Consumer Reports Picks the Best Cup o' Brew

[caffe biscotto]

Out of 19 top-selling coffees in this report,
Eight O'Clock Colombian coffee won, hands down:
http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/ysho ... cup-o-brew

Any comments on this?

 

[Alun_evans]

This is being kicked around on a few coffee boards at present. Concensus seems to be as follows:

1/. Who were the cuppers? Did they have any training in cupping? Were they sane????
2/. It seems to be more supermarket coffee focused. Being on brands being sold in the aisles rather than from specialty roasters per se

A report like this came out a Consumer magazine from my own country a while back. It only cupped a small range of coffees... however there was perceived to be a problem because all though the panel of cuppers were all experienced...one of the blends tested was roasted by one of the panel!

I guess it just shows when you look at these CR's you should do so with your eyes open!

 

[ElPugDiablo]

Review for taste is always subjective, even accomplished wine taster Robert Parker, and coffee cupper Kenneth Davids have knowledgeable people disagree with them. The only way for anyone who is interested in CR's article to find out is to try these ground Colombians themselves.

disclaimer: I bought a printer based on CR's recommendation, the damn thing did not last 4 months, so I don't think much of CR.

 

[CCafe]

After I read this article about Consumer Reports I lost all my faith in this company. The amount of BS that was spewed to shut this one thing down showed me that CR is either favoring certain products or they have some really stupid people behind the wheel. Either way I lost all my confidence in them.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16759504/

 

[Bill Laine]

I think that there is a whole world of coffee drinkers out there who just want to know what to get at the grocery store. The CR review is aimed at that consumer.

Bill
New Orleans

 

[CCafe]

I don't know no anymore. I remember a long time ago I was talking to guy about a product that had the American Heart seal on the box. I made the comment that it just goes to show that they have something that American Heart was willing to put their logo on and endorse for good health.

He told me hell no! His company paid over a million dollars just to get the rights to stamp the darn box let alone everything else they had to jump through just to keep it. After that chance encounter I have never thought the same way again. Every thing happens for a reason and if it is broadcasted that it is good for your there is really someone else behind it that is just doing a lot of marketing.

So I feel the same way with Consumer Reports. I just feel there is something behind it all pushing products on to people.

 

[caffe biscotto]

Pardon my naivety on this subject, but I wonder if there are any well known independent journals out there that publish periodical reports on indie coffees?

 

[ElPugDiablo]

Pardon my naivety on this subject, but I wonder if there are any well known independent journals out there that publish periodical reports on indie coffees?

coffeereview.com is where many people go for coffee rating by Ken Davids. Some have questioned his independent-ness giving that his site is supported by sponsors, other, notiably the guy who runs coffeegeek.com, after Ken Davids did a espresso rating pitting some Italian roasters vs. some American roasters and the Italian came out better, publically stated Ken Davids has no business rating espresso. That of course set up a bit of less than kind back and forth. There is also coffeecuppers.com where both roasted coffee and green beans are reviewed. I think a previous post is correct about CR's review is aim at grocery store coffee consumers not specialty coffee consumers. Of course there are plenty of "specialty coffee" roasters/shops that serve coffee no better than what you find in the grocery stores.

 

[caffe biscotto]

There are a few listed sponsors at http://www.CoffeeReview.com, but I wonder if there are any unlisted sponsors. He (Kenneth Davids) doesn't seem to be giving any biased reviews, based on who is a sponsor or not, which is a good thing. His reviews are nicely detailed and I will definitely check his site before buying outside of my usual roasters. All of the Kenyans he's reviewed have received high marks. I wonder if that says something about the green bean, more so than the roaster. It's good to see my supplier is in there with good marks. Also, a roaster account of mine is in there, with good marks as well. Good for them.

The other review site, http://www.CoffeeCuppers.com, is laid out in a chart on one page. They (Bob Yellin & Jim Schulman) only seem to have posted 16 coffee reviews, in all of 2008. This review site uses decimals in the scores, which may come across as a bit over the top, if you ask me. I'd hate to receive an 89.9 like one of the coffees did. Gimme a 90, man!

Anyway, thanks Pug. I've bookmarked both sites for future reference.

http://www.CoffeeReview.com
http://www.CoffeeCuppers.com

Check 'em out!

 

[TopBean]

Well, hopefully they can keep up the good work~ We would like to see ourselves in that position some day. Randall

 

[Undergrind Roasters]

Pardon my naivety on this subject, but I wonder if there are any well known independent journals out there that publish periodical reports on indie coffees?

Visit the Cup of Excellence (.com). Its the definitive source to find out what lots (groups of select coffee beans from the farms) are the best, information about the farms themselves, and who bought the lots. Then you just look up the buyers and start ordering your coffee.

But be careful to know when your buying green and when your buying roasted coffee.