Organic Reviews

Bright with bergamot and bittersweet lemon, crisp baker's chocolate and fresh-cut fir, this dried-in-the-fruit coffee cupped more like a fine Ethiopia washed coffee than a natural, though a rounding hint of cherry-blueberry sweetness complicated the profile and appeared to confirm its processing method. Delicate acidity; light, silky mouthfeel; long, lemon-and-cocoa-saturated finish.

Big, syrupy mouthfeel and a long, deeply resonant finish particularly distinguish this coffee, but the rich acidity is impressive too, as are the sweetly pungent aromatics: fir, dark chocolate, cherry, almond.

Dominated by a woody note, but an engaging, quietly spicy woody note reminiscent perhaps of sassafras tea, complicated by hints of dark chocolate and a banana-like low-acid fruit. Soft, round acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Rich in the short finish, fades a bit in the long.

A tactful ultra-dark roast dominates a cleanly sweet green coffee: Gently charred aromatic wood with a backgrounded dark-chocolate sweetness and a hint of flowers at the top. Medium body, smooth mouthfeel; slightly astringent finish.

Deep and richly roasty in the aroma: gently charred wood, raisiny dark chocolate, a hint of cardamom-like spice. In the cup medium-bodied but smoothly silky in mouthfeel. The charred, roasty character tends to overshadow the chocolate-toned aromatics in cup and finish.

Flowers, white wine and tangerine-like citrus soften toward a cocoaish dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Delicately bright, wine-like acidity, silky mouthfeel. Gently tart, chocolate-toned finish.

Richly sweet flavor and aroma combines earth and aromatic wood with distant suggestions of fruit and chocolate. Muted acidity and a heavy, rather rough mouthfeel that smoothes out in a sweet but simple finish.

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.

A darkish roast turns an apricot-like fruit toward a deep, raisiny dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Round, muted acidity, smooth mouthfeel, resonant finish.

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. 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.

A dynamic and engaging coffee. Lushly floral, tartly fruit-toned, with an underlying crisp baker's chocolate. Rich acidity, light-to-medium body. The complex flavor carries into the finish, though it loses some sweetness in the long.

Softly roasty aroma with hints of aromatic wood and molasses. Smooth, balanced and chocolaty in the cup with complications of orange and fresh-cut wood. Simplifies in the finish with the wood note lingering.

Nut and fresh-cut wood dominate the delicate aroma, softened by a hint of chocolate. In cup and finish the cocoaish chocolate becomes richer and more explicit, though a faint woody flatness (probably decaffeination-related) continues to haunt the cup. Attractive, lightly syrupy mouthfeel.

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.

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.

Unusual aromatics and flavor: Spicy, peppery hints nuance distinct orangy and floral notes in aroma and cup, supported by a fresh, fir-like aromatic wood. Dry, spicy acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Clean and sweet-toned though rather simple finish.

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.