What is Ninety Plus Brand? What is 90+ Coffee? Which Coffee Brand is Best?

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Do You Know the Difference Between Regular Coffee Beans and 90+ Coffee Beans?

What exactly are 90+ coffee beans?

Just as Dove can only be called candy with chocolate flavor, and instant coffee is only worthy of being called a soft drink with coffee flavor. 90+ coffee beans are the ultimate symbol of honor in the coffee world.

"90+" refers to a top-tier coffee series with 13 flavor profiles. Sometimes they originate from different estates, each possessing various flavor characteristics. During processing, coffee makers separate these coffees by variety, climate, and harvest timing, tasting each one individually. They are like works of art approaching perfection, with coffee makers pouring their hearts into making them achieve optimal taste, presented in their most perfect form.

"90+"'s pursuit of ultimate flavor is truly admirable. Their sustainable development model and environmentally friendly practices are also learning goals for many coffee producers. Since the company's founding in 2006, this young company has made the global coffee industry recognize them in just a few years. The coffee series that debuted in 2007 was immediately regarded by coffee connoisseurs as a precious selection.

90+ beans take a completely different approach to naming compared to regular specialty beans. First, unlike regular beans, their names don't include region and estate information. Each bean is named according to its flavor profile. For example, the famous Nekisse's original meaning comes from the nectar of Shakisso. 90+ naming typically starts with a flavor concept, then the naming, followed by selection of regions and partner farms. This differs significantly from regular specialty beans and represents a boutique-style brand.

1. All Coffee Cupping Scores Must Exceed 90 Points

This is also the origin of 90+ company's name. Every bean is carefully selected, achieving super, super, super high scores of 90+ in SCAA cupping (important things are said three times nowadays). But what value does an SCAA 90-point score have?

Let's look at SCAA's definition: Coffee beans below 80 points are below specialty grade. 80-85 point coffee beans are described as: very good - specialty grade - general specialty coffee grade, already quite good to drink. 85-90 point coffee beans are described as: excellent - specialty origin - premium grade - quite impressive specialty coffee beans, many COE competition (Cup of Excellence) top five coffee beans fall in this grade. 90-100 point coffee beans are described as: outstanding - specialty rare - supreme grade - the terrifying 90+ company's products fall in this grade... every bean exceeds 90 points, even reaching the brilliant historical record of 97 points.

Many COE champion estates have even lower scores, and high scores are definitely not achieved casually. Whether it's green bean varieties, origin, climate, cultivation methods, green bean processing methods, etc., all have 90+ company's unique insistence, thus extending 90+'s independent production system - Profile Processing.

2. Exclusive Production System - Profile Processing

If you've read the previous article about SCAA's definition of specialty coffee, you'd know that specialty coffee processes are long and complex, requiring the persistence of many people to create a cup of specialty coffee. But in reality, the interaction between various processes isn't smooth, and in the past might even have been disconnected. For example: green bean merchants only care about selecting and purchasing good green coffee beans, not concerned with how coffee farmers grow them or indifferent to processing techniques. As long as the final cupping is good, they buy, without much concern. This is actually quite reasonable. Imagine: if you're a wholesale watermelon merchant, would you care how farmers grow watermelons? You'd be managing too broadly.

But this logic might work for bulk commodities, directly delivered to the market economy, where good products can always be found. However, as coffee gradually moves toward high-priced specialty markets, 90+ took the lead in establishing their own green bean production system - Profile Processing.

Profile Processing, simply put, extends the management scope upstream, managing everything from coffee farmer cultivation varieties, origins, climate, cultivation methods, harvesting, processing methods... everything, allowing them to produce exceptionally high-quality coffee beans according to their preferences.

The concept sounds simple, but execution is extremely difficult. After all, agricultural cultivation is a black box, with thousands of variables from which to start, making it difficult to summarize.

When 90+ company first started, they only selected the most outstanding coffee cherries from various Ethiopian coffee farmers, starting with processing methods, applying the most refined processing to existing good beans, thus creating the initially famous 90+ representative beans: Aricha and Beloya. But even these experimental results were astonishing, with incredibly rich fruit flavors and high quality that shocked the specialty coffee circle. Then came selecting potential coffee farmers, providing ideal flavor feedback based on current coffee beans to farmers and processing plants, conducting process reengineering, gradually correcting samples to 90+'s originally set flavors through scientific management, but of course still carefully selecting those that best match the settings before production. (Essentially scientific experiments) How many crazy experiments and failed samples were involved in this process is unknown, but the extremely small quantities available for sale indeed withstand 90+'s high scores, can be called the cream of the specialty crop.

The reason Profile Processing system is remarkable lies in掌握ing control over flavor expression technology, thus being able to plan and set the highest standards, surpassing the luck-based selection and purchasing methods of regular green bean merchants. Exceeding quality standards is not luck, but the average level, which is also the core value that 90+ company consistently upholds.

It's imaginable that as time goes on, as 90+ coffee beans accumulate more experimental data, the flavor potential of the beans may be limitless.

3. Creating Their Own Coffee Estate: Ninety Plus Gesha Estate

Although green bean merchants funding estates isn't new, 90+ was unprecedented in making such a bold move in Panama, acquiring entire farmland to start growing coffee trees from scratch. Moreover, Ninety Plus Gesha Estate (hereinafter referred to as NPGE Estate) grows only the precious Gesha variety (can also be called Geisha, no substantial difference).

This decision traces back to 90+'s founder and CEO: Joseph Brodsky.

Starting in 2004, when Panama La Esmeralda's Geisha variety green beans bravely won the Panama Cupping Competition championship, they swept various competitions, making coffee lovers worldwide crazy about Geisha, and Joseph Brodsky was one of those "poisoned" by it. This poisoned Joseph also went to Ethiopia searching for ancient excellent coffee varieties better than Geisha (or the Holy Grail). Although his luck wasn't great and he couldn't find them, he discovered Aricha and Beloya, delivering a shockwave to the specialty coffee circle. But since he couldn't find better coffee varieties, he decided to make the current best variety so good it couldn't be better! Therefore, in 2009, 90+ established NPGE Estate in Panama, planting only the most powerful Geisha coffee. Within NPGE Estate, they set up the Ninety Plus Sensory Room (NP Sensory Laboratory) and Solar Kiln laboratory (conducting SK processing), as well as various new research different from regular green bean processing like Red processing, Ruby processing, etc.

It's imaginable that NPGE is 90+'s largest experimental farm, using the best varieties for experiments is thoroughly satisfying, executing Profile Processing system to the fullest. After several years of cultivation results, the powerful experimental team launched five Geisha coffees from NPGE: Lycello, Perci, Juliette, Silvia, and Lotus. Among them, Perci also had upgraded versions Perci Red (Red processing) and Perci Ruby (Ruby processing), creating different variations of Perci's sweetness; while Silvia and Lotus are new products of the latest SK processing method.

From this, it's clear that 90+ creating their own NPGE estate, controlling the fierce Geisha variety coffee, and wildly experimenting in their own estate, continuously strengthening their unique competitive advantage, shows how terrifying 90+'s ambition and boldness are.

4. Flavor Symbols Instead of Processing Methods

90+ has so many innovations different from regular green bean merchants, so of course their coffee bean flavor descriptions must also be different from others.

This also gives many people new to 90+ quite a headache, like seeing a bunch of symbols that look like heavenly script...

But the reason for having unique flavor symbols is to help consumers better understand the flavor possibilities and strict selection value of 90+'s various god-tier beans. This is also a responsible production record, although rather unconventional, once understood, you can comprehend the hard work and value behind the world of invincible specialty coffee.

First are the flavor symbols marked after each bean:

W2 = Washed processing flavor

N2 = Natural processing flavor

H2 = Honey processing flavor

Special emphasis: generally, W represents washed processing method for coffee beans, N represents natural processing method, H represents honey processing method, but 90+ using W, N, H doesn't refer to processing methods, but flavor descriptions.

W2 is beans close to washed flavor, but doesn't necessarily mean it's washed processing. As for that 2, it might be added to help consumers distinguish, no special meaning. The processing methods for each bean are actually not clearly marked by 90+, which might be related to their trade secrets. Also, mixed processing methods are quite popular now, semi-natural semi-washed, washed mixed with drying racks, several types of honey processing, so simply saying washed or natural processing might not accurately reflect the bean's actual production record, so they simply don't mark it. Only SK processing (Solar Kiln) is specially marked, also because SK is 90+'s original new processing method with relatively clear targeting, so it's specially marked. A flavor description is added, simply informing consumers of the bean's basic profile. As for the various exciting flavors presented after roasting, that's left to roasters and cafes to communicate with consumers after roasting.

5. Proprietary LEVEL Grading System

General coffee bean grading has different expressions according to various countries' regulations, such as commonly heard Kenya AA, AB, SHB, 18 mesh, G2... etc., these are various different grading methods.

The purpose of grading is of course to distinguish premium products from secondary products, but many grading bases aren't necessarily positively correlated with flavor, so even high grades don't necessarily mean good taste, but at least it's reference data. Beginners should consider grading in their thinking but not be superstitious about grade levels.

Besides their own flavor symbols, 90+ also has its own grading method for each bean, of course completely different from other countries' grading, divided into the following seven levels:

L4, L7, L12, L21, L39, L95, L195

L means Level, classification is based on production quantity, processing refinement, difficulty, and selection strictness.

Higher numbers represent smaller production quantities, more refined processing, more complexity and difficulty, and stricter selection, but 90+ hasn't published detailed grading content, so it's actually similar to flavor symbols, just reference data, but we still need to generally understand their connotations, which can be simply divided into four grade segments:

L4 segment: This grading is no longer seen in 90+ products now, in the past it referred to mixed harvest batches. When single-origin flavors weren't rich enough or production was too small, multiple excellent origins were mixed and processed for production, somewhat like previous Aricha and Beloya. However, as 90+'s experimental control technology for coffee production has matured over the years, this grading method is no longer used.

L7, L12 segment: Most Ethiopian beans are in this grade, with flavors already excellent, impeccable in both aroma and texture. This grade of 90+ can be called entry-level but with quite good value for money.

For example: Tchembe and Kemgin are L7, Nekisse and Hachira are L12.

L21, L39 segment: This is almost exclusively the domain of Geisha coffee from NPGE estate. It's conceivable that for 90+, the Geisha variety itself represents high grade, so the lowest grade is also L21. Of course, this can be extended - Geisha care might be more difficult, and processing strictness is higher than Ethiopian beans.

Additionally, specially processed Ethiopian beans can also be upgraded to this segment, becoming comparable to Geisha.

For example: Lycello is L21, Juliette and Perci are L39, these three are all Geisha from NPGE estate; Nekisse Red (Red processed Ethiopian Nekisse) is upgraded to L39.

L95, L195 segment: These two grades require 90+'s special processing methods to reach heaven, such as Red (Red processing), Ruby (Ruby processing), SK (Solkiln processing), essentially endorsing 90+'s exclusive processing methods. But to reach the highest L195, it still has to be Geisha.

For example: Lotus (SK processing), Silvia (SK processing), Semeon Abay (this is Master Series), Nekisse Ruby (Ruby processed Ethiopian beans) are all L95, while Perci Ruby is currently the only L195 (Ruby processing + Geisha variety).

6. Green Bean Concepts Continuously Innovated

Actually, green bean production concepts are historical products extended from different regional environments. This doesn't specifically lock onto processing methods - even bean varieties, cultivation methods, storage methods... etc. can be explored. In summary, these are the main core concepts affecting bean flavor formation.

For example, processing methods: African regions primarily used natural processing in early days because of sufficient sunlight and less water, naturally forming natural processing methods.

For example, quality: FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling features three rounds of manual defect selection and large, uniform bean size as its main characteristics.

For example, varieties: FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha itself presents intense floral aromas, ultra-fine texture, and distinct recognizability.

The green bean concepts mentioned above are not single factors, but are specifically highlighted and even named because of their main influencing reasons. After all, for any good bean to have uniqueness, meticulous care is the basic condition, but consumers still need more reasons why flavors are special.

During the process of handling green beans, 90+ also added many novel concepts, allowing coffee beans to accept stronger variable influences, forming their own uniqueness, which is also difficult for regular green bean merchants to intervene in.

The [FrontStreet Coffee Candlelight] that FrontStreet Coffee obtained from 90+ company, we chose medium-light roasting to preserve this bean's floral and fruit aromas, using 89°C water for brewing, the rich and complex floral aroma is unforgettable, with obvious nectarine and tropical fruit flavors, quite surprising upon entry, with a clean and bright mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations for Frontsteet 90+ Candlelight:

V60/90°C/1:15/Time: two minutes

Flavor: Floral, nectarine, tropical fruits

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473