Reviews for Seattle Coffee Works

Elegant, richly sweet, deeply savory. Butterscotch, roasted cacao nib, dried jasmine, caraway seed, sandalwood in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The richly drying cocoa-toned finish is saturated with notes of butterscotch and dried jasmine.

Evaluated as espresso. Big, complex, tartly pungent. Co-taster Ethan Hill (93) remarked on deeply expressed flowers, a very slightly fermenty berry note, and a musky, slightly savory hint. Both Ethan and Ken (92) found the cup “richly and sweetly tart,” though Ken apparently found the tart character a bit less appealing than did Ethan. Mouthfeel was “plush” (Ethan), the aftertaste deep and tartly complex for both tasters, though again, Ken would probably have appreciated the cup finishing on a slightly rounder note. In three parts milk both found the tart intensity untamed and “bordering on bracing” (Ethan).

A big, enveloping aroma introduces crisp, pungent aromatics. Black currant, moist freshly fallen leaves, dark chocolate, blood orange, sandalwood in aroma and cup. Buoyantly juicy acidity; plush mouthfeel. Sweet, quietly flavor-saturated finish.

Lavishly and sweetly bright. Honey, jasmine, raspberry, almond in aroma and cup. Richly tart acidity; lively mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates but persists in a continued sweetly tart finish.

Sweet-toned, deep; lovely balance. Dark chocolate, brown sugar, hazelnut, white peach, lily-like flowers in aroma and cup. Plump, soft acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates in a rich, sweet, cleanly straightforward finish.

Deep, complex. Honey, dark chocolate, orange, night-blooming flowers in aroma and cup. Juicy, lively acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Orange and chocolate notes in particular carry into a crisp finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Both Ken (93) and his co-taster (91) admired the wine-like intensity of this dried-in-the-fruit profile, though Ken read more complexity, in particular floral top notes, in flavor and finish. Both tasters cited a creamy mouthfeel and consistent finish. Especially impressive in three parts milk, where the shot bloomed with a complex expression of fruit-toned chocolate.

Intense with distinct whisky-like notes. Dry, nut-toned chocolate, raspberry, rye whisky, fresh-cut fir in aroma and cup. Rich, delicately bittersweet acidity; silky, lively mouthfeel. The dry chocolate note in particular dominates in a crisp finish.

Evaluated as espresso. Richly and rather tartly bright in aroma and small cup: fresh-cut fir and tangerine-like citrus are rounded by a honey- and chocolate-toned sweetness. Impressively full, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is tartly bright but smooth. Retains character in two- to four-parts milk with a dry chocolate dominating.

Evaluated as espresso. Lively, complex, comprehensive. Sweetly tart, juicy fruit notes (orange, guava), distinct dark chocolate, flowers, pungent fir in aroma and small cup. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel; chocolate and tart fruit tones in the finish. In two parts milk the chocolate note predictably dominates, complicated by a citrusy undercurrent.

Richly structured coffee with an intense balance of sweet, bitter and tart tastes supporting complex aromatics: lavender-like flowers, pecan, fresh-cut fir, and most strikingly, an unusual fruit note simultaneously suggesting mango and melon. Rich, deep acidity; lively, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. The complex fruit note in particular carries into a drying but sweet finish.