Atlanta, GA Reviews

Subtly complex, deeply sweet. Star jasmine, cocoa nib, mango, frankincense, spearmint in aroma and cup. Bright, juicy acidity; viscous, syrupy mouthfeel. The balanced finish leads with notes of star jasmine and mango, followed by cocoa suggestions.

Deeply rich, sweetly spice-toned. Cinnamon, nutmeg, pear, honey, lavender in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with lively, juicy acidity; silky, buoyant mouthfeel. The finish is spice-toned and rich.

Rich-toned, elegantly sweet. Wild honey, dried apricot, lilac, myrrh, sandalwood in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart structure with juicy, bright acidity; full, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel.The finish consolidates to notes of dried apricot and myrrh with undertones of wild honey.

Deeply sweet, rich-toned, bright and lively. Red grape, baking chocolate, marshmallow, macadamia nut, lime zest in aroma and cup. Sweet in structure with bright, balanced acidity; full, satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The cleanly fruit-toned finish is pleasantly complicated by notes of macadamia nut and lime zest.

Balanced, crisply sweet. Baking chocolate, tangerine zest, candied walnut, lily, raisin in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned structure with crisp, gently tannic acidity; velvety mouthfeel. The gently drying finish centers around chocolate, raisin and walnut notes.

Crisp, cleanly fruit-centered. Dried raspberry, honeysuckle, grapefruit zest, cedar, cacao nib in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned with gentle acidity; velvety-smooth mouthfeel. Fruit-toned in the finish, supported by cacao nib and cedar.

Evaluated as espresso. Fruit-toned, chocolaty. Dried apricot, chocolate fudge, oak, honeysuckle, almond brittle in aroma and small cup. Velvety mouthfeel; fruit- and chocolate-toned finish. In three parts milk, chocolate and almond notes converge for a dessert-like experience, with a hint of dried apricot.

Simultaneously citrusy and floral, yet deeply resonant and tobacco-toned. Cocoa, pink grapefruit zest, perique (fermented) tobacco, sandalwood, aromatic orchid in aroma and cup. Sweetly and exhilaratingly tart in structure; light, juicy mouthfeel. Grapefruit, sandalwood and flowers carry gracefully into a long, layered finish.

Fruit-forward, crisply sweet. Caramelized banana, hibiscus, cedar, pipe tobacco, rum cordial in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with round, gentle acidity; velvety mouthfeel. The quiet finish leads with banana and rum suggestions in the short, rounding to sweet pipe tobacco in the long.

Co-taster Byron Holcomb (92) particularly admired the aroma of this espresso, remarking on "distinct notes of saffron, carrots and pistachio." Both Ken (90) and Byron enjoyed the lightly syrupy, cohesive mouthfeel. Both offered approving descriptors for an unusual flavor complex that Byron described as dry flowers and Ken as anise and herb. In milk Byron found the light, complexly sweet flavor of tres leches cake; Ken may have found that too if he had thought of it, but left to himself he settled on a floral/fruit-toned chocolate.

Low-toned, simple but resonantly deep coffee, with variants of smoke and chocolate notes running from aroma to cup. As the cup cools the smoky character subordinates itself to delicate chocolate and orangy floral notes. Very clean, sweet finish. The smoke notes, by the way, appear to be a variant on the musty/malty character of the unroasted monsooned beans, not a symptom of a darker roast.

Crisp, rather limited aroma: caramel and milk chocolate. In the cup sweet, delicate, rather shallow and lean, with a pleasant dry nutty chocolate character. Unexpectedly, the finish stretches out splendidly, rich and chocolate-toned.

Sweet-toned, delicately rich aroma: hints of flowers, milk chocolate, orange, molasses. In the cup the mouthfeel is lean to the point of watery, with aromatics so delicate they almost don't register: orange, molasses, pipe tobacco, and nut-like notes that hint at chocolate. Impressively clean, sweet finish.

Sweetly and gently acidy medium-roasted coffee, with a hint of semi-sweet chocolate in the aroma and sweet lemon and tomato in the cup. Rather shallow in sensory dimension, but softens and deepens as the cup cools, revealing floral hints. Balanced finish with a gentle astringency buffered by sweetness.

A simple but refreshing coffee: rather high-toned, delicate in body, gently acidy, with coffee fruit that reads as cherry with a sweet-pipe-tobacco twist. The finish is rich, clean, and surprisingly long.

A Kenya in the more delicate mode: dry yet sweet, crisply fruity with grapefruit, apricot and black currant notes. Turns from crisp to slightly astringent in the finish.

Crisp rather than bright, dry rather than acidy, bittersweet, cocoaish, elegant but limited. From a well-run farm in the relatively new growing region of Cerrado. Martinez Fine Coffees is known for its elegant packaging and respectful presentation of single-origin coffees.