Los Angeles Reviews

Big, syrupy mouthfeel and a long, deeply resonant finish particularly distinguish this coffee, but the rich acidity is impressive too, as are the sweetly pungent aromatics: fir, dark chocolate, cherry, almond.

Flowers, white wine and tangerine-like citrus soften toward a cocoaish dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Delicately bright, wine-like acidity, silky mouthfeel. Gently tart, chocolate-toned finish.

A sweetly bright yet balanced cup. The acidity is delicate yet penetrating, the mouthfeel light, smooth and silky. Orange, honey, flowers and a hint of milk chocolate in both aroma and cup.

Delicately rich and fruit-toned. In the aroma distinct cocoaish chocolate complicated by fresh-cut fir. In the cup soft, wine-like acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, and continued fruit-inflected chocolate. A very slight sourish note (probably decaffeination-related) turns up as the cup cools, compromising an otherwise long, resonant finish.

The genius of this coffee is expressed in a grand but seductive acidity: big, juicy and tartly sweet-toned with black cherry and lemony complication. In the cup the acidity is enveloped in a background caramelly softness that assumes control in the rather quiet finish.

Sweet fruit ferment influences a deep, brandied chocolate and cherry character in both aroma and cup. Round, lush acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The brandied chocolate/cherry notes carry straight into an expansive short finish; a hint of salty astringency develops in the long, though still softened by a ringingly sweet fruit.

Deep-toned, balanced coffee. Gently tart acidity, lean but silky mouthfeel. Cherryish fruit with a hint of lemon and a lean toward chocolate dominate aroma and cup, coasting into a long, sweet finish.

Unusually smooth ultra-dark roast. Intense, sweetly pungent aroma: aromatic wood, raisin, nut, dark chocolate. In the cup lightly syrupy mouthfeel, muted bitterness, considerable sweetness, dark chocolate, raisin, nut, a suggestion of charred wood. Only a hint of roasty astringency surfaces in an otherwise sweet-toned, rich finish with convincing chocolate allusions.

Aromatic hints of berry-like fruit mix with aromatic wood and a deep, molasses-like sweetness. Rich acidity, continuing sweetness and cedary wood in the cup, rounding toward a ripe peach. The flavor mutes but hangs on in the sweet finish.

Intense aroma: brandyish fermented fruit, sweet-toned flowers and aromatic wood. In the cup richly balanced; delicate fruit and floral top notes with deeper hints of earth, brandy-toned chocolate and aromatic wood. These deeper tones carry into a mildly but distinctly astringent finish.

Aroma of sweet tangerine, caramel and muted flowers. The flowers become more pronounced in the cup, saturating the very bright, fruit-floral acidity. The tangerine-like citrus carries into the cup as well, complicated by soft suggestions of black currant and stone fruit. The finish is pleasingly sweet and fruit-toned.

Subtle flower-toned aroma with distinct notes of tangerine. Brightly balanced acidity, smooth mouthfeel with delicate yet sustained flavors: more flowers, milky chocolate, and fruit suggesting cherry and black currant. Clean finish with the sweet fruit character gently carrying into the long.

Big, fruity sweetness and underlying bouillon-like savory notes carry from aroma through finish in this nicely balanced natural or dried-in-the-fruit coffee. Impressively syrupy body, rich acidity, crisp chocolate and a dry cherryish, slightly salty fruit complicate cup and finish.

Raisiny cocoa and a hint of night flowers in the soft, understated aroma. In the cup round and delicately melodic: gently rich acidity, silky to lightly syrupy mouthfeel, cherryish fruit with continued hints of cedar and night flowers. Balanced, slightly dry finish.

A rather wild fruit ferment reads in the aroma as deep-toned cherryish fruit with complicating hints of lemon and aromatic wood. In the cup muted acidity, fullish body, and a complexly savory-sweet fruit character suggesting brandy, cherry, and a slightly salty chocolate. Softens in a long, salty-sweet finish.

For Ken (90) and co-cupper Andy Newbom (88) "A classic and lovely El Salvador Bourbon with an intriguing twist at the end" (Andy). Pre-twist, Ken's more general descriptions emphasize dry raisiny fruit, nut, and flowers, whereas Andy's descriptors are more specific, not to mention more extravagant: "sweet dried nectarines and hibiscus" in the aroma, "flavors of stone fruits with apricot leading, hints of yellow pear and apple, a touch of soft lemonosity" in the cup, "honey ... chocolate ... peach" in the finish. As the cup cooled the twist at the end emerged. The hints of nut that Ken cited blossomed into a very explicit, dominating nut character with notes that Andy identified as "cashew and almond."

Rich, low-toned, deceptively simple coffee. Co-cupper Jim Reynolds (89) found it a quietly complete cup, though "somewhat shy" in acidity. Both Jim and Ken (90) wrestled with a very slight hint of what cuppers call "bagginess," a faint mildewed note that appears in coffees that have suffered exposure to too much moisture during shipment or storage. The coffee's essential richness and floral cocoa tendencies overcame this shadow note, however, allowing the underlying beauty of the coffee to resonate in cup and long, flavor-saturated finish.

Full floral aroma with hints of cherry, syrupy berries and grapefruit. Sweet, yet pungent acidity, creamy mouthfeel. Flavors of tart lemonade, flowers and sweet fruit. Clean, sweet citrus finish with a slight shimmer of acidity in the long.

Intense aroma: sweet cherry and blueberry notes ride a pungent, fresh-cut cedar. In the cup the berry and cedar notes turn toward red wine and crisp cocoa. Sweet, rich, cocoa- and berry-saturated finish.

Deep floral and sweet citrus aroma with hints of toast. Well-integrated acidity, with medium body and a silky mouthfeel. Complex yet delicate flavor notes include cherry, citrus, flowers and muted nut, with a long syrupy sweet finish.