Estates Reviews

Deeply chocolaty, floral-toned. Dark chocolate, lilac, hazelnut butter, apricot, tangerine in aroma and cup. Balanced, bright acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish leads with notes of lilac and dark chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Co-taster John DiRuocco and Ken both found a sweetly tangy intrigue animating this plush, satiny bodied espresso, and rewarded it with 95s. Ken called it rich pistachio; John favored musky, mango-like tropical fruit. For both tasters, the pistachio/mango notes impressively sweetened and moved forward in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet grapefruit and orange blossom notes shimmer inside a deeply expressed chocolate in aroma and cup. Velvety mouthfeel. Ken and co-taster John DiRuocco shared parallel descriptors and the same 95-point enthusiasm for this poised, resonantly finishing espresso. Floral-toned chocolate with a continued grapefruit hint graces three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. This was Ken’s favorite in the tasting; he had it at 96 with a 10 for aroma. Co-taster John DiRuocco was a bit less enthusiastic at 94. The difference may have been their reading of the striking floral herb notes. Ken experienced them as exhilarating sweet lavender while John read them as a pleasant but drier eucalyptus. But both overall admired this sweetly citrusy, walnut-toned, brightly chocolaty espresso whose character resonates through the finish and retains character impressively in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. In the aroma, lush, chocolaty fruit (maraschino cherry, ripe orange) transforms to a bright, floral citrus in the cup, slightly drying but sweet. Co-taster John DiRuocco (94) felt that the entire package came together nicely, with “nice high notes balanced by chocolate undertones, acidity by body.” Ken had less conviction in regard to coherence, but he too characterized the mouthfeel as full and plush, the cup impressive, and seconded John’s 94. Both particularly praised the coffee in three parts milk, where lemon, chocolate and cherry tendencies played nicely.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken (94) found this anaerobic natural Kona luxurious with deep floral notes and softly subtle chocolate and orange. Co-taster John DiRuocco (93) concurred but was bothered by what he regarded as a very slight overripe edge to the fruit. Both found the mouthfeel medium in weight but impressively plush in texture, and the shot in three parts milk delicately complex with flowers, fruit and chocolate working in layered coherence.

Evaluated as espresso. Chocolate, mango and sweet lime animate this satiny bodied espresso. Impressive stone-fruit sweetness is complicated by an engaging resiny edge co-taster John DiRuocco (94) and Ken (93) both associated with mango. Mango and chocolate crisply and sweetly persist in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Lots of flowers with an herby edge—lavender, jasmine, orange blossom, cilantro—cushion on milk chocolate in this bright, light-footed espresso. Both co-taster John DiRuocco and Ken read this high-toned but resonant espresso in about the same terms with parallel ratings of 94. Resolves to an orangy, floral caramel in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Co-taster John DiRuocco (95) was particularly impressed by the lavish sweetness and fruit of this elaborately anaerobic-processed coffee from Colombian processing innovator Edwin Noreña. John found the well-structured and clean-finishing character sufficient to contain and balance the aromatic fireworks. Ken (92), on the other hand, found the sweetness and fruit a bit too intense and candy-like, though he found compensating value in underlying musk and sandalwood tendencies. Both tasters admired the coffee in three parts milk, which rounded and diluted the intensely sweet fruit.

Evaluated as espresso. Co-taster John DiRuocco (94) found spicy fruit, orange water and vanilla-like flowers in aroma and cup; Ken (93) concurred and added sweet chocolate and almonds. Altogether a silky textured, lively espresso. The aromatic intricacy consolidates a bit in three parts milk, and the familiar chocolate and almondy nut move forward.

Elegantly fruit-forward, richly aromatic. Wild strawberry, cocoa nib, lemon verbena, amber, narcissus in aroma and cup. Balanced, juicy acidity; full, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. Long, resonant, flavor-saturated finish.

Balanced, deep-toned. Black cherry, salted caramel, hop flowers, lemon balm, cocoa powder in aroma and cup. Sparkling acidity; crisp, lightly satiny mouthfeel. In the finish, salted caramel and black cherry harmonize.

Floral-toned, super-sweet. Wisteria, cocoa nib, rambutan, black sage, salted caramel in aroma and cup. Malic (apple-like) acidity; plush, viscous mouthfeel. Concentrated finish that carries through on the promise of the cup.

Fruit-driven, brightly sweet. Nectarine, black cherry, magnolia, pomelo, cedar in aroma and cup. Gently bright, sweetly tart acidity; crsip, dry-vermouth-like body. Resonant, harmonious, integrated finish.

Richly aromatic, multi-layered, deeply sweet. Fruit Loops cereal, pineapple kefir, cocoa nib, black sage, agave nectar in aroma and cup. Bright, balanced acidity; plush, very syrupy mouthfeel. Long finish centered around notes of Fruit Loops and cocoa nib.

Bright, balanced, richly sweet. Dark chocolate, narcissus, Meyer lemon, thyme, apricot in aroma and cup. Juicy-bright acidity; crisp, satiny mouthfeel. Dark chocolate is the throughline in the satisfying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Very fruity and richly chocolaty. Black cherry, guava, dark chocolate, tangerine zest, cedar in aroma and small cup. Crisp, satiny mouthfeel; fruity, chocolaty finish. In three parts milk, chocolaty-sweet and invigoratingly tart.

Elegantly berry-toned, dessert-like. Mulberry, candycap mushroom amber, apricot nectar, dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Brightly sweet-savory acidity; plush, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. Harmonious, integrated, flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich-toned, deeply sweet-savory. Black currant, pomegranate, hop flowers, dark chocolate, magnolia, cedar in aroma and small cup. Crisp, lightly satiny mouthfeel; intense, concentrated finish rife with notes of black currant, magnolia and dark chocolate. In cappuccino format, dark chocolate notes are amplified, as are magnolia and black currant.

Juicy, lithe, high-toned. Lychee, passionfruit, sandalwood, cocoa nib, marjoram in aroma and cup. Sparkling acidity; crisp, lushly satiny mouthfeel. Cocoa-toned tropical fruit in the finish.