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We found 111 reviews that match your search for yirgacheffe. Coffees are listed in reverse chronological order by review date. Older reviews may no longer accurately reflect current versions of the same coffee. Click on roaster images to visit roaster websites.
Complex, rich, deep. Flowers, lemon and a crisp baker's chocolate dominate aroma and cup and saturate a long, resonant finish. Delicately rich acidity, silky mouthfeel. |  |
Lushly intense floral and lemony chocolate notes carry from aroma into cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The spicy, rose-like floral notes deepen to a moist pipe tobacco in the finish. | |
Evaluated as espresso. Distinct floral- and citrus-toned aroma, lightly syrup mouthfeel and crisp, concentrated fruit that combines suggestions of citrus, flowers, aromatic wood and a cocoaish chocolate. Clean, very rich finish; the cocoa rounds to a sweet lemony chocolate. The intense flavors simplify in two parts milk but retain character and balance. |  |
Intensely floral aroma nuanced by suggestions of lemon, bergamot, and sweet herb. In the cup crisp acidity, light but silky mouthfeel, and continued vivid floral and lemon notes; the hints of herb soften. Very sweet, clean finish, with the flavor notes rounding toward a sort of floral chocolate. | |
Rich aroma: flowers, nut, a hint of citrus. In the cup crisply sweet acidity, silky mouthfeel, deep floral flavor complicated by pungent dry berry and grapefruit-like citrus. Pure finish: very sweet, very long. | |
Lush, spicy orange and night floral notes dominate in aroma and cup. Richly round acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Very sweet in the cup; the orangy notes hint at wine. Rich, ringingly flavor-saturated finish muted by a slight mineral tightness. | |
Delicate, round and balanced. Sweet fruit and floral notes saturate aroma and flavor. In the cup the fruit nuances are so dense and complex they defy specific association, but they roll out with crisp voluptuousness into the long, sweet finish. | |
Crisp yet lush aromatics carry from nose to cup: cocoaish milk chocolate, aromatic wood, flowers, ripe orange. As the cup cools the fruit and flowers soften to a voluptuous peach. Delicate but rich acidity, leanish but silky mouthfeel, peach- and chocolate-saturated finish. | 
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Richly and sweetly acidy coffee with delicate complexity and depth. Cherryish fruit and nut notes in the aroma carry into the cup, with the fruit taking on a Riesling-like tart sweetness. Clean, crisp finish. | |
Delicate but rich. Distinct milk chocolate notes and hints of butter and apricot-like fruit in aroma and cup; a suggestion of earth in the cup. The chocolate carries into a clean, sweet-toned finish. | |
Poised and balanced in aroma and cup, with cocoa-toned fruit, nut, aromatic wood, and a hint of mint-like herb. Delicately rich acidity, lightly syrupy body. The finish reveals a hint of astringency. | |
Startlingly intense, sweet-toned notes of ripe lemon, baker's chocolate and night flowers runs through the profile aroma through finish. Roundly rich acidity, plush mouthfeel. The baker's chocolate sweetens toward a crisp bittersweet chocolate in the cup and finish. | |
Pungent aroma of mixed fruit, a fir-like wood and honey. These aromatic notes grow more intense and complex in the cup, displaying suggestions of herb and a more fragrant, cedar-toned wood. The fruit notes - berry, stone fruit, citrus and black currant - become more prominent as the cup cools, persisting in a long, flavor-rich finish. | |
Intensely aromatic yet finely balanced. The rich aroma is dominated by a pungent cedar sensation with backgrounded caramelly chocolate sweetness and a hint of flowers. The chocolaty fruit and night floral notes move lushly forward in the cup, persisting into the finish. Soft acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. | |
Berryish fruit, sweet herb, dark chocolate in the aroma. In the cup, gently rich acidity, silky mouthfeel, continued spicy, berryish fruit and a distinct cocoaish dark chocolate. Clean, sweet, rich finish with a touch of dry herby astringency in the long. | |
Intense sweet-toned aroma, with complex citrus and floral character. The flowers turn distinctly toward jasmine in the cup, with a continued muted citrus and a hint of cocoaish chocolate. Bright, balanced acidity, medium body and a slightly lean mouthfeel. The quiet finish displays hints of toast and cocoa. | |
Intense aroma: flowers, bergamot, lemon, cocoa nib. In the cup gently tart with a lean but silky mouthfeel. The flowers carry lavishly into the cup with continued hints of lemon and bergamot and a cocoa that softens toward a dry chocolate. Clean, long, flavor-saturated finish. | |
A rather wild fruit ferment reads in the aroma as deep-toned cherryish fruit with complicating hints of lemon and aromatic wood. In the cup muted acidity, fullish body, and a complexly savory-sweet fruit character suggesting brandy, cherry, and a slightly salty chocolate. Softens in a long, salty-sweet finish. | |
Intensely pungent aroma: blueberry, cedar, hints of flowers and honey. In the cup, bright fruit-toned acidity, silky mouthfeel and a lemon-like citrus quality that sweetens to flowers and berries. Floral tones linger in the long richly sweet finish. | |
Grandly fruity and sweetly fermented profile: port wine, raisiny dark chocolate, night flowers, blueberry, all carry with giddy intensity from aroma through cup to the long finish. Wine-like acidity, syrupy body, deep sweetness. | 
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Intense, roundly fruity aroma with notes of flowers and candied citrus peel. Bright floral-toned acidity, soft mouthfeel, and graceful notes of sweet lemon, berries and yes, more flowers. Sweet, clean finish with a mild suggestion of milk chocolate lingering in the long. | |
Citrus and jasmine-like flowers in the aroma with notes of honeyed toast. Balanced acidity, medium body and a gently complex floral character with hints of berry, citrus and lavender. Clean finish with soft hints of nut and milk chocolate developing in the long. | |
Sweet tangerine and jasmine aroma, balanced acidity and a soft, smooth mouthfeel. Tangerine and flowers carry into the cup along with notes of berries, apricot and mandarin. Finishes cleanly with soft fruit notes continuing in the long. | |
A lush, chocolate- and berry-toned fruit competes with an underlying menthol and Mediterranean herb character that may strike some coffee drinkers as too sharp and others as bracing. The sweet blueberry-like fruit prevails in the aroma, the fruit and savory herb balance in the cup. They split the difference in the finish: the short finish belongs to the fruit and chocolate, the long to the dry, herby mouthfeel. | |
Honey-like sweetness in the aroma with notes of flowers, wine and aromatic wood. Balanced, floral toned acidity, medium body with smoothness in mouthfeel. The floral qualities carry into the flavor with hints of savory herbs, berry and citrus that fade to milk chocolate. Chocolate turns fruity and bittersweet in the finish, along with a touch of astringency. | |
Giddily and brightly sweet floral-toned profile: orange, tart cherry, hints of dry chocolate, pipe tobacco, honey. Balanced acidity, silky mouthfeel, superbly clean, floral-toned finish. | |
A remarkably pure profile for this dried-in-the-fruit coffee type. Lush but delicate aroma: jammy blackberry, cocoa, ripe orange, a hint of cedar. In the cup sweet-toned acidity, lightish body, and a juicy, complex flavor: the cocoa notes move forward, supported by a round, berryish fruit that reads at various moments as red table grape, blackberry, blueberry, ripe orange. The clean, berry-saturated finish fades quickly but pleasingly. |
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Heady flowers, lemon and menthol in the aroma with backgrounded suggestions of honey and butter. In the cup balanced acidity, surprisingly full body, and a continued rich complex of flowers, lemon and honey. Flavor fades rather quickly in the finish. | |
Intense, bright aroma: tart coffee cherry, honey, a hint of fir, flowers. In the cup tartly sweet acidity, honeyish mouthfeel and flavor, with molasses, pipe tobacco and deep, rose-like floral notes. Very sweet, fruit-saturated, perfectly clean finish. | |
Full floral aroma with hints of cherry, syrupy berries and grapefruit. Sweet, yet pungent acidity, creamy mouthfeel. Flavors of tart lemonade, flowers and sweet fruit. Clean, sweet citrus finish with a slight shimmer of acidity in the long. | |
Intense aromatic notes of flowers, blackberry wine and grapefruit. Sweet floral acidity and juicy mouthfeel. Big, floral-toned flavor with cherry, lemon and a hint of black currant. Clean, sweet finish with a slight cocoa note. | |
Complex aroma: distinct strawberry and table grape notes; hints of nut and cocoa. In the cup well-integrated acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, and extraordinary flavor: wine-like and grapy but fresh; think nouveau Beaujolais, supported by ripe strawberry and cocoa. Long, sweet, cleanly grape- and strawberry-toned finish. Only a very, very slight salty unevenness in the cups discouraged an even higher rating for this striking coffee. | |
Tangy citrus, berry and mild, perfume-like floral aromas. Lemony bright acidity and full, juicy mouthfeel. Lemon-toned citrus carries from aroma to cup but is balanced by an elegant sweetness and hints of blueberry. Clean yet tart finish. | |
The aroma is delicately balanced between orangey tartness and toasty sweetness. Surprisingly full-bodied, with soft acidity. Subtly complex in the cup with flavors ranging from citrus, berries and flowers to hints of nut and chocolate. Cocoa notes linger in the long finish. | |
Aromas of flowers, crisp citrus and melon. Lively, floral toned acidity with smooth body. A sweeter version of citrus carries into the cup with more flowers and a hint of ferment that reads as blueberry. Fairly clean finish with mild toasty and nutty qualities. | |
Richly low-toned aroma: caramel, dark chocolate, fir. In the cup lightly syrupy mouthfeel, soft but vibrant acidity, with a deep, quiet, lavish complexity: distinct floral notes, dry wine- and berry-toned fruit, a hint of cherryish chocolate. | |
A richly sweet, almost overripe, berry-like aroma, with hints of earthiness. Full and smooth mouthfeel with soft, moderately sweet acidity. Though not quite as intense as in the aroma, the berry notes carry into the cup, joining a fruit-toned chocolate note that can be found in cocoa nibs. The long, dry, baker's chocolate finish turns slightly bitter as the coffee cools. | |
Big, rich, sweet fruit-toned aroma: blueberries, Port wine and a hint of flowers. In the cup, a pleasant fermented version of berry and wine tones develop, as well as a fruity dark chocolate-like quality. Pleasingly smooth aftertaste, with a suggestion of citrus peel lingering in the long finish. | |
A crisp and distinctive Ethiopia wet-processed profile. Floral and tangy orange notes in the aroma with a sweet hint of honey. In the cup, vibrant, fruit-toned acidity, medium body, somewhat soft mouthfeel. Tangy citrus turns toward sweet tangerine and tropical fruit with an underlying pungent toastiness. In the finish a slight hint of astringency and a softly bitter walnut note. | |
Exhilarating, fresh-toned aroma: jasmine, sweet herbs. In the cup crisply sweet-toned acidity, medium body, continued flowers, sweet herb and a tingly, cocoa-toned chocolate. Deep, flower-saturated finish. | |
A quiet but distinctive Ethiopia wet-processed profile. Distinct orange blossom and honeyed orange notes in the aroma, with hints of nut and caramel. In the cup delicate, balanced acidity, silky mouthfeel, continued honeyed orange and orange blossom with a balancing, slightly pungent nut note, walnut perhaps. Sweet, flavor saturated finish. The cup stiffens and simplifies slightly as it cools. | |
Intense aroma: ripe, fallen fruit, flowers, flowering grass, honey, pungent cedar. In the cup fruit-deepened acidity, syrupy mouthfeel, roundly sweet with a mild, balancing bitterness and tremendous aromatic complexity: honey, night flowers, and above all a brandyish, fruity chocolate that carries deep into the finish. | |
This coffee declares its essential Yirgacheffe character immediately: perfumy and pungently menthol-toned in the aroma, shimmering with floral and lemon notes. The aromatic drama carries without loss or simplification into a gently bright cup, light-bodied but silky in mouthfeel. The finish is thinnish but long, sweet, and flower-saturated. | |
A slight menthol-like astringency throughout the profile is the only restraint to this otherwise exceptional, complexly engaging coffee. In the aroma sweet-toned and balanced with pungent orange and butterscotch notes and hints of flowers and nut. The acidity is gentle and integrated, the cup very sweet but crisp in structure, with continued orange, nut, flower and very distinct cocoa or baker's chocolate notes. The nut and floral notes carry into a rich finish, although the shadow tightness that nags its way through the cup has the last word as the nuts and flowers fade. | |
Co-cupper Miguel Meza (92) finds bergamot and flowers in the aroma, Ken (94) finds flowers as well as cherries, red wine, and hints of chocolate and butter. In a cup that is "sweet" for Miguel, "rich and opulent" for Ken, both read cherries and blueberry and a positive fruit ferment note which Miguel nicely describes as 'Grand Marnier" and Ken more prosaically as red wine. In either case a slight, pleasing (more so to Ken?) hint of ferment complicates a round, deep, lavishly fruity cup. |
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Co-cupper Miguel Meza (94): "Intensely fragrant: strawberry, kiwi, cherry, amaretto. The cup is powerful, well-structured and dynamic, [progressively revealing] a whole universe of fruit flavor. Only a lingering sharp astringency, perhaps a side effect of he same process that developed the incredible range of flavors ..., limits this coffee from near perfection." Ken (92) found the lavish aroma and rich acidity particularly impressive, but like Miguel he found a slight nagging astringency in the finish, a shadow to this coffee's monumental yet seductive aromatics. | |
Miguel Meza (93): "An intense but slightly flawed cup. The coffee is so luscious and passionate[, however,] that such misgivings are easily forgotten. A dizzying array of ripe and dried berry flavors mingles with banana, lime and chocolate." Ken (93) agrees, finding a rich mix of "brandyish cherry, crisp cocoa/chocolate and ripe orange" notes. He is more specific about the flaw, which for him is a slight salty astringency that "softens as the cup cools, allowing the ripe fruit notes to fully bloom." | |
Miguel Meza (94) found only purity and ripeness in this opulent coffee; Ken (92) was impressed as well but felt just slightly let down by a limiting simplicity once past the aroma. Miguel Meza: "Vibrant, pure and ripe ... Creamy mouthfeel with vanilla-like floral notes. Full and balanced with a juicy acidity that hints of peach, orange and berries in the long, clean finish." Ken (92) admired the ripe, lush aroma every bit as much as Miguel for its "true dark chocolate, mint, floral and berry" notes, but observed that once past the aroma the cup simplified despite remaining "rich and berry-toned." Miguel and Ken diverged most strongly over the finish, where Ken detected a shadow astringency amid the memories of aromatic complexity where Miguel found only clean flavor. | |
Intense, complex aroma. Quite tropical for co-cupper Miguel Meza (92) who cites guava, pineapple, and orange; Ken's (92) associations are more temperate: blueberry, cherry, orange, honey. In the cup both Ken and Miguel find cherry and chocolate, and most likely Miguel's "mango and caramel" and Ken's "candyish butterscotch" both are efforts to find descriptors for the same sensation, a pleasingly pungent sweetness. Miguel passes on the finish; Ken finds the usual flaw haunting this style of coffee: a slight salty astringency hiding amid the lovely fading trajectory of fruit. |
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A soft cup, rather simple aromatically but "well-balanced" (co-cupper Miguel Meza, 91) and "smooth and deep in structure" (Ken, 91). Miguel finds "berries, citrus and chocolate," Ken reads some quiet chocolate and perhaps some orange. The finish is quiet but impressive with continued chocolate and fruit (Miguel: strawberry and cherry) notes. (Previously reviewed and rated 92 ponts in June 2007). | |
Co-cupper Miguel Meza (91) calls this coffee "juicy and refreshing," Ken (91) "sweet and deep." Both were impressed by a crisp, complex aroma (for Miguel "lemon-lime, cantaloupe and peach") and as the cup cooled distinct cocoa and sweet ferment notes that Ken read as "brandied cherry" and Miguel (with more ambition to precision) as "distilled agave." | |
Co-cupper Miguel Meza and Ken took different descriptive paths in an attempt to characterize the underlying structure of this low-toned, full-bodied coffee. For Miguel (92) the cup was "soft and comforting" with a mix of "dried fruit and mesquite" and "berries and chocolate." Ken (89) felt the cup's sweet yet salty structure dominated the berry- and cocoa-toned aromatics, making the cup attractive but limited. |
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Co-cupper Miguel Meza (89) was rather faint in his praise of this coffee, finding a "floral and tropical citrus" character he associates with the more familiar washed or wet-processed Ethiopia profile, with added "chocolate and berry" nuance derived from dry-processing. Ken (91) wrestles with the detail a bit more, admiring a wine or brandy nuance to the chocolate and berry character, which he finds "lush but crisp." | 
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Gently and sweetly pungent aroma: butter, cedar, orange, hints of flowers and chocolate. In the cup rich red-wine-toned acidity, silky mouthfeel, deep and balanced structure with a cherryish fruit and a continued hint of chocolate. Simple, rich, sweet finish. | |
A lucidly pure, deeply sweet coffee. In aroma and cup lavish floral notes and gently tart coffee fruit complicate molasses and honey tones that sail with gentle voluptuousness into a long finish. |
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High-toned and sweet aroma, lemon, flowers and menthol with an underlying hint of gently pungent cocoa. Bright and light-bodied in the cup, with continued giddily floral and lemon-toned top notes dominating crisp cocoa mid-tones. Settles into a smoothly rich finish with the quiet cocoa notes finally prevailing. |
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Tart but lushly sweet aroma: Floral-saturated cherryish fruit and a cedary milk chocolate. In the cup the acidity is big, round, and deeply sweet, the general structure dry but opulent with a basket of berry/cherry notes, honey, flowers, chocolate. Rich, resonant finish with impressive flavor persistence. | |
Intense aroma: nut, mint, brandied cherry chocolate. In the cup rich acidity, silky body and a continuing aromatic profile so deeply and explosively complex that a world of coffee sensation can be found in it: cocoaish chocolate, raisin, flowers, lemon, brandy, orange peel. Very sweet and flavor-saturated short finish, though in the long a very slight salty astringency shadows the fine aromatic echoes. | |
No hints here: The aromatics are direct, inescapable, lavish. Lushly intense blueberry, chocolate, and floral-toned honey in the aroma. In the cup the incendiary aromatics are influenced by a wine-like acidity that turns the berry and chocolate notes crisp and richly dry. The fundamental berry and floral notes linger with surprising clarity in the finish, although they are outlasted by a slight but forgivable astringency. | |
Sweet-impressioned, deep aroma with a wonderfully candied, chocolaty tone to the fruit. In the small cup medium in body but smooth in mouthfeel with a deep cedar and continued candied fruit character. Surprisingly crisp, citrusy finish. Gentle and balanced in milk, blooming with milk chocolate and flowers, quiet but complete. | |
Pungently bittersweet, rather austere coffee. Deep aroma, with tomato and rosemary notes and perhaps some semi-sweet chocolate. In the cup, rich, simple, bittersweet with continued tomato, Mediterranean herb and semi-sweet chocolate notes. | |
Spectacularly aromatic in both dry and infused aroma: candied lemon peel, bergamot, hints of jasmine. Medium bodied and sweet, with superb acidity and flavors that suggest both the mentholated citrus of a Yirgacheffe and the blueberry notes of a Harrar, but without a trace of ferment or earthiness. Perfumed perfection. | |
A delicate but intense lemony chocolate dominates from aroma through demitasse to milk. The lemon-toned chocolate is lavish and sweet in the aroma; in the small cup tartly sweet; in finish pleasantly persistent despite a slight astringency. In milk the lemon mutes while the chocolate rounds out lushly. | |
(Pre-ground blend of coffee, dry honey and vanilla) Oddly muted aroma dominated by notes that read as a dry, caroby chocolate. Very sweet, sugary, cup with a limiting, drying astringency. The same combination of intense sweetness and heavy astringency marks the finish. | |
(Pre-ground blend of coffee, cardamom and cinnamon) The spice sensation is intense and dominating throughout the profile, reading as a bitter, resiny orange with a sharp cinnamon overlay. In the cup the mouthfeel is full and the taste simultaneously sweet and brassily bitter. | |
The aroma is intense and complex: cherry, blueberry, brandy, chocolate, with an underlying edge of pungently spicy cedar. All carry richly into the cup with an excitement a bit too edgy for elegance. A slight shadow of astringency lurking in the cup emerges clearly in the long finish. | |
Delicately soft aroma: dusk-blooming flowers, lemon, a hint of milk chocolate and caramel. In the small cup medium to light in body but smooth in mouthfeel, with continued lemon and floral top notes working above gently pungent cedar and semi-sweet chocolate mid-tones. Sweet, long, roundly lemony finish. In milk just on the edge of thin-bodied, but the lemony chocolate flavor notes are distinctive and superb. | |
The scent of blueberry fills the room simply in the act of grinding this explosively fragrant coffee. Blueberry continues richly to dominate the wet aroma, nuanced by hints of other low-acid fruit - peach perhaps, and chocolate. In the cup the fruit inclines more toward wine and a lush, minty chocolate, but the blueberry reasserts itself in the finish. Only in the long finish is there a hint of the serendipitous ferment responsible for much of this aromatic excitement. Probably as close to a perfect example of this coffee type as this imperfect world allows, tactfully roasted. |
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Intense aroma, very sweet in impression, with round blueberry, fresh leather and cedar notes. In the cup the roast turns the blueberry toward a rich chocolate, but also seems to develop an astringent edge to the cup. In the finish the lovely blueberry chocolate barely makes itself heard above the persistent astringency. | |
An exotic, almost violent cup. The aroma is lush with intense, shifting ripe to overripe fruit and floral notes, blueberry most distinctly, with pungent, sweet spice undertones. In the cup the fruit notes turn markedly winy, or perhaps cidery. A fermented version of blueberry remains dominant, but the rich, complexly suggestive fruit notes hint at chocolate as well. A slight, pungent saltiness shadows the cup, but smoothes out reassuringly in a convincingly smooth, long finish. | |
A coffee that displays the more pungent side of the Yirgacheffe profile. Distinct ginger-snap notes in the aroma with suggestions of rosemary and pine. Sweeter in the cup, dominated by lemon and ginger-snap. The pine and Mediterranean herb notes resurface in the long finish. | |
The roast takes equal place with the coffee in the success of this darker roasted Yirgacheffe, proving, in co-cupper Christy Thorns' (91) words, "the amazing roasting range that a fine Ethiopian coffee can withstand." Christy finds "stone fruit, licorice, black pepper, citrus, rose petal and lavender" in the aroma and cup. Ken (90) also admired the rich floral and sweet citrus character. | |
For both Ken (90) and co-cupper Christy Thorns (91), extraordinary aroma: For Christy "freshly grown ginger, orange peel, apricot, mint and lemon." Ken stressed the "caramelly fruit that transforms completely into chocolate." In the cup, smooth, creamy mouthfeel and, for Ken, a character "sweetly and deeply tart - dark chocolate and lemon." | |
Co-cupper Christy Thorns' (90) reading was precise and explicit: "The aromatics of this coffee undulate from desert lime, orange peel, lemon zest to eucalyptus and jasmine blossom. These characteristics do not carry over into the cup, however, but instead a delicate candied sweetness and roasted nut flavor dominate with a hint of ginger in the finish." Ken (90), just as positive but less specific, was content to praise a rich wine, fruit and floral character. Either way, a complex cup with great aromatic richness and range. | |
A striking and distinctive coffee. Co-cupper Christy Thorns (89) admired its complex aromatics: "dried apricot, orange zest, clove, citronella." Ken (90) found a gingery chocolate and lemon that for him was unusual and surprising, which may be why he was slightly more willing than Christy to forgive a slight, shadow salty cling as the cup cooled. | |
Although co-cupper Christy Thorns (87) felt the Ethiopia citrus and floral notes turned "somewhat passive" under the impact of the roast, she praised the "complex aromatics of ginger, clove and toasted grain" and a spicy finish. Ken also found spice notes also in the aroma (black pepper, clove), but particularly admired the cup for its round mouthfeel and "juicy and sweet but vegetal" character, "a bit like biting into a ripe plum and tasting the skin and the flesh at the same time." What we can take away from all of this is a coffee with less floral and citrus character than a classic wet-processed Ethiopia, but with more spice and tingle. | |
Chocolate and delicately intense lemon notes carry decisively from aroma through cup to finish. The cup is integrated and harmonious, with a softly sweet acidity and a slight herby twist to the lemon. | |
Dry fragrance: lemon, flowers and freshly laundered linen. In the hot aroma dark molasses and licorice on the pour, rich ripe fruit and milk chocolate in the break. While the floral, citrus and deep-red fruit notes remain intact from first sip through last (a neat trick in such a dark roast) these flavors assemble themselves differently with each taste as the cup cools. Complex and beautifully structured cup (Lindsey Bolger). | |
Intense aromatics of coffee blossom (imagine jasmine, gardenia and lime), laced with milk chocolate, dried orange peel, bees' wax and lemon. While many Yirgacheffes display flourishes of mint, here oregano is the more dominant herbal note. If this coffee is big and robust in fragrance and aroma, the cup is quiet and a bit timid - a contradiction that adds to the appeal of this delicately balanced coffee. (Lindsey Bolger) | |
Delicate and refined aroma: flowers, oranges and a hint of fresh-cut cedar. The cup is light-bodied, sweetly tart, refreshingly floral- and fruit toned with the pure, literal character of the flower and fruit of the coffee tree. | |
Sweetly lyric with delicate but lushly complex high notes in the aroma. The softly lyric character carries into the cup, where the indeterminate aromatic complexity gives way to dramatic floral high notes and Meyer lemon and chocolate midtones. | |
Deeply, richly acidy, but without any edge unblunted by an enveloping,
buffering sweetness. Surprisingly heavy body; a shimmering cocktail of pineapple, pear, citrus
and floral notes in the nose. Neighbors green buyer and quality assurance manager Chris Palmer
tags these elusive notes "apricot-like ... with a hint of spice."
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Both John Weaver and Ken admired this dark-roasted Ethiopia. John: "My
favorite of this cupping. Obviously East African. Bright acidity with exceptional flavor. Nice
roast for this coffee, although I might have taken it a hair farther to bring out more body" (90).
Ken: "Balanced, sweet, deeply dimensioned integration of rounded acidy notes, crisp roastiness
and a lush, apricot-toned fruit" (91). | |
John Weaver was not excited: "Medium-bodied, a little flat. Some good wine
tones with a little citric flavor" (80). Ken, who tends to value nuance, rewarded this coffee for its
"sweet roastiness complicated by smoky, fruity chocolate tones that carry from cup through the
mildly astringent finish" (85).
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The medium roast allows the character of the coffee to emerge, in this case
richly and sweetly acidy, complicated by sweet nut notes and, as the cup cools, more
characteristic Yirgacheffe floral and lemon tones. An unusual coffee in two respects: light roasted
in a region (San Francisco Bay Area) where extremely dark roasting prevails, and rather heavy
bodied for a Yirgacheffe.
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The medium-dark but rather aggressive roast preserves a touch of acidity and
lemony sweetness amid the dominant roasty tones. More complex than balanced, the closest
sensory analogy I can propose is roasted lemon drops.
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A dark-roast presentation with a splendid aroma: intense, crisply dry and
fruity. In the cup, however, the roast dominates, though patient drinkers will feel a sweet, lush
fruitiness behind the roasty bitterness. The halo of fruit persists in the cleanly roasty finish.
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"Bright, acidy, but luxuriously sweet -- high-toned, citrusy fruit suggests
grapefruit. Slightly astringent in the finish but richly so (rating 88)." Chris really liked this
coffee, awarding it a rating of 96: "Started things off right with a mouthwatering floral and citrus
aroma. Very much the lone wolf of the cupping owing to its winey Yirgacheffe/Kenya character."
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Sweet floral and lemon tones shimmer above rather bitterly pungent bottom
notes. The combination of juicy sweetness and pungent bitterness nets a sensation almost
pineapple-like in its bracing contradiction. The pungent bottom notes, always present in
Sidamos, are heavier than usual here, perhaps owing to the vicissitudes of decaffeination, though
they settle and soften as the cup cools. | |
A light, bright, fragrantly smooth cup. When hot alive with shimmers of citrus, spice, and nut tones. As the cup cools, however, a disturbing vegetative undertone surfaces: "grassy," "dried peas," "sour," panelists complained. A potentially superb coffee, an India version of the great, brightly nuanced coffees like Guatemala Antigua and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, but flawed by either processing/storage errors or too much unripe fruit. | |
A light, bright, fragrantly smooth cup. When hot alive with shimmers of citrus, spice, and nut tones. As the cup cools, however, a disturbing vegetative undertone surfaces: "grassy," "dried peas," "sour," panelists complained. A potentially superb coffee, an India version of the great, brightly nuanced coffees like Guatemala Antigua and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, but flawed by either processing/storage errors or too much unripe fruit. | |
Metaphor fails. This is a coffee that refers to nothing except what it is: a superb coffee, grand yet elegant, dry yet sweet, balanced, full-bodied, complete. | |
This Yirgacheffe soared straight out of the pack, powered by flowers and spice in the aroma that carried into the cup with charm, depth and vivacity. Not powerful, but certainly intense, the complexity of nuance provoked enthusiastic (if decidedly non-technical) words of tribute: "Wow," wrote one; "sweet & intense -- awesome!" exclaimed another. | |
A complete, balanced Ethiopia: sweet, full but light-footed, with a soft, floral-toned acidity. The flowers and citrus are delicate but complex, shimmering over a touch of darker tones. "... A good beginner 's coffee; not too bold ... balanced," wrote one panelist. The beginner 's adjective probably indicates why this attractive coffee failed to provoke a higher rating: It is a bit underpowered, fading quickly in the aftertaste. But I suspect that many American coffee drinkers will love this gentle, roundly nuanced coffee. | |
I found myself at odds with most of the panel on this balanced, low-key coffee. What I read (and enjoyed) as pleasant chocolate tones others apparently took as earthy or faintly dirty notes. Or so it seems. But everyone enjoyed the deeply dimensioned, nut-toned aroma. | |
A richly high-toned, citrusy coffee shadowed by a faint defect. The aroma is sweet and floral, the cup brisk and lemony but dulled by a slight but persistent hardness. "Bright, juicy and citrusy, but cooled to dry and gritty," complained one panelist. | |
Panelist opinion was divided whether to call this Limu bland or (as one panelist put it) "comfortable." Most agreed that the aroma tended toward vanilla, berry and chocolate, that the acidity was bright and sweet, and that the cup was agreeably sweet but underpowered, perhaps shadowed by slight vegetal tones. | |
Smooth, embellished with delicate fruit and floral tones, and understated -- apparently too understated for the panel. The herbal and spice notes in the aroma faded and turned vaguely tealike as the cup cooled. "Nice but unremarkable," one panelist wrote. "The interesting aroma was somewhat lost in the cup." | |
Is this Ethiopia smooth, complex and gently authoritative, or slightly hard, grassy, and astringent? Either the panelists couldn 't make up their minds on this coffee or the coffee couldn 't make up its own mind. "Sweet, caramel, rootbeer," wrote another; but "cooled to unremarkable and astringent." I found this coffee chocolaty and rich on first impression, but a touch hard underneath, with a faintly bitter finish. | |
A light, bright breath of acidity shimmers inside an amazing bouquet of sweet jasmine and darker, woodier fragrances. The cup soars in a delicious, reeling dizziness of flowers, then immediately relaxes into spicy shadows. Somehow, all of the range and complexity remains precariously, elegantly in balance. | |
The famous Yirgacheffe flower tones are brighter and sturdier than usual here: less levitating, more grounded, fresh but rich, accessible, gently acidy. The cup darkens toward cedar and chocolate in the finish, the aftertaste is long and richly floral. | |
Amazingly, behind the dampening effect of the aggressive dark roast a delicate, exquisite floral sweetness survives among the equally delicate charred, pungent notes. Think of a meadow that survived a forest fire. | |
Pungent and woody out front, with winy, fruity undertones turned toward dry chocolate by the roast. A hint of flowers in the finish. Marred by an overly aggressive roast: Flat, charred tones verging on creosote sit on an otherwise expansive, complex profile. | |
Lovely Yirgacheffe character: Floral, intense, transporting, as astonishing at first sip as the sudden scent of jasmine at dusk. What makes this particular Yirgacheffe an especially fine example of the origin is a touch of richness and power supporting the always remarkable perfumes. | |
Rich with a low-toned, vibrant acidity. The body is creamily smooth, though a touch lighter than the heaviest-bodiedBrazils in the cupping. Here the sweet spice tones characteristic of natural Brazils are buoyant and floral, almost Yirgacheffe-like in their perfumes. The floral tones linger sweetly in the aftertaste. | |
Distinct orange-citrus tones are exhilaratingly fresh when the cup is hot, but turn mildly astringent as it cools. The body is round and creamy, but lighter than any of the straight Brazils in the cupping. | |
The floral perfumes are high-toned and exquisite in the aroma and overwhelmingly fragrant in the cup. Eventually a sweet, bright-toned coffee emerges from behind all the flowers. Owing to the floral lift the body reads as lightly buoyant rather than thin. | |
Clean and decisive profile, but a bit too much wallop and not quite enough tickle. Little sweetness or nuance. Some dimension, but a rather hard, winy (not fruity) acidity dominates, sitting on the rest of the profile. | |
I wouldn't have expected a coffee so subtle to stand up to a dark roast so well. The roast only slightly mutes the heady floral tones of the aroma, while the acidity in tantalizing Yirgacheffe fashion hovers between flower and fruit. The body is hardly robust, but substantial enough to support the top notes. Only a trace of carbon. | |
Floral and vanilla tones hover in the high-toned acidity, exciting without distracting. The acidity is authoritative despite its floral delicacy and the body surprisingly substantial, although the entire profile loses momentum in the finish. | |
Another flower-laced Yirgacheffe, shimmering with rose and lavender notes. Enough acidity to sustain the fruit and flower innuendoes, but rather light-bodied. Some carbon thinness seems to emerge as the coffee cools. Depending on whether you find the very pronounced flower tones a delight or a distraction, this coffee could merit anywhere from an 80 to a 100. I (roughly) split the difference. | |
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