BeanFruit Coffee Co: Confection Espresso (v. 215)
Another sweet concoction from BeanFruit. The word “sweet” is almost inadequate for many of the delicious espressos I get to sample. The word fails but not because it is insufficient in my hyperbolic rhapsodizing. “Sweet” is just too vague to mean anything. If all the espressos I post to this website are “sweet,” what does that even say anymore? That said, This espresso is sweet.
20g dose : 40g yield : 31 seconds
To make “sweet” mean anything, let me elaborate. Rather than the intensely fruity or refined sugar sweetness most people associate with coffee immediately, this coffee extracts like caramel and honey syrup. I feel like I am drinking a type of breakfast muffin. Very noticeable chocolate twinges spring up on the sides of the tongue just as you swallow, too. My wife makes these chocolate cupcakes with caramel icing that seem somehow related to this espresso- like first cousins. When mixed with a nice sweet whole milk in a 5 ounce cappuccino, the flavors you appreciate as espresso continue on, almost as if nothing has changed- which is really strange, in my experience. Yes, some of the vigor and intensity is muted by the milk, but the flavors are really similar. Because of that, this espresso may actually score higher as a cappuccino when compared to many others.
Where this coffee struggles (if you can even say that) is in terms of body and aftertaste, for me. Body is full and substantial, but has little sense of “coating” quality which I typically enjoy. Related to this, the aftertaste passes pretty fleetingly. The previous Confection I reviewed was much different in these regards. It had a refined sugar sweetness, lasting aftertaste and filling body; this version seems to differ from that one on all accounts, yet actually scores higher for me overall. Ingredients between these two blends could not be more different. Previous version had: Guatemala Huehuetenango & Peru Cajamarca: Bourbon, Cataui, Typica. This version has: Guatemala Atitlan, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Mexico Chipas: Typica, Caturra, Heirloom, and Mundo Novo. Paul has created something special here- I know the difficulty that comes with blending. For him to use coffees as strong as these as ingredients, as different as they are, we are watching a true craftsman do work.
Aroma: 8/10, muted fruit, caramel sauce, cocoa Body: 8/10, 2% milk, smooth, even-colored crema Flavor: 9/10, strong caramel, wild honey, chocolate Acidity: 10/10, intense, but not overwhelming. balanced floral Sweetness: 10/10, caramelized sugars, dark chocolate, plum, oatmeal Finish: 7/10, balanced, but short-lived, cocoa after swallowing
Total Score: 92/100
*submitted to TEV without cost*