Africa Reviews

Intense honey-like aroma, redolent of flowers and blueberry. Delicate in the cup with a soft, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, balanced acidity and fresh flavors of ripe stone fruit, lemon, tangerine and more flowery honeyed sweetness. Finishes cleanly, developing a quiet sweet fruit-toned chocolate in the long.

Rich, complex fruit aroma, intensely sweet and full. Roundly balanced acidity, smooth body, with a hint of floral and fruit tones expanding in the cup: sweet citrus, berries, currants. A mildly astringent mouthfeel carries into the lightly bittersweet chocolate-toned finish.

Ken (93) favored this coffee considerably more than did co-cupper Jim Reynolds (89) despite the fact that both described it in similar terms. Ken was taken by floral qualities in aroma and cup, an essential sweetness, and what he called a complimentary "cocoaish dry fruit," doubtless the same sensation as Jim describes positively as "pungent" and "spicy and nutty." Both agreed that the acidity was gentle, though Ken scored it higher and described it as "crisp and sweet." Both found the mouthfeel attractively smooth and the finish long and flavor-saturated.

Rich, low-toned, deceptively simple coffee. Co-cupper Jim Reynolds (89) found it a quietly complete cup, though "somewhat shy" in acidity. Both Jim and Ken (90) wrestled with a very slight hint of what cuppers call "bagginess," a faint mildewed note that appears in coffees that have suffered exposure to too much moisture during shipment or storage. The coffee's essential richness and floral cocoa tendencies overcame this shadow note, however, allowing the underlying beauty of the coffee to resonate in cup and long, flavor-saturated finish.

Balanced, pungent character - "smoky and nutty" for co-cupper Jim Reynolds (89), "prune, nut, aromatic wood" for Ken (90) with rich floral hints. Smooth mouthfeel, round, rich finish.

A graceful floral-toned cocoa dominates. In the aroma very sweet-toned, buttery pungency, flowering grass, orangy citrus. In the cup, gentle, roast-muted acidity, silky mouthfeel, and the impressive floral-toned cocoa that persists into a rich finish.

Soft aroma of flowers and flowering grass, lime-like citrus and a hint of milky chocolate. Notes of toast, sweet citrus and dry white wine in the cup, with floral hints reemerging as it cools. Balanced acidity, medium body, with a hint of astringency in the mildly fruit-toned chocolate 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.

Sweet tangerine and jasmine aroma, balanced acidity and a soft, smooth mouthfeel. Tangerine and flowers carry into the cup along with notes of berries, apricot and mandarin. Finishes cleanly with soft fruit notes continuing in the long.

Honey-like sweetness in the aroma with notes of flowers, wine and aromatic wood. Balanced, floral toned acidity, medium body with smoothness in mouthfeel. The floral qualities carry into the flavor with hints of savory herbs, berry and citrus that fade to milk chocolate. Chocolate turns fruity and bittersweet in the finish, along with a touch of astringency.

Evaluated as espresso. Delicate if rather subdued aromas of flowers, toast, chocolate and vanilla. In the small cup, a lightly syrupy mouthfeel, flavors of orange, tart berry and pungent cedar, sweetening and rounding with hints of caramel toward the finish. Finishes cleanly, with dark chocolate, sweet lemon and mild floral notes. In two parts milk, crisp with some sweetness, citrus and nut.

Giddily and brightly sweet floral-toned profile: orange, tart cherry, hints of dry chocolate, pipe tobacco, honey. Balanced acidity, silky mouthfeel, superbly clean, floral-toned finish.

Pungent fir, nut-toned chocolate in the aroma. Rich acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. A spicy lemon dominates in the cup, supported by continued nut and chocolate notes. Long, deep-toned finish, fading to a very slight astringency.

A fresh, buoyant sweetness carries through the profile like a spring reverie. In the aroma: cherryish fruit, flowers, nut, a hint of honey. In the cup tartly rich acidity, syrupy mouthfeel. In the cup flowers and a perfectly ripe but pungently crisp fruit with a hint of lemon. Rich finish.

Intense aromatic notes of flowers, blackberry wine and grapefruit. Sweet floral acidity and juicy mouthfeel. Big, floral-toned flavor with cherry, lemon and a hint of black currant. Clean, sweet finish with a slight cocoa note.

Flowers, molasses, cocoa, sweet flowering grass in the aroma. Rich, tartly sweet acidity, silky mouthfeel, crisp yet lush flavor: dusk flowers, cocoa, molasses, dried black currant, raisin. Cleanly rich, raisin- and black-currant-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Very sweet, deep, smokily rich aroma with distinct floral and orangy citrus notes and a hint of fresh-cut fir. In the small cup lightly syrupy mouthfeel and impressive complexity: Fresh-cut fir predominates, with baker's chocolate and continued orange and floral notes carrying into a rich, walnut-toned finish. Blooms in two to three parts milk nicely, with the predictable dark chocolate complemented by surprisingly persistent floral, orange and fir suggestions.

Sweet lemony aroma with hints of cinnamon, flowers, cedar. In the cup juicy mouthfeel, bright fruit-toned acidity, with lavish complexity: intense floral notes, sweet citrus and black currant. Delicately clean, mildly tart finish.

A refreshing, meadowy coffee. Sweet flowering grass, deeper-toned flowers, honey, and a raspberry-like fruit carry from aroma into cup and on into a long, delicately sweet finish. Gentle acidity, lightly syrupy body.

Roundly balanced aroma; orange, chocolate, a hint of flowers. In the cup silky mouthfeel, crisp acidity. The orange notes turn pleasantly bittersweet (think fresh orange peel) and the hint of chocolate goes dark and raisiny. The orange notes carry deeply into the finish, with a revived suggestion of flowers.