Sweetwater Organic Coffee Roasters. “High Spirits” Holiday Blend 2012

I love, I mean really love, finding new, small artisan producers of one of my favorite products, and it is all the more sweet when that producer happens to be in my home state (Florida); this happens often with cigars, but rarely with coffee. That is why I was so excited when my wife brought a pound of Sweetwater Organic Coffee Roasters’ High Spirits Holiday Blend back from a recent trip; the coffee is roasted just a few hours up the road in Gainesville, FL.
It is a light roast blend of African and Central American coffees and the flavors are exceptionally understated (in a very good way); I would place it as one of the most relaxing cups of coffee I have enjoyed in quite a while. There are great milk chocolate notes, soft fruit flavors, a great mouth feel and an almost perfectly balanced acidity, and, like icing on a cake or crema on espresso, they also seem to have impeccable business ethics!
I would highly recommend checking these guys out, you can find them at www.sweetwaterorganiccoffee.com and can order directly from their site. This is the first of their roasts I have tried, but, I promise you, I will be sampling some more in quick order and will post my thoughts on those soon.

Airship Coffee Black Apple Dark Roast 2012

I am, as a general rule, extremely cautious of dark roast coffees, not because I do not enjoy them, in fact it is quite the contrary, I love them, it is my preferred roast, but, I also think it is the most difficult to do well. A good dark roast coffee sits precariously on the edge of palatable; it pushes the coffee bean and our taste buds to their extreme, a small step further would end only in bitterness (both figuratively and literally) and, unfortunately,  this is where most dark roasts fall. A stunningly good example of all that a dark roast should be is Airship Coffee’s Black Apple. Roasted in, of all places, Brentonville, Arkansas, this coffee just explodes with smokey dark chocolate, a sweetness reminiscent of a heavy molasses (this flavor is wonderfully understated), and dark fruits dominated by a luscious cherry. It is what every dark roast should be, and what just about all fail to achieve; I commend Airship Coffees for not following the trend of over roasted, bitter dark roast coffees that have, unfortunately, become the norm and, instead, producing a balanced and flavorful coffee that I can not recommend higher.

Headley Grange by Crowned Heads Cigars 2012

Marketing is a powerful thing, and generally I curse it, but, occasionally, I come across sincere, interesting marketing for a quality product and I love it. That is definitely the case with the Headley Grange cigar by Crowned Heads; named after a once English poor house turned 1960’s musician work area and sometimes recording studio (and the inspiration for countless songs) most associated, popularly,  with Led Zeppelin.  That whole story would seem a bit trite and cliche if not for the history of music related cigar titles by Crowned Heads, and, to further the cause, the cigar definitely lives up to the lofty name. The Headley Grange line will be a full product cigar line with five sizes by the spring of 2013, but, for now, it has been debuted in one size, the Estupendos which measures 5 1/2 by 52 ring gauge, in a limited run of 1,000 boxes.
This cigar has a versatile medium- full body and, befitting the name, almost a split personality (luckily both are quite pleasant); it opens with a beautiful draw and a plethora of smoke. The first flavors one encounters are a strong leather, a moderate cedar and a subtle maple syrup, then, rather abruptly, almost exactly halfway through the profile changes dramatically to chocolate and espresso (somewhat rare to find in a medium body cigar), curry spice, a touch of black pepper.
The Headley Grange is one of those rare cigars that will, in my opinion, please just about any cigar smoker and fit almost all smoking situations. I highly recommend pick one up, if one can be found,  and I am anxiously awaiting the full release in 2013.

My Father Limited Edition 2012

Every year there are a select few limited edition cigar releases that I anxiously await, like a child waiting for Christmas, and, possibly, the top of that list for the last three years is the My Father Limited Edition. First issued in 2010, the cigar has consistently been a benchmark of superb quality and this year’s is no different. The 2012 My Father Limited Edition has a run of only 2500 boxes of 12 cigars, which means there are not many to be had and they will be gone in most places quickly, but, trust me, it is worth the effort to track them down.
The dimensions of the cigar itself are 6 1/2 inches by a 52 ring gauge (a toro) and the construction is flawless; the cigar burns beautifully, with a firm but easy draw and an immense amount of smoke. The flavors run from spice, nuts, and leather at the start to coffee, dark chocolate and, believe it or not, truffles (I have to say that I do not think I have ever tasted truffles in a cigar, and I smoked a second the next day to be sure I was not losing my mind, and it is awesome)  toward the second half, with a pleasant creamy sweetness laying below the other flavor notes the whole way. I would place the strength just above medium to start and a notch or two higher by the end, though still not full.
I do not know what else I can say other than find, smoke, and enjoy these truly wonderful cigars.

La Aroma De Cuba Mi Amor Reserva 2012

La Aroma De Cuba is a cigar brand that has been able to maintain quality through the many ups and downs of the last decade in the cigar industry; now that is not to say that I like everything they produce, and the original La Aroma De Cuba Mi Amor line is a perfect example. It never struck me as bad, and the quality was apparent,  but it just never really did anything for me, so I was quite skeptical when the La Aroma De Cuba Mi Amor Reserva was announced, but I picked a few up anyway, and I am so glad I did! The Reserva is worlds apart from the original Mi Amor line, and I love it; the strength and body lay somewhere on the full side of medium and it is oh so smooth. It opens with great cedar notes and an almost curry spice (which resides in the background for the duration)  and slowly transitions from a bright cherry to a black cherry note. This cigar is going to get better and better after six months to a year’s rest, but it is smoking fantastic right now.

Viaje “Satori” karma 2012

Satori, the name of this cigar line, is Japanese and, translated, means enlightment; this may seem like an odd name for a dark, oscuro wrapped cigar, but it is Viaje owner Andres Farkas’ tribute to the many meaningful and “enlightening ” conversations that often take place while enjoying a good cigar. I think the name is perfectly suited, and this is a fantastic cigar to accompany a good conversation.  It is definitely a full bodied, and full flavoured, cigar, though still quite smooth. The dark fruit notes play well with the strength, and the slow burn gives one plenty of time to contemplate the intricacies of the cigar,  or perhaps something even deeper…