Taiwan Reviews

Rich-toned, sweetly savory. Grape candy, salted chocolate, almond, gardenia, sandalwood in aroma and cup. Savory-leaning structure with gentle acidity; syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. Salted chocolate and gardenia notes lead in the long finish, supported by sandalwood.

Deep-toned, richly sweet. Raspberry, brown sugar, lime zest, dark chocolate, baking spices in aroma and cup. Sweet structure with round, lively acidity; crisply smooth, velvety mouthfeel. Baking spices and dark chocolate carry the satisfying finish.

Delicately sweet-tart. Tamarind, almond, lemon verbena, baking chocolate, freesia in aroma and cup. Sweet in structure with bright acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. The flavor-saturated finish is centered around notes of tamarind and almond.

Evaluated as espresso. Deep-toned, richly sweet-tart. Tamarind, plum, dark chocolate, cedar, molasses in aroma and small cup. Very syrupy mouthfeel; the finish centers on tamarind and rich cedar notes. Balanced in three parts milk, driven by stone fruit and chocolate.

Delicate, honey- and cocoa-toned. Pomegranate, cocoa nib, violet, pink grapefruit zest, cashew butter in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned structure with balanced, lively acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The pleasing finish leads with pomegranate and cashew butter with undertones of cocoa nib.

Sweet-toned, fruit-centered. Raisin, brown sugar, lemon zest, prairie flowers, oak in aroma and cup. Sweet structure with brisk acidity; medium-bodied, velvety-smooth mouthfeel. The gently drying finish consolidates to notes of brown sugar and oak with hints of lemon zest.

Elegantly fruit-toned, chocolaty. Dried mulberry, dark chocolate, ginseng, pink grapefruit zest, frankincense in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with rich, engaging acidity; plush, silky mouthfeel. Chocolate- and fruit-driven finish.

Delicate, fruit-forward. Blueberry, molasses, fresh-cut fir, magnolia, bay leaf in aroma and cup. Sweet structure with tart-leaning, gentle acidity. Velvety mouthfeel. The crisp finish centers around blueberry and fir.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, chocolaty, sweetly tart. Dark chocolate, peach, Szechuan peppercorn, orange zest, myrrh in aroma and small cup. Smooth, satiny mouthfeel; resonant, chocolaty finish. In three parts milk, notes of Szechuan peppercorn and dark chocolate harmonize sweetly, with undercurrents of peach and myrrh.

A crisply sweet, accessible fruit-toned cup.

Sweetly spice-toned, wood-framed. Fresh-cut fir, gardenia, peanut brittle, pink grapefruit, watermelon in aroma and cup. Gentle, fruit-toned acidity; lean, satiny mouthfeel. The gently drying finish leads with notes of watermelon and pink grapefruit, while suggestions of peanut brittle and fir carry the long.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp, intensely sweet, balanced. Jasmine, tangerine, cedar, baker’s chocolate, almond in aroma and small cup. Plush, syrupy body. The richly drying, sweet finish consolidates to almond and fruit-toned chocolate. Both the almond and chocolate carry brightly into three parts milk.

Delicate, exotic, sweet. Ripe papaya, honeysuckle, aged balsamic vinegar, cocoa powder, a hint of frankincense in aroma and cup. Quiet, round acidity; lightly satiny mouthfeel. The fruit-driven cup transitions to cocoa tones and aged balsamic in the short finish, while the exotic frankincense hint re-emerges in the long.

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.

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.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken, at 92, liked this unusual sample better than co-taster Sean Kohmescher (90) did, perhaps because Ken read more depth in the aromatics and flavor. Sean stopped at citrus, honey and caramel in aroma and small cup whereas Ken added dark chocolate and pungent fir. Ken also found a bit more going on in the finish, with flowers complicating a deep, bananaish chocolate. In two parts milk Ken and Sean read the cup about the same although applying slightly different language, with Sean citing lemon and ”light caramel” and Ken a “lemony chocolate.”