LATEST REVIEWS

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet aromatic notes of raisin, chocolate and soft citrus. Full flavored in the small cup, with bittersweet fruit-infused chocolate hinting at grape, berry and orange, all of which persist deeply into the finish. Flavors predictably simplify in two parts milk but remain pleasing: sweet-toned fruit with a distinct minty complication.

Rich and sweet, combining notes of citrus, stone fruit, honey and flowers. In the cup a brisk tartness balances a lush, juicy character. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavors slowly fade in the finish to a slightly astringent tartness.

Evaluated as espresso. In the small cup exhilarating floral-toned aroma balanced by orange and caramel, light though smooth mouthfeel, and continued floral tones in the flavor with complications of tart berry, lemon and baking spice. The flowers become even more pronounced in two parts milk, deepened by notes of butter, citrus and cocoa.

Bright and crisp, with aroma and flavor notes that balance honey and lavender with tartly sweet lemon and bergamot. Fruit and flowers gently linger in a long, clean finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Gently charred cedar, cherryish fruit and dark chocolate in the aroma. Full, though very slightly rough mouthfeel. Hints of lemon and anise develop in the cup, complicating the continuing cedar and dark chocolate. Sweet, rich finish. The dark chocolate sensation simply and pleasingly dominates in two parts milk, although hints of cedar and lemon persist.

Notes of tea rose, honey and orange in the aroma. Long, sustained flavors in the small cup, displaying a deeper, more complex variation of the aroma profile (including brandied fruit, flowers and chocolate) with the flavors persisting in the long, sweet-toned finish. Lean but smooth mouthfeel. Retains impressive complexity in two parts milk: lemon and flowers softly layered on deeper chocolate, nut and caramel tones.

Aromatically complex and intense, highlighting notes of sandalwood, freshly fallen leaves, grapefruit and dried berry. Flavors round in the cup with grapefruit and aromatic wood dominating. Deep, fruit-toned sweetness lasts long into the flavor-saturated finish.

Balanced, complete, yet wildly distinctive. Very sweet-toned aroma: table grape, spicy nut, flowers. All carry into the cup, where a crisp cocoa (dry, nut-toned chocolate) contributes complication and depth. Tart but softly fruit-toned acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Nut and cocoa in particular carry into the finish.

Lively and complex in aroma and cup, with layers of sweet lemon, stone fruit, flowers, and a hint of cocoa. Although the flavors simplify somewhat in the finish, a pronounced chocolate-toned sweetness lingers deeply.

Round and elegant. Dominated by notes of stone fruit and honey, with clear hints of flowers and citrus. Rich acidity, syrupy mouthfeel and a clean finish with long, fruit-toned sweetness.

Deep, complex and layered. Night flowers, molasses, lemon, crisp cocoa in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart acidity, smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Richly balanced, flavor-saturated finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a "K-Cup" capsule to produce 6- and 8-ounce servings): Caramel and toast in the aroma with hints of citrus and flowers. Gently balanced acidity, medium body, silky mouthfeel. Sweet-toned in the cup, with continued caramel, toast and citrus notes. Flavor carries into the short finish, but fades toward astringency in the long.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a "K-Cup" capsule to produce 6- and 8-ounce servings): Milk chocolate and raisiny fruit dominate in the aroma. Flavors deepen and broaden in the cup, with the chocolate turning bittersweet and the fruit note brightening toward citrus and stone fruit. Flavor, the chocolate note in particular, lingers into the brisk finish. More complex in the stronger (6-ounce) serving size.

Symphonically fruit-toned and shimmeringly bright. An “underlying crushed grape sweetness” (co-cupper Wendy De Jong, 94) supported an array of lemon and berry suggestions. Ken (94) found deepening hints of fresh-cut fir and dark chocolate as well. Forward but accessible acidity, silky mouthfeel, sweetly tart finish.

Co-cupper Wendy De Jong (92) admired this coffee’s savory depth more than Ken (90) did. Wendy: “floral and herbal aroma with dark cocoa. Complex flavors of savory herbs, sweet tomatoes, lemongrass and sweet stewed fruits.” Ken wanted a bit more brightness and shimmer. Both appreciated an acidity that was “rich” for Ken and “well-structured” for Wendy. Both commended a “creamy and supple” (Wendy) mouthfeel. “Sophisticated and lovely coffee gracefully roasted” Wendy concluded.

Nut and molasses-like sweetness in the understated aroma. “Heavy and smooth” (co-cupper Wendy De Jong 89) to “lightly syrupy” (Ken 90) mouthfeel. Balanced acidity. Both Wendy and Ken found low-acid fruit leaning toward dark chocolate in cup and finish, though their associations varied, from Ken’s simple “cherryish fruit” to Wendy’s evocative “apricot … mulled wine and apples.” Both agreed that this coffee stayed on the rich side of astringency in the sweet, chocolate-toned finish.

Both co-cupper Wendy De Jong (89) and Ken (90) found pleasingly and sweetly tart notes (coffee cherry for Wendy, ripe lemon for Ken) complemented by apricot-like stone fruit and a rounding milk chocolate in aroma and cup. Both cuppers were impressed by a “lightly syrupy” (Ken) mouthfeel and a sweet, cocoa-toned finish.

A deep, sweet-toned complexity with some roast influence provoked differing yet overlapping descriptors from co-cupper Wendy De Jong (89) and Ken (91). Wendy found “stewed apple” and “ripe black plums and licorice” in aroma and cup respectively, while Ken (91) found blackberry, cocoa, and a delicate but distinct hint of flowers. The soft, balanced acidity was a bit too soft for Wendy (7) though Ken (8) found it nicely supported the general low-toned richness of the profile. Both responded positively to a smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel and sweet finish.

Deep, balanced, with a round, low-acid fruit that struck co-cupper Wendy De Jong (89) as cherry in the nose and melon and ripe pineapple in the cup, while Ken (89) read a fruit-toned chocolate in both. Wendy joined him in the chocolate camp (“milk chocolate”) for the finish. Both found the acidity quiet, the mouthfeel plush.

Some difference emerged here between co-cupper Wendy De Jong (87) and Ken (89). The main divergence may have been owing to roast; Ken apparently tolerates lighter roasts more than Wendy does, who observes s “This super clean and bright coffee finished with a slight grainy note and thinness that could be addressed by more roasting experiments.” Ken, on the other hand, found pungent berry and tart cherry notes that for him reflected the fresh, pleasing flavor of the coffee fruit itself as framed by the lightish roast. There was some agreement, however: on the up side both Wendy and Ken praised the cleanly tart character, silky mouthfeel and solid finish; on the down both found some hints of fading in the green coffee.