Central America Reviews

Honey, walnut, meadow flowers, tangerine in aroma and the cup, where the flowers deepen and the nut notes turn toward a crisp roasted cocoa nib. Brisk, rather pronounced acidity is softened by a floral sweetness. Silky mouthfeel. The tangerine-like citrus carries into a resonant, gently drying finish.

Soft, round, deep. Caramel, fir, raisin, honeysuckle in a quiet aroma and slightly savory cup. Gentle, resonant acidity; lightly but distinctly syrupy mouthfeel. Simple but richly sweet finish.

Syrupy mouthfeel, quietly vibrant acidity. Fir, molasses, orange zest, lush night-blooming flowers in aroma and cup. Flavor quiets and consolidates in a long, resonant finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Intense, complex aroma: cedar, dark chocolate, roasted nut, night-blooming flowers. The aromatics sharpen in the small cup; the flowers turn toward anise and the cedar note dominates. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; rich, buttery finish. Paradoxically turns rather bitter and dry in two parts milk, but softens and sweetens in longer milk, which develops the dark chocolate note while maintaining some deepening memory of cedar and anise.

Softly fragrant, balanced, pungently sweet. Complex chocolate (fudgy yet crisp) and fruit (lychee, orange zest) with complicating hints of lavender and musk. Gentle but crisp acidity; plush, velvety mouthfeel. The finish is deeply saturated with flavor.

Achieves a fine balance of chocolate-toned coffee notes with deep, resonant wine-associated notes – grapy fruit, oak – that presumably reflect the influence of the wine-barrel conditioning of the green coffee. The sensory depth and complexity achieved by this interaction takes this coffee far beyond novelty to something quite original and authentic. Balanced, rich acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. The complex flavor if anything deepens in a finish that balances sweetness with a pleasantly drying hint.

Delicately lush, complex. Honey, prairie flowers, roasted cocoa nib, a hint of cinnamon bark in aroma and cup. Crisp but juicy acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor simplifies but the sweet, honey-toned finish still pleases.

A remarkably sweet, spicy aromatic wood note – think sandalwood – leads the usual intense array of Gesha aromatic excitement: complex floral notes, honey, crisp baker’s chocolate, tartly ripe raspberry. Round, rich acidity; lively, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate in particular surfaces in a long, balanced, flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, deep, complex. In the small cup aromatic wood, apricot-like fruit, dark chocolate, night-blooming flowers and a hint of lemony citrus in aroma and flavor. Big, velvety mouthfeel. Flavor persists deep in a richly drying finish. Presents a crisply dry, forceful dark chocolate in two parts milk.

Sweet-toned, delicate. Distinct honey, plus dried apricot, violet-like flowers, a hint of baking spice in aroma and cup. Lyrically sweet and juicy acidity; buoyant, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The violet-like floral note in particular lingers in a sweet, gently tart finish.

Intense, sweet, deep. Honey, dark chocolate, bourbon whisky, hints of flowers in aroma and cup. Roundly rich acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Resonant, long, slightly drying finish.

Sweet, delicately crisp. Dark chocolate, brown sugar, hints of plum and fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Tartly juicy acidity; the mouthfeel is light, hinting at silkiness. Chocolate carries into a gently drying finish.

Intense, tartly sweet, richly dry. Tart berry leads in aroma and cup, softened by a minty dark chocolate and a hint of cedar. Roundly bright acidity; silky mouthfeel. Chocolate in particular carries into a sweet finish.

Gently crisp, refreshingly balanced. Freshly cut aromatic wood, dark chocolate and a faint tart berry note in aroma and cup. Quiet, softly expressed acidity; lightly creamy mouthfeel. Aromatically simple but balanced, resonant finish.

Quiet but engaging. Molasses, ripe orange, almond, aromas of moist, old forest wood. Gently rich, round acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Simple but resonantly sweet finish.

Shifting, engaging complexity. Just a few of the notes we registered: apricot, honey, melon, fresh pipe tobacco, cedar, dark chocolate. There were more. Delicately bright, floral-toned acidity; light, silky/satiny mouthfeel. Pleasingly soft though fading finish.

Intense, lyric, complex floral character – tea rose, lily, lavender, honey – anchored by a crisp, cocoa-toned chocolate. Sweet-toned, floral acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Dry but rich, flavor-saturated finish.

Floral high notes and honey sweetness overlay deeper, earthier notes that suggest mushrooms, moist fresh-fallen leaves, or, in the cup, the vegetal chocolate of roasted cocoa nibs. Richly tart acidity hints at lemon; lean but silky mouthfeel. Flowers in particular carry into a drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly and sweetly tart in aroma and small cup: fresh-cut cedar, dark chocolate, zesty orange, hints of flowers and pipe tobacco. Full yet buoyant, lively mouthfeel. Flavor carries into a long, deep finish. Tart fruit, softened by a backgrounded chocolaty sweetness, continues to dominate in two parts milk.

Tartly sweet, vibrant, deep. Blackberry, orange, cedarish cocoa, fragrant night flowers in aroma and cup. Rich, resonant acidity; plush but crisp mouthfeel. The symphonic aromatics fade just slightly in the long, rich finish.