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We have published thousands of coffee reviews and espresso reviews since 1997. The reviews below appear in reverse chronological order by review date. Older reviews may no longer accurately reflect current versions of the same coffee. To search for a specific roaster, origin or coffee use the Advanced Search Function.
Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Sweet, deep and juicy. Dark chocolate, jasmine, mango, orange zest, oak in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart in structure with an underlying salty, drying hint. Syrupy and plush in mouthfeel. Clean and sweet in the short finish: mango, jasmine, chocolate. Flavor fades quickly in the long.
Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Not attractive. Rotten suggestions (composted orange, lily) and acrid wood dominate, along with a metallic note. On the positive side, hints of prune, salty caramel, cardamom. Bittersweet and acrid in structure; lean but smooth in mouthfeel. Continued bitter and acrid in the finish.
Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Sweet, delicate, very subtly complex. Clean, fresh wood, flowers, lemon zest, a hint of cocoa, tart pie cherry in aroma and cup. Sweet yet brisk in structure; very light though silky in mouthfeel.
Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Flat, salty, expressionless. Salted graham cracker, a faint vegetal note in aroma and cup. Sweet-salty-acrid in structure. Flat, lifeless mouthfeel. Rounds and sweetens just a bit in the finish.
Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Sweet, gently bright. Graham cracker, dark caramel, honey-roasted peanut, oak, rhododendron-like flowers in aroma and cup. Gentle, round, slightly bitter-salty in structure; plump in mouthfeel. Flavor fades in a quite dry and wood-toned finish.
Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Crisp, sweet/tart. Cocoa, faint mango, lemon zest, sandalwood in aroma and cup. Sweet/savory in structure; delicate but smooth in mouthfeel. Hints of citrus and cocoa animate a sweet short finish, with a slight salty edge surfacing in the long.
Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Quietly zesty. Lemon peel, cocoa, caramel, fir, a hint of mango. Sweet/tart in structure, with a slight salty-bitterish edge. Light but silky/satiny in mouthfeel. Caramelly and sweet in the short finish fading toward wood in the long.
Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Simple, balanced. Prominent cocoa, cedar, orange zest, a faint hint of flowers in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart in structure with a shadow of salt. Lightly syrupy in mouthfeel. Flavor holds, particularly cocoa, in the short finish, though a faintly salty wood prevails in the long.
Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Richly roasty, smoky. Molasses, scorched hazelnut, scorched cedar, cocoa, anise in aroma and cup. Bittersweet and savory-edged in structure; the mouthfeel is light though pleasantly syrupy. The finish is smoky wood all the way, with a saving hint of cocoa.
Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Cloyingly sweet and definitively burned. Salted caramel, burned building, some cinnamon and floral top notes in aroma and cup. The structure is salty and bitter; the mouthfeel lean and watery. Hints of flavor fade in a finish that simply tastes burned.
Richly sweet, balanced, intricately layered. Frankincense, almond nougat, honeysuckle, dried black cherry, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Balanced, sweet-savory structure with juicy acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The resonant, cocoa-toned finish is supported by notes of dried black cherry and honeysuckle.
Delicately rich, crisply sweet. Star jasmine, lemon zest, peach, sandalwood, almond in aroma and cup. Roundly and sweetly tart in structure; lightly silky in mouthfeel. Lemon, peach and sandalwood in particular carry into a long finish, deeply layered finish.
Crisp, sweetly pungent, deep. Dark chocolate, apricot, fresh-cut cedar, narcissus-like flowers, hazelnut in aroma and cup. Brisk but sweet in structure; delicate, silky mouthfeel. Long, flavor-saturated finish consolidates around apricot and flowers.
Richly floral- and berry-toned, impeccably balanced. Violet, blackberry, honey, clove, salted chocolate in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with rounded, lively acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish leads with notes of violet and blackberry in the short, modulating to salted chocolate in the long.
Richly sweet, floral-toned. Narcissus-like flowers, almond, maple syrup, apricot, myrrh in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart in structure, with bright, juicy acidity; delicate, silky mouthfeel. The richly drying finish is resonant with notes of amond and myrrh.
Sweetly spice-toned. Mexican chocolate (chocolate and cinnamon), roasted almond, magnolia-like flowers, gently scorched oak, dried plum in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with gentle, rounded acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The richly drying finish consolidates to notes of Mexican chocolate and magnolia, with suggestions of smoky aromatic wood.
Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly and deeply tart, floral and chocolaty. Passion fruit, dark chocolate, cedar, lilac, myrrh in aroma and small cup. Syrupy though rather dry in the mouthfeel; richly tart in the finish. Remains bright in three parts milk: chocolate, cedar and flowers.
Evaluated as espresso produced as a ristretto 25ml (.85-ounce) shot using a Nespresso capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Sweetly bright, intricate, original. Peach, sandalwood, lemon tart, baker’s chocolate, rhododendron-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Delicately plump in mouthfeel; long, resonant, peach- and lemon-saturated finish. Remains crisply tart in three parts milk, with flavor consolidating around a subtle, elegant dry chocolate.
Evaluated as espresso produced as a ristretto 25ml (.85-ounce) shot using a Nespresso capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Crisp, very sweet, delicately seductive. Cocoa, raisin, roasted cashew nut, sweet alyssum flowers in aroma and small cup. Light and velvety in mouthfeel; flavor consolidates but lingers in a persistent, balanced finish. Quiet but superb in three parts milk: flowers and cocoa come forward pleasingly.
Delicate, richly aromatic, sweetly tart. Lavender, strawberry, roasted cacao nib, lemon zest, sandalwood in aroma and cup. Balanced, sweetly tart in structure with bright, vibrant acidity; silky-smooth mouthfeel. The crisp, cocoa-toned finish is redolent of lavender and strawberry in the short, lemon zest and sandalwood in the long, all supported by cocoa tones throughout.
