Africa Reviews

Round, layered, sweet-savory, understated but original. Walnut, cocoa powder, maple syrup, hints of pear and rum in aroma and cup. Softly brisk in structure; syrupy and full in mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around walnut and maple syrup in a gently drying finish.

Crisp, chocolaty, roast-framed. Baker’s chocolate, scorched oak, gardenia, hazelnut in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with a touch of acidity; crisp, velvety mouthfeel. Smoky-sweet finish with chocolate notes throughout and a rich floral suggestion.

Very sweet, floral, deeply rich. Date, tangerine zest, fresh pipe tobacco, freesia-like flowers, dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Complex and deeply rich structure; roundly tart acidity. Full, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is dry but rings with rich tobacco and unsweetened chocolate far into the long.

Very sweetly tart, floral-prominent and rich-toned. Lemon custard, red currant jam, tea rose, maple syrup and dried coconut in aroma and cup. Delightfully crisp and tart, though cohesively resonant in structure; very lightly though buoyantly syrupy in mouthfeel. The finish is pert and satisfying, with a lingering sweet crispness and a long aromatic trajectory.

Deeply sweet, richly drying, complexly sweet-savory. Nutella, sumac, oak, clove, loquat, hop blossom in aroma and cup. Rounded and rich though drying in structure; brisk, juicy acidity. Very full, syrupy mouthfeel. The short finish consolidates around prominent oak and sumac with hints of cocoa and fruit. The long turns rather dry, though remains resonant.

Richly fruit-toned, musky sweet. Raspberry jam, fine musk, apple brandy, hop flowers, almond in aroma and cup. Balanced, sweet-tart-savory in structure with vibrant, juicy acidity; buoyant, syrupy mouthfeel. Crisp, resonant finish with raspberry, brandy and hops carrying into the long.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly savory-leaning, deeply sweet. Tamarind, dark chocolate, sunchoke, wisteria, almond butter in aroma and small cup. Velvety-smooth mouthfeel; cocoa- and nut-toned finish. In three parts milk, sweet and savory present in particularly harmonious balance.

Richly sweet-savory, spice-toned. Baker’s chocolate, spice box, narcissus-like flowers, almond, peach in aroma and cup. Savory-sweet structure with gentle, round acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The crisp finish centers on notes of baker’s chocolate and almond with a hint of sweet flowers.

Richly sweet, cocoa- and fruit-toned. Concord grape, cocoa nib, sandalwood, maple syrup, lilac in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned structure with bright, juicy acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. Resonant, flavor-saturated finish that highlights fruit and cocoa tones.

Rich-toned, crisply sweet. Apricot, honeysuckle-like flowers, cocoa nib, fresh-cut cedar, maple syrup in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with bright, juicy acidity; crisp, velvety mouthfeel. The finish consolidates to cocoa-toned apricot notes with an undercurrent of cedar.

Roundly savory, sweet, quiet. Almond, pine, lightly cooked taro with hints of orange zest and plum blossom in aroma and cup. Gently sweet-savory in structure; very lightly satiny in mouthfeel. The finish is lightly crisp with pungent hints of pine.

Brightly sweet, deeply pungent. Fine musk, black currant, baker’s chocolate, violet, oak in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned structure with juicy acidity; crisp, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The flavor-saturated finish consolidates around musk and currant notes with a hint of baker’s chocolate.

Crisply sweet-savory, balanced. Jasmine, toffee, peach, cedar, tamarind in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with juicy, vibrant acidity; syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. All of the flavor and aroma notes are carried over into the finish, gently receding into the pleasing long.

Rich, crisp and spicy. Complex aroma and flavor: blackcurrant, dried blackberry, sandalwood, blood orange zest, lavender. Deeply pungent in structure. Long, resonant finish; a cocoa hint surfaces to complicate orangy citrus and lavender-like floral notes.

Crisply sweet-savory, spice-toned. Cocoa powder, black cherry, sweet kabocha squash, freesia-like flowers, lemongrass in aroma and cup. Sweetly savory structure with gentle acidity; velvety-smooth mouthfeel. The resonant finish consolidates to notes of cocoa and lemongrass with a throughline of kabocha squash.

Crisp, sweetly and richly roast-toned. Scorched oak, raisin, dark chocolate, roasted hazelnut, dried spearmint, bitter orange zest in aroma and cup. Sweetly brisk and roasty in structure; lightly syrupy in mouthfeel. The finish is drying and roast-dominated.

Low-toned, richly sweet-savory. Ripe banana, narcissus, dark chocolate, fresh-cut fir, a hint of aged grappa in aroma and cup. Tart-leaning structure with brisk acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The resonant finish consolidates to cocoa-toned banana in the short and fresh-cut fir in the long, all held together by dark chocolate and a running hint of appealing sweet ferment.

Evaluated as espresso. Chocolaty, richly sweet-tart. Dark chocolate, gently scorched cedar, gardenia, almond, graham cracker in aroma and small cup. Crisp, velvety mouthfeel; richly drying finish that centers around chocolate and aromatic wood notes. In three parts milk, the chocolate takes on a dessert-like quality, grounded by hints of smoky, cedary aromatic wood.

High-toned, crisply sweet-tart. Apricot, almond, maple syrup, narcissus-like flower, cedar in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart structure with bright, juicy acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Resonant, flavor-saturated finish: apricot and narcissus in the short with cedar resurfacing in the long.

Richly sweet with savory undertones. Mulberry, rhododendron, agave syrup, oak, a hint of thyme in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned structure with round, gentle acidity; velvety-smooth mouthfeel. The quiet finish is carried by notes of mulberry, rhododendron and thyme.