Cruz de Fuego Café de Olla

Verdict

The mezcal supports the coffee, not the other way around, which makes this bottle drink as a coffee liqueur, not as flavored mezcal. Evaluating it against artesanal mezcal is the category error. Buy it for dessert pours; don't buy it expecting mezcal. A legitimate experiment in the wrong category.

Tasting notes

Nose: Coffee, warm spice, cooked agave and a faint cinnamon undertone

Palate: Sweet and coffee-forward at 46% – the coffee dominates rather than accompanies, which is the failure mode most coffee-infused mezcals fall into

Finish: Medium-long, warm, with a slow coffee fade

The bottom line

A specialty pick for dessert pairings