Blind Assessment: Evaluated as espresso. Crisply sweet-tart, spice-toned. Baker’s chocolate, cardamom, tart cherry, fir, almond butter in aroma and small cup. Creamy body; bittersweet, wood-framed finish. Cardamom-toned chocolate blooms in three parts milk, along with sweet nut and tart fruit notes.

Notes: This coffee earned the second-highest rating in a tasting of “classic” espresso blends from Taiwanese roasters for Coffee Review’s June 2019 report. Comprised of three natural-processed Ethiopia coffees (Yirgacheffe, Gotiti and Shakisso) and a washed Panama Santa Clara Hartmann. De Clieu Coffee is a Taiwan-based roaster whose mission it is to explore extraordinary coffees. For more information, visit https://m.facebook.com/declieucoffeetaipei.

The Bottom Line: An unusual espresso blend, sweet and tart, with intriguing spice notes suggesting cardamom.