Blend Reviews

Evaluated as espresso. Deeply rich, intricately aromatic. Sandalwood, tangerine zest, baker’s chocolate, ripe plum, wisteria in aroma and small cup. Delicate, silky mouthfeel; floral-toned, zesty, slightly drying finish. Softens and blooms with vast, flavor-saturated elegance in three parts milk: chocolate, plum, flowers, more.

Rich, roast-rounded. Almond, dark chocolate, strawberry guava, rhododendron-like flowers, orange zest in aroma and cup. Mild, sweet-toned acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The chocolate-framed finish is quietly resonant and deeply sweet, with continued hints of flowers.

Deeply sweet, balanced. Honey, peach, lavender, almond, baker’s chocolate in aroma and cup. Gentle, backgrounded acidity; full, silky mouthfeel. The gently drying finish is crisply sweet, redolent of nut-toned honey.

Roast-toned, sweetly spicy. Apricot, cedar, scorched lemon zest, dark chocolate, black peppercorn in aroma and cup. Briskly sweet acidity; satiny mouthfeel. The crisp, dry finish centers on cedar-toned chocolate notes with a hint of black peppercorn.

Sweetly roast-toned, chocolaty. Dark chocolate, gently scorched oak, cashew, lily-like flowers, dried apple in aroma and cup. Gentle, backgrounded acidity; velvety-smooth mouthfeel. The rich, gently drying finish is laden with chocolate tones in the short and smoky oak and sweet flowers in the long.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, gently spicy, pungent. Hazelnut, apricot, lily-like flowers, fresh-cut fir, a hint of frankincense in aroma and small cup. Velvety mouthfeel. Fir and a suggestion of chocolate animate a quiet, sweet-toned finish. Fir and nut-toned chocolate dominate in three-parts milk.

Richly and sweetly pungent. Concord grape, roasted cacao nib, cedar, hazelnut, lemon blossom in aroma and cup. Brisk, lightly juicy acidity; delicate, satiny mouthfeel. The crisp, nut-toned finish leads with Concord grape notes in the short and cedar in the long, with hazelnut throughout.

Evaluated as espresso. Balanced, sweetly tart. Dark chocolate, pomegranate, Oolong tea, rose-like flowers, almond in aroma and small cup. Delicate, silky mouthfeel. Clean, sweet finish, with a savory resonance. In three parts milk, chocolate tones re-emerge, along with hints of roasted almond.

Evaluated as espresso. Sturdy, balanced, chocolaty. All three reviewers (John DiRuocco 92, Jen Apodaca 94, Ken 92) cited caramel and chocolate; two read a particularly sweet orange (Ken called it orange marmalade). A “chocolate bomb” for John in three parts milk; for Ken the chocolate continued ripely orange-toned.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet-toned, balanced, smooth. Cedar, ripe fig, carob, narcissus-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Syrupy mouthfeel; richly drying finish. In three parts milk crisp fig-toned chocolate dominates, with a continuing hint of flowers.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly roasty, balanced. Cocoa powder, fresh-cut oak, orange zest, roasted almond, lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Full though rather heavy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates to cocoa and almond in the roast-toned finish. In three parts milk, the zesty orange dominates, rounded by continued cocoa and nut.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly tart, pungent. Dried apricot, fir, hazelnut, gardenia, orange zest in aroma and small cup. Lightly juicy, satiny mouthfeel. The tart finish is complicated by apricot notes and fresh-cut fir. Hazelnut, orange zest and gardenia all carry persuasively into three parts milk.

Intensely rich, deeply sweet. Halvah, cedar, rhododendron, lime zest, fresh pipe tobacco in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The gently drying finish centers around sandalwood and pipe tobacco.

Evaluated as espresso. Lively, complex, deeply expressive. Red currant, wisteria, hazelnut butter, lemon zest, chocolate fudge in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel; crisp cocoa- and citrus-toned finish. Chocolate fudge leads in three parts milk, complicated by continued floral resonance.

Evaluated as espresso. Dynamic yet balanced. Jasmine, chocolate, banana, tangerine zest, sandalwood in aroma and small cup. Lightly full, velvety mouthfeel; clean, round finish. Floral top notes shimmer atop deeply rich chocolate in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Balanced, delicately and sweetly tart. Peach, orange zest, lavender, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and small cup. Lightly but buoyantly syrupy mouthfeel; gently tart, drying, lavender-toned finish. Three parts milk both round the fruit toward chocolate while paradoxically emphasizing the blend’s bright, zesty character.

Delicate; quietly intricate. Lemon verbena, almond blossom, fresh-cut cedar, raisin, anise in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet acidity; lightly satiny mouthfeel. The crisp, gently drying finish opens with citrus in the short, with anise and cedar in the long.

Sweet, round, quietly pungent. Molasses, almond, thyme, cocoa powder, orange zest in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The rich, lightly resonant short finish consolidates to orange zest and cocoa in the long.

Sweetly pungent, delicately rich. Candied pecan, cocoa, tangerine, sweet flowers in aroma and cup. Softly bright, balanced acidity; light but very plush mouthfeel. The finish is sweet, deep, and saturated with floral and cocoa suggestions.

Evaluated as espresso produced as a ristretto 25ml (.85-ounce) shot using a Nespresso capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Delicate, savory-sweet. Fresh-cut cedar, a hint of chocolate, orange zest, lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate and cedar linger in a gently drying finish. A lightly-stated, slightly savory chocolate dominates in three parts milk.