Starbucks is overrated. I like my coffee black, straight no chaser. I alternate between medium and dark roasts, and sometimes mix the two together. I like to alternate because it keeps the flavors fresh on my palate. I do the same with my tobaccos. I tried Bean Fruit Coffee recently, and I think their beans and blends are pretty good. My wife and I usually drink Sprout's Columbian blend. A nice consistent drink, great for everyday. Also, I primarily smoke in the morning and I love a cup of coffee with my pipe.
Better yet, go to http://burmancoffee.com/ and purchase a GeneCafe coffee roaster and some green coffee beans. Roast them yourself at less than half price per pound and always have the freshest coffee. Lately the Guatemalan Huehue's have been my go to favorite. Give each batch about a 4day rest to hit its prime and you will be rewarded! I just roasted my 376th half pound batch this evening (a very nice Guat). Takes about 15 min's to roast and another 10-12 to cool down. A ratio of 60g coffee to 1L water in a French press is our daily morning brew. Hard to beat.
I certainly consider myself a professional coffee drinker, but I have little experience in sampling designer coffee's. Yes, I have spent a little time brewing my own espresso, and sampling cappuccino with the froth on top. Ultimately, I had to go back to a good old fashioned 30 ounce large cup of American coffee. If one doesn't get the job done, the second one will probably allow me to sleep like a baby.
If you are a professional coffee drinker, you know exactly what I mean.
@motie2 I read the article on the Keurig coffee makers and it reminded me of a philosophy my partner and I shared when we'd have to attend a weekly budget meeting at U.S Steel. Our job was Expediter/Cost Controller (he was the Electrical Expediter and I the Mechanical) at the steel producing department for the #1 B.O.P. Shop. And it was our responsibility to purchase spare parts required for equipment repairs, maintain and track inventory levels, deal with Vendors, and keep costs down, while staying within our allotted monthly budget. We'd attend pointless meetings where nothing was accomplished, and the gest of the meeting was spend less money but keep the shop running what-ever it takes. We were constantly battling the people controlling the purse strings about the impracticability of living within the allotted budget when operating an aging shop with borderline obsolete equipment requiring continuous repairs. So in order to get the additional money needed we'd attend the meeting armed with folders containing reams of computer print-out reports, cost analysis worksheets, price lists, equipment failure and break-down history, man-hour reports, charts, graphs ... you name it. We'd present an overflow of information both pertinent and gobbledegoop to have their heads spinning with information overload. We called it 'baffle them with bullshit' ... which is pretty much what the reporter did on that article. If you're like me, when you wake up in the morning you simply want a cup of coffee - and want that cup sitting in front of you hot and ready to drink ... now. My mind is incapable of figuring out math problems. I don't want to take apart my K-Cup to measure the amount of coffee in the cup to insure it meets their standard of measurement, nor do I need an accurate temperature gage to know my coffee is being brewed at the optimal temperature. I just want to push a button and have a hot cup of coffee. And I do agree the K-Cups present an environmental issue ... but once disposable diapers became the norm, landfills have become urban mountain ranges of poopy diapers. K-Cups are not nearly as much a problem. But I also have the re-usable filter cup that allows me to use regular ground coffee - so that helps a bit.
Oh, I agree. I use our Keurig every morning when I stumble downstairs, but the rest of the day is given over to Chemex drip, machinetta espressos, and French press coffee.
I read the article also. I'm sure the reporter got a kick-back from some retailer who is anti-Keurig. It's also a load of BS with the weighing the coffee and weighing the water and then getting the water up to a specified temperature before pouring over the grounds. The coffee snobs who go to such effort has way too much time on their hands and are worse than some pipe smoking aficionados with their claims you can only smoke a pipe once a day for less than an hour and then you have to let that chunk of wood rest and dry for 7 days before smoking it again.
I have suffered through coffee made the way described in the article. I've also had campfire coffee made in a beat-up metal percolator that is set on hot coals. I'll take the campfire coffee any morning.
@PappyJoe -- I agree with you. I don't agree with every article I share. I share them because they are interesting. For example, I am a retired clergyman, but I don't agree with everything in the two Theology of Pipe Smoking .pdf's I offered in other discussions. I use the Keurig when I am bleary eyed in the morning and barely able to read the paper, much less make coffee.....
I'm just not a coffee connoisseur. Don't get me wrong I like good coffee and I've always like it black with no sugar (unless it's with a shot of bourbon, rum, brandy, cognac, etc.).
But I've just never learned to appreciate coffee to the extent that some have.
I've bought "gourmet" beans, ground them myself and made coffee in a drip pot. It was good but for every day coffee my favorite is still the Eight O'Clock Blend Whole Bean that is fresh ground.
However, these days I use a Keurig because I only drink 2 or 3 cups a day.
I was visiting a friend not long ago who is a coffee connoisseur. He even roasts his own beans and swears its the best coffee ever. He got a little upset when I asked if he roasted his beans over burning car tires because that's what it tasted like. I also asked why I could see a thin layer of oil on the top.
He retaliated by criticizing the Latakia blend I was smoking.
@motie2 I was just about to mention the same thing as you about strong coffee and Latakia. As a matter of fact this morning while my wife was out shopping for Easter Dinner I pulled out my tin of Captain Black Black Sea (one of the few blends in my cellar with Latakia) and paired it with a very strong coffee used in my Keurig coffee maker - the blend "DA BOMB" from Java Factory is a double caffeinated extra bold dark roast. 'DA BOMB' is the worst thing in the world for someone like me suffering with chronic insomnia - but as an early morning pick me up, it does the trick and really gets the blood pumping. Just keep away from it after 6:00 P.M. The extra bold coffee blend paired quite well with the Latakia in Black Sea - making for an enjoyable smoking experience. Don't think it's enough for me to transition from aromatics to English blends but as a change of pace the combination proved to be a real winner and something I'll return to with more regularity.
My youngest daughter works at Starbucks, so I try to be loyal (free coffee). My wife can only drink decaf and we use a pour over since we only need single cups. Not a snob, prefer my coffee from a gas station on a trip. Will stop at Starbucks for everyone else's fancy drinks. Have to have at least one cup every morning and can drink a cup right before bed and sleep with no problem.
@PappyJoe - I've long said that campfire coffee is some of the best coffee I've enjoyed, but I think it's tied into the smell of the campfire, the company of my kids, and the sun rising in the Sierras.
Likewise: Dinty Moore stew is pretty good when eaten at a campfire next to a fast moving trout stream.
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.
COFFEE: As with tobacco, we have two different views of it.
<<One version is you going to a coffee shop known for its quality with a good friend or perhaps by yourself and with a good book. The barista prepares your order with a $30,000.00 espresso machine. If the reputation is deserved, the coffee will be of very high quality and made with fantastic, wonderful, and unique beans from around the world. A visit to this coffee shop is like a retreat; pilgrimage -- a place to experience coffee bliss and serenity. That first taste on the tongue and mmmm....heaven. Tastes so good. That's what makes it worth the additional cost.
Now look at the other option: instant coffee. You drink it at work; it's used exclusively as an energy boost. There is no pleasure in it like in the coffee shop above. Instant coffee is a version of caffeine that you use as a tool to stay awake and get things done.
Enjoying a high end cup of coffee and relaxing versus chugging down a large mug of instant. Not the same experience but using the same stimulant.
We have different ways of using these substances and the results, both physical body response and mental perception of enjoyment and pleasure are vastly different.
Native American used tobacco in the same way as someone journeying to get their high-end cup of coffee. It was a special moment, defined for special purposes. This same process is still true today.>>
I love good coffee. I mentioned this in another post. I do like locally roasted beans such as Counter Culture and others here in North Carolina. I also like different brewing methods to get the taste I am looking for in a good coffee, such as French Press, Perk, Pressurized and my great Bialetti Mocha Express. Its amazing when you combine these fresh ingredients even real whipped cream, how great coffee can be. We love it here at our house. The aroma along will make your mouth water!
Here's a really odd fact. The very best coffee maker is the Aeropress that sells for what? $30.00?
Seriously, and I've tried most methods and buy quality beans and grind them at home. Now, admittedly, it's a royal pain in the ass to prepare coffee with an Aeropress, and a real mess, and it makes only a cup at a time, with much futzing around between cups, but it makes the best coffee ever.
Hmm, i never heard of the Aeropress. I will have to check that out. I am not one for fads like Keurig and usually stick to the time tested ways for many things, even brewing coffee. Its funny though, and its true with everything isn't it? We have all this technology and we end up finding the old ways are better and likely cheaper in the long run. For example, i love to cook and i must say, nothing cooks better than seasoned iron cookware and it will last a lifetime. I also have an excellent array of stainless steel/copper but i have to say my iron is amazing once you learn how to use it. But I digress, back to coffee.... perk is awesome, french press is awesome and of course espresso. I will look at the Aeropress and see what its all about. Thanks for sharing!
Comments
I like my coffee black, straight no chaser. I alternate between medium and dark roasts, and sometimes mix the two together. I like to alternate because it keeps the flavors fresh on my palate. I do the same with my tobaccos.
I tried Bean Fruit Coffee recently, and I think their beans and blends are pretty good. My wife and I usually drink Sprout's Columbian blend. A nice consistent drink, great for everyday.
Also, I primarily smoke in the morning and I love a cup of coffee with my pipe.
I certainly consider myself a professional coffee drinker, but I have little experience in sampling designer coffee's. Yes, I have spent a little time brewing my own espresso, and sampling cappuccino with the froth on top. Ultimately, I had to go back to a good old fashioned 30 ounce large cup of American coffee. If one doesn't get the job done, the second one will probably allow me to sleep like a baby.
If you are a professional coffee drinker, you know exactly what I mean.
I like Arabica Coffee in a French Press.
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