Blend Reviews

Richly pungent; chocolaty and earthy. Roasted cacao nib, freshly turned earth, plum-like fruit and a carnally sweet floral note reminiscent of heavily scented lilies or trumpet flowers. A salt-savory edge deepens the cup. Flavor resolves toward dark chocolate and vanilla in a gently drying finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a "RealCup" capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving): Cedar, caramel, orange, a hint of flowers in aroma and cup. Round, quiet acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Clean, simple, balanced finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a "RealCup" capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving): Almost sugary sweet, quietly balanced. Caramel, apricot, hints of citrus and fresh-cut fir in aroma and cup. Round, gently rich acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists in a clean finish.

Richly and gently bright, balanced. Cedary dark chocolate, honey, ripe orange in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart, juicy acidity; lightly but distinctly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a sweet-toned finish.

Evaluated as espresso produced in a 40ml/1.35-ounce shot by a Singolo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. A prune-toned fruit is complicated by a salty chocolate and sweet wood in aroma and small cup. Heavy but rather inert mouthfeel. Salty and astringent sensations dominate in the finish. Very woody in three parts whole milk, though the pruny fruit sweetens to a pleasant chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso produced in a 30ml/1-ounce shot by a Verismo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated separately using a conventional steam wand, not with milk from the Verismo milk capsule. Scorched and astringent. Burned caramel, gently charred cedar, dark chocolate, a floral hint in the aroma. Leanish mouthfeel. A drying woody sensation dominated the flavor of the small cup, with hints of dark chocolate and rubber. Rich but very drying, slightly salty finish. In three parts whole milk displays a woody but sweet chocolate with a slight rubbery hint in the background.

Evaluated as espresso produced in a 40ml/1.35-ounce shot by the Rivo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated separately using a conventional steam wand. Plum, dark chocolate, gently scorched wood in aroma and cup. The roasty fruit shows a slightly salty tendency in the cup, but sweetens again in a pleasant finish. Roundly chocolaty in three parts milk, though with a continued dry, woody edge.

Evaluated as espresso produced in a 40ml/1.35-ounce shot by a Singolo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Shots from the tested samples of this blend were rather uneven in aroma and flavor, suggesting that blending may not have been sufficiently thorough before the coffee was ground and put in capsules. The mouthfeel was full and syrupy in all shots, but in flavor and finish some shots were dominated by a simple woody molasses, whereas others were livelier, with the wood note more aromatic, the molasses approaching carob, and hints of a tart fruit. The best shots were particularly impressive in three parts whole milk, where they displayed a roundly nuanced milk chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso produced in a 40ml/1.35-ounce shot by the Rivo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated separately using a conventional steam wand. Soft, simple, chocolaty. Distinct chocolate, hints of orange and cedar in aroma and small cup. Smooth, slightly lean mouthfeel. Flavor fades in the short finish, but a pleasant hint of chocolate revives in the long. Delicate in three parts milk with the chocolate sensation showing some richness and hints of complexity.

Evaluated as espresso produced in the Nespresso-recommended standard 40ml (1.35-ounce) shot by a Nespresso capsule espresso brewer and with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Sweet-toned, with distinct floral and fruit – mango, apricot – notes in aroma and small cup. Very lightly syrupy mouthfeel; the finish is sweet, clean, simple. Fades a bit in three parts milk, though a delicate floral-toned chocolate persists.

Evaluated as espresso produced in a Nespresso-recommended ristretto 25ml (.85-ounce) shot by a Nespresso capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Rich, deep, dark chocolaty. Hints of cedar and perhaps lemon. The mouthfeel is full, perhaps a bit heavy. Clean, simple, rather deep finish. Imparts a sweet, wood-toned chocolate and syrupy mouthfeel to three parts whole milk.

(As brewed in a Keurig Vue single-serve brewing device using a Vue-Pack capsule on the regular – alternative to “strong” – setting to produce a 6-ounce or serving): Caramel, cedar, hints of chocolate and peach in the aroma. Quiet, sweet-toned acidity. A distinct, pleasingly cedar-toned chocolate dominates in the cup and persists in a mildly drying finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a "K-Cup" capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving). Crisply sweet. Dark chocolate, black currant, plum in aroma and cup. Balanced, gently tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Sweet finishing; the chocolate and plum in particular linger.

Pungently sweet, buttery, complex. Richly layered berry-toned fruit, dark chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut in aroma and cup. Round, balanced acidity; deeply syrupy mouthfeel. Resonantly flavor-saturated finish. Our five cups were very slightly uneven, for which we deducted one point, but the general impact of this coffee was superb.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet-toned; lively but deep. Chocolate, almond-paste, tangerine and plum notes with vanilla hints in aroma and, more pronounced, in the small cup. Syrupy body; the finish is resonant though gently drying and eucalyptus-toned. The chocolate and citrus further sweeten and soften in three parts milk; the plum note turns delicately floral.

Evaluated as espresso. Big, deep, complex. Dark chocolate, lush night-blooming flowers, walnut, tangerine in aroma and small cup. Full, dense mouthfeel; chocolate and flowers dominate in a sweet, richly drying finish. Chocolate fudge, walnut and flowers in three parts milk.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a Keurig-compatible capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving): Brightly pungent, lively. Dark chocolate, fresh-cut cedar, black currant, cherry, a hint of a bourbon-whisky-like note in aroma and cup. Tart but balanced acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Rich, resonant short finish, slightly fading and dry in the long.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a Keurig-compatible capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving): Sweet-toned, gentle. Raisin, apricot, vanilla, hazelnut, a hint of flowers in aroma and cup. Balanced, sweetly tart acidity; smooth, lively mouthfeel. Hints of flavor survive and a sweet, gently drying finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a Keurig-compatible capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving): Buttery dark chocolate, a marzipan-like almond note with an enlivening hint of slightly tart fruit in aroma and cup. Brisk, roast-influenced acidity; very light but silky mouthfeel. Hints of chocolate and walnut survive in a sweet but drying finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a Keurig-compatible capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving): Delicate, crisp. Dark chocolate, walnut, a hint of fennel-like herb in aroma and cup. Delicate, subdued acidity; smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Some chocolate and walnut survives in a simple, sweet-toned finish.