Blend Reviews

Richly and sweetly pungent. Concord grape, roasted cacao nib, cedar, hazelnut, lemon blossom in aroma and cup. Brisk, lightly juicy acidity; delicate, satiny mouthfeel. The crisp, nut-toned finish leads with Concord grape notes in the short and cedar in the long, with hazelnut throughout.

Evaluated as espresso. Balanced, sweetly tart. Dark chocolate, pomegranate, Oolong tea, rose-like flowers, almond in aroma and small cup. Delicate, silky mouthfeel. Clean, sweet finish, with a savory resonance. In three parts milk, chocolate tones re-emerge, along with hints of roasted almond.

Evaluated as espresso. Sturdy, balanced, chocolaty. All three reviewers (John DiRuocco 92, Jen Apodaca 94, Ken 92) cited caramel and chocolate; two read a particularly sweet orange (Ken called it orange marmalade). A “chocolate bomb” for John in three parts milk; for Ken the chocolate continued ripely orange-toned.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet-toned, balanced, smooth. Cedar, ripe fig, carob, narcissus-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Syrupy mouthfeel; richly drying finish. In three parts milk crisp fig-toned chocolate dominates, with a continuing hint of flowers.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly roasty, balanced. Cocoa powder, fresh-cut oak, orange zest, roasted almond, lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Full though rather heavy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates to cocoa and almond in the roast-toned finish. In three parts milk, the zesty orange dominates, rounded by continued cocoa and nut.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly tart, pungent. Dried apricot, fir, hazelnut, gardenia, orange zest in aroma and small cup. Lightly juicy, satiny mouthfeel. The tart finish is complicated by apricot notes and fresh-cut fir. Hazelnut, orange zest and gardenia all carry persuasively into three parts milk.

Intensely rich, deeply sweet. Halvah, cedar, rhododendron, lime zest, fresh pipe tobacco in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The gently drying finish centers around sandalwood and pipe tobacco.

Evaluated as espresso. Lively, complex, deeply expressive. Red currant, wisteria, hazelnut butter, lemon zest, chocolate fudge in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel; crisp cocoa- and citrus-toned finish. Chocolate fudge leads in three parts milk, complicated by continued floral resonance.

Evaluated as espresso. Dynamic yet balanced. Jasmine, chocolate, banana, tangerine zest, sandalwood in aroma and small cup. Lightly full, velvety mouthfeel; clean, round finish. Floral top notes shimmer atop deeply rich chocolate in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Balanced, delicately and sweetly tart. Peach, orange zest, lavender, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and small cup. Lightly but buoyantly syrupy mouthfeel; gently tart, drying, lavender-toned finish. Three parts milk both round the fruit toward chocolate while paradoxically emphasizing the blend’s bright, zesty character.

Delicate; quietly intricate. Lemon verbena, almond blossom, fresh-cut cedar, raisin, anise in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet acidity; lightly satiny mouthfeel. The crisp, gently drying finish opens with citrus in the short, with anise and cedar in the long.

Sweet, round, quietly pungent. Molasses, almond, thyme, cocoa powder, orange zest in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The rich, lightly resonant short finish consolidates to orange zest and cocoa in the long.

Sweetly pungent, delicately rich. Candied pecan, cocoa, tangerine, sweet flowers in aroma and cup. Softly bright, balanced acidity; light but very plush mouthfeel. The finish is sweet, deep, and saturated with floral and cocoa suggestions.

Evaluated as espresso produced as a ristretto 25ml (.85-ounce) shot using a Nespresso capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Delicate, savory-sweet. Fresh-cut cedar, a hint of chocolate, orange zest, lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate and cedar linger in a gently drying finish. A lightly-stated, slightly savory chocolate dominates in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Deeply rich and sweet. Chocolate fudge, fig, violet, cinnamon, pistachio in aroma and small cup. Very syrupy, full mouthfeel. Quietly cinnamon-toned chocolate in the short finish, abruptly dropping off in the long. Chocolate, fig and violet notes resurrect nicely in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Deeply and sweetly floral, richly chocolaty. Dark chocolate, gardenia, candied orange zest, almond paste in aroma and small cup. Delicate, silky-smooth mouthfeel. The mild, crisp finish is dominated by candied orange zest in the short, rounding to deep chocolate tones in the long. Maintains its tart sweetness in three parts milk with orange zest complicating and complementing the chocolate notes.

Evaluated as espresso. Balanced, sweet, accessible. Baker’s chocolate, narcissus-like flowers, plum, cedar, a hint of warming spice in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The quietly resonant finish centers around cedar-toned chocolate; the spice note recedes in three parts milk while the narcissus, chocolate and aromatic wood move forward.

Evaluated as espresso. Balanced, deeply and richly sweet. Blood orange zest, hazelnut butter, narcissus, sandalwood, caramel in aroma and small cup. Crisp, velvety mouthfeel. Sweetly tart in the nut-toned short finish; lightly resonant in the citrusy long. Juicy, balanced in three parts milk; floral notes deepen and nut and caramel notes round to chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Deeply and richly pungent. Cedar, dark chocolate, orange zest, peach, lily in aroma and small cup. Smooth, satiny mouthfeel; chocolate and peach carry into a roundly resonant though drying finish. Retains a strong presence in three-parts milk: orange zest and a cedary chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Brisk, roasty, cocoa-toned. Gently scorched oak, apricot, baker’s chocolate, hazelnut in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; cocoa and apricot carry into a richly drying finish and pleasantly dominate in three-parts milk.