Central America Reviews

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. Pungent, roundly bright. Fir, butter, dark chocolate in aroma and small cup. Smooth but slightly lean mouthfeel; crisp, sweet, slightly drying finish. In three parts whole milk displays a muted but sweet fir-toned chocolate.

Crisply sweet, subtly refined. Apple, white raisin, delicate nut-toned chocolate, lavender and rose in aroma and cup. Richly brisk acidity; lightly smooth and syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a gently drying finish.

Sweet-toned, pungent. Honey, night-blooming flowers, fresh-cut cedar, cherryish chocolate in aroma and cup. Rich, dry acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate and flowers carry into a complex but drying finish.

Briskly sweet, floral-toned. Cinnamon, orange blossom, orange zest, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Crisp acidity; silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a drying though rich finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Pungently sweet. Fresh-cut cedar, caramelly dark chocolate, apricot, a hint of flowers in aroma and small cup. Light but smoothly silky mouthfeel; flavor consolidates in a rich finish. In three parts milk delicate and rather drying, with sweet chocolate notes nicely nuanced by apricot and flowers.

Crisp, sweet-toned, delicate. Honey, orange, hazelnut, lavender. Finely balanced, delicate acidity; light but very silky mouthfeel. Flavor fades in the finish, but gracefully with gentle richness.

Balanced structure; fresh, complex aromatics. Brisk, lavender-like flowers, hazelnut, sweet spice, a hint of dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Round, gently rich acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Sweet, flavor-saturated short finish; dries and fades very slightly in the long.

Complex nut notes (walnut, pecan), cedar, butter, and a floral top note in aroma and cup. Quiet, brisk acidity; lightish but very silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but maintains in a sweet, gently drying finish.

Deep, sweet-toned, gently pungent. Dark chocolate in particular dominates in aroma and cup, with hints of raisin, fresh-cut pine and mint. Round, resonant acidity; smooth mouthfeel. Very sweet in the finish, with raisin and chocolate notes in particular persisting.

Evaluated as espresso. In the small cup both Ken (91) and his co-taster (92) admired the bright, refreshing fruit (strawberry in particular) rounded by a fudgy chocolate, an impressively syrupy mouthfeel, and a flavor-saturated but clean finish. Vivacious in three parts milk: orange zest and caramel.

Evaluated as espresso. Both Ken (91) and his co-taster (90) admired a gently bright, citrus-and-berry character in the small cup; Ken found distinct floral suggestions as well. A dark chocolate note emerged clearly and perhaps surprisingly in the finish. Citrus, chocolate and (for Ken) flowers all carried with grace into three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken (93) and his co-taster (88) went rather different ways on this deep, sweet, brandyish, lightly herby dried-in-the-fruit profile. Ken enjoyed the overripe, fermenty fruit notes in aroma and cup; his co-taster was not greatly impressed. Both had good things to say about the mouthfeel (co-taster: “huge and enveloping”); on the other hand, neither were impressed by the rather astringent finish. Ken admired the impact in three parts milk (“juicy and rich”) more than did his co-taster, who found it pleasantly berryish but a bit too tart.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken (91) and his co-taster (91) recorded identical scores and very similar readings for this lively, balanced espresso: in aroma and flavor sweetly tart fruit (orange, lemon, kiwi) rounded by flowers for Ken and “sweet pea” for the co-taster; smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel; most impressively a very sweet finish with chocolate and cinnamon suggestions. Delicately chocolaty in three parts milk (“pure milk chocolate” according to the co-taster).

Evaluated as espresso. Ken (92) showed considerably more enthusiasm for this intense dried-in-the-fruit profile than his only mildly respectful co-taster (89). The co-taster associated the usual fermented fruit notes with wine and spiced cider, Ken with bourbon whisky (which he likes). The co-taster found the fermented fruit notes complicated by “sweet hay and malt,” Ken by a more decisive “fresh-cut cedar.” Ken rated the lightly syrupy, perhaps buttery mouthfeel a bit higher than did his co-taster. Both found the shot pleasantly chocolaty in three parts milk, additionally nuanced by malt for the co-taster, by cedar for Ken.

Balanced structure, complex and rather unusual aromatics. Orangy citrus, butter, roasted nut, lush flowers, a hint of sweet chocolate in aroma and cup. Crisp, juicy acidity; lightly syrupy, lively mouthfeel. The finish is gently rich, buttery, sweet-toned.

Pungent, deep, richly sweet. Aromatic wood (cedar, oak), flowers, plum, dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Round, resonant acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a deep though slightly drying finish.

Delicate, complex, refreshing. Flavor-saturated aroma, balanced structure. Flowers, butterscotch, roasted cacao nib and an intriguing note suggesting rye whisky in aroma and cup. Smooth acidity; silky mouthfeel. Rich, flavor-nuanced finish.

Gentle, balanced, quietly complex. Spicy, rose-like flowers, fresh-cut fir, hazelnut, a hint of nut-toned chocolate in aroma and cup. Softly bright acidity; lightly plush mouthfeel. The chocolate and spicy floral notes in particular carry into a smooth finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Intricate and lush; tartly sweet. Caramel, hibiscus and rose, candied ginger, honeydew melon in aroma and small cup. Lean though smooth mouthfeel. Floral notes in particular carry into a remarkably long, complex finish. Flavor carries intact into two parts milk, where a hint of grapefruity acidity is juxtaposed with the milky sweetness.

Intensely and extravagantly aromatic. Lavender, honey, mango, crisp roasted cocoa nib in aroma and cup. Brisk, delicately tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor carries deep into a long, balanced finish.