Coffees from Taiwan Reviews

Evaluated as espresso. Both co-taster Ethan Hill (93) and Ken (92) remarked on the subtle, intricate layering of aroma and flavor, which for Ethan involved “lilac, lavender, blackberry … almond.” Both found mouthfeel relatively light but “satiny” (Ethan), the general structure delicate and balanced, the finish softly resonant and berry-toned. Both Ethan and Ken felt the general poise and quiet intricacy of this coffee carried persuasively into three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Both co-taster Ethan Hill (92) and Ken (92) were impressed with deep, pungent aromatic wood notes (sandalwood, cedar) and rich fig and date suggestions. Ken found further complication: musky flowers and chocolate. Ethan felt that the low-toned richness turned rather barley-like in the finish, though for Ken it remained chocolaty. Both were impressed by the blend in three parts milk; for Ken it displayed a “flower-nuanced cocoa and cedar.”

Sweetly and richly fermenty: rye whisky, lilac-like flowers, lemon custard, carob and almond suggestions in aroma and cup. Tart, lively acidity; plush mouthfeel. Flavor saturates a clean though richly drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Vibrantly rich, sweet, intense. Chocolate fudge, passion-fruit, mango, jasmine, sandalwood in aroma and small cup. Smooth, silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around cocoa and sandalwood in a resonant, slightly drying finish. Chocolate dominates in three parts milk with continued hints of passion-fruit and mango.

Reviewed as espresso. Opulent and pungent; complete. Cherry, spicy oak, dark chocolate, lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Full, buttery mouthfeel; richly drying finish. Oak, chocolate and flowers sustain in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Deep, richly sweet. Chocolate fudge, mango, wisteria, vanilla in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is crisply dry; flavor consolidates as a cedar-toned chocolate. Richly chocolaty in three-parts milk with continued hints of fruit and flowers.

Delicate, intricate, very sweetly but crisply fruit-toned. Orange, honey, roasted cacao nib, lilac-like flowers, a hint of brandy in aroma and cup. Round, brisk but rich acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Resonantly crisp, slightly bitter-toned finish.

Intense, complex, sweetly pungent. Honeysuckle, tangerine, apricot and plum, spicy aromatic wood. Richly and roundly bright acidity; silky mouthfeel. Bright, mildly drying, flavor-saturated finish.

Soft but intense; original. Lavender, kumquat, musk, roasted cacao nib, ripe banana in aroma and cup. Rich, round acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Very sweet finish, slightly drying in the long.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a Keurig-compatible capsule containing a 7-gram dose of particularly finely ground coffee to produce a 6-ounce serving). Crisply delicate yet lush. Roasted cacao nib, night-blooming flowers, moist perique tobacco, dried cherry in aroma and cup. Round, low-toned acidity; light but distinctly syrupy mouthfeel. The cherry note in particular carries into a sweet though quietly drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly pungent, chocolate- and nut-toned. Chocolate, hazelnut, fresh-cut fir, orange, raisin in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; orange and chocolate in particular carry into a richly drying finish. Excellent in three-parts milk, where the chocolate amplifies and the hazelnut takes on a vanilla-like sweetness.

Evaluated as espresso. Chocolaty, deep. Dark chocolate, lively fresh-cut cedar, anise, musky flowers in aroma and small cup. Full though drying mouthfeel; crisply chocolate-toned, resonant finish. Chocolate carries nicely into three parts milk, turning nutty and buttery with continued cedar and musk complications.

Big, brightly sweet, intense. Complex fruit – red currant, peach, orange – honeysuckle, musk, sandalwood in aroma and cup. Richly tart acidity; full, plush mouthfeel. Long, sweet-toned, resonantly flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp, sweetly pungent, quietly complex. Dark chocolate, tangerine, rich-toned cedar, lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel; crisp finish. Fills out three parts milk nicely, with fat mouthfeel and good persistence of chocolate, cedar and tangerine notes.

Round, layered, deeply pungent. Fudgy chocolate, moist tobacco, vanilla, cedar in aroma and cup. Backgrounded, roast-rounded acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Resonant, richly drying finish.

Perfectly structured; pungent, juicy, deeply complex. Honey, lemon, blackberry, black cherry, intense narcissus-like flowers in aroma and cup. Rich, balanced acidity; plush, lively mouthfeel. Honey, lemon, berry, a hint of nut-toned cacao nib carry into a long, thoroughly flavor-saturated finish.

Delicately complex, sweet-toned, balanced. Almond, roasted cacao-nib, sweet lime, honeysuckle-like flowers in aroma and cup. Gently crisp, nuanced acidity; buoyant, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Most flavor notes carry into a long, sweet-toned finish.

Rich, fruit-toned, deep. Dark chocolate, molasses, plum, fresh-cut cedar, narcissus-like flowers in aroma and cup. Quiet, resonant acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Dark chocolate and plum in particular carry into a long, sweet-toned finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Pungently sweet; balanced. Dark chocolate, fresh-cut cedar, carnal lily, musk, a hint of vanilla in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; chocolate, flowers and musk carry into a sweet finish. A crisp version of the chocolate dominates in three parts milk, complicated by continuing hints of lily and cedar.

Crisp, pungently bittersweet. Roasted cacao nib, night-blooming flowers, molasses, a hint of orangy citrus in aroma and cup. Gentle, drying acidity. Light but smooth mouthfeel. Sweetly rich short finish; drying in the long.