Espresso Reviews

Evaluated as espresso. Crisply cocoa-toned, sweetly nutty. Cocoa powder, walnut, molasses, pie cherry, fir in aroma and small cup. Taut, lightly satiny mouthfeel; gently drying, wood-framed finish. In cappuccino format, richly chocolaty with undertones of walnut and molasses.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisply chocolaty, rich-toned. Baking chocolate, scorched mesquite, freesia, date, cashew in aroma and cup. Crisp, velvety mouthfeel; sweetly smoky, chocolaty finish. Chocolaty, nut-toned finish. In cappuccino format, rich, almost fudgelike chocolate predominates.

Evaluated as espresso. Chocolaty, quietly fruit-toned. Baking chocolate, goji berry, lemon verbena, nasturtium, fir in aroma and small cup. Creamy-rich mouthfeel; crisp, spice-toned, wood-framed finish. In three parts milk, balanced, sweetly chocolaty with undertones of goji berry and lemon verbena.

Evaluated as espresso. Deeply sweet, richly savory. Dark chocolate, salted almond nougat, tangerine zest, cedar, sorghum syrup in aroma and small cup. Crisp, lightly satiny mouthfeel; chocolaty finish with cedar undertones. In cappuccino format, tangerine zest notes are a good counterpoint to sweet dark chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich-toned, crisply chocolaty. Baking chocolate, pralines, black cherry, pink grapefruit, almond butter in aroma and small cup. Full, velvety mouthfeel; chocolaty, gently citrusy finish. In cappuccino format, both chocolaty and bright.

Evaluated as espresso. Savory-sweet with a tart edge. Delicate chocolate and lemon, apricot, fir, savory-edged blackberry in aroma and small cup. In mouthfeel, full though rather dense in texture. Clean, rich, simple finish. In three-parts milk, straightforward, chocolate-toned.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly sweet, deep-toned. Date, pomegranate, chocolate fudge, gently scorched cedar, tangerine zest in aroma and small cup. Plush, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel; chocolaty, sweetly tart finish. In cappuccino format, pomegranate notes stand up to milk and chocolate lingers on and on.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisply chocolate, delicately floral. Lilac, baking chocolate, hazelnut, orange zest, cedar in aroma and small cup. Lightly satiny mouthfeel; chocolaty finish with hints of orange zest. In cappuccino format, floral notes are amplified in harmony with baking chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly tart, gently earthy. Blackberry, baking chocolate, lemon verbena, pipe tobacco, fresh-cut fir in aroma and small cup. Crisp, velvety mouthfeel; earthy-sweet, citrusy-herbal finish. In three parts milk, notes of pipe tobacco and lemon verbena harmonize, supported by baking chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Deeply sweet, crisply chocolaty. Dark chocolate, date, almond, maple syrup, cedar in aroma and small cup. Crisp, satiny mouthfeel; chocolaty, nut-toned finish. In cappuccino format, rich-toned and deeply chocolaty.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly chocolaty, deeply sweet-savory. Black cherry, hop flowers, magnolia, date, hint of teriyaki in aroma and small cup. Creamy mouthfeel; floral finish with savory undertones. In cappuccino format, savory impulses are all but subsumed in sweet floral notes.

Evaluated as espresso. Complex, multi-toned. Chocolate fudge, black cherry, almond blossom, sandalwood, pipe tobacco in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel; very sweet, chocolaty finish. In three parts milk, richly complex with wide-ranging floral and fruit notes, all supported by deep chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly savory-sweet. Candycap mushroom, roasted cashew, kiwi, amber, baking chocolate in aroma and small cup. Crisp, satiny mouthfeel; umami-driven finish with notes of candycap mushroom and amber. In cappuccino format, chocolate notes assume center stage, supported by kiwi and cashew.

Evaluated as espresso. Bright, vibrant, chocolaty. Dark chocolate, magnolia, red currant, cedar, lemon verbena in aroma and small cup. Crisp, satiny-smooth mouthfeel; chocolaty, citrusy-herbaceous finish. In cappuccino format, rich-toned, chocolaty and floral.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisply chocolaty, rich-toned. Baking chocolate, caramel, pomegranate, lily, cedar in aroma and small cup. Velvety-smooth mouthfeel. Caramelly, gently tart finish. In cappuccino format, nicely chocolaty with lily and cedar undertones.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly tart, richly chocolaty. Cocoa powder, Fig Newton, black cherry, cedar, hazelnut in aroma and small cup. Crisp, sattiny mouthfeel; cocoa-toned, nutty finish. In cappuccino format, richly sweet and fruit-driven.

Evaluated as espresso. Co-taster John DiRuocco and Ken both found a sweetly tangy intrigue animating this plush, satiny bodied espresso, and rewarded it with 95s. Ken called it rich pistachio; John favored musky, mango-like tropical fruit. For both tasters, the pistachio/mango notes impressively sweetened and moved forward in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet grapefruit and orange blossom notes shimmer inside a deeply expressed chocolate in aroma and cup. Velvety mouthfeel. Ken and co-taster John DiRuocco shared parallel descriptors and the same 95-point enthusiasm for this poised, resonantly finishing espresso. Floral-toned chocolate with a continued grapefruit hint graces three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. This was Ken’s favorite in the tasting; he had it at 96 with a 10 for aroma. Co-taster John DiRuocco was a bit less enthusiastic at 94. The difference may have been their reading of the striking floral herb notes. Ken experienced them as exhilarating sweet lavender while John read them as a pleasant but drier eucalyptus. But both overall admired this sweetly citrusy, walnut-toned, brightly chocolaty espresso whose character resonates through the finish and retains character impressively in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Resonant, layered berry (blueberry, raspberry), vanilla-toned flowers, papaya, a hint of cinnamon jostle in aroma and in the cup, where aromatics are suspended in a layered structure of complex bitter, sweet, tart and savory tastes. Ken (94) liked this velvety, viscous espresso a bit better than co-taster John DiRuocco (93). The complexity consolidates a bit in three parts milk, where flavor settles in with quiet certainty around a pronounced chocolate.