Coffee Review is the coffee industry's longest-running independent rating system. Coffees are cupped blind, scored on a 100-point scale, and written up just as Wine Spectator would write up a fine wine. As a Certified B Corporation, we believe a coffee's quality and its impact go hand in hand, and a strong Coffee Review score is independent confirmation that our meticulous sourcing and profiling are paying off.

What Is Coffee Review?

Coffee Review was founded in 1997 by Kenneth Davids and Ron Walters as the first publication to apply 100-point, wine-style ratings to coffee. Today the site draws over a million viewers a year and is regarded as the industry's most influential buying guide.

Every coffee submitted is evaluated blind, meaning the panel doesn't know the roaster or price while cupping. Samples are scored across five categories: aroma, acidity, body, flavor, and aftertaste, which combine into an overall rating between 50 and 100.

There are two paths to a Coffee Review score. Most reviews come from Coffee Review's monthly tasting reports, where roasters submit samples and Coffee Review cups them and publishes reviews for the highest scorers. Roasters can also commission a standalone review at any time, outside the monthly report cycle.

Either way, the cupping process is identical: every sample is tasted blind, with no advance knowledge of the roaster or price.

How to Read a Score

A 90+ rating signals a coffee with ‘excitement and distinction’ in aroma and flavor, while scores in the mid-to-upper 90s are reserved for coffees the panel considers exceptional, flawless, or ‘shockingly distinctive.’ The reviews provide detailed descriptions in addition to a score, highlighting a coffee's unique charactaristics. 

Equator on Coffee Review

At any given time, several of our coffees carry official Coffee Review scores of 90 or higher, and we're proud to show them off in our Award-Winning Coffees collection. Our reviews for 2025 and 2026 include:

• Decaf Suke Quto – 91 points
• Dipsea Espresso – 93 points
• Ethiopia Sun-Dried Natural – 93 points
• Equator Blend – 92 points
• Mocha Java Blend Fair Trade Organic – 92 points
• Colombia Las Rosas – 93 points
• Decaf Shakeout Blend – 91 points
• Anniversary Blend – 93 points
• Jaguar Espresso Blend – 92 points

We are particularly proud that in 2020 our Finca Sophia Gesha Washed received a score of 98, which was the 4th highest score of the year. Coffee Review described that coffee as “a lush, ethereal, complexly seductive experience.”

Beyond the Score

A Coffee Review score is a very meaningful accomplishment, but it isn't the whole story. Coffee Review reviews samples that are commercially available at the moment they're submitted, and their reviews are released monthly. That timing works well for a coffee we'll carry for many months. But it doesn't always work for our small-batch or seasonal lots, which are often our most interesting and exceptional offerings. So if you don't see a Coffee Review score next to one of our coffees, that doesn't mean it isn't a standout coffee.

Equator's Approach

At Equator Coffees, quality starts with the direct relationships that have always defined us. We source from producer partners we know personally, many of whom we've worked with for many years, and we cup every lot before it's approved for profiling and roasting.

Those standards are part of why we became California's first Fair Trade certified coffee roaster more than 25 years ago, and why our coffees continue to show up in Coffee Review's tasting reports.

Shopping for Award-Winning Coffee

Curious what a 90+ point coffee tastes like? Browse our Award-Winning Coffees collection, featuring the coffees that have recently earned top marks from Coffee Review's panel.