Aged Reviews

Deeply sweet-savory. Pipe tobacco, scorched clove, dark chocolate, ripe banana, a hint of freesia-like flowers in aroma and cup. Balanced, bittersweet structure with soft acidity; very full, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. Savory-leaning finish with notes of pipe tobacco and scorched clove, lifted by a crisp dark chocolate.

A splendid, uncompromising example of its style, though not for everyone. Fresh humus, perique pipe tobacco, freshly dried prune, musk, raw chocolate in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with low-toned, round acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The sweetly earth-toned finish is long and resonant, with notes of forest floor, pipe tobacco and musk.

Deep-toned, sweetly fermenty. Oak barrel, chocolate fudge, raspberry, freesia-like flowers, a hint of rum in aroma and cup. Sweet structure with gentle, round acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. Chocolaty, oak-toned finish with rum undertones.

Delicate, high-toned, elegantly fruit-driven. Wild strawberry, tangerine zest, cocoa nib, sandalwood, thyme in aroma and cup. Bright, sweetly tart structure with juicy acidity; silky-smooth, lilting mouthfeel. The resonant finish is saturated with flavor notes from aroma and cup in harmonious balance.

Chocolaty, smoke-toned, sweetly savory. Dark chocolate, scorched mesquite, vanillin, gardenia, prune in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with very little acidity; light-bodied, smooth mouthfeel. Wood-framed finish with hints of smoky chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, odd, earth-toned. Caramel, orange, pecan, a hint of dark chocolate and a lot of fruit-scented earth--think fallen oranges in a citrus grove--in aroma and small cup. Fluffy mouthfeel. Chocolate comes forward in a sweet though drying finish. Three parts milk further develops the chocolate, while the earth notes persist, particularly in the finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Delicate, floral-and fruit-toned. Wisteria, dried apricot, sandalwood, almond brittle, molasses in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel; delicate, long finish. Wisteria and apricot notes sing in three parts milk, balanced by deep almond brittle and molasses with undertones of sandalwood.

Vast yet intimate in its layered intricacy: complete and perfectly balanced. Complex flowers (citrus blossom, ginger blossom, aromatic orchid), bright, fresh fruit (pear, peach, tangerine), sweet cocoa, sandalwood, a hint of candycap mushroom in aroma and cup. In structure, juicy and lyrically bright with a subtly pungent umami base; light-footed, satiny mouthfeel. Pear leads into long, vibrantly flavor-saturated finish.

Sweetly spice-toned, richly chocolaty. Salted chocolate, hop flowers, Concord grape, ginger, a hint of aged grappa in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with fruit-forward, wine-toned acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish leads with Concord grape and ginger in the short, followed by hops in the long, all bound by a throughline of savory-sweet chocolate and aged grappa.

Very sweet; quietly layered complexity. Dried jasmine, alcohol-toned raspberry, roasted cacao nib, scorched oak, grapefruit zest in aroma and cup. Light-footed, delicate acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. Floral and raspberry notes carry into a rather dry, roast-dominated finish.

A grapey, fruit-saturated alcohol dominates, big and startling, though more grappa-like than whiskey-like. Pear, grappa, white oak, cocoa, raisin in aroma and cup. The acidity is essentially unreadable in coffee terms given the impact of the big, grapey alcohol sensation. The mouthfeel is light and pleasingly buoyant. The fruity alcohol dominates in a very sweet finish.

Deeply sweet with a resonantly savory edge; intense and original. Peach, lavender, coconut and oak are complicated by a pleasing alcohol suggestion that no doubt reflects the bourbon-barrel conditioning, but in the sensory context of the coffee reads more brandy- or wine-like. Round, vibrant acidity; satiny mouthfeel. The peach note in particular carries into a flavor-saturated finish.

Complexly structured; tart, sweet-savory, balanced. Mango, cedar, molasses, fresh pipe tobacco, grapefruit zest in aroma and cup. Gently crisp acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Tobacco, cedar and the mango-like fruit carry into a quiet finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisply cocoa-toned, quietly complex. Baker’s chocolate, fresh-cut cedar, apricot jam, anise in aroma and small cup. Satiny mouthfeel. Chocolate and cedar carry into a resonant though drying finish. Surprisingly buttery and fat in three parts milk, with continued apricot and cedar notes.

Evaluated as espresso. Syrupy, savory-sweet, roasty. Dark chocolate, scorched mesquite, orange zest, very ripe peach in aroma and small cup. Fat, syrupy mouthfeel; heavy, savory-sweet finish. Fruit-toned chocolate and mesquite dominate in three parts milk.

The intoxicating spirits-rich aromas of the cask dominate in the nose, but a fine coffee character emerges in the cup to balance and support the casky rum notes with suggestions of dark chocolate, vanilla, raspberry, almond, passion flower. Smooth, rounded acidity; plush, buoyant mouthfeel. Very long, resonantly flavor-saturated finish.

In the aroma the fruity earth tones display an almost candied sweetness paired with a moist-leaf pungency. In the cup medium in body but silky in mouthfeel, with continued candied fruit and moist leaf notes that together hint at a host of associations ranging from chocolate to butterscotch to tartly sweet grapefruit. The flavor-saturated finish is a bit astringent when the cup is hot, but rounds nicely as it cools.

A superb example of its type, though not a coffee for the conventional. Wood and musty earth notes in the aroma are enriched by butter and orange that together read persuasively as a sort of butterscotch. Rather lean-bodied but very sweet in the cup with orange, pipe tobacco and continued butterscotch notes. In the finish suddenly blossoms and soars, with altogether new and surprising chocolate and even some giddy floral notes.

A quiet but interesting coffee: soft, low-toned, with hints of cedar, warm spice, chocolate, and a low-acid fruit that suggests banana. The chocolate notes become more explicit in the impressively long, resonant finish.

In the aroma intense, pungent with grapefruit and cedar notes. In the cup full-bodied, with the dominating earthy pungency enveloped in deep sweetness. Continued grapefruit, pineapple and cedar notes settle toward honey and chocolate. Sweet, resonant, rich finish, totally free of astringency.