Reviews for Simon Hsieh's Aroma Roast Coffees

Evaluated as espresso. Both co-taster Ethan Hill (93) and Ken (92) remarked on the subtle, intricate layering of aroma and flavor, which for Ethan involved “lilac, lavender, blackberry … almond.” Both found mouthfeel relatively light but “satiny” (Ethan), the general structure delicate and balanced, the finish softly resonant and berry-toned. Both Ethan and Ken felt the general poise and quiet intricacy of this coffee carried persuasively into three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, deep, complexly expressed. Fresh-cut cedar, blood orange, roasted cocoa nib, lavender, musk in aroma and cup. Plush, silky mouthfeel. Cedar and lavender carry into a sweet, gently drying finish. Flavor carries impressively into three parts milk, with a crisp, lightly stated chocolate dominating and a fine finish.

Richly and softly pungent. Dark honey, wisteria-like flowers, dark chocolate, sandalwood in aroma and cup. Soft but vibrant acidity; plush, lively mouthfeel. The finish consolidates around a deeply nuanced chocolate sensation.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly sweet and balanced. Honey, roasted cacao-nib, blood orange, lavender and plum-blossom in aroma and small cup. Lively, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Simplifies but maintains sweetness and depth in the finish. Flavors round but retain definition in three parts milk.

Immense, complex aromatics. Floral notes stretch from lush narcissus to crisp lavender; fruit from orange to sweet papaya. Honey, pungent sandalwood, roasted cacao nib. Richly tart, cleanly wine-like acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Richly dry, deeply flower-saturated finish with a slight savory edge.

Sweetly rich, deep. Dusk-blooming flowers, buttery dark chocolate, fresh pipe tobacco, banana-like fruit in aroma and cup. Roundly tart acidity; lightly syrupy, lively mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but rings on in a sweetly balanced finish.

Perfumy, rose-like floral notes, spicy sandalwood, ripe raspberry, moist pipe tobacco in a deep yet buoyant aroma and flavor. Richly crisp, balanced acidity; silky mouthfeel. Flavor carries deep into a resonant finish.

Sweetly bright, soaring. Juicy black currant, Concord grape, ripe grapefruit, crisp lavender in aroma and cup. Exhilarating, flawless acidity; silky, buoyant mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists in a sweet, slightly drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Pungently sweet. Fresh-cut cedar, caramelly dark chocolate, apricot, a hint of flowers in aroma and small cup. Light but smoothly silky mouthfeel; flavor consolidates in a rich finish. In three parts milk delicate and rather drying, with sweet chocolate notes nicely nuanced by apricot and flowers.

Evaluated as espresso. Aromatic cedar, dark chocolate, orange, fresh-turned earth in aroma and small cup. Velvety mouthfeel; flavor consolidates but persists in a rich finish. Orange and an earthy, cedar-toned chocolate in particular persist in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp, finely structured, quietly distinctive. Dark chocolate and a shifty, anise-toned fruit (orange, blackberry, grape) dominate in aroma and small cup, with backgrounded complications of cedar and butter. Creamy, full yet buoyant mouthfeel. Berry and chocolate in particular persist in a rich, deep finish. Round, quietly balanced in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Big, deep, complex. Dark chocolate, lush night-blooming flowers, walnut, tangerine in aroma and small cup. Full, dense mouthfeel; chocolate and flowers dominate in a sweet, richly drying finish. Chocolate fudge, walnut and flowers in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. In the straight shot complex floral notes ranging from lavender to lily, honey, fresh-cut cedar, vanilla-toned dark chocolate. The mouthfeel is medium in weight and lightly syrupy in texture; the finish sweet and resonantly persistent. Preserves character in two parts milk with a zesty orange-toned chocolate and a continuing hint of flowers.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, deep, complex. In the small cup aromatic wood, apricot-like fruit, dark chocolate, night-blooming flowers and a hint of lemony citrus in aroma and flavor. Big, velvety mouthfeel. Flavor persists deep in a richly drying finish. Presents a crisply dry, forceful dark chocolate in two parts milk.

Sweet, complex, briskly floral. Honey, lavender-like flowers, cocoaish chocolate, hints of fir and mint in aroma and cup. Softly bright acidity; silky mouthfeel. Very sweet, flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, deep, nutty. Molasses, roasted pecan, dark chocolate and pungent, pineapple-like fruit in aroma and small cup. Fullish, creamy mouthfeel; richly dry, fruit-toned finish. Fruit and chocolate survive, though quietly, in two parts milk.

Shifting, engaging complexity. Just a few of the notes we registered: apricot, honey, melon, fresh pipe tobacco, cedar, dark chocolate. There were more. Delicately bright, floral-toned acidity; light, silky/satiny mouthfeel. Pleasingly soft though fading finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp, delicate, refreshingly and cleanly fruit-toned. Tart cherry, ripe orange, cedar, baker’s chocolate in aroma and small cup. Light in body but surprisingly silky-syrupy in mouthfeel; deep, flavor-saturated finish. Continued delicate but very complex in two parts milk, with both chocolate and fruit rounding and sweetening.

Very sweet, gently bright, delicately fruit-toned. Lush flowers, cidery apple and tart, raspberry-like fruit in aroma and cup. Softly bright acidity; silky to lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Very sweet in the finish.

Crisp baker's chocolate and heavy, lush, cherry-like fruit and brandy hints in aroma and cup. Wine-toned acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Rather heavy, sweet-salty finish.