How we score a coffee.
A practical, repeatable scoring system for comparing café coffees fairly — so a rating means the same thing from one café to the next.
The goal
Every drink is scored across five categories, each rated out of 5. The categories carry different weights, and the weighted result becomes one final score out of 10. This gives you a clear overall rating while showing exactly why a coffee earned it.
| Category | Weight | Points of 10 |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Flavour & balance | 30% | 3.0 |
| 2. Texture & mouthfeel | 20% | 2.0 |
| 3. Aroma | 10% | 1.0 |
| 4. Technical execution | 25% | 2.5 |
| 5. Finish & aftertaste | 15% | 1.5 |
The principle: each coffee is judged against the same standards, not against how expensive it is or how fashionable the café looks. A bold coffee isn't automatically better than a delicate one — bitterness, acidity and strength aren't inherently good or bad. We score how well the qualities work together for that drink's style.
How the final score is calculated
Every category gets a rating from 1 to 5, converted into its weighted contribution. The weights total 100%, so the final score always lands out of 10.
Final score /10 = (Flavour ÷ 5 × 3.0) + (Texture ÷ 5 × 2.0) + (Aroma ÷ 5 × 1.0) + (Execution ÷ 5 × 2.5) + (Finish ÷ 5 × 1.5)
Example: scores of 4, 4, 3, 4 and 4 give 2.4 + 1.6 + 0.6 + 2.0 + 1.2 = 7.8/10.
Why these weights? Flavour (30%) is the heart of the tasting experience. Technical execution (25%) rewards a well-made drink. Texture (20%) strongly affects enjoyment. Finish (15%) captures the lingering impression. Aroma (10%) matters, but shouldn't outweigh how the coffee tastes and is made.
The universal rating scale
| Rating | Standard | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1/5 | Poor | Serious flaws or an unpleasant experience in this category. |
| 2/5 | Below average | Clear weaknesses; the category detracts from the drink. |
| 3/5 | Good / competent | Acceptable and enjoyable, but ordinary or with room to improve. |
| 4/5 | Excellent | Clearly above average; well judged, enjoyable and well executed. |
| 5/5 | Exceptional | Outstanding for its style, with no meaningful weakness. |
The five categories, in detail
1. Flavour & balance — 30% of the score
The most important category. We judge the flavours you can actually taste and how well they fit together — sweetness, bitterness, acidity, balance, complexity and clarity — and watch for flavour faults like staleness or an ashy, burnt taste. Bitterness isn't automatically bad, and acidity isn't the same as sourness: intensity is not the same as quality.
2. Texture & mouthfeel — 20%
The physical sensation of the drink — body, smoothness, creaminess, milk microfoam, astringency and consistency through to the last sip. A full-bodied coffee isn't automatically superior to a light-bodied one; we score suitability and quality, not sheer thickness.
3. Aroma — 10%
Smelled before the first sip: intensity, quality, character, and whether the aroma lines up with the flavour. A strong aroma isn't automatically a good one — we judge pleasantness and character, not volume.
4. Technical execution — 25%
How well the café actually made the drink: extraction and balance, espresso integration, milk preparation, temperature, and care. Strength is not the same as extraction quality — a strong coffee can be well made or poorly made.
5. Finish & aftertaste — 15%
What remains after swallowing: length, quality of the lingering notes, cleanliness, and how the coffee evolves as it cools. A long finish isn't always a good finish — we reward the quality of what lingers, not just how long it lasts.
Price and value — kept separate from the coffee score
The price you see on every listing never changes the coffee's /10 score — that score is about the drink alone. Instead, we publish value for money separately, as price per star: the price of a small latte divided by the café's score out of 10. A $5 latte at a 10/10 café works out to 50¢ per star; the same $5 at a 1/10 café is $5 per star. A lower number means you're paying less for each star of quality, so it's an easy way to compare very different cafés on a level field. We benchmark on a small latte specifically — rather than a cappuccino — since cappuccino foam hides latte art, making latte the fairer like-for-like comparison across cafés.
Service, separately
Service, ambience and overall experience are noted on every review too, but kept apart from the coffee score itself. A beautiful fit-out or a friendly barista shouldn't inflate — or a quiet one deflate — the rating of the coffee in the cup.
Our tasting method
- Record the context — café, date, drink, size, milk choice, price, and any detail on the beans or roast.
- Look first — presentation and whether the drink appears properly prepared. Latte art never decides the score.
- Smell before sipping — identify the aroma and any obvious stale, burnt or pleasant notes.
- Sip at a sensible temperature — very hot coffee hides detail, so we let it cool before judging.
- Assess flavour and texture — sweetness, bitterness, acidity, balance, body, mouthfeel.
- Check the finish — wait a few seconds after swallowing and assess what lingers.
- Score independently — each category rated out of 5 before the final score is calculated, with a short note as evidence.
Fair-comparison rules: we compare like with like where possible (flat white with flat white, long black with long black); judge each style against what it should be, not against milk-coffee expectations; record the price but never let it inflate or reduce the coffee score; score the drink, not the café's reputation or the friendliness of the staff; and we're honest about uncertainty — tasting notes we can actually detect, not invented ones.
This is our own editorial scoring system, not an official industry certification. We keep the criteria and weights stable once we start comparing cafés, and only revise them after testing the change and explaining it to readers.