Central America Reviews

Rich aroma and flavor highlighted by sweet-toned lemon with suggestions of flowers, berries and baking chocolate. Bright acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel and a finish that fades perhaps a bit too quickly, especially as the cup cools.

Very sweet but tartly balanced profile, dominated by a distinctive, deeply floral-saturated cocoa and fragrant sandalwood. Rich, sweet acidity, light but lively mouthfeel. The short finish is rich and complex; flavor fades very slightly in the long.

Soft butter, nut and aromatic wood in the aroma. Bright, distinctly fruit-toned acidity and a silky mouthfeel. Sustained flavor deepens in the cup: sweet citrus complicates and enlivens the aromatic wood and nut notes. Flavors soften and persist gently in the finish.

Crisply but pungently sweet: molasses, fir and flowers in aroma and cup. Gentle acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The flavor fades in the finish but the sweetness remains.

Sweet nut and milk chocolate in the aroma with background fruit and floral hints. In the cup, full, syrupy mouthfeel, penetrating acidity and good balance. Fruit tones become more pronounced (citrus, cherry) and the chocolate turns bittersweet, carrying into a long finish.

Sweet, round aroma with muted notes of nut and chocolate. In the cup restrained acidity and a soft, fruit-toned flavor that with patience yields suggestions of bittersweet chocolate, honey and cedar. The bittersweet chocolate note carries into a pleasant though short finish.

Sweet nutty aroma, displaying rounded hints of chocolate and aromatic wood. The aromatic notes carry seamlessly into the cup; smooth acidity and a slightly lean mouthfeel. The finish is simple and pleasing but rather short.

An intense cup. Pungent herb and cedar mingle with a soft fruit in aroma and cup. Full body, smooth mouthfeel. The fruit sweetens toward chocolate in the cup, balancing the sharper herb and cedar notes. The chocolate persists to soften the long, dry finish.

Intense cocoa, lemon and floral notes in the aroma. In the cup rich acidity, lightly syrupy body, dry lemony cocoa, lush night flowers, and a distinct spice note suggesting nutmeg, all carrying majestically into the long, deeply flavor-saturated finish.

Deep aroma of toasty chocolate with hints of baking spices. Balanced chocolate-toned character carries into the cup with suggestions of flowers and sweet orangy citrus. The reoccurring theme of this coffee, chocolate, lingers in the finish, turning from bittersweet toward milk chocolate in the long.

An elegant and well-balanced cup. Full aromatically, with hints of fruit, baking spices and flowers. In the cup tightly knit, layered sensations, from bright orangy sweetness to round fruit-toned chocolate and flowers. A softly pungent bittersweet chocolate carries into the finish.

A pungent fruit aroma with hints of flowers, cedar and red currant. In the cup, nicely balanced acidity, a lightly syrupy mouthfeel and flavors of peach and lemon that lean toward chocolate. The fruit-toned chocolate grows more distinct and lingers in the finish.

Intense, sweet-toned aroma: cherryish fruit, hints of orange and flowers. In the cup rich, rounded acidity, fullish body, and continued cherry- and orange-toned fruit complicated by a dry, cocoaish chocolate. Simple, sweet finish.

Gently sweet aroma with hints of wood and molasses. Delicate but well-balanced in the cup, with medium body, soft mouthfeel, and flavor notes of aromatic wood, fruit-toned chocolate, and a citrusy quality reminiscent of sweet lemony tea. Some sweetness persists in the finish, though it fades rather quickly.

Balanced aroma with soft notes of pipe tobacco, vanilla, sweet aromatic wood and suggestions of fruit. The fruit becomes more pronounced in the bright-toned acidity. A graceful cup, with a lightly syrupy mouthfeel and flavors of orange, grapefruit, fir, and a touch of chocolate that sweetens in the finish.

Sweet-toned orange and lemon aroma, with soft hints of nuts, cherry and caramel. A bright acidity is softened and rounded by a suggestion of fruit. The balance continues in the cup with sweet lemon and honey in front, fading to a pleasant nuttiness. Hints of chocolate and aromatic wood linger in the long finish.

A very slight fruit ferment both complicates and shadows the profile. A distinct orange-toned citrus and nut character dominates the aroma. In the cup round-toned acidity, syrupy mouthfeel, continued orange and nut notes sweeten and add a cocoa crispness. The finish is long and resonant, though the flavor fades rather quickly.

For co-cupper Andy Newbom (88) "dried peaches and a hint of prunes struggle to open into dark chocolate" in the cup. For Ken (89) the sweet dried fruit notes actually make it to dark chocolate, albeit a "berry-toned" version. Similarly, Ken tastes the good side of the finish, citing "long, deep, dry berry notes," whereas for Andy an attractive "dried fruit sweetness" in the finish was compromised by "hard mineral fruit notes." Both noted a "soft citrus" [Andy] acidity and a full but slightly rough mouthfeel.

Improves as it moves along. The aroma is delicate, almost too delicate, with only slight hints of chocolate and flowers. Picks up energy in the cup: soft but vibrant acidity, silky mouthfeel. The dark chocolate and night flowers retain their delicacy but turn distinct and rich, carrying into a long, sweet-toned finish.

Citrus-basket aroma - tangerine, Key lime, Mandarin orange - with mild floral notes. Bright, sweetly fruit-toned acidity and a delicately juicy mouthfeel. Sweet citrus carries into the cup with hints of flowers, berries and black currant. Lush finish; toast and caramel turn toward orangey chocolate in the long.