LATEST REVIEWS

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.”

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. Although Ken (90) and co-taster Sean Kohmescher (90) produced identical ratings, they read this coffee a bit differently, with Sean emphasizing its brightish citrus and floral tendencies while Ken added dark chocolate and hint of brandy. Sean was citrus inclined more toward lemon and lime, Ken toward a deeper-toned orange. Both read the small cup as medium in weight though slightly lean in mouthfeel, but admired the sample performance in two parts milk, finding it smooth, creamy, complex: berry, flowers, lemony cocoa.

Evaluated as espresso. Deep, dark-chocolaty aroma turns crisper in the small cup, which co-taster Sean Kohmescher (90) read as dry, “limeish” and floral, Ken (90) as more orangy and anise-like. Rich, dry, very long finish with a clear citrus edge. Two parts milk revives a delicate and cocoaish version of the chocolate, rounding the citrus and flowers.

Crisp, delicately bright aroma: orange, a hint of apricot. In the cup rich acidity, syrupy mouthfeel, almost sugary sweetness, with continued orange and apricot notes and an orange-blossom floral hint. Clean, rich finish.

Low-toned, balanced aroma: nut, ripe citrus, flowers. Tart, lemony acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Aromatics turn rounder and riper in the cup: sweet citrus, gently tart berry, nut-toned cocoa. The cocoa and lemon in particular linger in a rich, clean finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisply but sweetly bright-toned in aroma and small cup: apricot, lemon, milk chocolate. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Lovely delicacy and complexity in two parts milk: the mild chocolate note dominates with continuing and distinct hints of lemon and apricot-like fruit.

Complex and almost giddily sweet-toned. Flowers, crisp black currant, lemon, blackberry, roasted nut carry from aroma to cup. Sweetly tart, refined acidity; light body but very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Resonant, flavor-saturated short finish simplifies just a bit in the long.

Aromatics expand and deepen in subtle but extraordinary flavor and finish: buttery milk chocolate; sweet, lily-like flowers; ripe orange, all resonating in a long, impeccably clean but rich finish. Round, vibrant acidity; syrupy mouthfeel.

Soft, sweet-toned aroma: fir, milk chocolate. In the cup gentle but impressively deep acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, continued balance of pungent fir with roundly sweet milk chocolate and apricot notes. Gently rich finish.

Soft, round aroma: muted notes of lemon and flowers. In the cup balanced, gently tart acidity, lightish body, silky mouthfeel, continuing lemon and flowers. Some flavor carries into a clean, simple finish.

Soft floral and citrus tones in the aroma complicate in the cup with juicier citrus and crisp cocoa. Soft, fruit-toned acidity; silky mouthfeel. Dry chocolate in a relatively short finish.

Pungently sweet aroma: ripe lemony citrus, backgrounded nut. Round, soft acidity, medium body, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Nut moves forward in the cup, complicated pleasingly by dry berry, lemon, flowers, fir. Sweet-toned finish, with some flavor persistence.

Very complex, rather edgy Sumatra. Pruny dark chocolate, cherry, brandy, fir in the aroma. Quietly rich acidity; full, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Woody, sweet, herby character in the cup, reminiscent of sassafras perhaps. Floral top notes, continuing dark chocolate and cherryish fruit. Very sweet in the finish, with ongoing floral and wood notes.

Lemon-zest brightness and pungent fir in the aroma. The lemony character rounds in the acidity and the cup, where it is deepened and complicated by a crisp, floral-toned cocoa. Light but smoothly silky mouthfeel; cleanly sweet and flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, deep, fruit- and chocolate-toned aroma. Balanced, gently pungent in the small cup: cedar, butter, lemon, anise. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; clean, flavor-saturated finish. Rounds and sweetens but retains complexity in two parts milk: lemon, cedar, dark chocolate.

Brightly acidy and authoritative. Citrus- and floral-toned aroma broadens and deepens in the cup, taking on a tartly sweet mandarin orange-like quality. Intense, flower-toned acidity. The sweet citrus character gently lingers far into the long finish.

Crisply balanced with a shifting, tight-knit complexity. Flowers, nut, fir, and a dark chocolaty fruit in aroma and cup. The flowers and chocolate carry long into the finish. Gentle acidity, silkily smooth mouthfeel.

Quiet introduction: soft notes of fir, flowers and milk chocolate in the aroma. All of this soars in the cup, intense yet perfectly balanced. The floral notes, which take back seat to the milk chocolate and gently pungent fir in the cup, move forward again in a very sweet, clean finish. Delicately tart acidity, silky mouthfeel.

A tactful dark roast develops sweetness and a pungent depth in a subtly complex coffee. Dark chocolate, lemon, cherryish fruit, spicy nut. Rich, roast-rounded acidity, smooth mouthfeel. Clean finishing, though flavor fades rather quickly.