While browsing The Stogie Review, I ran across an old article about pairing coffee and cigars. Make sure you check it out, because it covers a lot that I am not.

What prompted me to do this quick post is coffee makers. They are not all created equally. I’ve gone through several over the years. Some better then others, ranging from $40.00 to $100.00 and available at any local store. All of them were basically the same consumer product. This is probably fine for most people, but I’m picky. I want good coffee with minimal bitterness, and I want it HOT.

Mr. Coffee, Kitchen Aid, Krups, Cuisinart, Starbucks brewers, etc… All garbage in the end. They didn’t make coffee hot enough, or broke within a year or two. All have plenty of bells and whistles, but fail at their primary task – Making good coffee.

Apparently to make a good cup of coffee, besides the proper grind, you need water at the proper temperature. “They” say around 200 degrees F is required. To reduces that bitter taste, you must limit the time grounds are exposed to the hot water. Doing it too long extracts everything from the grounds, good and bad. Not long enough, and you’ll have weak coffee with mild flavor.

After years of experimenting with various brands and reading reviews, I almost gave up. I started looking at industrial brands like Bunn, a popular brand used in coffee shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, you can pay upwards of $600.00 for that stuff. Not possible on my budget.

My requirements are simple: Make good hot coffee, and no glass carafe with a heat plate that burns the coffee. An insulated thermal carafe is great and can keep coffee hot for hours, minus that burnt taste.

Enter the Bunn BTX-B, a consumer coffee maker.

No bells and whistles, no timer, no clock. Just a coffee machine. This looked promising.

A good friend Jay has used a similar model for years. So I took his advice, as well as many positive reviews, and gave it a try. A trip to Wal Mart and $150.00 later, I was set.

Operation is simple. On the back, the large silver tank houses 10 cups of water. It is kept at 200 degrees at all times. I turn the tank off and flip it on at bed time. This saves energy and the coffee maker is ready to go when I get up. It takes about 15 minutes to heat up the tank if you are making multiple pots of coffee. Basically if you brew a pot, you have to wait 15 minutes to brew the next pot. Not an issue for me.

To brew a pot of coffee, you pour 10 cups of water into the top of the unit. Once you close the lid, the hot water in the tank is forced through the grinds at a quick pace at high velocity. The fresh water you just poured into the top is automatically placed into the holding tank to heat up for the next pot. Total brewing time is 3 minutes. Worth noting, its advisable to use Bunn filters. They are a little taller and eliminate grounds spilling over and getting into the pot. Again not a problem for me, they are cheap and readily available at any Wal Mart.

How was the coffee? After some experimentation with the grind and amount of grounds placed into the basket, I found a sweet spot. Piping hot coffee with minimal bitterness. The insulated carafe keeps coffee hot for hours. Even at the end of the day, coffee still tastes fresh. 30 seconds in the microwave is all it needs.

So if you are a picky bastard like I am with your coffee, consider the Bunn BTX-B. So far I’ve been happy with it. Although its only been a few weeks since I’ve owned the Bunn, I am at least hopeful now.

About the scotch… This stuff is aged for 18 years in Oloroso sherry and bourbon casks. The flavor is fruity and smooth. A few sips in between draws really helps reset the pallet and bring out the taste of a cigar.

Since I am not a connoisseur of scotch, lets get back to the cigar… Thanks to Barry, the blend is below. Check out what he though of this cigar over at acigarsmoker.com.

Rocky Patel Winter Collection:

Wrapper: Maduro – Pennsylvania

Binder: Ecuador

Filler: Nicaragua

Price: Around $5.00

Pre-smoke/Construction:

This cigar was pretty packed, and only had a couple soft spots when pinching. The dark maduro wrapper looked somewhat rugged, and had a nice oily shine. When sniffing the wrapper and foot, I was reminded of a barnyard. The draw was somewhat stiff, but not bad at all. The burn line required a lot of touchup’s, but got better in the last third. The ash held on for an inch, and stayed strong until tapping it off in the ashtray.

The first third had a pretty smooth, earthy taste. The earthy taste blended well with peppery notes. Although the profile was simple, it was enjoyable.

As I rounded the second third, nice notes of chocolate entered the picture. The pepper and earthy flavors remained throughout this third. As things came to a close, the chocolate increased in intensity.

For the last third, the earthy flavors faded and were hard to pick out. The chocolate notes increased even more, and overtook the flavor profile. Strong nutty flavors would appear and quickly go away. A peppery taste remained on the lips, which was enjoyable.

Conclusion:

This was a good full bodied cigar. It was a slow burner, and left me craving water. All in all, I enjoyed this cigar much more then the Summer Blend. Since production is limited, I would suggest you give this cigar a chance if you run across them.

I paired tonight’s cigar with a

small glass of The Balvenie

single malt scotch. This stuff

is aged for 17 years in sherry

casks. Although I am not a

connoisseur of scotch, I did n

otice a pleasant fruity and

sweet taste. A few small sips

during each third of the cigar

really helps reset the pallet for

the next draw. I’d have to

recommend it. As I always say, if

you are looking to get drunk,

go with something cheaper.

This stuff is like $70.00 a bottle

and is meant for sipping, not chugging.

On to the cigar…

Punch Gran Puro
Wrapper/Binder/Filler: Honduran
Size: 5.5 X 54
Price: Around $6.00

Pre-smoke and construction:
The dark, somewhat veiny wrapper looked a little rugged and smelled of a barnyard. The foot smelled of hay and tobacco. When pinching, I noticed no soft spots, and the triple cap was well placed. The prelight draw was a little loose, but I wouldn’t consider it bad. The burn was good, requiring only a few touch ups. The ash held on for an inch and a half before falling off.

In the medium body range, the first third began with peppery notes. An earthy flavor dominated. There is really nothing more to it then that.

The second third continued with pepper and earthy flavors. The smoke was smooth, and coffee notes came in to the picture. In the background, woody notes crept in.

There really wasn’t a lot to report on the last third. The body crept into the full range, and the woody notes increased. The flavors in the previous third remained as well.

Conclusion:
The Gran Puro was an enjoyable smoke. The flavors were good, but I have to admit that it seemed like just another cigar. Maybe I was just expecting more complexities, or I am being picky tonight. I definitely would take a Punch Rare Corojo over this one. But that’s just my opinion. As I always say, you need to judge for yourself. This definitely isn’t a bad cigar.

I’ve had mixed results with Cuban cigars. For example, the Bolivar I had recently was horrible in every way. I’ve had several brands of Cuban cigars, and so far, the Partagas Serie P has not let me down. Let’s see how things go tonight.

Onto the cigar…

Partagas Serie P No. 2
Size: 6 X 52
Wrapper, Binder, Filler: Cuban
Shape: Torpedo
Body: Full
Price:$15 – $20.00

Pre-Smoke:
This thing was tightly packed, but the draw was free, with just the right amount of resistance. The wrapper had a slight “Toothy” look to it, but looked great with no flaws. When sniffing the cigar, I was greeted with wood and pepper notes.

The first third opened up with hints of earth (IE a rich soil, almost grassy). There was a nice sweet taste that overtook the earthy notes. Passing through the sinus revealed a fairly strong, almost sharp feeling pepper and spice. With any good Cuban cigar, there is a very unique flavor that I can’t quite pin down.

The second third pretty much remained the same as the first. The only difference I could notice was the pepper really smoothed out and became less “Sharp” if that makes sense.

During the last third, this cigar really came into it’s own. Although the flavors I’ve already described still existed, things changed. The earthy flavors faded a bit, and the pepper/spice smoothed out even more. I’d venture to say slight coffee notes would come and go. When exhaling, there was a cooling effect on the lips and nose. All the while, that unique Cuban tobacco flavor reminded me why I love this cigar.

Conclusion:
Hands down, this is my favorite Cuban cigar. It has never let me down, and this was no exception. The burn was almost perfect, requiring only a couple of touch ups. If you run across the Partagas Serie P No.2, by all means give it a try.

As always, on to the amazing slide show:

On to the cigar…

CAO Lx2
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Nicaragua (Pueblo Nuevo) & Dominican Republic
Size: Robusto 5X52
Price: Around $6.00

Pre-smoke:
The construction was very nice, with no visible defects. There were slight veins, but nothing I would consider bad. The wrapper had a nice sheen, and the draw was perfect.

Flavor:
The first third started off with smooth earthy notes. There was a nice, fairly strong pepper that dominated. All the while, a very slight nutty flavor lurked in the background.

The second third began with a small reduction the intensity of the pepper, and a mocha flavor appeared. This blended nicely with smooth earthy and nutty notes.

Although the pepper was always present, it really mellowed out in the last third. This allowed the nutty flavors to show itself more then before. Mocha notes would appear and go away with each puff. The earthy notes took a back seat, but remained present and smooth.

Conclusion:
This is a good full bodied cigar. It’s complexities kept my interest, and the small nicotine buzz didn’t lessen the experience. My only complaint is that I had to correct the burn line quite a few times.