Espresso Reviews

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp aroma with an enveloping sweetness: dried apricot, caramel, nut. All carries into the small cup, complicated by penetrating suggestions of lemon, cocoa nib, fir. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel, rich finish. In two parts milk the cocoa rounds to chocolate nuanced by continued hints of fir and lemon.

Evaluated as espresso. High-toned, sweet aroma: caramel and hints of orange, lemon and aromatic wood. In the small cup the fruit brightens and the suggestions of lemon and aromatic wood become more distinct, though still softened by caramel. Two parts milk deepen the caramel to a dark chocolate nuanced by continued hints of citrus and aromatic wood.

Evaluated as espresso. Distinct floral- and citrus-toned aroma, lightly syrup mouthfeel and crisp, concentrated fruit that combines suggestions of citrus, flowers, aromatic wood and a cocoaish chocolate. Clean, very rich finish; the cocoa rounds to a sweet lemony chocolate. The intense flavors simplify in two parts milk but retain character and balance.

Dark chocolate and aromatic wood with a hint of brightness in the aroma. In the small cup light-bodied but delicately plush in mouthfeel, pungently sweet, with continued hints of aromatic wood, dark chocolate, and a complex but muted fruit. The chocolate in particular carries into a rich, rather dry finish. Flavor maintains nicely in three parts hot milk, the chocolate rounding and softening predictably while the aromatic wood notes retain some crisp authority.

Sweet and complex aromatically, combining round floral tones with stone fruit, toast and caramel. In the small cup medium-bodied and bright. The flowers persist, softening slightly, and the fruit turns toward crushed strawberry, carrying into a rich finish. The flavor profile is sustained in two parts milk, with a rounder, sweeter, chocolate-tinged version of flowers and fruit.

Deeply chocolaty and toasty aroma, with a faint hint of flowers. Simplifies in the small cup, with flavor notes settling toward aromatic wood and a mild smokiness. Aromatic wood and bittersweet chocolate in the finish. Rounds, sweetens and develops impressive complexity in two parts milk: milk chocolate, caramel, toast, a suggestion of cinnamon.

A rather original espresso. In the small cup full, syrupy mouthfeel and very complex flavor balancing savory and sweet tendencies: aromatic wood and butter on the savory side, hints of dark chocolate, dried fruit, flowers, banana on the sweet. The complexity carries into a rich finish. Two parts hot milk predictably fattens and sweetens the dark chocolate, but the aromatic wood and butter suggestions maintain their complicating presence.

Sweet-toned aroma shows hints of toast, aromatic wood and spicy chocolate. Straightforward in the small cup, with an intensely pungent edge and flavors leaning toward dark chocolate, nut and wood; slight bitter astringency in the finish. In two parts milk the chocolate becomes more pronounced and the wood rounder and richer, developing a touch of sweet toast and vanilla.

Sweet aroma combining notes of nut, aromatic wood, and molasses. In the small cup, full body, thick, syrupy mouthfeel, and a complex range of flavors including toast, nut and concentrated fruitiness suggesting raisins and dried cherries. Intense bittersweet chocolate in the finish. The flavor notes persist in two parts milk, sweetening and broadening, turning toward creamy caramel and milk chocolate.

Round, fruit-forward aroma, with suggestions of berries, desert wine and flowers. Crisp in the small cup, showing intense flavors of apricot, peaches and citrus. The fruity flavors merge and linger in the long, tartly-sweet finish. In two parts milk the complex layers of fruit persist, more nuanced but sweet and distinct.

Dark chocolate, aromatic wood and an apricot-like fruit run through the profile from aroma to finish. Fat body, impressive balance and sweetness. A hint of woody astringency surfaces in the otherwise flavor-saturated finish. Maintains its chocolate and aromatic wood presence well in milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly aromatic in the small cup, with soft notes of toast, honey and fruit. Medium to full body with orangey chocolate notes and hints of flowers and caramel. The fruit toned chocolate persists in the bittersweet finish. In two parts milk, toast and cocoa dominate the cup at first, with the orange-like character re-emerging as the cup cools, lingering into the finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly and sweetly aromatic in the small cup, with roasty hints of cedar, spice and tobacco. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel with flavors of dark chocolate, more cedar, and sweet notes of lemon and prune. The chocolate becomes more bittersweet in the finish, overlaying a mild astringency. In two parts milk, a roasty, salty-sweet chocolate dominates the cup.

Co-taster Byron Holcomb (94): "On the nose, I got inviting, complex floral and strawberry notes. The body was vivacious - I could have said round, sweet, with a little savory edge, comforting, but vivacious will do." Both Ken (94) and Byron found chocolate and malt in the flavor, with an assortment of additional descriptors that testify to the complexity of this blend: "cedar, butter" (Ken), "lemon bar, spice" (Byron). Both were impressed by the big, sweet, chocolaty bloom in milk, which Byron found was complicated by a continued, brightening hint of lemon zest. It appears that a very controlled, judicious use of cleanly fruity-fermented dry-processed coffees contributed to the round, sweet, complex richness of this versatile blend.

For co-taster Byron Holcomb (92) pleasing "sweet caramelized" notes dominated, with some savory hints that together netted a suggestion of "sweet BBQ sauce." Ken (91) read the sweet/savory tendencies as flowers and aromatic wood, perhaps fresh anise. Syrupy body, long, cleanly rich finish with impressive flavor persistence. In milk caramel dominated, with hints of nut (Byron), butter and flowers (Ken).

The heavily syrupy body of this espresso particularly impressed both Ken (90) and co-taster Byron Holcomb (93) who for his part associated it with the fruity heaviness of mango nectar. The tropical fruit theme also surfaced in Ken's description of flavor and finish, where he found "bananaish fruit" along with cedar and anise. Byron also admired the "subtle, nutty, light nose" that turned to honey and whiskey in his characterization of flavor. In milk a distinct chocolate was complicated by fruit and floral notes for Ken, berry and agave for Byron.

Co-taster Byron Holcomb (92) particularly admired the aroma of this espresso, remarking on "distinct notes of saffron, carrots and pistachio." Both Ken (90) and Byron enjoyed the lightly syrupy, cohesive mouthfeel. Both offered approving descriptors for an unusual flavor complex that Byron described as dry flowers and Ken as anise and herb. In milk Byron found the light, complexly sweet flavor of tres leches cake; Ken may have found that too if he had thought of it, but left to himself he settled on a floral/fruit-toned chocolate.

Very complex espresso in which forceful blend components were allowed full, if rather competitive expression. Co-taster Byron Holcomb (90) read the earthy and mildly musty side of the blend: earth and molasses in the aroma, "musty, cedar - a little confused" in the small cup. Ken (92) on the other hand, read the confusion as complexity and emphasized the Ethiopian elements, particularly the flowers and fruit, which for him gave the cedar and earth tendencies an anise-like liveliness. Both admired the mouthfeel, which Byron described as "the same weight as whole milk: buttery and round without heaviness." Impressive in four parts milk: "deeply, richly and cleanly chocolaty" for Ken; toffee-like for Byron, though his reservation persisted: "still a bit dirty."

Ken (92) enjoyed this espresso considerably more than did co-taster Byron Holcomb (89). The reason may have been their differing reactions to the influence of a fruity fermented character that Ken read as pleasingly brandy-like and Byron as dry white wine at best, bitterish seed-and-skin, muscadine grape at worst. Similarly, Ken was more positive toward a fresh-cut cedar character in aroma and flavor. Ken did have reservations about finish, where a hint of the heavy, salty side of the fruit ferment showed up. Byron gave the blend a break in four parts milk, where he described its impact as "white grape juice, subtle but nice, clean." For Ken the presence in milk was all good, a "deep brandied chocolate."

For Ken (90) this blend led with the fruity ferment of dried-in-the-fruit coffee, and his assessments reflect his ambivalence toward the type; he read chocolate and an attractive brandyish fruit in the aroma and flavor, but was bothered by a slight, shadow hint of salt. Byron (92) on the other hand read almost all positives in the fruity richness: "dark and spicy flavors blended to a round, sweet, nutty finish that left a post-ice-cream mouthfeel. The body was syrupy and sweet. Powerful, dark-chocolate presence in milk, with a slight salt or bitter edge. Byron concludes: "Strange blend name, great espresso."