Coffee and Pipes

rustedrailpipes

Is there an art to matching tobacco and pipe to your coffee?  I've read about which beer or spirit goes great with certain tobacco but how about coffee.

I tend to favor a medium roast, usually made in my aeropress if I have the extra time, or a Keurig if I'm in a hurry.

I tend to drink coffee in the morning unless its the weekend when I might have another cup at night with some Bourbon Cream in it.

What are some of your favorite morning tobaccos?

Today I paired my cup of coffee with a pipeful of Casey Jones Heroes Blend (which is vanilla) it went pretty well.

jim102864

Is it me, or is everyone posting about Casey Jones?  I"ve got to get my hands on a tin and give it a whirl.  As to coffee, I so enjoy my drip Dunkin Donuts regular blend, sweet with sugar and half-and-half.  Lately, I've been pairing it with my first blend of the day which has been some Dr. Bradley Mixture, though usually I'll start with some Early Morning Pipe.

Woodsman

Coffee and a Pipe are just made for each other. When I drive 400 miles to Niagara I stop at DD for a liter of Coffee w/ cream.  Fill my travel mug, put in a straw so I don't block my vision,light up and go. I repeat the set up coming back except I fill up at Tim Hortons.

motie2

@rustedrailpipes -- There was/is a previous coffee and tobacco folder. Here are two reprints you will find informative:

Al Pascia has a nice article on coffee, tobacco .... and salt 

at http://www.alpascia.com/moments/g/24452

and 

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.

rustedrailpipes

@Woodsman I need to try Tim Hortons someday.  I drink a lot of DD.

@Motie2 thanks for hooking me up with the links!

motie2

motie2

The Invention of the Perfect Cup of Coffee: The story of the world's best coffee maker.

https://medium.com/backchannel/first-alan-adler-invented-the-aerobie-now-he-s-created-the-perfect-cup-of-coffee-c5e94ccc538e

motie2

Hey, doubters: It's only $30.00

I know that's unbelievable, but it's a moral imperative if you are a coffee connoisseur.  

BigSkyPiping

motie2 interesting coffee maker.  Looks a bit like a new take on a French Press.

motie2

Yes, but no comparison in the result. It charmed my socks off.

rustedrailpipes

Yep, I have two Aeropresses.  One for work and one for home.  They make the BEST coffee and so simple to use.

motie2

Not about pipes, but so true about coffee. (I take mine black, so I can still order "Coffee, black.")

pwkarch

I enjoy Espresso coffee in our Kurieg "K Cup" coffee machine. We have the reusable plastic "K cups" which just get washed in the sink. My wife buys Italian Espresso when she shops for groceries.

As an alternate blend, here in New Jersey we have a chain of "convenience" stores by the name of Wawa. They have great coffee ready to roll in their stores which is a pleasure in the early AM when you are ion the road. They sell their blends in bags, and their "dark roast" is really good. Once in a while I will buy several bags of dark roast and alternate it with the espresso.

I do go just a bit overboard according to my wife, as I will have (2) 20 ounce cups in the morning. No mater, because an hour later I can be falling asleep at the computer screen. That makes no sense to me as I was previously sensitive to caffeine whereas a cup of regular coffee or even a coke would give me the caffeine "jitters". Perhaps the last few years of espresso have raised my level of tolerance to caffeine. 

Each day I alter my choice of tobacco leading off in the batting order. Most days my leadoff is Sutliff Vanilla Custard, but I will also often start off with a Lane blend such as Dark Red, VBC, RLP6, or I will also smoke Carter Hall as this is a favorite of mine as well ( and pairs so well with coffee). But I guess to be fair, a good cup (or cups) of coffee just go well with any "favorite" tobacco blends.

motie2

@pwkarch -- I appreciated your comments, above. My solution at faking espresso at home was BUSTELO ESPRESSO (not their Columbian) K-CUPS, with my Keurig on the 4 OZ. WATER setting and the STRONG button pushed. Works for me. I tried putting espresso in a reusable K-cup device, but I could never get the flavor right.... or even close to real espresso.

motie2

BTW, I too lost my caffeine sensitivity. It just no longer keeps me awake, not even a late night espresso. I drink it for the taste, and maybe a little boost mid-afternoon, but no jolts anymore.

jim102864

Same here.  I do about three mug-sized cups and still I catch myself dozing off in front of my screen.  I haven't been busted by the boss yet!

motie2

I start off each morning with 4 oz. of Bustelo Espresso in 8 oz. of Starbuck's Verona. Clears the cobwebs.....

Don't hate me because I favor over-roasted (OK, maybe a little "burnt") coffees, some of which is what Starbuck's sells.

ghostsofpompeii

I'm a late night person and a chronic insomniac so the last thing I did is a double-shot of espresso before bedtime. So I also keep a supply of decaf versions of my favorite K-Cup blends for consumption after 10:00 PM. It makes no sense to take a sleepy pill at mid-night after downing several cups of coffee just hours before. Kind of counter-acts what's you're trying to accomplish. I learned that the hard way.   

Woodsman

Research has come up with something interesting, What works better to keep you from sleeping on the road, Coffee or a shot nap? If you're under 50, a short nap; over 50, Coffee.

motie2

BTW, if you are a real coffee aficionado, you've heard of the Aeropress, which, in many folks' opinions makes the best possible cup of coffee, full stop, and it's $29.95.

Here is all you need to know:

https://medium.com/backchannel/first-alan-adler-invented-the-aerobie-now-he-s-created-the-perfect-cup-of-coffee-c5e94ccc538e

https://aerobie.com/product/aeropress/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047BIWSK/ref=as_li_tl

motie2

All About Coffee .epub file, zipped, attached

rustedrailpipes

@motie2  Aeropress is the way to go.  I have one for office/travel and another at home.  Even I can make a great cup of coffee.

rustedrailpipes

@motie2  Aeropress is the way to go.  I have one for office/travel and another at home.  Even I can make a great cup of coffee.

motie2

It's a little bit of a mess, but it is the best way to make coffee one cup at a time. But when I get up every morning, near blind and bleary-eyed, I resort to my Keurig.

KA9FFJ

The wife gets the 32 oz. McCafe Premium Roast and believe it or not, I have no complaints. I enjoy a cup now and then while enjoying a bowl...  

Woodsman

@rustedrailpipes Tim Horton's is the DD of Canada and has slowly been working it's way down from the Border in the North East. Coming down from buffalo the 1st 3 rest stops on the NY Thruway have Tim Horton's. I read that Burger King just merged with them recently which may be detrimental to their quality which would be a shame.

Woodsman

@KA9FFJ McCafe isn't bad at all.

motie2

Coffee and Pipes? Yes.
Coffee and rum? That too.
All three at the same time? Better yet.

ghostsofpompeii

@motie2 That explains your love of Barbados Plantation.

motie2

Yeah, that and it being deeeeelicious.

pwkarch

ANY favorite tobacco, and Wawa Dark Roast or Italian Espresso coffee.........