory evil generated for a small fraction of their buyer base. In relationship to Espresso Evaluation, most roasters don’t submit decaffeinated coffees for overview as a result of they often don’t earn eye-popping scores that may assist drive gross sales.

Espresso Evaluation definitely isn’t biased in opposition to decaffeinated coffees. We merely consider what we discover within the cup. Sadly, when decaf is within the cup, it typically simply doesn’t excel. That stated, Espresso Evaluation definitely appreciates a high quality decaf. In actual fact, decafs have appeared on our annual High 30 Coffees checklist 5 occasions since 2013.

In our most up-to-date report about decafs, in 2015, Kenneth Davids made two broad observations which will nonetheless pretty describe the fame and tendencies concerning decafs in 2024:

“Commentary one: Most decaffeinated coffees proceed to be dangerous, in some circumstances near foul.”

“Commentary two: Then again, nice coffees clearly can survive and transcend the trials of decaffeination. 4 decafs from this [report’s] cupping attracted rankings starting from 89 to a powerful 93.”

With our August/September 2024 report, we are going to revisit these observations as we search to assist decaf drinkers discover and luxuriate in superior-quality decaffeinated coffees.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER: GUATEMALA-GROWN COFFEES

Individuals strolling in the primary avenue of Antigua with the Agua volcano within the background.

In 1997, when Espresso Evaluation was based, Guatemala was a espresso heavyweight. In our first large-group “calibration cupping” in July 1997, we chosen Guatemala Coffees for the subject. It was simply our fifth tasting report and our first ever report devoted to a single nation of origin. It was sandwiched between Grocery store Coffees in June and Decaffeinated Coffees in August. Davids described Guatemala as “one of many world’s basic espresso origins.”

Two years later, in our July 1999 report — New Crop Guatemalas — he opened with:

“Guatemala is rivaled solely by Kenya as espresso insiders’ favourite origin.”

Guatemala continues to be a basic origin and an insiders’ favourite, however to not the extent it was 25 years in the past. We nonetheless cup coffees from Guatemala frequently, they usually typically rating properly to very properly. Since 1997, we’ve printed greater than 600 evaluations of coffees that had been solely from Guatemala or featured Guatemala as a named element in blends. As such, Guatemala coffees have been concerned in 8 % of all of the coffees we’ve ever reviewed.

Why select Guatemala as a report subject in 2024? Briefly, it’s overdue. We haven’t featured Guatemala coffees as the subject of a tasting report since Suave and Idiosyncratic: Espresso of Guatemala in September 2013.

AN EVENTFUL YEAR AHEAD FOR COFFEE

We’re trying ahead to an thrilling 12 months of tasting and reporting.  See our full 2024 Editorial Calendar.