Espresso Reviews

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, musky, pungent. Dark chocolate, rose, anise, cedar, a hint of orange in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel; hints of the chocolate, rose and orange carry into a sweet, very gently drying finish. Dry, spicy chocolate dominates in three parts milk; the chocolate rounds and blooms in longer milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly tart; deep. Tangerine, roasted cacao nib, fresh-cut cedar, musky lily in aroma and small cup. Lean but silky mouthfeel; hints of musk and dry chocolate carry into sweet though drying finish. A crisply dry chocolate dominates in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Cedary, complex, quietly lively. Dark chocolate, cedar, anise, lemon drop, lavender in aroma and small cup. Light, creamy mouthfeel; chocolate and lavender in particular carry into a rich finish. Chocolate recedes in favor of the lavender and sweet lemon in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, deep, balanced. Dark chocolate, apricot, cedar, hazelnut, anise, a hint of lily in aroma and small cup. Velvety mouthfeel; flavor consolidates in a sweet though richly drying finish. Fills out three parts milk nicely with a sweetly tart, cedary chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, musky, pungent. Baker’s chocolate, apricot, mint, lily in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; the chocolate note carries into a rich though drying finish. Crisp and balanced in three parts milk, with continued chocolate and apricot suggestions.

Evaluated as espresso. Deeply sweet yet richly tart; intricate. Bakers’ chocolate, raspberry, blood orange, lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Plump, velvety mouthfeel. Lightly resonant, savory-sweet finish. In three parts milk, buttery cocoa, tart fruit and big floral notes.

Balanced, quietly complex. Roasted cacoa nib, lavender, fresh-cut cedar, blood orange in aroma and small cup. Plump, velvety mouthfeel. Hints of cacao-nib, lavender and cedar surface in a resonant finish. Crisply cocoa-and fruit-toned in three-parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Deep, pungent, complex. Dark chocolate, black cherry, musky lily, hints of oak and thyme in aroma and small cup. Plump, satiny mouthfeel. Lily and oak in particular carry into a crisply sweet finish. Maintains pungent authority in three parts milk: fudgy chocolate, cherry, oak.

Reviewed as espresso. Deep, sweetly pungent, round. Dark chocolate, fresh-cut cedar, hints of plum, anise and lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Syrupy mouthfeel; the cedar note in particular carries into a resonant finish. Maintains a fat, balanced presence in three parts milk, led by a dry dark chocolate.

Reviewed as espresso. Balanced, quietly complex, complete. Apricot, chocolate, vanilla, narcissus-like flowers, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Silky mouthfeel. Crisp, cedar-toned finish. Flowers and chocolate persist with pleasing clarity in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Pungent, deep. Dark chocolate, fresh-cut cedar, hazelnut, rosemary in aroma and small cup. Heavy, syrupy mouthfeel; richly drying finish. Crisply sweet – nuts and chocolate – in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Brightly juicy, sweetly floral. Honey, tangerine, red-currant jelly, lilac, backgrounded chocolate fudge in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish, sweet and richly drying, consolidates around citrus and chocolate. Smoothly bright and balanced in three parts milk – delicate chocolate, creamy citrus, a continuing hint of flowers.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, deep, balanced. Dark chocolate, grapefruit, fresh-cut cedar, crisp flowers – lavender, freesia – in aroma and small cup. Heavy, syrupy, almost chewy mouthfeel; dark chocolate and cedar in a rich though drying finish. Strong presence in three parts milk: dark chocolate, cedar, flowers, anise.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly tart, chocolaty. Black cherry, apricot, dark chocolate, narcissus and lily, hints of spice in aroma and small cup. Light, satiny mouthfeel; tartly fruit- and spice-toned finish. A pleasing, lively, fruit-nuanced chocolate dominates in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Tart, rich, complex. Dark chocolate, blood orange, sandalwood, narcissus-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; sandalwood, citrus and flowers carry into a dry but resonant finish. Softens yet retains its tart richness in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Exhilaratingly bright without sharpness; juicy. Mango, pineapple, roasted cacao nib, honeysuckle-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Lively, effervescent mouthfeel. The pineapple fruit softens and the cacao nib deepens toward chocolate in a long, very sweet finish. In three parts milk the tropical fruit notes turn almost buttery: think ripe papaya.

Evaluated as espresso. Wide-ranging complexity. Strawberry, cedar, walnut, dark chocolate, narcissus-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Slight savory suggestion. Big, syrupy mouthfeel; sweet floral notes carry into a sweetly and richly pungent finish. Narcissus, chocolate and cedar all move persuasively into three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Balanced, deep. Buttery dark chocolate, lush, lily-like flowers, orange, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and small cup. Plush though rather light mouthfeel. Hints of chocolate, lily and orange carry into a brisk, mildly drying finish. Crisply sweet and cocoa-toned in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Lush tropical fruit and tart berry dominates with a chocolaty depth that for co-taster Ethan Hill (94) evoked “chocolate-covered raisin and tropical fruit.” Ken (94) for his part cited cleanly sweet alcohol suggestions (“fruity cabernet”), and both remarked on a sweetly tart pineapple top note that carried throughout the profile. For both tasters the mouthfeel was “plush [and] velvety,” the finish a bit drying but still saturated with the fruit and chocolate suggestions. In three parts milk the fruit and chocolate rounded but persisted with satisfying continuity.

Evaluated as espresso. Big, complex, tartly pungent. Co-taster Ethan Hill (93) remarked on deeply expressed flowers, a very slightly fermenty berry note, and a musky, slightly savory hint. Both Ethan and Ken (92) found the cup “richly and sweetly tart,” though Ken apparently found the tart character a bit less appealing than did Ethan. Mouthfeel was “plush” (Ethan), the aftertaste deep and tartly complex for both tasters, though again, Ken would probably have appreciated the cup finishing on a slightly rounder note. In three parts milk both found the tart intensity untamed and “bordering on bracing” (Ethan).