Charlotte, NC Reviews

Rich, deep-toned. Cocoa powder, roasted cashew, persimmon, bay leaf, fresh-cut fir in aroma and cup. Sweetly savory with gentle, round acidity; full, satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The cocoa-driven finish is complicated by persimmon and fir.

High-toned, crisply sweet-tart. Tangerine zest, cocoa nib, apricot, cedar, freesia-like flowers in aroma and cup. Brightly sweet-tart structure with lively, juicy acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The resonant finish centered around notes of cocoa nib, tangerine zest and cedar.

A ready-to-drink black coffee, tested cold. Richly chocolaty, boldly nut-toned, deeply sweet. Chocolate fudge, rhododendron, black cherry, fresh-cut fir, molasses. Sweet-toned structure with mild acidity; crisp, satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The chocolaty finish is supported by rhododendron and fresh-cut fir. With a splash of whole milk, fudge-like chocolate notes and undertones of black cherry win the day.

Chocolaty, floral-toned. Dark chocolate, rhododendron-like flowers, hazelnut butter, date, cedar in aroma and cup. Sweet in structure with gentle, round acidity; very full, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish centers around notes of dark chocolate and rhododendron with hints of cedar.

Crisply sweet, bright and lively. Baking chocolate, orange zest, golden raisin, gardenia, molasses in aroma and cup. Bittersweet structure with brisk acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The finish consolidates around molasses and orange zest in the short, with gardenia resurfacing in the long.

Rich-toned, chocolaty. Dark chocolate, black cherry, gardenia, cedar, toffee in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned structure with brisk acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Quiet, satisfying finish with notes of dark chocolate and gardenia.

Fruit-forward, richly chocolaty. Raspberry liqueur, chocolate fudge, rhododendron, molasses, cedar in aroma and cup. Sweet structure with gentle, round acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Finish consolidates to notes of dark chocolate and cedar with hints of raspberry in the long.

Richly sweet-toned, floral. Magnolia, brown sugar, cedar, plum, hazelnut in aroma and cup. Sweet structure with round, gentle acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The resonant finish consolidates to notes of brown sugar and magnolia.

Crisp, richly sweet. Magnolia, dried persimmon, hazelnut, molasses, cedar in aroma and cup. Sweet in structure with round, gentle acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The finish is resonant with magnolia, dried persimmon and hazelnut notes.

Evaluated as espresso. Bright, richly sweet, fruit- and cocoa-toned. Pomegranate, dark chocolate, narcissus, hazelnut, vanilla in aroma and small cup. Plush, creamy mouthfeel; sweetly tart finish with notes of pomegranate and hazelnut. Resonant and flavor-saturated in three parts milk; chocolate and tart fruit lead, with narcissus-like flowers ringing into the long finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly sweet-tart. Dark chocolate, narcissus, candied blood orange zest, almond butter, cedar in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy body; citrus- and cedar-toned finish. In three parts milk, notes of dark chocolate pleasin

Evaluated as espresso. Richly and deeply pungent. Dark chocolate, cedar, orange zest, floral-toned vanilla, fresh pipe tobacco in aroma and small cup. Syrupy but lively mouthfeel; dark chocolate, cedar, orange carry into a resonant finish. The dark chocolate turns crisp and malty in three parts milk.

Delicate, sweetly tart. Dried peach, roasted cacao nib, lavender, pink peppercorn, lemon zest in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet-tart in structure; delicate, silky mouthfeel. The finish consolidates around roasted cacao nib, gently drying, with hints of lemon zest.

Sweetly roast-toned: aromatic wood and flowers. Hazelnut, scorched cedar, orange zest, magnolia, cocoa in aroma and cup. Quietly bittersweet and zesty structure; smoothly satiny mouthfeel. Cocoa and scorched wood animate a rather dry finish.

Cleanly fruit-toned and floral. Strawberry, alyssum, allspice, almond butter, sweet chocolate in aroma and cup. Bright, juicy, sweet-tart acidity; delicate, silky mouthfeel. The richly drying finish centers around strawberry in the short and rounds to spice-toned chocolate in the long.

Sweetly pungent, rich-toned. Apricot, pipe tobacco, narcissus, dark chocolate, pink peppercorn in aroma and cup. Gentle, round acidity; plush, satiny mouthfeel. The flavor-saturated finish opens with spicy chocolate tones in the short, followed by intimations of deep pipe tobacco and sweet narcissus in the long.

Evaluated as espresso. All three reviewers praised this espresso for its clean, citrusy/orangy sweetness: “orange hard candy” for co-taster Jen Apodaca (94); orange and brown sugar for John DiRuocco (93); tart but juicy blood orange for Ken (93). All found notes that rounded and complicated the citrus: the brown sugar for John, caramel for Ken, Concord grape for Jen. Jen was most enthusiastic and explicit about what this coffee brought to three parts milk: “tasted like cherry pie.”

Rich, sweetly spicy. Black cherry, spice box, tamarind, oak, lantana-like flowers in aroma and cup. Juicy, lively acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. The sweet, resonant finish centers around deep black cherry in the short complicated by spicy oak and sweet-tart tamarind in the long.

Subtly sweet, rich-toned. Hazelnut butter, blood orange, cherry blossom, fresh-cut fir, carob in aroma and cup. Rounded, sweetly tart acidity; satiny mouthfeel. The resonant, gently drying finish is saturated with blood orange and hazelnut supported by aromatic wood notes.

Sweetly rich, fruit-toned. Ripe blueberry, blood orange zest, jasmine, cedar, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Quiet, bittersweet acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The resonant finish consolidates around roasted cacao nib and aromatic wood notes in the short; blood orange zest reappears in the long.