Africa Reviews

Sweetly tart, guava-like fruit tones run through the profile from nose to finish. Oak, nut-toned cocoa and floral complications. Soft, rounded acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Gentle, lively, even juicy finish.

Crisp, delicately soaring. Honey, apricot, orange, flowers, fine black tea notes in aroma and cup. Lively, buoyant acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Deep, slightly drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly tart, complex. Dark chocolate, butter, blood orange, apricot and licorice root in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel. Tartly dry, flavor-saturated finish. Flavor, particularly sweet chocolate and a zesty orange, carries with some complexity into three parts milk.

Deep, complexly pungent. Concord grape, black currant, flowers, dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Richly brisk, floral-toned acidity; lightly syrupy, buoyant mouthfeel. Chocolate in particular lingers in a resonant finish.

Intense, exhilarating in aroma and cup: complex flowers – lavender, honeysuckle – bergamot-like citrus, crisp roasted cacao nib. Brisk acidity; very silky mouthfeel. Sweet though drying finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig K-Cup B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a "RealCup" capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving): Gentle citrus and floral sweetness. Candied lemon, flowers, suggestions of fine black tea in aroma and cup. Gently tart, juicy acidity; very light but silky mouthfeel. Flavor persists quietly in a sweet-toned but drying finish.

Richly pungent and spicy. Roasted cacao nib, plum, spicy rose, sandalwood, a hint of lemon in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart, resonantly complex acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is tart and richly juicy, slightly drying in the long.

Sweetly bright, complex. Jasmine, sweet lime, plum, raspberry, roasted nut in aroma and cup. Richly tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but rings on in a cleanly balanced, deeply resonant finish.

Intense, exotic, balanced. Lush night-blooming flowers, roasted cacao nib, butter, hints of cedar and plum in aroma and cup. Richly round acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists deep into a balanced, slightly drying finish.

Dramatic, intense, distinctive. Aroma and flavor are dominated by the unique and unmistakable Kenya note, a pungently cedary, lemony blackberry, very sweet yet dry in the mouthfeel, a note that is often tagged with the simplifying term black currant. This sample displayed deepening complications of musk and malt as well. Crisp yet juicy acidity; silky mouthfeel. Briefly bittersweet in the short finish, then opens into a spectacular long finish, ringing with sweetness and complex layers of flavor.

As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a "OneCoffee" Keurig-compatible capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving: Sweet-toned and gracefully citrusy. Candied lemon, night-blooming flowers, a hint of honey in aroma and cup. Delicately crisp acidity; lively, light but silky mouthfeel. Rich, lemony, slightly drying finish.

Brisk but sweetly lush. Lily-like flowers, cherry, lemon drop, cedar, a hint of sweet, cashew-like roasted nut in aroma and cup. Lively, juicy acidity; silky mouthfeel. Long, gently dry, flavor-saturated finish.

Richly dry and lushly floral. Night-blooming flowers, roasted cacao nib, honey, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Crisp, juicy acidity; very smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Aromatic wood notes saturate a sweet though drying finish.

Lush, heavy, lily-like flowers, ripe grapefruit, blueberry and musk in a richly enveloping aroma and cup. Round, backgrounded acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Some flavor lingers in a sweet, deep, simple finish.

Complex, pungent, savory-sweet. Sweetly tart, guava-like fruit, night-blooming flowers, buttery dark chocolate, maple syrup in aroma and cup. Round, soft acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The guava note in particular enlivens a deep, long finish.

Rich, zesty, bright. Night-blooming flowers, honey, lime, cinnamon in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart, bittersweet acidity; lively, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Rather drying in the finish but profoundly flavor-saturated.

Quietly rich, savory-sweet. Vanilla, dark chocolate, black sage, tart raspberry, sweet butter in aroma and more pungently in the cup. Tart but richly rounded acidity; smooth, lively mouthfeel. The finish is crisp with aromatic black sage in the long.

Rich, resonantly juicy. The aroma is crisp but relatively quiet: black currant, lavender, dark chocolate. But in the cup the aromatics swell with symphonic complexity over a structure simultaneously dry and sweetly juicy: flowers range from crisp lavender to spicy rose to lush lilac; the chocolate is fudgy and nutty with hints of savory spice. Deeply vibrant acidity; silky mouthfeel. Flavor carries far into the finish with remarkable depth and persistence.

Exotic and original. Ripe watermelon, pungent sandalwood and acai berry, lush night-blooming flowers in aroma and cup. Quiet, reserved acidity; very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Long, crisply drying, deeply flavor-saturated finish.

Sweetly pungent, complexly floral-toned. Lavender, rose and other floral suggestions, crisp roasted cacao nib, strawberry, fresh-cut fir in aroma and cup. Rich, rounded acidity; very silky mouthfeel. The finish is dry but balanced and deeply flavor-saturated.