While there are plenty of tips to help you make delicious coffee at home, true coffee lovers are also always on the lookout for the highest quality coffee shops for when they want a special experience. If you relate to this, then you should be paying attention to the list of the World’s Top 100 Best Coffee Shops.
At the top of this year’s list is a coffee shop from a Southern state: Onyx Coffee Lab, which has multiple locations throughout Arkansas, with its headquarter spot located in the city of Rogers. According to the list, Onyx Coffee Lab carries out its own full production coffee roasting, has a “state-of-the-art coffee bar,” and even a barista training facility.” The shop even goes beyond coffee — it also has a tasting restaurant, a bakery, a cocktail bar, and a taqueria and mezcal bar (which, by the way, there’s a proper way to drink).
Onyx Coffee Lab reacted to the news on Instagram, writing, “We are deeply honored to be named the Best Coffee Shop in the World. This recognition belongs to our team. The baristas, roasters, trainers, bakers, and support staff who approach their work with discipline, care, and professionalism every single day.” The caption goes on to express the company’s emphasis on hospitality, noting that the team loves serving customers in a thoughtful way and creating community.
How the coffee shop ranking works
The list is put together through an extensive voting system, which involves both public voting and the evaluation of an expert panel (which is made up of 800 baristas, coffee roasters, and connoisseurs) after shops have been nominated either by the public or by experts. The shops are evaluated on eight elements: coffee quality, barista expertise, customer service, ambience and atmosphere, food and pastry quality, consistency, innovation, and sustainability practices. A weighted scoring system is implemented, with public votes counting for 30% of the final score and expert votes accounting for the remaining 70%.
There were 15,000 nominated cafes that were considered for this list — which really puts into perspective how much it means for Onyx Coffee Lab to earn the top spot. Last year, which was the first year that this list was compiled, Onyx placed second (after Toby’s Estate, an Australian chain, which placed in the fifth spot this year). In the new ranking, Onyx Coffee Lab is followed by Tim Windelboe in Norway and Alquimia Coffee in El Salvador in second and third place, respectively.
All that is to say, if you’re a coffee lover and you find yourself in Arkansas, you need to make a point of visiting Onyx Coffee Lab. And if you want to read about more amazing coffee spots, you can check out our own list of the best coffee shop in every state.