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For many pipe smokers around the world, the morning begins with a cup of coffee and a bowl of their favorite tobacco. While some are content with their Maxwell House and Folgers, others pursue the greatest cup of coffee possible to accompany their morning pipe. I'm partial to the plight of those seeking the perfect cup, and being a considerate smoker, a former barista, and a coffee roaster, I thought I'd lend my expertise in this quest. Here are five tobaccos and the types of coffee I'd recommend be brewed alongside them.
Cornell & Diehl: Bayou Morning Flake
Pairing: Ethiopian Single-Origin Light-Roast
Bayou Morning Flake is a Va/Per lover's delight that starts the morning off right. A potent blend of Old Belt Red Virginias and 25% Perique are pressed together before being sliced into flakes. Bayou Morning Flake is rich with notes of cracked black pepper, stoved dark fruits, toasted bread, and hay. An Ethiopian single-origin light roast is a great pairing due to its crisp acidity and delicate body, carrying elements of brown sugar, tamarind, hops, and apricot.
- Components: Virginia, Perique
- Family: Virginia
- Cut: Flake
Two Friends: Bed & Breakfast
Pairing: French Roast
Two Friends' Bed & Breakfast is a traditional English blend of Red and Bright Virginias with fine Oriental leaf, toasted Cavendish, and a pinch of rich Turkish Latakia, with elements of cedar, leather, smoke, hay, and baking spices. A French roast would play nicely here with its low acidity and elements of baking chocolate, dried fruit, smoke, dark molasses, and a slight edge of dried herbs.
- Components: Virginia, Latakia, Orientals, Black Cavendish
- Family: English
- Cut: Ribbon
G. L. Pease: Chelsea Morning
Pairing: Mexican Single-Origin Medium Roast
Chelsea Morning consists of sweet Red and Bright Virginias, fragrant Orientals, a bit of rich Cyprian Latakia, and just a pinch of Perique. The leaf is blended in layers, briefly pressed, then sliced and tumbled into ribbons. Chelsea Morning is rich with notes of half-and-half cream, plum, spicy sweetness, citrus, and roasted nuts. Pair this with a medium-roast single-origin Mexican coffee that's rich with notes of cream, soft caramel, and semi-sweet chocolate with a mellow mouthfeel, and you'll be in heaven.
- Components: Virginia, Latakia, Perique, Orientals
- Family: English
- Cut: Flake
Mac Baren: Vanilla Cream
Pairing: Costa Rican Single-Origin Medium Roast
One of Mac Baren's best sellers, Vanilla Cream is a blend of matured Virginias and mellow Black Cavendish with a unique aroma and smooth taste topped with an exceptional vanilla flavor . Vanilla Cream offers notes of honey, tart citrus, light brown sugar, and whispers of nutty chocolate. A medium-roast Costa Rican blend plays nicely with Vanilla Cream's medium mouthfeel and notes of chocolate, tropical fruit, honey, and baking spice.
Available in: 3.5oz | 16oz | Bulk
- Components: Virginia, Burley, Black Cavendish
- Family: Aromatic
- Cut: Ribbon
Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation: Morning Blend
Pairing: Single-Origin Sulawesi Celebes Kalossi Dark Roast
Composed of Black Cavendish, Burley, and Virginia tobaccos, Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation's Morning Blend is an Aromatic tobacco mixture that features a bourbon topping and sweet notes of roasted nuts, caramel, citrus, and maple syrup. A cup of Sulawesi Celebes Kalossi is the perfect companion with its medium-to low-acidity and rich, heavy, syrupy body, with notes of black tea, cocoa, nectarine, and plum.
Available in: Bulk
Those are some staples in my rotation and I hope they serve you well in the wee hours of the morning, or as a nice nightcap. I recommend whole beans ground fresh every morning and trying to experiment with other coffee-brewing methods beyond the old drip machine. Let me know your morning coffee and tobacco pairings in the comments below. Happy smokes!
A note on the tobacco information.
Strength: a measure of the tobacco's body and nicotine. One is the lowest. Five s is the highest.
Room Note: a measure of the pleasantness or intensity of the smoke's odor to everyone else in the room. One is the least intense room note, while five s would be the most noticeable to others.
Taste: A measure of the the power and fullness of the smoke's flavor, with one being the most mellow and five s being the fullest.
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Comments
Funny that not one old Codger/drugstore iconic classic blend was mentioned. Carter Hall, Captain Black, Sir Walter Raleigh, Prince Albert and others.
Response to David: I agree. My best and favorite pairings of coffee and pipe are Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic, Mac Baren Burley London Blend, Carter Hall, Prince Albert and Granger - in that order of preference - all vintage codger blends. The only boutique blend I would put in the rotation here would be C&D Eight State Burley. Burley and coffee were created for each other. I occasionally enjoy some Lane English Luxury with a pinch of Izmir Turkish added.
Try mixing the PS English Luxury with some Lane HGL. Both Scandinavian Tobacco blends so no clashing. The taste and smell is amazing. I wouldn't smoke it in the morning though.
David and RichardI didn't do it because its the baseline. I smoke a lot of codgers, I have an entire series dedicated to it. While there's a simplicity to a codger and a cup of maxwell house/folgers/whatever, it's also the average experience. But the point of this article to was to showcase a unique experience of different tobaccos and small batch coffees that play nicely with each other. Its not something you'd do everyday but when you're on a lazy sunday, it can be nice to make a pour over coffee with a nice Va/Per. What pleasure is there in reading an article that tells you the thing you already thought of?
I'll tell ya, I am SO glad I stocked up on the Lane Limited Codger blends when the announcement came out about the Tucker GA plant closing. I smoked Sir Walter Raleigh regular for years before I switched to Prince Albert. Now I smoke C&D burleys with morning coffee. Once in a while I do like a big fat bowl of SWR regular in one of my old vintage Dr. Grabows with coffee!
I’ll be the outlier - Levant Mixture pairs very well for me with the darkest, richest roasts I can lay my hands on.
okay, but what tobacco pairs well with folgers and dunkin medium roasts? you know, what us average joes drink?
Thanks for the information, I just bought a tin of Chelsea Morning, will have to try🤠
Love this topic for a blog! Heaven on Earth as I am reading this. Can't wait to try Chelsea Morning and the Mexican Coffee. I love the topics you come up with for the blog posts. Well done, Rose. Your writing style just rocks!
Autumn Evening with a chicory blend. Try with Community Coffee: coffee & chicory.