Reviews for Counter Culture Coffee

High-toned, crisply sweet-tart. Lemon zest, cocoa nib, freesia-like flowers, apricot, fresh-cut oak in aroma and cup. Tart-leaning structure with juicy, vibrant acidity; crisp, satiny mouthfeel. A resonant finish centers around lemon zest and cocoa nib.

Sweet, deeply layered, complex. Toffee, black cherry, grapefruit zest, frankincense, dark chocolate in aroma and cup. Juicy, quietly tart acidity; plush, silky mouthfeel. The sweet-tart finish resonates with dark chocolate and toffee notes. Note: We deducted 3 points from our basic rating of 91 owing to one tainted cup out of five in the sample we tested.

Delicate, deeply and crisply sweet. Honey, black cherry, macadamia nut, hints of rose-like flowers in aroma and cup. Soft, juicy acidity; satiny mouthfeel. Honey, nut and black cherry carry into a richly drying, balanced finish.

Quiet; brisk but sweet. Black tea, almond, elm, bergamot, carob in aroma and cup. Round, backgrounded acidity; full, plush mouthfeel. Citrusy finish in the short, carob and elm in the long.

Balanced, lively. Aromatic cedar, apricot, walnut, roasted cacao nib, a hint of cinnamon in aroma and cup. Quiet, roundly tart acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Sweet-toned but crisp finish.

Tart, sweetly bright, complex. Lemon, jasmine-like flowers, cocoaish nut, fresh-cut fir in aroma and cup. Fine, wine-like acidity; light but smooth, silky mouthfeel. The flavor-saturated finish is drying in the short but sweet and juicy in the long.

Rich, lush: orange-and-brandy-toned fruit, sweet cocoa, night flowers in aroma and cup. Round, fruit-toned acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is deep and fruit-saturated.

Rose-like flowers hover over a richly tart black currant note – think grapefruit fused with blackberry – in both aroma and cup. Crisp, delicately rich acidity with a hint of bite; silky mouthfeel.

Deep-toned, rose-like floral notes dominate aroma, cup and finish, with fresh-cut fir, nectarine-like fruit and ripe lemon complications. Intense, sweetly tart acidity; silky mouthfeel; long, rich finish.

Lemon zest and flowers in the aroma, softening in the cup to ripe lemon and nut-toned cocoa. Balanced, gently bright acidity; impressively silky mouthfeel. Flavor carries decisively into a mildly drying finish.

Exhilarating fusion of lemon, honey and pungent cocoa with an underlying round, cherryish fruit in aroma and cup. Bright acidity, lightly syrupy mouthfeel, crisply dry but flavor-saturated finish.

Complex, finely modulated aroma with great sweetness and range: orange, nut, pear perhaps, with hints of flowers at the top. In the cup balanced acidity, round, syrupy mouthfeel. Aromatics simplify a bit, but remain sweet and cocoa-toned. Flowers and orange in particular persist into the finish.

Evaluated as espresso. For both Ken (93) and co-taster Andy Newbom (93) softly complex fruit, floral and citrus were the main themes here, with the most distinctive nuance the sweet, rich character of the citrus. Andy described it in multiple ways, from "citrus jelly" to "chiffony and meringuey" in the small cup to "lemon curd" in four parts milk. Ken also cited a backgrounded crisp cocoa that supported the pervasive lemony richness. Probably best as a straight shot, but successfully imposed its citrusy elegance on tall milk.

Sweet and deep in the aroma, with suggestions of flowers, butter, cedar. Smooth, rounded acidity and syrupy body in the cup, with continued floral notes, a cocoaish chocolate and richly tart fruit. Simple but long, resonant finish.

Very sweet-toned, cherryish, chocolate-leaning fruit in the aroma; butter and night flower complications. In the cup deeply acidy, full-bodied. The chocolate character deepens and sheds some fruit, but remains rich, sweet and buttery, with a slight herby/salty edge. The chocolate fruit outlasts a slight astringency in the finish.

Co-cupper Jim Reynolds (88): "This coffee had a complex, well-balanced aroma that reminded me of a vanilla flower, although I?ve never smelled a vanilla flower. I wish more of this had carried over into the cup, because the flavor was not as complex [nor] as interesting." Ken (92), on the other hand, found the floral and prune-toned fruit character of the aroma carried well into the cup, joined by cocoa and a slight, not unpleasant, salt or savory note. Ken and Jim agreed, however, in praising the richly resonant finish.

Both co-cupper Jim Reynolds (94) and Ken (91) particularly admired the "active acidity" (Jim) of this coffee with its rich berry and floral influences. Jim found the flavor "complex but balanced." Ken was more specific: "dark chocolate, cherryish fruit, a hint of dusk flowers." Both approved of mouthfeel ("lightly syrupy," Ken) and finish ("light, bright and very pleasant," Jim).

Ken (93) and co-cupper Jennifer Stone (92) both remarked on the bright, richly floral character of the aroma. In the cup quietly vibrant acidity, smooth mouthfeel, continued gentle richness, with a flavor complex that combines lush night flowers with a sweet pungency pointing at cedar, caramel and deep-toned, carnal fruit: apricot, mango. Long, deep finish.

Remarkable aromatic balance and big, suavely sweet acidity make this a remarkable blend despite its relatively light body and short finish. Dark chocolate, aromatic wood, tart, cherryish fruit carry from aroma through cup with poised authority.

Rustic ferment notes in the aroma read as aromatic wood, coconut, baking spices, mango. Full, smooth mouthfeel with a range of complex flavors including tropical fruit, smoky bittersweet chocolate and aromatic wood. Dry, sweet finish, with suggestions of grapefruit and cocoa.