The World's Leading Coffee Guide
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.
Deeply rich, sweet-savory, nuanced and layered. Dried mango, scent of fresh cigar, lemon verbena, pink grapefruit zest, wisteria-like flowers in aroma and cup. Balanced, sweetly savory structure with a crisp yet syrupy mouthfeel. The resonant finish maintains all of the complexity of the cup.
Delicate, crisply sweet-tart. Lime zest, baker’s chocolate, plum, fresh-cut fir, a hint of apple brandy in aroma and cup. Richly bittersweet structure with brisk acidity; full, satiny mouthfeel. The finish consolidates to notes of lime zest and aromatic wood, with a whisper of fruit-toned sweet ferment.
Elegant, intensely sweet-tart, resonantly floral-toned. Passionflower, lemon drop, roasted cacao nib, apricot, tamarind in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with bright, juicy acidity; silky, viscous mouthfeel. The finish is resonant with all the flavor notes promised by the cup, leading with apricot and tamarind in the short, cocoa nib in the long, and sweet florals throughout.
Bright, crisply sweet-savory. Black currant, honeysuckle, ripe tomato, spearmint, cedar in aroma and cup. Equal parts sweet, savory and tart in structure with lively acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Notes of black currant and honeysuckle carry the resonant, flavor-saturated finish.
Sweet-toned, richly savory. Baker’s chocolate, hazelnut butter, narcissus, date, fresh-cut fir in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with rounded, gentle acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The finish consolidates to baker’s chocolate and aromatic wood notes, with a hint of narcissus-like flowers.
Evaluated as espresso. Elegantly fruit-toned and floral. Dried apricot, lychee, sandalwood, cashew butter, honeysuckle in aroma and small cup. Plush, creamy mouthfeel; rich, resonant finish driven predominantly by notes of dried apricot and sandalwood. In three parts milk, an intriguing marjoram-like note surfaces, along with notes of deep fruit, aromatic wood, and a distinct sweet floral.
Sweet, deeply and complexly fruit-toned. Very ripe strawberry, pineapple guava, dark chocolate, distinct lavender-like flowers, aromatic cedar in aroma and cup. Roundly sweet in structure, with a gentle and pleasing bitter edge. Full, plush mouthfeel. Lavender and chocolate dominate in a faintly and pleasantly spirits-tinged finish.
Evaluated as espresso. Chocolaty, floral-toned. Plumeria, baker’s chocolate, tangerine zest, fresh-cut cedar, tamarind in aroma and small cup. Crisp, syrupy mouthfeel; sweetly tart finish with notes of tamarind and baker’s chocolate. In three parts milk, rich chocolate tones provide ballast for tart tamarind, and plumeria notes elevate the whole with pervasive sweetness.
Evaluated as espresso. High-toned, richly sweet. Narcissus, dark chocolate, dried apricot, roasted hazelnut, pink grapefruit zest in aroma and small cup. Crisp, lively mouthfeel; resonant finish that consolidates to pink grapefruit zest and narcissus. In cappuccino-scaled milk, dark chocolate blooms in harmony with deep florals and hints of dried stone fruit.
Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly roast-toned, chocolaty. Magnolia-like flowers, dark chocolate, gently scorched cedar, dried raspberry, roasted pistachio in aroma and small cup. Fully, syrupy mouthfeel; chocolate-toned finish with pleasing floral and nut tones. In three parts milk, dark chocolate is further foregrounded, along with crisply sweet nut tones.
Sweetly pungent, chocolate-toned. Baker’s chocolate, dried cherry, magnolia-like flowers, cedar, hazelnut in aroma and small cup. Sweet-toned in structure with gentle, rounded acidity; velvety mouthfeel. The finish leads with notes of magnolia and cherry in the short, and cedar and hazelnut in the gently drying long, with good chocolate throughout.
Deeply sweet, fruit-toned. Ripe banana, brown sugar, clover flowers, pipe tobacco, brandy in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart structure, with quietly vibrant acidity; delicate, satiny mouthfeel. The gently drying finish consolidates to notes of pipe tobacco and banana with hints of brandy.
Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Caramelly, cocoa-toned. Fresh fir, cocoa, salted caramel, roasted hazelnut, a hint of lily-like flowers in aroma and cup. Structure is sweet yet brisk, with a salty edge. Lean but smooth in mouthfeel. Flowers and cocoa in the short finish, fading to salty wood in the long.
Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Mainly burned, with some crisp liveliness. Heavily scorched fir with hints of dark chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon in aroma and cup. Bitter and burned in structure, with a suggestion of sweetness. Light and lean in mouthfeel. Dry and roasty-wood-toned in the finish, with faint suggestions of chocolate and vanilla.
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.
