Estates Reviews

Intense, deeply aromatic, richly sweet. Dark chocolate, scorched lemon zest, rose, passion fruit, vanilla in aroma and cup. Engaging, fruit-toned acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. The crisp finish consolidates to a cocoa-toned passion fruit with continued appealing notes of lemon zest.

Brisk, cidery. Apple cider, fresh-cut fir, caramel, mint, a hint of hop flowers in aroma and cup. Round, brisk acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Remains crisp but sweetens and brightens in an apple- and fir-dominated finish.

Bold, caramel-toned. Caramel, baker’s chocolate, cedar, black cherry, magnolia in aroma and cup. Rounded, gentle acidity; lean, satiny mouthfeel. The gently drying finish is wood-framed, with sweet notes of caramel and chocolate.

Deeply sweet, round, balanced. Blueberry, hazelnut, pipe tobacco, orange zest, graham cracker in aroma and cup. Crisp, richly tart acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The rich-toned finish leads with ripe blueberry notes in the short; a citrus-toned hazelnut resurfaces in the long.

Tropical, sweet, wine-toned. Port wine, papaya, oak, molasses, a hint of hibiscus in aroma and small cup. Juicy, fermenty acidity; plush mouthfeel. Sweet and wine-toned in the short finish, richly drying in the long.

Intricately composed, deeply sweet-savory. Pink grapefruit zest, chocolate fudge, dried papaya, roasted pumpkin, fresh bay leaf in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet-tart acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish leads with rich chocolate fudge notes in the short, followed by roasted pumpkin and bay leaf in the long.

Subtle, complexly layered. Candied ginger, pomegranate, rhododendron, cashew butter, bergamot in aroma and cup. Zesty, balanced acidity; delicate, satiny mouthfeel. The quietly resonant finish consolidates around cashew and rhododendron suggestions.

Sweetly and richly enticing. Baker’s chocolate, Graham cracker, dried cranberry, orange blossom, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Crisp, balanced acidity; satiny mouthfeel. The richly drying finish consolidates to baker’s chocolate in the short finish, with aromatic wood notes resurfacing in the long.

Fruit-toned, deeply pungent. Blueberry, rum cordial, fresh-cut fir, baker’s chocolate, gardenia-like flowers in aroma and cup. Fruit-forward acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The quiet finish is characterized by cocoa-toned blueberry in the short and hints of aromatic wood in the long.

Seductively pungent, richly sweet, tropical. Cognac, almond butter, frankincense, lychee, sandalwood in aroma and cup. Bright, juicy acidity; full, satiny mouthfeel. The crisp finish is richly nut-toned in the short, while tropical fruit notes (lychee) return in the long, along with a pleasing new coconut (the fruit flesh) note.

Rich, deeply floral. Dried mango, narcissus, dark chocolate, marjoram, sandalwood in aroma and cup. Round, balanced acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. The gently drying finish is carried by dark chocolate and sweet marjoram notes.

Delicate, intricate, expressive. Almond butter, plumeria, roasted cacao nib, myrrh, loquat in aroma and cup. Lively sweet-tart acidity; silky mouthfeel. The sweet-toned, resonant finish centers around plumeria and cocoa, with suggestions of myrrh in the short finish and loquat in the long.

Evaluated as espresso. Smooth, fragrant, lively. The three reviewers for this coffee lined up nicely in respect to rating: John DiRuocco at 93, Jen Apodaca at 93, and Ken at 94. All found the buoyant, richly silky mouthfeel particularly impressive (Jen: “light and airy on the tongue like a meringue cookie”). All three reviewers additionally cited caramel notes, and two sweet flowers. The subtle but explicit sweetness attracted a range of candy-toned positives, from vanilla marshmallow (Jen) to, in three parts milk, dulce de leche (John).

Evaluated as espresso. All three reviewers praised this espresso for its clean, citrusy/orangy sweetness: “orange hard candy” for co-taster Jen Apodaca (94); orange and brown sugar for John DiRuocco (93); tart but juicy blood orange for Ken (93). All found notes that rounded and complicated the citrus: the brown sugar for John, caramel for Ken, Concord grape for Jen. Jen was most enthusiastic and explicit about what this coffee brought to three parts milk: “tasted like cherry pie.”

Evaluated as espresso. Of three reviewers, Ken (93) was most supportive of this crisply chocolaty, silky-bodied espresso, citing its balanced range of baker’s chocolate, flowers and fruit. Jen Apodaca’s (92) descriptors overlapped Ken’s. For John DiRuocco (89), however, the sample was “a bit bipolar,” lacking coherence, although he praised the baker’s chocolate and pleasing mouthfeel. Everyone liked this one in three-parts milk, which help the chocolate sweeten and blossom.

Evaluated as espresso. Complexly bright, citrus- and chocolate-toned. All three reviewers – Jen Apodaca (92), John DiRuocco (91) and Ken (91) – cited the dynamic, citrusy acidity, rounding chocolate, crisp floral hints and surprisingly full mouthfeel. Continued bright and briskly chocolaty in three parts milk.

Sweet, crisp, deeply floral. Wisteria, dried mango, blood orange, almond butter, clove in aroma and cup. Bright, juicy-tart acidity; silky-smooth mouthfeel. The crisp, clean, deeply flavor-saturated finish is sustained and resonant.

Layered, richly sweet. Dried mango, sandalwood, pink peppercorn, rhododendron, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Delicately tart acidity; lush, satiny mouthfeel. The finish is crisp with sandalwood and pink peppercorn notes in the short, while cocoa tones return in the long.

Deeply sweet, fruit-forward. Dried raspberry, apple brandy, freesia-like flowers, roasted cacao nib, molasses in aroma and cup. Crisp, sweet-tart acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Raspberry tones ring from the break through to the quietly resonant finish, with a supporting array of spicy florals.

Lush, sweetly savory, deeply floral. Black currant, hops, coriander, kola syrup, violet in aroma and cup. Juicy, round acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The flavor-saturated finish consolidates around fruit and floral tones in the short, modulating to crisp, resonant notes of hops and kola in the long.