Africa Reviews

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.

Sweetly and pungently bright; complex. Honey, flowers, black currant, roasted cacao nib, a pungent hint of pine in aroma and cup. Sweet, softly lively acidity; plush, velvety mouthfeel. Clean, rich, slightly drying finish.

Crisp, lively, very complex. A wide, shifting range of aromatic and flavor notes suggest roasted cacao nib, walnut, apricot, flowers, baking spices, more. The cup is gently dry but sweet with a savory hint. Bold but balanced acidity; buoyant, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is sweet, deep, flavor-saturated.

Immense and intricate in flavor and aroma, balanced in structure. Crisp, nut-toned chocolate; lush night-blooming flowers; ripe tangerine; pungent sandalwood in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Quietly but profoundly flavor-saturated finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a Keurig-compatible capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving). Bright, juicy, complex. Concord grape, ripe grapefruit, a hint of dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Delicate, lively acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. The fruit notes consolidate and carry into a clean, sweet-toned finish.

Savory-sweet and lushly floral-toned. Flowers, plum, dark chocolate, raisin in aroma and cup. Delicately balanced, crisply sweet acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Rich, deeply flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Complex flowers and citrus, high-toned but smooth. Flowers, butter, grapefruity citrus, roasted cocoa nib in aroma and small cup. Smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel; rich, long, chocolate-saturated finish. Superb in two parts milk, sweetly and richly chocolate-toned with a gently tart fruit that resonates with particular distinction in a long finish.

Extraordinarily lush, nectar-like fruit; cherry, black currant, nectarine; balanced by a crisp, roasted cocoa nib and roasted malt notes. Balanced, lively acidity; full, plush mouthfeel. Flavor simplifies but remains resonantly present in a long, rich finish.

Intense, crisp, juicy. Tartly sweet berry notes -- black berry, black currant; lush flowers, honey, roasted cocoa nib in aroma and cup. Rich, balanced acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor carries deep into a long, resonant finish.

Succulent, richly intricate. Wild strawberry, dried blueberry, rich mousse-like chocolate, fresh ginseng, lush flowers in aroma and cup. Complete, exhilarating acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor-saturated finish, crisply drying with a persistent ginseng note.

Lush, crisply juicy. Lavish, complex floral notes matrixed in ripe, lemony citrus, chocolate, a pungent hint of cedar. Sweetly bright, lively acidity; silky mouthfeel. Long, flavor-saturated finish.

Sweet, deep, fermenty. Very ripe blueberry and strawberry, minty dark chocolate, brandy, walnut in aroma and cup. Round, rich acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. A savory edge in the cup turns more prominent in a drying finish.

Crisply sweet, quietly complex. Chocolate, night-blooming flowers, vanilla, raspberry-like fruit in aroma and cup. Tart but juicy acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but carries well into a rich, long finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Pungent, deep, richly tart. Dark chocolate, apricot, roasted nut, orangy cedar in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a resonant finish. Dominates two parts milk; perhaps shows best in four parts or taller milk, which rounds the tart pungency and better develops the sweetness in the chocolate.

Crisply but lushly sweet and fruit-toned. Narcissus-like flowers, blueberry, cidery peach, roasted cocoa nib in aroma and cup. Softly crisp acidity; full, lively mouthfeel. The floral and blueberry notes carry into a gently drying, bittersweet finish.