What I learned from trying dozens of single-origin coffees
After trying 63 different coffees, here is what I learned about my preferences and how I tracked them.
Written by: Charlie Murphy
I started tracking coffee to remember which bags were worth buying again. By July 2026, my journal held 84 reviews from 63 coffees, mostly single-origin coffees with light or medium roasts and natural or honey processing method. While almost all were enjoyable, I am slightly disappointed to say that most tasted about the same to me. Only about 10–15% felt truly distinctive.
How I tracked coffees
I’ve tried various methods to remember which coffees I tried. My first approach was an Excel spreadsheet, but it became tedious to update. I then tried adding notes to photos in my iOS photo library, but they get lost in my many photos. Finally, I built Memolli. I wanted something that is private, visual, and easy to update. I can add a coffee review in under 30 seconds, and I can see all my past reviews at a glance. Each coffee review includes a photo of the bag, the roaster, tasting notes, and a rating out of five stars. For example, Pantan Sinaku by Dune Coffee Roasters received 5/5, with Cherry, Milk Chocolate, and Malt tags. That was enough to leave me a useful reminder.
Most coffees were good, but few felt unique
The image below shows the distribution of my coffee ratings for the 63 coffees. My average rating was 3.67 stars out of 5. Most were pleasant; only a few stood out enough that I wanted to buy them again. One example was Ethiopia SCFCU from Gimme! Coffee, which I initially rated 5 stars because it had a very unique blueberry muffin aroma to it… but after buying it again I could not replicate that original tasting.
What flavors I liked most
I tagged each coffee with tasting notes, and I noticed that some flavors tended to get higher ratings. Fruity led at 4.39 stars out of 5 across 12 coffees, followed by Milk Chocolate at 4.01 stars out of 5 across 27. The figure below plots this data.
The full coffee journal
Below are reviews for all 63 coffees I tried. Search the table by coffee, roaster, or tasting note.
The 63 coffees I tried
From 84 review entries with an average rating of 3.67 out of 5 stars.
Showing all 63 coffees
| Photo | Coffee | Average rating | Roaster or source | Tasting notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Bookkisa | 5.0 | Small Planes Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Brazil | 4.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Brazil Ipe Amarelo | 3.0 | Broadcast Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Brazil Minas Gerais | 3.5 | Doma Coffee Roasting Company (opens in a new tab) | Not recorded |
 | Buena Vista Natural | 2.5 | 8&R Coffee Co. (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Burundi | 5.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Burundi Kibingo | 3.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Burundi Ngozi Highlands | 2.0 | Gimme! Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Cajamarca | 4.0 | Blueprint Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Co-optiva | 3.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Colombia | 4.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Colombia familia calambas | 3.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Colombia Nayler Reatiga | 4.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Debensa | 4.0 | Steady State (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Del sol | 4.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | El Pedregal | 4.0 | Kaffebrenneriet dept (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Ethiopia - Bookkisa | 4.0 | dae day coffee (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Ethiopia Anderacha | 3.0 | Methodical Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | ETHIOPIA HARO BEDESSA | 3.0 | PERC (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Ethiopia Natural | 3.0 | Wonderstate Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Ethiopia Qunquana Honey | 4.13 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Ethiopia Sawana | 5.0 | Perc (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Ethiopia SCFCU | 3.83 | Gimme! Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Ethiopia Worka | 4.0 | Red Rooster Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Fresh Perspective | 3.0 | Greater Goods Coffee Company (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Ghost Town | 3.0 | Partners Coffee Roasters (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Guatemala - Juana Escobar Gaspar | 4.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Guatemala Colibri | 4.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Guatemala Guaya'b | 3.0 | Gimme! Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Guatemala Mountain of Flowers | 5.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | happy coffee | 4.0 | happy coffee (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Haro Wachu | 5.0 | Blueprint Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
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 | iced cappuccino | 4.0 | Ristretto Cafe |
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 | India pearl mountain | 5.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Kawo Kamina | 3.0 | Blueprint Coffee - Washington Ave (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Kenya AA Embu Nyeriville | 3.0 | Porto Rico Importing Co. (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Kenya Kabngetuny | 3.0 | Gimme! Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Kenya Kericho Highlands | 3.0 | Gimme! Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Kenya Kericho Highlands | 2.0 | Gimme! Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Kochere Natural | 4.5 | Airship Coffee Roasters (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Kulaktik | 4.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | La Reina #11 | 4.0 | Kaffebrenneriet dept (opens in a new tab) |
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 | light roast dripped coffee | 4.5 | Coffee TAB (opens in a new tab) | Not recorded |
 | Mexico Triunfo Verde | 4.0 | Gimme! Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Mexico Typica Natural | 5.0 | Kaka'ako Farmers Market (opens in a new tab) |
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 | ORGANIC FT MEXICAN HG EP | 3.5 | Porto Rico Importing Co. (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Organic FT Vienna Mexican HG EP | 3.0 | Porto Rico Importing Co. (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Pantan Sinaku | 5.0 | Dune Coffee Roasters (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Pearl Mountain - Peaberry | 3.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Peru | 4.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | PERU | 2.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Peru Sol y Café | 4.0 | Gimme! Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Rambagirakawa Washed | 2.0 | Huckleberry Roasters (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Santa Ana | 5.0 | Bird Rock Coffee Roasters (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Session coffee | 3.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Space Cowboy | 4.0 | Sightseer Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Sprout | 4.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Sumatra | 4.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Sumatra Gayo Highlands | 2.0 | Gimme! Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Sun dried natural | ethiopia guji | 4.5 | Equator Coffees (opens in a new tab) |
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 | There and Back Again | 4.0 | Stone Creek Coffee (opens in a new tab) |
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 | Velo | 2.0 | Colectivo (opens in a new tab) |
|
 | Wild Forest Coffee | 4.5 | Devoción (opens in a new tab) |
|
Limitations and what I am drinking now
My technique and palate are obvious limitations. I did not control grind size, freshness, or brewing temperature methodically, and I usually make coffee while still tired. So I may not have been able to detect all the potential favors in a coffee. Even so, I think some coffee bag descriptions were pushing the boundaries (e.g. one bag claimed to have “notes of blueberry reduction, sugared lime grape candy, fluffy cocoa”).
Since writing this post in July, I decided to take a break from single origin coffees. I’ve been drinking instant coffee instead, which I get a different sort of satisfaction from it: it only cost $15 and lasts me about two months. The value for money is satisfying. Compared to the $20–$30 for each single-origin bag… which most end up tasting similar to me.
Keep your own coffee journal
A photo, a rating, and a few words are enough to start remembering your favorites.
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