Africa Reviews

The dry, tartly sweet fruit sensation characteristic of the best Kenya coffees unfurls with pleasing, shape-shifting complexity: Melon, black currant, blackberry, tart orange, with floral and fresh-cut fir complications. Assertive but balanced acidity; lean mouthfeel. Smoothes out in a decidedly sweet, mango-toned finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Fresh-cut fir, cedar and orange-like citrus in the delicate aroma. Lightly syrupy body. Intense flavor: fresh-cut fir persists, complicated by a caramelly milk chocolate and a brisk walnut. Flavor carries well into a complex, resonant finish. Balanced in two parts milk; the fir sweetens and a suggestion of lemon emerges.

Evaluated as espresso. Intense, multidimensional citrus in the aromatics: layered suggestions of grapefruit, lemon, lime. Light but buoyant mouthfeel. Lively in the short cup: cranberry, lime zest, chocolate and cedar carry into a dryish finish. Balanced and sweet in two parts milk: more sweet citrus and a hint of toasted almond.

High-toned, giddy and bright: lavender, lime zest, baker's chocolate in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet-toned acidity; silky mouthfeel. The lime notes turn ripely sweet in the flavor-saturated finish.

Deep, sweet-toned aroma: dark chocolate, rich cedar, apricot-like fruit, lily-like flowers. Rich though slightly rough acidity; impressively full, syrupy mouthfeel. The complex aromatics simplify a bit in the cup, but retain depth and resonance. Long though rather dry and piney finish.

Balanced, sweet-toned, pungent. Tart berry – strawberry, cranberry – cedar and multidimensional sweet and tart citrus in both aroma and cup. Smoothly rounded acidity; slightly syrupy, almost creamy mouthfeel. Bittersweet chocolate and citrus zest in the finish.

Deeply and dramatically complex aroma and flavor: Pineapple- and berry-like fruit, milk chocolate, hints of brandy and mint. Richly bright acidity; very smooth, silky/syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is saturated with flavor, particularly with the minty brandy notes. Turns savory as the cup cools, perhaps a bit bitter; otherwise this would be a 94-rated coffee.

Bright, pungent, complex. Fresh-cut fir, tartly sweet berry – strawberry, blackberry, cranberry – ripe orange and tomato in aroma and cup. Richly balanced acidity; syrupy, lively mouthfeel. Very sweet, deeply flavor-saturated finish.

Honey, sweet clover and multi-layered, grapefruit-like citrus in aroma and cup. Brightly tart acidity; light but silky mouthfeel. Suggestions of berry complicate the cup. The finish is rich, with a zesty citrus enveloped by continued honeyish sweetness.

Complex layers of fruit in aroma and cup: strawberry, cherry, orange, deepened and complicated by a pungent cedar. Rich, round acidity; soft, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Some flavor carries into a long, resonantly sweet finish.

Rich, brandy-like fruit dominates the profile: cherry, blueberry, cocoaish dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Round, fruit-influenced acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor carries richly into the finish, where a very slight over-ripe note emerges as the cup cools.

Gently pungent in aroma and cup: cedar, grapefruit, lemon, with rounding hints of dark chocolate. Round, rich acidity; lively, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor carries deeply into a long, sweet finish.

Tartly lemony with a rounding cherryish sweetness and hints of nut-toned cocoa in aroma and cup. Bright acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The lemon and cocoa notes carry into a crisp finish.

Deep, rich, balanced. Pungent fruit – grapefruit, black currant – is enveloped in a nut-toned dark chocolate. Softly rounded acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Sweetly resonant finish.

Intense, exhilaratingly complex citrus character, simultaneously suggesting bitterish lemon zest, sweet ripe lemon, pungent grapefruit with a heady hint of citrus blossom. Lightly syrupy body; clean but tartly dry finish.

Tart, zesty, complex: lemon, fir, spicy tea rose, a hint of nut-toned cocoa in both aroma and cup. Sweet but tartly assertive acidity; light, leanish mouthfeel. Flavor rounds toward cocoa in a finish that some may find bracing and others too astringently drying.

Attractive floral, nut, lemon and vanilla notes, but rather muted, especially in the aroma. Round, gentle acidity; unusually buttery mouthfeel. The nut note hints at chocolate in a sweet, rich finish.

Deeply sweet and deeply pungent with round, complexly rich Kenya fruit: grapefruit, black currant, strawberry, supported by an undercurrent of fresh-cut fir. Ringing, resonant acidity, syrupy mouthfeel, flavor-saturated finish.

Intense and deep yet delicately balanced, saturated from aroma through finish with famous, sweetly tart Kenya black currant sensation, a layering of ripe lemon, honey, fresh-cut fir, blackberry, flowers and, depending on one’s memory bank, probably much more. Gently rich acidity, lightly silky mouthfeel. The black currant note rings on far into the finish.

Honey and flowers dominate in aroma and cup, complicated by coffee fruit that reads variously as lemon, fresh-cut fir, and pungent, moist pipe tobacco. Tartly sweet, floral-toned acidity; leanish, almost silky mouthfeel. Very rich, long, flavor-sustained finish.