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It’s easy to forget what I’ve drank throughout the year, despite coffee being such a huge part of my life. Reflecting on what I bought and brewed in 2024 is a great way to remember, and to better understand how my tastes changed.

But first, it’s valuable to look further back. In 2022, I was big into Trade Coffee, trying different roasters offering “light” roasts. Often with sweet-adjacent tasting notes. I enjoyed a lot of it but I only had an inkling of the type of coffee I preferred.

In 2023, I narrowed down towards specific roasters offering lighter, more premium coffees. I learned more about the innerworkings of the industry, started to better understand my preference for washed coffees, and I continued to seek out sweet and bright flavors.

2024 has solidified my taste preferences and what I look for in coffee. I’ve niched out of dozens of roasters for one reason or another, but through this filtering, I’ve had my most consistently enjoyable cups.

As home brewers, disliking a coffee sometimes gets blamed on “brewing skill issue”, often that’s true, but it might just be that the coffee isn’t your preference.

Shoutout to Beanconqueror, it’s not a perfect app (the freezer implementation drives me a little crazy) but it makes doing all of this logging and tracking much easier.

If you’re interested, you can read 2023’s wrapped here.

top coffees

Like I said last year, it feels a bit silly to pick or rank top coffees because they’re each so different. And our brains like to play tricks; sometimes a great coffee from the beginning of the year grows exponentially in infamy. Anyway, here are some of my favorite beans and some honorable mentions. In no particular order… except the top one.

my favorites

• Aviary – 004 Lino Rodriguez, Pink Bourbon
• Sey – Ricardo Silva, Gesha
• Tim Wendelboe – Los Pirineos, Sudan Rume
• Moodtrap – Sin Limites, Costa Rica SL28
• Sey – Gildardo Lopez, Pink Borbon

honorable mentions

• Thankfully Coffee, Finca Soledad, Nebula Washed Mejorado
• Minmax, Karimikui AA
• S&W, Finca Cruz Loma, Mejorado
• Hydrangrea, Neja Fadil, Landrace
• H&S, Palestina, SL9

I will absolutely be keeping my eye out for these and other favorites in 2025.

gear & other notes

All of my filter coffee brewing was done with the Ode Gen 2, stock burrs. Overall, I found the cup profile really enjoyable. It offers a good bit of clarity and complexity but leans a little more blended, in a way that adds some body and perceived sweetness.

Some aspects started to grate on me, like the sound of the motor and some of the design choices; for example the catch cup, or how annoying it is to clean the chute. But overall, I would recommend this grinder.

With that being said, I have an exciting gear update on the horizon; a 2025 Zerno delivery with blind SSP MPv2s. I look forward to sharing my thoughts on the experience.

This was also the year of the Nextlevel Pulsar. Beanconqueror lists 312 brews; these days it’s pretty much my exclusive brewer. The consistency and taste profile really impressed me. The only thing I don’t like is the post-brew cleanup and how difficult it is to deep clean. I’d like to get back in practice with V60 or the Orea but it’s tough switch when I’m already dialed in on the Pulsar.

In espresso world, I probably brewed less in 2024, mainly because I was really enjoying my filter coffee. But when I did choose espresso, it was almost always turbo shots. The faster the better and usually around a 1:3.

This was also a big year for freezing coffee, including brewing a bag that was over 400 days old. You can read my multi-part journey here.

number of bags

This year I tried about 64 different bags of coffee. 12 were small samples, but even taking that into account, 52 is a nearly 41% increase compared to the 37 coffees I brewed in 2023. I’m not one to keep a bunch of old coffee bags around, but I did compile a montage of photos to look back on.

Now it’s time to dive into the data!

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digging into the data

origins

Once again, Colombia is the standout, with 10 more bags compared to the second place country, Ecuador. I hardly ever buy solely based on country, but it’s no secret that Colombia offers a huge variety of high quality coffee.

And speaking of Ecuador, I wouldn’t have guessed it would be in second place but I suppose all of the Pepe coffee adds up. Tied for third are Kenya and Ethiopia, which is fitting because those are two of my favorite origins.

Compared to last year, I had fewer coffees from Costa Rica, and Panama showed up four times compared to zero in 2023. Shoutout to pricey Geshas.

varieties

My most common variety was Gesha, although not my favorite (they tend to have highs and lows), followed by Pink Bourbon. Lat year, I said the PBs I tried were just okay… I was not buying the right ones! It’s easily my favorite variety this year.

SL28 (often alsongside SL34, Batian, and Ruiru 11) made many appearances. Which makes sense, I often seek out that variety. And tasting it grown outside of Kenya has been a fun experience too.

Finally, shoutout to Ethiopian Landrace (insert “always has been” meme), a broad category that packs some of the most impressive and delightful flavors.

It’s also worth noting that I tried several new-to-me varieties this year. Like Sudan Rume, Sidra, Chiroso, SL9, K7, and Mejorado (which ended up being a top variety for me, with around six bags). Coffee varieties aren’t monolithic, they vary a lot in flavor, but it’s exciting to experience new ones.

processing

I won’t even bother with a graph on this one. Of the dozens of coffees I bought, only three were not “washed”. My preference remains strong.

I don’t have anything against other processing methods, but I enjoy clean, complex coffees with high acidity; qualities most often found in washed coffee. I tend to avoid funky or one-note flavors that sometimes come from heavily-processed beans.

ultralights

This year is the first time I tried anything labeled “ultralight”, along with a few coffees that don’t use the moniker but could be considered in the category. I enjoyed most of these and I expect I’ll try more in 2025.

You can find my thoughts on the term here. TLDR; I’m fairly indifferent. It can help the consumer choose coffee they’ll enjoy but it also leads to some toxic, light roast superiority complex. “Light” and “dark” are relative and arbitrary. I enjoy what I like based on taste and the roaster’s approach.

flavor Notes

Similar to last year, I see a lot of sweet, citric, and fruity notes. Fruit, orange, blackberry, and peach standout. However floral (including hibiscus, jasmine, and rose) is much more prominent compared to last year.

Floral is a complicated flavor descriptor. I learned this year that despite its big reputation, it’s not my favorite attribute. I don’t usually enjoy more than the occasional cup from an intoxicatingly perfumed floral coffee. However, I do enjoy florals when they’re balanced with other flavors.

For me, acidity and sweetness still reign supreme.

roasters

This year I found what I like and stuck to it. And I said goodbye to some roasters who I used to enjoy but now find too developed. Tastes change and honestly, they aren’t the problem, I am. I’m looking for a different presentation of flavor now compared to 2022 and that’s okay.

Early 2024 featured a lot of Sey and Tim Wendelboe. Later bags were often Aviary, Minmax, and Hydrangea. With some H&S, September, and S&W sprinkled throughout.

Tim Wendelboe was my most bought roaster; 11 bags or about 17% of my coffee for the year. This is at least in part due to shipping costs, I usually get a three bag sub when I want TW.

Next is Sey at 7 bags; many of which I really enjoyed but others were fairly forgettable. Sey is easy to order often because of the sheer variety on offer.

The third highest at 6 bags is Hydrangea. I started and ended the year with them and I think their roasting and green selection stayed very strong. They also win best bag art.

Finally, there’s Aviary and Minmax. Two new roasters that made a big impression. I’ll definitely try more of both in 2025.

I also want to give a special mention to roasters who offer small bags. As an enthusiast. it’s great to try a wide variety of coffees. Small bags turn your home cafe into the best multi-roaster shop in town.

spending

Alright time for the damage report… In 2024 I spent around $1,123 on coffee. (excluding shipping) Which is… a lot. But honestly, not as much as I expected.

The average cost per bag is a bit misleading since sizes varied, but it’s around $23. Actually a really solid price for the quality of coffee I drank.

Average price per gram is more helpful, around 13 cents. Which makes my average price per cup (15g brews) $1.95. Again, I consider that a STEAL of a deal. Considering this quality of coffee costs $8-$15+ per cup at a cafe. And I’m biased, but it’s brewed better at home too.

My most expensive coffee per gram, was Moodtrap (big surprise, right?) at 33 cents, followed by fancy Geshas, around 26 to 27 cents per gram.

The best value was the Tim Wendelboe sub and Sey, about 8 to 11 cents per gram.

My overall spend is about a 44% increase from last year. For 2025 I’m already on the hook for $400 thanks to the Aviary sub, but I’d like to keep the annual spend at or around $1,000. Avoiding FOMO purchases, excessive shipping costs, and buying too much coffee should help. Along with more one-cup days or smaller doses (small Pulsar coming soon). But we’ll see how this goes in 12 months…

looking back and wrapping up

Posts like these often have an element of bragging, “Look at how many coffees I brewed” or “Look at all of these exclusive sold out beans I got”; but I try to use them to reflect and acknowledge how I’ve changed.

Coffee is such a deep well to explore and as home-enthusiasts, we’re often learning on our own, slowly, one brew at a time. Looking back fills me with fond memories of coffees I’ve almost forgotten, and helps me realize how much has changed.

In 2024 I learned that there is a lot of good coffee, but few great ones.

Learning more about brewing, how coffee is produced, and the industry, deepened my joy and understanding of the hobby.

But the most valuable thing to learn is your taste preference.

Learning to buy coffee you’re likely to enjoy will lead to more success than buying a new brewer or grinder ever could.

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