What the Banko Gotiti Dispute Says About Tasting Notes

Exact same coffee, lower price — Specialty Coffee Factory Outlet, a Hampton store run by the founders of Inglewood Coffee Roasters, advertised its Berhanu Kurse Banko Gotiti as “the exact same coffee” as Axil Coffee Roasters', at a lower price, arguing that all grade-one Banko Gotiti is effectively the same (SCFO).

Bag said washed, lot natural — Scott Rao says SCFO's own Cafe Imports delivery order listed lot 25585, a natural, while the bag described the coffee as washed — and Axil's Banko Gotiti is washed, so the labels disagreed with the lot (Rao).

A place, not one lot — By Rao's count it takes in roughly ten washing stations serving some 2,000 smallholders each, so potentially 20,000 producers, with grade-one cups running from ordinary 85-point to excellent 88-point coffee (Rao).

Listing now says natural — As of this writing, SCFO's own product page lists the Banko Gotiti as a natural from producer Mr. Berhanu Kurse, with notes of blueberry, milk chocolate, ripe cherry and blackcurrant — a different set of words from the ones disputed (SCFO).

Objection · Instagram · Scott Rao — 7,000 cups, never same notes — His second argument is calibration: he and Prodigal's Mark have cupped roughly 7,000 coffees together over four years, their scores agree within about ±0.25, and “Over those 7,000 samples, we have NEVER had the exact same four tasting notes for a coffee.”

Objection · Instagram · Scott Rao — Deception, not pricing — He frames the dispute as consumer deception rather than a pricing argument: SCFO is “cheating consumers by making false claims”, which he says undermines roasters like Axil and the producers who invest in quality.