Blind Assessment: Both John Weaver and Ken admired this coffee's smooth balance, though Ken found a bit more to say about the cup than John, who writes: "Good, medium-bodied coffee with smooth flavor and aftertaste" (84). Ken: "Pleasant balance of subdued acidy and round roast tones, complicated by sweet fruit chocolate, tastes a whole lot like butterscotch in the finish" (87).

Notes: Doka is one of Costa Rica's better-known coffee estates. Quartermaine is a wholesale and retail roaster serving the Washington DC area, and an early East-Coast proponent of Alfred Peet's slow, dark roasting style. Visit www.quartermaine.com or call 301-230-4600 for more info.

Who Should Drink It: This versatile dark roast should appeal to those who enjoy dark roasts for their seductive smoothness rather than their macho bitterness.