Darker-Roasted Coffees: Confessions and Amends

Round, crisp but simultaneously deep, complexly layered. Lemon zest, baker’s chocolate, plumeria, incense-like myrrh note in aroma and cup. Balanced in structure: resonant, sweetly tart acidity with a savory edge. Satiny mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around floral notes in a long, resonant finish.

Delicately intricate; deeply sweet and pungent. Lavender, black currant, gently scorched cedar, grapefruit zest, baker’s chocolate in aroma and cup. The structure is dominated by a richly round tartness, with a backgrounded roasty, bittersweet edge. Full, plush mouthfeel. A floral vanilla note surfaces in a resonant roast-toned finish.

Richly pungent, resonantly roast-toned. Musk, orange zest, baker’s chocolate, scorched mesquite, floral top notes in aroma carry into the cup, where the chocolate moves forward. In structure sweetly and vibrantly roast-toned, balanced, resonant. Light, satiny mouthfeel. Chocolate and flowers dominate in the short finish; the long turns slightly scorch and dry, though flavor persists.

Quiet, complete; complexly chocolate- and fruit-toned. Dark chocolate, ripe black cherry, coconut, cashew, complex flowers (lavender, honeysuckle) in aroma and cup. The structure is sweetly juicy with a slight, deepening bitter edge. Light but satiny, lively mouthfeel. Drying though sweet finish, saturated with chocolate and flowers.

Sweet/savory, chocolaty. Spicy chocolate, plum, rosemary, lightly scorched pine, lantana-like flowers in aroma and cup. Distinctly sweet/savory in structure; plushly syrupy in mouthfeel. Dries and simplifies a bit in the finish, though sweet hints of chocolate and fruit persist.

Roasty-sweet, lightly chocolate- and nut-toned. Dark chocolate, walnut, peach, freesia-like flowers, lightly scorched fir in aroma and cup. In structure roundly sweet-toned with a hint of savory. Lightly syrupy, buoyant mouthfeel. Fruit and flowers carry lightly into a sweet-toned finish.

: Richly pungent, low-toned but floral and chocolaty. Lush, complex flowers, baker’s chocolate, dried raspberry, smoky sandalwood, a hint of black pepper in aroma and cup. Bittersweet and savory in structure; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Crisp flowers and chocolate carry into a drying finish.

Wood-framed, spice- and flower-toned. Brazil nut, wisteria, pink peppercorn, dark chocolate, lightly scorched fir in aroma and cup. In structure sweet, with a salty/savory edge. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Pleasantly drying in the finish, with a rich aromatic wood supporting nutty chocolate and floral suggestions.

: Crisply sweet; caramelly. Cocoa powder, orange zest, lightly scorched cedar, pecan, a hint of sweet flowers in aroma and cup. Quietly round and briskly sweet in structure; satiny mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists in a straightforward, balanced finish.

Roast-toned; musky and earthy. Raisin, moist pipe tobacco, musk, vanilla-toned flowers, scorched cedar in aroma and cup. Delicately and sweetly pungent in structure. Mouthfeel is light but distinctly silky. Roasty and flavor-saturated in the short finish; dries a bit in the long.

: Delicate, layered, roast-deepened. Grapefruit zest, baker’s chocolate, dried spearmint, violet, very lightly scorched fir in aroma and cup. Bittersweet in structure, with a zesty hint of brightness; very lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Drying but resonant and crisply flavor-saturated in the short finish; cocoa lasts in the long.

Sweetly roast-toned: aromatic wood and flowers. Hazelnut, scorched cedar, orange zest, magnolia, cocoa in aroma and cup. Quietly bittersweet and zesty structure; smoothly satiny mouthfeel. Cocoa and scorched wood animate a rather dry finish.