Reviews for Cafe Grumpy

Deep-toned, chocolaty. Chocolate-covered graham cracker, almond, cedar, freesia-like flowers, lemon verbena in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned with gentle, round acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolaty finish with undertones of freesia and almond.

Bright, juicy, crisply sweet. Toffee, orange zest, oak, magnolia, vanilla in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with vibrant acidity; crisp, satiny mouthfeel.The finish leads with citrus and magnolia notes in the short, rounding to vanilla-toned toffee in the long.

Richly sweet-tart, earth-toned. Blood orange, pipe tobacco, roasted almond, rhododendron, baking chocolate in aroma and cup. Tart-leaning structure with crisp, green-apple-like (malic) acidity; deep, velvety mouthfeel. The richly drying finish consolidates to blood orange and pipe tobacco.

Crisply sweet, cocoa-toned. Cocoa powder, lime zest, almond butter, freesia-like flowers, oak in aroma and cup. Sweetly tart structure with pert acidity; satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The quiet finish centers around cocoa and almond.

Spice-toned, complex, richly bittersweet. Blackberry, dark chocolate, blood orange zest, ginger blossom, oak in aroma and cup. Bittersweet in structure with bright, high-toned acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The resonant finish is redolent with notes of cocoa-toned blackberry and spicy ginger blossom.

A ready-to-drink bottled black coffee tested over ice. Sweetly crisp, lightly and refreshingly roast-toned. Notes of cocoa, sweet lemon zest, clover flowers, raisin, oak. Crisp balance of bitter, sweet and tart in structure; lightly satiny in mouthfeel. Citrus, raisin and oak carry into the bittersweet finish. Adding whole milk pushes the cocoa toward full-on chocolate, with continued citrus and oak.

Zesty and graceful. Honey, peach, raisin, carob, a hint of freesia-like flowers in aroma and cup. Tart, juicy acidity. Light, satiny mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a brisk though sweet-toned finish.

Round, deep, vibrant. Concord grape, blood orange, molasses, pecan, lily-like flowers in aroma and cup. Richly tart, juicy acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Fruit, flowers and nut all carry into a resonant finish.

Richly sweet, light-footed. Honey, lemon verbena, blood orange, walnut, rhododendron-like flowers in aroma and cup. Complex, sweetly lyric acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a very sweet though gently drying finish.

Softly and distinctively pungent. Roasted cacao nib, butterscotch, narcissus-like flowers, tangerine-like fruit in aroma and cup. Gently vibrant acidity; full, velvety mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but lingers in a crisp, sweet finish.

Round, layered, cocoa-toned complexity. Dark chocolate, black cherry, vanilla, floral peach in aroma and cup. Rich, juicy acidity; very smooth, lightly plush mouthfeel. Suave, flavor-saturated finish.

Crisply sweet, subtle, engaging. Tangerine, plum, lush, lily-like flowers, a hint of nut-toned chocolate in aroma and cup. Brisk, delicate acidity; light but silky mouthfeel. Flowers and chocolate carry into in a richly drying finish.

Deep, sweetly pungent. Molasses, pecan, raisin, a hint of dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Roundly tart acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Chocolate and raisin carry into a crisply drying finish.

Intense, zesty but sweet. Grapefruit, peach, rose-like flowers, baker’s chocolate in aroma and cup. Richly crisp acidity; silky mouthfeel. The floral note in particular carries into a long, dry, flavor-saturated finish.

Subtle, deep aromatics: black tea, boysenberry, cedar. Rich, slightly tart, acidity. Silky mouthfeel. The aromatics blossom in a refreshing and balanced cup with rounding and deepening suggestions of nectarine and apricot and a hint of flowers. A cocoa-like note emerges in the finish.

Deep, intense aromatics suggesting juniper berry, peach and lily-like flowers carry into the cup with further complications of dried stone fruit and a hint of walnut. Dry floral acidity; silkily buoyant mouthfeel. Sweet but rather drying finish.

A deep, rich, intense acidity dominates the profile. Complex lemon-and-orange citrus, fresh-cut fir, ripe tomato in aroma and cup. Impressively rich, syrupy mouthfeel. Clean, dry finish.

Deeply sweet and deeply pungent with round, complexly rich Kenya fruit: grapefruit, black currant, strawberry, supported by an undercurrent of fresh-cut fir. Ringing, resonant acidity, syrupy mouthfeel, flavor-saturated finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Gently tart, lemony, delicate. Co-taster Sean Kohmescher (91) was a bit more lavish in his descriptors than Ken (91): “bright citrus” in the aroma; more sweet citrus, vanilla, hints of flowers and honey in the small cup; vanilla and cranberries in the finish. Ken pretty much left it at lemon and flowers. The lemon dominated in two parts milk, but the milk coaxed out a sweet chocolate to round and support it.

Complete, balanced structure, complex aromatics, classic. Deep, sweet-toned aroma: lemon, orange, nut. In the cup gently bright, fruit- and fir-nuanced acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Continued lemon, orange and nut notes with a rounding suggestion of stone fruit. Rich, long, flavor-saturated finish.