How we score & stay independent
BrewSift exists to make a confusing category simple and honest. Here's exactly how our scores work, where they come from, and why a commission never buys a better one.
The BrewSift Score
Every product earns a score from 0 to 10. It's not a vibe — it's a weighted average of category-specific sub-scores, each judging a dimension that actually matters for that kind of product. An espresso machine is scored on espresso quality, milk workflow, and temperature stability; a grinder on grind consistency, retention, and noise. Comparing a grinder to a kettle on the same yardstick would be meaningless, so we don't.
The dimensions, in the open
We publish the exact dimensions and weights behind each category's score. Here are a few:
- Espresso quality25%
- Milk-drink workflow15%
- Ease of use15%
- Temperature stability12%
- Build quality12%
- Cleaning & maintenance8%
- Value13%
- Grind consistency28%
- Espresso range18%
- Brew range15%
- Low retention12%
- Quiet operation8%
- Workflow8%
- Value11%
- Brew quality30%
- Ease of use18%
- Temperature control15%
- Capacity & carafe10%
- Cleaning10%
- Value17%
Tested vs Researched — we tell you which
Honesty about how we know what we know is the whole point. Every product carries a status:
Researched
We synthesize manufacturer specs, expert and lab reviews, and aggregated owner feedback into a structured score. This is our default — and we say so plainly. We do not claim hands-on testing we haven't done.
Tested
Reserved for products we've used in a real kitchen over time. We'll mark these explicitly as our hands-on program grows.
Tracked
In the database for price and availability, but not yet fully scored.
Taste, beans & the Atlas
Flavor profiles, acidity/body/sweetness ratings, and origin guides draw on established references — the SCA Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel and the published literature on growing regions and processing — plus the consensus of specialty roasters. They describe a coffee's typical character, not a single lot, since specific beans vary by harvest and roast date.
Independence
When you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission — that's how BrewSift is funded. It changes nothing about our scores or rankings. We don't sell placement, sponsored products are labeled as such and never styled like editorial winners, and a higher commission never moves a product up a list. Our scoring formula is fixed and applied the same way to everything.
We also keep dates honest: every guide and review shows when it was last updated, and we revise as products are discontinued, replaced, or repriced.
Questions about a score or think we got something wrong? Get in touch — we fix mistakes.