Natural/Dry Reviews

Crisply sweet, exhilaratingly complex. Peach, mint, lily, roasted cacao nib, a hint of rye whisky in aroma and cup. The acidity is breathtakingly sweet and buoyantly light-footed; the mouthfeel full but lively. Flavor consolidates but rings on in a long, gentle finish.

Crisply sweet, refreshing, gently complex. Ripe tangerine, cherry, honey, fresh-cut cedar, hints of port wine and dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Lightly rich acidity; lightly syrupy, lively mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but still saturates a gently drying finish.

Chocolaty and spicy. Roasted cacao nib, fresh-cut cedar, flowers, a hint of paprika-like spice in aroma and cup. Richly balanced acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The chocolate-related notes carry deeply into a sweet, gently drying finish.

Complex, gently pungent, lively. Floral honey, roasted cacao nib, hints of bourbon whisky and blueberry in aroma and cup. Deep, rounded acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The cacao nib and a hint of honeyish flowers carry into a quietly resonant finish.

Lightly tart, juicy, citrusy. Tangerine, green grape, honeysuckle, sweet chocolate in aroma and cup. Richly bright but balanced acidity; light, velvety mouthfeel. Some citrus, flowers and chocolate carry into a balanced finish.

Pungent, spicy. Cinnamon, sweet spice, roasted cacao nib, a rounding hint of butter in aroma and cup. Rich, balanced acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Some cinnamon and spice notes carry into a drying finish.

Juicy, extravagant, deep. Strawberry, port wine, crisp cedar, flowers, vanilla-toned orange in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart, lively acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists in a sweet, citrusy finish.

Exhilaratingly aromatic: sandalwood, rose-like flowers, roasted cacao nib, açai and banana, a hint of rye whisky. Rich, complexly expressed acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. A savory hint implicit in the rest of the profile surfaces to deepen a long, rich, flavor-saturated finish.

Rich, deep, brandy-toned. Brandy, rose-like flowers, dark chocolate, pineapple-like fruit in aroma and in immense, opulent cup. Roundly rich acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Rather heavy finish, though the extravagance of the cup is worth it.

Evaluated as espresso. Both Ken (93) and his co-taster (91) admired the wine-like intensity of this dried-in-the-fruit profile, though Ken read more complexity, in particular floral top notes, in flavor and finish. Both tasters cited a creamy mouthfeel and consistent finish. Especially impressive in three parts milk, where the shot bloomed with a complex expression of fruit-toned chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken (92) showed considerably more enthusiasm for this intense dried-in-the-fruit profile than his only mildly respectful co-taster (89). The co-taster associated the usual fermented fruit notes with wine and spiced cider, Ken with bourbon whisky (which he likes). The co-taster found the fermented fruit notes complicated by “sweet hay and malt,” Ken by a more decisive “fresh-cut cedar.” Ken rated the lightly syrupy, perhaps buttery mouthfeel a bit higher than did his co-taster. Both found the shot pleasantly chocolaty in three parts milk, additionally nuanced by malt for the co-taster, by cedar for Ken.

Crisply sweet, intensely complex. Honey, brandy, apricot, brandy, citrus flower, a hint of walnut in aroma and cup. Round, brandyish acidity; very lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Honey and walnut in particular persist in a deeply flavor-saturated, gently drying finish.

Sweet, deep, fermenty. Very ripe blueberry and strawberry, minty dark chocolate, brandy, walnut in aroma and cup. Round, rich acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. A savory edge in the cup turns more prominent in a drying 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.

Bittersweet, sharply pungent, earthy. Pungent fir, overripe plum, sweet earth that collectively leans toward chocolate in aroma and cup. Heavy, bitter-toned acidity; heavy mouthfeel. The overripe fruit and earth notes hint at chocolate in the short finish, but turn astringent and composty in the long.

Richly structured coffee with an intense balance of sweet, bitter and tart tastes supporting complex aromatics: lavender-like flowers, pecan, fresh-cut fir, and most strikingly, an unusual fruit note simultaneously suggesting mango and melon. Rich, deep acidity; lively, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The complex fruit note in particular carries into a drying but sweet finish.

Spicy floral notes (lavender, tea rose), dark chocolate, honey, hazelnut, and a pungent mango-like fruit in aroma and cup. Rich, juicy acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is bittersweet and drying in the short, but flavor and sweetness reassert themselves in the long.

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.

Crisp baker's chocolate and heavy, lush, cherry-like fruit and brandy hints in aroma and cup. Wine-toned acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Rather heavy, sweet-salty finish.

Brandy, mint, cocoa and apricot in a quiet but clean dried-in-the-fruit profile. Tart, apple-toned acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Some flavor persists in the simple, savory-sweet finish.