Madison Reviews

Richly and pungently zesty. Blackberry, baker’s chocolate, mixed peppercorn, violet, lemon zest in aroma and cup. Brisk and deeply rich-toned structure with a lemon and floral inflection; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Lemon and violet with a hint of cocoa in the long, dry finish.

Briskly and richly pungent. Dark chocolate, date, cherry tomato, violet, hints of herbs and spices (sage, cumin, cinnamon) in aroma and small cup. Light and silky, though gently drying mouthfeel. Crisp, quietly resonant finish. Distinctively tart, floral-toned and rich in three parts milk.

Sweet, crisply nut- and cocoa-toned. Cocoa, hazelnut, honey, a hint of lime zest, artichoke blossom in aroma and cup. Delicately crisp, lightly zesty in structure; light and silky in mouthfeel. Surprisingly resonant in the finish, with flavor consolidating around flowers and a hint of citrus.

Subtly and sweetly intense: flowers and cocoa. Lavender, cocoa, honey, candied nut, lemon zest, much more in aroma and cup. Richly and sweetly pungent in structure; light though plush and satiny in mouthfeel. A quiet, layered finish consolidates around lemon and lavender.

Sweetly floral and richly resinous. Cedar, lemon zest, dried jasmine, cacao nib, loquat in aroma and cup. Delicate, sweetly brisk in structure; silky and lively in mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around cedar and cocoa in a crisp, drying finish.

Lavish, captivatingly complex, deeply savory-sweet. Candycap mushroom, lilac, dark chocolate, dried coconut, frankincense in aroma and cup. Structurally, the savory component, which is typically an undertone, occupies the top of the aromatic and flavor range, with deep sweetness (fruit, florals) underneath. The mouthfeel is lively and richly syrupy. The seemingly eternal finish is a quiet mirror of the cup.

Evaluated as espresso. Exquisitely aromatic: high-toned, savory and impossibly floral. Toffee, dried black currant, myrrh, lavender, fine musk in aroma and small cup. Plush, syrupy mouthfeel; big, complex finish that is equal parts sweet and savory. In cappuccino-scaled milk, a whole new mid-palate is created, something akin to a mushroom custard.

Deeply rich, equally sweet and savory. Brown sugar, hop flowers, toasted coconut, chestnut, sumac in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart-savory structure with vibrant, juicy acidity; viscous, satiny mouthfeel. The resonant finish consolidates to coconut and chestnut with undertones of brown sugar.

Balanced, high-toned, richly sweet. Molasses, crisp green tomato, wisteria, Nutella, fresh pipe tobacco in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory-tart structure; very syrupy mouthfeel. Rich-toned finish with notes of dark chocolate, hazelnut and wisteria.

A complex and overwhelming aromatic immersion. Pink bubblegum, winter spices, salted fudge, candied ginger, elderflower, herbal liqueur (yellow chartreuse?) in aroma and cup. The structure is dramatic: basic tastes are all disconcertingly intense, including sweet, salt and savory, yet they all somehow layer and satisfy. Very full and syrupy mouthfeel with a spicy drying edge. The finish is resonant, slightly bittersweet though chocolaty and rich.

Evaluated as espresso. Round, balanced; softly and sweetly tart. Mango, orange zest, pistachio, cedar, cocoa. Satiny mouthfeel. Cedar, nut and cocoa carry into a resonant, lightly drying finish. Custardy orange and chocolate dominate in three parts milk.

Soft, balanced: cocoa and nuts. Baking chocolate, tangerine zest, nut (hazelnut, pistachio), fresh-cut pine in aroma and cup. Delicately brisk in structure; light though silky mouthfeel. Finish is resonant but drying, consolidating around unsweetened chocolate and nut.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly savory-leaning, deeply sweet. Tamarind, dark chocolate, sunchoke, wisteria, almond butter in aroma and small cup. Velvety-smooth mouthfeel; cocoa- and nut-toned finish. In three parts milk, sweet and savory present in particularly harmonious balance.

Richly sweet-savory, spice-toned. Baker’s chocolate, spice box, narcissus-like flowers, almond, peach in aroma and cup. Savory-sweet structure with gentle, round acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The crisp finish centers on notes of baker’s chocolate and almond with a hint of sweet flowers.

Roundly savory, sweet, quiet. Almond, pine, lightly cooked taro with hints of orange zest and plum blossom in aroma and cup. Gently sweet-savory in structure; very lightly satiny in mouthfeel. The finish is lightly crisp with pungent hints of pine.

Delicate, richly floral, sweetly spice-toned. Almond nougat, white peach, pink peppercorn, wisteria-like flowers, fragrant sandalwood in aroma and cup. Richly bittersweet structure with vibrant, juicy acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Resonant, flavor-saturated finish centers around peach, wisteria and sandalwood.

Crisply sweet, cocoa-toned. Cocoa nib, almond nougat, narcissus-like flowers, apricot, a hint of pipe tobacco in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with lively acidity; crisp, satiny mouthfeel. The long, resonant finish consolidates to notes of apricot and cocoa-toned almond.

High-toned, balanced, crisply sweet. Apricot, tangerine zest, dark chocolate, honey, rhododendron in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with juicy, bright acidity; buoyant, syrupy mouthfeel. The rich finish is centered around notes of dark chocolate and tangerine zest, with vanilla-toned florals.

Richly sweet, spicy, tobacco-toned. Pipe tobacco, almond brittle, ginger blossom, mango, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with gentle, rounded acidity; crisp, satiny mouthfeel. The finish resonates with vanilla-toned pipe tobacco and ginger blossom.

Delicately but pungently floral. Narcissus-like flowers, baker’s chocolate, tart black currant, oak, roasted pistachio in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet and lightly savory in structure; plump and lightly syrupy in mouthfeel. Flowers, cocoa-like chocolate, pistachio in particular carry into a gently drying finish.