Espresso Reviews

Both Ken (90) co-taster Heather Perry (89) found this sample pleasingly and crisply fruity; "Meyer lemon" notes dominated for Heather, spicy floral and orange for Ken. Despite a tendency to express itself in floral and fruit notes, the shot maintained balance throughout and showed well in milk, with attractive hints of chocolate and (for Ken) spicy, rose-toned flowers.

A simple, rich, roast-influenced espresso that particularly came into its own in milk. In the small cup deep, roundly dark-chocolate-toned aroma, full body, gently pungent flavor and finish with roast-influenced notes that co-taster Heather Perry (88) associated with herbs (particularly thyme) and Ken (91) with cedar, night flowers and black cherry. Heather was particularly impressed by this coffee's performance in milk, where she found the herbal character she admired persisted "beautifully."

Both Ken (89) and co-taster Heather Perry (87) admired the aroma: "creamy berry" for Heather, "bananaish fruit with floral top notes" for Ken. But for both the mouthfeel was a bit lean in the small cup and the flavor a bit sharp, though Ken admired the continued floral notes. For both tasters the profile smoothed in the long finish, with a sweet flavor persistence that suggested chocolate for Ken, "blackberry pie" for Heather. Heather found it lost sweetness in milk but Ken was pleased, finding it crisp with "true chocolate" notes.

Ken (88) showed more enthusiasm for the small cup than co-taster Heather Perry (87), finding the aroma simple but "high-toned and elegant," the body leanish but smooth, the flavor pungently smoky (for Heather pleasantly tobacco notes in the aroma turned "ashy" in the cup), the finish sweet and long. Both found the presence in milk simple but "balanced and sweet" (Heather).

Mouthfeel and presence trumped aromatics. Both co-taster Heather Perry (87) and Ken (87) admired smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel in the small cup and solid balance in milk. Aromatics were relatively subdued and simple, however: "spicy" with "light lemon undertones" for Heather, "smoky chocolate" with floral hints for Ken (87).

A light-roasted coffee rather too bright and lean-bodied to fulfill conventional expectations for espresso, though shimmeringly floral and citrusy throughout the profile. "Very clean and floral in the aroma" for co-taster Heather Perry (87). In the small cup refreshingly if rather sharply citrus, with "delicate butter and floral notes" (Ken, 87) that carry into an impressive, sweetly dry finish. The delicate floral and citrus profile fades in milk, however, retaining a tart sweetness but quite lean in mouthfeel.

Deep-toned, cherryish fruit and pungent aromatic wood in the aroma. In the cup pronounced, citrus-toned acidity, full mouthfeel, bittersweet structure, with continued hints of cherry, cocoa, and a pungent wood or tomato note. The cocoa turns toward chocolate in the long, rich finish.

Assessed as espresso. Sweetly wood in the aroma, with a hint of dark chocolate and a savory, almost salty note. The same aromatic complex carries into the cup, though the wood warms toward cedar and the dark chocolate intensifies. Medium to full body. Heavy but sweet finish with a continuing chocolate note. In milk softens and sweetens appropriately but the shadow savory salt note continues to haunt the chocolate.

Rich, gently pungent aroma with butter, floral and apricot-toned fruit hints. In the small cup medium body, syrupy mouthfeel, and rather sharply but sweetly cedary with continued apricot and flowers and an explicit moist, leafy earth note. At its best in milk: rich, strong-presenced but sweet with dark chocolate and sustained suggestions of moist earth and flowers.

Intense, sweetly pungent small cup with dark chocolate, cedar, banana-toned fruit and a hint of ferment that contributes a slight brandyish nuance. Syrupy body, mildly astringent though very sweet finish. Heavily dominates short milk but blooms and balances beautifully at four parts milk to one part coffee, rounding toward a rich, minty dark chocolate.

The surprise here is how well this blend performs in longer milk drinks. As a straight espresso it is agreeable enough, dominated in the aromatics by low-toned, musty notes that read as a raisiny semi-sweet chocolate or perhaps a spicy, cantaloupe-like fruit. The body is medium to full, the finish simple and rich with a slight astringent edge. The blend exerted a powerful though heavy dark-chocolate presence in short milk, but with more latte-like quantities of milk it bloomed with great sweetness and vivacity.

A fundamentally sweet but lemony espresso showing hints of acidity yet remarkably smooth. Crisp, lemony chocolate in the aroma carrying into a medium-bodied cup. Lemons, flowers and berry in the finish. A bit lean in milk but quite sweet, with continuing lemon and chocolate notes.

In the aroma crisp orange with hints of honey and cedar. In the small cup silky body with a continuing distinct orange note. The honey deepens toward a molasses-toned semi-sweet chocolate. Rich, chocolaty finish. In milk the orange notes complicate a delicate milk chocolate and a superb finish.

Rich, roundly pungent aroma: caramel, orange, hints of flowers and chocolate. Medium bodied, a touch rough in mouthfeel. The richly pungent, cedary character carries into the cup with continued orange, raisin and semi-sweet chocolate notes. The finish is rather astringent but rich, with good flavor persistence. The pungent character softens in milk with the orangy chocolate sweetening nicely.

Very sweet-toned aroma, intense though simple: hints of potato, orange and nut. As straight espresso medium body but syrupy mouthfeel with a smoothly pungent character and a quiet complexity: molasses, orange, nut and a hint of semi-sweet chocolate. Full, deep, slightly salty finish. In milk displays a rich semi-sweet chocolate, but a bit light on sweetness and presence.

Pungent, sweet-toned aroma with banana, honey, chocolate, and a hint of cedar. The pungent cedar notes intensify in the small cup, supported by a deep, enveloping sweetness and viscosity. Here the syrupy honey and banana notes are more felt than tasted, and segue into an impressively long, cleanly resonant finish. In milk the cedar and fruit tighten and simplify somewhat, reading as a crisp semi-sweet chocolate.

(As brewed in a Keurig B60 single-serve brewing device using a "K-Cup" capsule to produce 6-ounce and 8-ounce serving sizes): Considerably more impressive in a 6-ounce serving size than in an 8. At 6 ounces the aromatics in nose and cup are pleasingly buttery and round with a crisp roasty edge and hints of caramel and chocolate. At 8 ounces the mouthfeel is a tad lean and the aromatics thinnish.

Crisp, elegant espresso with dry berry and floral notes. Shows a hint of sweet, tomato-toned acidity in the aroma along with caramel and flowers. In the small cup surprisingly full-bodied with cedar, dry berry and a continuing shimmer of flowers. Clean, rich finish. Masters milk with a delicate, dry-chocolate-toned authority. The floral notes survive with startling clarity in milk, persisting far into the finish.

Balanced, versatile blend. Sweet-toned aroma with fruit and chocolate complications. In the small cup smooth and close to syrupy in mouthfeel, sweet and gently pungent with a pronounced cedar note and hints of prune and semi-sweet chocolate. Rich presence in milk - perhaps more cedar and mint than chocolate but roundly sweet nonetheless. Very slightly rough finish in both small cup and milk.

Sweet-toned, very deep aroma with complication that reads as banana, orange, semi-sweet chocolate. In the small cup full bodied and cedar- and caramel-toned with continued suggestions of banana-like fruit and semi-sweet chocolate. The cedar and chocolate tones round and sweeten in milk without losing their crisp authority.