Espresso Reviews

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.

Evaluated as espresso produced in a 40ml/1.35-ounce shot by the Rivo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated separately using a conventional steam wand. Soft, simple, chocolaty. Distinct chocolate, hints of orange and cedar in aroma and small cup. Smooth, slightly lean mouthfeel. Flavor fades in the short finish, but a pleasant hint of chocolate revives in the long. Delicate in three parts milk with the chocolate sensation showing some richness and hints of complexity.

Evaluated as espresso produced in the Nespresso-recommended standard 40ml (1.35-ounce) shot by a Nespresso capsule espresso brewer and with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Sweet-toned, with distinct floral and fruit – mango, apricot – notes in aroma and small cup. Very lightly syrupy mouthfeel; the finish is sweet, clean, simple. Fades a bit in three parts milk, though a delicate floral-toned chocolate persists.

Evaluated as espresso produced in a Nespresso-recommended ristretto 25ml (.85-ounce) shot by a Nespresso capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Rich, deep, dark chocolaty. Hints of cedar and perhaps lemon. The mouthfeel is full, perhaps a bit heavy. Clean, simple, rather deep finish. Imparts a sweet, wood-toned chocolate and syrupy mouthfeel to three parts whole milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet chocolate, pronounced fruit (green grape, ripe apple, peach), almond, and vanilla-like florals, lightly expressed in aroma and richly expressed in the small cup. Full body and silky mouthfeel. Flavor simplifies in the finish, settling toward a crisp chocolate. In three parts milk the small cup’s strengths transform nicely, showing a delicate but distinct buttery chocolate and fine vanilla.

Evaluated as espresso. Dark chocolate, sweet yam, vanilla, roasted chestnut, ripe orange in quiet aroma and vivid, flamboyant flavor. Rich, syrupy mouthfeel. The chocolate and orange resonate in a rich finish and carry rather quietly into three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Complex, savory-sweet. Sweet herb (lavender and sage), dark chocolate, rich molasses, allspice and cinnamon in aroma and more pronounced in the small cup. Creamy mouthfeel. Crisp chocolate and lavender persist in a rich finish. Complexly expressed dry chocolate in three parts milk, nuanced by malt and floral herb suggestions.

Evaluated as espresso. Lushly floral and brightly fruit-toned. Jasmine, raspberry, lime, crisp roasted cacao nib in aroma and small cup. Light, silky mouthfeel; sweet, richly drying finish. In three parts milk the cacao notes fatten to a dry chocolate, the tart fruit ripens and rounds.

Reviewed as espresso. Sweetly and roundly bright. Cherry, plum, cedar, buttery dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Lively, lightly creamy mouthfeel. The buttery dark chocolate moves forward in a balanced, gently rich finish. In three parts milk the chocolate triumphs again, fatter and roundly fruit-toned.

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.

Evaluated as espresso. Aromatic cedar, dark chocolate, orange, fresh-turned earth in aroma and small cup. Velvety mouthfeel; flavor consolidates but persists in a rich finish. Orange and an earthy, cedar-toned chocolate in particular persist in three parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet-toned; lively but deep. Chocolate, almond-paste, tangerine and plum notes with vanilla hints in aroma and, more pronounced, in the small cup. Syrupy body; the finish is resonant though gently drying and eucalyptus-toned. The chocolate and citrus further sweeten and soften in three parts milk; the plum note turns delicately floral.

Evaluated as espresso. Immense, sweet, lushly complex. Rich chocolate, pineapple, banana, cherry jam and floral notes in aroma and small cup. Light but smoothly syrupy mouthfeel; sweet, flavor-saturated finish. Flavor persists comprehensively in three parts milk with particularly pronounced floral tones.

Reviewed as espresso. Quiet, round, chocolaty. Butter, dark chocolate, plum/apricot and a hint of raisin in aroma and small cup. Smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. A hint of chocolate carries into a delicate, drying finish. In three parts milk the dark chocolate continues to dominate, with a backgrounded apricot-like fruit.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken (93) and his co-taster (93) both admired this roundly and very discreetly roast-influenced espresso. They found the aroma deeply pungent, the flavor complex with a wide range of sensation: raisin, apricot, flowers, fresh-cut cedar, “crisp, fresh berry” (co-taster). Ken particularly admired the full, syrupy (for the co-taster buttery) mouthfeel. Long, sweet, cedary (Ken’s word) finish. The co-taster in particular made a case for this espresso in three parts milk, where it showed chocolate and a fresh, sugar-cane-like sweetness.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken (91) liked this bright, zesty espresso; his co-taster (92) liked it even better. Both admired the citrus and floral vivacity of the aroma and flavor. Ken and his co-taster both accepted the smooth though rather light mouthfeel as an appropriate complement to the lively aromatics; both enjoyed the emergence of a lower-toned fruit (fig, roasted cacao nib) in the finish. Ken found the sweet-citrus impact in three parts milk a bit more pleasing than his co-taster did, though the co-taster offered an apt descriptor for it: “key lime pie.”

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 (93) and his co-taster (91) admired the wine-like intensity of this dried-in-the-fruit profile, though Ken read more complexity, in particular floral top notes, in flavor and finish. Both tasters cited a creamy mouthfeel and consistent finish. Especially impressive in three parts milk, where the shot bloomed with a complex expression of fruit-toned chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Both Ken (93) and his co-taster (91) enjoyed this crisp and rather cleanly wine- and brandy-toned dried-in-the-fruit profile, though Ken enjoyed it two rating points more. The co-taster read “berries, pineapple and dried fruits” in the small cup; Ken’s associations ran to parallel descriptors of grape, orange, apricot and fresh-cut cedar. Both admired the shot in three parts milk, citing a deep, balanced sweetness that for Ken was pleasantly viscous and “banana-like.”

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.