LATEST REVIEWS

Rich, deep, sweetly low-toned coffee. Nut, cedar, hints of orange and chocolate in the aroma. In the cup syrupy in mouthfeel with continued hints of nut, cedar, molasses, and a cocoa-buttery chocolate. Simple but sweet finish.

An autumnal sort of coffee: rich, deep, with notes of smoky wood, wet fallen leaves and humus in both nose and cup, all supported by a deep underlying sweetness. Turns from deep to rather heavy in a tongue-coating finish.

An apparent slow roast deepens and rounds the profile. Hints of fir, milk chocolate, possibly butter in the aroma. In the cup muted acidity, rough but full mouthfeel, continued aromatic wood and chocolate notes, with hints of flowers and butter. The chocolate notes carry into the rich, dry finish.

Dominated by earthy, wet-fallen-leaf, slightly pondy notes in both aroma and cup. In the cup a fundamental sweetness turns the forest-floor notes toward an ambiguous chocolate. Smoothes out in a simple finish with an herby tickle.

Rich, sweetly bright and perfectly balanced throughout the profile. Cherry, molasses and nut notes in the aroma; in the cup full body and lightly syrupy mouthfeel, with dusk flower notes and continued hints of cherry, nut, and a perhaps chocolate-inclined molasses. Simple but long, sweetly rich finish.

In the aroma round and balanced, with dusk flowers, orange and nut notes. In the cup continued classic balance: quiet but assertive acidity buffered by great sweetness, crisp fruity cocoa and continued nut and floral notes. Clean, sweetly rich, long finish.

Intensely floral and cherry-toned aroma with rounding hints of chocolate and pipe tobacco. In the cup balanced acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, and almost sugary berry-toned sweetness, balanced by a crisp, slightly vegetal dry edge, think cacao or (if you know it) tamarind. Long, opulently rich finish.

A light-medium roast of a very pure coffee that preserves the taste of the coffee orchard: tartly sweet coffee fruit, honey, flowers, nut. Delicate acidity, lean but silky mouthfeel, cleanly sweet finish.

Unusual profile: molasses, pine, flowers, cherry, richly low-toned acidity, syrupy mouthfeel. In the cup the molasses-like notes take on a cocoaish or dark chocolate cast. Lifts and lightens in a clean, sweet finish.

Very sweet-toned aroma: honey, cherryish coffee fruit, flowering grass. In the cup quietly vibrant acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, balanced structure, with cocoa and honey notes that carry into a long, resonantly flavor-saturated finish.

Buttery aroma: nut, flowers, dry berry. Rich acidity, medium body. The elegantly pungent berry note cuppers call black currant dominates in the cup, but supported by a profound underlying sweetness that gives the berry a dark chocolate depth. Flowers revive in the fine, rich, flavor-saturated finish.

Complex, authoritative espresso. Ken (92) found dark chocolate and fresh leather notes in the aroma, co-taster Heather Perry (89) nut. Both remarked on an attractive bittersweet citrus character in the cup, which Heather nicely characterized as "blood orange." Ken was particularly taken by the citrusy chocolate finish. But perhaps this coffee's most remarkable performance was in milk, where the crisp fruit bloomed with round, chocolate- and berry-toned assurance.

Fine straight-shot espresso. Rich in the aroma with a delicately pungent note Ken (91) called cedar and co-taster Heather Perry (90) spice. In the small cup dense and syrupy in mouthfeel with dark chocolate and continued spice and orangey cedar notes. Long, resonantly flavor-saturated finish. Loses some power and complexity, though it remains pleasantly drinkable and the orangey/spicy chocolate persists.

Flowers and tropical fruit in the sweet-toned aroma. For co-taster Heather Perry (88), "Floral notes turned to orange, berry, spice and cocoa, complex yet balanced and sweet" in the small cup. Ken (91) agreed. However, Heather found the shot in milk "very rough" whereas Ken liked it: "sweet, balanced, with a banana-toned chocolate."

Both Ken (91) and co-taster Heather Perry remarked on a delicate, slightly pungent quality in both aroma and small cup that that Heather associated with herb and orange peel and Ken with cedar and orange. Medium-bodied, with a flavor-saturated finish. In milk both Heather and Ken found balance, with continued orange-toned and, for Ken, chocolaty nuance.

Both Ken (90) co-taster Heather Perry (89) found this sample pleasingly and crisply fruity; "Meyer lemon" notes dominated for Heather, spicy floral and orange for Ken. Despite a tendency to express itself in floral and fruit notes, the shot maintained balance throughout and showed well in milk, with attractive hints of chocolate and (for Ken) spicy, rose-toned flowers.

A simple, rich, roast-influenced espresso that particularly came into its own in milk. In the small cup deep, roundly dark-chocolate-toned aroma, full body, gently pungent flavor and finish with roast-influenced notes that co-taster Heather Perry (88) associated with herbs (particularly thyme) and Ken (91) with cedar, night flowers and black cherry. Heather was particularly impressed by this coffee's performance in milk, where she found the herbal character she admired persisted "beautifully."

Both Ken (89) and co-taster Heather Perry (87) admired the aroma: "creamy berry" for Heather, "bananaish fruit with floral top notes" for Ken. But for both the mouthfeel was a bit lean in the small cup and the flavor a bit sharp, though Ken admired the continued floral notes. For both tasters the profile smoothed in the long finish, with a sweet flavor persistence that suggested chocolate for Ken, "blackberry pie" for Heather. Heather found it lost sweetness in milk but Ken was pleased, finding it crisp with "true chocolate" notes.

Ken (88) showed more enthusiasm for the small cup than co-taster Heather Perry (87), finding the aroma simple but "high-toned and elegant," the body leanish but smooth, the flavor pungently smoky (for Heather pleasantly tobacco notes in the aroma turned "ashy" in the cup), the finish sweet and long. Both found the presence in milk simple but "balanced and sweet" (Heather).

Mouthfeel and presence trumped aromatics. Both co-taster Heather Perry (87) and Ken (87) admired smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel in the small cup and solid balance in milk. Aromatics were relatively subdued and simple, however: "spicy" with "light lemon undertones" for Heather, "smoky chocolate" with floral hints for Ken (87).