Classic tea/lightly peachy/slightly floral (bergamot) Ethiopian with good mouthfeel and sweetness. No fireworks but a good examplar/archetype for this type of coffee.

Cupping Method:These are my notes from Leaderboard Coffee Season 20.

Although it's a bit one note, it's tough to quibble with the quality of the beans and roast here. Very smooth and sweet with a silky mouthfeel. There's a touch of funk at a higher temperature (tried 94C) but I liked the super clean version at 92C. Tea, dried pineapple, jasmine, and orange blossom.

This Kenyan drinks a little bit differently than a lot of the ones I've had recently. It combines the usual purple fruit with a little bit of Ruby red grapefruit and brown sugar. The type that's not bitter and you get excited about as a kid. It has really good mouthfeel and acidic balance. The underlying platform is a lightly brewed oolong tea character.

Cupping Method:18:1, 92C in v60. This coffee came from Bean Archives.

Light peach iced tea up front. Smooth and balanced. Has a trailing hint of the the green tea vegetal note. Pleasant all around.

Cupping Method:Coffee came from Roaster's Pack advent, 18:1, 92C on v60

I liked this coffee personally, though I think it won't be for everyone. And I probably wouldn't want a whole bag of it. It's chocolate and amaretto, with perhaps a berry/cherry cordial undertone. It's funky and slightly boozy, though not over the top.

Cupping Method:This coffee came from Bean Archives. 18:1, 92C in Hario v60.

This is a very nice coffee and better than most Thai roasts that I have ever had. Reminds me of a good Sumatran. Complex and distinctive, with a funky, herbal edge that remains balanced and smooth. Notes of sweet orange lead, followed by subtle freeze-dried strawberry. Rooibos in the platform. It's a very clean finish.

Cupping Method:18:1, 92C, Hario v60. This coffee came from Bean Archives.

Interesting, fruity, heavily processed coffee with very tropical notes. Hawaiian punch, pineapple, lychee. Red tea platform. Slightly funky. It's one or 1.5 note complexity wise but a good one.

Cupping Method:18:1, 92C in Hario v60. Roaster's Pack Advent.

Coffees of this origin tend to blur together a little bit for me, but his one has good depth of flavor. Good depth in the milk chocolate note, great little nutty note, clean citrus and berry to close out.

Cupping Method:Roaster's Pack Advent, 18:1, 92C, Hario v60.

A perfect blanket-like crema. Exceptional mouthfeel with earthy tones, blackberry acidity, and balanced smoke. Rich chocolate depth. Medium complexity. Very satisfying on a cold, grey day.

Cupping Method:At Ogawa store in Boston.

I was impressed by this Italian style espresso. It pulled a very nice shot with a thick, silky crema. Flavor wise it was straighforward, with good depth in the chocolate note, a little bit of acidity/complexity from some blackberry notes, and a clean finish. Worked nicely for lattes and cortados as well.

Cleaning up old notes. Had this one from Bean Archives in November. A well executed classic Ethopian, tea, stonefruit, some purple fruit, light bergamot. Balanced with good sweetness and medium mouthfeel.

Super funky, drinks almost like a Sumatran natural. Strawberry, guarana, nice natural sweetness. Nice finish reminiscent of port wine.

Cupping Method:At Little Wolf kiosk in Seaport Boston. Barista seemed knowledgeable and recommended over a more expensive Ecuadorian just off roast (appreciated that). Seemed like it came out a bit hot.

Brazilian naturals have been pretty blah this year. To the point where I've been theorizing the drought and other bad weather have led to some mediocre lots. The holiday advents felt like a little bit of a dumping ground. This is an exception. It has a silkier, sweeter mouthfeel. Sweetness is a little honey and a little brown sugar. And it's definitely got a great chocolate/fudgy nose and flavor. I do pick up the roaster's hint of rose, which is definitely unique for a Brazilian natural. It is very slightly funky.

Cupping Method:17.5:1, 92C on v60. Roaster's Pack Advent.

Per usual Dak's tasting notes are pretty spot on and it's cool and unique. This is very cherry, milk chocolate with vanilla hints, and a slightly winey finish. It will, for some, veer dangerously close to cough syrup. I put this in the category where I'd happily drink a bag of this but probably not proactively buy it.

Cupping Method:93C, 18:1, Hario v60

Clean, slightly funky Rwandan with good natural sweetness. Red grape, cherry, perhaps some jasmine and a slight hint of green tea. Very lightly winey.

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

Balanced, clean Colombian. Citrus, lavender, black tea. Sweet and smooth. Not fireworks but a very likable cup.

Cupping Method:Revolver Advent. V60, 18:1, 92C

Guatemalan field blends are generally safe and not super exciting. This is a long those lines but the depth of flavor is really good in the chocolate and citrus. Very smooth mouthfeel and a juicy sweet orange with lots of milk chocolate and caramel/toffee natural sweetness.

Cupping Method:17:1, 93C on Hario v60. From Bean Advent.

A bit of a single note coffee but the one note is really good. Fruity, pink lemonade, berries. Light tea platform and clean but simple finish. Good natural sweetness and mouthfeel.

Cupping Method:Revolver Advent Calendar. 17:1, 92C in v60.

Lovely Kenyan. I get blueberry, ruby red grapefruit, and black tea. Nice mouthfeel, balance, and natural sweetness.

Cupping Method:Revolver Advent. 17.5:1, 92C.

Balanced, enjoyable lighter Cometeer pod. Silky mouthfeel, balanced acidity. Good flavor without anything mind-blowing, green apple, milk chocolate, and citrus. Clean finish.

Cupping Method:From Cometeer Advent Calendar. Just added water.

Very nice acidity with lovely blackberry acidity and an enjoyable bittersweet dark chocolate. Good depth of dark chocolate note upfront and running throughout to the end. Medium mouthfeel, medium complexity, just a tad short on the crema.

Cupping Method:I had it at Identity in Taunton in the Center on Main space. A ceramic espresso cup would have really contributed to the experience as this is an exceptional space! Machine is the classic La Marzocco.

Interesting Brazilian coffee with some complexity and interesting mouthfeel. Berries and plum, plus a bit of wine cooler. Hint of guaranteed. Silky mouthfeel. Sugar plum linger!

Cupping Method:18:1, 92C, Hario v60. From the Revolber advent calendar.

If you enjoy a more processed style of coffee, this one is easy to like. The cup leans heavily into fruit, with pronounced sweetness and an unmistakable cherry note at the forefront. The sweetness reads as cane sugar, with a gentle panela like linger on the finish. Despite the intensity of the fruit, the cup remains relatively clean and well composed. I get lavender too. Overall, a very enjoyable and expressive coffee.

Cupping Method:17:1, 92C v60

Note I made one with hotter water and it turned cough syrupy.

Coffee came from Bean Archives

Guatemalans really haven't been popping this year but this one is quite good. Hard to get hyped about the flavor notes from the roaster with grapefruit being one I normally don't like. I get Apple sweet tea. There's a Turkish version called Elma Cayi it reminds me of. But super smooth and honeyed mouthfeel. Quite lovely. Best Guatemalan of the year I think.

Cupping Method:18:1, 93C in v60

Definitely get the mango, it's hard to miss. Also tea and something along the lines of grapefruit. Very enjoyable though I set the bar a bit higher for co-ferment to express more than what they were co fermented with.

Cupping Method:From Revolver Advent. 17:1, 92C in Hario v60

I don't know that much about Winfield St. The space and service here in Stamford feels quiet and a bit chain like, but the coffee tells a different story.
The espresso showed a medium crema and a satisfying mouthfeel, with bittersweet chocolate up front and a hint of graham cracker. The roast leans medium dark, unfolding into blackberry notes with a light touch of bergamot on the finish. Well balanced overall, with a pleasant, lingering aftertaste. It's layered and very pleasant.

Cupping Method:Espresso at Winfield St.

Sugar plum, full, silky mouthfeel for a light roast. Normally plum is not a flavor note I get excited about.

Honey sweet. Subtly nutty in the background. Lightly brewed black tea. The coffee is very well balanced. I don't think it has a single standout note but comes together very well.

Cupping Method:Revolver Advent. 92C, 17:1 on v60

Never quite sure if it is the roasting or the sourcing but Nomad coffee always seems to have a silky, sweet mouthfeel. This one has a light walnut character (not bitter), tropical notes like pineapple and mango. The platform is green/black tea blend with maybe the slightest hint of honeysuckle.

Cupping Method:94C, 17:1 on Hario v60. Came from Revolver Advent.

Tasty classic holiday note coffee. Great depth in chocolate note, nutty in the peanut range, orange acidity. Classic smooth/sweet/silky Cometeer mouthfeel. Very enjoyable.

Cupping Method:Just added water.

Delicate and tea-like, this coffee opens with soft orange citrus and honeysuckle aromatics. The cup is exceptionally smooth, with a light simple-syrup sweetness that carries through the finish. Classic Colombian traits are present, but expressed in a lighter, more refined way, emphasizing clarity and sweetness over weight.

Cupping Method:Revolver Advent. 17:1, 92C on Hario v60