How we calculate scores

Most coffee shop ratings on the internet are clouded by ambiance, flavored drinks, matcha and pastries. Curata scores what's most important to coffee lovers: the quality of the cup itself.

We assign shops a score of 0 to 100 based on the information available to us. Here's what the numbers mean:

1. Below 60

   Mixed feedback

   Signals are mixed so far

2. 60-69

   Good

   Solid coffee

3. 70-79

   Very good

   Reliably good coffee

4. 80-89

   Great

   Excellent coffee, carefully made

5. 90+

   Exceptional

   Standout coffee, consistently

Scores marked Best Guess have less evidence behind them so far, and they'll firm up as more Curators weigh in.

No shop can pay for a score, a ranking or a better summary, and owners and staff can't rate their own shop. We'll get some wrong, especially in a new city when we have less information. If you think we did, rate your visit.

What we look at

We cut through the non-coffee clutter and weigh four things, based on what we can find about each shop:

1. Roasting and sourcing: where the beans come from, who roasts them, and the shop's expertise and transparency about both.
2. Preparation: how the coffee is actually made: extraction quality and care in preparation. If this isn't good, nothing else matters.
3. The vibe: the room, the staff and the visit. If you're going to visit a shop in person, the experience matters, but we count it less than the cup: a lovely room doesn't rescue a bad shot.
4. Consistency over time: whether the coffee is as good on your fifth visit as on your first, so you know what to expect.

How your coffee tastes really comes down to the first two: how the beans are roasted and how your coffee is prepared.

What can hold a score down

Reports that the coffee, the experience or the consistency miss the mark can lower a score. When we don't yet have enough evidence to judge a shop's consistency, we assume it's average, and its page says so.

When we don't have enough information

Some shops don't have much to go on yet. Missing information just means we know less, not that a shop is worse. When we don't have much to go on, we say so, labeling those shops with a Best Guess tag. Shops we know almost nothing about start around 60 until we learn more. The score moves as we learn, so let us know if we got it wrong!

Where you come in

Every score starts as our best estimate from what we can find online. We've found it to be a great start, but it's definitely not the final word. Your ratings feed the score, and we read every flag you send about a shop we got wrong.

Own or work at a shop?

Visit our For shop owners page.