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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.
Magnificent cup when hot: powerfully but sweetly acidy, resonating with complex chocolate nuance from aroma through finish. The acidity turns rather bitter and the profile simplifies as the cup cools.
A delicate acidity is gently rounded though not obscured by a marvelously tactful dark roast, which also turns the fruit richly chocolate-toned. The chocolate nuance weaves through the profile consistently from aroma through finish.
The roast dominates this rather delicate coffee, though cleanly and without introducing burned or bitter notes. Roasty, mildly rich, subdued, slightly astringent in the finish.
The good news is this moderately dark roast displays a rich depth of sensation and spicy, smoky notes in the nose. The bad news: The roast also imposes a rather gritty, astringent finish.
The cup is dominated by a simple, rich acidity. The acidy sensation is rather sharp and overbearing when the cup is hot, though it rounds and sweetens as the cup cools, revealing wine-toned fruit and a resonance that could only be guessed at when the cup was hot.
A powerfully acidy coffee, sharply rich and winy. Beneath the acidy assertion patient drinking reveals subdued but seductive floral undertones. The aromatics are splendid but the mouthfeel is a bit too astringent for my taste.
Splendid aroma: sweet, smoky/spicy, cantaloupe notes. In the cup brightly acidy, the cantaloupe notes turning tart and tamarind-toned.
High-toned, rather delicate, with a crisply dry but sweet acidity. Raisins and vanilla, in the aroma, tart tropical fruit tones - tamarind or passion fruit - in the cup.
Delicate, gently and elegantly acidy, complicated by a discreetly rich cherry fruit leaning toward chocolate. The acidity is sweet and exquisitely balanced, though slightly astringent in the finish.
When hot, complexly and giddily floral and fruity - caramel in the aroma, suggestions of lilac and violet, papaya and cantaloupe in the cup. The extravagantly fruity character of the cup hints at sweet ferment, which in fact emerges as the cup cools, hardening the profile a bit and turning it slightly salty. But try it; no one drinks coffee cold anyhow except coffee reviewers.
A balanced, smoothly full-bodied cup with a sweet acidity and a subdued roastiness that turns the fruit toward cantaloupe and black cherry.
This voluptuously round dark roast is a tribute to the roastmaster's art. Opulently and robustly roasty, sweet, and utterly without burned bitterness. Not much nuance, but plenty of sweet, resonant depth and smoky-spicy tones.
The most impressive aspect of this sweet, balanced, gently acidy cup is a tactful roast that turns the fruit richly chocolate. The chocolate tones carry elegantly from aroma through a quietly opulent finish.
A delicate, exquisite coffee, sweetly and gently acidy, light-bodied but buoyant, with a subtle shimmer of floral-toned fruit - violets and apples on the morning I cupped it.
Both Ken and co-taster Willem Boot criticized this coffee's tendency to sharpness and astringency. Ken nevertheless admired a "heavy apricot-toned fruit" that complicated the small cup and maintained a pleasing if lean presence in milk. Willem 76, Ken 84.
Both Ken and co-taster Willem Boot found the aroma impressive: "elegant, sweet nut" for Willem, "elegant, sweet and fruity" for Ken. Once to the cup, however, neither found much to praise. Willem found the flavor "pungent but sweet and sour," Ken "bittersweet but sharp and shallow." Willem faintly praised this coffee's presence in milk as "mellow," whereas Ken found it "thin, a bit sharp." Willem 79, Ken 82.
Both Ken and co-taster Willem Boot remarked on the vanilla- and floral-toned aroma. Once to the cup, however, neither was impressed. For Willem "chocolate-bitter flavor and aftertaste" in the small cup and "spicy and slightly oniony in milk." Ken found the coffee rather lean-bodied and thin with roasty, sharp tones in the small cup, though rounder and fatter in milk. Willem 82, Ken 82.
This smoky, dark-roasted coffee pleased Ken and co-taster Willem Boot more in flavor than in body. Aromatics and flavor were "smoky, rich and sweet" (Ken), "dark chocolate and smoky" (Willem). Ken found the body "gritty," however, Willem "oily and heavy." The cup softened but didn't sweeten in milk, where it was "smoky and dry" for Ken with a "butterscotch finish" for Willem. Willem 85, Ken 85.
Ken and co-taster Willem Boot both found the aroma impressive: resonant, floral, fruity. The body disappointed, however: "imbalanced and gritty" (Ken), "unsettled" (Willem). The flavor was "complex" for Willem, "rich" for Ken, with floral and fruit endnotes. Both were approving though not excited about performance in milk: "Tickling, spicy" for Willem, "dry chocolate" for Ken. Willem 85, Ken 84.
Both Ken and co-taster Willem Boot found chocolate notes running through aroma and small cup: "deep-toned chocolate" for Willem, "caramel, chocolate" for Ken. Both, however, complained about a slight sharpness in the finish, though Willem found it "minty." Good presence in milk: "Spicy and sweet" for Willem, "smoky, fruity and rich" for Ken. Willem rating 87, Ken 87.
