Life Goes On

Here's another nice coffee, blended by  Bean Box Coffee , their True Mokha Java. The roasted beans for this blend are supplied by two roasting companies in Seattle, Conduit Coffee roasts the Mokha portion while  Fundamental Coffee roasts the Java. Mixed together these beans brew up an interesting cup of coffee.  Right from the bag I had a pretty good idea this would brew into a very nice cup as the aromas of cocoa and coffee rise from the bag and greet my nose.  As you can see in the picture, some of the beans have a bit of oily caramelization present, and I like that. To me oily means sweet and I anticipate there will be some sweetness from these beans.  Once the beans are ground into coffee and hot water is introduced on the pour, the aroma transforms as there are now notes of ripe tree fruit and some light earthiness blending with the cocoa.  The freshly cupped brew has a nice praline aroma: caramel, pecans and chocolate and the first sips are sweet and mediu

Summer is winding down, but I get to everything thing eventually. What's up with the jar you ask? Well even if you didn't ask, here's a quick tip.  Back a few  months ago I reviewed the Collar Cold Brew Coffee Starter Kit . The kit came with a twenty ounce Ball jar, a lid and a straw.  I drink quite a bit of green tea so an idea popped into my head; why not use the jar for sun tea. Well I gave it a try and it worked like a champ, I liked the twenty ounce jar so well that the next step was a quart jar. Now I drink a quart of green sun tea almost every day. I'm sure many of you probably already do something like this, but hey, I did figure it out eventually. 

It's been awhile since I've reviewed a cigar from Cuban Stock Cigars , but they have a great line that I've really enjoyed in the past. Today we look at The Private Selection Maduro Toro.  The Private Selection line comes with two wrapper choices, Connecticut and Dominican Maduro. On CubanStockCigars.com they describe this cigar as mild. Well here we have a difference of opinion. Read on and find out why.  Construction of the Private Selection is exquisite. From the striking blue, yellow and gold band to the practically vein free maduro colored wrapper the cigar just looks like it needs to be smoked. The blemish free Dominican maduro wrapper is rolled on with seamless care, the cigar is packed well full length and it's finished off with a nice triple cap.  Aromas from the cold cigar are rich and hearty. From the cold foot there are notes of rich fermented tobacco with a hint of ripe fruit, while the flavor from the free cold draw is reminiscent of sweet

I originally reviewed this entire line in a smaller vitola right after the initial release. Today we look at the Nestor Miranda Collection maduro toro from Miami Cigar and Company . The first thing you'll notice about this toro is the size. Coming in at 5.5" x 54 it's a bit shorter and a bit fatter than a normal toro, but I thought it provided a really nice smoking experience.  After the cigar's size you'll notice the impeccable construction starting with the sturdy maduro colored Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Like I said, this wrapper looks stout. It has some tooth, it contains only smaller sized veins and it's rolled on with seamless care. Under the wrapper there's a Nicaraguan binder covering  a mix of fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Peru. The cigar is firmly packed full lenght and there's a nice triple cap to finish it all off in style. From the cold foot there are aromas of sweet fermented tobacco to the nose and

The Java Gunung Biru by Fundamental Coffee has hearty notes of spice, pepper, and earth that grip your palate and say "I'm here!" But at the same time there are light, almost hidden, nuances that will heighten your sipping experience. Details Fundamental Coffee Company Seattle, WA Coffee: Java Gunung Biru Roast: Dark Brewing method: Pour-over Sample provided by:  Bean Box Doing a pour-over this  Java Gunung Biru brews a cup of coffee that is both medium bodied and full flavored. The first hot sips bright and crisp with some light acidity, but as the coffee cools the body develops producing a palate warming syrupiness.  Not only does this dark, oily, roast have complex body characteristics, the flavor nuances are complex as well. While the main flavor notes are a bold, spicy mix of pepper and earth, there are subtle notes of sandalwood, peat, tobacco, cocoa and tree fruit that peek out, then hide throughout the temperature range. I found the Java G

Here's a new stick I've been eager to try since reading the press release back in July, the Acme Route 66 Hot Rod (robusto) , created by the Acme Cigar Company .  Once this well packed cigar is free from the cellophane it looks great. The oily, seamless and vein free, Colorado Maduro colored Ecuadorian Habano wrapper covers a Jalapa Criollo binder over Nicaraguan, San Andres and Dominican long fillers. Plus it's finished with a tight triple cap.  From the cold foot the nose picks up radiant aromas of sweetly fermented tobacco mixed with cocoa, while flavors from the free cold draw are reminiscent of ripe tree free mixed with cocoa.  After toasting and lighting the foot, the first medium bodied puffs fill your mouth with smoke that's sweet with a creamy mouthfeel, plus there are tasty flavor nuances of fruit, cocoa and toast. As the even burn line moves up the body an oil ring develops on the wrapper while other notes of earth, and honey join the mix.

Martin Kaufmann becomes Senior Vice President Europe and Global Travel Retail  of Oettinger Davidoff AG. He will be joining the company on September 1, 2015.  Albert Manzone, Head Europe, will be leaving the company and Christian Vonthron,  Head Global Travel Retail, will be taking early retirement. Basel, 14 August, 2015 – Oettinger Davidoff AG, the worldwide leading manufacturer of premium cigars, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, has appointed Martin Kaufmann (48) as Senior Vice President Europe and Global Travel Retail, effective September 1, 2015. Martin Kaufmann is joining Oettinger Davidoff from the Estée Lauder Companies, where he served as Senior Vice President and General Manager North America for Aveda. Martin spent his early career at the Gillette Company, where his last position was Business Unit Director DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) for Braun. He continued at Procter & Gamble after P&G acquired Gillette, first as Global Marketing Director Braun M

Here's another tasty treat from 1502 Cigars , the Black Gold corona. Impeccable construction flavors and burn combine to make this cigar a real winner.  Covered in a seamless, vein free maduro wrapper, corona looks like it will be packed full of flavor and let me tell you it was.  From the cold foot, rich notes of cocoa and toasted tobacco greet the nose while the free cold draw has nuances of cocoa and sweet, ripe tree fruit.  Once toasted and burning the first medium bodied mouthfuls of smoke again have the pleasant flavors of toasted tobacco and cocoa. Within a few puffs the flavors start to shift as notes of earth, oak, brown sugar, ripe fruit and molasses mix to offer a different flavor experience with nearly each puff.  As the razor sharp burn moves up this cigar into the second half, the flavor mix continues to shift. with notes of burnt oak, charcoal, espresso and more cocoa that hold until the finish.  The 1502 Black Gold Corona finishes its forty-fi

TAMARAC, FL - Guests of the luxury hotel chain Ritz-Carlton now have the unique ability to enjoy the world's most expensive cigar, the His Majesty's Reserve by Gurkha Cigars , on site at Ritz-Carlton's nationwide. Starting with the Ritz-Carton in Half Moon Bay , California, through Fumar Cigars, the industry leader in high-end on-premise cigar programs, the very exclusive $2,000 cigars will now be sold. Making it even rarer is the fact that the cigars are produced in a very limited edition -- only 75 boxes are made annually.    The Gurkha His Majesty's Reserve is a very special cigar. Famous not only for its unique price point, it also has an incredibly distinctive aroma and taste. It's a blend of 15-year-aged Connecticut Maduro wrapper with 12-year-old Dominican binder and filler that's aged with one full shot of the world’s finest cognac: Remy Martin's Louis XIII. Louis XIII Cognac is a blend of 1,200 eaux de vie from the Champagne region of Franc

Punch Cigars are another line I'm pretty fond of. I've wanted to give this Signature a spin ever since it was released. This Punch Signature Torpedo contains fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua with a binder from Nicaragua. All of these tobaccos are wrapped in a Colorado Maduro colored Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper that's cultivated just for the Signature line.  Construction of this torpedo is solid. It's packed firmly full length, the hearty wrapper has nice tight seams and there are only a few smaller veins showing.  Checking the cold aromas there are notes of sweet fermented tobacco from the foot, while the free cold draw reminded me of spiced peaches, plus there's a lingering sweet and spicy aftertaste.  After toasting the foot, the first puffs from the burning cigar are medium bodied with nuances of nuts and toasty fermented tobacco. The second third was the real sweet spot of this cigar. While the flavor mix wasn't complex t

Complex and flavorful best describe this Yemen Haraaz Red Coffee roasted by the Conduit Coffee Company . It's another fantastic top-shelf coffee coming from the  Bean Box  line-up that's hearty enough to be a morning coffee, yet delicate enough to call a specialty coffee.  Details Conduit Coffee Company Seattle, WA Coffee: Yemen Haraaz Red Roast: Medium - City + Brewing method: Pour-over Sample from:  Bean Box From the bag to the hot cupped brew, this Yemen Haraaz Red radiates a wine-like fruitiness that hits your nose from several feet away.  The first sips are bright and crisp, but at the same time full and rewarding. There's an initial earthy, black tea mouthfeel and flavor, leaving behind a pleasant fruity, wine-like, mouth watering, aftertaste that seems like it will last forever.  As the coffee cools, a smooth syrupiness develops, the notes of earth subside and warm peach flavor notes dominate. This Yemen Haraaz Red by Conduit Coffee Company

Over the past week I've discovered that neither do I smoke a pipe often enough nor do I review enough tobacco.  One problem with reviewing tobacco is the fact that pipe tobacco can't be mail ordered into WA and that really bites. Speaking bite, or lack there of, let's take a look at the Archduke Ferdinand blend from Sutliff Tobacco   that I was given to review by Cigar Train . This Archduke Ferdinand tobacco is a blend of seven different sub-blends according to the can it came in. From the can it has a thick, sweet  and pleasant vanilla aroma.  Once my pipe was packed and burning the first puffs were mild and flavorful. Of course there were notes of vanilla, but there were hints of smoky tobacco and a bit of mild spice. The noom note was aromatic vanilla and there was no tongue bite present. After the second light, a bit of bite developed, but it was well within my mild limit and the strength moved into the medium range. Overall this Archduke Ferdinand tob

A 5 1/2 x 42 box -pressed Corona, with superior construction from 1502 Cigars . What's not to love? I was pretty excited to give this 1502 Emerald Corona  produced by Global Premium Cigars , a spin. 1502 Cigars are one of the House of Emilio line of brands. The first obvious observation about this cigar is the top of the line construction. The Colorado Claro colored wrapper is vein free and practically seamless, plus the cigar is packed well full lenght.  Checking aromas from the cold foot and free draw, there are notes of toast, fermented tobacco and some light Spanish Cedar spice with a pleasant aftertaste that lingered for several moments. Once burning, the first mild bodied puffs contain notes of nuts, toast, caramel and sweet tree fruit. As the clean burn line moves up the cigar a nice oil sheen develops on the wrapper and there are added flavors of oak, brown sugar, light charcoal and white pepper. The Emerald Corona finishes its fifty minute burn more