Sensational coffee with a super appealing raspberry strudel aroma. Complex with baking chocolate, mango, raspberry, and yellow tropical fruit notes. Has enough balance and sweetness to go with the slightly hoppy funkiness.

Cupping Method:This coffee came via Bean Archives. I think a bit cooler 91C, brought out plenty of fruitiness. A bit funkier and a tad bitter at a higher temp.

Sensational but also clean and balanced. Brimming with fruitiness, passionfruit, strawberry, and apricot. A hint of rooibos.

Cupping Method:Came from Bean Archives. 93C, 17:1 on v60.

Holy cow this makes a good latte. Enough for me. Traveling so just noting I liked it and will expand later.

Cupping Method:Ri Yue Cafe in Montreal

As an espresso, this coffee opens with earthy depth and a core of chocolate, followed by notes of cherry, caramel, and a hint of tamarind that adds gentle complexity. The shot feels balanced from start to finish, with medium acidity that keeps it lively without pushing too bright. It has a smooth, approachable profile with enough fruit and sweetness to stay interesting while still leaning comforting and grounded.

This is a sensational espresso in the light-medium range. It has bright acidity, a complex bittersweet dark chocolate platform, and a lingering finish that leaves you wanting more. Blackberry, lime, tamarind. Balanced crema and lovely mouthfeel.

Cupping Method:I had this at the Little Cup kiosk in the Montreal Metro station.

Probably a bit of a guilty pleasure here but hey, you like what you like. Fruity, black cherry, strawberry, raspberry. Funky. Plus hoppy. I love hops.

I had these same beans I believe with the Bonlife Finca La Reserva I had last year. They made that and espresso, and this is a pourover that's just as well done (linked that review).

Here I do get balsamic strawberry as a standout note, a sort of noted culinary combination. The balsamic is subtle but this is a funky strawberry forward coffee with stonefruit and berry notes. This is very nicely roasted and balanced for a coffee with this much funk.

Impressed by Aliena overall with the 3 roasts I had. These are large lot but standout specialty beans.

Cupping Method:One shot at this one, 18g. Went 17:1 at 92C. Hario v60. That formula worked well here

Really fun and funky cup. It is slightly herbal/vegetal like green tea but enjoyably so. Central is a big hit of dried strawberry, peach, and mango. The finish is slightly winey.

It's rare that I come across a genuinely new coffee tasting note, so seeing “Ispahan” from the roaster immediately stood out. I did a bit of research. It's a reference borrowed from the pastry world, where it describes a combination of rose, raspberry, and lychee. When used in coffee, it maybe signals a highly aromatic and expressive cup, with floral notes leaning toward rose, a bright red fruit acidity, and a sweet, slightly exotic fruit character. It's less a precise tasting term and more a creative shorthand, but when it shows up, it usually points to a coffee with striking florals and layered fruit complexity, which I do get in this coffee

Cupping Method:Coffee beans came from Bean Archives. 17:1, 92C on v60

This is a really excellent Guji, that's a little bit unique but not far enough outside of the box to be unrecognizable to the archetype.

Super silky mouthfeel, that white flower hint you know and love, plus some orange blossom. Honeyed sweetness, when you just add very little honey to tea. I get a bit of mango here, along with peach. First time trying this roaster out.

Cupping Method:Had my kettle on F today, temp was 194F. 17:1 on v60.

Lord Voldemort Lemongrass Coplot is an absolute stunner of a coffee. The aromatics immediately announce themselves with clear lemongrass on the nose, a note that carries seamlessly into the cup. As it opens up, soft chamomile tones emerge, lending a gentle herbal character that complements the citrusy brightness. There is also a slightly tropical suggestion, something reminiscent of ripe mango, which adds depth without overwhelming the profile. The cup shows a pleasing natural sweetness and a silky mouthfeel that ties everything together, making for a refined and memorable experience.

Cupping Method:18:1, 91C on v60 worked best. Coffee came from Bean Archives

Floral, a little bit of spice, clean and only slightly funky.

I gave this coffee a 4.5 when I had it as pourover from the Leaderboard Coffee game. I noticed the E.GU.WIWI nomenclature when the reveal happened and my experience with Nomad made me realize the roaster intends this to be served as espresso! When I pulled it as espresso it had immense depth of the 3 notes mentioned, milk chocolate, honey, and peach. It was a touch floral as well. Good as pourover, stunning as espresso.

I thought this was an excellent PNG. They are rarely this restrained and elegant. I get some cola, honey, black tea, black cherry, and citrus. Very clean finish. Slightly funky. Great depth in the notes.

Cupping Method:Last coffee of 2025 Bean Archives Advent!

Sensational gesha with a crispy makrut lime notes, honeysuckle, and black tea notes. Complex and bright. Perfectly balanced mouthfeel. One of the best I've had this year. Just wish I had some more.

Cupping Method:I had a 15g sample from Bean Archives. Made it a very low temp, 192F, 17:1 ratio. Wouldn't change anything there!

While I've been increasingly wary of co-ferments and heavily processed coffee, this one hits the spot. Pineapple is the main note I get, and it reminds me a bit of a pineapple infused tea I once had. Generally tropical overtones with brightness in the acidity, nice natural sweetness, and a smooth medium mouthfeel. I really enjoyed it!

A truly exceptional espresso found in an unexpected location. It features espresso with blackberry, bittersweet dark chocolate, offering a rich mouthfeel. Well-balanced with a nice crema. no idea whether this is really sustainable in this type of location, but I grade them as they come. My wife said her latte was outstanding as well.

Cupping Method:Espresso at roaster/cafe/ski shop. So good I went back the next day to confirm quality.

A sensational Ethiopian with a lot of natural sweetness. Perfectly balanced florality. Strawberry, lavender, jasmine, peach, and honey are notes I get. The finish is citrus.

Cupping Method:This came from Roaster's Pack Advent (yes I'm way behind). 18:1, 92C on Hario v60.

This is an insane coffee. Everythingpurple. It really does smell like a blueberry pie. Complex, funky, and floral in the cup. Not everyone will love it but it's a fun one.

Cupping Method:Came from Bean Archives. I meant to do a better review but the holidays took over.

Sensational Ethiopian. Notes - perfectly brewed English breakfast tea, blueberry, fresh red cherries. Very sweet and silky smooth. Lavender florality. One of the best coffees I've had this year.

Cupping Method:18:1 92C on v60

From the Revolver Advent Calendar

This is one of the first light roast natural Cometeer Pods I've ever had. I think it's really good. Chocolate, strawberry, hints of Merlot red wine. Just the right of funk. Silky smooth and sweet.

Cupping Method:Just added water.

Listed taste notes from the Revolver Advent. The cool one is kombucha which I get. I also get some summer strawberry, rose wine, lemon balm. It'a a really cool coffee with acidity you do not normally see Indonesian coffees. It is sweet and complex and one of the best coffees I've had this year.

Cupping Method:Hario v60, 17.5:1, 92C.

Coffee came from Revolver Advent.

If you like this type of more processed coffee, it will be hard not to like this one. It is super fruity with a lot of sweetness. Tough to argue with strawberry and passionfruit. I think the sweetness is cane sugar with a honeyed linger.. It's relatively clean otherwise. Very enjoyable!

Cupping Method:17:1, 92C on v60 worked well. This coffee came from Bean Archives.

Sensational Ethiopian that you wish you have so many more cups of. Tea, jasmine, green grape, sweet orange Asian pear, honey. Silky and sweet. Complex and flora.

Cupping Method:92C, 18:1 on v60. From Revolver Advent.

One of the best, if not the best Cometeer I've had. Drank during a meeting so hadn't heard of roaster. Found out researching after Hachi is a Hartmann/Bermudez Panama collab!

Awesome. Sweet, complex, with citrus and slightly tropical notes (maybe mango?). Still has that characteristic sweet/silky/smooth Cometeer mouthfeel. Really good and looking forward to seeing their whole bean specialty coffee's in the wild.

Cupping Method:Just added water.

Blind tasting. Leaderboard Season 20.

Sensational Kenyan that is very tropical with pineapple, mango, and sweet tea notes. Very sweet and pleasant medium mouthfeel. Pleasant and bright but not sharp acidity. A beauty.

Cupping Method:17:1, 92C v60

This coffee is dynamite, and it's all in the mouth feel. I tend to not be able to drink. Coffee is too hot, but this one is so silky and honey in mouth feel that it goes down really easy. Blackberry, sweet orange, smooth. Muscovado hint.

Cupping Method:17:1, 93C on Hario v60

Beans were mixedsized. Definitely detected a gesha like quality in tea like character and mouthfeel. I get some rose/hibiscus, not super tart mid palate. Very clean finish.

Cupping Method:Leaderboard Season 20

A bold choice to offer as espresso, this one opens with an aroma and pop of watermelon candy aroma that feels instantly playful and appealing. The coffee itself is wild and tropical, papaya up front, then a limey snap, with passionfruit acidity stretching to the finish. Mid palate you caught a slightly muddled earthy moment, like a brief shadow passing through the fruit bowl, but it doesn't derails the cup. I think it's neutral and some might not like that part of it.

The thermal shock natural processing seems to be doing its job here, pushing high intensity fruit while keeping the structure tight. The shot reads clearly as a light roast espresso: bright, fruit forward, and expressive, yet still cohesive. Overall, outstanding and genuinely fun to drink.

Cupping Method:Special espresso at Heartwood in Orange Village. $3 a bargain for this quality specialty espresso!

Super clean Ethiopian that's clean but super bright in the clarity of the tea and citrus notes. Great sweetness and not a hint of bitterness to be found. Oolong tea, sweet orange, and light white flower. Really good and hard to stop drinking.

Cupping Method:I had this at Worka, a coffee shop in DC.

This is a pretty unique coffee with the roaster's intent/tasting notes definitely coming through. Plum, cinnamon, mint, and citric acidity are all present. The third cup I made was excellent with the lime (key lime pie?) acidity adding complexity and balancing the cup out. The roast is beautiful, even and visually appealing. I don't know if this roaster can scale up operations but this and the pink bourbon demonstrated a lot of skill.

Cupping Method:93C, 17:1 on v60 was best cup.