Central America Reviews

Nice range of aroma and flavor, ranging from a honey and raisiny dark chocolate to pepper and pine hints to a shimmer of meadowy flowers. Backgrounded but vibrant acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Sweet-toned, balanced finish.

Crisply sweet, balanced, subtle. Honey, plum, hints of vanilla and roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Soft acidity; plush mouthfeel. Flavor carries impressively into a long, sweet, rich finish.

Pungent, deep, slightly musky. Distinct dark chocolate, plum pudding, a musky note in aroma and cup. Roundly tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists in a rich finish.

Balanced, lively. Aromatic cedar, apricot, walnut, roasted cacao nib, a hint of cinnamon in aroma and cup. Quiet, roundly tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Sweet-toned but crisp finish.

Crisp, balanced, delicately rich. Roasted cacao nib, caramel, fresh-cut fir, a hint of apple in aroma and cup. Round, quietly resonant acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but rings on in a long, clean finish.

Sweetly crisp, briskly floral. Cedar, roasted cacao nib, pungently lavender-like flowers, peach-like fruit in aroma and cup. Clean, crisp acidity; lightly syrupy, lively mouthfeel. Long, flavor-saturated finish.

Pungent, rich, complex. Fresh-cut cedar, fruit-toned, bittersweet dark chocolate, blueberry, lily-like flowers in aroma and cup. Crisp, straightforward acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is slightly savory and salty but deeply sweet as well, with impressive flavor persistence.

Crisply complex. Butter, cherry, pungent cedar, dark chocolate, a hint of sweet dusk-blooming flowers in aroma and cup. Round, floral-toned acidity; light but very silky mouthfeel. Deep, flavor-saturated, though distinctly dry finish.

Deep, pungent, savory-sweet. Orange, cedar, butter, flowers (jasmine, lavender) in aroma and cup. Delicate, sweetly brisk acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. A chocolate hint turns up in a balanced, gently rich finish.

Intensely and lushly pungent. Dark chocolate, cedar, lychee-like fruit, lilac in aroma and cup. Brisk, low-toned but vibrant acidity; full, satiny, lively mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists in a rich, very mildly drying finish.

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.