San Francisco Reviews

Evaluated as espresso. Co-taster Ethan Hill (92) and Ken (92) ended with the same score for this blend though their descriptors varied rather dramatically. Ethan’s emphasized flowers and fruit, Ken’s sandalwood and nut, though both cited a fine, elegant dry cacao note. Both found a refined brightness -- “piquant green grape acidity” according to Ethan – and a light though very smooth mouthfeel. A gentle tart character dominated in three-parts milk but pleasantly so, well-nuanced with cacao, cedar and orangy fruit.

Big, pungent, zesty. Pink peppercorn, grapefruit, narcissus, brown sugar in aroma and cup. Lilting, very sweetly and gently bright acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. Flowers and citrus in particular saturate a crisply drying finish.

Richly cocoa-toned, crisp and balanced. Cocoaish dark chocolate, blood orange, fig, musky lily in aroma and cup. Crisp, gentle acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. The cocoa-like chocolate rings on in a quietly resonant finish.

Immaculately sweet; lyrical. Peach, honey, lavender and honeysuckle, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Sweet, high-toned acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Peach, honey and flowers carry into a crisply sweet finish.

Sweetly crisp, pure, delicate. Red currant, bakers’ chocolate, fresh-cut cedar, hints of grapefruit and lily-like flowers in aroma and cup. Lightly expressed, gently bright acidity; light but very silky mouthfeel. Flavor carries almost intact into a resonantly sweet finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a licensed K-Cup capsule containing 11+ grams of coffee to produce a 6-ounce serving). Quietly but robustly pungent. Bitter orange, prune, pecan, fresh-cut oak in aroma and cup. Crisp, rich acidity; lightly syrupy, roughish mouthfeel. A floral suggestion complicates a dry, oaky finish.

Crisply sweet, giddily lively. Complex flowers (lilac, lavender, freesia), butter, roasted cacao nib, brown sugar, dry berry in aroma and cup. Delicate, sweetly bright acidity; silky mouthfeel. Sweet-toned, flavor-saturated finish.

Rich, crisply balanced, deep. Blood orange, fresh-cut oak, narcissus, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Rich, round, low-toned acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The flowers and a particularly chocolaty cacao nib carry persuasively into a crisp finish.

Deep, sweet, resonant. Violet-like flowers, Brazil nut, plum, manzanita, a hint of dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Round, backgrounded acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Plum, flowers and nut all carry into a rich though drying finish.

Deep, low-toned, earthy. Fresh-turned earth, cashew, orange zest, prune-like fruit in aroma and cup. Faint floral top note. Muted, backgrounded acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is rather heavy, but as the cup cools a muted chocolaty sweetness emerges.

Delicate in the nose, syrupy in the cup, quietly complex throughout. Honey, distinct dark chocolate, lemon zest, peach, violet in aroma and cup. Richly and complexly expressed acidity; full, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. A mildly drying but long and resonant finish, with pleasing hints of the peach and violet persisting.

Opulent and complete; finely structured yet grandly complex. Lush flowers in front – lavender, lilac, fresh vanilla – supported by ripe pear and tangerine, roasted cacao nib, cinnamon. Balanced, round, resonant acidity. Plush, lively mouthfeel. Flavor rings on in a very long, sweet-toned finish.

Exotic; intricate; grandly and sweetly bright. Honey, loquat, tangerine, blood orange, jasmine, cocoa in aroma and cup. Sweetness envelops tart and bitter sensations in an intense, complex acidity. Plush, silky mouthfeel. Rich, deeply flavor-saturated finish fades very slightly in the long.

Simultaneously delicately sweet and richly pungent. Brown sugar, dark chocolate, apricot and peach, fresh-cut cedar, plum blossom in aroma and cup. Soft, balanced acidity; lightly syrupy, lively mouthfeel. Balanced, gently rich finish.

Sweet-toned, gentle, juicy. Pineapple, sweet chocolate, rum, minty flowers, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Round, richly lively acidity; full, very syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a finish that balances continuing sweetness with a crisp drying edge.

Big, crisply sweet, deep. Brisk walnut, guava and roasted cacao nib in front, softened and supported by backgrounded narcissus-like flowers and aprium-like fruit. Rich, bittersweet-toned acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate suggestions in particular carry into a resonant, flavor-saturated finish.

Very sweet throughout; subtle, delicate, lyric. Green grape, flowers (wisteria?), tangerine, roasted cacao nib, raisin in aroma and cup. Crisp, soft, cleanly wine-toned acidity; very light but lively, silky mouthfeel. More sweetness in a floral-and-grape-toned finish.

Deep, intense but balanced. Peach, sweet chocolate, plum blossom, ripe orange in aroma and cup. Delicate, lyrically lively acidity; silky mouthfeel. Peach and chocolate in particular carry into a resonantly flavor-saturated finish.

A pure, ready-to-drink bottled coffee tested over ice. Balanced, sweetly bright, complex. Juicy, fruit-toned acidity; round, plush mouthfeel. Sweet cocoa, peach, ripe orange, a hint of flowers in flavor and finish. The addition of cold milk rounds flavor notes without dampening them.

Plush, deep, resonant. Apricot and orange, roasted cacao nib, vanilla, a hint of fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Round, soft, though deeply vibrant acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Very sweet finishing, with continued hints of orange and vanilla.