The Great Coffee Klatch: A Blind Taste Test of the Bay Area's Finest Coffees
Photography by Jen Siska
Four industry professionals—and one connoisseur—take a sip and a sniff of some of the Bay Area's finest coffees and declare a top dog.
San Francisco has always been a coffee town. Around 1900, one of the Hills brothers invented the vacuum tin here, drastically improving the freshness of beans. In 1966, Alfred Peet kicked off the coffee roasting movement in America from his little shop in Berkeley. After that though, SF coffee took a back seat to cities such as Seattle and Portland. But those days are over. Audacious roasters like Ritual, Four Barrel, and Blue Bottle have put the Bay Area back on the map, leading some critics to claim it may be America's new premier coffee capital.
But is there truly a best—or is everyone a winner? To find out, we pitted seven of the Bay Area's top roasters against each other in a blind taste test (with Peet's thrown in for fun). Aside from that one ringer, the results were very close. Turns out in the world of third-wave coffee, the competition is stiff.
We purchased from each roaster a Central American or Mexican coffee, all of which had been roasted in the past 10 days. Since I was participating as a judge, my wife transfered the beans into blank, numbered bags before the competition so no one, including myself, would know what was what. Coffees were prepared as they would be served in a cafe or home in Hario V-60s by Phillip Ma, the owner of the coffee-serious Mavelous Coffee & Wine Bar in Mid-Market. (That is to say, we didn't do a coffee industry cupping.) Each was prepared in the same manner. Our judges, minus myself, were coffee and food-industry heavyweights. We each rated the coffees on a scale of one to eight.
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| Shannon Amitin Owner of Farm:Table and roaster for Roast Coffee Co. Top Pick: Ecco and Sightglass (tie) |
Chris Cosentino Executive chef of Incanto and owner of Boccalone Top Pick: Ecco |
Jake Godby Pastry chef-owner of Humphry Slocombe Top Pick: Barefoot |
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| Matt Honan Coffee blogger, writer for 7x7 and more Top Pick: Sightglass |
Phillip Ma Owner of Mavelous Coffee & Wine Bar Top Pick: Sightglass |
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1. Sightglass El Salvador, Siberia Estate Surprise! Sightglass—which finally unveiled its full SoMa store and bar to the public in July—only began roasting in 2010. But it's already making some of the city's best beans. This coffee delighted every taster, winning more top scores than any other and just edging out second place. The coffee had a mellow flavor with a floral aroma. "I like the apricot notes, and it's low in tannins," said Cosentino. Amitin raved, "It's complex and sweet. It has a beautiful acidity and excellent body." |
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2. Ecco Long a bastion of sourcing and roasting, Ecco helped launch this whole third-wave trend. Although it's moving its operations from Santa Rosa to SF, and Andrew Barnett sold a controlling stake to Intelligentsia, one thing that hasn't changed is quality. Our judges spent more time talking about Ecco than any other. "This is the most intriguing coffee of the bunch," said Cosentino. "I keep going back to it again and again." "This is so good," Amitin said. "If you're a coffee geek, you would go for this." |
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3. Barefoot The San Jose roaster was a dark horse. It has a small cult following, but generally isn't considered in the same league as some of the others. Yet Barefoot made everyone yearn for an aroma kit to place its odd combination of flavors. Was that cinnamon? Rum? "It's like Christmas," claimed Godby. "It's perfect for apple pie," said Cosentino. Ma thought it had some umami hints and maybe a Cherry Coke quality. Cosentino had a different beverage in mind: "I swear I can smell Jägermeister!" |
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4. Four Barrel Since Jeremy Tooker left Ritual to start Four Barrel, the roastery has gone from back-alley kiosk to one of the nation's finest, and this coffee showed why. Although it placed right in the middle, everyone loved it. Both Amitin and Cosentino described it as having a bourbon-like flavor. "It has a nice finish and would pair well with food," raved Godby. Personally, I loved it—it was my second favorite of the bunch—and thought it was mellow and relaxing with a a sweet and buttery flavor. |
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5. Verve Verve, which is based in Santa Cruz, has an amazing reputation, both locally and nationally. But every roast is different, and our testers felt this coffee had been roasted a bit too much. Cosentino described it as "toasty." "As a flavor, I like it," said Amitin. "It's very earthy and strong. But the varietal characteristics are overwhelmed by roast flavor." Ma had the opposite take though, calling it complex, sweet, and floral, while Godby thought it was simple in a good way, claiming that his mom "would really like it." |
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6. Ritual The line outside of Eileen Hassi's Ritual Roasters on Valencia Street is always out the door, and with good reason: It sources some of the highest quality beans, roasts them with artistry and precision, and prepares them with care. This one, however, didn't amaze anyone. "I find it bright and punchy, but I don't have too much to say about it," noted Godby. This writer found that it was solid but just not that interesting. It wasn't bad at all, but there was nothing really special or distinctive. |
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7. Blue Bottle Blue Bottle, owned by James Freeman, truly put SF coffee on the map. Its locations at Mint Plaza and Ferry Plaza are highlights of the city. Blue Bottle has expanded to New York too. Nonetheless, this Chiapas coffee didn't score well. While we found it pleasant, it didn't wow anyone. "It's a nice lovely coffee," said Godby, "but not terribly complex." For the rest of the group, it largely failed to make an impression, either good or bad. Amitin described it as "flat." Ma was a little more blunt, labeling it straight-up "boring." |
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8. Peet's The next time you think of buying a coffee from Peet's, keep in mind that this bag of single-origin beans cost as much as the other coffees. Yet it had every bit of flavor roasted out of it. Our judges didn't dislike it—they hated it. "I am not a fan," said Godby, who likened it to being "clobbered over the head." Cosentino was kinder, comparing it to being caught in campfire smoke. But everyone agreed: Anything special that there might have been had gone up in flames. |
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By on February 16, 2012
Peet's is not owned by starbucks....
By on December 10, 2011
@Annie.
What an annoying thing to point out.
There are also no old people or children, no doctors or teachers, or people without tattoos on the panel. Who cares.
By on October 25, 2011
While I agree that Sightglass and the others are better than Peet's, to say that they are about the same price is just wrong. Four Barrel, Barefoot, Sightglass all have their less expensive beans in the $18 for 12oz range... that means about $24 per pound. Including prices would have been a smart idea (you know, after the fact checking and stuff).
By on September 06, 2011
Philz does not roast their own coffees. They flavor them. Their coffee is from Americas Best and is literally creamed with heavy whipping cream. This is a local roaster test
By on September 06, 2011
It's rather disappointing to find Peets which over roasts the bean on the list and NOT see FREED,TELLER,FREED since 1899 on it. This family owned firm's French Roast is the best period. They shuttered the main store which had been on Polk Street since 1907 and offer everything online from south city. It's an in the know gem which as it's not served from a food truck may have passed your notice. Amazing Santa Rosa Plum jam too.
By on September 03, 2011
How about a) a blind tasting of dark roasts b) more women or an all female panel and c) getting facts straight. Peet's is a publicly traded company , NOT owned by Starbucks. That would have been a very simple fact check.
By on September 03, 2011
I work in San Jose and frequently stop at Barefoot on the way. Their cappuccinos are excellent as are their beans. I find their beans a bit more acidic than Ritual and Blue Bottle, but when paired with milk their coffee tastes just right. Perhaps the reason they are considered a dark horse is that they are located in decidedly uncool (to San Franciscans) Santa Clara?
By on September 02, 2011
This Peetnik says you lost all credibility when you reported in your print edition that Peet's is owned by Starbucks. You didn't say Peet's is in talks to be acquired by Starbucks (it isn't - and wasn't, even back in March when the rumor started circulating) - you said it was OWNED by Starbucks. If you can't get even a fact that basic straight, I'm inclined to believe you can't run a blind taste test either.
By on September 02, 2011
I agree with Thingfish. Adding Peet's in that group doesn't make sense. Dark, medium, and light roast coffees each have their own distinct flavor profiles. It doesn't mean one is better than the other. The distinction must be clear when you compare them together in a "blind" test.
By on September 01, 2011
I love all the artisan roasters on this list, but am tired of Barefoot always being a "surprise". They have won many-a-blind-tasting and it's always a surprise in the announcement. Instead of getting credit for consistently sourcing and roasting since 2003, always with the same high standards it's a begrudging admission. I LOVE ritual, fourbarrel, sightglass, and ecco-intelli, and verve. They always do a great job and deserve credit for it. I'm disappointed after all those years and multiple wins, that it's still a surprise, and they are still not in league with these mostly newer roasters.
By on September 01, 2011
These are all fantastic, but you are seriously missing out if you've never had a Barefoot cappuccino.
By on September 01, 2011
where do you get ecco finca la tina beans?
By on September 01, 2011
Including Peet's in this comparative review is unfair at best and disingenuous at least. When 7x7 advertised for judges for this review it specified no industry professionals (and presumably, their bias) would be accepted. Also, this test is classic apples/oranges. Viogner/Zinfadel. Pilsner/Stout. The third wave, however hip it may be, roasts to such a light degree that I find it astringent and sharp. Peet's is deep roasted, full bodied and rich.
Both have their place in this wonderfully coffee rich city, but c'mon kids, show some respect. You may have well as thrown Folgers in as your "ringer".
By on August 31, 2011
Wow! so many Coffee's in the bay area. This reminds me of the Micro Brew Revolution from the 80's and 90's in the Pacific North West.
By on August 31, 2011
Great article. Gutsy move putting Peet's in the running after how many people didn't understand that Chipotle was a ringer in the burrito test. I think this will be better received though. Peet's took a pretty thorough beating.
I'd be interested to see how Philz would have done in the taste test, but I understand why it's not on the list. I mean, I'm a big fan of having heavy cream and brown sugar in my coffee, but I can see why serious coffee drinkers would scoff.
By on August 31, 2011
I don't understand all this nuvo coffee culture. I own a Pavoni hand press espresso machine, and I have been pretty satisfied with Melanios on Ocean Ave. for years. He has an Italian roast blend of 11 different beans. 11 bucks for 14 oz. I recently purchased some four barrel out of curiosity and the espresso doesn't taste really like espresso to me. Its certainly super fresh so fresh I have to adjust my grinder. It just has a weird sweetness from lack of complete roasting. I don't understand the hype. This stuff is 14 bucks for 12 oz. Are you coffee snobs telling me that north beach is putting out shitty coffee after pretty much inventing the stuff 100 years ago. I would love some input.
Mike
By on August 31, 2011
No Peerless Coffee? They are excellent and have been roasting coffee in Oakland since 1924.
By on August 31, 2011
Surprised that Equator Coffees in San Rafael is not on the list..... Also, in a rating/tasting like this the coffee used should been roasted in the past couple of days, not in the past 10 days.
By on August 31, 2011
This is no surprise to me. Sightglass is hands down the best coffee. Stopped me dead in my tracks this first time I had it! (And @Annie, I'm a woman... :)
By on August 31, 2011
Love the black and white photograph. Went to the photographer's website—some nice work there!
By on August 31, 2011
The people who want Phil'z and Martha's on the list are grungy hippies.
By on August 31, 2011
So to the people asking why Phil'z and Martha's were not included? Simple and blunt answer. They aren't in the same league. Having had numerous coffees from each of the roaster's listed in this article (though not Peet's any more as their quality tanked when they went large scale)I can say that they are all of quality. Most of these guys source their own beans, have single origin and sometimes micro-lot offerings, and (unlike Philz) do not require the addition of sugar to move their product as the coffee speaks for itself in quality.
By on August 31, 2011
Sorry, Philz is more show than coffee. A) they're all blends for a reason -- sourcing cheaper beans allows you to combine them to make an ok coffee, B) dark roasting covers lots of defects in green coffee and C) what's with the pouring back and forth from cup to cup?! Just give me MY coffee and let me put the cream in IF I so desire (personally, I take coffee black, but think it's still stupid for them to offer to pour the cream).
My favorite -- Ecco, and Sightglass has been doing some wonderful things lately. Andrew Barnett is a talented genius when it comes to finding the right roast point for a coffee. I've never had a coffee that is so delicately roasted, just past the grassy stage and into the hazelnutty flavor.
By on August 31, 2011
Where's Phil?
Having only tasted a few of these, but knowing Philz is better than Blue Bottle, Ritual, Four Barrel and Peet's, I'll put him at #4 and trust y'all on the others until further notice.
By on August 31, 2011
7X7 (print edition) claimed Starbucks had acquired Peet's.
A bit of fact checking revealed that that acquisition was
rumored in March 2011 but so far, has not been consummated.
By on August 31, 2011
Hola Belen,
This article came out this morning, just after you left!
Per our discussion about Mexican Cartels, Costa Rican coffee and Café Milagro.
¡Felices viajes!
John
By on August 31, 2011
Correction before I get reammed:: I meant the coffee blogger/writer guy. Yeah. But that could also be me being cynical at 7AM.
By on August 31, 2011
It scares me and yet makes me so happy that that editor guy who was part of the tastings, is so awesomely nuovo-nerdy. I just made up that term I think.. and why it scares me is this:: I work in events. Unlike a major list of d-bags in this town, I don't have a big head or attitude about it. But if the editors are nerdy or have always been nerds, it scares me to think that they will take it out on us cool kids. Ooh and check out Bicycle Coffee Co. Those kids and are legit and are my homies. They only deliver to offices and very limited cafes/retail outlets such as Sugar Cafe, Rainbow, and select SF/Oakland Whole Foods.
By on August 31, 2011
here's the coffee line up in SF
By on August 30, 2011
I want to see Martha's and others in another round of tests. I'm sure there are plenty more worthy contenders (and women judges). Thanks
By on August 30, 2011
Looking forward to trying the ones I haven't yet. I wonder where Martha Brothers would place? I love their French Roast.
By on August 30, 2011
Annie, the truth of it is we had two female sommeliers lined up to do this and they couldn't at the last minute. So we had to go with the male perspective. I tried!
Sara (editor)
By on August 30, 2011
It spells Guatemala, not Guatamala. Nice article.
By on August 30, 2011
Oh thank god, agreement that Peets is awful!
By on August 30, 2011
Out of curiosity, why were no women included in this taste test?
By on August 30, 2011
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