Reviews for Cafe Excellence

Balanced, quiet blend with just a hint of dark-roast character. Caramel, cedar, plum and hints of dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Gentle, roast-rounded acidity; smoothly light mouthfeel. The caramel turns toward chocolate in a simple but agreeably balanced finish.

Attractive dark chocolate, apricot, hints of fresh-cut cedar and orange in aroma and cup. Delicate, balanced acidity; light but smoothly silky mouthfeel. Recollections of chocolate and a rather zesty orange survive in a relatively fast-fading finish.

Dark chocolate and lavender-like flowers dominate, complicated by unusual sweet spicy/herbal notes: agave syrup perhaps, or nutmeg. Crisp, delicate acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The complex aromatics simplify in an otherwise pleasantly balanced finish.

Intense, complex aroma: wine-toned fruit, caramel, fresh-cut cedar, a hint of roses. Muted acidity; full, buttery mouthfeel. In the cup the caramel turns crisp and cocoa-like and the wine-toned fruit deepens and develops a savory edge. The cocoa note in particular carries into a rich finish.

Pungently rich aroma: charred wood, roasted nut, with hints of raisiny fruit and dark chocolate. Although the charred wood dominates in the cup the chocolate becomes more distinct and the raisiny suggestion persists. Lean mouthfeel. The finish is sweet but rather astringent.

Quietly complex and impressively balanced: milk chocolate, nut, stone fruit, lemon in aroma and cup. Gentle acidity; lightly syrupy, very smooth mouthfeel. Lemon and a spicy chocolate carry into the finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Deep and sweet-toned in the small cup: cedar, milk chocolate, orangy fruit. Medium-bodied but buttery and supple in mouthfeel. Very sweet finish with a pleasantly drying, walnut-like hint in the long. Seductive in milk, which pushes the chocolate forward and lightens and brightens the fruit.