Reviews for Bull Run Roasting

Aroma and flavor display intense, pungent pine and cedar wood with soft hints of earth, cocoa and grapefruit. Balanced acidity, medium to full body. The flavor characteristics are sustained in the long, dry finish.

The edge of fruit ferment typical of this style of dry-processed coffee richly complicates the profile. Sweet cherryish fruit, distinct brandy-like notes and a hint of chocolate in the aroma. In the cup quietly vibrant acidity, full mouthfeel, continued rich brandy and chocolate notes with a suggestion of lemon. All carry into a surprisingly clean, balanced but deep finish.

"It's sweet," reports co-cupper Andy Newbom (90); Ken (90) agrees, though Ken is most impressed by the way sweetness is balanced by a deep pungency. Perhaps that's what Andy is describing when he cites "Warm peaches and apple blossoms with hints of dark cherry" in the aroma. Lemon figures prominently in Andy's descriptors of acidity and cup, tart berry in Ken's. Both find suggestions of cocoa nibs, chocolate, and cassis. Andy finds "an intriguing lavender ... note" in a finish that Ken describes more generally as "sweet, rich and deep."

Ken (92) particularly admired this coffee's deep, night-blossoming floral character which he felt was balanced by an underlying crisp, cedary cocoa. Co-cupper Jim Reynolds (91) found the profile "mild" and caramelly with a soft ? for Jim, a bit too soft ? acidity.