Reviews for Neighbors Coffee

An unusually successful ultra-dark-roasted espresso: the gently burned tones in the aroma develop rather than dominate the pronounced dry fruit and chocolate notes that carry from aroma through small cup into milk, where they bloom with lean but masterful authority.

Magnificent cup when hot: powerfully but sweetly acidy, resonating with complex chocolate nuance from aroma through finish. The acidity turns rather bitter and the profile simplifies as the cup cools.

Splendid aroma: sweet, smoky/spicy, cantaloupe notes. In the cup brightly acidy, the cantaloupe notes turning tart and tamarind-toned.

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."

For Ken (rating 87), "clean, crisp, but rich. Chocolate in the nose, flowers and citrus in the cup." Kevin (rating 89) writes: "Caramel and nut, fresh, clean, sweet. Not a powerhouse, but subtle, velvety and elegant - all Costa Rica virtues."

Very soft, round, gentle cup with luxurious chocolate notes and a pleasant hint of sweet fermented fruit.

The aroma is high-toned and bright, vivid with leather and lemon notes. The lemon notes turn faintly floral in the cup, which is dominated by a rather sharp acidity, barely buffered by sweetness. The body is full for a medium-roasted coffee; the finish astringent but rich.

The rich, grapey, slightly fermented fruit taste Guatemalans call avinatado or winyness dominates the profile of this medium-dark-roasted blend, together with the intensely and fleetingly sweet innuendoes we associate with dusk flowers like jasmine or honeysuckle. The finish is sweet, almost juicy.