Blend Reviews

Evaluated as espresso. Dark chocolate, cedar, roasted nut, vanilla, blackberry in the impressive aroma. The aromatics dry out a bit in the small cup but retain complexity; the mouthfeel is full and robust; the finish richly drying with some flavor persistence. In two parts milk the coffee rather sharply dominates the milk, but it softens and blooms while retaining some complexity in four parts.

Evaluated as espresso. Buttery dark chocolate and hints of flowers, vanilla and cedar in the roundly balanced aroma. In the small cup the cedar comes forward and the chocolate turns crisp and backgrounded. Medium, lightly syrupy mouthfeel; gently and richly drying finish with good persistence of the chocolate note. Crisp and balanced in two parts milk crisp, with excellent flavor persistence: The buttery chocolate dominates with the cedar note once again backgrounded.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet-toned aroma: Banana, crème de menthe, dark chocolate, ripe plum. In the small cup creamy mouthfeel with rich depth and balance; the chocolate turns caramelly and the fruit richer and sweeter, complicated by a hint of anise. Flavor persists in a resonant finish. Excellent flavor in two parts milk: dark chocolate, plum, mint.

Quiet and roundly deep. Night flowers, honey, plum, hints of roasted nut and chocolate. Crisp, backgrounded acidity; impressively full, syrupy mouthfeel. Nut, plum and chocolate in particular carry into a rich finish.

Complex, richly theatrical blend. Sweet, honeysuckle-like flowers, pronounced brandy-toned blueberry, hints of mint, dark chocolate, cedar. Round, crisply rich acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor sustains in the short finish, fades slightly in the long.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a Keurig-compatible capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving): Delicate but subtly complex aroma and flavor: dark chocolate, fresh-cut fir, prune, fresh earth. Brisk, bittersweet acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Rich, sweet though drying finish with some flavor persistence.

Very atypical aroma and flavor. Richly charred oak, overripe tomato, musk and faint floral and pear notes point toward a sort of minty, vegetal dark chocolate. Muted acidity; rather lean mouthfeel. A drying astringency dominates in the finish, drowning out sweetness and flavor.

Sharply and richly pungent. Scorched cedar, rosemary-like herb, hidey leather, with hints of floral top notes. Bittersweet, backgrounded acidity; very lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor almost resolves into chocolate in a sweet but heavily astringent finish.

Lush honey and blueberry balanced by crisper notes of roasted cocoa nib and fresh-cut cedar. A hint of flowers. Sweetly bright acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Round, gently flavor-saturated finish.

Comfortable, inviting cup combines a cedary black-currant pungency, dark chocolate sweetness and a vanilla-like floral freshness. Delicate, crisply balanced acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Quietly sweet-toned, resonant finish.

Solid, comfortable cup. Black-currant crispness and gently pungent cedar rounded by honey and a hint of chocolate in aroma and flavor. Brisk, floral-toned acidity; silky mouthfeel. Straightforward, quietly rich finish.

Poised and balanced; sweet-toned. Nut-toned chocolate, caramel and vanilla notes dominate, but a sweet, rather opulent table grape sensation deepens and complicates the profile. Gentle, delicate acidity; round, rather creamy-textured mouthfeel. The essential sweetness of this coffee carries far into the long finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Balanced, richly complex, distinctive. Vanilla, hazelnut, candied ginger, dark chocolate and ripe, orangy raspberry in aroma and small cup. Full, round mouthfeel; raspberry, ginger and dark chocolate particularly saturate the finish. Preserves richness and complexity two parts milk.

Heavily scorched wood dominates in aroma and cup, with hints of faded chocolate, clove and molasses. Acidity is folded inside the scorched pungency of the roast; mouthfeel is light and leanish. The finish is bittersweet and drying.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, balanced, tart. Sweet dark chocolate and deep, almost savory floral tones balanced by tart berry in aroma and small cup. Smooth, lightly creamy mouthfeel. A buttery chocolate dominates in the finish and carries with pungent authority into two parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Impressively sweet and complex. Roundly low-acid fruit (plum, banana, and grape), crisp citrus and earthy chocolate in aroma and small cup. Balanced, lightly creamy mouthfeel; rich, bittersweet fruit in the finish. Pungently authoritative in two parts milk with continuing suggestions of fruit, chocolate and citrus.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a "K-Cup" capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving). Subtle night flowers and faint chocolate play out against a roasty backdrop in the aroma. The flowers persist and the chocolate turns sweet and caramelly in the cup. A hint of juiciness in a roast-muted acidity. Light but smooth mouthfeel. Sweet charry roastiness in the finish.

Sweetly crisp, gentle. Fresh-cut cedar, molasses-influenced dark chocolate and a hint of flowers in aroma and cup. Roundly soft acidity; lightish but supple mouthfeel. Cleanly sweet finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Complex; rich yet delicate. Dark chocolate, cedar, orangy citrus, floral top notes in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy body; round, deep, quietly flavor-saturated finish. Surprisingly lean in two parts milk, though a pleasant chocolate note and a hint of flowers persist.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, balanced, deep. Nut, vanilla and chocolate in the aroma. In the small cup gains complexity and depth: dark chocolate, raisin, fresh-cut fir, bright berry. Creamy mouthfeel; sweet chocolate- and fir-toned finish. Sweet and delicately rich in two parts milk.