Stumptown’s Ethiopian Wondo
Kahn liked everything from the packaging to the “rich-smelling” nose and “long cherry finish.” $12.50/12 oz. at City Girl Café, 63 Thompson St.; 212-343-0110.
Irving Farm’s Brazil Daterra
Chocolate and wood on the nose preceded chocolate and caramel on the palate, and ended with a nice, long finish. $12.50/lb.; 56 Seventh Ave.; 212-475-5200.
Gorilla’s Brazil
“It’s a very pretty coffee,” Kahn said, with caramel and toffee notes contributing to a “sundae topping” smell. $12/lb.; 97 Fifth Ave., Park Slope; 718-230-3244.
Roasting Plant’s Daily Blend
Kahn praised the hazelnut and cherry aromas, medium body, and orange-peel-and-toffee flavor. $13/lb.; 81 Orchard St.; 212-775-7755.
Porto Rico Importing Co.’s Peter’s Blend
A well-priced coffee whose balanced, medium body brings out the sweet notes of “white flower” and cinnamon. $6/lb.; 201 Bleecker St.; 212-477-5421.
Plowshares’ Kenya Nyeri
Kahn liked the Rockland County blend’s citrus aromas— “Meyer lemons and orange,” she cooed. $13.95/12 oz. at Kaffe 1668 Greenwich St.; 212-693-3750.
Gillies’ DNS Reserve
The Kosher-certified blend had a robust body and a woody finish, but the aroma lacked some depth. $8/lb. at Fairway, 2127 Broadway; 212-595-1888.
Dallis’ Sumatra
The “rich mouth feel” of the single-source roast had a nice underlying bitterness. “I got a lot of red fruits on the nose,” Kahn said. $10/lb. at Zanny’s Cafe, 975 Columbus Ave.; 212-316-6849.
Crop to Cup’s Uganda Bugisu
A floral nose, with hints of “citrus and rice puff,” belied an unimpressive flavor. $9/10 oz. at Westside Supermarket, 2840 Broadway; 212-222-3367.
Oren’s Daily Roast’s Special Blend
Strong malted-cereal flavors couldn’t rescue the thin body and “pronounced” acidity. $12.49/lb at Oren’s Daily Roast. 31 Waverly Pl.; 212-420-5958. The Taster: Alexis Kahn, director of beverage education at the International Culinary Center, and instructor of the Coffee Expert class, next offered June 1 and 2 (internationalculinarycenter.com). Each roast was burr-ground, placed in a French press, steeped in a cup of hot water for four minutes, and scored on a three-star scale.
Additional reporting by Peter Jackson