It's not for nothing that in the Coast Guard coffee was often referred to as: Lifer Juice. Many of the senior enlisteds were accused of having a permanent crook in their index fingers from constant holding of G.I. coffee cups. The coffee pot on the Mess Deck used 3/4 of a big can of coffee to make each batch. (On my first ship, the skipper restricted the cooks to purchasing the WWII Surplus cans of coffee -- believe you me, in 1972 it was not still great coffee.)
Lament: so much of what passes for coffee these days is still brown water. The quality of coffee served to a restaurant or even diner guest remains inferior to a cup of properly brewed coffee from freshly ground beans of some quality. I'll take my coffee (and tea, for that matter) at home, thank you. I won't pay the barista prices. But I'm a snob.
Best coffee I’ve found is the blends from Black Rifle Coffee Company. Company was started by veterans and they only employ veterans. Great company and even better coffee.
@AnantaAndroscoggin - In 1973 we caught one of the mess cooks on the Staten Island (the icebreaker) wiping out the inside of one of those big coffee pots with a diesel soaked rag. He claimed it was the only way to get the coffee rings out of the pot.
I drink 2 cups of strong black coffee (Brazilian) with a coffee spoon each in the morning and also smoke a light tobacco, like 1Q or 1Q/BCA after that.
The company which co-opted the advertising phrase "It' mountain grown!" neglected to mention in those same ads that THAT'S WHERE COFFEE GROWS, on mountainsides. Not on mountain peaks, not in deep river valleys, but up on the side of some mountain in the right climate.
I can't paste the link for some reason, but if you're interested in coffee, check out the PBS series "Black Coffee" available on YouTube. Fascinating stuff from the history, the economics, the crud that's been sold at times, the marketing, etc.
Coffee & Tobacco: 3 Blends To Pair w/Your Morning Cup by Daniel Bumgardner
I'm not sure what Mondays would be without coffee. Likely a sleepy haze of indiscernible communication and thoughtless activity, I'd wager. Thankfully, caffeine exists, as do some pretty neat and flavorful ways to imbibe it, many of which pair phenomenally with a number of our favorite tobaccos. A little over a year ago, Social Media Liaison Adam O' Neill posted a very informative article on the blog outlining a guide for pairing tea and tobacco. http://tinyurl.com/zr7vzt9
While my tea experience is relatively limited (my most extensive foray having come from a daily Oolong excursion and a one-time witnessing of the traditional Gong Fu ceremony, courtesy of Shane), I do regularly enjoy, like many of us around here and presumably many of you, a strong cup of well-brewed coffee to accompany my morning pipe.
And, like many of you, I have a preferred means of consumption. This time of year, that tends to be four espresso shots of a medium roast blend, pulled over ice and nursed throughout the better part of a morning (the dense, humid South Carolina mornings don't pair well with a hot cup, in my opinion). Unlike my coffee, however, my daily tobacco selection tends to vary depending on my mood, though, admittedly, this time of year considerably narrows the window of what I tend to reach for. So, in celebration of the favorite part of everyone's Monday (what else is there to look forward to?), we thought we'd take a look at three tobaccos which we think pair beautifully with coffee.
1. Escudo -- I could probably make a list of just Virginia/Perique blends with which to pair with any number of things (coffee, tea, and for the more adventurous: orange soda), but these delicate, finely-spun coins of Virginias from North Carolina and Virginia and Louisiana Perique are my go-to blend in the morning during the summer months. Flavors of hay, dark fruit, toffee, and a subtle hint of chocolate abound.
2. Solani Aged Burley Flake -- There's a hint of dark fired that comes through in the fresh tin note on this one, but after jarring it and letting it sit for about a week or two, I get the very distinct impression of freshly baked fudge brownies. There's a little hint of cocoa around the middle of the bowl too, along with a graham cracker-like flavor. Who doesn't want brownies for breakfast?
3. Key Largo -- I just started smoking blends containing Latakia with any regularity this year (it took a hot-weather craving for something a little darker to really entice my palate), but this creamy broken flake of Red Virginias, Turkish, Cyprian Latakia, and a subtle spice of cigar wrapper leaf is gorgeously balanced, with cocoa, notes of leather, and even a dark coffee-like note present throughout the bowl. A perfect all-weather smoke.
I'm with you, brother. Strong black coffee rules, and even an occasional cup with chicory, but hopefully something with chicory better than "French Market."
Just got back from Madrid. Spanish coffee is super dark and rich. I’m not a huge coffee fan (more of a strong English breakfast tea guy), but I really enjoyed their coffee.
@motie2 a good blend definitely! My father partakes in a few of the darker roasts from Peet’s. I will often drink that one when I’m low in the SB stash
I won't spend the money to buy Starbucks "roasted till the beans are burnt" coffee. To me it has a acrid taste that reminds me of the aroma of burning car tires.
Agreed @PappyJoe, it's very acidic and tastes burnt. Coffeeshop coffee should smell like my home, very aromatic and wonderfully rich and full bodied in coffee taste.
Comments
“A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.”
“A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.”
― Steve Martin
Two Leaves in the Age of Discovery
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/category/drink-accompaniments/tea/
Funny thing was, it made the coffee taste better.
Coffee & Tobacco: 3 Blends To Pair w/Your Morning Cup by Daniel Bumgardner
I'm not sure what Mondays would be without coffee. Likely a sleepy haze of indiscernible communication and thoughtless activity, I'd wager. Thankfully, caffeine exists, as do some pretty neat and flavorful ways to imbibe it, many of which pair phenomenally with a number of our favorite tobaccos. A little over a year ago, Social Media Liaison Adam O' Neill posted a very informative article on the blog outlining a guide for pairing tea and tobacco. http://tinyurl.com/zr7vzt9
While my tea experience is relatively limited (my most extensive foray having come from a daily Oolong excursion and a one-time witnessing of the traditional Gong Fu ceremony, courtesy of Shane), I do regularly enjoy, like many of us around here and presumably many of you, a strong cup of well-brewed coffee to accompany my morning pipe.
And, like many of you, I have a preferred means of consumption. This time of year, that tends to be four espresso shots of a medium roast blend, pulled over ice and nursed throughout the better part of a morning (the dense, humid South Carolina mornings don't pair well with a hot cup, in my opinion). Unlike my coffee, however, my daily tobacco selection tends to vary depending on my mood, though, admittedly, this time of year considerably narrows the window of what I tend to reach for. So, in celebration of the favorite part of everyone's Monday (what else is there to look forward to?), we thought we'd take a look at three tobaccos which we think pair beautifully with coffee.
1. Escudo -- I could probably make a list of just Virginia/Perique blends with which to pair with any number of things (coffee, tea, and for the more adventurous: orange soda), but these delicate, finely-spun coins of Virginias from North Carolina and Virginia and Louisiana Perique are my go-to blend in the morning during the summer months. Flavors of hay, dark fruit, toffee, and a subtle hint of chocolate abound.
2. Solani Aged Burley Flake -- There's a hint of dark fired that comes through in the fresh tin note on this one, but after jarring it and letting it sit for about a week or two, I get the very distinct impression of freshly baked fudge brownies. There's a little hint of cocoa around the middle of the bowl too, along with a graham cracker-like flavor. Who doesn't want brownies for breakfast?
3. Key Largo -- I just started smoking blends containing Latakia with any regularity this year (it took a hot-weather craving for something a little darker to really entice my palate), but this creamy broken flake of Red Virginias, Turkish, Cyprian Latakia, and a subtle spice of cigar wrapper leaf is gorgeously balanced, with cocoa, notes of leather, and even a dark coffee-like note present throughout the bowl. A perfect all-weather smoke.
I'm with you, brother. Strong black coffee rules, and even an occasional cup with chicory, but hopefully something with chicory better than "French Market."
i recommend Peet's "Alma de la Tierra" blend.