Ninety Plus Coffee: America’s 90+ Point Specialty Beans

Ever wondered how a tiny American coffee company earned global respect in just five years—without opening a single café or roastery? The answer lies in a relentless pursuit of cupping scores most roasters only dream of, and a series of groundbreaking coffees that redefined what single-origin beans could taste like.

Ninety Plus Coffee, founded by 38-year-old Joseph Brodsky, specializes exclusively in green coffee beans scoring 90 points or higher on the rigorous Cupping scale—a feat as rare as acing a national exam. Their beans have won awards, set records, and sparked bidding wars among elite roasters worldwide.

What Makes Ninety Plus Coffee So Special?

Ninety Plus (often abbreviated as 90+) isn’t just a name—it’s a promise. The company only trades green coffee beans that score 90 or above in professional cupping sessions, where deductions across more than ten categories make a 90-point result extraordinarily difficult to achieve. This isn’t about marketing; it’s about consistency in exceptional quality.

A Short History of High Scores

Since its founding in 2006, Ninety Plus has focused on developing cutting-edge coffee processing methods and building its own sensory lab, the NinetyPlus Sensory Room. By 2008, their Aricha Micro Selection 7 helped win the Nordic Roasting Competition. The next year, Aricha Micro Selection 14 took third place in the SCAA Coffee of the Year awards, while Selection 33 was brewed by 2009 World Barista Championship runner-up Sammy Piccolo. Their Aricha also earned the title of Top Coffee of the Year in 2008 and 2009 from Coffee Geek, and made history with a 97-point review on Coffee Review—the first coffee ever to do so.

Cult Status and Competition Wins

In 2010, Nekisse became a sensation. +49th Parallel Coffee Roasters sold 1,000 bags in one day and used the proceeds to build a classroom in Ethiopia. At New York’s Cafe Grumpy, Nekisse sold for $12 per cup, making headlines in the Times, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, and on CBS. That same year, Nekisse scored 96 on Coffee Review, and Per Norby of Da Matteo used it to place second at the Nordic Roasting Competition. Kemgin W2 and Nekisse also won Good Food Awards, with other lots scoring 93 and 96 on Coffee Review. Even today, Nekisse remains one of the most talked-about coffees in specialty circles.

Notable Ninety Plus Coffees and Processing Levels

By 2011, Ninety Plus was offering three standout lots:

• Tchembe N2 (Level 7), entered the Sensory Room on 2011/2/17
• Tuktant N2 (Level 7), entered on 2011/8/18
• Amaro W2 (Level 4), entered on 2011/2/4 (later renamed Dernaye)

The company categorizes its top-tier beans into at least three quality tiers based on factors such as inherent quality, availability, and production cost. Each level reflects a different intensity of processing, flavor development, and rarity—though exact details of these levels remain proprietary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “90+” in Ninety Plus Coffee mean?

“90+” refers to the minimum cupping score of 90 points that all Ninety Plus green coffee beans must achieve. These scores are assigned through rigorous professional cupping evaluations with multiple deduction categories, making 90+ an exceptionally high and prestigious benchmark in specialty coffee.

Which Ninety Plus Coffee won a 97-point score on Coffee Review?

Aricha, one of Ninety Plus’s early offerings, made history by becoming the first coffee ever to receive a 97-point score from Coffee Review, achieving this distinction in 2008 or 2009.

What is Nekisse and why is it famous?

Nekisse is a high-scoring Ninety Plus coffee lot that gained cult status after selling 1,000 bags in one day at +49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, with proceeds funding an Ethiopian classroom. It also achieved a 96-point Coffee Review score and was famously sold for $12 per cup at New York’s Cafe Grumpy, generating widespread media coverage.

Which competitions has Ninety Plus Coffee been involved in?

Ninety Plus beans have been used to win or place in several major competitions, including the 2008 Nordic Roasting Championship (Aricha Micro Selection 7), the 2009 SCAA Coffee of the Year (third place, Aricha Micro Selection 14), the 2010 Nordic Roasting Competition (second place, Per Norby with Nekisse), and the 2010 Good Food Awards (wins for Nekisse and Kemgin W2).

How did Ninety Plus develop its reputation so quickly?

Within just five years of launching, Ninety Plus built a global reputation by producing some of the highest-scoring and most sought-after green coffees in the world, appearing in elite competitions, earning record reviews, and being used by world-class baristas, all while maintaining an exclusive focus on 90+ point beans.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Exploring High-Scoring SOE Profiles

For coffee lovers intrigued by the complexity of Ninety Plus beans, FrontStreet Coffee’s Ethiopia Huakui SOE offers intense fermented fruit notes and a rich sweetness from sun-drying—perfect for exploring vibrant single-origin profiles. The FrontStreet Grana Geisha SOE highlights delicate floral and tea-like qualities from Ethiopia’s famed Geisha variety. Both beans showcase the kind of distinct, high-impact flavors that made Ninety Plus coffees legendary. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.