Apps & platforms
Dose
A 0–100 standard for every shot.
An espresso app that turns a guided tasting into one calibrated 0–100 score — built on the dimensions specialty cuppers actually use. Rate the raw shot, sharpen your palate, follow other purists, and find great pulls on a live map. dose.city · live on iOS.
0–100
One calibrated espresso score
6
Dimensions cuppers actually use
iOS
Free on the App Store
Challenge
Coffee ratings online are vibes — stars, hearts, and "it was good." Dose set out to give espresso a real standard: a single number that means the same thing in Detroit as it does in Rome, rigorous enough for pros but learnable for anyone. That meant turning the way specialty cuppers evaluate a shot into an app a beginner could finish on their first pull.
Approach
We designed Dose as a guided instrument, not a guess. A calibrated tasting walks you through the same dimensions a cupper checks — aroma, acidity, sweetness, body, balance, finish — and resolves them into one 0–100 score on a shared standard. Around it we built the rest of a real product: a social feed for purists, shareable score cards, profiles, stories, and an open map of where to find great espresso, all on a warm, espresso-dark system that feels precise rather than cute.
Outcome
A live product with a clear identity — "the espresso standard" — free on the App Store, with the marketing home at dose.city making the case. The same calibrated score reads the same everywhere, so a 93 is a 93, and every tasting becomes a clean, shareable card that pulls other people into the standard.
Visual breakdown
A tasting, not a guess.
Every surface was designed to make a rigorous standard feel approachable — warm and espresso-dark, precise without being cold. The same calibrated score, the same six dimensions, anywhere you pull a shot.
Desktop — the guided tasting
01
The method
A guided instrument, not stars and vibes. Dose walks you through the same dimensions a cupper checks and weighs them into one honest read of what’s actually in the glass — pull it straight, taste guided, get the number.
Desktop — the Dose Standard
02
One number, no ambiguity
Every shot lands on the same 0–100 scale, so a score reads the same in Detroit as it does in Rome. Calibrated bands — from world-class to off — give the number shared meaning instead of personal taste.
Desktop — community
03
Purists, together
A serious tool and a good time — follow the people who actually know good espresso, hold your standing at a home bar or a venue, and turn every tasting into a clean, shareable card the room can argue about.
Desktop — the map
04
Good pulls, everywhere
Every score feeds one open directory of where to find great espresso — real bars, real numbers, and the roasters behind them — so wherever you land, you know exactly where to get a shot worth drinking.
Mobile — the espresso standard
05
Mobile-first
The standard, in your pocket — score your first shot, climb the ranks at your home bar, and find great espresso wherever you go. Free to join; purists welcome.
What we delivered
- Guided tasting that resolves to one calibrated 0–100 score
- Six dimensions specialty cuppers use — aroma to finish
- Shared standard: a 93 means the same thing everywhere
- Social feed, profiles, stories & shareable score cards
- Open map of great pulls and the roasters behind them
What they can manage
Roasters, venues, and the scoring standard are data-driven — the directory and community grow without redesigning the app.