Reviews for Coffee Express
Ken: "Round, balanced, quietly agreeable. A subdued roastiness is nicely enveloped in gently sweet fruit tones" (rating 86). Chris also appreciates the sweet, round fruit, but objects to the notes Ken calls roasty, condemning them as "woody": "Fragrant honey butter with a hint of a citric bite. However, the sweet creamy character gets lost in the woody nut tones of the finish" (rating 83).
Considerable disagreement surfaced between Ken and Chris over this blend's odd character contributed by seldom-used coffees like India Monsooned Malabar and wet-processed robusta. Ken rather defiantly settled on a rating of 85, admiring what he called the blend's "sweet, complexly opulent nose and odd, overripe apricot and bittersweet chocolate notes" but admitting he found its "background musty tones disturbing." Chris (rating 77) didn't buy into the exotic character at all, concluding that the musty (his term is "earthy") tones dominated: "Off the mark, it strides toward a nutty baked bread aroma. The body and acidity tire down to earthy notes midway, but regain some sweet strength in the aftertaste."
Bright rather than brisk. A classic combination of high-toned sweetness and gently dry acidity, animated by floral top notes. Only a faint touch of greenness or grassiness mars an otherwise fine American-style breakfast cup.