Organic Reviews

In the nose distinctly roasty, pungent, but quite sweet and resonantly round-toned. In the cup cleanly burned but still quite sweet, light-bodied but round in impression. Some fruit, perhaps softened by a hint of clean ferment, makes itself felt as the cup cools.

Sweet, richly low-toned, luxuriously fruity, but distinctly musty. The mustiness is the almost effervescent kind that can be charitably read as spice. Cleans up a bit in a long, rather satisfying finish.

A delicate cup with impressive complexity: Lemon, smoky spice and milk chocolate notes carry with subtle variation from aroma through finish. In the cup, shows a fine balance of sweet acidity and a subtle roastiness, the roast making itself felt mainly in the smoky spice. The five cups I sampled displayed some unevenness; otherwise I would rate this silky, aromatic blend even higher.

Quietly complex aroma: sweet, discreetly roasty, with suggestions of leather, chocolate, apricot, perhaps pear. In the cup gentle, low-key, richly fruity with a lush apricot that flirts with chocolate.

The aroma doesn't provoke much anticipation: roasty, edge of burned, midtoned, without range or nuance. Softens and complicates in the cup, displaying a pleasantly wine-toned balance of sweet acidity and a discreetly bittersweet roastiness. Simplifies again in the rather sharp finish.

When hot, a robust, full-bodied dark roast with a pleasantly rough character: chocolate and wine tones in the aroma, in the cup a hint of fruity ferment and musty earth. As the coffee cools, however, the musty earth tones turn bitter and weigh oppressively on the cup.

The aroma is flat and thin. In the cup sweetly but thinly roasty, on the edge of burned, with a lean mouthfeel. Nearly salvaged by pleasantly delicate fruit notes - pear perhaps.

The aroma is subdued and gently roasty. Clear, dry, deep-toned chocolate-fruit notes carry from aroma through cup to a slightly bitter but rich finish.

A sweet, lyric coffee with remarkable complexity, starting with the aroma -- distinct leather notes, winy fruit, milk chocolate -- to the cup, where the wine tones deepen and take on an almost smoky edge. Clean, sweet, grape-like finish.

The aroma is sweet, gently pungent, rich with low-toned, spicy fruit notes. The cup is medium-bodied, round, very sweet, with just enough acidity for authority. The low-toned fruit leans elegantly toward chocolate.

The most impressive aspect of this sweet, balanced, gently acidy cup is a tactful roast that turns the fruit richly chocolate. The chocolate tones carry elegantly from aroma through a quietly opulent finish.

When hot, complexly and giddily floral and fruity - caramel in the aroma, suggestions of lilac and violet, papaya and cantaloupe in the cup. The extravagantly fruity character of the cup hints at sweet ferment, which in fact emerges as the cup cools, hardening the profile a bit and turning it slightly salty. But try it; no one drinks coffee cold anyhow except coffee reviewers.

Delicate, gently and elegantly acidy, complicated by a discreetly rich cherry fruit leaning toward chocolate. The acidity is sweet and exquisitely balanced, though slightly astringent in the finish.

High-toned, rather delicate, with a crisply dry but sweet acidity. Raisins and vanilla, in the aroma, tart tropical fruit tones - tamarind or passion fruit - in the cup.

Co-taster Willem Boot: "Fine and complex fruity/minty aroma. Exotic berry-like flavor notes with fascinating wild black currant aftertaste. Balanced, sweet and intriguing with milk" (93) Ken characterized the wild, sweet, edge-of-ferment fruit tones running through the profile from aroma to aftertaste as black cherry, and enjoyed them almost as much as Willem (90). In milk Ken completely concurred with Willem: "sweet, balanced, lovely."

Co-taster Willem Boot greatly admired this coffee, awarding it an exclamatory 95: "Reddish brown supershot! Complex aroma with tingling body. Mild sweet and dry flavor balance with intense fruit and spicy notes. Cardamom flavor with milk." Ken's admiration was more restrained. He enjoyed the low-toned bouquet of pipe tobacco, leather, toast, smoke, spice and musty cantaloupe notes enough to award a rating of 88, but found the body "gritty" (Willem called it "tingling") and the finish slightly astringent.

Both Ken and co-taster Willem Boot remarked on a medium but smooth, buttery body. Aromatics and flavor were "floral and slightly malty/musty, toasty and crisp" (Ken), "light chocolate & elegant, spicy-smoky" (Willem). "Pleasant[ly] caramel" in milk for Willem, "balanced, sweet yet crisp" for Ken. Willem 90, Ken 88.

Both Ken and co-taster Willem Boot found chocolate notes running through aroma and small cup: "deep-toned chocolate" for Willem, "caramel, chocolate" for Ken. Both, however, complained about a slight sharpness in the finish, though Willem found it "minty." Good presence in milk: "Spicy and sweet" for Willem, "smoky, fruity and rich" for Ken. Willem rating 87, Ken 87.

Both Ken and co-taster Willem Boot remarked on the vanilla- and floral-toned aroma. Once to the cup, however, neither was impressed. For Willem "chocolate-bitter flavor and aftertaste" in the small cup and "spicy and slightly oniony in milk." Ken found the coffee rather lean-bodied and thin with roasty, sharp tones in the small cup, though rounder and fatter in milk. Willem 82, Ken 82.

Attractive balance of chocolate-nuanced fruit, rich, low-toned but emphatic acidity, and a hint of roastiness. Ultimately, however, remains contained in its own quiet balance. Lacks the tonal range and dimension that would lift it from satisfying to remarkable.