Processing Method Reviews

Pungent, deep, exotic. Honey, night-blooming flowers, tartly sweet black currant and strawberry rounded by an almondy dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Rich, roundly tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor rings on and on in a long, balanced finish.

Exhilaratingly aromatic: sandalwood, rose-like flowers, roasted cacao nib, açai and banana, a hint of rye whisky. Rich, complexly expressed acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. A savory hint implicit in the rest of the profile surfaces to deepen a long, rich, flavor-saturated finish.

Crisp, delicately soaring. Honey, apricot, orange, flowers, fine black tea notes in aroma and cup. Lively, buoyant acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Deep, slightly drying finish.

Deeply but buoyantly pungent. Caramel, honeysuckle, lemon zest, roasted cacao nib in aroma and cup. Poised, sweetly bright acidity; syrupy, lively mouthfeel. Rich, flavor-saturated finish. The depth and persistence of flavor in the long finish is extraordinary.

Rich, deep, brandy-toned. Brandy, rose-like flowers, dark chocolate, pineapple-like fruit in aroma and in immense, opulent cup. Roundly rich acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Rather heavy finish, though the extravagance of the cup is worth it.

Elegant flower-bomb. Exhilarating, refreshing meadow flowers, roasted cacao nib, almond in aroma and cup. Delicate, balanced structure. Soft but lively acidity; smooth, plush mouthfeel. Gently but decisively flavor-saturated finish.

Sweetly bright, soaring. Juicy black currant, Concord grape, ripe grapefruit, crisp lavender in aroma and cup. Exhilarating, flawless acidity; silky, buoyant mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists in a sweet, slightly drying finish.

Rich, pungently fruit-toned. Ripe grape and apricot, moist pipe tobacco, molasses, roasted cocoa nib in aroma and cup. Lush, juicy acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Crisp, deeply flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Sweet-toned; lively but deep. Chocolate, almond-paste, tangerine and plum notes with vanilla hints in aroma and, more pronounced, in the small cup. Syrupy body; the finish is resonant though gently drying and eucalyptus-toned. The chocolate and citrus further sweeten and soften in three parts milk; the plum note turns delicately floral.

Delicately intense. Very complex aroma and flavor: flowers (plum blossom), ripe lemon, watermelon, moist pipe tobacco, roasted cacao nib. Bright but balanced acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Long, flavor-saturated finish. Turns especially sweet and juicy as the cup cools.

Distinct chocolate and honey-and-nut notes (halvah?) in aroma and cup, with further hints of apricot and fir. Round, backgrounded acidity; buoyant and silky mouthfeel. Rich, deep finish, very mildly drying in the long.

Spectacular and juicy. The aroma starts quietly: orange, flowers, honey, a crisp hint of juniper. Round, sweet, brilliantly lively acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. In the cup lavish honey, orange, lychee, rose-like flowers, and a smoothing hint of chocolate. Rose and lychee in particular carry into a refreshing, resonant finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Both Ken (93) and his co-taster (91) admired the wine-like intensity of this dried-in-the-fruit profile, though Ken read more complexity, in particular floral top notes, in flavor and finish. Both tasters cited a creamy mouthfeel and consistent finish. Especially impressive in three parts milk, where the shot bloomed with a complex expression of fruit-toned chocolate.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken (92) showed considerably more enthusiasm for this intense dried-in-the-fruit profile than his only mildly respectful co-taster (89). The co-taster associated the usual fermented fruit notes with wine and spiced cider, Ken with bourbon whisky (which he likes). The co-taster found the fermented fruit notes complicated by “sweet hay and malt,” Ken by a more decisive “fresh-cut cedar.” Ken rated the lightly syrupy, perhaps buttery mouthfeel a bit higher than did his co-taster. Both found the shot pleasantly chocolaty in three parts milk, additionally nuanced by malt for the co-taster, by cedar for Ken.

Evaluated as espresso. Ken (91) liked this bright, zesty espresso; his co-taster (92) liked it even better. Both admired the citrus and floral vivacity of the aroma and flavor. Ken and his co-taster both accepted the smooth though rather light mouthfeel as an appropriate complement to the lively aromatics; both enjoyed the emergence of a lower-toned fruit (fig, roasted cacao nib) in the finish. Ken found the sweet-citrus impact in three parts milk a bit more pleasing than his co-taster did, though the co-taster offered an apt descriptor for it: “key lime pie.”

Crisply sweet, intensely complex. Honey, brandy, apricot, brandy, citrus flower, a hint of walnut in aroma and cup. Round, brandyish acidity; very lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Honey and walnut in particular persist in a deeply flavor-saturated, gently drying finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Crisp, finely structured, quietly distinctive. Dark chocolate and a shifty, anise-toned fruit (orange, blackberry, grape) dominate in aroma and small cup, with backgrounded complications of cedar and butter. Creamy, full yet buoyant mouthfeel. Berry and chocolate in particular persist in a rich, deep finish. Round, quietly balanced in three parts milk.

Floral notes stretch from evanescent, delicate top notes to lushly rich, jasmine-like mid-notes in aroma and cup, with roasted cacao nib and kiwi/lemon complications. Round, rich acidity; lightly syrupy, lively mouthfeel. The finish is drying but long and flower-saturated.

Deeply and crisply sweet; complex. Chocolate, hazelnut, orange zest, flowers in aroma and cup. Soft but lively acidity; lightly syrupy, buoyant mouthfeel. Sweet, gently flavor-saturated finish.

Sweet, floral, clean. Lavender and plum flower, honey, cherry, candied pecan in aroma and cup. Lightly bright and juicy acidity, creamy mouthfeel. The plum-blossom note in particular lingers in a sweet and persistent finish.