Three Trends at the Cusp of the New Year

Sweetly tart, richly dry. Blackberry and black currant notes dominate in aroma and cup, supported by hints of flowers, honey and cedar. Round, complexly expressed acidity; very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a sweet-toned, resonant finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet-toned aroma: Banana, crème de menthe, dark chocolate, ripe plum. In the small cup creamy mouthfeel with rich depth and balance; the chocolate turns caramelly and the fruit richer and sweeter, complicated by a hint of anise. Flavor persists in a resonant finish. Excellent flavor in two parts milk: dark chocolate, plum, mint.

Evaluated as espresso. In the small cup complex aroma and flavor: dark chocolate, honey, night-florals, grape-like fruit, pungent cedar. Impressively syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a sweet though drying finish. Balanced and rather brisk in two parts milk: chocolate, cedar, flowers.

Evaluated as espresso. In the straight shot complex floral notes ranging from lavender to lily, honey, fresh-cut cedar, vanilla-toned dark chocolate. The mouthfeel is medium in weight and lightly syrupy in texture; the finish sweet and resonantly persistent. Preserves character in two parts milk with a zesty orange-toned chocolate and a continuing hint of flowers.

Great range of aromatic and flavor sensation. Bright, sweet-toned and floral, but with molasses, mushroom, moist wood and rich musk notes deepening and complicating the profile. Delicate, brisk acidity; smoothly silky mouthfeel. Drying but sweet, mushroom-toned finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Deep, sweet-toned aroma: dark chocolate, butter, leather, a hint of pineapple. In the small cup the pineapply fruit note moves forward and dry anise and cedar notes complicate the sweet chocolate. The buttery smoothness of the aroma reasserts itself in a very persistent, complex finish. Rather light, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Very fine in three parts milk: buttery chocolate, pineapply fruit, richly balance.

Sweetly tart, complexly floral. Honey, honeysuckle, lavender, hints of barley and fir in aroma and cup. Soft but brisk acidity; light but very silky mouthfeel. The finish is flavor-saturated and quite rich and deep for such a delicate coffee.

Sweet, lyrical, meadowy. Honey, meadow flowers, richly pungent moist pipe tobacco, a hint of toffee in aroma and in cup, where the flowers deepen and sweeten toward an opulent honeysuckle. Delicate but lushly soft acidity; lightly silky mouthfeel. Very rich, honeyish finish with a savory hint.

Originally cupped in November 2010. Balanced, smoothly complete coffee: the raisiny fruit and cedary dark chocolate in the aroma sweetens toward fresh cherry and milk chocolate in the cup, with a tart complication of lemon. Sweetly tart, citrus-toned acidity; very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Flavor simplifies a bit in the clean finish.