Blend Reviews

Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Flat, salty, expressionless. Salted graham cracker, a faint vegetal note in aroma and cup. Sweet-salty-acrid in structure. Flat, lifeless mouthfeel. Rounds and sweetens just a bit in the finish.

Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Richly roasty, smoky. Molasses, scorched hazelnut, scorched cedar, cocoa, anise in aroma and cup. Bittersweet and savory-edged in structure; the mouthfeel is light though pleasantly syrupy. The finish is smoky wood all the way, with a saving hint of cocoa.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly and deeply tart, floral and chocolaty. Passion fruit, dark chocolate, cedar, lilac, myrrh in aroma and small cup. Syrupy though rather dry in the mouthfeel; richly tart in the finish. Remains bright in three parts milk: chocolate, cedar and flowers.

Evaluated as espresso. Vibrant and engaging; richly sweet-tart. Pomegranate, dark chocolate, blood orange zest, narcissus, sandalwood in aroma and small cup. Plush, syrupy mouthfeel; crisp, resonant finish. In three parts milk, both chocolate and floral tones bloom, supported by hints of spicy citrus zest and aromatic wood notes.

Evaluated as espresso. Deeply sweet, richly tart. Lilac, cocoa powder, watermelon candy, grapefruit zest, cedar in aroma and small cup. Crisp, velvety mouthfeel; resonant, long finish that opens with watermelon and concludes with pink grapefruit zest, with cocoa and lilac ranged between. In three parts milk, nicely balanced cocoa and floral tones.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly sweet, floral-toned. Magnolia, baker’s chocolate, salted cashew, marjoram, black cherry in aroma and small cup. Crisp yet velvety mouthfeel; dry, sweetly savory (herbaceous) finish. In three parts milk, bittersweet cocoa tones predominate, supported by ripe black cherry and salted cashew.

Evaluated as espresso. Intricate, layered, richly sweet. Narcissus, dark chocolate, singed cedar, black truffle, ripe papaya in aroma and small cup. Lively, syrupy body. Floral, sweet-savory finish, with notes of dark chocolate throughout, supported by narcissus and black truffle. In three parts milk, the chocolate and floral notes are both rounded and enlivened.

Evaluated as espresso. Floral-toned, deeply sweet. Lilac, toffee, black cherry, cedar, orange zest in aroma and small cup. Crisp, satiny mouthfeel; gently drying finish carried by notes of toffee and lilac in the short, orange zest and cedar in the long. Especially floral-driven in cappucino-scaled milk, with the rich toffee notes also amplified.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly sweet, chocolate-toned. Chocolate fudge, magnolia, almond brittle, tangerine zest, cedar in aroma and small cup. Crisp, satiny mouthfeel; wood-framed, floral-toned finish. In three parts milk, notes of chocolate fudge resonate and linger, along with sweet magnolia-like flowers and hints of cedar.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, fruit-toned, balanced. Baker’s chocolate, pomegranate, gardenia, grapefruit zest, fresh-cut fir in aroma and small cup. Lean, smooth mouthfeel; gently drying, cocoa-toned finish, with hints of grapefruit zest. In cappuccino-scaled milk, baker’s chocolate is center stage, supported by notes of sweet-tart fruit.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly sweet, brightly tart. Dark chocolate, lily-like flowers, blood orange zest, peach, cedar in aroma and small cup. Punchy, syrupy mouthfeel; crisp, cocoa-toned finish with lasting notes of citrus zest. In three-parts milk, the sweet-tartness of the shot carries through, bringing dark chocolate along for the ride.

Evaluated as espresso. Simple but round, resonantly pungent, balanced. Dark chocolate, cedar, plum, blood orange zest, a hint of anise in aroma and small cup. Smooth, velvety mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around chocolate and cedar in a sweet though drying finish. Crisp and chocolaty in three parts milk, nuanced by hints of orange zest and anise.

Evaluated as espresso. Bright, richly sweet-tart. Raspberry jam, hazelnut butter, baker’s chocolate, lilac, a hint of bourbon barrel in aroma and small cup. Lightly creamy mouthfeel; cocoa-toned finish with notes of raspberry jam and hazelnut. Florals return in three parts milk, with big wisteria-like notes in the short and more sweet-tart raspberry jam in the long.

Crisply sweet, balanced. Apricot, freesia-like flowers, baker’s chocolate, clove, almond in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart structure; full, velvety mouthfeel. The finish leads with notes of sweet stone fruit and spicy florals in the short, rounding to cocoa-toned almond in the long, with a lingering hint of clove-like spice.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly floral, chocolate-toned, sweetly tart. Wisteria, dark chocolate, tangerine zest, molasses, dried apricot in aroma and small cup. Viscous, lightly syrupy mouthfeel; crisp, cocoa-toned finish. Very floral in cappuccino-scaled milk: Notes of wisteria and dark chocolate dominate, nuanced by tangerine zest and dried apricot.

Juicy, crisp yet lush, original. Jasmine, baker’s chocolate, sandalwood, tangerine zest, dried mango in aroma and cup. Layered and lyric in structure: softly bright, crisply pungent. Light yet lively in mouthfeel. The finish consolidates around the sandalwood and cocoa, but the sweet flowers last, too.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly sweet-tart. Dark chocolate, narcissus, candied blood orange zest, almond butter, cedar in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy body; citrus- and cedar-toned finish. In three parts milk, notes of dark chocolate pleasin

Floral-toned, crisp, deeply sweet. Dried strawberry, freesia, toffee, hazelnut butter, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned structure; syrupy, almost creamy body. Notes of freesia-like flowers and hazelnut butter dominate in the short finish, while sweetly wood-framed toffee tones carry the long.

Intricate, layered, deeply sweet. Blackberry, nougat, roasted cacao nib, frankincense, tangerine zest in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet-tart structure; full, satiny mouthfeel. Notes of blackberry enveloped in cocoa frame the quiet short finish, rounding to incense-like aromatic wood and nougat in the long.

Integrated, floral- and sweetly earth-toned. Lavender, perique pipe tobacco, tangerine zest, apricot, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory in structure; syrupy-smooth body. The short finish is resonant with spicy floral and stone fruit notes and the long is earthy sweet, redolent of fine pipe tobacco.