Seattle Reviews

Quietly rich, savory-sweet. Blood orange, sandalwood, lily-like flowers, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Sweetly and roundly tart acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Flavor saturates a gently bittersweet finish.

Balanced, sweet-toned, classic. Ripe raspberry and orange, citrus blossom, roasted cacao nib, a hint of sage in aroma and cup. Gently and richly nuanced acidity; round, cushiony mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a resonant finish.

Woody, complex roast pungency. Mildly scorched cedar, carob, sassafras, musk in aroma and cup. Roast-rounded, gently bittersweet acidity; full but slightly rough mouthfeel. The finish is sweet though heavy, a little cottony.

Gently bright, delicately sweet. Baker’s chocolate, sweet lemon, plum, freesia-like flowers in aroma and cup. Soft, quietly lively acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a balanced, sweet-toned finish.

Richly sweet; layered complexity. Pomogranate, narcissus, round, caramelly chocolate, a pungent hint of pine in aroma and cup. Balanced, lyrically lively acidity; plump, satiny mouthfeel. Chocolate and a hint of pine in a lightly drying finish.

Immensely sweet, lushly aromatic. A complex layering of fruit – strawberry guava, pomegranate, mango – plus plumeria-like flowers, sandalwood, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Plump, juicy acidity; syrupy though lively mouthfeel. Deeply flavor-saturated finish.

Rich, deep, yet delicate. Tangerine, rose-like flowers, fresh-cut cedar, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Lively, levitating acidity; light but silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a sweetly crisp finish.

Impressive balance of roasty pungency and gently brisk acidity. Softly scorched cedar, a distinct, complexly expressed dark chocolate, hints of blackberry and grapefruit in aroma and cup. Roast-nuanced, softly bittersweet acidity; plush mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around dry chocolate and a hint of berry in a crisp finish.

Sweetly pungent, lightly roast-influenced. Black currant, dark chocolate, mildly scorched cedar, an herby hint in aroma and cup. Roast-muted acidity; plump, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Finish consolidates around a dry chocolate and a complicating hint of tart black currant.

Quiet, roasty, chocolaty. Scorched oak, buttery dark chocolate, a hint of lemon in aroma and cup. Crisp, roast-toned acidity; lean though silky mouthfeel. A roasty chocolate dominates in the finish.

Some pleasing chocolate, but generally dominated by a very aggressive dark roast. Heavily scorched oak, dark chocolate, hints of cashew and prune. Full, though rather rough-textured mouthfeel. Sweet dark chocolate carries into an otherwise rather cottony finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Big, complex, tartly pungent. Co-taster Ethan Hill (93) remarked on deeply expressed flowers, a very slightly fermenty berry note, and a musky, slightly savory hint. Both Ethan and Ken (92) found the cup “richly and sweetly tart,” though Ken apparently found the tart character a bit less appealing than did Ethan. Mouthfeel was “plush” (Ethan), the aftertaste deep and tartly complex for both tasters, though again, Ken would probably have appreciated the cup finishing on a slightly rounder note. In three parts milk both found the tart intensity untamed and “bordering on bracing” (Ethan).

Evaluated as espresso. Very discreetly and mildly roast-toned. Ken (93) found the hint of roast fine, maybe even refreshing given all of the bright, lighter-roasted espressos he tastes, but Ethan (91) was not entirely happy with the roasty suggestions. Chocolaty and floral yes, but he also found the blend “bittersweet,” “dry”, even “gritty,” and “lacking complexity overall.” The term “dry” found its way into Ken’s notes as well, but nevertheless he appreciated the chocolate, the caramel, the raisin, the flowers and for him a pleasant hint of anise. True, Ethan did fall in line with Ken when it came to sampling the blend in three parts milk, where both found the chocolate and caramel notes appealing and the floral notes surprisingly clear and persistent.

Evaluated as espresso. Co-cupper Ethan Hill (92) and Ken (92) equally valued this espresso, but read it slightly differently. For Ethan it was a fundamentally sweet cup (“maple syrup”) with layered complexity: blackberry, chocolate, almond. For Ken a crisp, lively, slightly bitterish edge (roasted cacao nib, lavender) complicated the sweetness throughout. Both agreed that the mouthfeel was plump and syrupy. For Ethan the finish was sweet all the way; for Ken it was a touch drying. In three parts milk again Ethan emphasized the sweetness (“retained a nice marshmallow sweetness”) while Ken cited a brisk cocoa-and-lavender character.

Complex, gently pungent, original. Apple, rose-like flowers, pink peppercorn, grapefruit, buttery cocoa in aroma and cup. Rich, roundly juicy acidity; deeply syrupy mouthfeel. Floral, citrus and apple notes in particular show up in a continued rich, round finish.

A big, enveloping aroma introduces crisp, pungent aromatics. Black currant, moist freshly fallen leaves, dark chocolate, blood orange, sandalwood in aroma and cup. Buoyantly juicy acidity; plush mouthfeel. Sweet, quietly flavor-saturated finish.

Juicy but savory, deep, subtle. Mulberry, dark chocolate, black sage, narcissus in aroma and cup. Roundly and richly tart acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor thins out a bit but rings on in a resonant 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). Dry, zesty, citrusy. Citrus zest, sweetly pungent, berry-like fruit, fresh-cut oak, a hint of flowers in aroma and cup. Brisk, distinctly bittersweet acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Crisp, richly drying finish.

Deep, sweet, pungent. Dark chocolate, lily-like flowers, pecan, a hint of ripe orange in aroma and cup. Crisp, gently brisk acidity; soft, plush mouthfeel. Chocolate, orangy citrus, a suggestion of lily carry into a mildly drying finish.

Intense; spicy and floral; richly dry. Black currant, lavender, mulling spices, anise, a hint of roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Bright acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The lavender, black currant and anise suggestions all deeply saturate a roundly drying finish.