Processing Method Reviews

Quiet but engaging. Molasses, ripe orange, almond, aromas of moist, old forest wood. Gently rich, round acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Simple but resonantly sweet finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Vanilla-toned chocolate, low-acid, mango-like fruit in the aroma. In the small cup smoothly syrupy mouthfeel, a slight tart brightness, cedary pungency, and continued chocolate and fruit that carry into a quietly resonant finish. Balanced and simple in two parts milk, with the chocolate dominating.

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.

Very sweet, delicate. Rose-like flowers, milk chocolate, orangy citrus, spice, savory date in aroma and cup. Soft, gently backgrounded acidity; light but syrupy-textured mouthfeel. Sweet, deeply flavor-saturated (date, rose) short finish fades slightly in the long.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp, delicate, refreshingly and cleanly fruit-toned. Tart cherry, ripe orange, cedar, baker’s chocolate in aroma and small cup. Light in body but surprisingly silky-syrupy in mouthfeel; deep, flavor-saturated finish. Continued delicate but very complex in two parts milk, with both chocolate and fruit rounding and sweetening.

Very sweet, gently bright, delicately fruit-toned. Lush flowers, cidery apple and tart, raspberry-like fruit in aroma and cup. Softly bright acidity; silky to lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Very sweet in the finish.

Tart but deeply sweet: honey, fir, lightly roasted almond, sour cherry, hints of freshly turned earth. Richly tart acidity; smoothly syrupy mouthfeel. Round, deep finish resonates with the lemony cherry note in particular.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp with ripe citrus and dark cocoa notes that carry persuasively and pleasingly from aroma to short milk. The body is light to medium in weight, but smoothly lively in mouthfeel. The lemon-orange-chocolate notes persist deeply into the long finish. Delicate in two parts milk, with the chocolate tendency predictably sweetening.

In structure sugary sweet yet dry in the mouthfeel. Aromatics are shifting and complex: cedar, raspberry, pineapple, spicy rose, unsweetened cocoa. Brisk, gentle acidity; silky to lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Sweetness prevails in a fruit- and spice-toned 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.

Intense, gently but sweetly tart. Lemony peach, almond, fresh-cut fir, brown sugar in aroma and cup. Delicate, lively acidity; leanish but silky mouthfeel. Long, almost sugary sweet short finish, drying in the long.

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.

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.

Deeply and dramatically complex aroma and flavor: Pineapple- and berry-like fruit, milk chocolate, hints of brandy and mint. Richly bright acidity; very smooth, silky/syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is saturated with flavor, particularly with the minty brandy notes. Turns savory as the cup cools, perhaps a bit bitter; otherwise this would be a 94-rated coffee.

Rich, brandy-like fruit dominates the profile: cherry, blueberry, cocoaish dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Round, fruit-influenced acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor carries richly into the finish, where a very slight over-ripe note emerges as the cup cools.

Frank but brilliant in its complex fermented fruit character: cocoa, dusk flowers, butter, brandy, lemon all layer engagingly in aroma and cup. The sweet, exuberant ferment seems to turn the mouthfeel almost effervescent. Sweetness and flavor outlast a hint of astringency in the long finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Co-taster Sean Kohmescher (92) and Ken (88) split on this coffee and how to read its deep, ferment-toned fruit. Sean enjoyed the distinctive character of the fruit: “stone-fruited chocolate” with a hint of grapefruit. Ken read the same fruit but also picked up nagging musty/salty tendencies. Two parts milk smoothed things out a bit for Ken, developing a chocolaty sweetness, though Sean remained more committed here also, praising the shot’s “light, sweet, berries and cream” performance in milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, buttery aroma: ripe lemon, cherry, a hint of fresh-cut fir. In the small cup medium body, smooth mouthfeel, crisply complex flavor: the fruit and fir notes resolve toward a dark chocolate with a hint of anise. Deep, sweet, dark-chocolaty finish. The chocolate sensation rounds and softens in two parts milk; think a lemon-toned milk chocolate.

Intense, unusual profile, dominated by a citrus and molasses character that suggests both moist pipe tobacco and sweet black tea. Roundly rich acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The distinctive flavor complex lingers in the deep, rich finish.