Coffeeble participates in affiliate programs with Amazon and specialty retailers. When you buy through our links, we earn a commission at no cost to you. This page explains how that works and why we still sleep at night.
How Affiliate Links Work
Click our link, buy something, we get paid. Not complicated. The retailer kicks us a percentage, typically 3-8%, for sending you their way. You pay the same price either way.
We work with Amazon Associates, direct partnerships with coffee gear retailers, and a handful of manufacturer programs where they exist.
Our Editorial Independence
Affiliate money doesn't touch our reviews. Here's why you can trust that:
We buy most of what we test. Manufacturers send us nothing unless we ask. When we do accept review units, we've published negative verdicts on at least a dozen. They hate it. We don't care.
Bad products earn us nothing. We've killed potential affiliate revenue repeatedly by publishing honest takedowns. Last year we recommended two grinders with zero affiliate programs because they were the best options. Revenue loss: ~$4,000. We did it anyway.
Credibility compounds. One dishonest recommendation destroys more trust than a hundred honest ones build. That's not ethics, it's survival.
How We Decide What to Recommend
Testing comes first. We run products through standardized protocols, measure performance, evaluate build quality, write the review. Affiliate links get added after the article is finished, if they exist for that product.
The link is the last step, not the first. Commission rates never factor into rankings. We publish our average commission data if you want proof.
Sponsored Content
Sometimes brands pay us to review their gear or write about their products. When that happens:
We label it at the top. Always. "Sponsored" or "Paid Partnership" clearly marked.
They don't get to vet the content. Sponsors see nothing before we hit publish. They can't request edits. If they object to a negative review, their only option is to never work with us again. Several haven't.
Free samples don't buy good reviews. We've trashed $800 espresso machines we received for free. Manufacturers know this risk going in.
FTC Compliance
Federal Trade Commission guidelines require us to disclose affiliate relationships. We do this in three places: at the top of review articles, near buy buttons, and in the footer on every page.
Why This Model Works
Affiliate revenue lets us purchase equipment for testing, pay writers and testers fairly, keep the site free, and stay independent. No manufacturer owns us. No advertiser controls editorial.
This is the least-bad business model for a review site. You get free access to honest analysis. We get paid only when our work proves useful enough that you act on it.
Questions?
If you have questions about our affiliate relationships or want to report a concern about our editorial practices, contact us at contact@coffeeble.com.