Castle & Cairn

Part of the World Explorations set, Paris Espresso is designed to emulate the traditional Parisian cafe culture experience.  It was introduced in early 2022 as a permanent addition to the Original Line, replacing the limited-edition "Paris Black" which had good market traction. 🌍 Origin:  80/20 mix of Arabica and Robusta, Arabica from Latin America (Brazil/Columbia) and Robusta from Vietnam. The Robusta adds a controlled bittering element which the Arabica influence will be more biscuity.  🔥 Roast Level:   Intensity is noted as a 6/13 on the Nespresso scale, though I would note the Robusta is typically lightly roasted which implies the Arabica is a good bit darker.  🧪 Brew Method:  Nespresso Original Line 👃 Nose:  Smells pretty unremarkable, the standard Nespresso sweet bran and grain with a slight bittering note.  👅 Flavor:  Pretty bitter, more than the 6/13 rating they mention. It does taste pretty similar to a low range espresso...

A ready-to-drink cold brew black coffee, this Blonde Roast from Califia Farms  is readily available in most national grocery chains. Califia is named after its California home and is best known for its wide-hipped and curvy bottle shape. They are a eco-centric firm with values like contributing to resilient agriculture, climate, and circular economy - all through a plant-based food lens.  🌍 Origin:  Undisclosed - 100% Arabica, at this time Califia sources from Central/South America exclusively. Rainforest Alliance Certified.  🔥 Roast Level:  Light (Blonde) 🧪 Brew Method:  Immersion Cold Brew 👃 Nose:  Softly sweet, some tangerine or citrus fruit, warm cereal 👅 Flavor:  Very mixed nut, traditional coffee roast, on the lighter end of body for a cold brew. There is a brief flash of bright berry, blueberries to my taste, in transition to a short finish. Little to no bite as one would expect with cold brew. 🏆  Score:  2.75/5 -  Fair...

Located at the site of the historic Old Taylor distillery, Castle and Key is known for being one of the most lovely production facilities in the industry. The distillery gets its modern name from its distinctive castellated look, the outcome of the style and marketing savvy of one Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. (yes that one of yellow tube Buffalo Trace fame) and key shaped springhouse water source. In coming up for a name for my blog, I did not realize that there was already a notable "Castle &" in whiskey. Unfortunately, the property went through a period of long decline after prohibition, becoming overgrown and neglected. Reopening the distillery in 2018 required a $30+ million, four-year, restoration project to reclaim the site from the Kentucky forest, but the results are incredible. Their Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey  joins a lineup which features a wheat bourbon, rye whiskey, gin, vodka, and numerous limited releases.  Credit: castleandkey.com  🛒 Sourced:  $33....

In what is in my mind one of the great collaborations in the history of whiskey, Atlanta's ASW distillery has teamed up the legendary Big Green Egg to put out a series of individual barrels, riffs on ASW's Georgia Heartwood bourbon plus hand harvested staves toasted or charred on a BGE ceramic cooker. Master Distiller Justin Manglitz selected these staves from timber in Habersham County, GA before toasting (indirect heat) or charring (direct heat) on the egg using hickory charcoal. So far, they have done a number of single barrels and eggspanded to the current small batch product, each varying slightly in design, intent, and taste. This is bottle #743 from the "Short Toast Release" (barrel picks with ASW usually yield around 190 bottles). To my knowledge, there have been at least three single barrels and the same number of batched editions, so I imagine they'll keep the series going. 🛒 Sourced:  $79.99 Tower Beer, Wine & Spirits, GA 750ml - a third Atlanta ...