Blind Assessment: 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.

Notes: Fazenda Sertãozinho is a distinguished Cup-of-Excellence-award-winning farm, although it is not clear whether the specific coffee represented by this sample comes from an award-winning lot. This is a limited edition coffee, one of an array of very select small-lot coffees that together demonstrate the entry of Starbucks into the new, highest-end specialty coffee arena. This coffee was roasted on a small-batch roaster and is only available for purchase at the palatial new Starbucks Reserve Roastery location in Seattle. For further information visit www.starbucks.com/roastery.

Who Should Drink It: Whitener may sweeten the chocolate and smooth the mouthfeel.