Experimenting with Tradition: Naturally Flavored Coffees

(Pre-ground coffee and roasted chicory root) Bright, gently acidy aroma with distinct lemon notes and a hint of raisiny chocolate. In the cup delicately lively with a slight spicy, peppery character and clear lemon and floral top notes. Clean, rich finish.

(Whole-bean coffee flavored with natural chocolate and habanero chile extracts on an alcohol base) The flavorings seem discreet and resonate well with the coffee, particularly in the quietly deep aroma. The chocolate reads as the semisweet kind with a dry walnut character; the chile is felt more than tasted, particularly in the warm, gently tingly finish.

(Pre-ground coffee and roasted chicory root) Chicory strongly influences but does not dominate the coffee in this rather lively blend. In the aroma warm, spicy fruit and aromatic wood notes. Brightly and sweetly acidy in the cup, with a gentle, peppery lemon complication. The chicory has the last, tingling word in the finish.

(Pre-ground blend of coffee and cocoa nibs) Sweet-toned aroma dominated by what reads as nut (walnut?) notes with suggestions of chocolate and dried fruit, perhaps raisin. In the cup round and full in mouthfeel and gently acidy but limited in aromatic range, with a continued dominant nut character and sweet chocolate undercurrents that fade in the slightly tight finish.

(Pre-ground coffee and roasted chicory root) Strong chicory character in the aroma (woody, peppery prune). In the cup quite sweet, with continued, rather complex chicory influence: peppery prune, aromatic wood, hints of flowers and lemon. The fruit character is particularly pronounced in the tingly and perhaps cloyingly sweet finish.

(Whole-bean coffee flavored with natural anise and vanilla extracts on an alcohol base) Intense anise character dominates in the aroma. When I cupped this coffee blind before it was identified for me, I read the anise as a combination of licorice and caraway seed and the vanilla as chocolate. In the cup the anise continues to dominate sharply, overpowering the softer vanilla-cum-chocolate notes. The vanilla/chocolate finally prevails over the sharp anise in the pleasant long finish.

(Pre-ground blend of coffee, dry honey and vanilla) Oddly muted aroma dominated by notes that read as a dry, caroby chocolate. Very sweet, sugary, cup with a limiting, drying astringency. The same combination of intense sweetness and heavy astringency marks the finish.

(Pre-ground blend of coffee, cardamom and cinnamon) The spice sensation is intense and dominating throughout the profile, reading as a bitter, resiny orange with a sharp cinnamon overlay. In the cup the mouthfeel is full and the taste simultaneously sweet and brassily bitter.

(Whole-bean blend of coffee and roasted pi?on nuts) Very full nose with a sort of toasted apple and cinnamon character plus an odd, cloyingly sweet woodiness. In the cup quite full-bodied with a continued dominating sweet, soapy wood character overriding pleasant chocolate, molasses and perhaps apple and lemon notes.

(Pre-ground coffee and roasted soy) The aroma is rich, rather deep, with notes that suggest a nut-toned chocolate. In the cup, however, an intense, rather cloying sweetness overlays an equally intense astringency, complicated by woody nut notes, unsalted peanuts perhaps.