LATEST REVIEWS

A crisp and distinctive Ethiopia wet-processed profile. Floral and tangy orange notes in the aroma with a sweet hint of honey. In the cup, vibrant, fruit-toned acidity, medium body, somewhat soft mouthfeel. Tangy citrus turns toward sweet tangerine and tropical fruit with an underlying pungent toastiness. In the finish a slight hint of astringency and a softly bitter walnut note.

Sweet-toned and balanced aroma, with a tight-knit, quiet complexity leading with semi-sweet chocolate with support from savory herb, sweet orange, nut. In the cup medium bodied but smooth, delicate but rich. The nut-toned, semi-sweet chocolate declares itself distinctly, carrying into the long, rich finish.

Pungent nut, hints of herb and earth in the sweet-toned aroma. In the cup full mouthfeel, crisp earth notes, dry, berryish fruit and a slight herby or gingery tingle. Rich, sweet, berry-toned finish.

Rich, spicy and chocolate aroma with a mild smokiness. Mellow acidity with soft suggestions of tangy citrus. Balanced and complex flavors open as a vaguely fruity sweetness, then fade to nut and earth tones. Pleasant toasty, earthy and cocoa qualities persist into the finish.

Big, rich, sweet fruit-toned aroma: blueberries, Port wine and a hint of flowers. In the cup, a pleasant fermented version of berry and wine tones develop, as well as a fruity dark chocolate-like quality. Pleasingly smooth aftertaste, with a suggestion of citrus peel lingering in the long finish.

Very sweet-toned and bright aroma: lemon, orange, flowers, cherry, a hint of honey. The acidity, rich and enveloped in sweetness, lifts the cup and carries into the long finish. Continued lemon, cherry and floral-toned honey notes.

Rich, sweetly bright and perfectly balanced throughout the profile. Cherry, molasses and nut notes in the aroma; in the cup full body and lightly syrupy mouthfeel, with dusk flower notes and continued hints of cherry, nut, and a perhaps chocolate-inclined molasses. Simple but long, sweetly rich finish.

Intensely floral and cherry-toned aroma with rounding hints of chocolate and pipe tobacco. In the cup balanced acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, and almost sugary berry-toned sweetness, balanced by a crisp, slightly vegetal dry edge, think cacao or (if you know it) tamarind. Long, opulently rich finish.

In the aroma round and balanced, with dusk flowers, orange and nut notes. In the cup continued classic balance: quiet but assertive acidity buffered by great sweetness, crisp fruity cocoa and continued nut and floral notes. Clean, sweetly rich, long finish.

Very sweet-toned aroma: honey, cherryish coffee fruit, flowering grass. In the cup quietly vibrant acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, balanced structure, with cocoa and honey notes that carry into a long, resonantly flavor-saturated finish.

Unusual profile: molasses, pine, flowers, cherry, richly low-toned acidity, syrupy mouthfeel. In the cup the molasses-like notes take on a cocoaish or dark chocolate cast. Lifts and lightens in a clean, sweet finish.

A light-medium roast of a very pure coffee that preserves the taste of the coffee orchard: tartly sweet coffee fruit, honey, flowers, nut. Delicate acidity, lean but silky mouthfeel, cleanly sweet finish.

Buttery aroma: nut, flowers, dry berry. Rich acidity, medium body. The elegantly pungent berry note cuppers call black currant dominates in the cup, but supported by a profound underlying sweetness that gives the berry a dark chocolate depth. Flowers revive in the fine, rich, flavor-saturated finish.

A light-roasted coffee rather too bright and lean-bodied to fulfill conventional expectations for espresso, though shimmeringly floral and citrusy throughout the profile. "Very clean and floral in the aroma" for co-taster Heather Perry (87). In the small cup refreshingly if rather sharply citrus, with "delicate butter and floral notes" (Ken, 87) that carry into an impressive, sweetly dry finish. The delicate floral and citrus profile fades in milk, however, retaining a tart sweetness but quite lean in mouthfeel.

Mouthfeel and presence trumped aromatics. Both co-taster Heather Perry (87) and Ken (87) admired smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel in the small cup and solid balance in milk. Aromatics were relatively subdued and simple, however: "spicy" with "light lemon undertones" for Heather, "smoky chocolate" with floral hints for Ken (87).

Ken (88) showed more enthusiasm for the small cup than co-taster Heather Perry (87), finding the aroma simple but "high-toned and elegant," the body leanish but smooth, the flavor pungently smoky (for Heather pleasantly tobacco notes in the aroma turned "ashy" in the cup), the finish sweet and long. Both found the presence in milk simple but "balanced and sweet" (Heather).

Both Ken (89) and co-taster Heather Perry (87) admired the aroma: "creamy berry" for Heather, "bananaish fruit with floral top notes" for Ken. But for both the mouthfeel was a bit lean in the small cup and the flavor a bit sharp, though Ken admired the continued floral notes. For both tasters the profile smoothed in the long finish, with a sweet flavor persistence that suggested chocolate for Ken, "blackberry pie" for Heather. Heather found it lost sweetness in milk but Ken was pleased, finding it crisp with "true chocolate" notes.

A simple, rich, roast-influenced espresso that particularly came into its own in milk. In the small cup deep, roundly dark-chocolate-toned aroma, full body, gently pungent flavor and finish with roast-influenced notes that co-taster Heather Perry (88) associated with herbs (particularly thyme) and Ken (91) with cedar, night flowers and black cherry. Heather was particularly impressed by this coffee's performance in milk, where she found the herbal character she admired persisted "beautifully."

Both Ken (90) co-taster Heather Perry (89) found this sample pleasingly and crisply fruity; "Meyer lemon" notes dominated for Heather, spicy floral and orange for Ken. Despite a tendency to express itself in floral and fruit notes, the shot maintained balance throughout and showed well in milk, with attractive hints of chocolate and (for Ken) spicy, rose-toned flowers.

Both Ken (91) and co-taster Heather Perry remarked on a delicate, slightly pungent quality in both aroma and small cup that that Heather associated with herb and orange peel and Ken with cedar and orange. Medium-bodied, with a flavor-saturated finish. In milk both Heather and Ken found balance, with continued orange-toned and, for Ken, chocolaty nuance.