Aromatic Neighbors: Current Crop Panamas and Costa Ricas

Superb aroma: For Ken giddily floral with blueberry and cherry notes, for co-cupper Rodger Owen "a beautiful burst of lemon." In the cup crisply bright, intensely floral, sweetly and quietly lemon, then (for Ken) rounding toward an orange-toned chocolate. Slight astringency in the short finish but the floral notes had the last, lingering word in the long.

A simple, lyrically appealing coffee, alive with floral notes and a vivid little twist that Ken associated with spice and co-cupper Rodger Owen with cedar. Ken also cited cherry-toned fruit in the aroma that leaned toward a delicate chocolate in the cup. Fresh, cleanly sweet finish.

Ken was somewhat more enthusiastic about this classic Central American profile than co-cupper Rodger Owen, but both found lots to write about. Both found the aroma round and sweet, complicated by wine notes for Rodger and pear and a hint of cedar for Ken. In the cup both described a sweet, quietly vibrant acidity and a coffee fruit that read as black currant or slightly tart cherry for Ken and sweet pipe tobacco for Rodger. The essential sweetness carried into the short finish, tempering the slight astringency in the long.

Exceptional aroma: floral notes complicated by vanilla for co-cupper Rodger Owen and lemon and pineapple for Ken. In the cup brightly but sweetly acidy and delicately smooth in mouthfeel with a subtly balanced flavor that disappointed Rodger but excited Ken with its jasmine-like floral notes and (for Ken at least) a rich, chocolaty lemon.

Deep, rich, roasty aroma with considerable complexity: Ken and co-cupper Rodger Owen found flowers (especially), cloves, fresh cedar, caramel. Both found the cup medium-bodied and intensely and pungently bittersweet, with shimmers of flowers and a low-toned fruity character that suggested pipe tobacco to Rodger and a caramelly fruit to Ken. Ken's sample finished cleanly and richly, even with a hint of semi-sweet chocolate, but Rodger drastically reduced his final rating owing to what he described as metallic, rubbery end notes, perhaps a mild roasting fault.

Intense, rather acidy aroma with vanilla-toned chocolate and fruit notes. In the cup the acidity was either sweet and lushly lively (Ken) or a touch too soft (co-cupper Rodger Owen), the flavor a bit too simple (Rodger) or intriguing in its simultaneous sensory allusions to wine and chocolate (Ken).

In the aroma intense aromatic wood notes suggested cedar to Ken, pine to co-cupper Rodger Owen. The sweet spice and low-toned fruit notes fade in a roast-influenced, rather simple cup, balanced but limited. The sweet spice suggestions surfaced again in an admirably long, resonant finish.

Muted aroma with notes that Ken called "quietly pungent" and co-cupper Rodger "smoky." Ken also found pleasantly floral top notes as well. In the cup substantial body and smooth mouthfeel; the pungent notes in the aroma reappear as nut (Rodger) or semi-sweet chocolate (Ken). Simple, sweet short finish, very slight astringency in the long.

Round, rich, rather simple coffee, with spicy (co-cupper Rodger Owen) and gingery (Ken) notes in the aroma. In the cup a soft, sweet acidity and buttery mouthfeel with a low-toned fruit that to Ken suggested prune and semi-sweet chocolate.

The aroma displays a fruit complicated by aromatic wood tones that co-cupper Rodger Owen associated with pine and Ken with cedar. The body is light, the mouthfeel bordering on thin, the flavor delicate and tartly sweet, with sustained aromatic wood notes. Both Ken and Rodger found the finish clean, simple and rather short.