Holiday Coffees: Solid to Spectacular

This extraordinary coffee almost defies description with its aromatic complexity while retaining a classic clarity of structure. The fruit notes suggest in particular tartly sweet tropical fruit like guava, passion fruit or fresh lychee. The floral notes are almost as complex, provoking associations ranging from bitter lavender to lush honeysuckle. Additional complications include a lightly fermented brandy note and crisp roasted cocoa nib. The acidity is rich and juicy, the mouthfeel syrupy yet buoyantly lively. The finish is long and deeply flavor-saturated.

Fresh, lyric, exceptional. Honey, flowers (lavender, violets), raw baker’s chocolate, and a lavish fruit sensation suggesting nectarine, guava, peach and doubtless much more. The acidity is gentle and backgrounded but vibrant; the mouthfeel smoothly syrupy but buoyant. Almost everything in the cup is hinted at in the rich finish.

Exhilaratingly complex; flawlessly balanced and complete. Black currant, blackberry, grapefruit and flowers in aroma and cup; lushly tart, sweetly lively acidity. Buoyant, active mouthfeel; long, resonantly flavor-saturated finish.

Delicate, crisp, vibrantly complex. Floral suggestions range from honeysuckle to rose to lavender. Honey, cocoa-nib, almond in aroma and cup. Gently and sweetly brisk acidity; quite light but very silky mouthfeel. Flavor-saturated finish has deep and lasting persistence despite the delicacy of the cup.

Sweetly pungent, intensely complex dried-in-the-fruit profile. Notes range from a honey eucalyptus note with a slight savory edge, through very complex floral notes including sweet (honeysuckle) and bittersweet (lavender) to zesty tangerine and crisp roasted cocoa nib. Rich, deep acidity; silky/syrupy mouthfeel. Impressively long, resonant finish.

Amazingly and giddily sweet. Honey, lush night-blooming flowers and ripe orange in aroma and cup. Juicy, lyric acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates more than fades in a remarkably rich, honey-toned finish.

Big, complex but balanced dried-in-the-fruit profile. Honey, nectarine, fresh blueberry, hints of milk chocolate, fir and walnut in aroma and cup. Rich, lyrically sweet acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Juicy finish.

Lush honey and blueberry balanced by crisper notes of roasted cocoa nib and fresh-cut cedar. A hint of flowers. Sweetly bright acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Round, gently flavor-saturated finish.

Crisply tart black currant and blackberry in aroma and cup, enveloped in floral sweetness and pungent fresh-cut cedar. Round, balanced acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. Impressively rich, deep, complexly flavor-saturated finish.

Delicate, balanced, crisply sweet. Honey, lavender-toned flowers, hints of roasted cocoa nib and fresh fig in aroma and cup. Gently brisk acidity; light but silky and lively mouthfeel. Pleasing floral-toned short finish tends to fade in the long.

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.

Solid, comfortable cup. Black-currant crispness and gently pungent cedar rounded by honey and a hint of chocolate in aroma and flavor. Brisk, floral-toned acidity; silky mouthfeel. Straightforward, quietly rich finish.

Poised and balanced; sweet-toned. Nut-toned chocolate, caramel and vanilla notes dominate, but a sweet, rather opulent table grape sensation deepens and complicates the profile. Gentle, delicate acidity; round, rather creamy-textured mouthfeel. The essential sweetness of this coffee carries far into the long finish.