Espresso Reviews

Evaluated as espresso. Deep, rich, smoky dark chocolate with hints of fresh-cut fir and caramel in the aroma. In the small cup fresh-cut fir dominates, complicated by continued smoky dark chocolate, flowers and an apricot-like fruit. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel and crisp, sweet-toned, though slightly astringent finish. Impressively balanced presence in two parts milk: buttery dark chocolate, hints of flowers and apricot.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, sweet-toned aroma: toast, nut, flowers, apricot. In the small cup rather lean in mouthfeel but pleasing in flavor: sandalwood, apricot-like or perhaps mango-like fruit, dark chocolate, a hint of flowers. Rich, flavor-saturated finish. Crisply chocolaty in milk with continued complications of apricot and sandalwood.

Evaluated as espresso. Bright and complex in both aroma and small cup: cedary lemon, distinct floral tones and a cocoaish chocolate. Smooth though rather lean mouthfeel. Sweetens but maintains character in two parts milk: lemon curd and chocolate, with a particularly long and flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. A steady and even-tempered espresso, sweet-toned and balanced. Toast, dark chocolate, cedar and a pineapply fruit in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel. A cedary chocolate lingers in the long, deep finish and carries with some elegance into two parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Opulent, complex and big-bodied. Night flowers and a pronounced brandy-like fruit dominate aroma and the small cup, with a crisp, drying hint of cedar. Plump, syrupy mouthfeel. Long, flavor-saturated finish. Two parts milk turns the brandied fruit toward a minty dark chocolate with a continuing floral complication.

Evaluated as espresso. Pungent and sweet in the small cup: brandy-toned dark chocolate, fresh-cut fir, cherryish fruit, a hint of flowers at the top. Lean though smooth mouthfeel; rich, fruit-toned finish. Two parts milk soften and diffuse the fir and brandyish chocolate notes without obscuring them.

Evaluated as espresso. Deep and sweet-toned in the small cup: cedar, milk chocolate, orangy fruit. Medium-bodied but buttery and supple in mouthfeel. Very sweet finish with a pleasantly drying, walnut-like hint in the long. Seductive in milk, which pushes the chocolate forward and lightens and brightens the fruit.

Evaluated as espresso. Rich, orangy dark chocolate, nut, and hints of flowers and aromatic wood in aroma and flavor. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel. A nagging astringency betrays the cup in the finish, where it eventually overpowers a chocolaty sweetness. Round, balanced presence in two parts milk: Rich chocolate with a continuing hint of orange.

Complex layers of flavor in the small cup, including sweet lemon, nut, cocoa and flowers. A sweet concentrated fruit note lingers deeply into the finish. In two parts milk the profile softens and rounds, with flowers still evident and the chocolate taking on a spicy character.

Evaluated as espresso. Forcefully bright in the small cup: a berry-like sweetness supports tangy citrus and tart cherry. An impressively flavor-saturated finish combines chocolate, aromatic wood and concentrated fruit. A softer version of the fruit complex carries into two parts milk.

Evaluated as espresso. Cherry and chocolate dominate in the small cup and linger deeply into the finish, with layered complications of flowers, aromatic wood and anise. In two parts milk the chocolate becomes deeper and the fruit slightly less nuanced, but overall flavor remains sweet, round and balanced.

Evaluated as espresso. A complex small cup layered with notes of maple syrup, fir, toasted nut and dried fruit, apricot perhaps. Medium-bodied, but with deep, sustained flavor that carries sweetly into the finish. Flavor becomes even more nuanced in two parts milk: richly sweet caramel supports pungent fruit and aromatic wood notes.

Evaluated as espresso. Smooth, quietly complex. Lemon and flowers in the aroma, with deepening notes of aromatic wood and chocolate in the small cup. Full, syrupy body. Very long, rich finish saturated with chocolate and flowers. Sweetens nicely in milk but simplifies a bit, though the lemony chocolate rings on, particularly in the finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Intense cedary, fruit-toned wood in the aroma; some acidity in the cup, with chewy, raisiny fruit notes leaning toward dark chocolate. A hint of flowers at the top. Strong presence in two parts milk: full mouthfeel, bittersweet chocolate, with the aromatic wood nuance rounding toward nut.

Evaluated as espresso. For both Ken (93) and co-taster Andy Newbom (93) softly complex fruit, floral and citrus were the main themes here, with the most distinctive nuance the sweet, rich character of the citrus. Andy described it in multiple ways, from "citrus jelly" to "chiffony and meringuey" in the small cup to "lemon curd" in four parts milk. Ken also cited a backgrounded crisp cocoa that supported the pervasive lemony richness. Probably best as a straight shot, but successfully imposed its citrusy elegance on tall milk.

A big winner in four parts milk. Co-taster Andy Newbom (90) had it at 9 in milk while Ken (93) went to the limit at 10. Both keyed on a big, round, peachy fruit complexity and fine balance of milk and coffee. As straight espresso dominated by fruit as well: ripe, apricot-toned, a little wine-like, with a tart "sparkle" (Andy) of citrus. But the whole sensory package bloomed in milk with particular power and completeness.

Evaluated as espresso. In the small cup impressively deep and complex. Co-taster Andy Newbom (92) cited the range and balance of sensation ("intense yet nuanced"; "awesome"); Ken (92) was more specific in his praise of a pungent, slightly savory fruit: "black currant, blackberry, aromatic wood, licorice." Maintains complexity in four parts milk: "chocolaty... completely malty" (Andy), "crisp, butterscotch and caramel" (Ken).

Evaluated as espresso. Co-taster Andy Newbom (92) simply called the deeply floral aroma of the straight shot "glorious". Both Andy and Ken (92) also admired its "smooth and sweetly syrupy" (Andy) mouthfeel. And Andy, always ready with an adjective, piles on at least ten, all good ones, on the flavor. Ken stuck with an approving "minty, cherryish fruit." Ken (9) was more enthusiastic than Andy (8) regarding this complex blend's performance in four parts milk; for him it maintained a "delicate, tartly fruity-toned chocolate," whereas Andy felt the presence faded a bit in milk: "hints of sweet citrus cream and … cocoa prevailed, but barely."

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp cocoa and pungent fruit dominate in the small cup with impressive vanilla and floral top notes nuancing the aroma. Medium body, smoothly syrupy mouthfeel. Co-taster Andy Newbom (91) particularly admired a "complete and elegant" structure that balances sweet with a pungent hint of savory. The savory drops away in milk where both Ken (91) and Andy found impressive chocolaty sweetness ("Cocoa pops!" Andy exclaimed) deepened by a rich, fig-like fruit.

Evaluated as espresso. Co-taster Andy Newbom (91) and Ken (91) in particular admired the mouthfeel of the straight shot: "big in the mouth ... viscous but not heavy" in Andy's words. In flavor licoricy and spicy, slightly sharp, rounded by prune and berry notes. In four parts milk the flavor plumped up and rounded beautifully toward a complex chocolate, in Andy's words "chocolate ... nuts and candied apple."