The Great Coffee and Cigars experiment

[ironpeddler]

My coffee and cigar experimentation is mostly confined to the mornings. My usual morning bean is an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, but over the past year or so I have been trying multiple varieties of peaberry beans. My current favorite is Tanzania Nyamtimbo Peaberry roasted to a medium dark roast (City+). Peaberry coffee beans are by trait a bit citrusy, floral, and bright in taste...in cigar (and coffee) terms, of medium intensity....not that Starbucks in your face heavy dark roast taste. My more intense bean this time of year is an Kenya Fair Trade Peaberry, Kiawamururu region...a little stronger, sweeter, and more robust when roasted to a dark (Full City) than a medium (City+) roast.

My favorite cigars coupled withy these type coffees over this time have been, my all time morning smoke, a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Epicure but lately that has been replaced by the Trinidad Coloniales...medium, creamy tasting cigars with a medium, bright tasting black coffee.

At night....it's hard to beat a great dark roast espresso with a lemon rind coupled with a nice aged Bolivar Beli Finos....pure heaven.

Very impressive experimentations there mate. Australia hasn't got too much in the way of premium coffee. I usually stick with either Lavazza or Rio Fairtrade Coffee.


Good to see you playing around with pairing your coffees with cigars. I have found that to be a very rewarding path to follow, and the Espresso with the lemon rind is something I really have to try!!

I totally disagree mate.
We have a huge range of bean suppliers in Sydney.
Fresh roasted and damn good. I am sure Melbourne would have many coffee suppliers to choose from.
We buy from the Italian quarter in Sydney, unbelievably good coffee beans. Our favorite is the Ethiopian dharjma coffee.

MC...As anvil says, I agree...to the point that you can access these type beans from any country. I buy green (unroasted) coffee and roast it myself. This is very accessible through the Internet. Do some research and see if it's for you. It's not very hard at all. Green beans can keep for over 2 years and all you have to do is roast as you go. The advantage is that you can try a huge variety of coffee that is not available locally and roasted to someone's else's liking. You can take the same coffee bean and change it's taste by how long you roast it....every coffee has a specific range that it has to be roasted to, but with small changes in the roasting time (1 minute or so) you can craft a coffee to your liking. Very cool stuff! I have been home roasting for about 5-6 years and have sampled coffees from every country that grows it. I buy about 4 times a year based on when certain coffee beans are available that I like....about 60-70lbs a year. It may sound like a lot of coffee but it comes to a little over a pound a week, not much if you brew a pot a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Some of that is espresso that I don't make every day and some specialty coffees that I only roast and brew when we have friends over...Kona, Blue Mountain, etc.

My favorite coffee from last year that I haven't been able to find (have to wait for the next crop) was an Australian Mountain Top Peaberry! I only bought 2lbs and after trying it...I should have bought 20 lbs! That was my Numero Uno for 2007. All coffee is seasonal...so if you buy a pound or 2 to try it, it may not be available until the following crop to sample again....but that's the great thing about this....it's just like cigars....you keep a log book and write down what you tried, how you liked it at the time, and if you want to try it again.

For an small initial cash outlay for the roaster and a burr grinder, you can start roasting your own...plus, the unroasted (green) coffee is a fraction of the price of an already roasted coffee.....try HERE to start. Some American companies will ship to Australia as well. This is where I BUY. Maria is a very sweet young lady and her husband Tom is the buyer. Their website is like a Bible to the home roaster...everything you would need to know is written there in terms that a normal person can relate to...because they are really cool people.

Let me know if you take the jump into Home Roasting....you'll be glad you did. If you have any questions as you think about it...PM me and I will walk you through the process.

Gary

PS, just to let you know, I'm not a coffee freak, I usually just make a pot in the morning, sometimes 2 on the weekends, and an espresso at night (once in a while)...it's just that the 'hands on' factor is awesome and very rewarding...especially when you serve it to your guests!

 

[anvil]

My coffee and cigar experimentation is mostly confined to the mornings. My usual morning bean is an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, but over the past year or so I have been trying multiple varieties of peaberry beans. My current favorite is Tanzania Nyamtimbo Peaberry roasted to a medium dark roast (City+). Peaberry coffee beans are by trait a bit citrusy, floral, and bright in taste...in cigar (and coffee) terms, of medium intensity....not that Starbucks in your face heavy dark roast taste. My more intense bean this time of year is an Kenya Fair Trade Peaberry, Kiawamururu region...a little stronger, sweeter, and more robust when roasted to a dark (Full City) than a medium (City+) roast.

My favorite cigars coupled withy these type coffees over this time have been, my all time morning smoke, a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Epicure but lately that has been replaced by the Trinidad Coloniales...medium, creamy tasting cigars with a medium, bright tasting black coffee.

At night....it's hard to beat a great dark roast espresso with a lemon rind coupled with a nice aged Bolivar Beli Finos....pure heaven.

Very impressive experimentations there mate. Australia hasn't got too much in the way of premium coffee. I usually stick with either Lavazza or Rio Fairtrade Coffee.


Good to see you playing around with pairing your coffees with cigars. I have found that to be a very rewarding path to follow, and the Espresso with the lemon rind is something I really have to try!!

I totally disagree mate.
We have a huge range of bean suppliers in Sydney.
Fresh roasted and damn good. I am sure Melbourne would have many coffee suppliers to choose from.
We buy from the Italian quarter in Sydney, unbelievably good coffee beans. Our favorite is the Ethiopian dharjma coffee.

MC...As anvil says, I agree...to the point that you can access these type beans from any country. I buy green (unroasted) coffee and roast it myself. This is very accessible through the Internet. Do some research and see if it's for you. It's not very hard at all. Green beans can keep for over 2 years and all you have to do is roast as you go. The advantage is that you can try a huge variety of coffee that is not available locally and roasted to someone's else's liking. You can take the same coffee bean and change it's taste by how long you roast it....every coffee has a specific range that it has to be roasted to, but with small changes in the roasting time (1 minute or so) you can craft a coffee to your liking. Very cool stuff! I have been home roasting for about 5-6 years and have sampled coffees from every country that grows it. I buy about 4 times a year based on when certain coffee beans are available that I like....about 60-70lbs a year. It may sound like a lot of coffee but it comes to a little over a pound a week, not much if you brew a pot a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Some of that is espresso that I don't make every day and some specialty coffees that I only roast and brew when we have friends over...Kona, Blue Mountain, etc.

My favorite coffee from last year that I haven't been able to find (have to wait for the next crop) was an Australian Mountain Top Peaberry! I only bought 2lbs and after trying it...I should have bought 20 lbs! That was my Numero Uno for 2007. All coffee is seasonal...so if you buy a pound or 2 to try it, it may not be available until the following crop to sample again....but that's the great thing about this....it's just like cigars....you keep a log book and write down what you tried, how you liked it at the time, and if you want to try it again.

For an small initial cash outlay for the roaster and a burr grinder, you can start roasting your own...plus, the unroasted (green) coffee is a fraction of the price of an already roasted coffee.....try HERE to start. Some American companies will ship to Australia as well. This is where I BUY. Maria is a very sweet young lady and her husband Tom is the buyer. Their website is like a Bible to the home roaster...everything you would need to know is written there in terms that a normal person can relate to...because they are really cool people.

Let me know if you take the jump into Home Roasting....you'll be glad you did. If you have any questions as you think about it...PM me and I will walk you through the process.

Gary

PS, just to let you know, I'm not a coffee freak, I usually just make a pot in the morning, sometimes 2 on the weekends, and an espresso at night (once in a while)...it's just that the 'hands on' factor is awesome and very rewarding...especially when you serve it to your guests!

Wicked reply Ironp.
And cool links mate. I can see more money being spent on the inneranet :whistling:

 

[ironpeddler]

My coffee and cigar experimentation is mostly confined to the mornings. My usual morning bean is an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, but over the past year or so I have been trying multiple varieties of peaberry beans. My current favorite is Tanzania Nyamtimbo Peaberry roasted to a medium dark roast (City+). Peaberry coffee beans are by trait a bit citrusy, floral, and bright in taste...in cigar (and coffee) terms, of medium intensity....not that Starbucks in your face heavy dark roast taste. My more intense bean this time of year is an Kenya Fair Trade Peaberry, Kiawamururu region...a little stronger, sweeter, and more robust when roasted to a dark (Full City) than a medium (City+) roast.

My favorite cigars coupled withy these type coffees over this time have been, my all time morning smoke, a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Epicure but lately that has been replaced by the Trinidad Coloniales...medium, creamy tasting cigars with a medium, bright tasting black coffee.

At night....it's hard to beat a great dark roast espresso with a lemon rind coupled with a nice aged Bolivar Beli Finos....pure heaven.

Very impressive experimentations there mate. Australia hasn't got too much in the way of premium coffee. I usually stick with either Lavazza or Rio Fairtrade Coffee.


Good to see you playing around with pairing your coffees with cigars. I have found that to be a very rewarding path to follow, and the Espresso with the lemon rind is something I really have to try!!

I totally disagree mate.
We have a huge range of bean suppliers in Sydney.
Fresh roasted and damn good. I am sure Melbourne would have many coffee suppliers to choose from.
We buy from the Italian quarter in Sydney, unbelievably good coffee beans. Our favorite is the Ethiopian dharjma coffee.

MC...As anvil says, I agree...to the point that you can access these type beans from any country. I buy green (unroasted) coffee and roast it myself. This is very accessible through the Internet. Do some research and see if it's for you. It's not very hard at all. Green beans can keep for over 2 years and all you have to do is roast as you go. The advantage is that you can try a huge variety of coffee that is not available locally and roasted to someone's else's liking. You can take the same coffee bean and change it's taste by how long you roast it....every coffee has a specific range that it has to be roasted to, but with small changes in the roasting time (1 minute or so) you can craft a coffee to your liking. Very cool stuff! I have been home roasting for about 5-6 years and have sampled coffees from every country that grows it. I buy about 4 times a year based on when certain coffee beans are available that I like....about 60-70lbs a year. It may sound like a lot of coffee but it comes to a little over a pound a week, not much if you brew a pot a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Some of that is espresso that I don't make every day and some specialty coffees that I only roast and brew when we have friends over...Kona, Blue Mountain, etc.

My favorite coffee from last year that I haven't been able to find (have to wait for the next crop) was an Australian Mountain Top Peaberry! I only bought 2lbs and after trying it...I should have bought 20 lbs! That was my Numero Uno for 2007. All coffee is seasonal...so if you buy a pound or 2 to try it, it may not be available until the following crop to sample again....but that's the great thing about this....it's just like cigars....you keep a log book and write down what you tried, how you liked it at the time, and if you want to try it again.

For an small initial cash outlay for the roaster and a burr grinder, you can start roasting your own...plus, the unroasted (green) coffee is a fraction of the price of an already roasted coffee.....try HERE to start. Some American companies will ship to Australia as well. This is where I BUY. Maria is a very sweet young lady and her husband Tom is the buyer. Their website is like a Bible to the home roaster...everything you would need to know is written there in terms that a normal person can relate to...because they are really cool people.

Let me know if you take the jump into Home Roasting....you'll be glad you did. If you have any questions as you think about it...PM me and I will walk you through the process.

Gary

PS, just to let you know, I'm not a coffee freak, I usually just make a pot in the morning, sometimes 2 on the weekends, and an espresso at night (once in a while)...it's just that the 'hands on' factor is awesome and very rewarding...especially when you serve it to your guests!

Wicked reply Ironp.
And cool links mate. I can see more money being spent on the inneranet :whistling:

Yeah anvil...I've been accused of being the cause of that for many years by friends and family! :laugh:

There are quite a few home roasters here at CP...I'm surprised no one else jumped in on this one.

 

[Macion Grey]

Wow Ironpeddler! This is the sort of thing I wanted to see pop up in this post. Thanks a lot for your awesome reply (I am looking at your links now).

I am glad to hear as well, that there are some quality beans out there in Aus. Do keep in mind I live in Adelaide... and I have not been lucky enough to stumble upon anything really spectacular.

 

[BlindedByScience]

The best I've ever had with a coffee pairing was 2 mugs of CP Coffee with a God of Fire Churchill.

But my regular is any coffee with a Padron '26 #35 Maddie.

Brick and I have very similar tastes. Mr Jerry's "Killer Beans" or when I run out, some Starbucks (go ahead and laugh now) French Roast, freshly ground makes for a good cup 'o joe in the AM. I drink my coffee black; I can't imagine putting milk or cream or ice cream or sugar in a perfectly good cup of coffee..... :laugh:

There are several AM smokes I enjoy, but my all time favorite AM with coffee cigar has to be the Padron '64 "Principe" in natural wrapper. You cannot imagine how well this pairs with a fresh cup of coffee on a crisp morning out on the deck..... :thumbs:

Best Regards - B.B.S.

 

[NorCalCigarLover]

Since cutting back on my coffee consumption earlier this year, my weekly "Habanos Thursday" ritual now includes 1 1/2-2 demitasse of Café Cubano. Last weeks pairing was the best yet, a cafecito made from Café Bustelo paired with a HdM Épicure No. 1. An outstanding pairing where neither the cigar or coffee overpowered the other but actually combined to created a perfect taste sensation. More like 2 parts of a recipe to create one main dish ...... simply outstanding.

I have to finish the bag of Café Bustelo before I open up the next coffee, but I can't wait to try the Cubita that a BOTL recently sent me.

 

[ironpeddler]

There are several AM smokes I enjoy, but my all time favorite AM with coffee cigar has to be the Padron '64 "Principe" in natural wrapper. You cannot imagine how well this pairs with a fresh cup of coffee on a crisp morning out on the deck..... :thumbs:

Best Regards - B.B.S.

BBS.....you got that right...I love that exact cigar with a great cup of java....we have a family beach house and that combo on the sand during sunrise is spectacular. :thumbs:

 

[Macion Grey]

Since cutting back on my coffee consumption earlier this year, my weekly "Habanos Thursday" ritual now includes 1 1/2-2 demitasse of Café Cubano. Last weeks pairing was the best yet, a cafecito made from Café Bustelo paired with a HdM Épicure No. 1. An outstanding pairing where neither the cigar or coffee overpowered the other but actually combined to created a perfect taste sensation. More like 2 parts of a recipe to create one main dish ...... simply outstanding.

I have to finish the bag of Café Bustelo before I open up the next coffee, but I can't wait to try the Cubita that a BOTL recently sent me.

Brilliant, brilliant. A Cubano/Cafecito with an Epicure No2 was one of my favourite combos! Congrats on finding that perfect balance for you. This is the sort of thing I wanted to hear from people. What particular style of coffee (and brand of coffee if you want) went with what particular cigar? When you start to narrow down the search, you get some excellent combos.

 

[NorCalCigarLover]

Well, this weeks Habanos Thursday paired a Cafecito, made from Café Bustelo, with a 2001 Diplomatico #2. While last weeks awesome pairing was still fresh in my memory this weeks pairing just didn't do it for me at all ..... bummer. The good news is that the Café Bustelo is now finished and it's on to the Cubita for next weeks Habanos Thursday.

 

[Macion Grey]

Wow, I have heard great things about the Cubita. Let me know how that goes.

 

[gunsandcigars88]

Well, this weeks Habanos Thursday paired a Cafecito, made from Café Bustelo, with a 2001 Diplomatico #2. While last weeks awesome pairing was still fresh in my memory this weeks pairing just didn't do it for me at all ..... bummer. The good news is that the Café Bustelo is now finished and it's on to the Cubita for next weeks Habanos Thursday.

I have been doing some Searching (google) trying to find information on said Cafecito. I was able to find

Cuban coffee ( café cubano , cuban espresso , cafecito , cuban pull ) is a type of espresso which originated in Cuba after espresso machines were first imported there from Italy. Specifically, it refers to an espresso shot which is sweetened with sugar while it is being brewed, but the name covers other drinks which use Cuban espresso as their base.

from Wikipedia. I am unable to find however instruction on how to make one? Plus what kind of coffee beans it's best to make it with? If you could share a little further on the Cafecito I would appreciate it!
B

Edit:for spelling

 

[whopper]

I had an Illusione ~2~ this morning with my Folgers regular & a touch of french vanilla creamer and it was pretty rewarding. I make my coffee strong so it's almost like expresso.

I'm not much for smoking a morning cigar but I may have to change that, it was pretty nice sitting out on the porch and the coffee and cigar went well together.

 

[MindRiot]

The trick is to find the bean and roast that compliments the particular cigar. When doing the Illusione and Tatuaje Coffee I smoked a ton of each while drinking the coffee at different times during the day. The time and ingredients used in the coffee makes a huge difference. The coffee should not overpower the cigar and actually I found it best when the coffee is about the same strength as the cigar. Fresh roasted is also the way to go, if you can get the beans a day or 2 after roasting where the oil is just coming to the "top" of the bean it is at its peak in flavor.

Also keep in mind if what you are drinking has a bitter finish or a twang that you think is strength it is NOT. The coffee was over roasted and burnt, even espresso should be strong but smooth. just my 2 cents.

 

[ironpeddler]

Fresh roasted is also the way to go, if you can get the beans a day or 2 after roasting where the oil is just coming to the "top" of the bean it is at its peak in flavor.

Also keep in mind if what you are drinking has a bitter finish or a twang that you think is strength it is NOT. The coffee was over roasted and burnt, even espresso should be strong but smooth. just my 2 cents.

That's why Home Roasting is the way to go Kevin...control of the bean! :laugh: