Coffees from Taiwan Reviews

Bright, intensely pungent, oddly engaging. Spearmint, blueberry, fresh yogurt, sweet cocoa, musk in aroma and cup. Tart and bittersweet in structure; in mouthfeel, syrupy and plush. The finish consolidates richly around suggestions of sweet cocoa and fresh yogurt, with a very slight suggestion of earthy decay.

Sweet, heavy, musky and perfumy. Elderflowers, fresh cilantro, strawberry-flavored yogurt, lime, musk in aroma and cup. Intensely sweet in structure but balanced by a distinctly crisp, bitter edge. Light, satiny mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a sweet though drying finish.

Sweetly tart, very lightly fermenty. Chocolate liqueur, lime zest, hints of peach and strawberry, mint, cedar in aroma and cup. Very sweet but crisply bitter/tart in structure; light, plushly buoyant mouthfeel. Drying but deep in the finish, with pleasing liqueur-like chocolate notes persisting.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly chocolaty and floral-toned. Chocolate fudge, gardenia, almond, cedar, molasses in aroma and small cup. Crisp, satiny mouthfeel; finish consolidates to notes of chocolate fudge and gardenia with cedar undertones. In three parts milk, chocolate and gardenia notes are further amplified with hints of cedar and almond, as well.

Sweet and savory, with intriguingly deep wood-framed pungency. Scorched sandalwood, black peppercorn, toffee, red currant, dried marjoram, wisteria-like flowers in aroma and cup. Roast-framed, deeply rich, sweet and savory yet crisply juicy in structure. Full, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish consolidates to sweet toffee, rich sandalwood, and marjoram in the long.

Evaluated as espresso. Chocolaty, nut-driven, a bit smoky. Dark chocolate, almond brittle, orchid, charred mesquite, molasses in aroma and small cup. Velvety-smooth mouthfeel; smoky, chocolaty finish. In three parts milk, deeply chocolaty and roast-prominent, with inviting notes of smoky mesquite.

Richly sweet, cleanly fruit-driven, floral-toned. Raspberry jam, dark chocolate, gardenia, cedar, maple syrup in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart structure with bright, juicy acidity; crisp though syrupy mouthfeel. A resonant finish centers around raspberry and chocolate with hints of cedar.

Evaluated as espresso. Floral-toned, richly sweet. Honeysuckle, cashew, oak, fig newton, pink peppercorn, dark chocolate in aroma and small cup. Crisp, satiny mouthfeel; resonant, floral-toned finish with a hint of spice notes. Three parts milk foregrounds sweet nut and dark chocolate, backed up by sweet spice notes suggesting pink peppercorn.

Sweet-toned, richly nutty. Cashew butter, date, baker’s chocolate, magnolia, oak in aroma and cup. Sweet structure with brisk acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The richly drying finish consolidates around notes of cashew and magnolia.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet-toned, balanced. Black cherry, fir, hazelnut, baker’s chocolate, gardenia in aroma and small cup. Full, creamy body; gentle, chocolaty finish. Dark chocolate notes are amplified in three parts milk, with notes of black cherry and hazelnut underneath.

Evaluated as espresso. Very rich and deeply sweet. Dark chocolate, dried cherry, singed cedar, lilac, candy cap mushroom with layered complexity in aroma and small cup. Very thick, syrupy mouthfeel; the finish consolidates to smoky cocoa and sweetly savory mushroom. In three parts milk, the cup is very chocolaty, sweet and floral with an umami throughline.

Exceptionally high-toned, delicately fruit-centered, intricately balanced. Mulberry, coconut, sandalwood, dark chocolate, lilac in aroma and cup. Richly sweet in structure with balanced, juicy acidity; delicate but plush, mouth-filling texture. The finish is a gentle reminder of everything the cup offers, in particular mulberry, coconut, and lilac.

Crisply sweet-tart, fruit-toned. Blackberry jam, cocoa powder, almond, narcissus, baking spices in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart structure with bright, fruit-forward acdity; lively, satiny mouthfeel. The finish consolidates to notes of blackberry and cocoa.

Rich, complex, very deeply sweet. Honey, lilac, guava, frankincense, cacao nib in aroma and cup. Richly sweet-tart structure with high-toned, juicy acidity; crisp, full, satiny mouthfeel. The rich-toned finish is both sweetly floral and invitingly tart.

Evaluated as espresso. Roast-prominent, chocolaty, richly sweet. Scorched fir, ripe banana, bakers chocolate, wilted narcissus, allspice in aroma and small cup. Light and fluffy mouthfeel; finish consolidates to chocolate and banana with smoky undertones. In three parts milk the roast integrates nicely with deep chocolate, sweet fruit and a savory pungency.

Evaluated as espresso. Smoky, chocolate-toned. Cocoa, salted raisin, crimson lily, smoke in aroma and small cup. Heavyish though velvety mouthfeel; sweetly salty, smoky finish with a chocolate throughline. In three-parts milk, bittersweet cocoa and salted fruit resonate clearly.

Evaluated as espresso. Assertively sweet, fruity, spicy. Ripe banana, baking chocolate, allspice, lemon drop, dried lavender and narcissus in aroma and small cup. The mouthfeel is syrupy though drying, the finish rich-toned though rather drying and heavyish in the long. In three-parts milk the coffee balances nicely, with high-toned sweetness and florals showing with pleasing clarity.

High-toned, sweetly tart, deeply savory. Jasmine, dark chocolate, lemon verbena, pink grapefruit zest, candycap mushroom in aroma and cup. Balanced sweet-tart-savory structure; lyrical, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. The flavor-saturated finish leads with citrus notes (lemon verbena, grapefruit) in the short, rounding to deep chocolate and sweet mushroom in the long.

High-toned, richly savory-sweet. Red currant, hop flowers, dark chocolate, oak, maple syrup in aroma and cup. Rich, savory-sweet structure with vibrant, juicy acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Resoundingly long, flavor-saturated finish.

Cleanly fruit-toned, deeply rich. Dried raspberry, toffee, molasses, cedar, narcissus-like flowers in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned structure with brisk acidity; creamy-smooth mouthfeel. Impressively resonant, multi-layered finish.