The World's Leading Coffee Guide
We have published thousands of coffee reviews and espresso reviews since 1997. The reviews below appear in reverse chronological order by review date. Older reviews may no longer accurately reflect current versions of the same coffee. To search for a specific roaster, origin or coffee use the Advanced Search Function.
Miguel Meza (93): "An intense but slightly flawed cup. The coffee is so luscious and passionate[, however,] that such misgivings are easily forgotten. A dizzying array of ripe and dried berry flavors mingles with banana, lime and chocolate." Ken (93) agrees, finding a rich mix of "brandyish cherry, crisp cocoa/chocolate and ripe orange" notes. He is more specific about the flaw, which for him is a slight salty astringency that "softens as the cup cools, allowing the ripe fruit notes to fully bloom."
Co-cupper Miguel Meza (94): "Intensely fragrant: strawberry, kiwi, cherry, amaretto. The cup is powerful, well-structured and dynamic, [progressively revealing] a whole universe of fruit flavor. Only a lingering sharp astringency, perhaps a side effect of he same process that developed the incredible range of flavors ..., limits this coffee from near perfection." Ken (92) found the lavish aroma and rich acidity particularly impressive, but like Miguel he found a slight nagging astringency in the finish, a shadow to this coffee's monumental yet seductive aromatics.
Co-cupper Miguel Meza (92) finds bergamot and flowers in the aroma, Ken (94) finds flowers as well as cherries, red wine, and hints of chocolate and butter. In a cup that is "sweet" for Miguel, "rich and opulent" for Ken, both read cherries and blueberry and a positive fruit ferment note which Miguel nicely describes as 'Grand Marnier" and Ken more prosaically as red wine. In either case a slight, pleasing (more so to Ken?) hint of ferment complicates a round, deep, lavishly fruity cup.
Straightforward, lucid, classic. Very sweet-toned aroma with fresh coffee fruit (tart cherry) and honey notes, hints of cedar and lemon. In the cup the honeyish sweetness envelops an intense though not sharp acidity. Continued coffee fruit notes with a lemony lean. Richly tart finish.
In the aroma deep-toned with moist earth and fruit tones that suggest molassy fruitcake or banana bread or a fruity dark chocolate. The candied fruit, molasses and moist earth complex carries into the cup, riding richly over a slight flatness introduced by decaffeination. Sweet, long, rich finish, very slightly astringent when hot but impressively smooth as the cup cools.
In the aroma the fruity earth tones display an almost candied sweetness paired with a moist-leaf pungency. In the cup medium in body but silky in mouthfeel, with continued candied fruit and moist leaf notes that together hint at a host of associations ranging from chocolate to butterscotch to tartly sweet grapefruit. The flavor-saturated finish is a bit astringent when the cup is hot, but rounds nicely as it cools.
The aroma is very deep and sweet-toned with lush references to banana, coconut, dusk flowers. In the cup the acidity is extraordinarily rich and round-toned, the mouthfeel supple, the nuance opulent with coconut, red wine, chocolate and floral notes. Rich, long, flavor-saturated finish.
Intense, sweetly tart aroma: flowers, cherry, lemon. In the cup the acidity is lyrically sweet, the mouthfeel silky, the flavor vivid with grapefruit, dry berry and floral notes that soften toward a raisiny chocolate as the cup cools. Superb finish: cleanly bright, long, sweet to the far end of sensation.
Deep, pungent aroma: cedar, orange, molasses, honey. In the cup sweetly and crisply acidy, with dry berry, continued citrus and honey notes and an underlying pungent richness that suggests moist pipe tobacco. Flavor-saturated short finish; a slight astringency in the long softens as the cup cools.
Deep, roast-influenced aroma: gently scorched cedar, cardamom, orange. In the cup the softly pungent roast and earth tones turn toward a raisiny dark chocolate, with continued distinct orange references. The finish is round, resonant, and stays well on the rich side of a slight astringency.
In the aroma crisp walnut, fresh-cup wood, cardamom. In the cup syrupy body, distinct smoky and earthy notes with an underlying sweet candyish character: The whole package could be read as a sort of woodsy butterscotch. Sweet-toned finish.
Deep, roundly pungent fruit in the aroma: orange, semi-sweet chocolate. In the cup full-bodied, soft in acidity, and very rich, dominated by a continuing crisp semi-sweet chocolate. Simple but opulent finish.
Deep, lush aroma: cherry, semi-sweet chocolate, flowers. In the cup smooth acidity, supple mouthfeel, sweet- and low-toned fruit and floral character suggesting semi-sweet chocolate, molasses, pipe tobacco. Simplifies a bit in the finish, particularly as the cup cools.
As roasted here, a coffee most impressive for its big body and balanced structure. Deep, sweet aroma with honey and cherry notes and hints of cedar and chocolate. Sweet in the cup with quiet acidity, syrupy body, floral-toned honey and a hint of chocolate. Round, rich, simple finish.
Very deep-toned, naturally sweet coffee. Chocolate- and cedar-toned fruit in the aroma. In the cup softly and richly acidy, syrupy in mouthfeel, with low-toned fruit that suggests chocolate, cherry, raisin. A hint of flowers as the cup cools. Round, sweet finish.
Rather simple aromatically, but sweet-toned, balanced and rich. In the aroma butter, cedar and a hint of white wine. In the cup gentle, deep acidity, round mouthfeel, continued cedar and white wine notes with a hint of flowers.
A very sweet coffee with a richly pungent, roast-influenced fruit character that defies easy association: for me it suggests lushly pungent pineapple; others might call it black currant or dried berry. Deep, roast-rounded acidity, lush mouthfeel, long, rich finish.
Very sweet-toned, lavishly floral aroma, with tart coffee fruit and a hint of cedary chocolate. In the cup silky body and the pure flavor of ripe coffee fruit, lush yet crisp, with continued chocolate nuance and perhaps molasses or moist pipe tobacco. The finish reveals a hint of astringency when the cup is hot, but only a cherryish sweetness as it cools.
Quiet, shifting complexity in the aroma: orange, cedar, a hint of cinnamon. In the cup lucid, balanced, delicate: gentle acidity, silky mouthfeel, butter and continued orange notes; the cedar/cinnamon hints lean toward chocolate. Hints of flowers in the long, impressively flavor-saturated finish.
A quiet, very soft coffee with delicate but lush aromatics. In the nose distinct flowers, lemon, butter. The cup displays a gently bright acidity, silky, buttery mouthfeel, and a finely balanced bouquet of coffee fruit, cocoa and lemon. The cocoa softens toward chocolate in the long finish.
