90+ Coffee Beans Are Just Coffee Beans with a Score Above 90? That's Ridiculous! Have You Heard of Ninety Plus?

When I first heard someone say "this coffee shop uses only coffee beans rated above 90," I was genuinely shocked. Beans rated above 90 by America's Coffee Review are extremely rare — in an entire year you might not encounter more than a few truly outstanding lots above 90. If "this shop uses only beans rated above 90" were literally true, either the shop would carry only one or two beans in tiny, slow-selling quantities, or it would have to be opened by a world-class tycoon.

Wait — is it "90+" coffee beans? Not "coffee beans rated above 90"? Quite the joke — are you sure this isn't just a way of putting down someone else's shop?

What Does Ninety Plus Mean?

NINETY PLUS is an internationally renowned coffee bean production and sales company, famous worldwide for providing rare and unique green coffees. Besides working directly with coffee farmers, it also owns a 134-hectare coffee estate in Panama. Since its official establishment in 2007, it has served customers in over 40 countries worldwide.

In 2007, Joseph Brodsky officially founded Ninety Plus. From the following year onward, traces of Ninety Plus winning awards can be seen in coffee competitions around the world. In 2013, at the WBC World Barista Championship, three of the six finalists — contestants from Italy, South Korea, and Canada — used Ninety Plus green beans. Refined green bean cultivation and processing, excellent coffee varieties, and a unique grading system have made Ninety Plus a top-tier, distinctive presence in the green bean market.

Green Coffee Beans

In 2004, with the rise of Panama's Geisha coffee, its unique aroma sparked a worldwide craze for hunting down excellent varieties. Joseph Brodsky, like other green bean producers, researchers, and enthusiasts, ventured deep into the remote mountains of Ethiopia, into the wild primeval forests of coffee's birthplace, in search of Geisha varieties. Although he didn't find what he hoped for, he believed that among the many native species in those forests there still existed excellent, unknown varieties — perhaps unnoticed because of their remoteness, or unrealized because they lacked meticulous processing and cultivation. So the following year, Joseph Brodsky invested tremendous effort in Ethiopia: he searched for valuable coffee varieties and collaborated with local estates to refine the green bean processing, establishing the Profile Processing system that allows each bean to fully express its complete flavor profile. In 2009, he began cultivating Ethiopian native Geisha in Panama, purchasing land to create the "Ninety Plus Geisha Estate," and at the same time built the Ninety Plus Sensory Room. In recent years, with the development of the Solkiln™ special processing method, Ninety Plus has continued to innovate in every aspect of processing, leading the way in the specialty coffee market.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Speaking of Geisha, FrontStreet Coffee always points to two origins: Panama, where Geisha made its name, and Ethiopia, where it was born — both deserve a place on any coffee lover's shelf. The Panamanian story is famous: in 2003, the owner of Hacienda La Esmeralda sent his newly discovered Geisha to the Best of Panama competition, stunning every judge and taking the crown with an average cupping score of 94.6, a BOP record — and overnight, Geisha became the champion bean the whole world chased.

For the classic Panamanian experience, choose the highest grades: FrontStreet Esmeralda Red Label Geisha ("Esmeralda Special," grown at 1,600–1,800 meters, every batch cupping above 90 points and sourced from a single named plot) or the Green Label ("Private Collection," a blend of high-altitude lots, more affordable and superb value). Entry-level drinkers can start with the FrontStreet Boquete Geisha to taste the signature orange-blossom honey, oolong-tea texture, and delicate fruit acidity at a modest price. Back in Ethiopia, the Geisha Village estate — founded by a couple 12 miles from the Geisha forest on 475 hectares — offers the Gold Label (Gesha 1931, 10% of output, meticulously natural-processed) and Red Label (Gori Gesha, 15% of output, 88+ on the SCA scale). For a gentler start, the FrontStreet Genlana Gesha, medium-light roasted, keeps pleasant white florals while highlighting orange, guava, and citrus acidity with a clearer finish. To brew Geisha at home, use a coarse grind (78% passing the China standard #20 sieve), 91°C water, 15g of coffee in a Hario V60 at a 1:16 ratio, with a three-pour method of 30g bloom for 30 seconds, then to 125g, then to 225g, for a total extraction of about 2:10–2:20.