Roaster
Big Shoulders Coffee
- Coffees in catalog
- 3
- Also available
- 1
- Avg Cherry's Index (limited data)
- 68.9
- Reddit sentiment
- 85/100
How Cherry’s Index is calculatedavg coverage 27% · limited data
Coverage is below 50%. Most of this roaster’s lots are scored off roaster-level signals (Reddit + YouTube) without per-lot SCA grades, Coffee Review entries, or published buyer reviews. With limited signal, scores are also pulled toward a neutral 50 baseline by the Cherry’s Index methodology, so lots can read flatter than the actual cup quality differences between them. The avg Cherry’s Index reflects general reputation more than per-lot quality.
Roaster signals
Apply to every lot from this roaster.
- Reddit85/100weight 18%
- YouTube—weight 10%
Per-lot signals (averaged)
Vary across lots; averaged over 3 in-stock lots.
- SCA gradenot on file · weight 25%
- Coffee Reviewnot on file · weight 20%
- Buyer reviews97.2/1001/3 lots · weight 12%
- Cherrybook reader ratingsnot on file · weight 5%
- Transparency53.3/1003/3 lots · weight 5%
Bonuses earned (per lot)
- stale decay2/3
Base components are renormalized over whatever signals are available for each lot. SCA + Coffee Review are capped at 40% combined to keep the cupping story from dominating. Bonuses (accolades, awards, editorial coverage) and freshness decay are applied on top.
Community reputation · Reddit
Cult favorite· sentiment 85/100
Big Shoulders Coffee is recognized as a reliable Chicago-based roaster. Community members appreciate their traditional, darker roast profiles, noting that these beans are forgiving and perform well in travel setups like the Nanopresso. Customers have specifically praised their house espresso blends and their ability to source and roast higher-end specialty beans like Geisha.
Threads cited (10)
- r/espresso · 41↑ · What's your story - How did you get into this hobby?
- r/Coffee · 38↑ · Making coffee in the dark
- r/pourover · 27↑ · Roasters that sell sample sizes (say 6oz/170g or less)
- r/Coffee · 26↑ · [Gear] From superauto to aeropress ... and back?!? - My (long) story & DeLonghi Perfec
- r/Coffee · 18↑ · Bought some Geisha Beans. Now what?
- r/espresso · 18↑ · 2023: Our Year in Coffee
- r/espresso · 14↑ · Travel espresso kit and local coffee
- r/Coffee · 13↑ · This Week in Coffee; Wednesday 29th of March
- r/espresso · 6↑ · New coffee day
- r/pourover · 4↑ · Electric Grinders? Shoulder injury is killing my hobby.
Flagship cafe
Lincoln Park
1165 W. Diversey Pkwy, Chicago, IL
Open in maps →The Lincoln Park location is listed first among their multiple Chicago retail cafes.
The catalog
3 in stock · 3 archived
Also available · subscriptions, sample packs, gear
Web Store Gift Card
Taste data is still sparse; open the detail page before judging this lot.
Archived (3)
Colombia - Gesha
Jasmine Florals, Apricot, and White Peach on a natural build.
Tolima,roast_level:1,subregion:, CO · Natural
Colombia- La Cebrera
Black Cherry, Refreshing Passion Fruit, and Floral Finish on a washed build.
Tolima, CO · Washed
Buku Abel Anaerobic — Guji, Ethiopia
Blueberry, Raspberry, and Sweetness on a anaerobic natural / producer: build.
Guji, ET · Anaerobic Natural / Producer:
For roasters
Cherrybook runs a monthly Roaster Spotlight Series featuring one roaster with an editorial piece and a giveaway. Interested in being featured? See the format or email josh@cherrybookcoffee.com.







