Fair trade Reviews

Honey-like sweetness in aroma and cup, with notes of flowers, citrus and stone fruit contributing complexity. Bright acidity, silky mouthfeel and a slightly simplified version of the flavor profile in the finish, along with a distant hint of astringency.

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. 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.

Bright, sweetly tart. Distinct orange-toned nut in the aroma. In the cup, delicate acidity, leanish but smooth mouthfeel, and continued rich orange, cocoa and nut notes carrying into a flavor-saturated finish that turns rather woody and simple as the cup cools.

Sweet and delicate in aroma and cup. Fruit-toned cocoa, flowers, nut in both aroma and cup. Gently balanced acidity, light but silky mouthfeel, very sweet finish with a continued clear cocoa note.

In the aroma orangy citrus, molasses, nut, black currant. In the cup richly tart acidity, lightly syrupy body, and shifting, complex flavor: pungent aromatic wood, black currant, blackberry, ripe citrus, molasses. All saturate the long, resonant finish with an exquisite dematerialized essence of flavor.

Light-roasted blend with striking aromatics. Intense aroma: fresh-cut wood, perfume-like flowers, molasses, ripe lemon, pine nut, all saturate the intense aroma and carry into a delicately bright cup. Silky to lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The flavors soften and consolidate in a sweet-toned, rich finish.

Softly complex aroma: hazelnut, milk chocolate, moist pipe tobacco. Refined and balanced in the cup with clear-toned acidity, silky mouthfeel and a sustained complex of flavors that combine nut and milk chocolate with hints of tangerine and grapefruit. The flavor persists deep into the finish, turning sweeter as it fades.

Complex aromatically and in the cup: a bouquet of jasmine and honey suckle, lemon grass, round orange- and berry-tones. Softly balanced yet rich acidity and silky mouthfeel. Although the floral/fruit complex simplifies slightly in the finish, a milk chocolate-like sweetness emerges.

Soft, rather simple but pleasing aroma: hints of cherryish fruit and milk chocolate. Gently balanced acidity and lightly syrupy mouthfeel in a very sweet-toned cup with continued suggestions of cherry-toned chocolate. Some chocolate persists in a clean, straightforward finish.

Rich, deep aroma: nut, a hint of chocolate. In the cup soft acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, and a distinct and pleasing sweet cocoa note complicated by roasted nut. Gently rich, though rather short finish.

Aromatically deep, with richly round caramel, toast and milk chocolate notes. In the cup penetrating acidity and flavor. Intense fruit-toned chocolate gives way to layers of fruit (peach, orange, black currant?) that soften and grow in complexity as the cup cools. Pungent dark chocolate dominates in the finish.

Sweet-toned, fresh aroma, with hints of orangy fruit, dry berry, dark chocolate. In the cup very soft acidity, plush mouthfeel, and an almost sugary sweetness with continued hints of dry berry. The sweetness carries into the finish, where a suggestion of the chocolate revives.

Sweet and deep in aroma and cup: notes of moist, freshly fallen leaves, and a ripe, slightly fermented fruit that reaches toward dark chocolate in the cup. Fullish body. Simple, cedar-toned finish.

Deeply roasty aroma with hints of cedar, nut and chocolate. In the cup, medium body and sweet-toned flavors: charred wood, dark chocolate and hint of earth and pungent fruit. The finish displays some sweetness and a mild astringent roastiness that lingers in the long.

Complex aroma combining suggestions of orangy citrus and dried lavender with hints of honey and baking spices. In the cup rich, fruity acidy, medium body with a lightly silky mouthfeel and broad, juicy, floral-toned flavor notes with more citrus and complicating hints of chocolate and crisp white wine. Finishes cleanly with fruit and chocolate lingering and sweetening in the long.

Poised and balanced aroma with hints of sweet wood, cocoa, raisiny fruit. Gently rich acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. In the cup quiet sweet; the cocoaish chocolate intensifies, supported by a hint of the rich, carnal aroma of night flowers. Clean finish; the cocoa note intensifies in the long.

Intensely aromatic yet finely balanced. The rich aroma is dominated by a pungent cedar sensation with backgrounded caramelly chocolate sweetness and a hint of flowers. The chocolaty fruit and night floral notes move lushly forward in the cup, persisting into the finish. Soft acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel.

An elegant and well-balanced cup. Full aromatically, with hints of fruit, baking spices and flowers. In the cup tightly knit, layered sensations, from bright orangy sweetness to round fruit-toned chocolate and flowers. A softly pungent bittersweet chocolate carries into the finish.

Pungently rich aroma, with dark chocolate and spicy cedar notes. In the cup round, roast-muted acidity, smooth mouthfeel, continued cocoaish chocolate and cedar notes with a hint of raisiny fruit. Long, flavor-saturated finish.