Costa Rica Las Lajas — Filter
Black Honey lot with Strawberry Pie, Graham Cracker, and Dark Chocolate in the cup.
Central Valley, CR · Black Honey
DarkStrawberryDark ChocolatePlum
54CBI
US$1.54/oz
Typical US$1.02 to $1.95/oz
Roaster · Toronto, ON
Sam James Coffee Bar
samjamescoffeebar.com ↗Prices in CAD
On YouTube
Meet the roaster on camera
From the roasterBrew guide
COFFEE SHOP TUTORIAL: HOW TO DIAL IN BUTTER KNIFE ESPRESSO WITH SAM JAMES
Sam James Coffee Bar · 19.1K views on YouTube
Watch on YouTubeCherrybook summary of the video
This video features a tutorial on how to dial in the Butter Knife Espresso at Sam James Coffee Bar. It covers the technical aspects of the espresso machine, including the portafilter, grinder settings, and the importance of maintaining a consistent espresso recipe.
Inside this video
From Sam James Coffee Bar:
“I am in charge of all the shipping and packaging at the Sam James roaster and warehouse.”
“We're going to show him how to dial in an espresso shot.”
Explore the videos
Videos by their credited creators. Playing a video connects to YouTube. Privacy
The roaster
8 lots in stock, mostly Colombia, Brazil and Uganda.
- In stock
- 8
- House Index · limited data
- 48
- Freshness
- Batch roasted weekly
- Save at Sam James Coffee Bar
- 10% off with a subscription
OriginsColombiaBrazilUgandaCosta RicaBurundiEthiopia
Roaster at a glance
- Tracked since
- May 202612 lots seen; 8 in stock now
- Origins
- 5 countriesColombia, Burundi, Brazil
- Process mix
- Washed 50% · Natural 25% · Honey 13% · Other 13%
- Price position
- 22% below what its profiles predictMedian of 5 in-stock lots against the price model
- Sourcing
- 50% of lots name the producer or farm4 of 8
- Coverage
- 8 reviewer videosVideos and articles about the roaster, not by it
- Their channels
- Instagram ↗YouTube ↗TikTok ↗Facebook ↗YouTube: 35 videos, 1.4K subscribers, last upload April 2026
- Where to find them
- 4 locations, Toronto, ON297 Harbord
- Merch
- 10 items in stock
How Cherrybook Index is calculatedavg coverage 5% · limited data
Coverage is below 50%. No Reddit or YouTube roaster-level signal is on file. 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 reflects the limited per-lot evidence plus the methodology's neutral baseline.
Roaster signals
Apply to every lot from this roaster.
- Reddit—weight 0%
- YouTube—weight 10%
Per-lot signals (averaged)
Vary across lots; averaged over 8 in-stock lots.
- SCA gradenot on file · weight 25%
- Coffee Reviewnot on file · weight 20%
- On-shop ratingsnot on file · weight 12%
- Cherrybook reader ratingsnot on file · weight 30%
- Transparency61.2/1008/8 lots · weight 5%
Bonuses earned (per lot)
- stale decay6/8
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.
In the Lookbook
See moreVoice
Naming espresso blends after sharp, utilitarian household tools
The naming convention shifts between sharp, utilitarian descriptors like Butter Knife and Pocket Knife to playful pop culture nods like Buzz Lite. It avoids the usual flowery origin storytelling in favor of short, punchy identifiers. The brand voice treats coffee as a functional tool rather than a precious commodity.
“Butter Knife and Pocket Knife”
The catalog
8 in stock · 4 archived
AppleDateCherry
53CBI
US$1.37/oz
Typical US$1.06 to $1.69/oz
Broad comparison
Ethiopia Banko Gotiti
Washed lot with Peach Tea, Animal Crackers, and Caramel in the cup.
Yirgacheffe, ET · Washed
DarkPeachTea LikeCaramel+1
48CBI
US$1.18/oz
Typical US$1.03 to $1.64/oz
Broad comparison
Colombia Tolima — Filter
Pear Tart, Milk Chocolate, and Brown Sugar on a washed lot.
Tolima, CO · Washed
DarkPearMilk ChocolateBrown Sugar
48CBI
US$1.18/oz
Typical US$0.99 to $1.57/oz
Broad comparison
Colombia Huila Decaf
Creme Brûlée, Buttered Toast, and Guinness Stout on a washed lot.
Huila, CO · Washed
DarkCaramelizedCerealRoasted
46CBI
US$1.18/oz
Typical US$0.97 to $1.55/oz
Broad comparison
Butter Knife Espresso
Natural lot with Peanut Butter, Berry Jam, and Toffee in the cup.
Minas Gerais, BR · Natural
DarkPeanutBerryToffee
46CBI
US$1.00/oz
Typical US$0.96 to $1.53/oz
Broad comparison
DarkGrapeMarshmallowPeanut
44CBI
US$1.18/oz
Typical US$0.80 to $1.53/oz
Broad comparison
In Bloom Espresso
Roaster flags Grilled Peach, Apricot, and Dark Chocolate in the cup.
DarkPeachApricotDark Chocolate
43CBI
US$1.18/oz
Typical US$0.78 to $1.50/oz
Limited comparison
Also available · subscriptions, sample packs, gear
Third Wave Water - Espresso Machine Profile
Taste data is still sparse; open the detail page before judging this lot.
US$12.14/oz
Black Diamond Chain Link Espresso Mug
Not much signal yet; the detail page has what we know.
US$0.86/oz
Timemore Black Mirror Basic Plus Scale
Not much signal yet; the detail page has what we know.
US$2.12/oz
Archived (4)
Ecuador: Planada
Expect Meyer Lemon, Medjool Date, and Sweet Tea from this washed lot.
Zamora-Chinchipe, EC · Washed
LemonDateTea Like+1
53CBI
US$1.61/oz
Out of stock
Uganda Kigezi Valley — Anaerobic Natural
Anaerobic Natural lot with Cherry, Black Forest Cake, and Hibiscus in the cup.
Western Region, UG · Anaerobic Natural
CherryChocolateHibiscus
53CBI
US$1.36/oz
Out of stock
Uganda: Kigezi Valley
Expect Strawberry, Honeydew, and Creme Brulee from this natural lot.
Western Region, UG · Natural
StrawberryMelonCaramel+1
52CBI
US$1.35/oz
Out of stock
Medium-LightOrangeChocolateAlmond+1
SCA 87.0
44CBI
US$1.59/oz
Out of stock
Flagship cafe
Sam James Coffee Bar Little Italy
297 Harbord, Toronto, ON
Open in maps →Flagship of four Toronto cafes by Sam James Coffee Bar.
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.