The rating system I started with and still stick to today is a straight forward and super simple four-point scale:
4 – Organize your life around this coffee. Drop everything, re-schedule your appointments or plan a trip if necessary.
3 – Good coffee. A small detour will be well-rewarded.
2 – It’s coffee. It’s caffeinated. It’ll do.
1 - Danger, Will Robinson!
The only additional bit of complexity you should know about are pluses and minuses that I may (or may not) append to each number as needed.
Overall, I like my system quite a bit. It quickly signals to the reader whether a coffee or cafe is thumbs up (3 or 4) or thumbs down (1 or 2) and reflects a more nuanced system most of us are familiar with – a grade point average system (A/4, B/3, C/2, D/1). My system falls short of the complexity and nuance offered by the 100-point system used by those in the coffee industry. But then again, while that system may work well for a single cup of coffee, it can’t tell you much about an entire cafe.
That said, my rating system isn’t perfect for a cafe either. After all, what if the drip is good, but the espresso bad? What if the cafe offers a fantastic space, with only mediocre coffee? What about consumer choice and quality of service? My feeling is that these factors are where good old-fashioned words become important. As a qualitative researcher, I try to capture these elements in writing. If you’re in doubt, let me know in the comments. In the mean time, I’ll try to establish a more well-defined set of measures I tend to look for and how they factor into my overall decision.
Excellent rating system! I love it. But…have you found that coffee that you can rate a 4? I have, and that is why I’ve opened a coffee shop to sell it.
Thanks, and I love the site…Eric
Hi there,
I stumbled onto your site and found it most helpful. I started working at a cafe here in NYC about a year ago and before I knew it I was manning the espresso machine. I have since developed a love for coffee. My family lives down in Ecuador and I recently went down to visit them. Many people don’t know this but Ecuador has some AMAZING coffee. I had a couple meetings with the owners of a relatively new company and brought back samples. My goal is to spread the word and get Ecuador on the coffee map as well. Any suggestions? Maybe I can send you a couple samples and you can give me some feedback.
Thanks so much.
Regards,
Chris
A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted a study that reveals some serious critiques of the 100-point system used for wine, which is very similar to the system used professionally for coffee. While it wasn’t damning, it pointed to the fact that most judges displayed about 4 point margin of error in scores for the same wine. Not surprising, but certainly gives you pause when a few points often make or break a wine and can mean serious bragging rites for producers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703683804574533840282653628.html
Dear MSC,
I have been reading your blog for the last 2 years and really enjoyed it. I love the new format and your take on coffee.
I like to share some of our coffees with you and see how we rate…
Let me know where we can send you some samples.
Sincerely,
Fabrice