Central America Reviews

Deep, sweetly and richly pungent. Rum, oak, dark chocolate, ripe blueberry, lavender in aroma and cup. Backgrounded but resonant acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Rum and lavender in particular show up in a quietly flavor-saturated finish.

Deeply rich, intricately composed. Raspberry jam, peppermint, lilac, fine musk, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Gentle, sweet acidity; plush, satiny mouthfeel. The delicate but resonant finish is redolent of cocoa-toned peppermint, richly drying and invitingly sweet.

Deeply rich, enticingly sweet. Butterscotch, peach, narcissus, almond, grapefruit zest in aroma and cup. Juicy, vibrant acidity; full, velvety mouthfeel. All the flavors from the cup carry into a resonant, flavor-saturated short finish, consolidating around butterscotch notes in the long.

Pungently and sweetly wood- and nut-toned. Fresh-cut cedar, baker’s chocolate, cashew, orange zest in aroma and cup. Round, backgrounded acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Simple but sweet, resonant finish.

Deeply sweet, richly savory. Butterscotch, lavender, tamarind, roasted cacao nib, mango in aroma and cup. Big, juicy acidity; viscous, velvety mouthfeel. In addition to resonant butterscotch and lavender tones in the short finish, the long introduces an appealing coconut note.

Expressive, balanced, richly sweet. Lemon blossom, baker’s chocolate, cashew butter, aged Tequila, tea rose in aroma and cup. Vibrant, balanced acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. Lemon blossom and cashew butter carry the short finish, while notes of aged Tequila, suggesting a refined sweet ferment, return in the long, enveloped by baker’s chocolate.

Delicate, high-toned, sweetly tart. Lemon verbena, toffee, pomegranate, dark chocolate, lavender in aroma and cup. Vibrantly tart acidity; very silky, smooth mouthfeel. The quietly expressive finish centers around crisp lemon verbena notes and hints of spicy lavender.

Bold, sweetly spice-toned. Molasses, hazelnut, cedar, persimmon, orange blossom in aroma and cup. Mild, balanced acidity; plush, creamy mouthfeel. The gently drying finish offers notes of cedar and orange blossom in the short, consolidating to hazelnut in the long.

Brisk, cidery. Apple cider, fresh-cut fir, caramel, mint, a hint of hop flowers in aroma and cup. Round, brisk acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Remains crisp but sweetens and brightens in an apple- and fir-dominated finish.

Softly roast-toned, quietly chocolaty. Chocolate, raisin, almond, scorched fir, a hint of violet-like flowers in aroma and cup. Roast-muted acidity, very lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Sweetly chocolaty in the short finish, fading a bit in the long.

Fruit-forward, spicy-sweet. Ripe peach, pink peppercorn, lilac, chocolate fudge, almond in aroma and cup. Gentle, round acidity; velvety mouthfeel. The sweet-toned finish is resonantly floral-toned, with supporting notes of stone fruit and chocolate.

Bold, caramel-toned. Caramel, baker’s chocolate, cedar, black cherry, magnolia in aroma and cup. Rounded, gentle acidity; lean, satiny mouthfeel. The gently drying finish is wood-framed, with sweet notes of caramel and chocolate.

Deeply sweet, round, balanced. Blueberry, hazelnut, pipe tobacco, orange zest, graham cracker in aroma and cup. Crisp, richly tart acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The rich-toned finish leads with ripe blueberry notes in the short; a citrus-toned hazelnut resurfaces in the long.

Tropical, sweet, wine-toned. Port wine, papaya, oak, molasses, a hint of hibiscus in aroma and small cup. Juicy, fermenty acidity; plush mouthfeel. Sweet and wine-toned in the short finish, richly drying in the long.

Subtle, complexly layered. Candied ginger, pomegranate, rhododendron, cashew butter, bergamot in aroma and cup. Zesty, balanced acidity; delicate, satiny mouthfeel. The quietly resonant finish consolidates around cashew and rhododendron suggestions.

Sweetly and richly enticing. Baker’s chocolate, Graham cracker, dried cranberry, orange blossom, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Crisp, balanced acidity; satiny mouthfeel. The richly drying finish consolidates to baker’s chocolate in the short finish, with aromatic wood notes resurfacing in the long.

Fruit-toned, deeply pungent. Blueberry, rum cordial, fresh-cut fir, baker’s chocolate, gardenia-like flowers in aroma and cup. Fruit-forward acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The quiet finish is characterized by cocoa-toned blueberry in the short and hints of aromatic wood in the long.

Delicate, intricate, expressive. Almond butter, plumeria, roasted cacao nib, myrrh, loquat in aroma and cup. Lively sweet-tart acidity; silky mouthfeel. The sweet-toned, resonant finish centers around plumeria and cocoa, with suggestions of myrrh in the short finish and loquat in the long.

Evaluated as espresso. Smooth, fragrant, lively. The three reviewers for this coffee lined up nicely in respect to rating: John DiRuocco at 93, Jen Apodaca at 93, and Ken at 94. All found the buoyant, richly silky mouthfeel particularly impressive (Jen: “light and airy on the tongue like a meringue cookie”). All three reviewers additionally cited caramel notes, and two sweet flowers. The subtle but explicit sweetness attracted a range of candy-toned positives, from vanilla marshmallow (Jen) to, in three parts milk, dulce de leche (John).

Evaluated as espresso. All three reviewers praised this espresso for its clean, citrusy/orangy sweetness: “orange hard candy” for co-taster Jen Apodaca (94); orange and brown sugar for John DiRuocco (93); tart but juicy blood orange for Ken (93). All found notes that rounded and complicated the citrus: the brown sugar for John, caramel for Ken, Concord grape for Jen. Jen was most enthusiastic and explicit about what this coffee brought to three parts milk: “tasted like cherry pie.”