Robusta Reviews

Sweet, deep-toned, balanced. Pipe tobacco, candied walnut, caraway, rhododendron, toffee in aroma and cup. Savory-sweet in structure, thick and velvety in mouthfeel. Tobacco notes give way to nougat in the long finish.

Intense yet still expressive dark roast. Charred oak, cooked lemon zest, chocolate, anise in aroma and cup. Dry, bittersweet structure; roast-thinned but smooth mouthfeel. In the finish, chocolate emerges with some sweetness out of a scorched-wood matrix.

Deep, pungent, smoky. Graham cracker, prune, pecan, molasses, a suggestion of dry chocolate in aroma and cup. Briskly bittersweet structure; lean mouthfeel. In the finish, sweet-toned wood leans toward chocolate.

Bittersweet and herby. Dried spearmint, cinnamon stick, caramel popcorn, alyssum in aroma with continued hints in the cup. Bittersweet structure, smooth but lean mouthfeel. The caramel popcorn note shows up faintly in a simple finish.

Intense but flat, monotoned. Cherry cola, very lightly scorched fir, a hint of orange zest in aroma and cup. Sourish in structure, with a background sweetness. Lean though smooth mouthfeel. Cleanly simple finish, sweet-sour, with a hint of the cherry cola and scorchy fir notes.

Complex, richly bittersweet. Pomegranate, hop flowers, honey, magnolia, baking chocolate in aroma and cup. Gently brisk acidity; plush, creamy mouthfeel. Pomegranate and hop flowers lead in the crisp, long finish.

Complex, multi-layered. Pomegranate, red wine barrel, rhododendron, kefir, kumquat in aroma and cup. Brisk acidity; full, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. Finish leads with notes of wine barrel and kefir.

Evaluated as espresso. Gingko nut, artichoke liqueur, strawberry, pink peppercorn, nutmeg in aroma and small cup. Crisply creamy mouthfeel; bittersweet, gently fermenty finish. In three parts milk, savory-leaning (artichoke liqueur) and sweetly nut-toned.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisply chocolaty, sweetly nutty. Baking chocolate, hazelnut butter, black cherry, cedar, orange zest in aroma and small cup. Crisply satiny mouthfeel; gently drying, nutty finish. In three parts milk, chocolate notes bloom and commingle with sweet hazelnut.

Crisply fruit-toned, chocolaty. Cocoa powder, black cherry, almond, cedar, orange zest in aroma and cup. Richly bittersweet structure with brisk acidity; full, velvety mouthfeel. Finish consolidates to notes of cocoa powder, orange zest and cedar.

Evaluated as espresso. Citrusy, sweetly nut-toned. Tangerine, hazelnut, cocoa nib, Italian parsley, freesia-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Buoyant, creamy mouthfeel; in the finish rich and cocoa-driven with deep hazelnut notes carrying far into the sweet long. Quiets and simplifies in three parts milk, turning delicately nut-toned.

Evaluated as espresso. Gently roast-toned, nut-framed. Cashew butter, cocoa powder, fig newton, lily, cedar in aroma and small cup. Crisp, satiny mouthfeel; bittersweet, crisply nutty finish. In three parts milk, sweet pecan and cocoa powder quietly harmonize.

Deep-toned, richly bittersweet. Hop flowers, cocoa powder, goji berry, lemon zest, pecan in aroma and cup. Bittersweet structure with low-toned, crisp acidity; very full, creamy mouthfeel. Notes of pecan and cocoa characterize the gentle finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly tart, nut-toned. Almond butter, carob, lemon zest, date, magnolia in aroma and small cup. Crisp, satiny mouthfeel; nutty finish with hints of carob and lemon zest. In three parts milk, almond and magnolia notes gently harmonize.

Sweetly nut-toned. Almond, pie cherry, oak, prairie flowers, baking chocolate in aroma and cup. Sweet structure with brisk acidity; velvety-smooth mouthfeel. Gently drying, sweetly nut-toned finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly and crisply pungent. Dark chocolate, gently scorched cedar, ripe plum, floral vanilla, a hint of port wine in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel. Dark chocolate dominates in a roundly drying finish. Fills out three parts milk with depth and authority: vanilla, chocolate, continuing hint of port wine.

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.

Evaluated as espresso. As a drip coffee fell quite short of 80. As espresso revealed some virtues. In the aroma sweet-toned with distinct chocolate and butter notes. In the small cup medium bodied, round-toned and sweet, with earth, aromatic wood and herbal notes (I read fennel) and hints of nut and chocolate. The finish was simple in the short and mildly astringent in the long. Surprisingly disappointing in milk: leanish in mouthfeel with banana and chocolate in front but a slight though disturbing note toward the finish that for me suggested salted meat.