Coffees from Taiwan Reviews

Evaluated as espresso. Balanced, richly complex, distinctive. Vanilla, hazelnut, candied ginger, dark chocolate and ripe, orangy raspberry in aroma and small cup. Full, round mouthfeel; raspberry, ginger and dark chocolate particularly saturate the finish. Preserves richness and complexity two parts milk.

Rich, low-toned, savory. Walnut, salty dark chocolate, caramel and a hint of flowers in aroma and cup. Round, muted acidity; full, slightly rough mouthfeel. Chocolate in particular lingers in a long finish.

Crisp, complex. Almond, caramel, spicy flowers, tart berry, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Brisk, bittersweet acidity; light but silky mouthfeel. Hints of chocolate and flowers carry into a gently drying finish.

Sweet, delicate, honey-toned. Honey, molasses, night-blooming flowers, fresh-cut fir and an elegant, pistachio-like nut note in aroma and cup. Gently crisp acidity; light but very silky mouthfeel. Very clean, flavor-saturated finish slightly drying in the long.

Richly tart, resonantly complex. Orange, black currant, walnut, honeysuckle and jasmine in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Long, deep finish, resonant with flavor.

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.

Evaluated as espresso. Complex and dynamic profile in the small cup. Tangerine, cedar, vanilla, anise, honey, with rich floral top notes. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor persists in a rich finish; in two parts milk rounds and sweetens toward chocolate without losing authority or complexity.

Notes of clean, fresh-turned earth and tartly sweet guava animate this exceptional Indonesian-style coffee, with complicating hints of grape and lily-like flowers. Rich, round, very sweet acidity; impressively full, lively mouthfeel. Sweetness carries into a resonant, flavor-saturated finish that turns slightly tart and drying in the long.

Very sweet, gently bright, delicately fruit-toned. Lush flowers, cidery apple and tart, raspberry-like fruit in aroma and cup. Softly bright acidity; silky to lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Very sweet in the finish.

Crisply sweet-toned, balanced, subtly complex. Cocoa, plum, peach, hints of dusk flowers and pungent cedar in aroma and cup. Gently bright, juicy acidity; light but silky mouthfeel. The layered, delicate flavor fades slightly in the dryish finish.

Buttery caramel, gently pungent cedar, baker's chocolate and a slight, pineapple-like tartness in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel; the chocolate note in particular sweetens and lingers in a long, deep finish. Delicate in two parts milk; caramelly chocolate and a continued hint of pineapple-like fruit.

Evaluated as espresso. Complex, cherry-and-chocolate notes in the small cup with hints of flowers and brandy. Syrupy mouthfeel; rich, long, cherry-toned finish. Turns crisp in two parts milk, with less fruit and more nut in the chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Round, balanced, chocolaty. Dark chocolate, gently pungent cedar, plum-like fruit in aroma and small cup. Full, lightly syrupy mouthfeel; clean, cedar-toned finish. The plum-toned dark chocolate and fresh cedar retain their pleasing balance in two parts milk.

Deep, rich, chocolaty. The chocolate is nut-toned and fudge-like and complicated by raspberry-like fruit, night flowers and a hint of pungent cedar. Gentle, juicy acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor fades slightly in the finish, but remains sweet and chocolate-toned with perhaps a deepening hint of savory.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp, round, balanced. Fresh-cut cedar, baker’s chocolate, orange, toasted almond in aroma and small cup. Medium body, very lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Dryish, flavor-saturated finish. At its best in two parts milk, where it complexly expresses sweet chocolate and cedar-toned orange.

Brightly acidy but also very sweet, almost sugary: ripe plum, lily-like flowers, almond in aroma and cup. Acidity is gently rich when the cup is hot; rather dominating as it cools. Smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is sweet and balanced in taste with distinct floral character, though rather sharply astringent in mouthfeel.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp, delicate, refreshingly and cleanly fruit-toned. Tart cherry, ripe orange, cedar, baker’s chocolate in aroma and small cup. Light in body but surprisingly silky-syrupy in mouthfeel; deep, flavor-saturated finish. Continued delicate but very complex in two parts milk, with both chocolate and fruit rounding and sweetening.

Brisk, original, complex. Light roasting emphasizes lavender floral notes, tartly sweet guava-like fruit, orange, and fresh raw sugar in aroma and cup. Delicate, smoothly bright acidity; soft, silky mouthfeel. Flavor maintains a gentle persistence in the sweet but drying finish.

Crisp baker's chocolate and heavy, lush, cherry-like fruit and brandy hints in aroma and cup. Wine-toned acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Rather heavy, sweet-salty finish.