Sweet, deeply dimensioned floral notes dip toward spice and nut in the aroma. The cup is lemony, but it is a complex, deep lemon, modulating toward dry chocolate in the finish. Saved from any hint of candyish sentiment by richly acidy mid-notes.
Lovely Yirgacheffe character: Floral, intense, transporting, as astonishing at first sip as the sudden scent of jasmine at dusk. What makes this particular Yirgacheffe an especially fine example of the origin is a touch of richness and power supporting the always remarkable perfumes.
A splendid, high-toned cup, soaring but complex. Floral tones whisper at the top of the profile, wine-toned fruit fills out the middle; both float on a base of understated, toasty richness.
A coffee that rewards deliberation. The sweet nut tones that are the glory of many softer Latin-America coffees run luxuriantly through the profile from aroma to finish, taking on a distinct chocolate cast in the cup. A coffee whose richness reads more as resonance than heaviness.
A distinctively sweet, fruity Colombia. The fruit hovers on the edge of ferment, but to my palate remains safely on the lush but chocolate-cherryish side of the defect divide. The nose is perfectly clean: sweet, light, cocoa-like, the acidity nicely balanced between sweet and dry tones, the body medium to fullish.
A more authoritative, richer version of the Honomalino Kona Peaberry. The nose is rounder, the acidity brighter and brisker,the body fuller. The tantalizing tickle of flowers and fruit remains, complicating and elevating the dry acidy notes.
Superb aroma: rich, acidy, alive with nut and vanilla overtones. In the cup less range but still pleasingly high-toned: acidy, buoyant, and bright with hints of flowers and fruit.
A cup displaying all of the idiosyncrasy and complexity that makes Yemen such a fascinating origin. The aroma is funky, rich, pungent, all haloed by sweetness. The body is rich and buttery. The controversial, slightly composty overtones to the fruit that turn some palates off to Yemen are gently dominated here by the pungent taste of the roast, turning the fruit into a sensation as much tactile as olfactory, a sort of smoky, dry-toned richness.
When hot, the cup is light-bodied but smooth, with a touch of levitating floral-toned fruit that turns sweetly chocolate in the finish. As the cup cools the fruit deepens toward wine and even more distinctly chocolate tones.
Close to the great Blue Mountains of the past: balanced, round, very rich, almost bouillon-like, with a slight, spicy effervescence tickling at the heart of the cup. Regrettably, a faint, almost undetectable hardness or storage-related fading shadows the otherwise superb cup.
A dry, powerful, authoritative cup, rich but not sweet. The ringing energy of the acidity and the substantial body are close to monumental, though lovers of delicacy and nuance may be disappointed.
A suavely understated dark roast with a tickle of spice and chocolate at its heart. The pungent bite of the dark roast is muted and enveloped in sweetness, the finish rich and chocolate-toned.
A blend that in its completeness is a tribute to the blender's art. Solid without drama, displaying excellent range and a fine balance between sweetness and (I would guess) Indonesia pungency. Mouth-filling, close to creamy body, cleanly resounding aftertaste.
Sweet, almost juicy, lemon-and-nut-tones carry exhilaratingly from aroma into the cup. Once there, they turn a bit stolid, then darkens toward tobacco in the finish.
Distinct lemony tones elevate the profile of this roundly satisfying but rather light-bodied Sumatra. The finish is lively, theaftertaste long and clean.