Reviews for Rusty's Hawaiian Coffee

Deeply sweet, richly savory. Lemongrass, graham cracker, sassafras, roasted cacao nib, jasmine in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure, with round acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The short finish is resonant with notes of lemongrass and jasmine, rounding to cocoa and graham cracker in the long.

Deeply sweet, richly tart. Wisteria, tangerine zest, sandalwood, pomegranate, cashew in aroma and cup. Juicy, bittersweet acidity; satiny, buoyant mouthfeel. The richly drying finish consolidates to resonant notes of wisteria and pomegranate.

Luxuriously rich, brandy-toned. Orange, cognac, hints of roasted cacao nib and honeysuckle in aroma and cup. Richly tart acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a sweet though drying finish.

Sweetly and intensely pungent. Honey, black currant, sweet plum, dark chocolate, night-blooming flowers in aroma and cup. Deeply nuanced, balanced acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor and sweetness overwhelm a slight drying sensation in the finish.

Spectacular and juicy. The aroma starts quietly: orange, flowers, honey, a crisp hint of juniper. Round, sweet, brilliantly lively acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. In the cup lavish honey, orange, lychee, rose-like flowers, and a smoothing hint of chocolate. Rose and lychee in particular carry into a refreshing, resonant finish.

Striking, original profile. Rich, rose-like flowers, blackberry, candied citrus, dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Soft, finely balanced acidity; very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Flavor saturates a crisply sweet, resonant finish.

Brandy, mint, cocoa and apricot in a quiet but clean dried-in-the-fruit profile. Tart, apple-toned acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Some flavor persists in the simple, savory-sweet finish.

Complex and balanced flavor and aroma: orange-toned citrus, cherry, cedary aromatic wood, a hint of baking spice. The acidity is extraordinary: deep, powerful yet roundly rich and sweet. The mouthfeel is full and syrupy, the finish long and fruit-saturated.

Very sweet, complex coffee. In the aroma molasses, milk chocolate, aromatic wood, sweet tomato. In the cup rich acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, almost sugary sweetness, with continued notes of molasses, chocolate, and a richly tart tomato. Clean, long finish.

Light-roasted, but brought along just enough to develop the delicate richness of a pure, subtle coffee. Gently pungent, orange-toned citrus in the aroma turns lushly orange-blossomy in the cup, complicated by a hint of cocoaish chocolate. Rich, flavor-saturated finish.

"An absolutely mind-blowing coffee" for co-cupper Andy Newbom (93). "Utterly pure yet soaringly intense," for Ken (97). "Say fruit ten times," Andy reports, and then he does, mainly variations of grapefruit, apricot and melon with green apple and Bartlett pear thrown in for the finish. For Ken that entire nuance is wrapped up in the extraordinary, singular explosion of cedary, pungently sweet berry, the quintessential Bourbon character. The acidity is enveloped in sweetness; in Andy's colorful language it "startles and snuggles all at once." For mouthfeel Andy suggests "crème fraîche Meyer lemon chiffon"; Ken sticks with a pedestrian "syrupy." Ken awarded a perfect 10 to the long, balanced, deeply flavor-saturated finish.