The dry aroma pops with high-percentage milk chocolate, strawberry, boozy watermelon, and plum. The wet aroma is consistent. The flavour is outstanding. It is super sweet, juicy, and aromatic, with strawberry, guava, and mango melding to violet. It has a port wine character, too. The aftertaste is sweet, long, and satisfying.

For an off piste description I would say this coffee tastes like drinking earl grey with lemon sponge cake, apricot and blackberry jam and peanut buttercream, sat in the conservatory in late summer

Seriously though there is a wonderful sponge cake and citrus note on the dry aroma, apricot jam and jammy blackberry and lime acidity come through in the flavour with some hints of florals and cola. Its complex, the acidity is bright malic, citric and layered, the aftertaste is clean and sweet, its balanced and satisfying.

Cupping Method:Follow @the_qreview on Instagram for photos and the full post.

The roasting looks great, more like a washed in appearance than a natural so perhaps a more yellow or white honey process after a 96 hour anaerobic fermentation.

So, a bit of lime with some citrus and a little nutty cocoa on the dry aroma, a bit of sponge cake and some florality at the break. The flavour is complex and layered starting with plenty of robust stone fruits, apricot, jasmine and rose florality into a tea like note, vibrant and clean with malic and soft citric acidity, a really lovely sponge cake sweetness too.

Blindfolded Im calling this as a washed Ethiopian; probably a Yirga or Guji. It has a lot of that vibe. Unsurprising given the varietal. The processing here has been judged superbly though to lift the sweetness and aromatics without taking away from the complex acidity and aromatics. The roasting is faultless too a really beautiful job all round. Balanced, sophisticated, aromatic and quite delicious.

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This coffee is herbaceous, fermented, and very complex on the dry aroma, with some forest fruits and berries, cocoa, and watermelon. Then, tropical fruit is forward in flavour, some fruity chocolate, bergamot, and some florals, too. It has a light to medium body, with the malic acidity of pineapple and some citric for me. Layered, poised, and elegant, it is an outstanding coffee.

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The result is sensational dry aroma of, yes, lychee but also poised jammy red and yellow fruits. Big wine gum vibe too, really strong aroma. The wet aroma had much more clarity of lychee and florals; rose, jasmine white tea, oriental peach. Scented vibes. Does put me in mind of a well maintained nightclub bathroom a bit.
But seriously, top drawer aromatics.

The flavour is outstanding too, white peach, watermelon, strawberry, mandarin orange citrus notes, tropical sweetness, very soft integrated malic and citric acidity, lingering and pleasing on the aftertaste. The body is light and it might be too perfumed for some, but to me it is a joy.

The processing is a massive factor here and there are questions about terroir, authenticity of origin and whether this is just making a coffee taste like Lychee, almost like adding flavouring but I know where I stand on this and for me its a 90+ coffee.

Super clean and elegant, delicate but also satisfying.

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The dry aroma is excellent, with sweet blackcurrant and I thought a herbaceous cinnamon note. The malic acidity is quite soft and delicate and the coffee is relatively light in body. In terms of flavour though this is a very interesting and complex coffee. I get an overarching note of herbaceous lavender without the soapy aromatic you strongly associate with that herb. There is some honey sweetness a bit of dried fruit and a flicker of citrus. Quite a remarkably flavoured coffee and quite unlike anything Ive cupped before. Probably not a profile I would rush back to if Im completely honest but you have to appreciate the elegance and sophistication of this coffee.

Another first class job and another outstanding coffee.

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Strawberries for days, stone fruit, florals and poised malic acidity. Theres complexity in notes of citrus and mixed berries and just fantastic cup clarity and balance. Might have to get a slightly bigger bag of this for my own self and do a fuller and more in depth review.

Cupping Method:This was a cheeky wee extra 15grams that arrived from Coffea Circulor - very generous and much appreciated.

What can I say really; wow. Its simply delicious. It buzzes with wonderfully poised sparkling acidity, balanced by plenty of sweetness, theres Lychee, Pineapple and Elderflower notes. There is also very much a white wine thing going on and @agarojewska used this very coffee in the coffee in good spirits competition for a champagne cocktail vibe. Makes perfect sense. She made the link to The Great Gatsby and thats where the name for the coffee comes from.

If I was to say that this is probably the best coffee Ive ever cupped it wouldnt be an exaggeration. Its really up there - certainly not cheap - but the price is totally justified in terms of the true development cost, quality and flavour of the coffee. Treat yourself to a 40g jar - you wont be disappointed.

Im already looking forward to my next Coffea Circulor brew.

Outstanding.

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Best Ethiopian natural Ive cupped this year, without question, and soars straight into the 88+ club.

Its from Keramo village in #sidamo and its called Duwancha after a local fruit - nice.

Passionfruit, blueberry, lactic yoghurty dairy notes, florality, tropicality, citric and malic, structured complex, sweet and balancedI love it.

Delicious.

The Alchemist? is an experimental anaerobic natural from Gasharu farms in the Nyamasheke district of the western province of Rwanda.

The dry aroma and flavour is full of macerated fruits, red and dark berries and chocolate, its bold clear and has excellent body. However, its the tropical malic acidity that really lifts the score for me with this coffee. Its a bit boozy; theres definitely a hint of funk no more than a couple of notes on a bass guitar though.

It homogenises quite a bit as it cools rather than improving or opening up in any way but that doesnt detract much really.

I have known a coffee like this to divide opinion a bit on a table with some liking this a lot more than others. Im all for them, especially when the brakes are kept on a bit to add balance and refinement as has been achieved here. Sweet, juicy, aromatic, lots of body, not much to dislike here for me.

Cupping Method:From Dog & Hat. Follow @the_qreview on Instagram for photos and the full post.

The coffee itself is washed Kurume & Dega cultivars from the Gedeb area, in the south of the Gedeo zone. More specifically the area of Chelbesa and Im assuming Dhilgee is the name of the washing station that produces this coffee from cherry provided by 170 local farmers. Roasting definitely towards the Obi-wan side and a top job done there.

So Im expecting fairly classic #yirgacheffe vibes from this and its definitely in that ball park but theres a real scented almost sparkling florality to it which I personally really like and that stands out from a lot of washed East African coffee Ive cupped recently.

The aroma has obvious sweet citrus, a nip of blood orange, and an almost medicinal note, but it's not unpleasant. The flavour is excellent, very floral. Yes, lychee, watermelon maybe, a bit of a peardrop candy thing (if youve ever had those), and really good quality pink lady apples (if youve ever had those).

Its layered with complex sweetness, citric and some sparkling phosphoric acidity too. Really enjoyed it. The body is light and tea like as you might expect and it is grapefruit juice drying in the aftertaste but thats not going to hold it back too much.

Great coffee. Itll be gone by Friday I expect.

Cupping Method:From Dog & Hat subscription box.

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On the dry aroma its quite layered and complex. Theres a lovely familiar cinder toffee note off the beans when you open the bag then from the grounds theres Brown Sugar, Apricot, Milk Chocolate and Caramel at the break.

The flavour is excellent. Lots more brown sugar sweetness and stone fruit, a hint of
apple pie, some raisin, maybe blood orange acidity, citrus and a black tea note, its very, very clean, bright, malic, and juicy, very satisfying. Plenty of body and very well balanced.

Its quite an archetypal coffee in that its much like lots of other washed Burundian Coffees (and washed Rwandan coffees for that matter) that Ive cupped, but you dont often get this level of clarity, aromatics, structure and complex sweetness.

A very fine example of washed Burundian Bourbon.

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A Colombian Natural from Luis Anibal Calderon, of Finca Villa Betulia in Acevedo, Huila. On the roast we have Campbell and Syme for a second time and a quick sniff suggests theyve nailed this.

Im excited to try this coffee.

Going back a decade Colombian Specialty coffee was basically washed Caturra. High standards of processing and regional microclimates meant there were differences in terrior? and different cup profiles but it was all washed. There was next to no natural or experimental processing. Then the El Nino phenomenon of 2015 led to challenging conditions, changes in regulations and new methods of processing.

Fast forward 7 years and some of the most amazing, delicious and distinctive coffee produced using experimental fermentation and various natural processes is coming out of Colombia.

Then add in that this varietal Ombligon is a rarified one too.. originally from Ethiopia. Small pockets of it have been kept going and cultivated over the decades, the cherries are distinctively long with a sort of belly button shape at the base and the quality of cups they produce is consistently very high.

Big intro and Im not disappointed

The dry aroma is outstanding, it leaps at you with rich milk chocolate and macerated fruits, theres a miso thing going on too. The wet aroma isnt quite so big but its still rich with chocolate and sweet fruit. The flavour is outstanding too, candied Kiwi, Cucumber and Watermelon, Plum and Cherry Sweetness and bags of deep rich chocolate. The body is creamy and weighty and the aftertaste is long.

There is just the tiniest, slightest nip of bitterness at the very end, it could be more layered and elegant and it could be a bit cleaner with a touch more balance so it doesnt quite make the 90s but this is a belter of a coffee - it's super tasty and Im not sharing it.

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Back in Ethiopia: The awash river runs through the rift valley and this coffee comes from smallholder farmers around the river area in the sidama region.

What a bright and clean natural this is. Excellent dry aroma of caramelised citrus which was unexpected as was the flavour of lemon bon bons and bergamot which is equally excellent. Slightly syrupy sweetness and the whole coffee got better and opened up as it cooled. Sometimes cupping coffee makes you smile and this was one of those occasions. Surprisingly bright citric acidity very nicely balanced with the sweetness. The body is a little light and thin but that doesnt take away too much from a coffee like this.

Hipster appreciation cap off and homberg of serious evaluation on: we did get a hiccup of an earthy taint on cup number 3. There was a big obvious Quaker in that cup which is maybe the culprit. So two scores - we acknowledge the taint but it shouldnt detract from a simply delicious, poised coffee like this!

Ive drunk it all already. Delicious

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The flavour is really good, peach tea as youd expect and sweet lemony citrus, then there is a hint of blackcurrant and apple pie and a bit of dairy milk thing too. Its not as complex as a few washed Yirgas Ive been fortunate to slurp recently but its still very very tatsy. Clean, sweet and uniform and the roasting as mentioned is spot on. Ill definitely be dropping by Senzu when I eventually get to visit Porto. Its on the list.

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The roast is super light, going after the sweet fruit notes here and succeeding. It puts me in mind of watermelon and guava rather than peach or citrus. Some florality is there at the start, with the flavours homogenising as they cooled. It has some cocoa notes and plenty of sweetness. The acidity is soft, and the coffee is quite well balanced with a creamy body, if a touch thin.

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One of my favourite bag designs so far this. Very appealing. Within is a very enjoyable coffee and a fine example of coffee form this region. Its juicy with malic apple acidity, brown sugar sweetness, some stone fruit and pear aromatics and caramel with milk chocolate, especially on the wet aroma.

The sort of coffee that will genuinely be just as enjoyable however you brew it I think. Lovely stuff

Cupping Method:Follow @the_qreview on Instagram for photos and the full post.

The coffee is excellent. Some of those familiar toffee and baked fruit notes on the aroma, raisin and brown sugar sweet, excellent juicy acidity and very good balance and body. Maybe green tea, not sure I drink enough of it to draw on it as a sensory memory.

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Im impressed with this. Theres lots of dark fruit notes going into milk chocolate with a backbone of malic blackberry acidity. It does have excellent body too, creamy and rounded a bona fide specialty lot this one - dare I say the force is strong with this one!

Complex, sweet and very tasty and it feels like it would be appreciated by a discerning Sith Lord. Be careful drinking coffee like this though, youll be buying Carbonic Macerated lots in no time - and you dont know where that can lead - you dont know the power of the dark side!

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First impressions are good, the beans a matte uniform, nicely light to medium and theres already a great aroma of berrys and cocoa from the bag.

The dry grounds offer more of that with a slight earthy note and some nuttiness. The wet aroma opened this coffee up a lot all biscuits and strawberry jam!

The flavour is really very good, the same berries and smooth biscuity caramel sweetness, plenty of juicy malic and acetic acidity finishing with milk chocolate.

Clean, sweet, uniform. Quite quaffable

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Super clean, slightly floral (honeysuckle is a good description I think) with a subtle sweet orange character. A very nice cup, not necessarily fireworks, but quite tasty. Subtle black tea platform.

Cupping Method:173.3g to 10g, Hario v60

Kicking Horse has long been on my list of things to try. I'm not really a dark roast drinker, but that's what they are known for. Finally, a friend from Calgary gave me a gift with three bags from Western Canada.

I think this is a very good dark roast coffee at an excellent value. As an espresso, you get the dark chocolate and a balanced smokiness. It has a massive, persistent crema, which is key for the mouthfeel. It's relatively low on the acid side but balanced, which I think is the objective here. I do pick up a smoked vanilla bean-type character as well.

I can see this as an every day drinker for a dark roast lover.

Cupping Method:Espresso 95C on my La Spaziale A53

Plenty of dark to milk chocolate on the aroma, the flavour is, well, its purple-y, if that makes sense, purple berries come to mind, black grapes, some cherry, bubblegum, violet, and tartness of blackcurrant jam in the residual acidity. It reminds me of several Guatemalan and Costa Rican naturals Ive cupped recently. Very clean, balanced, sweet and uniform.

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Roasting again great. Matte, uniform, nicely developed.

Searching for aromatics a bit on the dry aroma, mainly cocoa and nutty, slight grassy note, greenish. The flavour is nice with stone fruits and some berries. A hint of the yoghurty vibe towards the very end of the cupping as well as a hint of orange sherbert. Clean, sweet, uniform.

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This is a washed coffee from the Harrar region which is historically known for naturals with lots of blueberry character. Ive not tried a washed from this region so Im curious.

Lime and bergamot, slight herbaceous note, a little nuttiness. On the break this comes together and I get the lemongrass. The flavour is very good, some florals come through the classic tea-like jasmine, white some grape, peachy stone fruit and nice citric acidity. It softened and sweetened up as it cooled as well as homogenising quite a bit. Quite a classic washed Ethiopian and thats always alright by me!

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Wine gums on the dry aroma, cocoa at the break, funky tropical and berry flavours, nice integrated malic acidity, slight muddy note at the very end as it cooled but no big deal

Very nice coffee, very well roasted.

Cupping Method:From Dog & Hat.

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Dry aroma is very good, peachy with sweet citrus. Flavour is also very good, more stone fruit, bergamot, some red berry notes too. Acidity is malic and citric, its balanced and quite full bodied with a pleasing mouthfeel.

Harmonious. Clean. Sweet. Nice job.

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I chose this coffee for our Christmas Coffee, so I know it pretty well. It was supplied by the fine people Falcon Specialty and hails from the Kamina washing station, one of Rwandas oldest, in the far west of the country near Lake Kivu in Nyamasheke district.

Picked it for the Christmas vibes it offers; apple and cinnnamon, citrus, toffee, brown sugar, dark chocolate, clove and blood orange.

It would be a great filter anytime of year but Ill be brewing this on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with mince pies probably!

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Very good aroma of caramelised berries and milk chocolate, flavours of raspberry, hibiscus, stone fruit and milk chocolate with soft citric orange to mandarin acidity, medium body and a lingering pleasing sweet aftertaste.

Elegant and indulgent in equal measure.

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Deep Currant? is again just a brilliant name for this coffee. On the dry aroma theres raisin, red and black currants and brown sugar. The flavour is more of the same, I get some raspberry and cranberry in there too and a sweet milky mug of tea vibe which I think may be the white choc note theyre alluding too. The acidity is well integrated juicy, malic and citric.

The body is on the light side, and the aftertaste a little fleeting. Some really enjoyable flavour and aromatics with this coffee.

Cupping Method:Follow @the_qreview on Instagram for photos and the full post.