LATEST REVIEWS

Sweetly high-toned and delicate, this melodic coffee makes up in nuanced top notes what it may lack in force. The exquisite aroma is complexly and sweetly citrusy - Meyer lemon, pink grapefruit - with a shimmer of roses. The sweet citrus notes carry into the cup, joined by crisp dry berry and black currant.

A gentle, sweet coffee whose balance and understated depth and completeness genuinely merits the word elegant. A delicate, dry chocolate flits through the profile from aroma through finish; the acidity is soft, rich, and sweet with pink grapefruit notes.

This coffee displayed a very slight "old crop" (faded, musty-mildew) character that caused co-cupper Christy Thorns to drop her score to 86. Ken (90) felt this shadow defect hardly mattered, however, given the cup's "almost effervescent delicacy, with tickles of sweet cocoa, pipe-tobacco and caramel." Christy offered a similar reading of the cup, but with less enthusiasm: "Although a hint of mustiness somewhat masks the sweetness of the cup, tobacco, cedar and black pepper give this coffee some charm."

The roast dominates the coffee, but agreeably so. Co-cupper Christy Thorns: "Multi-layered with roasty bitter chocolate, stewed prunes, raisins, and sweet spice. (89)" Ken: "Rich, deeply roasty and bittersweet, excellent dimension, dry berry and floral tones shimmer behind the roastiness. Chocolate toward the finish. (88)" Christy concludes that, although the profile may lack top-notes, a "syrupy body makes for a powerhouse of a cup."

Although co-cupper Christy Thorns (87) felt the Ethiopia citrus and floral notes turned "somewhat passive" under the impact of the roast, she praised the "complex aromatics of ginger, clove and toasted grain" and a spicy finish. Ken also found spice notes also in the aroma (black pepper, clove), but particularly admired the cup for its round mouthfeel and "juicy and sweet but vegetal" character, "a bit like biting into a ripe plum and tasting the skin and the flesh at the same time." What we can take away from all of this is a coffee with less floral and citrus character than a classic wet-processed Ethiopia, but with more spice and tingle.

Co-cupper Christy Thorns reduced her score to 89 for this Kenya because she felt its chocolate and spice inclinations were not characteristic of the origin. Ken started at 88 and stayed there. He had no problem admiring the chocolate-inclining sweet citrus character he read in aroma and cup, but felt that ultimately the cup was a bit too simple for a top rating.

A striking and distinctive coffee. Co-cupper Christy Thorns (89) admired its complex aromatics: "dried apricot, orange zest, clove, citronella." Ken (90) found a gingery chocolate and lemon that for him was unusual and surprising, which may be why he was slightly more willing than Christy to forgive a slight, shadow salty cling as the cup cooled.

Ken (91) admired this coffee a bit more than co-cupper Christy Thorns (88), who praised its "gentle grapefruit-like acidity and a nicely rounded, sweet and berry finish" but didn't carry on about it much. For his part, Ken particularly admired this coffee's citrus-toned acidity, which he found sweet, rounded, and "profoundly rich and cleanly and elegantly wine-like."

For both Ken (90) and co-cupper Christy Thorns (91), extraordinary aroma: For Christy "freshly grown ginger, orange peel, apricot, mint and lemon." Ken stressed the "caramelly fruit that transforms completely into chocolate." In the cup, smooth, creamy mouthfeel and, for Ken, a character "sweetly and deeply tart - dark chocolate and lemon."

Both Ken (92) and co-cupper Christy Thorns (88) remarked on an odd (and for Ken an interesting) character to the aroma. Christy called it "stewed berry," Ken - a rich, almost meaty impression - Dijon mustard and ripe tomatoes.? In the cup Christy found "the acidity a bit timid, [though] the sugary sweetness of the finish more than compensates." Ken admired the "sweet, gently tart fruitiness" of the acidity, finding it more elegant than timid.

Co-cupper Christy Thorns' (90) reading was precise and explicit: "The aromatics of this coffee undulate from desert lime, orange peel, lemon zest to eucalyptus and jasmine blossom. These characteristics do not carry over into the cup, however, but instead a delicate candied sweetness and roasted nut flavor dominate with a hint of ginger in the finish." Ken (90), just as positive but less specific, was content to praise a rich wine, fruit and floral character. Either way, a complex cup with great aromatic richness and range.

The roast takes equal place with the coffee in the success of this darker roasted Yirgacheffe, proving, in co-cupper Christy Thorns' (91) words, "the amazing roasting range that a fine Ethiopian coffee can withstand." Christy finds "stone fruit, licorice, black pepper, citrus, rose petal and lavender" in the aroma and cup. Ken (90) also admired the rich floral and sweet citrus character.

Low-key, sweetly pungent aroma: pear, caramel, chocolate. In the cup rich, roundly full-bodied, with plum and chocolate notes. A slight astringent sharpness tends to shadow the lush aromatics, however, particularly in the finish.

In the aroma liquored and slightly fermented fruit are accompanied by dark chocolate notes, all of which mask hints of coffee oils going slightly rancid. A heavy body with gritty mouthfeel dominates the cup. Long, rather oily finish. (Lindsey Bolger)

A refreshingly medium roast delivers a dry fragrance of crisp linen scented with geranium that develops into wet aromas of spiced chocolate and browned sugar sweetness with wisps of burned match-like sulfur. Pleasing heft and complexity in the cup. A muscular coffee with a surprisingly crisp and clean finish.

Intense aromatics of coffee blossom (imagine jasmine, gardenia and lime), laced with milk chocolate, dried orange peel, bees' wax and lemon. While many Yirgacheffes display flourishes of mint, here oregano is the more dominant herbal note. If this coffee is big and robust in fragrance and aroma, the cup is quiet and a bit timid - a contradiction that adds to the appeal of this delicately balanced coffee. (Lindsey Bolger)

Big, pungent, flame-born phenols boldly emerge in the dry fragrance. In the hot aroma, lush and mouth-watering double chocolate cake. A dense and chewy coffee with an elegant, silky velvet finish - surprisingly sweet for a coffee pushed to its limits during the roast. (Lindsey Bolger)

Minty and fresh tobacco notes in the dry fragrance. In the hot aroma dry fruit notes of prune and wisps of spicy sweet chocolate. In the cup the dark roasting amplifies body, but mutes many of the attributes specific to this elegant origin. For me this coffee ultimately suggested a lovely old-master painting, sparkling with jewel-toned detail that centuries of darkened varnish have dulled. Nevertheless, it displays the depth and intensity of a well-crafted and classic French roast. (Lindsey Bolger)

Dry fragrance: lemon, flowers and freshly laundered linen. In the hot aroma dark molasses and licorice on the pour, rich ripe fruit and milk chocolate in the break. While the floral, citrus and deep-red fruit notes remain intact from first sip through last (a neat trick in such a dark roast) these flavors assemble themselves differently with each taste as the cup cools. Complex and beautifully structured cup (Lindsey Bolger).

Sweet, rich, with an impressive balance of dry acidy notes and sweetness. A combination of slightly fermented fruit and musty earthiness reads here as a fine intrigue of papaya, raisins and chocolate.