Africa Reviews

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.

Very sweet-toned aroma with floral and honey notes and a balancing walnut crispness. In the cup gentle acidity, light but silky mouthfeel, and a continued giddy, honey-toned, floral sweetness as fresh but voluptuous as a tropical morning. The finish is delicate and rather short, but as cleanly refreshing as the rest of the profile.

Richly low-toned aroma: caramel, dark chocolate, fir. In the cup lightly syrupy mouthfeel, soft but vibrant acidity, with a deep, quiet, lavish complexity: distinct floral notes, dry wine- and berry-toned fruit, a hint of cherryish chocolate.

A light floral aroma mingles with hints of tangy fruit as well as sweet toast and nuts. Bright, balanced, somewhat winy acidity, lean but silky mouthfeel. Complex flavors combine mild citrus, jasmine, and berries with roasted nuts, chocolate and a hint of juniper. A sweet baker's chocolate finish lingers.

Sweet-toned, softly acidy aroma, with crisp, cedary fruit notes (aka black currant) complicated by hints of flowers and dark chocolate. In the cup powerfully acidy, dry, pungent but juicy. with citrusy berry and a continued nod toward a cocoaish dark chocolate. The finish stays on the rich side of astringent.

Soft, sweet-toned aroma: crisp black cherry, honey, a hint of flowers. In the cup rich acidity, syrupy mouthfeel, pungent but lush: dry berry, hints of flowers, flowering grass, herb. The dry finish remains on the rich side of astringent.

Pleasantly sweet aroma: black current and mandarin orange. Bright floral acidity, with medium to full, though slightly lean, body. The elegantly pungent fruit note cuppers call black currant is evident in the cup, along with a tangy yet sweet berry-like note. A clean finish with some lingering hints of sweet berries.

Intensely floral and cherry-toned aroma with rounding hints of chocolate and pipe tobacco. In the cup balanced acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, and almost sugary berry-toned sweetness, balanced by a crisp, slightly vegetal dry edge, think cacao or (if you know it) tamarind. Long, opulently rich finish.

Flowers and tropical fruit in the sweet-toned aroma. For co-taster Heather Perry (88), "Floral notes turned to orange, berry, spice and cocoa, complex yet balanced and sweet" in the small cup. Ken (91) agreed. However, Heather found the shot in milk "very rough" whereas Ken liked it: "sweet, balanced, with a banana-toned chocolate."

Both Ken (89) and co-taster Heather Perry (87) admired the aroma: "creamy berry" for Heather, "bananaish fruit with floral top notes" for Ken. But for both the mouthfeel was a bit lean in the small cup and the flavor a bit sharp, though Ken admired the continued floral notes. For both tasters the profile smoothed in the long finish, with a sweet flavor persistence that suggested chocolate for Ken, "blackberry pie" for Heather. Heather found it lost sweetness in milk but Ken was pleased, finding it crisp with "true chocolate" notes.