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.
A sensitive but very dark roast dominates the profile. Co-cupper Jennifer Stone (88) describes the aroma as "deep" and "complex"; Ken (88) finds dark chocolate and charred aromatic wood as well as floral top notes in the nose. In the cup the body is medium, the mouthfeel "thin" (Jennifer) to "lean" (Ken) but the general character of the cup is richly and crisply roasty, with continued dark chocolate, charred wood and distinct floral notes, all of which carry with impressive persistence and clarity into the mildly astringent finish.
Both co-cupper Jennifer Stone (88) and Ken (90) remark on a distinct natural sweetness running from aroma through a gentle acidity to a long, resonant finish. Ken found more to remark on in regard to aromatic and flavor notes: nut and a hint of milk chocolate in the aroma, a more explicit chocolate in the cup, together with a hint of cherryish fruit. Delicate, rather lean mouthfeel.
Crisp, straightforward coffee; co-cupper Jennifer Stone (89) was impressed by its full mouthfeel and rather deep dimension, Ken (88) by its general balance and poise. The pleasant but muted aromatics were difficult to sort out with any precision; Jennifer tended toward caramel and chocolate; Ken was more into nut. Lest that sounds too much like sundae toppings, these were crisp, bitter-sweet, coffee-contexted nuances.
Co-cupper Jennifer Stone (88) remarked on this coffee?s winy acidity and pungent flavor and aromatics; Ken (89) glossed pungent with references to spicy aromatic wood and backgrounded dark chocolate. The finish stays on the rich side of astringent.
Quiet, balanced profile that holds up with particular grace as the cup cools. Co-cupper Jennifer Stone (90) remarks on the clean simplicity of the profile with perhaps a coffee romantic's regret at a lack of aromatic intrigue; nevertheless, both Ken (91) and Jennifer found subtleties in the aromatics and flavor, with Ken reading sweet, subdued citrus and cocoa, Jennifer spicy stone fruit, and both remarking on the distinct floral notes. Softly assertive acidity, medium body, sweet finish.
Sweet-toned, foresty aroma; co-cupper Jennifer Stone (90) found flowering grass and herb; Ken (91) freshly cut wood and night flowers. In the cup gently bright acidity, full body with lightly syrupy mouthfeel, and continued garden-toned aromatics: flowers (both Ken and Jennifer), nut (Ken), citrus (Jennifer). Sweetness envelopes a slight astringency in the "resonant" (Jennifer) finish.
Ken (93) and co-cupper Jennifer Stone (92) both remarked on the bright, richly floral character of the aroma. In the cup quietly vibrant acidity, smooth mouthfeel, continued gentle richness, with a flavor complex that combines lush night flowers with a sweet pungency pointing at cedar, caramel and deep-toned, carnal fruit: apricot, mango. Long, deep finish.
Sweet fruity aroma: flowers, citrus, honey and a distant hint of sage. In the cup bright, balanced acidity with medium body and a delicate mouthfeel. Floral and lemon tones dominate with hints of berry, orange blossom, black currant and molasses. Finishes crisply and cleanly, with a mild note of nuttiness in the long.
Gently pungent aroma of sweet chocolate and nut. Balanced acidity, full mouthfeel, and soft, deep layers of flavors ranging from flowers and dried fruit to more nut and cocoa. Finishes cleanly, with a mild milk chocolate note.
Lovely balance. Crisply sweet-toned aroma: lemon, flowers, and a deepening hint of pungent dried fruit. In the cup gently bright, with a continued delicate sweetness and complex cherryish fruit completely free of bitter or astringent imbalances. Cleanly simple finish.
Complex aroma: toast, nut, cinnamon, caramel, cocoa and aromatic wood. Smooth acidity, creamy body, very nutty flavor with notes of fresh-cut wood and chocolate. Long, dry finish with a very mild woody tightness in the long.
Complex aroma: flowers, citrus, black currant and fresh-cut pine. Bright acidity, juicy mouthfeel, balanced, round flavor of sweet orange, strawberry, lavender and continued black currant. Finishes cleanly, with mild fruit tones and a suggestion of caramel.
Simple, balanced aroma: hints of tart cherry, cocoaish chocolate. In the cup soft acidity, silk mouthfeel, with intensifying crisp chocolate and nut notes haloed by a continued tart cherryish sweetness. Rich, sweet finish.
Intense aroma: herb, night flowers, sweet berry. In the cup roast-dampened acidity, leanish mouthfeel but rich flavor: herb, aromatic wood, continued night flowers and a berry note that fattens toward chocolate. The herb and chocolate notes in particular carry into a surprisingly round, smooth finish.
Sweetly pungent in the aroma: cedar, hints of dark chocolate and raisiny fruit. In the cup smooth mouthfeel but a little lean; richly bittersweet; continued hints of a rather dry dark chocolate and raisins. The flavor prevails over a mild astringency in the finish.
Round aroma: roasty, chocolaty and herbal, with soft hints of fruit. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel and flavors of cocoa, cedar, toast, earth, perhaps grapefruit. Long finish, with lingering notes of sweet aromatic wood.
A lush, chocolate- and berry-toned fruit competes with an underlying menthol and Mediterranean herb character that may strike some coffee drinkers as too sharp and others as bracing. The sweet blueberry-like fruit prevails in the aroma, the fruit and savory herb balance in the cup. They split the difference in the finish: the short finish belongs to the fruit and chocolate, the long to the dry, herby mouthfeel.
A gently bright coffee, with a sweet-toned aroma: orange, blackberry and flowers. Fruit carries into the cup - citrus, tart berry and black currant - with the floral note reemerging in the finish, softly fading toward toast.
Improves as it moves along. The aroma is delicate, almost too delicate, with only slight hints of chocolate and flowers. Picks up energy in the cup: soft but vibrant acidity, silky mouthfeel. The dark chocolate and night flowers retain their delicacy but turn distinct and rich, carrying into a long, sweet-toned finish.
Intensely pungent fir, sweet nut and fruit aroma; leanish but smooth mouthfeel; sweet, balanced acidity. Complex flavors of aromatic wood, pine needles and berries with hints of black currant and flowers. The flavor turns toward cocoa or fruit-toned chocolate in the long finish.
