For context, cup 9 is just into the start of 2nd crack.
I'm thinking I'll probably go with cup 9 as a first choice because it fills a more distinct role in the product line, but if production testing doesn't go well I can fall back on cup 4 as an alternative which maintains a good flavor balance and has greater intensity compared with its immediate neighbors.
These all turned out to taste pretty good, with a broad sweet spot ranging from cup 2 (ordered left to right, top to bottom) through cup 9 with a few distinct expressive transformations within the range. (cup 12 has a really nice chocolate note but lacks complexity compared with the lighter cups but I can absolutely see someone tasting that and deciding that's what they want to do with this)