Africa Reviews

Intensely sweet, complex fruit (marmalade-like orange, plum, blackberry) and flowers (rose, lavender) in aroma and particularly cup. Lushly bright, juicy acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but sustains in a long, deep finish.

Complex, intense, classic. Pungent black currant, blackberry, plum, night-blooming flowers, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Sweetly balanced, lavishly rich acidity. Big, syrupy mouthfeel. The pungent berry notes in particular carry into a deep, long, flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly tart yet profoundly sweet. Raspberry-toned dark chocolate, orange or tangerine marmalade, crisp cedar, a hint of flowers in aroma and small cup. Full, buttery mouthfeel. Flavor rounds without losing its complexity or sweetly tart authority in two- to four-parts milk.

Deep, rich, resonantly low-toned. Minty chocolate, agave syrup, dried fig, a hint of rose-like flowers in aroma and cup. Round, quiet acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate and fig in particular carry into a long finish.

Bright, sweetly tart. Orange zest and fresh-cut fir softened by a backgrounded dark chocolate and molasses in aroma and cup. A hint of jasmine. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; crisp, flavor-saturated finish.

Complex but harmonious. Honey and a very sweet citrus suggesting candied lemon dominate in aroma and cup, with complications of almond, fresh-cut fir and a soft caramel. Smoothly and sweetly tart acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Deep, flavor-saturated finish.

Sweetly tart, complexly floral. Honey, honeysuckle, lavender, hints of barley and fir in aroma and cup. Soft but brisk acidity; light but very silky mouthfeel. The finish is flavor-saturated and quite rich and deep for such a delicate coffee.

Sweetly tart, richly dry. Blackberry and black currant notes dominate in aroma and cup, supported by hints of flowers, honey and cedar. Round, complexly expressed acidity; very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a sweet-toned, resonant finish.

Evaluated as espresso. In the straight shot complex floral notes ranging from lavender to lily, honey, fresh-cut cedar, vanilla-toned dark chocolate. The mouthfeel is medium in weight and lightly syrupy in texture; the finish sweet and resonantly persistent. Preserves character in two parts milk with a zesty orange-toned chocolate and a continuing hint of flowers.

Sweet, lyrical, meadowy. Honey, meadow flowers, richly pungent moist pipe tobacco, a hint of toffee in aroma and in cup, where the flowers deepen and sweeten toward an opulent honeysuckle. Delicate but lushly soft acidity; lightly silky mouthfeel. Very rich, honeyish finish with a savory hint.

Evaluated as espresso. Deep, sweet-toned aroma: dark chocolate, butter, leather, a hint of pineapple. In the small cup the pineapply fruit note moves forward and dry anise and cedar notes complicate the sweet chocolate. The buttery smoothness of the aroma reasserts itself in a very persistent, complex finish. Rather light, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Very fine in three parts milk: buttery chocolate, pineapply fruit, richly balance.

Crisply sweet, extravagantly aromatic. Honey, rose-like flowers, orange, almond, a hint of fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Delicate, balanced acidity; silky, lively mouthfeel. Floral notes in particular sustain in a flavor-saturated, slightly drying finish.

Honeysuckle, tangerine, roasted cocoa nib, honey in aroma and cup with a subtle brandyish hint. Tartly sweet, lyric acidity; very lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is sweet and pleasantly drying, with the floral note persisting and the cocoa note softening toward chocolate.

Delicate, with crisp, exhilarating aromatics. Roasted cocoa nib, complexly layered flowers (lilac, lily, more), ripe grapefruit, a hint of cedar in aroma and sweet-toned cup. Lively, gently bright acidity; light but buoyantly plush mouthfeel. The short finish is rather drying and simple, but flavor and sweetness reassert themselves in a long finish that rings on and on.

Bright and exhilaratingly complex. Jasmine-like flowers, tangerine, raspberry, a hint of hazelnut in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart, floral-toned acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Gently dry, quietly flavor-saturated finish.

Pungent dry berry and sweet, fragrant flowers in aroma and cup. Rich, deep acidity; silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but retains richness in a gently drying finish.

Crisply dry, delicately complex. Ripe lemon, lilac-like flowers, honey, grape, a hint of baker’s chocolate in aroma and cup. Gently tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor carries with little loss of complexity into a long, impressive finish.

Juicy, crisp. Rich, brandy-toned blueberry, almond, honeysuckle, roasted cocoa nib in aroma and cup. Gently bright acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor carries well into a surprisingly sweet, balanced finish.

Bright, sweet, richly floral-toned. Honey, rose-like flowers, fresh-cut fir, zesty tangerine in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart acidity; lightly syrupy, very lively mouthfeel. Long, honey-toned finish.

Tart, pungent, juicy. Honey, meadowy flowers, date, tangerine in aroma and in a particularly complex cup. Rich, juicy acidity; lively, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor persists in a deep, gently drying finish.