I put this medium roast in my espresso machine and got out something pretty remarkable. A perfectly balanced medium shot of espresso with a lush, velvety crema. Earthy with minerality. Wife, not a straight espresso drinker, liked it when I made her sip it.

Couldnt get it to work on Moka Pot, brought out a bit too many bitter notes.

Cupping Method:A53 Lucca Spaziale espresso machine, 94 degrees celsius. Espresso, iced Americano, hot Americano all worked well. Moka pot didn't.

This is a great smooth espresso with a good balance of roast notes and acidity. Very pleasant linger and aftertaste. Nutty, brown sugar, hint of toasty marshmallow. Medium, velvety crema. Pops aroma wise out of the bag and on the grind with licorice, brown sugar, clove, and chocolate.

Cupping Method:Home espresso machine, A53 Lucca Spaziale, 94 degrees C. Sampled as espresso, iced Americano, and latte.

Definitely as straightforward and expression of the characteristics described on the bag as Ive seen - dark chocolate, cherry, orange. I think the highlight is a big rich maple syrup/molasses burst at the front. Then it settles and you get clear chocolate and cherry with some citrusy highlights. On top of that I get some black tea and a tropical acidity. It is incredibly smooth.

Costa Ricas Dota region puts out great coffee and this is not exception!

Cupping Method:Chemex pourover, 207 degrees F

Angel's Cup blind tasting.

Smooth, easy to drink. Honey crisp apple and blueberry, with a nice light Caramel finish. Nice balanced acidity. Tasted blind, Chemex pourover technique.

Vickie liked it, its smooth, its light.

Cupping Method:Hario v60 pourover.

This coffee is unique and delicious. Very tropical, I get almost a strawberry/star fruit up front. Theres a split second where it feels like you have warm cocoa and theres a nice smooth finish with a touch of tangerine. Acidity is really nice.

I paid $25 for it.

Cupping Method:Chemex Pourover, 207 degrees, natural filter.

Kona drip is not really my things but I know how it is supposed to taste and this is it. Screams bold coffee without any burnt notes. Chocolate, caramel, vanilla through. Very smooth. Spot on medium roast.

Cupping Method:Drip coffee at a cafe in Concord, MA

Had pourover at Haute Cafe in Concord, MA which always does a very professional job. This is an outstanding light roast that is very smooth with just a hint of balanced acidity. I think Counter Cultures description of cherry, vanilla, and juicy are quite accurate here, as well as some black raspberry. I get just a hint of caramel sweetness towards the end of the palate, and a very clean finish with a pleasant and mild aftertaste.

Cupping Method:Pourover from local cafe

My wife and I both liked this coffee a lot. We tried it more as a novelty since neither one of us have had Chinese coffee (or if we did in Hong Kong or China when we went, we didnt know). But China or not, this is a really great light roast pourover. My research trying to find the best coffees has led me multiple times to Sterling, so I ordered this Yunnan as well as their Blendo Stupendo.

First thing both out of the bag and extraction is that this has a tropical aroma, I got a lot of pineapple. Sterlings description said grape, and I do get a Raisin/Raisinet. This is a very drinkable coffee that is very smooth with balanced acidity and mouthfeel. Theres a touch of umami, ever so slight, in the front of the palate, with a very nice black tea and mango mid-palate. Very clean finish fruity, white peach and stone fruit, until almost a second later, just a pop of that black tea hitting again. A lot going on here, changes with temperature.

I did a little bit of research. Did you know Yunnan is the largest coffee-producing region in China, accounting for over 98% of the country's total coffee production (I saw 95% in another place), most of it Arabica. According to the International Coffee Organization, China produced a total of 2.67 million 60-kilogram bags of coffee in the 2020-2021 coffee year, with Yunnan accounting for 2.62 million bags. The remaining coffee production in China is mainly from Hainan province, which produces a small amount of Robusta coffee.

Cupping Method:Chemex Pourover

great

Cupping Method:good

Low acidity drinkers will like this. I do get the brown spice and apricot. It's very smooth with a silky mouthfeel. A bit one note for me and would love a brightness but enjoyable.

A solid Italian style decaf roast. Balanced smoke, good mouthfeel. A little low in complexity and doesn't hit a big chocolate note.

I drink a lot of pink bourbon and a lot of Cometeers and am generally a fan of both. I think this combo is just OK. It's not heavy, but there is a lemon tamarind acidity here that is good, but I don't think goes well with the Cometeer mouthfeel. Otherwise, you get sort of the brown sugar and silkyish mouth feel. I think there are other capsules. I would go with over this one, but it is good.

I think this espresso is pretty solid but not quite a standout for me. It extracts nicely with a lovely crema and good mouthfeel.

It is driven by a bittersweet chocolate note that is present through almost the entire palette and is in the aftertaste. I like this personally, but it's not quite as round/soft as you'd like. It carries some blackberry and lime acidity that is maybe a little sharp and simple.

Cupping Method:I got this coffee from Trade and drank it as espresso, making lattes for my wife.

This Cometeer is sort of one note plus some nice acidity, and the usual Cometeer sweetness/mouthfeel. Then a bit of a cloying but delicate, lingering sour note that hangs on just past where you'd want it.

I got a sort of classic red apple and caramel Colombian here. The mouthfeel is very silky. Low acidity here for a light roast so it's a very easy drinker. Noting 2 Quakers in an 18g sample. A good cup without anything really standing out.

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

I thought this espresso was solid. Bittersweet chocolate, slightly earthy. Nice chocolate linger. Good natural sweetness and some interesting complexity. Did get a bit of the citrus and apple but no standout acidity note for me.

A solid cup of drip and a life saver given the isolated corporate tower setting I was in. Smooth with a bit of molasses, citrus, and strawberry. Maybe I'd call on the better end of non-specialty coffee?

I liked the mouthfeel here and the tea note and how clean it was. It's missing and acidity and brightness that pops.

Clean, slightly funky, slightly citrus and strawberry notes. A slightly boozy hint, almost bourbon like. It's ok. Doesn't come together for me and I couldn't get a cup with bright acidity. Have had Sudan Rume from other roasters and liked it more.

Cupping Method:Coffee came from Bean Archives

The roaster notes here promise so exciting but I never got it. It has a nice tea note and some citrus but wasn't tropical for me. Maybe a smidge of raspberry. I tried it at 3 different temps.

Cupping Method:Coffee came from Bean Archives.

I think I had Juice Bomb #1!

This coffee came from Bean Archives and has some good notes. A plum/prune/nectarine acidity. Maybe some strawberry lemonade to it. The linger is a bit tart for me, like a slightly underripe grape It's a good cup overall but middle of the pack in terms of the Kenyans I've had this year.

I like that this capsule is at least something different from your typical Nespresso capsule in this range, which tends to have a very wheaty/cereal note.

Hollys Eclipse is very upfront about what it wants to be. From the first sip, it's clearly nutty, with bittersweet dark chocolate and a toasted almond character that feels warm and familiar. Nothing flashy, nothing perfumed, just a straightforward, café-style espresso profile.

What surprised me a bit is the body. For a capsule, it actually holds together well through the middle. The flavors don't collapse into bitterness or thin out too fast, and the low acidity keeps it smooth and easy to drink, especially as a straight espresso or an Americano.

The finish is where it loses momentum. It's clean, but pretty forgettable. The chocolate and nut notes fade quickly, without much sweetness or depth left behind. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's also nothing that makes you pause after the cup is gone.

Overall, it's a solid, reliable capsule. Nutty, dark, mildly chocolatey, with a better body than expected, even if the ending doesn't quite give you a reason to come back thinking about it.

Solid classic washed Burundi. Panela, very smooth, lightly citric/berry acidity. Nice mouthfeel. Not really a standout but a pleasant cup.

Cupping Method:92C, 18:1 in Hario v60

A bit odd looking lot with slightly uneven looking roast. Pleasant cup with good natural sweetness and caramel overtone. Smooth and sweet, with a bit of citrus. Lacks a bit of brightness but mouthfeel is nice.

Cupping Method:18:1, 92C, Hario v60

I found this Kenyan to be similar (possibly the same producer?) to a Speedwell roast (linked below) I didn't love earlier this year. I did like this one more, but it had the same cloying, slightly stringent aftertaste, like a underripe melon. This one has bright blackcurrant note upfront and a good amount of sweetness, almost like Ribena, with acidity that's bright across but moves into that slightly unpleasant note to finish.

Cupping Method:18:1, 92C, Hario v60. This one I brewed on the light side but still had a lot of body. Could perhaps have gone even lighter. Came from the Revolver Advent Calendar.

This is my first coffee from People Possession that isn't a real banger and unique. It's an interesting Salvadoran Anaerobic with a bright hit of orange acidity and a bit of funkiness. It's a pleasant cup but probably not one I would be that excited if I bought a bag of it.

Cupping Method:Revolver Advent 18:1, 92C in the v60

Lovely aroma on the grind. Smooth, clean, sweet. Toffee describes the sweetness well. Sweet orange. A simple coffee with broadly holiday-ish notes. Limited complexity. Clean finish.

Cupping Method:Revolver Advent Calendar (I'm a bit behind). 18:1, 92C on Hario v60

Funky, nutty Brazilian with oolong tea. Candied pecan and ruby red grapefruit with brown sugar are the notes I have. Enjoyable for me but missing clarity and brightness in th fruit notes.

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

Legit not that bad for a medium roast decaf. Appealing aroma. Nice sweetness in the caramel range, milk chocolate, raisin, some plum acidity with a a bit of brightness.

Cupping Method:Standard K-Cup machine in hotel room with Poland Spring water.

Very clean pink bourbon with tea and citrus note. Not really a standout for me. Just a bit short for a PB in the brightness of the acidity.

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