Coffees from Taiwan Reviews

Evaluated as espresso. Profoundly floral-toned, delicately bright. Complex flowers (lilac, lily, honeysuckle), tangerine-like citrus, cedar, nut-toned chocolate in aroma and small cup. Lightish but velvety mouthfeel; chocolate and cedar in particular carry into a clean finish. In three parts milk delicate but authoritative: very sweet citrus, chocolate, flowers.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, roundly and gently pungent. Dark chocolate, ripe orange, black cherry, walnut, a hint of narcissus-like flowers in aroma and cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; walnut and chocolate carry into a deep though drying finish. An orangy chocolate with hints of walnut and flowers dominates in three parts milk.

Balanced, quietly but vibrantly pungent. Mulberry, tangerine, honey, musk, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Bright, juicy acidity; plump, lively mouthfeel. Mulberry and tangerine, in particular, carry into a sweet finish.

Sweet-toned, bright, quietly pungent. Blood orange, roasted cacao nib, blackberry, caramel in aroma and cup. Crisply and delicately tart acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Orange and crisp cacao carry into a richly drying finish.

Deep, big, sweetly pungent. Black currant, sandalwood, honey, wisteria-like flowers in aroma and cup. Quietly vibrant acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but sustains in a sweet though slightly savory-edged finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Roundly tart; unusual and intriguing. Cacao, molasses, vanilla, licorice, pistachio in aroma and small cup. Very lightly syrupy mouthfeel; flavor carries into a rich though drying finish. The pistachio-like dry nut note dominates in three parts milk, but softens and rounds toward a complexly nuanced chocolate in taller milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, musky, pungent. Dark chocolate, rose, anise, cedar, a hint of orange in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel; hints of the chocolate, rose and orange carry into a sweet, very gently drying finish. Dry, spicy chocolate dominates in three parts milk; the chocolate rounds and blooms in longer milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly tart; deep. Tangerine, roasted cacao nib, fresh-cut cedar, musky lily in aroma and small cup. Lean but silky mouthfeel; hints of musk and dry chocolate carry into sweet though drying finish. A crisply dry chocolate dominates in three parts milk.

Crisp, delicate, pure. Honey, baker’s chocolate, kumquat, almond, violet-like flowers in aroma and cup. Sweetly brisk acidity; light, satiny mouthfeel. Flavor saturates a surprisingly rich, resonant finish.

Reviewed as espresso. Balanced, quietly complex, complete. Apricot, chocolate, vanilla, narcissus-like flowers, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Silky mouthfeel. Crisp, cedar-toned finish. Flowers and chocolate persist with pleasing clarity in three parts milk.

Delicately but deeply complex, seductive. Jasmine, sandalwood, pineapple, papaya, crisp roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Gently lush, juicy acidity; very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Jasmine, sandalwood and a hint of bergamot last far into a sweet, resonant finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Pungent, deep. Dark chocolate, fresh-cut cedar, hazelnut, rosemary in aroma and small cup. Heavy, syrupy mouthfeel; richly drying finish. Crisply sweet – nuts and chocolate – in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, deep, balanced. Dark chocolate, grapefruit, fresh-cut cedar, crisp flowers – lavender, freesia – in aroma and small cup. Heavy, syrupy, almost chewy mouthfeel; dark chocolate and cedar in a rich though drying finish. Strong presence in three parts milk: dark chocolate, cedar, flowers, anise.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly tart, chocolaty. Black cherry, apricot, dark chocolate, narcissus and lily, hints of spice in aroma and small cup. Light, satiny mouthfeel; tartly fruit- and spice-toned finish. A pleasing, lively, fruit-nuanced chocolate dominates in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Tart, rich, complex. Dark chocolate, blood orange, sandalwood, narcissus-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; sandalwood, citrus and flowers carry into a dry but resonant finish. Softens yet retains its tart richness in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Exhilaratingly bright without sharpness; juicy. Mango, pineapple, roasted cacao nib, honeysuckle-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Lively, effervescent mouthfeel. The pineapple fruit softens and the cacao nib deepens toward chocolate in a long, very sweet finish. In three parts milk the tropical fruit notes turn almost buttery: think ripe papaya.

Evaluated as espresso. Wide-ranging complexity. Strawberry, cedar, walnut, dark chocolate, narcissus-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Slight savory suggestion. Big, syrupy mouthfeel; sweet floral notes carry into a sweetly and richly pungent finish. Narcissus, chocolate and cedar all move persuasively into three parts milk.

Sweetly and delicately bright. Honey, lilac, lavender, roasted cacao nib, a hint of lemon zest in aroma and cup. Crisp yet juicy, floral-toned acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Honey, flowers and cacao nib linger in a long, gentle finish.

Sweet, cidery, unusual. Apple cider, rose, almond, sweet-orange Turkish delight, a hint of angostura bitters in aroma and cup. Crisply balanced, rounded acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Finish consolidates around a lightly sweet and spice-toned resonance.

Evaluated as espresso. Lush tropical fruit and tart berry dominates with a chocolaty depth that for co-taster Ethan Hill (94) evoked “chocolate-covered raisin and tropical fruit.” Ken (94) for his part cited cleanly sweet alcohol suggestions (“fruity cabernet”), and both remarked on a sweetly tart pineapple top note that carried throughout the profile. For both tasters the mouthfeel was “plush [and] velvety,” the finish a bit drying but still saturated with the fruit and chocolate suggestions. In three parts milk the fruit and chocolate rounded but persisted with satisfying continuity.