Profile Overview
@ted
Theo Chan, Managing Editor
Member since
Preferences: Barista for Coffee Roast, mainly drinking espresso and pourover. I try to take a sommelier type approach to coffee, and generally know how varietals/regions should taste (but also like being surprised!)
Gear: Lucca Spaziale A53 Chemex Coffee Maker Alessia Moka Pot Hario v60 - Ceramic at home, plastic on the road
Reviews(1351)
4.29(1351)
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Very balanced and super smooth roast characteristic of washed Panamian geshas. There's a lovely honeysuckle/bergamot floarity, and an nice cranberry/orange acidity. It's a well-structured gesha with pleasant natural sweetness.
Cupping Method:I got this from Airworks Coffee (8 different coffees from John Small, 20g). Made it 18:1, 197F in the v60.
Rated: 4.50 -
I like this coffee, notably, more than another Kenyan I had today from a top roaster. Smooth with a pleasant mouthfeel. Lead note of strongly brewed black tea, then a very interesting blueberry/rose hip note. I'll take more brightness there but very well balanced. Mostly clean finish with a touch of hoppiness. Overall, I'm looking for a bit more more brightness and complexity but it's a very good cup.
Cupping Method:I got this in a coffee swap.
Made 18:1, 197F in v60
It's almost 6 weeks out from the roast date but can't say I see that it would have been a 5-star for me even with optimal timing.Rated: 4.50 -
This was an interesting lot. I had heard a bit about Twako, which is small coffee-growing area in Sidama. Known for its high elevation and fertile soils, Twakok produces coffee beans that are highly sought after for their distinct flavor profiles. Coffee from this area tends to feature the signature fruit-forward notes typical of Sidama coffees, with flavors like stonefruit, berry, citrus, and floral undertones with bright acidity. This one had some of those traits, but the natural processing brought out a bit more character and sweetness than your typical Sidama, IMHO.
While the usual Ethiopian bean size variation was present, some of the beans were especially small and lighter in color—almost quakers, though not quite.
The first thing that hit me was a burst of blueberry sweetness balanced which transitions to a fresh apricot note. There's a slight lime edge also gives the cup a bright, citrusy lift. This coffee isn't bitter at all, but the touch of it is similar to the way lime has just a touch of it. It's just a touch funky.
As it cools, a subtle black tea undertone comes through, adding some depth and a smooth finish. It's one of those brews that keeps revealing itself with each sip.Cupping Method:I got a John Small sampler pack from Airworks.
I brewed it using a V60 at 197°F, with an 18:1 ratio. My V60 pot broke, so I had to make do with a backup pitcher.Rated: 4.50 -
A flavorful complex medium roast espresso with bright acidity. Light medium crema that looks a bit better than it drinks.
Rich, dark, bittersweet chocolate lead-in. Blackberry is the most prominent fruit characteristic I get. A slight hint of tamarind. The mouth feel is a little bit thin, but the complexity and depth of flavor is excellent.Cupping Method:Double espresso at NOA Cafe in Portsmouth, NH
Rated: 4.50 -
Very balanced, well-nitroed, well implemented (Guiness Widget?) Cannes cold brew. Chocolate forward with a nice berry citrus acidity. Very clean with excellent mouthfeel.
Cupping Method:I had this in my lunchbox for a long hike. Very satisfying.
Rated: 4.50 -
Very clean with a silky mouthfeel. Black tea, a slight hint of bergamot but more subtle than in Ethiopian. Maybe it has a touch of jasmine. A subtle but bright satsuma / clementine mid-palate and a very clean finish. A lovely cup.
Cupping Method:I ordered this from Airworks. I made it with v60, 196F, 18:1.
Rated: 4.50 -
This isn't what I normally drink, and I haven't sat around in Tokyo drinking dark roast after a night out, but I couldn't imagine any dark roast filter drink her not liking this. It's a very smooth, dark roast with tremendous depth of flavor, a bit of spice and some complexity. Well, executed based on what they were describing.
Cupping Method:At Blue Bottle in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
Rated: 4.50 -
This is a very good cafe style medium roast espresso. Good depth of flavor in the chocolate note up front, a blueberry/blackberry fruity hit, a little bit of caramel and walnut.
Made solid lattes and cortados. Vibrant has a consistent roasting style and the sourcing and blending seem quite good.Cupping Method:Espressos and cortados. Lattes for my wife. Went through a 4oz bag pretty quickly.
Rated: 4.50 -
This espresso, from Bakey, paired beautifully with a fresh cinnamon babka. The bold flavors of dark chocolate and blackberry in the coffee complemented the warm spice and sweetness of the babka, making for a satisfying combination. The syrupy mouthfeel and lingering chocolate notes were a perfect match for the pastry's rich, cinnamon-swirled layers.
Update - turns out it's from Caffe Umbria in Seattle (Gusto Crema espresso).Cupping Method:Bakery in Brookline, MA.
Rated: 4.50 -
Well-executed Italian espresso. Hefty medium crema with dark chocolate notes, blackberry, lots of sweetness and syrupy mouthfeel. Slight nutmeg/spice and a chocolate linger.
Cupping Method:At Bakey in Brookline, MA
Rated: 4.50 -
Lively Ethiopian espresso. A nice sweet chocolate aroma coming of the bag.
Pulls with a light medium crema.
Peachy with a strong earl grey tea note. A lot of brightness in the acidity, with some moderate complexity mouthfeel wise and a clean peach tea linger. Nicely inbounds from an acidity perspective.Cupping Method:Americanos and espressos. Did well on both.
Rated: 4.50 -
Update: made French Press cold brew here and it was excellent. Very smooth with a blueberry note coming out.
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Smooth, versatile, and borderline chuggable. I wouldn't say this has a single standout trait.
Wonderful chocolate aroma with a little bit of sweetness.
Balanced acidity.
Slightly milk chocolate tailing into mid-palate strong black tea. It's very smooth but I'd take a little bit more brightness in the frutiness notes. That would have pushed it over the top.
Actually pulled it as espresso and it had a massive crema and a bit of watermelon funk came out.Cupping Method:Grading as pourover, made with v60, 18:1 ratio, 197 degrees. I also made it at 205 degrees, and it was too hot.
Actually enjoyed the espresso as as well.Rated: 4.50 -
This is a fun and crazy espresso, very unique. It has a pretty interesting peanut butter banana brownie aroma. The roast itself is pretty intresting looking - while it's a single varietal caturra, the beans are pretty variegated in the roast color.
The chcocolate banana comes through in the cup. It has a nice mouthfeel with some natural sweetness. It's funky and fun. The crema is medium but a little light.
The can is cool looking but completely non-sensical packaging for espresso or coffee in general. Ha ha.Cupping Method:Espresso, La Spaziale A53. 95C.
Rated: 4.50 -
Very chocolatey medium dark espresso that pulls consistently with a massive crema and lovely mouthfeel. No burnt or bitter notes to be found here. Some nice natural sweetness. A slight hint of blackstrap molasses.
While I generally like my espresso to have a bit more acidity and complexity, I think this one does a really good job with what they are going for here.Cupping Method:95C two shot pulls on La Spaziale A53
Rated: 4.50 -
A nice gesha with outstanding mouthfeel and natural sweetness. Light vanilla, a satsuma note, and 3/4 palate of something like orange pekoe. an orange linger and clean finish. A slight honeysuckle floral overtone.
Cupping Method:Pourover.
18:1 ratio, v60 and Chemex, 196F and 197F.
Took a little bit to dial-in but was really good 4 weeks after roast date.Rated: 4.50 -
Tasty omniroast pink bourbon decaf that worked as pourover and espresso. Nice depth of chocolate character on espresso that's 50/50 tea/chocolate on pourover. Also some sweet orange, slightly floral, and a full-body with nice natural sweetness in the brown sugar range. A great one to have around for dessert.Rated: 4.50
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I don't drink a lot of Thai coffee so this one took a little bit of getting used and a touch to dial-in. Although I didn't actually change that much in my various iterations, so maybe it's more me.
Rabbit Hole has fantastic tasting notes, and pomegranate and green apples are spot on. They aren't sharply acidic as you would get in the fruit, but definitely detectable. It's very sweet and just slightly funky. It's perhaps a little herbaceous in a neutral way. Overall, and an interesting and fun coffee.Cupping Method:Part of 7 coffees I ordered from Rabbit Hole this month. 195-197F range, 18:1 ratio, Hario v60.
Rated: 4.50 -
I didn't take great notes towards the end of Leaderboard Season 15.
Cherry
Caramel
Sweet
Caramel
A bit herbal/funky
Guessed it was a robusta strain and was right here...but I enjoyed it.Cupping Method:Leadearboard Season 15
Rated: 4.50 -
A highly characteristic Ethiopian with good balance and nice mouthfeel. Notes - tea, peachiness, a hint of brown sugar.
Cupping Method:Season 15 of Leaderboard Coffee, made at 197F in Hario v60, 18:1 ratio. Also in Chemex.
Rated: 4.50 -
I drank this as part of Leaderboard season 15, and I only noted a score and I thought it was a robusta varietal. Not sure why I took such crappy notes.Rated: 4.50
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Catching up on Leaderboard Season 15 data entry.
I really liked this Rwandan from Little Waves, as much I have any Rwandan, which I usually find solid but undistinguished.
For a washed, I thought this had a bit of funkiness to it. I got an almond overtone, a satsuma type citrus, and a nice natural sweetness and medium mouthfeel. I thought it had a very rich aroma with a bit of spice on the grind.Cupping Method:v60, 18:1 ratio, 197F - part of Leaderboard S15. I ended up getting this one right though I struggled with it possibly being the Ecuadorian.
Rated: 4.50 -
Balanced, clean coffee with exceptional mouthfeel and hits the roaster's notes nicely (peach, vanilla, floral). Peach sweet tea character overall. Peach acidity is really nice. Very smooth. Limited complexity but a nice easy drinker.
Cupping Method:V60 and Chemed, 197F worked well, 18:1. Had a 100g bag.
Rated: 4.50 -
I got a cold brew to walk back up to the Canyons resort after having an espresso at the Garden Cafe. Baldoni was the roast used. I'd say it drinks more like a medium, but was a very good choice for cold brew on ice. It's very smooth, with excellent depth of the chocolate note, and a clean citrus acidity. The acidity is fairly light. A very nice caramel sweetness with a slight cashew tinge. While it's not super complex, this is a coffee I'd recommend to many of my friends who like a straightforward roast with lower acidity.
Cupping Method:Cold brew on ice at Garden Cafe in Park City, Utah.
Rated: 4.50 -
Another day, another Park city espresso.
This one was very good in a slightly different vein than ones I've had recently. I found this to be a very smooth espresso with a syrupy mouthfeel. Dark chocolate lead, then a smooth mid-palate, and blackberry and tamarind finish.Cupping Method:Double espresso at Garden Cafe in Park City, Utah
Rated: 4.50 -
A tasty espresso.
Leads with a deep, unsweetened, and slightly bitter chocolate profile. I agreed that the sweetness is slightly date like. There's a fairly substantial hit of blackberry acidity that I think balances the slightly bitter, slightly earthy chocolate note.Cupping Method:Double espresso at Tina's Bakery in Park City
Rated: 4.50 -
Mill Creek roasts this house blend for Atticus Coffee in Park City that delivers a well-rounded dark roast espresso.
It leans into chocolate notes with a pleasing depth of flavor, balanced by subtle smoky and earthy undertones that don't overpower. The acidity is mild, staying in the background, while the mouthfeel is smooth and complemented by a rich crema.
A great shot for those who enjoy a darker roast without it being overly intense.Cupping Method:At Atticus Coffee in Park City, Utah. It's on Main Street.
Rated: 4.50 -
Flavorful espresso with massive crema and nice depth of flavor. Rich chocolate, spice, and definitely the cedar note mentioned by the roaster, but presented in a way that's very pleasant. Has some complexity and evolves in the palate. One of the better airport espressos I can remember.
Cupping Method:Equator Coffee kiosk in Terminal A of Logan Airport. Service a little bit disorganized and slow (missed my order). Rating solely based on coffee.
Rated: 4.50 -
Very good medium roast espresso. Chocolate, blackberry, lime hit with boldness. Some maple syrup sweetness/overtones. Really nice balance and mouthfeel. Tails off a little on the finish for me, but very good espresso overall.
Cupping Method:Double espresso at Wild Valentine in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Looks like a custom roast for Wild Valentine.
Rated: 4.50 -
Nicely roasted fairly characteristic Costa Rica with chocolate, a little bit of tea and a clean citrus and fresh pear note. Very clean finish and very nice mouth feel. Reminds me a little bit of an elevated breakfast blend. The depth of flavor and mouthfeel was very nice. For me, this was between a four and a 4.5 but I rounded up.
There was a lot to like about Pour City although it might be trying to do a bit too much in a small venue.Cupping Method:Pourover at Pour City in Franklin Lakes, NJ
Rated: 4.50 -
Very tasty filter, coffee with almost no bitterness whatsoever, slight almond character, and then leads into bright orange a little bit of tea and a little bit of chocolate and an extremely clean finish with a lightly lemony linger.
Cupping Method:Filter at Radial Coffee in Vernon, CT. Drank in the car on the way to NJ. The barista told me this was the blend they used for filter.
Rated: 4.50