Exotic Reviews

Delicate, high-toned, richly sweet. Caramelized apple, honeysuckle, baker’s chocolate, tangerine zest, frankincense in aroma and cup. Balanced structure with bright, juicy acidity; buoyant, syrupy mouthfeel. The deeply sweet, flavor-laden finish leads with notes of cacao nib and honeysuckle in the short and rich frankincense with hints of bittersweet citrus zest in the long.

Deeply sweet, richly savory. Lemongrass, graham cracker, sassafras, roasted cacao nib, jasmine in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure, with round acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The short finish is resonant with notes of lemongrass and jasmine, rounding to cocoa and graham cracker in the long.

Rich-toned, subtly complex. Pineapple, sandalwood, jasmine, honey, cocoa in aroma and cup. Deeply sweet in structure with juicy acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The resonant finish leads with cocoa-toned pineapple in the short, rounding to jasmine in the long.

Intensely pungent, richly vibrant, deeply sweet, startlingly original. Complex spice (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg), herb (fresh cilantro, parsley), baker’s chocolate, lime zest, sweetly pungent spirits (Brazilian cachaça?) in aroma and cup. Deeply sweet and roundly tart in structure. Full, syrupy mouthfeel. The shifting, layered intrigue in the cup carries far into a long, resonant finish.

Delicate, crisply sweet-savory, roast-rounded. Dark chocolate, orange blossom, almond, sandalwood, tamari in aroma and cup. Savory sweet in structure with gentle acidity; crisp, satiny mouthfeel. The finish is rich with notes of dark chocolate and almond in the short, with savory-sweet hints of tamari and sandalwood incense in the long.

Crisp, delicate, yet intense and original. Lush, rose-like flowers, dark chocolate, cedar, almond, ripe pineapple in aroma and cup. Balanced and complete in structure, poised at a round, satisfying intersection of sweet, tart and bitter. Light but syrupy in texture. Layered and resonant in the finish: rose, chocolate, almond all ring on.

Richly savory, sweetly herb-toned. Baker’s chocolate, fennel, black cherry, cedar, wisteria-like flowers in aroma and cup. Round, deeply sweet in structure; syrupy mouthfeel. The cocoa-toned finish leads with black cherry in the short, which settles into a cedar-toned flowers in the long.

Delicately sweet-tart, fruit-toned. Strawberry, aged rum, cocoa powder, pink peppercorn, celery seed in aroma and cup. Sweetly fermenty in structure; satiny-smooth in mouthfeel. A hint of aged rum carries the finish, accompanied by berry notes in the short and spice-toned savory notes in the long.

Gently bittersweet, deeply floral-toned. Baker’s chocolate, aromatic orchid, hazelnut, oak in aroma and cup. Low-toned, crisply bittersweet in structure. Mouthfeel is light though silky. The finish consolidates to a rich, oaky chocolate.

Bright, crisp, deeply sweet. Honey, lilac, cedar, tea rose, mango in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet-tart structure; satiny-smooth body. Notes of mango and spice-toned florals carry the short finish, while honey lingers in the long.

Spectacularly sweet and hugely aromatic. Meyer lemon marmalade, cedar, pistachio, guava, jasmine in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet/tart and massively juicy in structure; plush, buoyant mouthfeel. The juicy structure and complex aromatics persist in a long, lingering finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Elegant, spice-toned, sweetly tart. Lilac, cedar, Concord grape, dark chocolate, almond in aroma and small cup. Full, syrupy mouthfeel; tart-leaning finish that centers around Concord grape and dark chocolate notes. In three parts milk, explodes with fruit tones beyond Concord grape: tropical notes of lychee, coconut underscored by dark chocolate, aromatic wood, and pretty lilac, all rounded and harmonized by the milk.

Delicate yet deeply aromatic, gloriously and almost impossibly complex in its fruit and floral expression. Fruit ranges from grapefruit through lychee to passionfruit; flowers suggest lavender, rose, more. There is chocolate and a grapy Cognac reduction, and finally a savory resonance we called sweet mushroom. Juicy, floral-tart acidity; viscous, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is laden with complex floral top-notes in the short, rounding to hints of sweet fruit and deep Cognac-toned chocolate in the long.

Deeply sweet, richly tart. Wisteria, tangerine zest, sandalwood, pomegranate, cashew in aroma and cup. Juicy, bittersweet acidity; satiny, buoyant mouthfeel. The richly drying finish consolidates to resonant notes of wisteria and pomegranate.

Sweetly savory, high-toned. Blackberry, freesia-like flowers, orange zest, brown sugar, juniper in aroma and cup. Rich, savory acidity; delicate, though rather syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is especially savory-toned, resonant with notes of juniper (berry and bark) and bittersweet orange zest.

Abundantly sweet, deeply rich and savory. Dried apricot, lime zest, nougat, lavender, thyme in aroma and cup. Round, fruit-toned acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The resonant finish is characterized by savory herb notes, nougat and hints of piquant citrus zest.

Richly sweet, deeply savory. Lime zest, white peppercorn, milk chocolate, sandalwood, dried coconut in aroma and cup. Lively, lyrical acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The flavor-saturated finish is laden with all the notes promised by both aroma and flavor, though the lime zest softens to lime blossom as the finish lengthens and turns resonantly floral.

Richly sweet-savory. Baker’s chocolate, vanilla, thyme, pomegranate, spicy oak in aroma and cup. Brisk, sweetly-tart acidity; crisp, velvety mouthfeel. The richly drying finish consolidates around notes of pomegranate and thyme in the short, rounding to baker’s chocolate in the long.

Very sweet; quietly layered complexity. Dried jasmine, alcohol-toned raspberry, roasted cacao nib, scorched oak, grapefruit zest in aroma and cup. Light-footed, delicate acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. Floral and raspberry notes carry into a rather dry, roast-dominated finish.

Delicate, sweet, subtly structured. The alcohol reads more as brandy or cabernet than rum, but pleasingly so. Also cocoa powder, sweet wood, vanilla, dried strawberry in aroma and cup. Light-footed, sweet-toned acidity; very light but distinctly satiny mouthfeel. Rich, sweet, quietly flavor-saturated finish.