Estates Reviews

Elegant flower-bomb. Exhilarating, refreshing meadow flowers, roasted cacao nib, almond in aroma and cup. Delicate, balanced structure. Soft but lively acidity; smooth, plush mouthfeel. Gently but decisively flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. In the small cup both Ken (91) and his co-taster (92) admired the bright, refreshing fruit (strawberry in particular) rounded by a fudgy chocolate, an impressively syrupy mouthfeel, and a flavor-saturated but clean finish. Vivacious in three parts milk: orange zest and caramel.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken (91) and his co-taster (91) recorded identical scores and very similar readings for this lively, balanced espresso: in aroma and flavor sweetly tart fruit (orange, lemon, kiwi) rounded by flowers for Ken and “sweet pea” for the co-taster; smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel; most impressively a very sweet finish with chocolate and cinnamon suggestions. Delicately chocolaty in three parts milk (“pure milk chocolate” according to the co-taster).

Evaluated as espresso. Intricate and lush; tartly sweet. Caramel, hibiscus and rose, candied ginger, honeydew melon in aroma and small cup. Lean though smooth mouthfeel. Floral notes in particular carry into a remarkably long, complex finish. Flavor carries intact into two parts milk, where a hint of grapefruity acidity is juxtaposed with the milky sweetness.

Intensely and extravagantly aromatic. Lavender, honey, mango, crisp roasted cocoa nib in aroma and cup. Brisk, delicately tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor carries deep into a long, balanced finish.

Rich, intense, sweetly and pungently citrusy. Melon, grapefruit, sandalwood, musk, caramel in aroma and cup. The acidity is round and pungently tart; the mouthfeel smooth and lightly syrupy. Sweet-toned, flavor-saturated finish.

Intense, heady blueberry and lush, lily-like flowers with deepening suggestions of cedar and brandy in aroma and cup, and a savory hint in the cup. Impressive structure: sweet-toned acidity; full syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is sweet and blueberry-toned with a continuing savory edge.

Big, sweetly bright, classic. Honey, tangerine, rose-like flowers, a hint of roasted cocoa nib in aroma and cup. Grand, lushly bright acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. Rich, resonant, floral-toned finish.

Sweet-toned, delicate. Distinct honey, plus dried apricot, violet-like flowers, a hint of baking spice in aroma and cup. Lyrically sweet and juicy acidity; buoyant, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The violet-like floral note in particular lingers in a sweet, gently tart finish.

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.

Lush honey, crisp lavender, hints of peach and vanilla in aroma and cup. The acidity is quite tart, but also sweet and rich. Fullish, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Honey and lavender carry into a sweet but drying finish.

Floral high notes and honey sweetness overlay deeper, earthier notes that suggest mushrooms, moist fresh-fallen leaves, or, in the cup, the vegetal chocolate of roasted cocoa nibs. Richly tart acidity hints at lemon; lean but silky mouthfeel. Flowers in particular carry into a drying finish.

Striking, original profile. Rich, rose-like flowers, blackberry, candied citrus, dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Soft, finely balanced acidity; very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Flavor saturates a crisply sweet, resonant finish.

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.

Round, full, deeply layered complexity: orange, plum, night flowers, all wrapped in caramelly sweetness. Smooth, balanced acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor simplifies, or perhaps condenses, in a rich, sweet finish.

Delicate, crisply sweet but authoritative. Nut-toned cocoa, caramel, ripe orange, flowers in aroma and cup. Soft acidity; plushly silky mouthfeel. Long, deeply flavor-saturated finish.

Richly and roundly tart. The taste of fresh coffee fruit -- think tart cherry -- and pungent grapefruit dominate in aroma and cup, with softening suggestions of cocoa, almond and caramel. Sweet-toned acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Dry, resonant finish.

Sweetly crisp, delicate. Cedar, honey, red apple, cocoaish chocolate, a hint of flowers in aroma and cup. Gentle acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Cocoa and apple carry into a sweet, slightly drying finish.

Smooth, quietly complex: orange, walnut, raisin, honeyish flowers in aroma and cup. Softly crisp, sweet-toned acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is sweetly rich, with a drying hint in the long.