With this installment, our adventure in pairing coffee with our tobacco draws
to a close. Before we go, we have two more stops to make. Let me preface this
installment by saying that I am not a fan of either of these coffees, simply
because it is almost impossible to smoke anything with them without completely
destroying the character of them. Like a fine Chinese white tea, the flavors
in these two coffees are so subtle, so nuanced, that to smoke a pipe while drinking
them is about as sensible as baking a soufflé in a blast furnace. That
said, I feel it necessary for the sake of completeness to include these two rare,
near-mythical coffees. You will not find any pairing notes, for the reasons previously
stated.
First, we travel to the island of Hawaii, where coffee has been planted in
the Kona area since 1813, when it was brought to the island by Kamehameha the
Great's Spanish interpreter and physician Don Francisco de Paula y Marin. With
its rich volcanic soil, hard-working family farmers, and perfect climatic conditions,
Kona was perfect for coffee cultivation. The hallmarks of Kona Coffee are smooth,
complex, rich, winey, minerally flavors balanced on a mellow light acidity.
Our last stop takes us to Jamaica, to the eastern part of the island, to the
Blue Mountain coffee growing region. Only four trade names are allowed to call
their coffee Jamaica Blue Mountain; Wallenford, Mavis Banks, Old Tavern and
Moy Hall.This is an "island profile" coffee; smooth, mild, balanced
...and oh so so so expensive. Don't expect huge fireworks in the cup - the
character of Jamaican coffee is about it's mild balance and subtlety in flavor.
True Blue Mountain is an unusual coffee; it has good body, and some very interesting
mild nutty flavors with herbal notes that remind me sometimes of chamomile,
sometimes of spice.
We have traveled the world over the course of the last several weeks, looking
at a variety of coffee growing regions, and how they can relate to various
types and blends of tobaccos. I hope that you taken away something of use from
our little foray into pairings. If nothing else, I hope you take away a bit
of the sense of adventure that I have felt, and still feel, when I set out
to find beverages that make a pipe tobacco sing a little more sweetly than
it does by itself.
|
Browse
