[ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ]

• 10 x 60g Bags of Coffee from 10 Different Roasters
• 1 x Tasting Journal
• 1 x Instruction Card
• 1 x Quiz Card for Reference
• Third Wave Water
• Electronic Submission Instructions
• A Chance at Thousands in Prizes
• Access to Coaches + Resources
• Access to Community Discord Channel

 

> DO YOU SHIP INTERNATIONALLY?

Yes! Shipping is free within Canada (🇨🇦), only $5 CAD for players in the US by default (🇺🇸), and international shipments are subject to pricing set by Canada Post or DHL.

 

> CAN I BUY LEADERBOARD AS A GIFT?

Yes! Simply go to the product page and you'll find a gift option in the description. Select from the drop down menu how many seasons you would like to gift and you're off (you have great taste in gifts by the way).

> WHEN DOES EACH SEASON SHIP?

Leaderboard will usually ship on the third week of January, April, July and October with the season officially beginning on the 1st of the following month.

 

> HOW DO I PLAY LEADERBOARD IN MULTIPLAYER?

Play with friends by tasting together virtually using video platforms such as Zoom or Google Hangouts.

Engage with other players through our Discord Channel and join live tastings.

We highly encourage companies to use Leaderboard as a team building exercise, staff calibration or for bragging rights.
 

> I AM NOT A COFFEE EXPERT, CAN I STILL PLAY?

Yes! Leaderboard is a platform for professionals AND enthusiasts. We try to make learning about coffee as approachable and fun as possible.

The experience and the knowledge gained are the most important parts of the game, not getting the highest score.

 

> ARE ALL OF THE COFFEES DIFFERENT?

Yes! Sometimes we may include coffees that share similar characteristics to showcase the effects that terroir, process and variety may have on a coffee (e.g. a washed coffee and naturally processed coffee from the same region).

 

> SHOULD I BE CUPPING OR BREWING THE COFFEES?

This is up to you! There is no right or wrong way to play and we include enough coffee for multiple rounds of both methods.

 

> HOW MUCH COFFEE DO I GET?

Each box comes with 10 x 60g bags of coffee from 10 different roasters. We include more than enough to brew and cup each coffee multiple times.

 

> I COULD BUY A KILO OF COFFEE AT THE GROCERY STORE FOR LESS THAN LEADERBOARD

Sure you could, but if you were to purchase 10 coffees from 10 different roasters around the world it would cost a fair bit more, even before shipping.

We try to keep Leaderboard at an accessible price point but it is both costly and labour intensive to assemble each season. We rely on our sponsors to help offset the cost and keep the price low for players.

Keep in mind that Leaderboard isn't a box of coffee but a virtual competition and learning tool.

 

> WHAT KIND OF COFFEES ARE INCLUDED?

Each season is a range of coffees that are either:

A) archetypes of particular regions, processes and varieties

B) educational opportunities such as a varieties, processes or flavour profiles uncommon for the region

C) showcase something important or exciting taking place in the industry such as an initiative we'd like to shed light on, or progressive producing techniques (e.g. fermentation, varieties, processes).

 

> WHAT KIND OF ROASTERS CAN I EXPECT TO BE INCLUDED?

We have strict guidelines for quality, but we try to showcase roasters that are doing fantastic work irregardless of their size or tenure.

Each season we build the lineup of coffees based on a mix of renowned roasters and roasters who we believe should share the spotlight with them.

Opposed to name-dropping, we encourage you to see the coffees from previous seasons in the 'LEADERBOARD' header to get a sense of our benchmark for quality.

 

> ARE THE COFFEES LIGHT ROASTED OR DARK ROASTED?

The coffees are roasted in a way that highlights the natural character of the seed, which is typically a light roast. A heavier roast profile may interfere with your ability to identify the differences between each coffee.

 

> SHOULD I BE ADDING MILK AND SUGAR TO THE COFFEES?

We won't ever tell you how to drink your coffee, but this may be a new experience for you. Think of Leaderboard as a blind wine tasting - if you were to add anything to the wine, it would become much harder to taste what makes each one unique from the next.

If you'd prefer a more straightforward coffee subscription where you can still try new coffees each month, we highly recommend The Roasters Pack.

 

> ARE THE COFFEES ETHICALLY SOURCED

Short answer= yes.

The roasters we work with are typically paying the producers a premium based on quality or they are working with exporters/importers who provide systems, premiums, education and logistics to support ongoing coffee production.

 

> WHEN WERE THE COFFEES ROASTED?

All of the coffees are typically roasted the week leading up to our shipping date. This means that coffees will arrive to you already rested and ready to brew and/or cup upon arrival.