Transparency

How We Discover Cafes

CoffeeTrove builds its directory through editorial research and community submissions. We identify specialty cafes and roasters worldwide using public sources, local guides, and coffee industry publications. Community members can also submit cafes they believe deserve a spot. Every submission is reviewed before publication.

The Golden Drop Score

The Golden Drop is our editorial assessment of a cafe, rated on a 1 to 5 scale. It is not a simple average of user ratings. It reflects an editorial evaluation that considers multiple factors:

• Coffee quality — bean sourcing, preparation, consistency
• Atmosphere — interior design, comfort, ambiance
• Service — staff knowledge, friendliness, speed
• Value — pricing relative to quality and location
• Community reputation — what locals and regulars say

The Golden Drop score is subjective and meant as a starting point for exploration, not a definitive ranking. We update scores as new information becomes available.

How Reviews Work

Registered community members can rate and review any cafe on CoffeeTrove. Reviews are public and tied to your profile. We do not edit reviews, but we reserve the right to remove content that violates our terms (spam, harassment, fake reviews). Community ratings appear alongside the editorial Golden Drop score, giving you both perspectives.

Data Sources

Cafe and roaster information comes from publicly available data, business directories, coffee industry publications, and direct submissions from cafe owners. We cross-reference multiple sources for accuracy, but errors are inevitable in a large directory. If you spot something wrong, let us know.

Editorial Independence

No cafe, roaster, or brand can pay to improve their Golden Drop Score or editorial placement. Listings and scores are determined independently.

In the future, CoffeeTrove may include affiliate links to coffee equipment and products. When that happens, affiliate relationships will be clearly disclosed on every page that contains them. Affiliate partnerships will never influence our editorial content or scores.

Who Is Behind CoffeeTrove

CoffeeTrove was created by Arnaud Leroy, a coffee enthusiast and independent developer based in Lisbon. The project is self-funded and community-driven.

Open About Our Stage

CoffeeTrove is in its early stages. Our knowledge base is comprehensive but our cafe directory is still growing. We are building in public and improving every week. This page will be updated as the project evolves.

Last updated: March 2026