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We have published thousands of coffee reviews and espresso reviews since 1997. The reviews below appear in reverse chronological order by review date. Older reviews may no longer accurately reflect current versions of the same coffee. To search for a specific roaster, origin or coffee use the Advanced Search Function.
Fermented, wine-like fruit notes agreeably dominate the small cup, though they are shadowed by bitterness, particularly in the finish. The bitterness turns pleasantly bittersweet in cappuccino-sized milk, and flat-out gloriously sweet and chocolate-fruit-toned in big milk. (86 straight espresso, 90 w/milk)
In the small cup rather stingy in body, sharp, without nuance. Milk softens the sharp tones, however, allowing the coffee to develop beautifully, with rich fruit and floral notes leaning toward chocolate. (84 straight espresso, 89 w/milk)
A smoky, heavy, bittersweet espresso. In the small cup the smoky, bitter tones overshadow floral and fruit top notes and toasty, leathery midtones. In small milk maintains its husky, smoky bittersweetness. In big milk softens, adding a hint of chocolate. (84 stright espresso, 85 w/milk)
In the small cup sharp, bitter astringency overpowers hints of malty chocolate and dried fruit. Remains sharp and thinly bitter in small volumes of milk; in larger volumes softens to an expansive milk chocolate. (80 straight espresso, 84/milk.)
Delicate but authoritative, richly and sweetly acidy. The classic fruit/floral aromatics lean toward chocolate in the aroma, fruit in the cup, and carry through cleanly into the long, sweet finish.
Rather intensely acidy, with clean floral and wine-toned fruit notes that deepen toward a bright chocolate in the finish. The acidity is clean and free of astringency, but may be too aggressive for some coffee drinkers.
Low-toned but complex. A floral sweetness is supported by a slightly roasty pungency and a touch of mustiness, the agreeable kind that gives weight and character to the cup and hints at dry chocolate.
Understated to the point of self-effacement. The aroma is subdued but sweet and enlivened with a tickle of dry, fruit-toned chocolate. In the cup round, rather deeply dimensioned, with just enough acidity to keep the cup subtle rather than banal.
Gently and sweetly acidy with crisp, pear-like fruit tones that round toward sweet cocoa in the finish. The cup is shadowed by an underlying astringent bitterness.
Sweet, balanced, restrained. The fruit and vegetal cocoa notes are faint but pleasant, the roasty tones understated.
A rather striking dark-roast coffee in its disconnected extremes of abandoned sweetness and charred bitterness. The only relief from this (to some exhilarating) contradiction are dry cocoa notes in the finish.
Woody, dominated by a rather thin, roasty bitterness. Attenuated floral notes play at the top of the profile, dry cocoa-toned fruit toward the middle, but a rather shallow roast taste dominates.
The aroma is sweet, rather full in dimension, the cup pungent and roasty with a balancing hint of acidity. Limited but satisfying.
When hot, an impressive dark-roast cup: balanced, sweet modulating to bittersweet in the finish; dry, prune-like fruit complications with a pleasant roasty bite. As the cup cools, however, distinct (and rather unpleasant) rubber tones emerge.
About half of a classic American breakfast cup. The acidy brightness, gently complicated by a touch of nut-toned sweetness, is there. Nevertheless, shallow in dimension and limited in range, with a hint of musty, grainy robusta lurking not very far beneath the traditional brightness.
The intentions of this blend announce themselves in the nose with extremely roasty, explicitly burned notes. In the cup the charred tones fade, giving way to a rather neutral woodiness with sweet undertones that suggest pungent spice.
Flat, feeble, tea-like aroma. The cup is sweet but the acidity is weak-kneed and a bit sour. A pleasant hint of fruit, but not enough to save the cup from its general dull listlessness.
Low-key to the point of neutrality. The interesting wood, leather and spice tones in the aroma are overwhelmed by a dominating woody character in the cup. Literally tastes as though it had just dribbled off a board into the cup.
The aroma is thin, faintly sweet and tea-like, with mildewed nut notes. The cup is, well, thin, faintly sweet and tea-like, with mildewed nut notes.
Densely bitter; heavy rather than full. Some sweet, raisin-like fruit struggles to get out from under the bitter weight of the cup.
