Coffee Review Scores: A Peek into Coffee By Design's Pursuit of the Perfect Cup

Founded in 1997, Coffee Review is one of the world’s most influential and widely read coffee buying guides. Its founders, Kenneth Davids and Ron Walters, developed the first-ever, 100-point scoring system for the specialty coffee industry to help consumers identify and purchase superior quality coffee. The system provides an objective assessment of a coffee’s quality, which helps people make informed choices and explore new and exceptional coffees. 

Coffee By Design has been a devotee of the Coffee Review scoring system since its inception. Its rigorous evaluation process gives us objective feedback, which informs our processes and challenges us to continuously improve. The key to all this, of course, is understanding what the Coffee Review scores mean and how the coffee is evaluated.  

Understanding the Coffee Review Score
Coffee Review scores are awarded by professional coffee reviewers who meticulously assess various aspects of the coffee, such as flavor, aroma, acidity, and overall impression. According to Coffee Review, their rating system calibrates as follows:

97+: “We have not tasted a coffee of this style as splendid as this one for a long, long time”

95-96: Perfect in structure, flawless, and shockingly distinctive and beautiful

93-94: Exceptional originality, beauty, individuality and distinction, with no significant negative issues whatsoever

91-92: A very good to outstanding coffee with excitement and distinction in aroma and flavor – or an exceptional coffee that still perhaps has some issue that some consumers may object to but others will love – a big, slightly imbalanced acidity, for example, or an overly lush fruit

89-90: A very good coffee, drinkable, with considerable distinction and interest

87-88: An interesting coffee but either 1) distinctive yet mildly flawed, or 2) solid but not exciting

85-86: An acceptable, solid coffee, but nothing exceptional — the best high-end supermarket whole bean, for example

Coffee By Design’s Coffee Review Scores
Since 1994, Coffee By Design has led the way in bringing impeccably sourced, painstakingly roasted, and lovingly served artisanal coffee because of the experience, passion, and collaborative nature of our incredible team. We’re proud to say that in 2022 and 2023, CBD received Coffee Review scores for sixteen of our specialty roasts, with an average score of 92. 

Why We Score Our Coffees and What it Means for our Customers
Coffee Review’s rigorous evaluation process showcases our strengths but also highlights areas for growth. Submitting our coffees for scoring allows us to receive unbiased feedback from industry experts. This feedback becomes a valuable tool for our roasters and producers, guiding us in refining our processes, experimenting with new blends, and ultimately pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the world of coffee.

As a customer, embracing these scores opens the door to a world of flavors, allowing you to savor the best that the coffee world has to offer. So, the next time you pick up a bag of Coffee By Design coffee, know that it's not just a bag of beans; it's a testament to our passion for the pursuit of the perfect cup. 

Please visit the Coffee Review website for more information about the Coffee By Design beans that have been scored.