Methodology · 審査基準
How I Score
The Snob Score is the product. Here is exactly how it works.
Anyone can publish a list of "great cold brews." I publish scores, and scores require rules. These are mine. They don't bend for brands, and they don't bend for me.
The rules
- I buy everything myself, at retail. No free samples, no media kits, no "seeded" products. If a brand sends me something unsolicited, it can't be the unit I score — I buy my own off the shelf.
- I taste blind whenever the format allows it. Products are poured by someone else into identical glasses, chilled to the same temperature, and tasted black first.
- Every product gets the same treatment. Same glassware, same serving temperature, tasted the same day of opening, re-tasted the next day to check consistency.
- I record the numbers. Price paid, price per ounce, caffeine (when disclosed), calories, sugar, and the full ingredient list appear in every review.
- Affiliate links never touch scores. Some links on this site earn a commission. The scoring is done, in writing, before any link is added — and a product that scores badly gets written up just as loudly.
The Snob Score — 100 points
Every packaged cold brew, concentrate, and canned product is scored on the same eight criteria:
| Criterion | Points | What I'm judging |
|---|---|---|
| Taste | 40 | Flavor quality black: sweetness, body, balance, finish. The reason the product exists. |
| Smoothness | 15 | Texture and drinkability. Harshness, astringency, ashiness all cost points. |
| Acidity | 10 | Cold brew's calling card. Bright is fine; sour or flat is not. |
| Strength | 10 | Concentration and caffeine delivery honest to the label. Watery loses; overwrought loses. |
| Value | 10 | Quality per dollar, judged on price per ounce actually paid. |
| Ingredients | 5 | Short, clean lists score high. Additives and mystery "natural flavors" cost points. |
| Availability | 5 | Can a normal person actually find it — grocery, big-box, or reliable shipping? |
| Would I buy it again | 5 | The most honest question in reviewing, answered with my own money. |
Total: 100 points.
What the totals mean
- 90–100 — World-class. I have not yet awarded one.
- 85–89 — Snob-approved. Buy it with confidence.
- 75–84 — Very good. Recommendable, with caveats I'll spell out.
- 65–74 — Good. Solid; there's probably something better nearby.
- 50–64 — Mediocre. Drinkable. That's the whole compliment.
- Below 50 — Skip it. I'll tell you exactly why.
Gear scoring
Equipment is tested in real use for at least 30 days: I measure yield, sediment, cleanup time, and brew quality (via blind tasting against a control brew), then weigh durability and price. Gear reviews always state how long I used the product and what I brewed with it.
Coffee shops — the 15-point scale
Shops are a different craft, so they get a different scale: three categories, five points each, half-points allowed.
- The Brew (珈琲) — is the cold brew actually good, tasted black?
- The Space (空間) — is the room worth sitting in for a slow drink?
- The Story (物語) — who runs this place, and why does it matter to its street?
Shops never know I'm scoring. I pay, I photograph my own table, and I leave.
Corrections
If I got a fact wrong — an ingredient list, a price, a caffeine number — tell me and I'll fix it and note the correction. Scores change only when I re-test, and re-tests are always disclosed.