Fair trade Reviews

Deep, savory/sweet. Dark chocolate, fresh-cut cedar, plum, hints of rose and perhaps thyme in aroma and small cup. Full, lightly syrupy mouthfeel; clean, rich and, chocolate-toned in the finish. In three parts milk a complexly expressed, plummy dark chocolate dominates.

Complex nut notes (walnut, pecan), cedar, butter, and a floral top note in aroma and cup. Quiet, brisk acidity; lightish but very silky mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but maintains in a sweet, gently drying finish.

Deep, sweet-toned, gently pungent. Dark chocolate in particular dominates in aroma and cup, with hints of raisin, fresh-cut pine and mint. Round, resonant acidity; smooth mouthfeel. Very sweet in the finish, with raisin and chocolate notes in particular persisting.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken rated this softly bright espresso three points higher at 92 than the co-taster did at 89. Ken simply seems to have found more going on and liked what he found better: a fuller mouthfeel, a slightly more complex set of aromatics (for Ken citrus, honey, flowers, chocolate; for his co-taster taster citrus, praline, pear), a longer finish and a more complex, persistent flavor in milk.

Evaluated as espresso. This delicate, gently bright espresso attracted gently expressed support from both Ken (91) and his co-taster (90). Crisp, hazelnut-toned aroma; light but lively, effervescent mouthfeel. Ripe lemon and caramel in flavor and finish, where the co-taster also found a tickle of sweet black pepper. Maintained presence nicely in three parts milk, where the co-taster found it “immensely sweet and clean with lemon character.”

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a "K-Cup" capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving). Deep, balanced. Buttery caramel, earthy dark chocolate, lightly charred cedar, raisin in aroma and cup. Rich, pungent acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate and raisin in particular sustain in a bittersweet, gently drying finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a "K-Cup" capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving). Roasted nut, chocolate, banana-like fruit, night-blooming flowers in aroma and, more distinctly, in the cup. Round, softly tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor simplifies but sustains in a clean, balanced finish.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 Platinum single-serve brewing device using a Keurig-compatible capsule to produce a 6-ounce serving): Sweet-toned, gently pungent. Caramel, fruity dark chocolate, a hint of pine or perhaps clove in aroma and cup. Delicately crisp acidity; light but silky mouthfeel. Simple, mildly drying finish.

Sweet-toned, svelte, refreshing. Honey, lemon, lilac, a hint of roasted cocoa nib in aroma and, more intensely, in the cup. Tartly sweet, lively acidity; velvety, buoyant mouthfeel. Fades just a bit in the long finish, but the short is resonant and flavor-saturated.

Complex but harmonious. Honey and a very sweet citrus suggesting candied lemon dominate in aroma and cup, with complications of almond, fresh-cut fir and a soft caramel. Smoothly and sweetly tart acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Deep, flavor-saturated finish.

Delicately rich, crisply sweet-toned. Orange-like citrus, fresh-cut fir, dark chocolate, a hint of baking spice in aroma and cup. Balanced acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate persists in a rich, mildly dry finish.

Delicate, crisp, slightly roasty. Balanced aroma and cup: dark chocolate, fir, raisin, zesty tangerine, with a slight hint of savory baking spice. Bright acidity with a drying edge; silky mouthfeel. Flavor carries into a dry finish.

Comfortable, inviting cup combines a cedary black-currant pungency, dark chocolate sweetness and a vanilla-like floral freshness. Delicate, crisply balanced acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Quietly sweet-toned, resonant finish.

Intense, sweet, deep. Honey, dark chocolate, bourbon whisky, hints of flowers in aroma and cup. Roundly rich acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Resonant, long, slightly drying finish.

Exhilaratingly bittersweet and complex. Floral notes ranging from sweet and vanilla to crisp lavender, roasted cocoa nib, orange zest in aroma and cup. Crisp, floral-toned acidity; light but lively, silky mouthfeel. Floral notes in particular carry into a drying but sweet-toned finish.

Sweet, delicately crisp. Dark chocolate, brown sugar, hints of plum and fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Tartly juicy acidity; the mouthfeel is light, hinting at silkiness. Chocolate carries into a gently drying finish.

Round, sweet, gently pungent. Fresh-cut fir, chocolate, a hint of enlivening tart berry in aroma and cup. Round, rather muted acidity; light but syrupy mouthfeel. Sweet-toned, gently drying finish.

Intense and dramatic. Lushly sweet, honeysuckle-like flowers are balanced by tart, bitterish bergamot and lavender. Richly bright acidity; light but silky mouthfeel. Flowers carry into a resonant but quite dry finish.

Delicate but intense. Wild berry, lemon, rose, all rounded by a brown-sugary, faintly chocolate sweetness. Gentle, sweetly tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Rich, sweet finish with an underlying dry crispness.

(As brewed in a Keurig B70 single-serve brewing device using a "K-Cup" capsule to produce 6-ounce serving): Bittersweet, gentle. Caramel, flowers, plum-like fruit and a hint of chocolate in aroma and cup. Delicate, brisk acidity; pleasantly smooth, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Caramelly sweetness and a drying carbony note in the finish.