Today Alan Britt and I are here to talk about the Smokingpipes Roasts blends. The first release in this line of house blends are coffees made in collaboration with Methodical Coffee in Greenville, South Carolina.

Wild Hymn

[SI]: Wild Hymn is a naturally processed Ethiopian — that's what we're drinking right now.

[AB]: Wild Hymn, like all of the Smokingpipes Roasts, was picked out in a blind tasting when we visited the Methodical Roastery in Greenville. Such a fun process — so many of us here had a hand in it. It was really a passion project.

[SI]: We've been passionate coffee drinkers for a long time, and we put just as much care into the coffee we drink as we do into our pipes, tobacco, and cigars. It was a lot of fun narrowing down our favorites that day, and Wild Hymn was one of them.

[AB]: It's a fun one for me because I'm typically not an African coffee drinker.

[SI]: Same, actually.

[AB]: That's the fun of a blind tasting — you find things you wouldn't normally gravitate toward. I find this to be pleasantly acidic.

[SI]: It's got a lot of bright qualities to it — acidic, bright, and fruity.

[AB]: The natural process really shows up — big fruit notes, but there's body to it, and a great balance of acidity with fruit sweetness. Really interesting.

[SI]: For me, there's a jamminess and a citrus quality that reminds me of tangerine.

[AB]: Big-time citrus fruit, but almost yin-and-yang with it — there's also a rounded, graham-crackery, chocolatey vibe in the background alongside that jamminess.

[SI]: Berries, too. It's a pretty bright cup, but really well-rounded, with a lot of body — which I'd typically associate more with Colombian or Central American coffees.

[AB]: As far as roast level, I'd call it medium, maybe even light-medium. It performs really well as a pour-over, which is what we're doing now and my preferred way to drink coffee — but I'd also be curious to try it as an espresso.

[SI]: It would pull a nice shot. It's also just easy to drink. If you're into African or Ethiopian coffees, this is going to feel comforting and familiar. But if you haven't explored coffee from Africa, or natural-processed coffee in general, this is really approachable — a clean finish, a bit of sweetness, those graham-crackery notes, plenty of fruit and brightness. A really good, well-rounded cup.

[AB]: "Approachable" is the perfect word. For a coffee drinker who wants to be more intentional about what they're drinking alongside what they're smoking, this is a great starting point — not quite the wild world of co-fermented, experimental processing, but that natural process still gives you enough fruitiness to feel like something genuinely different.

[SI]: It's fitting, too — Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, and Wild Hymn is named for the legend of how coffee was discovered there.

Parting Gift

Parting Gift is a Brazilian blend of naturally processed coffees, also selected during our blind tasting at Methodical. I'm honestly a bit surprised this one ranked so high with us, since none of us would consider ourselves Brazilian coffee enthusiasts.

[AB]: For people who don't typically drink specialty coffee, this is going to be the most familiar one in the series — your standard cup of joe, but super elevated. I get a ton of roasty chocolate flavor and nuttiness out of it.

[SI]: Peanuts and peanut brittle.

[AB]: Peanut brittle is perfect — and this is oddly specific, but peanut shells, too. Like boiled peanuts. They are a southern staple — most people outside the south can't stand them, but it's not a bad tasting note here at all.

[SI]: Agreed. There's definitely a prominent peanut character, and like boiled peanuts, a bit of acidity alongside it. But overall, tons of body, chocolate, and roastiness. I'd call this the darkest roast in the Smokingpipes series, but it's just easy drinking — a real daily driver.

[AB]: There's room to pull more complexity out of it depending on brew method — a pour-over probably gets the most out of it, but it also does great in a batch brewer or moka pot.

[SI]: A moka pot's fantastic with this one.

[AB]: I make Cuban-style cafecitos with it at home. I haven't tried it as straight espresso, but I imagine it'd make excellent milk drinks — it's got enough body to stand up to milk, plus that great chocolate sweetness.

[SI]: And those roasty flavors. It's got the most comforting cup-of-joe aroma. It really is an approachable, standard-feeling roast, but elevated in quality — which is the whole reason we partnered with Methodical for this series.

Slow Sown

Slow Sown is a naturally processed, single-origin Colombian coffee, and my personal favorite of the roasts we picked.

[AB]: It's one of our favorites — like picking a favorite child, but I could drink this all day, every day.

[SI]: Same. It goes well with lighter tobaccos, darker tobaccos, and it's incredible on its own.

[AB]: There's so much going on. It's a great example of modern natural processing and the kind of wild complexity you can get from it.

[SI]: I've always been a Colombian coffee fan, and this one has an edge and a complexity that keeps it interesting — almost a different experience every time, especially depending on brew method.

[AB]: I keep comparing it to a barley wine — boozy, bourbon-barrel character with super ripe, luscious fruit and dark stewed fruit underneath. Unlike anything else I've tasted in coffee.

[SI]: If you're a Perique fan, this is your coffee.

[AB]: That's what I usually find myself smoking alongside it — a good Va/Per.

[SI]: I get a lot of chocolate too — specifically chocolate-covered strawberries or berries. One of the tasting notes on the label is red wine, since it has that boozy, earthy, tannic depth.

[AB]: It often reminds me of a cherry cordial — that little chocolate-covered cherry candy.

[SI]: Even the aroma has a bit of stank on it, in the best way.

[AB]: It fills the house with incredible smells brewing. I love it as espresso — takes a bit of time to dial in, since it's a complex blend with a tight window, but it's great in a pour-over, French press, basically any way you can brew it.

[SI]: I usually do a pour-over with this one — that's where I think it really shines and shows its full range. Even as a longtime Colombian fan, it's kind of wild what this naturally processed version delivers — a whole new spectrum from a coffee I thought I knew well. If you value complexity, full body, or fermented flavor in general, not just in coffee, Slow Sown is going to be at the top of your list.

[AB]: I keep coming back to that wood-barrel character. This would be great for an avid whiskey or bourbon drinker, or a wine drinker, given that red wine note on the label. It's a great conversation coffee — something to serve when you want to really wow company instead of the usual.

[SI]: I batch-brew this when I have company over, since a lot of casual coffee drinkers associate Colombia with quality — rightly so — but they've never tasted anything quite like this. Every time I pour it for guests, the reaction's the same: total disbelief at how complex it is, yet still approachable and drinkable. Something this complex, fermented, and boozy can sometimes be a turn-off, or not something you'd want to return to often, but Slow Sown has a ton of replay value. It's what I find myself craving most.

[AB]: That's our Smokingpipes Roasts series, available exclusively at Smokingpipes.