Estates Reviews

Pure, intense aroma: flowers, orange, apricot, a hint of aromatic wood. In the cup big sweet-toned acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, continued floral and fruit notes that round toward blackberry and a nut-toned baker's chocolate. Flowers in particular carry into a sweet-toned, rich finish.

Very sweet, complex coffee. In the aroma molasses, milk chocolate, aromatic wood, sweet tomato. In the cup rich acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, almost sugary sweetness, with continued notes of molasses, chocolate, and a richly tart tomato. Clean, long finish.

An intense cup. Pungent herb and cedar mingle with a soft fruit in aroma and cup. Full body, smooth mouthfeel. The fruit sweetens toward chocolate in the cup, balancing the sharper herb and cedar notes. The chocolate persists to soften the long, dry finish.

Intense cocoa, lemon and floral notes in the aroma. In the cup rich acidity, lightly syrupy body, dry lemony cocoa, lush night flowers, and a distinct spice note suggesting nutmeg, all carrying majestically into the long, deeply flavor-saturated finish.

Poised and balanced aroma with hints of sweet wood, cocoa, raisiny fruit. Gently rich acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. In the cup quiet sweet; the cocoaish chocolate intensifies, supported by a hint of the rich, carnal aroma of night flowers. Clean finish; the cocoa note intensifies in the long.

Deep aroma of toasty chocolate with hints of baking spices. Balanced chocolate-toned character carries into the cup with suggestions of flowers and sweet orangy citrus. The reoccurring theme of this coffee, chocolate, lingers in the finish, turning from bittersweet toward milk chocolate in the long.

The aroma is delicate, balanced, with nut, molasses, moist pipe tobacco, a hint of tart fruit. Soft acidity, silky mouthfeel, quietly distinctive flavor: continued nut and molasses notes, a hint of fir. The fruit notes are pungent and deep: black current, black cherry. A dry fruit-toned finish stays on the rich side of astringent.

Intense, sweetly pungent aroma: fir, cocoaish, fruit-toned chocolate. In the cup delicate, wine-like acidity, lightly silky mouthfeel and good sweetness with continued pungent, almost spicy fir character and fruit notes that suggest tangerine and apricot. Rich finish with a touch of astringency in the long.

Sweet-toned, balanced, quietly complete cup. Gently pungent acidity, silky mouthfeel. Tight-knit complexity: suggestions of nut, flowers, stone fruit, chocolate, lemon. Tightens a bit in a still sweet finish.

A pungent fruit aroma with hints of flowers, cedar and red currant. In the cup, nicely balanced acidity, a lightly syrupy mouthfeel and flavors of peach and lemon that lean toward chocolate. The fruit-toned chocolate grows more distinct and lingers in the finish.

Balanced aroma with soft notes of pipe tobacco, vanilla, sweet aromatic wood and suggestions of fruit. The fruit becomes more pronounced in the bright-toned acidity. A graceful cup, with a lightly syrupy mouthfeel and flavors of orange, grapefruit, fir, and a touch of chocolate that sweetens in the finish.

Light-roasted, but brought along just enough to develop the delicate richness of a pure, subtle coffee. Gently pungent, orange-toned citrus in the aroma turns lushly orange-blossomy in the cup, complicated by a hint of cocoaish chocolate. Rich, flavor-saturated finish.

Sweet-toned orange and lemon aroma, with soft hints of nuts, cherry and caramel. A bright acidity is softened and rounded by a suggestion of fruit. The balance continues in the cup with sweet lemon and honey in front, fading to a pleasant nuttiness. Hints of chocolate and aromatic wood linger in the long finish.

Elegant floral aroma, with fruity hints of mixed berries and stone fruit, bright acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel and medium body. The floral tones carry into the cup with tart notes of Meyer lemon and strawberry rounding and sweetening to cherryish chocolate and nut. A mild sweet cocoa note lingers in the long finish softening a touch of astringency.

"An absolutely mind-blowing coffee" for co-cupper Andy Newbom (93). "Utterly pure yet soaringly intense," for Ken (97). "Say fruit ten times," Andy reports, and then he does, mainly variations of grapefruit, apricot and melon with green apple and Bartlett pear thrown in for the finish. For Ken that entire nuance is wrapped up in the extraordinary, singular explosion of cedary, pungently sweet berry, the quintessential Bourbon character. The acidity is enveloped in sweetness; in Andy's colorful language it "startles and snuggles all at once." For mouthfeel Andy suggests "crème fraîche Meyer lemon chiffon"; Ken sticks with a pedestrian "syrupy." Ken awarded a perfect 10 to the long, balanced, deeply flavor-saturated finish.

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."

Simple but softly rich aroma: sweet aromatic wood, caramel. In the cup balanced, soft acidity, delicately smooth mouthfeel, crisp nut and cocoa notes with a halo of cherryish sweetness. Lovely finish: clean, sweet, cocoa- and cherry-toned.

Intense, crisp, molassy sweet aroma: coffee cherry, aromatic wood, dusk flowers. In the cup soft but powerful acidity with a wine, or perhaps better, apple cider nuance. Delicate, silky mouthfeel, very sweet, continued coffee cherry, molasses, nut, aromatic wood, a hint of dusk flowers, all of which suggest at moments the most subtle milk chocolate imaginable. Smooth, clean, lightly flavor-saturated finish.

Elegantly delicate, lightly floral aroma, with tartly-sweet acidity and medium body. The delicacy carries into the cup with notes of sweet citrus rounding and softening toward candied-nut. Very clean finish, with a slight astringent note in the long.

Gracefully sweet in the aroma, with soft fruit and floral notes. In the cup, sweet-toned acidity, medium body and delicate flavors of blossoming flowers, honey and summer fruit. Very clean finishing with a lingering sweetness.