LATEST REVIEWS

The reader who nominated this canned supermarket coffee describes it as "not a harsh acid coffee. The taste comes through. Try it." I did, and found it a good though not great medium-roasted Colombia coffee: robustly acidy with decent complementing sweetness, full-bodied, but with little complexity or nuance. I agree that the acidity is not "harsh," but I did find it just a shade too overbearing and perhaps a touch sour.

The reader who nominated this coffee rated it an 85 -- 89, citing its "great aroma and floral hints," and adding that it is "a great breakfast coffee." I'd agree, though the sample I cupped may have sat around in its elegant bag too long. It belongs to the authoritative rather than the delicate style of Panama: intensely acidy, yet still displaying the bright, high-toned sweet nut, floral and fruit notes characteristic of this underappreciated origin. I felt the profile suffered from bitterness, however, which turned the acidity a bit too assertive for many coffee drinkers.

This very dark-roasted blend teeters on the edge of burned, but backs off nicely to stay on the agreeably sweet side of bittersweet. Fruit and fruit-toned chocolate notes, a suggestion of flowers, with only a shadow astringency. The Seattle-based reader who nominated this blend describes it as his (or her) "favorite local coffee. And as I am from Seattle, that's saying something."

For a coffee from northern California, the home of ultimate and often bitter dark roasts, this one is quite delicate, subtly roasty but gently dry, unobtrusively sweet, with echoes of dry, high-toned fruit. "I have been coming to this shop for 10 years now," the nominating reader writes, "and they definitely have the best coffee in the world."

Reader Peter Lynagh nominated this coffee, rating it a 90 to 94. He describes it as "sweet, bold, fruit-toned, yet perfectly balanced and round," as well as "paradoxical." Paradoxical perhaps because it maintains the fruity brightness of medium-roasted coffees while avoiding aggressively dry or acidy notes. I would agree with all of the above, though I wish that my sample had not displayed a slight, muted bitterness.

Reader Peter Lynagh nominated this coffee, rating it a 90 to 94. He describes it as "sweet, bold, fruit-toned, yet perfectly balanced and round," as well as "paradoxical." Paradoxical perhaps because it maintains the fruity brightness of medium-roasted coffees while avoiding aggressively dry or acidy notes. I would agree with all of the above, though I wish that my sample had not displayed a slight, muted bitterness.

Classic Kenya profile: Austerely dry and acidy, with a crisp, astringent-yet-sweet fruit note that coffee professionals are fond of describing as black current. If black current does not ring any synapses, try dried cherries. However described, this flavor note is exceptional in the world of coffee. The discerning reader who nominated this coffee offered no description, but bravely rated it a 95 to 100.

A startlingly distinctive coffee: richly fruity with almost symphonic aromatics and pronounced but sweet acidity. "Best blend in the world!" exclaims the nominating reader. "One of the few blends that has distinctive regional characteristics -- in this case a lighter roast highlights and protects a wonderfully lively flavor."

Extraordinary, luxurious coffee, lushly sweet yet vibrantly acidy, with ripe, opulent fruit tones and delicately intense floral high notes. Utterly free of bitterness or astringency. Perfectly roasted, and as extravagantly complex as the very finest East Africa coffees. Nominator David Lubertozzi of Berkeley raves about its "amazing body and milk-chocolateyness," and confesses he enjoys it even better cold than hot -- always a sign of an exceptional coffee.

Lindsey Bolger: "A coffee with some interesting twists and turns. While dominated by a less desirable woody flavor, a sweet and chocolaty aroma and clean finish redeems what may be an otherwise ordinary coffee" (82). Ken: "Bittersweet, with dry chocolate and nut tones. A little too bitter and not quite sweet enough for me. The finish is astringent but rich." (83)

A typical shape-shifting Sumatra that gives us something different in every cup. Lindsey Bolger: "Characteristic of a Sumatra prone to schizophrenia, with multiple personalities ranging from toasted grains and nuts to chocolate and spice. This confusing, sometimes combative complexity seems to improve and stabilize as the coffee cools" (82). Ken: "Some cups rich, sweet, fruity chocolate with an utterly clean finish; others still sweetly chocolaty but with leathery, spicy undertones and a heavy finish" (84).

Lindsey Bolger: "One of my favorites of the darker roasts in the cupping, largely owing to an aromatic note that always gets my attention. I describe it as "zatar," a mix of spices (sumac, thyme, marjoram and salt) used in Middle Eastern cooking. An odd pairing with coffee, but at the right roast and with other complementary flavors, it can contribute to a truly distinctive cup" (83). Ken: "Most cups were dominated by sweetly and pleasantly fermented tones, the kind that suggest wine- or fruit-toned chocolate. In other cups, additional smoky, spicy tones edged toward a soapy bitterness" (84)

Lindsey Bolger: "Understated grace describes this uncharacteristically delicate and refined Sumatra. Both dry fragrance and wet aroma display subtle fruit (I describe it as dried orange peel) and milk chocolate, which complement a clean and balanced cup laced with sweet herbs and licorice" (82). Ken: "Crisp, balanced, understated but rich. Grapefruit tones complicate a gently acidy but roasty cup" (88).

Lindsey Bolger: "Intense aroma of fresh-from-oven brownies. Flavors of dark chocolate and sweet caramel compliment the rather dark roast. I added points to acknowledge the roaster's skill in pairing the roast so appropriately to the coffee" (85). Ken also was impressed by the aroma: "richly low-toned, chocolaty, malty, spicy, complex. In the cup gently roasty, complicated by dry fruit and malt notes. A slightly astringent finish lowered my score" (84).

Lindsey Bolger: "Engaging aroma of sweet chocolate pudding invites the tasting spoon to dive right in. The cup delivers on the aroma's promise with a body that won't quit and a lingering sweetness that pushes through the rather dark roast" (83) Ken concurs with both the chocolate and the sweetness: "Clear sweet cocoa tones, balanced cup, long clean finish" (87).

Lindsey Bolger: "Depending on tolerance for fruitiness with wild tendencies, this coffee will either delight or dismay. Lovely floral aromatics complemented by flourishes of warmed butter, brown sugar and citrus were the first hint that something interesting was going on in the cup. Upon first sip, the coffee displayed overt ferment, the kind that makes your toes curl. Then, after subsequent passes, that overripe fruitiness evolved to the engaging blueberry note so prized in Ethiopia Harrars" (84). Ken also wrestled with ambiguous flavor notes that for him suggested both fermented fruit as well as a hint of mustiness, but he too settled on a positive reading: "sweetly acidy, with lush ferment tones that, as the cup cools, resolve richly and pleasantly to fruity chocolate and brandy" (87).

Lindsey Bolger: "Fantastic! Sweet, floral aroma accented with cinnamon and just a suggestion of earthiness. Cools to a sweet and clean display of balance and harmony" (88). Ken read Lindsey's "earthiness" as a touch of musty ferment, but he nevertheless liked the way the ferment worked in the darkish roast, describing the outcome as "pungent, bittersweet fruit that suggests dark chocolate with a little mild, brandy-like ferment." Like Lindsey, he was impressed with how elegantly the coffee cooled, to a "long, sweet, clean chocolate finish" (90).

Lindsey Bolger exclaims: "A lovely, well-structured coffee! In the dry fragrance I detected a slightly rancid note, suggesting staling. But after the pour and upon the break, a delightful aroma of brown sugar and cocoa bloomed to mask any lack of freshness. With a maple-syrupy sweetness, bright but restrained acidity and refined fruit notes, this is an excellent example of a classic Sumatra that defies the origin's reputation for earthiness" (88). Ken concurred, finding "both aroma and cup dryly acidy yet deeply sweet, lush with a sort of spicy fruit suggesting pineapple. Rich, smooth mouthfeel" (89).

Lindsey Bolger was all positive on this one: "One of my favorites in the cupping. Chocolate laced with cinnamon punctuates the aroma. More sweet spice and cocoa, even some floral notes, emerge in the flavor. A fine specimen of a Sumatra -- tamed but not over domesticated!" (88) Ken was attracted by "an opulent, deep-toned fruity chocolate" that nevertheless hinted at various flavor ambiguities like ferment. Ultimately, though, a "rich, clean finish" convinced him to go with a very positive reading (89) of this complex Sumatra.

"Light-bodied with an almost rioy flavor. Quakers, soft, wild-looking. Could have been better if roasted a little darker?" (78). Rioy is a hard, medicinal flavor taken on by some dry-processed coffees during the drying. Quakers are beans that fail to take the roast and remain light, robbing the coffee of flavor and body. Ken: "Burned tones, faint sweetness, not much else" (78).