Central America Reviews

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.”

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, balanced, engagingly layered. Driven by sweet ripe citrus—co-taster John DiRuocco (92) associated it with orange, Jen Apodaca (93) with tangerine, Ken (93) with sweet grapefruit—and intriguing floral/herbal notes: Jen wild fennel, Ken lavender. Everyone was particularly impressed with a general resonant complexity and balance in flavor and finish. Jen felt the sample faded a bit in three parts milk, but Ken and John read continued quiet intrigue, especially Ken, who found delicate grapefruit and chocolate.

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. Clean, sweet, gently tart, honey-toned. All three reviewers were impressed by the clean, sweet balance of this espresso, delivering almost identical scores: John DiRuocco 92, Jen Apodaca 93, Ken 92. Honey figured in everyone’s descriptors; Ken and John also found berry and a backgrounded cocoa butter. Citrusy in three parts milk, with an enveloping chocolate. “I could drink this every day,” Jen added.

Evaluated as espresso. Of three reviewers, Ken (93) was most supportive of this crisply chocolaty, silky-bodied espresso, citing its balanced range of baker’s chocolate, flowers and fruit. Jen Apodaca’s (92) descriptors overlapped Ken’s. For John DiRuocco (89), however, the sample was “a bit bipolar,” lacking coherence, although he praised the baker’s chocolate and pleasing mouthfeel. Everyone liked this one in three-parts milk, which help the chocolate sweeten and blossom.

Evaluated as espresso. Of three reviewers, John DiRuocco (95) most admired this crisp, floral-toned espresso: “complex and complete … floral, red fruit and stone fruit flavors … the body … light but sufficient, the finish clean and resonating.” Jen Apodaca (89) was considerably less enthusiastic and more terse: “There was a lot going on in this espresso … it finished like a dry red cabernet.” For Ken (91) this coffee represented a certain style of dried-in-the-fruit coffee: bittersweet, intriguingly anise- and lavender-toned, yet not quite sweet and fat enough for him.

Evaluated as espresso. Complexly bright, citrus- and chocolate-toned. All three reviewers – Jen Apodaca (92), John DiRuocco (91) and Ken (91) – cited the dynamic, citrusy acidity, rounding chocolate, crisp floral hints and surprisingly full mouthfeel. Continued bright and briskly chocolaty in three parts milk.

Sweet, crisp, deeply floral. Wisteria, dried mango, blood orange, almond butter, clove in aroma and cup. Bright, juicy-tart acidity; silky-smooth mouthfeel. The crisp, clean, deeply flavor-saturated finish is sustained and resonant.

Deeply sweet, fruit-forward. Dried raspberry, apple brandy, freesia-like flowers, roasted cacao nib, molasses in aroma and cup. Crisp, sweet-tart acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Raspberry tones ring from the break through to the quietly resonant finish, with a supporting array of spicy florals.