South America Reviews

Deeply and sweetly pungent, complex. Brown sugar, raspberry and orange, honeysuckle, a hint of dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Bright, juicy acidity; lively, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Sweetly tart, floral-toned finish.

Quietly rich, balanced, crisp. Sweet cream, orange blossom, fresh-cut fir, a hint of dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Clean, straightforward acidity; very lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor notes consolidate in a long, gently resonant finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken (93) and his co-taster (93) both admired this roundly and very discreetly roast-influenced espresso. They found the aroma deeply pungent, the flavor complex with a wide range of sensation: raisin, apricot, flowers, fresh-cut cedar, “crisp, fresh berry” (co-taster). Ken particularly admired the full, syrupy (for the co-taster buttery) mouthfeel. Long, sweet, cedary (Ken’s word) finish. The co-taster in particular made a case for this espresso in three parts milk, where it showed chocolate and a fresh, sugar-cane-like sweetness.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken rated this softly bright espresso three points higher at 92 than the co-taster did at 89. Ken simply seems to have found more going on and liked what he found better: a fuller mouthfeel, a slightly more complex set of aromatics (for Ken citrus, honey, flowers, chocolate; for his co-taster taster citrus, praline, pear), a longer finish and a more complex, persistent flavor in milk.

Evaluated as espresso. This delicate, gently bright espresso attracted gently expressed support from both Ken (91) and his co-taster (90). Crisp, hazelnut-toned aroma; light but lively, effervescent mouthfeel. Ripe lemon and caramel in flavor and finish, where the co-taster also found a tickle of sweet black pepper. Maintained presence nicely in three parts milk, where the co-taster found it “immensely sweet and clean with lemon character.”

Subtle and surprising in its complexity. Hazelnut, minty orange, milk chocolate, and a hint of a clean, bourbon-like whisky. Balanced, sweetly tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate and nut in particular sustain in a long, drying but sweet finish.

Quiet but deeply and sweetly complex. Butter, roasted cacao nib, dark cherry, a hint of clove, and a tangerine-like top note in aroma and cup. Delicately crisp acidity; silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but lingers in a sweet-toned, slightly drying finish.

Rich, deep, floral. Dark chocolate, night-blooming flowers, molasses, prune, with a brightening hint of tangerine-like citrus in aroma and cup. Juicy, complexly expressed acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The citrus hint in particular lingers in a resonantly flavor-saturated finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a Keurig-compatible capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving): Pungently sweet, gently roasty. Scorched wood, a hint of dark chocolate, prune, and a peppery savory note in aroma and cup. Round, fruit-toned acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Simple though rather rich finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a Keurig-compatible capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving): Sweet-toned, gently pungent. Caramel, fruity dark chocolate, a hint of pine or perhaps clove in aroma and cup. Delicately crisp acidity; light but silky mouthfeel. Simple, mildly drying finish.

Slightly savory, gently pungent. Fresh-cut fir, roasted cocoa nib, baked apple, perhaps a hint of sage in aroma and cup. Brisk but deep acidity; silky mouthfeel. The unusual baked apple note, a savory-toned fruit, persists in a balanced finish.

Musky and savory. Wet oak, sweet pumpkin, cantaloupe, mushroom, dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Rich, bittersweet acidity; medium-full mouthfeel. Roundly dry short finish; sweetens and turns chocolaty in the long.

Deeply and crisply sweet; complex. Chocolate, hazelnut, orange zest, flowers in aroma and cup. Soft but lively acidity; lightly syrupy, buoyant mouthfeel. Sweet, gently flavor-saturated finish.

Pungent, gently scorched cedar, dark chocolate, caramel and an herbal hint in aroma and cup. Round, roast-muted acidity; pleasantly smooth though rather lean mouthfeel. The chocolate sweetness dominates in a long, resonant, slightly drying finish.

Gentle, crisp, sweet-toned. Honey, lemon tart, delicate hints of milk chocolate and flowers in aroma and cup. Soft acidity; smooth, velvety mouthfeel. Sweet, flavor-saturated finish.

Intensely aromatic, finely structured. Orange- and papaya-like fruit notes, dark chocolate, crisply lush floral notes in aroma and cup. Bright, balanced acidity; syrupy but lively mouthfeel. Sweet but drying in the short finish, with a chocolate note that rings on far into the long.

Intricately sweet, delicately complex. Ripe strawberry, orange, candied nut, vanilla-toned flowers in aroma and cup. Gently crisp acidity; light but smoothly silky mouthfeel. Very sweet, lightly flavor-saturated finish.

Sweet-toned, svelte, refreshing. Honey, lemon, lilac, a hint of roasted cocoa nib in aroma and, more intensely, in the cup. Tartly sweet, lively acidity; velvety, buoyant mouthfeel. Fades just a bit in the long finish, but the short is resonant and flavor-saturated.

Pure, powerful, sweetly bright. Chocolate, honey, orange zest, fresh-cut fir in aroma and cup. Richly and roundly tart acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is tart, resonant and flavor-saturated.

Deep, opulent, savory-sweet. Crisp roasted nut, minty dark chocolate, hints of butter and sage-like herb in aroma and cup. Rich, deeply expressed acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Long, resonant finish.