Review #124: Devoción

Name of Roaster: Devoción

Location of Roaster (City, State, Country): New York, New York

Name of Roast: El Brilliante

Type of Roast (Light, Medium, Dark): Medium Origin of Beans: Tolima, Colombia

Price: $22 (12 oz.) Brewing Method (Drip, Chemex, AeroPress, etc.): Chemex Time Between Purchase and Brewing (Ballpark is fine): Fifteen Days Aroma: After cutting open the bag, we found rich cocoa, ganache, rich chocolate brownie with chocolate frosting, and a touch of graham. The scent actually decreased in intensity after the grind, becoming more nuanced, with cocoa nibs, Mexican hot chocolate, a hint of red berry jam, water cracker, and a touch of baking spice. On the pour, caramelizing sugar, light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, and a touch of cinnamon showed.

Flavor Profile: The sip has a medium entry that hits the top of the mouth and the tongue at the same time, residing on the tip of the tongue, mid tongue, and sides. Warm and blanketing, hints of white and black peppercorn show over a base of tomato, blood orange, apricot, agave, and cocoa nibs. The sides of the tongue catch sharp, bright lime, lemon, and mandarin orange, which remain on the tongue and linger, tingling, and adding to the aromatics of high-grade dark chocolate. The tip of the tongue receives playful, tart berry flavors, reminiscent of cranberry or pomegranate. As the coffee cools, weight shows, body develops, and chocolate and caramel trade places with the peppercorn, while apricot, creamsicle, and tomato show. The finish is slightly dry.

Overall Impression (What did you think of it? Anything else we should know?): This was a lovely, nuanced coffee, exhibiting a great balance and clean finish. The most notable component of this coffee was its enveloping scent, which equalled the coffee's flavor in terms of luxury and charm. Devoción is an interesting roaster in that they roast their beans within a week of their harvest, pointing to an exceptional production team to carry out logistics. We highly recommend checking them out!

Final Score (1-10, with 10 being the best cup of coffee in your life): 8.4. Where to Buy: Devoción