Blind Assessment: At its best in the aroma: rich, deep, smoky, cedary, with undercurrents of sweet dark chocolate. Crisply bittersweet in the cup, with rich, slightly charred cedar and hints of spice-toned cherry. Sweet and chocolaty in the short finish, though rather sharply astringent in the long.

Notes: By manipulating temperature and airflow (what Peet?s roast master John Weaver calls "the Peet's 'special sauce"), Peet's achieves its signature pungent but smooth "deep roast." Peet's is slowly expanding beyond its passionately loyal base in the San Francisco Bay Area while maintaining its commitment to the roots of specialty coffee. Coffees sold on the Peet's Internet site, for example, bear "roasted on" dates and are always roasted after the order has been placed, never before. Visit www.peets.com or call 800-999-2132 for more information.

Who Should Drink It: Sensory extremists who haven?t lost their taste for chocolate.