Specialty coffee by the numbers: what 124 coffees from independent roasters tell us
Patterns in roast, origin, processing and flavor across our whole collection. About a five-minute read.
Across 124 coffees from 30 independent roasters, 96% of light roasts list fruit notes, compared with 42% of dark roasts. Colombia and Ethiopia appear in 41% of the coffees, about 1 in 5 coffees with a published process use an experimental method like anaerobic fermentation, and 35% of listings don’t say how dark the coffee is roasted.
Every coffee on this site has the same set of facts recorded: who roasted it, where it was grown, how it was processed, how dark it's roasted and the tasting notes the roaster gives it. Put 124 of those side by side and some clear patterns show up.
These numbers describe the 124 coffees from 30 independent roasters in our collection as of October 20, 2026. It's a curated set, not the whole coffee market, but it's a useful look at what small roasters are actually selling and how they describe it.
What's in the collection
Of the 124 coffees, 96 (77%) come from a single country and 20 (16%) are blends of coffee from two or more countries. The other 8 don't publish an origin.
Colombia and Ethiopia dominate. One or both appear in 51 of the 124 coffees (41%).
| Origin | Coffees |
|---|---|
| Colombia | 31 |
| Ethiopia | 29 |
| Hawaii (Kona) | 15 |
| Honduras | 13 |
| Nicaragua | 9 |
| Brazil | 7 |
| Peru | 7 |
| Guatemala | 5 |
| Costa Rica, Kenya, Mexico | 4 each |
A blend counts once for each country in it, so the column adds up to more than 124. All 15 Kona coffees come from one farm, Hula Daddy, so Hawaii's spot says more about our collection than about the market.
Lighter roasts are described as fruitier
We grouped every tasting note into flavor families and compared roast levels. The pattern is strong: 96% of light and medium-light roasts list a fruit note, compared with 42% of medium-dark and dark roasts. Chocolate goes the other way.
| Roast level | Coffees | Fruit notes | Chocolate notes | Floral notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light and medium-light | 27 | 96% | 33% | 48% |
| Medium | 34 | 76% | 65% | 12% |
| Medium-dark and dark | 19 | 42% | 58% | 11% |
Floral notes almost disappear as roasts get darker: about half of light roasts mention one, against roughly 1 in 10 medium and dark roasts. If you want jasmine, bergamot or tea-like flavors, a light roast is where to look. If you want chocolate, a medium roast is the safest bet.
Origin matters too
The 16 coffees from Ethiopia alone are the most fruit-and-flower-forward group in the collection: 88% list a fruit note and 63% list a floral one, while 38% mention chocolate. The 19 coffees from Colombia alone lean more toward the middle, with 79% listing fruit and 47% listing chocolate.
How the coffees were processed
92 of the coffees publish a processing method. Washed coffees are the most common, but newer fermentation methods are now a real share of what small roasters sell.
| Process | Coffees | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Washed | 46 | 50% |
| Natural | 21 | 23% |
| Co-fermented or infused | 10 | 11% |
| Anaerobic and other experimental methods | 9 | 10% |
| Mix of washed and natural | 3 | 3% |
| Decaf method only | 2 | 2% |
| Honey | 1 | 1% |
About 1 in 5 (19 of 92) use an experimental method such as anaerobic fermentation, co-fermentation with fruit or spice, or thermal shock. Naturals are described as fruitier than washed coffees: 86% list a fruit note, compared with 70% of washed coffees.
The most common tasting notes
Across the 120 coffees that publish tasting notes, 73% include at least one fruit note and 48% mention chocolate in some form. The single most common note is citrus, listed on 16 coffees, followed by chocolate (13), milk chocolate (12), caramel (11), floral (10), cocoa (9), dark chocolate (9), peach (8) and honey (8).
What roasters often leave out
Even among good independent roasters, some basics are missing. 44 of the 124 listings (35%) don't publish a roast level, and 32 (26%) don't say how the coffee was processed. If either matters to you, check the roaster's page or ask them before you buy.
How we counted
The data comes from each roaster's own product listing, recorded on that coffee's page on this site and checked in October 2026. Tasting notes are the roaster's, not ours. We sorted notes into families by keyword: fruit includes any fruit or berry, chocolate includes chocolate, cocoa and cacao, and floral includes flowers, bergamot and tea-like notes. Percentages are rounded and only count coffees that publish the detail being compared. Most groups are small, so treat them as patterns, not rules. We'll update these numbers as the collection grows.
Data: the Only the Best Coffees collection as of October 20, 2026, compiled from each roaster’s product listing. Browse all the coffees.