Coffee Review Announces Top Coffees of 2014

Coffee Review, often referred to as the "Wine Spectator of the coffee industry," introduced 100-point wine-style reviews to the specialty coffee industry in 1997. Yesterday, the publication revealed its second annual ranking of the year's top coffees and espressos.

For the second year in a row, a roaster from California took top honors. The #1 coffee of 2014 is a 97-point Panamanian coffee roasted by Klatch Coffee of Los Angeles, California.

According to Kenneth Davids, Coffee Review's editor and lead taster, "We selected the top thirty coffees based on quality (represented by overall score), value (reflected by most affordable price per pound), and a ranking of other factors that include distinctiveness and uniqueness of style, certifications such as fair trade or organic, and general rarity."

The most expensive coffee on the list sold for a daunting $120 per pound, the least expensive for $17.27 per pound. About half the coffees on this list cost less than $25 per pound.

Coffees produced in ten countries appear on the list. The most frequently-appearing origin is a tie between two East African countries, Ethiopia and Kenya, with seven coffees each. Other origins with multiple coffees on the list are Panama (3), Colombia (3), Nicaragua (3), and Sumatra (2). Two coffees grown in the United States made the list: a coffee from Kona in Hawaii, as well as the first commercially grown coffee from California.

Coffees from California roasters dominated the rankings this year, with 13 representatives overall, and four of the top five. Roasters from Sacramento, California, had four coffees in the Top 30 Coffees of 2014.

The full list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2014 is available at CoffeeReview.com.