From Kennith Davids of Coffee Review, The World's Leading Coffee Buying Guide. Berkeley, CA, 6 February 2005 Overall Rating: 86 points Aroma: 7 Acidity: 7 Body: 7 Flavor: 7 Aftertaste: 7 Roast (Agtron): Medium-Dark (39/47) Origin: Tanzania, probably the Mt. Kilimanjaro region in the north Notes: Peaberries result when the coffee fruit develops only a single, oval bean rather than the usual pair of flat-sided beans. Peaberries produce a somewhat different (often better) cup than normal beans from the same crop, from which they may or may not be separated during grading. At some point early in the history of American specialty coffee peaberry became closely associated with Tanzania, to the point that almost all Tanzania coffee offered in the United States is now peaberry grade. Caffe Fresco is a small-batch specialty roaster whose motto is "Passion, purity, people." Visit www.caffefresco.com for more information. Blind Assessment: Richly and deeply roasty in the aroma with some fruit complication - fresh plum perhaps. The roast gently dominates in the cup, bittersweet, with undercurrents of fresh plum and hints of chocolate and flowers. Richly roasty in the short finish, slightly astringent in the long. Who should drink it: A dark roast gentle and nuanced enough to enjoy black. For the full review, click here. From Kennith Davids of Coffee Review, The World's Leading Coffee Buying Guide. Berkeley, CA, 6 February 2005 Overall Rating: 87 points Aroma: 8 Body: 7 Flavor: 7 Aftertaste: 8 With Milk: 8 Roast (Agtron): Medium-Dark (37/47) Origin: Not Disclosed Notes: Caffe Fresco is a small-batch specialty roaster whose motto is "Passion, purity, people." Visit www.caffefresco.com for more information. Blind Assessment: An attractive if underpowered espresso. Muted notes of flowers, fruit and chocolate in the aroma. In the small cup medium-bodied, supple in mouthfeel, but limited in flavor: some floral hints persist but the main impression is a thinnish pungency that Ken (87) called smoky and co-taster Ted Lingle (86) spicy. Nevertheless, rounds and richens in the finish, and reveals a round, semi-sweet chocolate character in milk. Nominating reader Andrey Akselrod says simply "It is one of my favorite espressos." Who should drink it: The aromatics of this sample seemed muted, perhaps by a slight staling. It is possible that a fresh sample might fulfill what would seem to be this blend's delicate promise. For the full review, click here. From Abe C. of New York, NY, 21 November 2004 Subject: Ambrosia by Caffe Fresco - A blend worthy of its name - I'm still a little dizzy Yesterday, I received the Ambrosia Espresso blend from Caffe Fresco and pulled my first shot. I did not expect much, as I have been able to beat most commercial blends with my home roast blends. To follow the brewing process of the blend, I used my bottomless portafilter and watched it closely as the shot progressed. Double ristretto, 1.5 oz. As I watched it pour into my cup, I had a hunch something extraordinary is happening. It built slowly in the cup, as reddish dark brown crema, heavy and thick, like pouring melted chocolate. With the first sip I took I felt the consistency of buttery heavy cream. Complex and deep tones, balanced rich with a hint of dry fruit and strong bittersweet chocolate tone. The blend is pure Arabica. If I could compare it to another blend I'd say that it is close to Intelligentsia's Black Cat, but richer and creamier. (They are both very good blends). Ambrosia is roasted to full city, no oil on the bean surface. I spoke with the proprietor, Tony Sciandra, just to express my gratitude and amazement. I wanted to know how he achieved such perfection. He wouldn't tell me, what a shock! He is a passionate man consumed by the craftsmanship of roasting. If you order this blend send him a little comment about how you liked it, it will make his day. Abe Carmeli For the full review, click here. From Rudy of Wilkes-Barre, PA, 13 December 2004 Subject: Caffe Fresco As a result of visiting the Caffe Fresco website and learning about this roasting operation, I had the occasion to talk to Tony Sciandra, the main man there, about his roasting methods, blends and overall philosophy. That was a most enjoyable and energizing exchange. Trying a few of his offerings made sense and I am very pleased to report that they reflect competence, creativity and a passionate dedication toward furthering the quest for excellent coffee drinking. Of the four choices I sampled, the clear star is his Ambrosia Espresso Blend. As has been reported here by others, it is a distinctive and rewarding product. Once I had dialed in the grind and extraction details, I was greeted with a remarkable series of shots which ranked highly in my short list of favs. There is a deep richness, smoothness, and overall flavor balance [with an intensity of dark chocolate], all of which suits my personal biases quite well. I continue to marvel at the superb crema and about how this blend is positively evolving with each passing day of maturation and degassing. Ambrosia will be a repeat choice for me, without doubt. I also sampled his Brazil Daterra Estate Sunrise single origin roast and am still sorting out my take on it. The bean has a nicely roasted appearance but my limited experience so far reflects a sense of one-dimensionality and a lack of complexity. This will require more experimentation before I am prepared to finalize my impressions. For vac pot brewing I tried his Brown Brindle and Black Hand blends and found them enjoyable, especially after adjusting my preparation methods to get the concentrations correct. Solid drum roasting approaches, no nasties and interesting flavor profiles come through here, with a slight nod to Brown Brindle. Overall, I am quite happy to have discovered Caffe Fresco and I plan to explore more of their products. Tony has a lot going on in this operation and is an affable, motivated, and creative guy who is deserving of more attention. For the full review, click here. From The Espresso Hounds On CoffeeGeek.Com, ;9 April 2005 Subject: Caffe Fresco Ambrosia Has anyone here had Caffe Fresco ~Ambrosia? I've already heard some good buzz about them. Also, they offer various amounts fro 1/2 pound to a pound. That is good for a 1-2 person household. They really seem to be on the ball! Feedback anyone? TIA Coffee, I must have coffee, And if anyone wants to give me a treat, Ah!, just give me some coffee! ~J. S. Bach Coffee Cantata, BWV 211~ For the full review, click here.