Africa Reviews

Extraordinarily lush, nectar-like fruit; cherry, black currant, nectarine; balanced by a crisp, roasted cocoa nib and roasted malt notes. Balanced, lively acidity; full, plush mouthfeel. Flavor simplifies but remains resonantly present in a long, rich finish.

Intense, crisp, juicy. Tartly sweet berry notes -- black berry, black currant; lush flowers, honey, roasted cocoa nib in aroma and cup. Rich, balanced acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor carries deep into a long, resonant finish.

Succulent, richly intricate. Wild strawberry, dried blueberry, rich mousse-like chocolate, fresh ginseng, lush flowers in aroma and cup. Complete, exhilarating acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor-saturated finish, crisply drying with a persistent ginseng note.

Sweet, deep, fermenty. Very ripe blueberry and strawberry, minty dark chocolate, brandy, walnut in aroma and cup. Round, rich acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. A savory edge in the cup turns more prominent in a drying finish.

Crisply sweet, quietly complex. Chocolate, night-blooming flowers, vanilla, raspberry-like fruit in aroma and cup. Tart but juicy acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but carries well into a rich, long finish.

Lush, crisply juicy. Lavish, complex floral notes matrixed in ripe, lemony citrus, chocolate, a pungent hint of cedar. Sweetly bright, lively acidity; silky mouthfeel. Long, flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Pungent, deep, richly tart. Dark chocolate, apricot, roasted nut, orangy cedar in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a resonant finish. Dominates two parts milk; perhaps shows best in four parts or taller milk, which rounds the tart pungency and better develops the sweetness in the chocolate.

Crisply but lushly sweet and fruit-toned. Narcissus-like flowers, blueberry, cidery peach, roasted cocoa nib in aroma and cup. Softly crisp acidity; full, lively mouthfeel. The floral and blueberry notes carry into a gently drying, bittersweet finish.

Intensely sweet, complex fruit (marmalade-like orange, plum, blackberry) and flowers (rose, lavender) in aroma and particularly cup. Lushly bright, juicy acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but sustains in a long, deep finish.

Complex, intense, classic. Pungent black currant, blackberry, plum, night-blooming flowers, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Sweetly balanced, lavishly rich acidity. Big, syrupy mouthfeel. The pungent berry notes in particular carry into a deep, long, flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly tart yet profoundly sweet. Raspberry-toned dark chocolate, orange or tangerine marmalade, crisp cedar, a hint of flowers in aroma and small cup. Full, buttery mouthfeel. Flavor rounds without losing its complexity or sweetly tart authority in two- to four-parts milk.

Deep, rich, resonantly low-toned. Minty chocolate, agave syrup, dried fig, a hint of rose-like flowers in aroma and cup. Round, quiet acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate and fig in particular carry into a long finish.

Bright, sweetly tart. Orange zest and fresh-cut fir softened by a backgrounded dark chocolate and molasses in aroma and cup. A hint of jasmine. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; crisp, flavor-saturated finish.

Complex but harmonious. Honey and a very sweet citrus suggesting candied lemon dominate in aroma and cup, with complications of almond, fresh-cut fir and a soft caramel. Smoothly and sweetly tart acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Deep, flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. In the straight shot complex floral notes ranging from lavender to lily, honey, fresh-cut cedar, vanilla-toned dark chocolate. The mouthfeel is medium in weight and lightly syrupy in texture; the finish sweet and resonantly persistent. Preserves character in two parts milk with a zesty orange-toned chocolate and a continuing hint of flowers.

Sweetly tart, complexly floral. Honey, honeysuckle, lavender, hints of barley and fir in aroma and cup. Soft but brisk acidity; light but very silky mouthfeel. The finish is flavor-saturated and quite rich and deep for such a delicate coffee.

Sweetly tart, richly dry. Blackberry and black currant notes dominate in aroma and cup, supported by hints of flowers, honey and cedar. Round, complexly expressed acidity; very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a sweet-toned, resonant finish.

Sweet, lyrical, meadowy. Honey, meadow flowers, richly pungent moist pipe tobacco, a hint of toffee in aroma and in cup, where the flowers deepen and sweeten toward an opulent honeysuckle. Delicate but lushly soft acidity; lightly silky mouthfeel. Very rich, honeyish finish with a savory hint.

Evaluated as espresso. Deep, sweet-toned aroma: dark chocolate, butter, leather, a hint of pineapple. In the small cup the pineapply fruit note moves forward and dry anise and cedar notes complicate the sweet chocolate. The buttery smoothness of the aroma reasserts itself in a very persistent, complex finish. Rather light, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Very fine in three parts milk: buttery chocolate, pineapply fruit, richly balance.

Crisply sweet, extravagantly aromatic. Honey, rose-like flowers, orange, almond, a hint of fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Delicate, balanced acidity; silky, lively mouthfeel. Floral notes in particular sustain in a flavor-saturated, slightly drying finish.