Nicely done blend here drawing out good Central American and Ethiopian qualities. Black tea, peach and fresh apricot. Silky mouthfeel. Big fruit mid-palate thats raspberry/strawberry. Perhaps a touch tropical in the pineapple range.

Cupping Method:Kalita Wave at Parterre in Dallas, Texas

Very good. Pomegranate, red plum, citrusy, black tea. Slight chocolate note. A nice change from the flat, low acidity run of Mexican coffees I had been on.

Very impressed with Edison so far!

Cupping Method:Drip from Parterre in Dallas, TX

Good complex medium roast espresso. Chocolate first, then earthy. The earthiness lingers but never overwhelms. Theres a bit of nuttiness and a caramel overtone. Medium persistent crema.

Acidity isnt the star here but a bit of bluebrrry jam character.

Cupping Method:At Otto's in the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, TX

The notes here from the roaster here mango, toffee, and plum are not far off.

I get pomegranate up front and then caramel. The caramel is somewhat persistent, and it was the last note on the palate for me. It trails off a little bit towards the end, where it could use some bright acidity.

There's a lot of natural sweetness here and a rich and somewhat viscous mouthfeel. Overall, it's pretty smooth and a lovely coffee.

Cupping Method:I had this at a small coffee bar in Dallas called Stupid Good Coffee. The barista seemed quite skilled and used a Chemex.

A pleasant and clean characteristic Burundi. I get pomegranate right off the bat, then a very silky/smooth texture and black tea mid-palate. It's maybe a little glycerine/simple syrup in terms of sweetness. Very, very clean.

It has a citrus/tangerine finish.

Cupping Method:I had this at Wayward Coffee in Dallas, TX, recommended by the barista.

Fruity and funky coffee! Very enjoyable with a massive cherry kirsch linger. Starts tea and caramel, then a slightly chocolate funk with almost wine like character. Sort of has a cherry cola sweetness and character. A really fun one for the car and a long drive on a Sunday afternoon if not something Id want every day.

Cupping Method:Pourover at D Squared Java in Exeter, NH

Complex, floral, interesting espresso. I'd like one more deep/rich note in here to balance off the bergamot, but this one has a fun set of twists and turns.

Fresh apricot I think describes the acidity well - it really shines when leveled a bit in the iced Americano. Bergamot dominates the mid-palate, and the finish goes back to blackberry. Starts and ends with some dark chocolate on the palate. Medium crema, medium mouthfeel. This is very nice.

Cupping Method:Iced Americano, espresso, and one rare cortado for me.

Blind tasting, Leaderboard Season 13.

A complicated and interesting affair. There's so much going on that I missed the red wine which would have screamed Yemen until after the Leaderboard reveal.

I got caramel, evergreen mint, red fruit, green apple, fresh pluot, and lemongrass. Naturally sweet with a nice mouthfeel. On the recupping, I clearly got the red wine (Leaderboard said grenache, I think that's fair, I said Shiraz but I lived for a year in Australia).

Cupping Method:Hario v60, 18:1, 196F 3x

Blind tasting.

Nice aroma, clean caramel, and black tea platform, slightly funky, a nice citrus tartness with medium brightness. I had plum in my first tasting notes, but not subsequent (B&W listed red plum!) Really nice, smooth mouthfeel and a hint of tropicality.

Cupping Method:Part of Leaderboard Season 13. Drank it a couple times. I liked this coffee but couldn't really nail down the origin. I didn't really get any of the traditional Kenyan notes and thought it was a natural processed Colombian. The picture is of my last Hario v60 attempt at 17:1, 197F to draw out some of the distinguishing notes.

A very nice espresso with a big dark chocolate note at the front of the palate, just a touch of spice and smokiness, and a chocolate/blackberry finish and linger. Medium mouthfeel and crema. Went very nicely with a chocolate/hazelnut pastry.

Cupping Method:At Nouve, a French bakery in Lexington, MA

Tabi is one of my favorite Colombian varietals This one has bright acidity and is super smooth. I've had a few Tabi that were a bit more complex, but this one is quite easy to drink and tasty. It has some bright cranberry/citrus acidity with a lot of natural sweetness, a medium body with a really nice mouthfeel, and a clean finish. I do think it has just ever the slightest hint of spice right at the front of the palate which gives it some intrigue.

Cupping Method:v60, 197F, 18:1

Sorellina has long been on my list to try and I'd say this wouldn't deter me.

So I can see my wife didn't love it. It drinks very floral and clean, and I think the acidity is grapefruit, which I quite like but not everyone does. I also get some suble blueberry/nectarine character. It's smooth, and if you don't grapefruit is bitter, it has no negative characteristics. I'd take a little bit of bright acidity somewhere. The mouthfeel and balance is quite nice overall.

Cupping Method:v60 pourover, 18:1, 196 and 197F

A decaf espresso that I personally think its more balanced and tasty than the regular version. That can happen as the decaf process can slightly concentrate the sugars and take out a bit of the bitterness. I think the regular Major Dickason tastes a bit burned/bitter. The Decaf has a bit more natural sweetness to go with a wide variety of flavor here, spice, smoke, blackberry. Smells awesome.

A very smooth crema with big-time persistence. This is a very good dark roast decaf espresso.

Cupping Method:Doppio at the Peet's in Lexington, MA. Barista confirmed it was Major Dickason Decaf.

I cupped this twice, once almost a month ago, and once yesterday. I scored it a 4.5 last month and 4 yesterday. These are some really nice, aromatic beans with a chocolate scent. I got satsuma/orange acidity, cocoa, and caramel. There was some complexity but it didn't all pull together for me. The second time I made it it was lemon/caramel. Smooth yet with some complexity, a fun coffee.

Cupping Method:Better extraction was 196F, 202g of water and 12g of coffee. This was part of Leaderboard S13. I guessed that it was an Ecuadorian Typica (it's a Mexican Typica).

A coffee that has clearly been carefully treated and roaster. Black tea is the central character here. It has a wonderful mouth feel, with a caramel honey sweetness, and a subtle undertone of citrus and green apple.

The acidity is pretty light and Id take more of it. But its a balanced and tasty cup of coffee.

Cupping Method:V60, 18:1, 196F

I haven't had that much Ugandan coffee, and really what I've had hasn't been that great. But I'd heard good things about Bell Lane, and they had this for sale, so I had to give it a shot!

I was taken aback when I opened this bag of coffee - it's a very unique aroma...but I had just been to the British store a few months before and had a good beat on it. 100% smells like Chocolate Weetabix.

There's definitely wheat/fresh bread in a shot of espresso here, but a lot of other things going on with it - tobacco and blackberry jam up front, and a blueberry finish. It's a very fun shot of espresso, probably not my first pick to drink every day.

Where I think it really shines is as an iced Americano. The fruity notes become more clear, and it's really delicious.

Cupping Method:Espresso and iced Americano, pulled at 95C

This Bourbon Aji from the Lassos was quite different than what I was expecting. I recently had a natural Aji from Moises Chaguala where the smell of red chili was very strong, and there was a hint of in the cup. It was funky and wild.

This is actually more of a restrained, polished coffee in line. It's very smooth and clean. When on the hotter side, I definitively picked up lavender. Also black tea, and concord grape.

It's subtle enough that it was pretty hard to pick up the flavor profile at 196/17:1. The 200F with a bigger dosage and a more immersion-style brew helped, in my humble opinion.

I wonder if the Irish know what a Concord grape tastes like!

Cupping Method:I liked this better with my 17x17 recipe, which is 17g, 289g out. It's a bit closer to immersion style. I used 200F on the 17x17.

The first time I made it I used 12.5g at 196F at a 17:1.

Sonreir is definitely a micro roaster to watch out for!

I get a bit nervous when I get sent an Ecuadorian. They tend to be finicky and subtle. I think Sonreir has done a really nice job drawing the character out of these beans. They are very subtle and take some work to dial-in/draw out from a brewing perspective.

As a pourover, its really good. At my usual 196F, 18:1, a pleasant light, acidity with strawberry and satsuma. Milk chocolate linger. for. Mid-palate note of sweetness and black tea. Something you'd happily drink every day.

I did it again and got similar flavors with a hotter 208F with a 17:1 ratio. It's still balanced but draws out the satsuma a bit more, which I like, and you get to a strongly brewed black tea.

Espresso experiment: I also experimented with this roast as espresso. I really liked it but most will find it a bit too light meaning tart. In an iced Americano its really good, fruity (strawberry notably) and bright but smooth with a pleasant sweet raspberry and iced tea character on the second half of the palate.

Cupping Method:196F, v60, 18:1
208F, v60, 17:1
Espresso, 95C in my Spaziale, double shot with one shot used for an iced Americano.

Disclosure: Sonreir sent me this coffee without any strings attached, and as always, I just taste it and tell folks when I think.

Subtle, lightly floral Colombian gesha that took a little bit of work to dial-in. I think at my usual 196F/18:1 ratio in the v60 is very light. It's smooth and easy to drink but hard to pick up the character. A bit non-descript for a gesha on the nose.

At 207F, it was still very clean, and you could pick up a honeysuckle florality. It has a bit of rooibos character, and a light/bright citrus at the end (sweet orange is fair).

Cupping Method:I tried to make this coffee a few different ways, with a hotter (207) pourover at a 16:1 ratio turning out the best.

A tasty decaf shot of lighter roast espresso that drinks sweet and tart with a lighter body and lighter crema. My notes didn't really match up to what was on the Little Wolf bag, but that might because they are listing it as an omniroast. I got dark chocolate, blackberry, and a lemony finish. It's definitely on the tart side but not out of bounds if drink lighter roast espresso.

Cupping Method:Espresso doppio shot (decaf) at Galaray (they have a Marzocco machine)

Surprisingly restrained for a natural coffee, this drinks like a light peach lemonade iced black tea. I dont get a ton of complexity and the florality is faint, but its very clean and easy to drink. Its hard to describe, unless youre drinking it, but basically all of that character is light, but present and restrained.

Cupping Method:Hario v60 pourover

Funky fun, PNG. Caramel forward, then some papaya and just a tiny touch of nuttiness. Personally preference is for a bit of bright acidity somewhere but many will like this.

Cupping Method:Pourover, 196F, Hario v60

Caramel, spiced pear, very sweet, roasted peanut. A little bit of background smoke or leather that some will like and some wont. A bit of background hoppiness that some will like and some wont. I do! 4.5

Cupping Method:Pourover, 196F, 17.5:1 in Hario v60

This is quite good cold brew type coffee (not totally clear how it's made) that's the style I like it and make it. It's very fruity with a great acidity that's bright red berries. It has natural sweetness, and a little bit of chocolate at the front of the palate.

I will say that there's a lot of people who like darker roasts who probably won't be totally into this.

Cupping Method:I bought this can at Intelligentsia in Watertown, MA but didn't drink it for a few weeks.

Noticeably cherry and chocolate aroma.

Dark chocolate, lightly smoky, flavorful espresso with a medium crema that probably drinks medium-dark by where specialty coffee standards are at today. Medium bodied. A touch of spice, maybe vanilla and clove.

Earth and smoke are nice and clean and within bounds.

Nicely complimented by a bright acidity in the blackberry range.

Cupping Method:At Recreo in West Roxbury, MA doppio with a mixed berry scone.

Strikingly large beans with chocolatey aroma.

It has a super smooth mouthfeel, notably caramel, with some interesting white wine character, almost like a high malolactic chardonnay without the alcohol in some way.

Caramel, a bit of a creamy mouthfeel, but also a bit of honey/glycerin. Huge natural sweetness. It's not quite my usual preferred drinking style, but it's quite nice.

Cupping Method:17:1, 195F, Hario v60 pourover

An interesting Ethiopian that is cranberry forward with some bergamot, and then a bright acidity that evolves a bit like a pinor noir. It's both smooth and complex. It's pretty tart, and I don't think it's the Ethiopian I'd be looking to drink all the time, but I enjoyed it.

Cupping Method:My wife ordered it for me at the Howell in the Godfrey in Downtown Crossing Boston. Pretty expensive at $12 for a pourover.

A more interesting than the usual Ethiopian that is almost dual personality. Slightly funky, with a lot of strawberry and a touch of peach. Black tea takes a back seat to the fruitiness. Lemony at the very front of the palate. When hot it's pretty funky, it tastes almost like a strawberry lemon iced black tea. Tasty and fun.

Cupping Method:17:1, 195F, Hario v60

Slightly fruity aroma with cocoa. Bright acidity. Caramel, red apple, and fresh pluot. Very smooth and easy to drink. Silky, almost glycerine mouthfeel.

Cupping Method:Hario v60, 17:1, 195C

This medium roast offers a chocolate-forward taste paired with a gentle acidity, providing a balanced and approachable cup. The flavor profile deepens with a hint of walnut in the mid-palate, complemented by a notable crema that demonstrates the coffee's quality through its consistency and lasting presence. The mouthfeel is smooth, contributing to an enjoyable sipping experience. Subtle blackberry notes add a layer of complexity without overpowering, leading into a mild, slightly earthy chocolate finish.

Its adaptability is further highlighted when mixed with milk, making it a versatile option for various coffee preparations. This coffee is an excellent choice for those seeking a well-rounded brew that marries chocolate and fruit notes with a smooth finish.

Cupping Method:I got it from Trade as an espresso recommendation.