San Francisco Reviews

Richly and sweetly pungent. Concord grape, roasted cacao nib, cedar, hazelnut, lemon blossom in aroma and cup. Brisk, lightly juicy acidity; delicate, satiny mouthfeel. The crisp, nut-toned finish leads with Concord grape notes in the short and cedar in the long, with hazelnut throughout.

Evaluated as espresso. Of three reviewers, John DiRuocco (95) most admired this crisp, floral-toned espresso: “complex and complete … floral, red fruit and stone fruit flavors … the body … light but sufficient, the finish clean and resonating.” Jen Apodaca (89) was considerably less enthusiastic and more terse: “There was a lot going on in this espresso … it finished like a dry red cabernet.” For Ken (91) this coffee represented a certain style of dried-in-the-fruit coffee: bittersweet, intriguingly anise- and lavender-toned, yet not quite sweet and fat enough for him.

Crisply sweet, complex. Vanilla, grapefruit zest, roasted cacao nib, jasmine, pomegranate in aroma and cup. Zesty, sweet-tart acidity; honey-like mouthfeel. The richly drying finish is brisk with notes of pomegranate and grapefruit zest in the short, rounding to cacao nib in the long.

Richly bittersweet. Caramel, Brazil nut, cedar, blood orange, honeysuckle in aroma and cup. Round, low-toned acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Brazil nut and blood orange carry into a drying finish.

Mellow, balanced, sweet. Molasses, cinnamon, chocolate fudge, orange zest in aroma and cup. Balanced, sweet-toned acidity; lively, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is sweet and resonant, saturated by chocolate notes.

Elegantly floral, strikingly complex. Roasted cacao nib, jasmine, caramel, dried raspberry and cinnamon in aroma and cup. Vibrantly rich, balanced acidity; delicate, velvety mouthfeel. Flavor notes carry intact through the strikingly long, satisfying finish.

Delicate, sweetly spicy. Toffee, clove, sweet grapefruit, lavender in aroma and cup. Briskly tart, balanced acidity; crisp, delicate mouthfeel. Toffee and sweet grapefruit notes carry the rich, lightly sweet, flavor-saturated finish.

Mild, sweetly pungent. Apricot, brown sugar, hints of dark chocolate and lily in aroma and cup. Round, backgrounded acidity; plump mouthfeel. Flavor makes a rather faint last stand in a quiet finish.

Delicately and richly sweet. Orange marmalade, tea rose, fresh-cut fir, cashew in aroma and cup. Round, bittersweet acidity; full, lightly velvety mouthfeel. Fir and plum predominate in the quietly sweet, slightly drying finish.

Crisply and subtly sweet. Black currant, almond, gardenia-like flowers, dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Rounded, rich acidity; light but syrupy mouthfeel. Black currant and chocolate notes resonate in the quietly rich-toned, gently drying finish.

Floral and sweetly spicy. Lychee, almond, vanilla and complex florals in aroma and cup. Juicy, balanced acidity; buoyant, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Richly sweet finish carried by a mix of floral notes in the short, condensing to lavender and lychee in the long.

Evaluated as espresso. Striking and original: chocolaty yet richly tart. Dark chocolate, strawberry guava, sweet grapefruit, honeysuckle in aroma and small cup. Velvety, juicy mouthfeel; fruit and chocolate carry into a deep, drying finish. Carries its complexity into three parts milk, where the fruit rounds a bit and the fudgy chocolate intensifies.

Evaluated as espresso. Not for espresso traditionalists or the faint of palate. Intensely and uncompromisingly bright and floral. Very complex flowers (lavender, jasmine, lily), passion fruit, sandalwood, roasted cacao nib in aroma and small cup. Satiny, lively mouthfeel; richly drying, deeply and ringingly flower-saturated finish. Crisply fruit- and floral-toned in three parts milk, with only a cocoaish hint of chocolate.

Delicately bright, exhilarating. Candied lemon, vanilla, pear, baker’s chocolate in aroma and cup. Gentle, lively acidity; light, satiny mouthfeel. Lemon and crisp chocolate carry into a sweet, lightly flavor-saturated finish.

Richly fruity and cidery. Baker’s chocolate, apple cider, wisteria-like flowers, a brightening hint of grapefruit in aroma and cup. Resonant, roundly tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel.

Crisply nutty, exuberantly floral. Almond, cedar, brown sugar, ripe orange, complex flowers (gardenia, lavender, rose) in aroma and cup. Round, deeply expressed acidity; plump mouthfeel. Cedar and orange carry into a sweet, mildly drying finish.

Sweetly crisp, balanced, quietly complex. Brown sugar, freesia-like flowers, delicate chocolate, sweet grapefruit in aroma and cup. Soft, gently tart acidity; light, satiny mouthfeel. Hints of chocolate and brown sugar carry into a resonant finish.

Sweetly bright, juicy. Orange marmalade, peach, pecan, vanilla, a hint of sandalwood in aroma and cup. Round but vibrant acidity; light but buoyantly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around vanilla notes that turn distinctly floral in a rich though gently drying finish.

Crisp, quietly complete, balanced. Hazelnut, fresh-cut fir, cranberry, a hint of oregano in aroma and cup. Rich, round acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a simple, rich finish.

Gentle and sweetly bright; quietly vivacious. Honeysuckle, mulberry, apricot, fresh-cut redwood in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart acidity; syrupy, buoyant mouthfeel. A richly flavor-saturated short finish turns mildly drying in the long.