MediumChocolateNuttySweet Aromatics
Shop 5.0 (22)
72CBI · preliminary
$1.42/oz
Roaster · Arlington, VA
Commonwealth Joe
10 lots in stock, mostly Nicaragua, Peru and Indonesia.
- In stock
- 10
- House Index · limited data
- 68
- Freshness
- Roast cadence not disclosed
OriginsNicaraguaPeruIndonesiaEthiopiaHondurasBrazil
Roaster at a glance
- Tracked since
- April 202610 lots seen; 10 in stock now
- Origins
- 7 countriesNicaragua, Brazil, Colombia
- Process mix
- Washed 70% · Other 20% · Natural 10%
- Price position
- 21% below what its profiles predictMedian of 6 in-stock lots against the price model
- Sourcing
- 20% of lots name the producer or farm2 of 10
- Buyer stars
- 4.8 out of 5161 reviews across 10 lots, from the roaster's own store
- Coverage
- 3 reviewer videos · 2 Reddit threadsVideos and articles about the roaster, not by it
- Where to find them
- Cafe in Arlington, VA520 12th St S Suite 150
- Merch
- 5 items in stock
How Cherrybook Index is calculatedavg coverage 35% · limited data
Coverage is below 50%. Available roaster-level evidence comes from Reddit. Per-lot evidence from SCA grades, Coffee Review entries, and public on-shop product ratings is limited across the catalog. With limited signal, scores are also pulled toward a neutral 50 baseline by the Cherrybook Index methodology, so lots can read flatter than the actual cup quality differences between them. The average Cherrybook Index therefore leans more heavily on roaster-level reputation than per-lot quality.
Roaster signals
Apply to every lot from this roaster.
- Reddit70/100weight 18%
- YouTube—weight 10%
Per-lot signals (averaged)
Vary across lots; averaged over 10 in-stock lots.
- SCA gradenot on file · weight 25%
- Coffee Reviewnot on file · weight 20%
- On-shop ratings94/10010/10 lots · weight 12%
- Cherrybook reader ratingsnot on file · weight 30%
- Transparency53/10010/10 lots · weight 5%
Bonuses earned (per lot)
- stale decay10/10
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.
The catalog
10 in stock
MediumCitrusTangerineApple
Shop 5.0 (12)
71CBI · preliminary
$1.42/oz
Blue Ridge Bluff
Expect Dried Fruits, Black Licorice, and Bakers Chocolate from this wet-hulled lot.
Sumatra, ID · Wet-Hulled
DarkDried FruitAniseDark Chocolate
Shop 5.0 (21)
70CBI · preliminary
$1.42/oz
Medium-LightBlack TeaCitrusFloral
Shop 4.8 (22)
68CBI · preliminary
$1.67/oz
Medium-DarkHoneyMilk ChocolateAlmond
Shop 5.0 (11)
68CBI · preliminary
$1.50/oz
Shenandoah Spring
Washed lot with Red Apple, Chocolate, and Cacao Powder in the cup.
Marcala, HN · Washed
MediumAppleChocolateCocoa Powder+1
Shop 4.7 (23)
68CBI · preliminary
$1.42/oz
Yorktown French Roast
Natural lot with Dark Chocolate, Molasses, and Smoky in the cup.
Cerrado, BR · Natural
DarkDark ChocolateMolassesSmoky+1
Shop 4.6 (10)
67CBI · preliminary
$1.33/oz
Medium-DarkDark ChocolateOverall Sweet
Shop 4.7 (9)
67CBI · preliminary
$1.42/oz
Medium-DarkOrangeBrown Sugar
Shop 4.7 (21)
65CBI · preliminary
$1.42/oz
Gunston Willows
Washed lot with Citric Fruits, Caramel, and Milk Chocolate in the cup.
Colombia · Washed
MediumCitrusCaramelMilk Chocolate
Shop 4.1 (10)
62CBI · preliminary
$1.42/oz
Also available · subscriptions, sample packs, gear
Roaster's Choice - Light & Medium Roasts
Not much signal yet; the detail page has what we know.
Well-reviewed roaster
54CBI · sparse
$1.42/oz
Roaster's Choice - All Coffees
Not much signal yet; the detail page has what we know.
Well-reviewed roaster
54CBI · sparse
$1.42/oz
Roaster's Choice - Medium & Dark Roasts
Not much signal yet; the detail page has what we know.
Well-reviewed roaster
54CBI · sparse
$1.42/oz
Community reputation · Reddit
Well-regarded· sentiment 70/100
Two Reddit contributors express favorable but qualified views of Commonwealth Joe. One says they are enjoying its Yirgacheffe, though it does not match a different Ethiopian coffee they were waiting for. Another says they enjoy Commonwealth Joe while making clear that a different DC-area roaster is their first choice.
YirgacheffeDC-area roasterqualified enjoyment
Threads cited (2)
- r/Coffee · 30↑ · When are Ethiopian coffees coming back to counter culture and other roasters?
...tting anxious waiting for Banko Gotitit to come back. I have not seen it for months. Same with Idido. All the websites I look at say coffee is done being harvested in Ethiopia in February. I am enjoying the commonwealth joe yirgacheffe right now but it's not the same as the counter culture stuff. Anyone know what's
- r/Coffee · 20↑ · DC area roasters like Swing's, Vigilante & Ceremony
Vigilante far and away. I've been brewing their beans almost three years now and haven't really disappointed me yet. I also like how they date their bags. It seems like other roasters are moving away from this and it's frustrating. I also enjoy Commonwealth Joe's and Ceremony. Zeke's telltale dark is solid too.
On YouTube
3 videos · 8k combined views
Commonwealth Joe has 1 video on their channel; 2 videos come from outside reviewers (SkipperFilms: Video Production Washington DC / Northern VA / MD, Arlington County, VA).
From Commonwealth Joe
Flagship cafe
Pentagon City Cafe
520 12th St S Suite 150, Arlington, VA
Open in maps →Flagship cafe of Commonwealth Joe in Pentagon City, Arlington.
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.