Africa Reviews

Evaluated as espresso. Lushly floral and brightly fruit-toned. Jasmine, raspberry, lime, crisp roasted cacao nib in aroma and small cup. Light, silky mouthfeel; sweet, richly drying finish. In three parts milk the cacao notes fatten to a dry chocolate, the tart fruit ripens and rounds.

Reviewed as espresso. Sweetly and roundly bright. Cherry, plum, cedar, buttery dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Lively, lightly creamy mouthfeel. The buttery dark chocolate moves forward in a balanced, gently rich finish. In three parts milk the chocolate triumphs again, fatter and roundly fruit-toned.

Crisply lush, juicy. Distinct lavender notes, honey, fresh-cut fir, white grape, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Delicately bright, juicy acidity; lightly syrupy, lively mouthfeel. The finish is richly and deeply flavor saturated, though slightly drying in long.

Extravagantly complex, crisply lush. Night-blooming flowers, vanilla, guava, roasted cocoa nib in aroma and cup. Brisk but juicy acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. Flavor, particularly the floral notes, lasts far into a deep, sweet finish.

Sweetly tart, lyric, complex. Roasted cacao nib, honey, guava, green apple, brisk lavender in aroma and cup. Lively, juicy acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor carries with authority into a bright, honey-toned finish.

Honey, deep, rose-like floral notes, green grape, sweet grass in aroma and cup. Sweetly bright acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a richly tart finish.

Sweetly tart berry notes suggest black currant, blackberry, black cherry. Rich floral and rounding oak complication. Roast-rounded, balanced acidity; silky mouthfeel. Long, deeply flavor-saturated, sweetly drying finish.

Delicately intense. Very complex aroma and flavor: flowers (plum blossom), ripe lemon, watermelon, moist pipe tobacco, roasted cacao nib. Bright but balanced acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Long, flavor-saturated finish. Turns especially sweet and juicy as the cup cools.

Intense; complex floral and citrus. Honey, ripe lime, night-blooming flowers and a softening suggestion of milk chocolate in aroma and cup. Sweetly bright acidity; very silky mouthfeel. Flavor, particularly flowers, saturates a long, resonant finish.

Complexly and richly floral: crisp lavender and sweet honeysuckle in particular in aroma and cup, with backgrounded suggestions of roasted cacao nib and walnut. Delicate, gently brisk acidity; light but lively mouthfeel. Long, sweet finish with a slightly drying walnutty edge.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken (91) liked this bright, zesty espresso; his co-taster (92) liked it even better. Both admired the citrus and floral vivacity of the aroma and flavor. Ken and his co-taster both accepted the smooth though rather light mouthfeel as an appropriate complement to the lively aromatics; both enjoyed the emergence of a lower-toned fruit (fig, roasted cacao nib) in the finish. Ken found the sweet-citrus impact in three parts milk a bit more pleasing than his co-taster did, though the co-taster offered an apt descriptor for it: “key lime pie.”

Evaluated as espresso. Both Ken (93) and his co-taster (91) admired the wine-like intensity of this dried-in-the-fruit profile, though Ken read more complexity, in particular floral top notes, in flavor and finish. Both tasters cited a creamy mouthfeel and consistent finish. Especially impressive in three parts milk, where the shot bloomed with a complex expression of fruit-toned chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Both Ken (93) and his co-taster (91) enjoyed this crisp and rather cleanly wine- and brandy-toned dried-in-the-fruit profile, though Ken enjoyed it two rating points more. The co-taster read “berries, pineapple and dried fruits” in the small cup; Ken’s associations ran to parallel descriptors of grape, orange, apricot and fresh-cut cedar. Both admired the shot in three parts milk, citing a deep, balanced sweetness that for Ken was pleasantly viscous and “banana-like.”

Evaluated as espresso. Deep, resonantly complex. Orange, jasmine, dark chocolate, hints of anise and fresh-cut cedar. Velvety, rich mouthfeel; flavor consolidates but persists in a long, gently drying finish. Full, substantial presence in three parts milk; orange, chocolate and jasmine notes in particular persist.

Crisply sweet, intensely complex. Honey, brandy, apricot, brandy, citrus flower, a hint of walnut in aroma and cup. Round, brandyish acidity; very lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Honey and walnut in particular persist in a deeply flavor-saturated, gently drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp, finely structured, quietly distinctive. Dark chocolate and a shifty, anise-toned fruit (orange, blackberry, grape) dominate in aroma and small cup, with backgrounded complications of cedar and butter. Creamy, full yet buoyant mouthfeel. Berry and chocolate in particular persist in a rich, deep finish. Round, quietly balanced in three parts milk.

Delicate, buoyant, sweetly bright. Flowers, honey, orangy citrus, roasted cocoa nib in aroma and cup. Gently bright, juicy acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. Citrus and honey carry into a richly drying finish.

Hazelnut, orangy citrus, night-blooming flowers, brown sugar in aroma and, more intensely, in the cup. Juicy, round, ripely lemony acidity; silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists in a rich finish.

Floral notes stretch from evanescent, delicate top notes to lushly rich, jasmine-like mid-notes in aroma and cup, with roasted cacao nib and kiwi/lemon complications. Round, rich acidity; lightly syrupy, lively mouthfeel. The finish is drying but long and flower-saturated.

Crisp, with a spicy, savory edge. Fresh-cut cedar, roasted cacao nib, hints of cumin, sage and sweet root vegetable in aroma and cup. Balanced structure; soft acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The chocolate suggestion sweetens in the finish.