Estate Reviews

Very complex, rather edgy Sumatra. Pruny dark chocolate, cherry, brandy, fir in the aroma. Quietly rich acidity; full, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Woody, sweet, herby character in the cup, reminiscent of sassafras perhaps. Floral top notes, continuing dark chocolate and cherryish fruit. Very sweet in the finish, with ongoing floral and wood notes.

Crisply balanced with a shifting, tight-knit complexity. Flowers, nut, fir, and a dark chocolaty fruit in aroma and cup. The flowers and chocolate carry long into the finish. Gentle acidity, silkily smooth mouthfeel.

Quiet introduction: soft notes of fir, flowers and milk chocolate in the aroma. All of this soars in the cup, intense yet perfectly balanced. The floral notes, which take back seat to the milk chocolate and gently pungent fir in the cup, move forward again in a very sweet, clean finish. Delicately tart acidity, silky mouthfeel.

Crisp, delicate, balanced. Lime, peach, nut and cocoa suggestions in aroma and cup. Bright acidity; silky mouthfeel. The nut and cocoa turn toward bittersweet chocolate in the dry finish.

Complete, balanced structure, complex aromatics, classic. Deep, sweet-toned aroma: lemon, orange, nut. In the cup gently bright, fruit- and fir-nuanced acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Continued lemon, orange and nut notes with a rounding suggestion of stone fruit. Rich, long, flavor-saturated finish.

Complex yet delicate. Sweet lemony citrus and flowers overlay notes of brown sugar and rich almond in aroma and cup. Fine, crisply fruit-toned acidity and lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Deeper nut-toned flavors carry into the long, bittersweet finish.

Gently balanced, silky coffee. Flowers, fir, orangy fruit in the aroma. Soft acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Cocoa-toned fir, dark chocolate, raisin in the cup. Simple, sweet finish.

Intense cedar tone dominates the aroma. Silky mouthfeel and soft flavors that hint at cherry-chocolate, malt and walnut. Wood-toned chocolate in the softly astringent finish.

A richly balanced cup. Notes of sweet orange and floral-toned herb (coriander?) in the aroma. Softly bright acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. In the cup flavor leans toward black cherry and grapy dessert wine. Richness carries deep into the finish, as does flavor.

Elegant, sweet-toned, balanced. Buttery dark chocolate, flowers, crisp hints of nut and orange. Well-integrated acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, cleanly rich finish.

Deep, rich and pungent in aroma and cup. Roundly sweet with flavors that layer dried berries, apricot and spicy tea rose atop dark chocolate. Flavors penetrate deep into a long, resonant finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet-toned and round. Caramelly sweetness softens toasty citrus tones and fleeting hints of lavender and carob in the small cup. Flavors linger delicately and cleanly in the finish. The sweetness theme persists in two parts milk: subdued layers of lemon, flowers and more carob.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet aromatic notes of raisin, chocolate and soft citrus. Full flavored in the small cup, with bittersweet fruit-infused chocolate hinting at grape, berry and orange, all of which persist deeply into the finish. Flavors predictably simplify in two parts milk but remain pleasing: sweet-toned fruit with a distinct minty complication.

Rich and sweet, combining notes of citrus, stone fruit, honey and flowers. In the cup a brisk tartness balances a lush, juicy character. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavors slowly fade in the finish to a slightly astringent tartness.

Nut and molasses-like sweetness in the understated aroma. “Heavy and smooth” (co-cupper Wendy De Jong 89) to “lightly syrupy” (Ken 90) mouthfeel. Balanced acidity. Both Wendy and Ken found low-acid fruit leaning toward dark chocolate in cup and finish, though their associations varied, from Ken’s simple “cherryish fruit” to Wendy’s evocative “apricot … mulled wine and apples.” Both agreed that this coffee stayed on the rich side of astringency in the sweet, chocolate-toned finish.

Symphonically fruit-toned and shimmeringly bright. An “underlying crushed grape sweetness” (co-cupper Wendy De Jong, 94) supported an array of lemon and berry suggestions. Ken (94) found deepening hints of fresh-cut fir and dark chocolate as well. Forward but accessible acidity, silky mouthfeel, sweetly tart finish.

Richly sweet in aroma and cup; notes of dry berry, citrus and stone fruit slowly emerge and become more prominent as the cup cools. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel and sustained fruit-toned acidity. The fruit character lingers in the lushly sweet finish.

Gently sweet in aroma and cup, highlighted by notes of honeyed orange, flowers and a suggestion of nut. Gently bright acidity, medium body and a silky mouthfeel. A simplified version of the fruit-floral complex lingers in the dry finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Bright and juicy. Flowers, ripe citrus and stone fruit in the small cup with caramel undertones. The fruit carries into a clean finish, with sugary sweetness developing in the long. Two parts milk amplifies the caramel character and rounds the persistent fruit and floral notes.

Deep, rich, balanced when hot. Fresh-cut fir, milk chocolate and an apricot-like fruit in the aroma; in the cup the chocolate turns crisper and more cocoa-like and the fruit more lemony. Softly round acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor fades in the finish, though the pleasing chocolate note persists.