Central America Reviews

Lovely balance; complete. Caramelly chocolate, grapefruity citrus, delicate, meadowy flowers in aroma and cup. Gently bright acidity; plush mouthfeel. Caramel and grapefruit in particular carry into a sweet-toned finish.

Sweetly tart, subtly floral. Honey, candied lemon, hints of rose-like flowers and roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Gently brisk acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor saturates a rich, slightly drying finish.

Rich, round, sweet-toned but briskly dry. Cedary chocolate, maple sugar, plum, roasted nut in aroma and cup. Pronounced but balanced acidity; smooth-textured though drying mouthfeel. Flavor carries powerfully into a long, distinctly drying finish.

Delicately rich, sweet-toned. Distinct carob-like chocolate, brown sugar, hints of ripe citrus and spicy aromatic wood – sandalwood perhaps – in aroma and cup. Quiet, vibrant acidity; plushly full mouthfeel. Flavor carries almost intact into a round, sweet-toned finish.

Sweetly crisp, briskly floral. Cedar, roasted cacao nib, pungently lavender-like flowers, peach-like fruit in aroma and cup. Clean, crisp acidity; lightly syrupy, lively mouthfeel. Long, flavor-saturated finish.

Pungent, rich, complex. Fresh-cut cedar, fruit-toned, bittersweet dark chocolate, blueberry, lily-like flowers in aroma and cup. Crisp, straightforward acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is slightly savory and salty but deeply sweet as well, with impressive flavor persistence.

Crisply complex. Butter, cherry, pungent cedar, dark chocolate, a hint of sweet dusk-blooming flowers in aroma and cup. Round, floral-toned acidity; light but very silky mouthfeel. Deep, flavor-saturated, though distinctly dry finish.

Deep, pungent, savory-sweet. Orange, cedar, butter, flowers (jasmine, lavender) in aroma and cup. Delicate, sweetly brisk acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. A chocolate hint turns up in a balanced, gently rich finish.

Intensely and lushly pungent. Dark chocolate, cedar, lychee-like fruit, lilac in aroma and cup. Brisk, low-toned but vibrant acidity; full, satiny, lively mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists in a rich, very mildly drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso produced in a 30ml/1-ounce shot by a Verismo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated separately using a conventional steam wand, not with milk from the Verismo milk capsule. Pungent, roundly bright. Fir, butter, dark chocolate in aroma and small cup. Smooth but slightly lean mouthfeel; crisp, sweet, slightly drying finish. In three parts whole milk displays a muted but sweet fir-toned chocolate.

Crisply sweet, subtly refined. Apple, white raisin, delicate nut-toned chocolate, lavender and rose in aroma and cup. Richly brisk acidity; lightly smooth and syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a gently drying finish.

Sweet-toned, pungent. Honey, night-blooming flowers, fresh-cut cedar, cherryish chocolate in aroma and cup. Rich, dry acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate and flowers carry into a complex but drying finish.

Briskly sweet, floral-toned. Cinnamon, orange blossom, orange zest, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Crisp acidity; silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a drying though rich finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Pungently sweet. Fresh-cut cedar, caramelly dark chocolate, apricot, a hint of flowers in aroma and small cup. Light but smoothly silky mouthfeel; flavor consolidates in a rich finish. In three parts milk delicate and rather drying, with sweet chocolate notes nicely nuanced by apricot and flowers.

Crisp, sweet-toned, delicate. Honey, orange, hazelnut, lavender. Finely balanced, delicate acidity; light but very silky mouthfeel. Flavor fades in the finish, but gracefully with gentle richness.

Complex nut notes (walnut, pecan), cedar, butter, and a floral top note in aroma and cup. Quiet, brisk acidity; lightish but very silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but maintains in a sweet, gently drying finish.

Balanced structure; fresh, complex aromatics. Brisk, lavender-like flowers, hazelnut, sweet spice, a hint of dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Round, gently rich acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Sweet, flavor-saturated short finish; dries and fades very slightly in the long.

Deep, sweet-toned, gently pungent. Dark chocolate in particular dominates in aroma and cup, with hints of raisin, fresh-cut pine and mint. Round, resonant acidity; smooth mouthfeel. Very sweet in the finish, with raisin and chocolate notes in particular persisting.

Evaluated as espresso. In the small cup both Ken (91) and his co-taster (92) admired the bright, refreshing fruit (strawberry in particular) rounded by a fudgy chocolate, an impressively syrupy mouthfeel, and a flavor-saturated but clean finish. Vivacious in three parts milk: orange zest and caramel.

Evaluated as espresso. Both Ken (91) and his co-taster (90) admired a gently bright, citrus-and-berry character in the small cup; Ken found distinct floral suggestions as well. A dark chocolate note emerged clearly and perhaps surprisingly in the finish. Citrus, chocolate and (for Ken) flowers all carried with grace into three parts milk.