Good Cup is an independent specialty coffee guide & rating: a map, city guides and a rating of cafés on four levels — Outstanding, Excellent, Solid Specialty and Entry Specialty.
From evidence about the coffee and the people who make it: the baristas and their championship results, the roasters a café pours, the farms and lots on the menu, the brewing and the equipment. In our November 2026 data, 94 % of the cafés we rate Outstanding have a barista with a championship title on the team.
A café shows its level once we have fully analysed its city. As of 10 November 2026, the fully analysed cities include London, New York, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Prague, Barcelona, Lisbon and Warsaw. The full, up-to-date list is on City Guides.
For us, it starts with the people behind the coffee cup — the farmers and producers who grow the coffee, those who roast it, and those who prepare the cup. Then comes the coffee itself, followed by the equipment. That is the idea behind Good Cup.
From growing and processing to roasting and brewing, a good cup carries the work of many people. We want to know their craft, experience and achievements.
Farms & producersOrigin, variety, processing and the producer’s work all shape the coffee. We connect that journey to what you find in a café.
Explore originsThe tools behind the bar are part of the picture, alongside the people using them and the coffee they are brewing.
Explore brewingOur levels bring together evidence about the people, coffee, roasters and equipment behind a café. Each level can be reached through different combinations of strengths.
Several exceptional strengths, together.
Qualifying strengths can include
A strong combination of proven strengths.
Qualifying strengths can include
Strength across at least two areas.
Evidence in any two of these four areas
A supported specialty-coffee foundation.
A clear specialty signal, backed by reliable evidence
Not rated yet — no published level. Explore the café’s profile and the information available.
We look at a broad range of criteria, from the people behind the cup to the coffee, roasters and equipment. Every rating is based on the information we can support.
Payment and paid partnerships do not improve a café’s level. The same criteria apply to every café.
Our criteria were shaped by extensive interviews with leading baristas, café and restaurant owners, and devoted specialty coffee lovers. We asked what matters in a great cup and how they choose where to drink — at home and when travelling.
We aim to be as fair and accurate as possible, make our criteria clear, and welcome corrections to the facts. A rating helps you explore; your own taste makes the final choice.
For people who know the value of an exceptional cup — and the care, skill and work it takes to make one.
No. We do not average star ratings. Guests’ reviews are one of many things we read, for what they say about the coffee; a level comes from evidence about the coffee and the people behind it.
No. Cafés and roasters cannot pay to be listed or to be rated higher.
No. Good Cup sells no coffee, cups or equipment. Good Cup is a specialty coffee guide & rating.
Good coffee is worth exploring.