$19.99 for 12 ounce bag- Sample supplies by Fire Dept. Coffee
Background
A few weeks back I was contacted by Fire Dept. Coffee (FDC) asking if I was interested in getting samples of some of their “Spirit-Infused” coffees to review. I’ve done spirit reviews…I’ve done coffee reviews…but I don’t think I’ve ever done a spirit-infused coffee review, so I said “Yes!” I’ve tried adding Bourbon to my coffee in the past and while it does help to take the edge off the beginning of a rough day, I was never so enamored with the flavor that I would do it on a regular basis. How would I feel about “Vanilla Bean Bourbon” flavored coffee?
The back of the bag states:
This unique coffee has been impossibly crafted to capture the essence of rich vanilla bean and premium aged bourbon. It delivers a smooth taste and a pleasant aroma that leaves you wanting more.
It is listed on the company’s website as a “Limited Edition” so if this idea sounds intriguing to you, you should just take a second now and go there to buy a bag. It is a medium-roast coffee and is available in either Ground or Whole Bean. Also of interest, FDC gives 10% of their net proceeds to help first responders, so you can feel good about spending your money with them.
Notes
Brewing a pot of this coffee bring a combination of pure coffee aroma along with a heavy dose of vanilla and a lesser note of oak and whiskey. I use Splenda for my sweetener and I added a couple packets and took a sip. It definitely isn’t the same flavor as just adding a good Bourbon to your coffee. This brew carries more vanilla in the mix and has a little dryness to the flavor (yeah, I know…odd for a liquid to make me think “dry”). Just behind the vanilla is the oak woodiness, which triggers more of a sense of “bourbon flavor” than anything else. It’s good, but I found myself wondering how this might play with a dark roast coffee, which is more to my liking in general. I wondered if the boldness of a good dark roast would make the coffee part of the flavor mix stand up and take center stage a little better, allowing the vanilla and whiskey notes to be more “supporting” roles. Maybe they tried it and it didn’t work as well as I am thinking…or maybe they can try that for the next time they do a Limited Edition coffee in this vein.
Despite the fact that I have the coffee pictured with a Davidoff Signature, when I actually went to smoke a cigar with the coffee, I ended up pairing it with a Diamond Crown by J.C. Newman. This combination actually made the coffee much better on my palate, with the lighter notes of the medium-roast coffee mixing quite well with the milder Dominican blend of the cigar.
I actually feel like this coffee was tailor-made to go with a good mild(er) cigar. For me, the coffee was just “good” on its own, but graduated into a “very good” state when paired with the Diamond Crown. I would go with just about anything in a milder stick…Davidoff Signature, Highclere Castle Edwardian, Padron Damaso…brew a pot of coffee and pair them to start the day. Sadly, I could not do so for this review because “starting the day” would have been about 28º and I didn’t want to sit outside for an hour smoking a cigar in that temperature…but spring is coming!
