Espresso Reviews

Evaluated as espresso. Both co-taster Ethan Hill (93) and Ken (92) remarked on the subtle, intricate layering of aroma and flavor, which for Ethan involved “lilac, lavender, blackberry … almond.” Both found mouthfeel relatively light but “satiny” (Ethan), the general structure delicate and balanced, the finish softly resonant and berry-toned. Both Ethan and Ken felt the general poise and quiet intricacy of this coffee carried persuasively into three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Both co-taster Ethan Hill (92) and Ken (92) remarked on distinct chocolate, sweetly tart berry and fresh-cut cedar notes. Ken found lavender as well. “Sweet, chocolate-covered cherry” added Ethan. Rather crisply bright for both tasters, with a smooth (“syrupy,” “plush”) mouthfeel and a fine floral and cocoa finish. Filled out three parts milk with tart berry and a balancing sweet chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Very discreetly and mildly roast-toned. Ken (93) found the hint of roast fine, maybe even refreshing given all of the bright, lighter-roasted espressos he tastes, but Ethan (91) was not entirely happy with the roasty suggestions. Chocolaty and floral yes, but he also found the blend “bittersweet,” “dry”, even “gritty,” and “lacking complexity overall.” The term “dry” found its way into Ken’s notes as well, but nevertheless he appreciated the chocolate, the caramel, the raisin, the flowers and for him a pleasant hint of anise. True, Ethan did fall in line with Ken when it came to sampling the blend in three parts milk, where both found the chocolate and caramel notes appealing and the floral notes surprisingly clear and persistent.

Evaluated as espresso. Although co-taster Ethan Hill (92) and Ken (92) gave this blend the same rating, Ken was a bit more enthusiastic than Ethan. Both agreed it was a crisply bright, floral-toned espresso (honeysuckle and gardenia for Ethan) with a light, silky mouthfeel. Ethan found a sweet corn undertone in the flavor, Ken a brown sugar note. Both were impressed by the flowers in the “refreshingly resonant” finish (Ethan). In three parts milk Ethan felt the floral brightness clashed a bit with the dairy, though the cup remained “quaintly drinkable”. Ken, on the other hand, felt the milk nicely softened and rounded the brisk, complex flowers.

Evaluated as espresso. Co-cupper Ethan Hill (92) and Ken (92) equally valued this espresso, but read it slightly differently. For Ethan it was a fundamentally sweet cup (“maple syrup”) with layered complexity: blackberry, chocolate, almond. For Ken a crisp, lively, slightly bitterish edge (roasted cacao nib, lavender) complicated the sweetness throughout. Both agreed that the mouthfeel was plump and syrupy. For Ethan the finish was sweet all the way; for Ken it was a touch drying. In three parts milk again Ethan emphasized the sweetness (“retained a nice marshmallow sweetness”) while Ken cited a brisk cocoa-and-lavender character.

Evaluated as espresso. Co-taster Ethan Hill (92) and Ken (92) ended with the same score for this blend though their descriptors varied rather dramatically. Ethan’s emphasized flowers and fruit, Ken’s sandalwood and nut, though both cited a fine, elegant dry cacao note. Both found a refined brightness -- “piquant green grape acidity” according to Ethan – and a light though very smooth mouthfeel. A gentle tart character dominated in three-parts milk but pleasantly so, well-nuanced with cacao, cedar and orangy fruit.

Evaluated as espresso. Exhilaratingly floral. For Ken (92) the flowers were explicit – rose, lily, lavender – whereas for co-taster Ethan Hill (92) the floral character was indirect, expressed in notes of peach, nectarine and coriander. Both valued a sweetly pungent sandalwood character enveloping the foreground floral/fruit notes, and both described the mouthfeel as silky but quite light and the finish bright and mildly drying. Flavor carried with perhaps surprising balance into three parts milk, softening while preserving a brisk floral-and-fruit complexity.

Evaluated as espresso. For both Ken (92) and co-taster Ethan Hill (91) high-toned floral notes and rather bright fruit (nectarine, strawberry) distinguished this complex blend. Very light but buoyant, almost effervescent mouthfeel. Along with fruit and flowers Ken identified a brisk roasted cacao-nib note that for him softened to chocolate in an otherwise rather drying finish. In three parts milk Ethan felt the floral character was muted and the acidity too assertive and out of balance; Ken, on the other hand, found the brisk cacao-and-flowers complex rather pleasing in milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Both co-taster Ethan Hill (92) and Ken (92) were impressed with deep, pungent aromatic wood notes (sandalwood, cedar) and rich fig and date suggestions. Ken found further complication: musky flowers and chocolate. Ethan felt that the low-toned richness turned rather barley-like in the finish, though for Ken it remained chocolaty. Both were impressed by the blend in three parts milk; for Ken it displayed a “flower-nuanced cocoa and cedar.”

Evaluated as espresso produced as a ristretto 25ml (.85-ounce) shot by a Nespresso capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Gently bright, cleanly crisp. Pear, roasted cacao nib, fresh-cut fir, a hint of wisteria-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Smooth though rather lean mouthfeel. The cacao-nib note in particular lingers in a delicate finish and predictably sweetens and rounds toward chocolate in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Vibrantly rich, sweet, intense. Chocolate fudge, passion-fruit, mango, jasmine, sandalwood in aroma and small cup. Smooth, silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around cocoa and sandalwood in a resonant, slightly drying finish. Chocolate dominates in three parts milk with continued hints of passion-fruit and mango.

Reviewed as espresso. Opulent and pungent; complete. Cherry, spicy oak, dark chocolate, lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Full, buttery mouthfeel; richly drying finish. Oak, chocolate and flowers sustain in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Deep, richly sweet. Chocolate fudge, mango, wisteria, vanilla in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is crisply dry; flavor consolidates as a cedar-toned chocolate. Richly chocolaty in three-parts milk with continued hints of fruit and flowers.

Evaluated as espresso. Deep, pungent, cedary. Fudgy dark chocolate, fresh-cut cedar, peach, hints of wisteria and vanilla in aroma and small cup. Creamy mouthfeel; cedar and chocolate carry into a rather drying finish. Particularly fine in three parts milk, where the chocolate richly dominates, nuanced by continued peach and cedar suggestions.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweetly pungent, chocolate- and nut-toned. Chocolate, hazelnut, fresh-cut fir, orange, raisin in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; orange and chocolate in particular carry into a richly drying finish. Excellent in three-parts milk, where the chocolate amplifies and the hazelnut takes on a vanilla-like sweetness.

Evaluated as espresso. Chocolaty, deep. Dark chocolate, lively fresh-cut cedar, anise, musky flowers in aroma and small cup. Full though drying mouthfeel; crisply chocolate-toned, resonant finish. Chocolate carries nicely into three parts milk, turning nutty and buttery with continued cedar and musk complications.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisply and richly sweet, balanced. Dark chocolate, plum, fresh-cut cedar, a hint of lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Syrupy, buoyant mouthfeel. A round, resonant short finish turns a bit drying in the long. Chocolate, cedar and a hint of plum carry with crisp authority into three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp, sweetly pungent, quietly complex. Dark chocolate, tangerine, rich-toned cedar, lily-like flowers in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel; crisp finish. Fills out three parts milk nicely, with fat mouthfeel and good persistence of chocolate, cedar and tangerine notes.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet, pungent but balanced. Buttery dark chocolate, candied blood orange, apricot, deep-toned narcissus-like flowers. Full, fudgy mouthfeel; chocolate and a hint of flowers carry into a richly drying finish. Blooms nicely in three parts milk, which sweetens and softens the chocolate without dampening the fine fruit and floral complication.

Evaluated as espresso. Smooth, balanced. Caramel, roasted cacao-nib, honeysuckle-like flowers, apricot, star anise in aroma and small cup. Smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel; quiet, very sweet finish. In three parts milk a gently caramelly chocolate dominates, with hints of star anise and apricot.