Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Stolen Throne Cigars Crook of the Crown | Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Stolen Throne
Crook of the Crown

WRAPPER: San Andres Maduro (10yr. aged)
BINDER: Indonesian
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Robusto (unfinished foot)
ORIGIN: Flor de San Luis, Nicaragua
STRENGTH: Medium-Full

NOTES:
Bold & too, refined. Mulled wine and carob. Okay, I'm in. Steered out front by pepper-spices... white & red pepper, clove, nutmeg (separate from the aforementioned beverage). Black pepper kicks up into the long sweet-tingly finish. 

Creme brulee & leathery oils bulge up out of the undertones then several pips of Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds. Cuban coffee. Underneath it all is a rich clay earthiness, a cherry lilt; shooting cedar up & through the profile. 

Top-notch burn & draw. Excellent levels of smoky-smoke out-put culminate in a patisserie-like room-note. Cap assemblage & seams hold to perfection & lots of 'baccy is packed into this thing sans hard/soft spots. Ash is an almost glistening thing, easily capable of making 1.5" at a time.

In short, a clean and crisp contender for Cigar of the Year.

FINAL GRADE: A
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

### 

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Kaplowitz Media: Coffees | Teas of the Month (July 2019)

"LoFi & lovely."


"Sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit, these men promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem. If no one else can help. And if you can find them -- maybe you can hire the A-Team."

Gentlepersons, below is a list as shallow and pedantic as Lois Griffin's meatloaf. It is a list of recent (again, 7/19) coffee & tea offerings I humbly found to be worthy of A (- to +) review ratings.

>>>

THE A-TEAM/LIST
{Names are links to full reviews.}

Monday, July 29, 2019

Kaplowitz Radio EP137 "Plucky"

"LoFi & lovely."



In this episode:

> persistence is a virtue?
> MeWe (social media)
> a novel idea (fictional thoughts)
> sitting down w/ Edgar Allan Poe
> closed Sundays?
> Kaplowitz Reads Kaplowitz

Show cigar: Corona de GTO 10 Años Corojo
Show tea: San Juan Island Tea Farm Breakfast Blend


Kaplowitz Radio is sponsored by:

Caldwell Cigar Co.: caldwellcigars.com
Gran Habano Cigars: www.ghcigars.com
GTO Cigars: www.gtodominicancigars.com
Illusione Cigars: www.illusionecigars.com

"Live from the Debonaire Athenaeum"
is brought to you by Debonaire House:
www.debonairehouse.com

Kaplowitz Radio is available on:

Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/2LXlopr
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Lsn7mg
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2X70n24
& on/at many other spots/locales.

RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/dea670/podcast/rss

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Artesano del Tobacco Cigars Viva la Vida | Cigar Review Redux by Kaplowitz

"LoFi & lovely."

Artesano del Tobacco
Viva la Vida

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro 2000
BINDER: Nicaraguan Corojo 99
FILLER: Nicaraguan Criollo 98

FORMAT: Robusto (554)
ORIGIN: Esteli, Nicaragua
BLENDER: AJ Fernandez
STRENGTH: Full

>>>

NOTES:
Powerfully purposeful. Peppery. Alright! Alliteration aside already. Black pepper and cayenne, boldly-so; upfront but not dialing back a whole bunch. Spices: smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, clove. Slight ginger (particularly extending on/into lengthy+ finish.) 

Undertones are licorice, hibiscus, plums. There is bigness in the lower middlings which almost wrap around to the top & definitely do steer the profile -- dense Cuban coffee & dark chocolate. Underbelly is compost, barnyard, leather. Manure.

Performance is superb. Dead-even char. Languid pacing. Thick solid ash. The draw is a smooth & even gate-to-wire medium+ tension. Plentiful smoke out-put yields a dark almost somber leather & spice room-note.

FINAL GRADE: A
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

### 

Friday, July 26, 2019

Caldwell Cigars Blind Man's Bluff Maduro | Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

"LoFi & lovely."


Caldwell Cigar Co.
Blind Man's Bluff Maduro

WRAPPER: Pennsylvanian Maduro
BINDER: Sumatran
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Tabacalera William Ventura, DR
STRENGTH: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: caldwellcigars.com

>>>

NOTES:
Dense spices. Red pepper, cayenne, cumin, cinnamon. Smoothed by oily leather and toasted cream. Braced by cedar. Ballsy but wearing silk boxers. Undertones to those overtones are high up themselves and are a black pepper & black walnut. Down further there: cocoa & roasted coffee beans.

Underbelly is potting soil & compost with a blueberry lilt. Smokes more like a well-aged Habano than darkly sweet Maduro, at certain times & in some ways. This'll put some hair on your chest. Maybe dry your palate a tick. Finish is the soon to be mentioned spiced leather boozy room-note.

Burns warmer than moderately-so and more quickly, too. Line has a bit of a curve which requires no re-direct/touch. Big poofs of smoke-output on pulls and stays smoky twixt. Spiced leather room-note  w/ a bit of booziness (see?). Draw is a tick tighter than wide-open. Nicotine strength grows at the 1/2 & again at the 3/3.

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

NOTE:
I smoked a previous offering of this blend/vitola on Kaplowitz Radio EP136 "Orange Semi" ((( link ))) Kaplowitz Radio is a podcast you should be listening to & is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and other places I can't recall rn. thx

KLLR Coffee Espresso | Review by Kaplowitz

"Lo-Fi & lovely."


KLLR Coffee
Espresso

LOCATION: OKC
ORIGIN: Ethiopia, Colombia
VARIETAL: Heirloom, Caturra, Tabi, Castillo, Typica

PROCESS: Washed
ROAST: Medium
BREW METHOD: Pour-over

WEBSITE: kllrcoffee.com

>>>

NOTES:
Only immediately smoky & then more-so bright to the point of tangy. Citrus w/ berry nethers all its own. Chocolate comes on after that immediate sip and lays out into the long finish; picking up hibiscus, papaya, mango, oak, and pepper as it unfurls thru the profile. Sets meaty in the mouf.

Undertones on the slurp are that chocolate motion playing w/ all other notes it passes by. Earth, richly. Leather, tobacco, anise. Complex & nuanced. Bright tropical floral/fruity complexities & smoky/meaty sweet nuances. 

A lot going on and all well-orchestrated in the sense that you're fairly certain the roller-coaster won't fly off its [chocolatey] tracks. Ends cleanly with a stiff astringency finding the corners of my tongue. Heckuva ride, heckuva ride.

FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Kaplowitz Media: Cigars of the Month (July 2019)

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"


"Sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit, these men promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem. If no one else can help. And if you can find them -- maybe you can hire the A-Team."

Gentlepersons below is a list as shallow and pedantic as Lois Griffin's meatloaf. It is a list of recent (again, 7/19) cigar offerings I humbly found to be worthy of A (- to +) review ratings.

>>>

THE A-TEAM/LIST
{Names are links to full reviews.}


Wednesday, July 24, 2019

San Juan Island Tea Farm Organic Breakfast Blend | Review by Kaplowitz

“LoFi & lovely”


San Juan Island Tea Farm
Organic Breakfast Blend

LOCATION: Washington State
ORIGIN:
TYPE: 
[blend]
"Assam; West Jalinga, Organic Nilgiri; South Indian Black, Organic Sri Lanka Black (formerly known as Ceylon) and a touch of Organic Black Vanilla."

FORMAT: loose
METHOD: Grandpa style

WEBSITE: www.sanjuanislandtea.com

>>>

NOTES:
A rich amber brew w/ copper under-hue; clear but maybe just shy of crisp. Noses sweetly-so with vanilla and woodsy herbaceousness. Sips plush & agreeably to the tune of its nosing. Malty & vibrant additions of salty earthiness and pecan. Slurps add a hint of anise, a bit of caramel.

Comfortable. A breakfast tea for an easy like a Sunday morning affair. Not ornately complex but deeply nuanced. Attainable & soothing. Equal parts oily & astringent. Sweet but not cloying. Nice, both very & quite.

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Guerrilla Coffee Sicario | Review by Kaplowitz

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”


Guerrilla Coffee
Sicario [Dark Roast]

LOCATION: Blossburg PA
ORIGIN: Honduras
VARIETAL: Arabica. Catuai

PROCESS: Wet/washed
ROAST: Dark
BREW METHOD: Mud coffee

WEBSITE: guerrillacoffee.com

>>>

NOTES:
There's something blue-collar punk about this. Coffee for the factory worker's kid who just bought an amp at the pawnshop. Dark chocolate sip, richly & bigly. Say, 85% cacao. Why not?

Carob and plums fill out the earthen-driven sip. Clean, not bright at all. Slurps with notes of black walnut and more, darker dirt. Is "rad" a tasting note? Wooden bitterness braces firmly. Charred oak.

Not complex. Nuanced, though, & on account of its bold depths. Nice and weighty in the mouth... dependable. You sure "rad" ain't a tasting note, brah? Fun cup. Finish is a licorice addition to top-notes laid out long & strong.

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

GTO Cigars Don Emilio Edicion Limitada | Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”


GTO Cigars
Don Emilio Edicion Limitada

WRAPPER: Dominican, U.S. Connecticut Shade
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: Perfecto (654) segmented double wrapper
ORIGIN: Tabacalera GTO Dominicana
STRENGTH: Mild-Medium

WEBSITE: www.gtodominicancigars.com

>>>

NOTES:
Orange Julius. White chocolate. Pepper-spiced w/ white peppercorn, cardamom, white clove. Those are the top notes in a very particular order. Creamy and smoothly meditatively calm. Undertones are buttery bits of earthiness steered by natty 'baccy, influenced by a tick of graham flour & cashew butter.

A mid-point cocoa butter bulges that midsection alongside a white mocha. Underbelly is chicken coop and bright clay. Lightly toasted oats. Charming & rather easily-breezily gregarious.

Burns slow & even. Pulls the same way. Ash is dense and pale -- like I like mah wiminz. Seams, cap assemblage, and packing all are crafted & hold together excellently. Less than a moderate smoke out-put but yields a darn charming sweet-savory room-note.

FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Monday, July 22, 2019

New #KM Limited Special Edition Tshirt!!!

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

wow.

BUY NOW
((( link )))

What, a shirt?
What a shirt! 

The latest in the Kaplowitz Media. Limited Special Edition Collection. Available only until Aug. 1 then maybe never again! Grab yours NOW. ((( link )))

You may also visit the full Kaplowitz Media. store: https://teespring.com/stores/kaplowitzmedia Every purchase keep Kaplowitz Media going & G R O W I N G. Every purchase also makes you more attractive. To me.

Just do it.

Another way to help, & if this shirt's not your thing, is to donate via PayPal: paypal.me/Kaplowitz thx

Kaplowitz Radio EP136 "Orange Semi"

"LoFi & lovely."



In this episode:

> Never meet your hero
> Erasing cigars from history
> Martyr my work & my time?
> Playing host to Jules Verne
> Hounding clients, am I?
> $15 for one-thousand words

Show Cigar: Caldwell Blind Man's Bluff Maduro
Show Coffee: KLLR (single-origin) Small Batch

NOTE: I never completed my Orange Semi lead story. It was sadly not present at this year's Touch A Truck event. The end of two eras, seeing as my youngest showed zero interest in going.


Kaplowitz Radio is sponsored by:

Caldwell Cigar Co.: caldwellcigars.com
Illusione Cigars: www.illusionecigars.com
Gran Habano Cigars: www.ghcigars.com

"Live from the Debonaire Athenaeum"
is brought to you by Debonaire House:
www.debonairehouse.com

Kaplowitz Radio is available on:

Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/2LXlopr
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Lsn7mg
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2X70n24
& on/at many other spots/locales.

RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/dea670/podcast/rss

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Townshend's Tea Company No. 46 Iron Goddess of Mercy | Review by Kaplowitz

“LoFi & lovely”


Townshend's Tea Company
No. 46 Iron Goddess of Mercy

ORIGIN: Nantou, Taiwan
TYPE: Oolong

FORMAT: loose (gunpowder)
METHOD: Grandpa style

WEBSITE: www.townshendstea.com

>>>

NOTES: 
Amber-colored & crisply-clear. Herbaceous nose w/ a sandalwood backing. Sips richly to the tune of toasty caramel & vanilla and sweet alfalfa. Slurps to an additional pie crust note. A hint of white grape.

Body is a light oil milky thing w/ a nice wooden astringency clinging to the cheeks (though maybe a bit more would be even nicer). The finish is mellow and soft and allows a long look-see at complexities playing in the depths of top-note nuances. Fucking aces, this.

FINAL GRADE: A
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

KLLR Coffee (Single Origin) Small Batch | Review by Kaplowitz

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”


KLLR Coffee
Small Batch

LOCATION: OKC
ORIGIN: Nemba Station, Kayanza, Burundi
VARIETAL: Arabica; Bourbon

PROCESS: (Gahahe) fully washed
ROAST: Medium
BREW METHOD: Mud coffee

WEBSITE: kllrcoffee.com

>>>

NOTES:
Audible wows coming from my mouth: usually a very good thing. Dusty allspice, anise, cardamom -- mulling spices. Thems, in tandem up-top with a candied tropical fruitiness... papaya | mango. The two sets flip flop for the steering but never confuse delineations twixt. Nice fucking sip, all that. Noses all spicy and cocoa earthen.

Slurp is chocolate malt & something like an Oolong tea vibe. This is fun. I mentioned dusty, but let me also mention it's never cloudy. There's a growing then lingering brightness that hits its stride on the [lengthy] finish, somehow it also triggers a nifty savoriness/fattiness. Butter. Very fucking complex.

FINAL GRADE: A+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Friday, July 19, 2019

Caldwell Cigars The King is Dead | Cigar Review Redux by Kaplowitz

"LoFi & lovely"


A NOTE:
while this is a redux review, I will not post the links herein to previous reviews. Of which included a droning on of long-form, a format which did not catch on, & part of a video series (which I no longer do). This, then, becomes a redux review in name only & would best be labeled a final dare I say ULTIMATE review. thx

A NOTE AS  TO THE PREVIOUS NOTE:
aforementioned reviews are searchable. They're simply not linked here. None were removed. thx agn

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Caldwell Cigar Co.
The King is Dead

WRAPPER: Dominican Negrito
BINDER: Dominican Corojo
FILLER: Dominican Corojo Ligero, Dominican Negrito, Dominican grown Habano Vuelta Abajo

FORMAT: "Premier" (5.5x50)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera Ventura, Dominican Republic
STRENGTH: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: caldwellcigars.com

>>>

NOTES:
Black pepper, molasses, & licorice. Boom, boom, & boom. Definitive & delineated top-notes, those. Wrapped around a rich dense core of barnyard/manure/compost. Undertones are a list of savory bits both animal & vegetal: meat, leather, mushrooms, barley.

Deep notes purposefully delivered. Each character is introduced for good reason. Spillane wrote that if you intro a gun in act one, it better be fired by the third act. Or something to that effect. I count three booms straight away. Nuanced af. Lesser-so but still complex.

Burns straight on-down with the slightest loosening of seams at char here & there. Ash stacks dimes that I have to force off at each third. Smoke out-put is abundant, culminating in a dense 'baccy room-note of bittersweetness. Draw is smooth & easy. I just tasted plums (end of 2/3).

FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Founders Coffee Company Old Glory | Review by Kaplowitz

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”


Founders Coffee Company
Old Glory Roast

LOCATION: New Jersey
ORIGIN: Blend
VARIETAL: undisclosed

PROCESS: undisclosed
ROAST: Medium
BREW METHOD: Pour-over

WEBSITE: www.founderscoffee.us

NOTES:
The overtones here are the in-between bites of a flame-broiled hamburger. Also on the sip is a kick of black pepper and chocolate soda, thinly. Slurping from the undertones: a lingering saltiness and a mixed berry vibe. The finish is that first sentence, moderately length'd and all patent leathery.

Clear more than bright but not dull nearly. Sinewy in the mouth and quite clean/crisp. No give and no nuance (therefore). Not a lot of ponderable notes. Nicely attainable complexities within a comfort zone not far removed from a diner. Order the peanut butter pie. Always order the peanut butter pie. yw

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Room101 Cigars Farce | Cigar Review Redux by Kaplowitz

"LoFi & lovely."


Room101
Farce

WRAPPER: Ecuador
BINDER: Indonesia
FILLER: Dominican, Nicaragua, Pennsylvania, & Undisclosed

FORMAT: Lonsdale 6.5x42
ORIGIN: Tabacalera William Ventura, Dominican Republic
STRENGTH: Medium/Medium-Full

>>>

NOTES:
BOOM. Black pepper up-front. Yet refrained 'nuff to allow anise and molasses to peek out brightly from underneath. Maple wood, buckwheat pancakes, dark tropical floral bits -- all emerge as BOOM dials back but too, stays present. Spoiler alert: it rears back up in the 3/3.

Undertones are a high up fudge braced by coffee beans. All in a very darkly toasted manner but not inky, per se. Underbelly is a grapefruit thing sending rays upward from a leathery compost barnyard bottom.

Spiced cream body and a big one, at that. Finishes long and bittersweet savory via notes of chocolate & coffee & meat. Performance-wise the thing is sans complaint and I'm tired of needless nods to seams, hard/soft spots, ash. So: won't (beyond that). Draw is excellent. 

READ:
Room101 Cigars Farce | Cigar Review by Kaplowitz ((( link )))

ALSO:
I have noted elsewhere that the box is smoking better & better. Forgot where I noted that. Glad I still have more. thx

FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Frontier Co-op Se Chung Special Oolong Organic Tea | Review by Kaplowitz

"LoFi & lovely."


Frontier Co-Op
Se Chung Special Oolong

ORIGIN: China
TYPE: Oolong

FORMAT: loose
METHOD: Grandpa style

WEBSITE: www.frontiercoop.com

>>>

NOTES:
A bit cloudy to the eye, or at least possessing a matte finish. Buttery mouthfeel with zero bracing on the sip. One wood expect wouldsiness or some astringent bit, but nope. Plush. Peach fuzz & herbaceous notes. Wood is on the slurp, in a pine fashion. Then onto the lengthening finish. Pine nuts, too. White pepper.

Noses significantly more floral than it drinks. Nice complexities are achieved that way, though. A rich, calm, and calming cuppa with soft sweet tendencies. This has been my everyday tea as of late. The flavor distance twixt the sip & the slurp is an excellent spot for a nap.

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

GTO Cigars Anesthesia Maduro | Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”


GTO Cigars
Anesthesia Maduro

WRAPPER: Maduro
BINDER: Dominican (Cuban seed)
FILLER: Dominican Ligero (Cuban seed)

FORMAT: Toro (654)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera GTO Dominicana, Valle del Cibao, DR
STRENGTH: Medium

WEBSITE: www.gtodominicancigars.com

NOTES:
Mint chocolate chip cold draw matches the nosing of the wrapper. Interesting. Flicking a Bic adds some toasted hardwood and black walnut. Pepper, black and moderate. Mint fades, chocolate darkens. Thems the overtones. Undertones are a toasted barley/buckwheat driven melange of beef jerky, cumin, licorice. Underbelly is barnyard w/ a ton of espresso which seeps upwards thru profile.

Big body (toasted cream & leathery oils) and slight strength w/ flavors hanging somewhere twixt but more toward the former by far. Robust notes delivered delicately. This, done as smoothly as Billy Dee Williams selling malt liquor. On a tactile note, the thing feels a bit light of heft in the hand.

The smoky smoke-bombiest stick I recall smoking, maybe ever. Burns on an even and quick-paced line. An excitable performance. Ash doesn't make an inch of growth at a time. Draw is open. Makes me want. To write. In short. Sentences. Or even. Fragments. All that smoke culminates in a bittersweet room-note melange with a nice savory-spiciness to it.

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Monday, July 15, 2019

Kaplowitz Radio EP135 "Canned Messages"

"LoFi & lovely."



In this episode:

> one-blend brands
> 35 years+ to purchase
> Entertaining Sherlock Holmes
> Grandpa style tea & mud coffee
> Canned messages
> Coffee talk | Cigar talk (reviews)
> MORE?!

Show coffee: La Colombe Louisiane

>>>

Kaplowitz Radio is sponsored by:

Caldwell Cigar Co.: caldwellcigars.com
Illusione Cigars: www.illusionecigars.com
Gran Habano Cigars: www.ghcigars.com

"Live from the Debonaire Athenaeum"
is brought to you by Debonaire House:
www.debonairehouse.com

>>>

Kaplowitz Radio is available on:

Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/2LXlopr
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Lsn7mg
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2X70n24
& on/at many other spots/locales.

RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/dea670/podcast/rss

###

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Regent Coffee Bourbon Barrel Aged - Ethiopia Washed Processed Yirgacheffe | Redux Review by Kaplowitz

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"


Regent Coffee
Bourbon Barrel Aged
Ethiopia Washed Processed Yirgacheffe

LOCATION: California
ORIGIN: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
VARIETAL: Heirloom Arabica

PROCESS: Washed & Barrel Aged
ROAST: Light
BREW METHOD: Mud coffee

WEBSITE: regentcoffee.com

>>>

NOTES:
Noses bigly+ of much honey wine & suckle w/ a malt attachment. Sips bright and rich to the point of nigh savory (vegetal). Much heavier here (mud coffee) than via cold brew. Tethered & less erratic. Some wooden astringency acts as a bracing. Chocolatey vibes.

Slurps to a citrusy tune, an orange/lemony pith. Salted caramel. That extends into & onto a long-legged boozy finish. A bit fuzzy in the coffee-hole. My teeth feel like they're wearing tiny tooth sweaters. Astringent bits head to the corners of my tongue.

Here, it's a deeply nuanced & complex thing which purrs instead of hissing. Could still use a clearer delineation of notes. Thick and fruity and lush. Kinda like my Great Uncle Leon.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: https://bit.ly/2XHH7c2 

FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Founders Coffee Company Midnight Run | Review by Kaplowitz

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”


Founders Coffee Co.
Midnight Run

LOCATION: New Jersey
ORIGIN: "blend South American and Far East"
VARIETAL: Arabica

PROCESS: Undisclosed
ROAST: Dark
BREW METHOD: Pour over

WEBSITE: www.founderscoffee.us

>>>

NOTES:
Smoky and a tick rubbery, thinly each. Finishes brightly-so with a bit of astringency to the tongue. Twixt that lays or lies not much to the nosing, a dark chocolate almond bittersweet sip, hardwoodsy charred slurp. Some pepperiness (black). Hints of anise. Bits of burnt 'baccy stalk.

Bold but thin. Sinewy. Forward march! Linear delivery sans much complexity/nuance. Sorta makes my tongue fuzzy. Head ain't fuzzy -- excellent caffeine zetz.

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Friday, July 12, 2019

Sonofresco Sumatra FTO | Coffee Review by Kaplowitz

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”


Sonofresco Coffee Roasters
Sumatra Fair Trade Organic

LOCATION: Burlington, WA
ORIGIN: Aceh, Indonesia, Sumatra
VARIETAL: Arabica. Ateng, Bourbon, Catimor

PROCESS: Semi-washed
ROAST: Light-Medium
BREW METHOD: Pour-over

WEBSITE: sonofresco.com

>>>

NOTES:
Bigger of spice than body. Clean. Chocolate & tropical fruit on the sip. Slurps with more of that and a rich driving/steering earthiness. Finishes with a cordial cherry wham of a note. Spice? Clove, anise. Tropical fruit? Dried pineapple, papaya.

Smooth as silk. A bit more mellow than I'd wish for, tho perhaps that's a byproduct of the aforementioned clean -- for it's very. Not an abundance of notes but all are clear as day delineated and in nice harmony. That said, not an awful lot of nuance in that no notes entrench nor play in their undertones. Could use a tick more hair on its change purse.

ALSO: Sonofresco manufactures & sells the roasters which roasted these beans, and sells the un-roasted green beans as well.

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

###

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Cuvee Cold Brew Nitro Black Coffee | Review by Kaplowitz

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”


Cuvee Coffee
Cold Brew Nitro Black

LOCATION: Austin TX
ORIGIN: ???
VARIETAL: ???

PROCESS: Cold Brew (nitro infused)
ROAST: ???
BREW METHOD: 12oz can

WEBSITE: cuveecoffee.com

>>>

NOTES:
I was promised "smooth and creamy" by the writing on the can. I got fuzzy cloudy. Noses a distant chocolatey. Sips that chocolate note but via a flat dull delivery. Grainy under that & to the slurping. When I swish it, I get an anise or sarsaparilla sense. I only swish when I don't see much. Soft dull -- sorta meh, even. Finish falls off the table like a Sandy Koufax curve-ball. 

I do note that no mention is made on can nor site (unless I missed it at the latter) to bean origin | varietal | roast (see info blanks up-top). Perhaps not a coffee geek's thing, this. Perhaps more of a novelty, this. Pricey, this.

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

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GTO Cigars Connecticut Gold | Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

"LoFi & lovely"


GTO Cigars
Connecticut Gold

WRAPPER: USA Connecticut
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: Churchill (7.25x47)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera GTO Dominicana
STRENGTH: Mild-Medium

WEBSITE: www.gtodominicancigars.com

>>>

NOTES:

Lemony and shy of gruff but a tick cloudy. White pepper on the draw then slight dusty red flakes as it finishes. Table sugar. Undertones to those overs: salted caramel, macadamia nuts, half a pack of Swiss Miss hot cocoa. Hints of pine wood. Underbelly is bright earth dirt w/ sweet hay attachment. Suede flits in&out in them nethers.

Finish is lengthy off a creamery butter bod. The aforementioned red pepper flakes settle in, allowing chocolate-covered orange candy end. An end not as clean as I'd like, but not bad. Nice citrus complexities. More wood or bitter nuts would have braced for better delineations. Overall, a quite nice stick a spot of tea would pair w/ & cleanse/crisp well. Bit of astringency on ye olde palate.

Burns even on excellent pacing (slow). Draws well thru a bit of sponginess. Seams loosen on occasion ahead of char but never are close to opening. Ash stacks admirably.

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

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Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters Ethiopia Harar | Coffee Review by Kaplowitz

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”


Batdorf & Bronson
Ethiopia Harar

LOCATION: Olympia, WA
ORIGIN: Ethiopa
VARIETAL: Native Arabica

PROCESS: Dry (Natural)
ROAST: Medium-Dark
BREW METHOD: Pour over

WEBSITE: www.batdorfcoffee.com

>>>

NOTES:
Bright acidic but tethered 'nuff to offer some nice nuance. Cloudy dusty but not overly and still mainly delineated. <<< opening: reasons why this might rate higher than other Ethiopians. A tick astringent on the finish. A bit darker than I expected. First things first, tho:

Mixed berry yogurt; slight citrus undertones to that. Some nougat and black tea w/ malty honey finish off the far sip. Underneath that is herbaceous all the way down... scented sachets Gramma put in her dresser drawer. Lavender, lilac, lemon verbena (sure, why not?). The finish is bright earth with all the aforementioned notes acting to influence.

It's really a bit much and I'm tired and want a cup of coffee. A snack-ish & not more-ish offering. Although, as stated, better than the typical Ethiopian cup. Richer, it's richer too. Richer is good. Beats poorer. thx

FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

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Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Monte Vista Coffee | Review by Kaplowitz

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”


Monte Vista

LOCATION: Kenner, Louisiana
ORIGIN: Santa Barbara, Honduras
VARIETAL: Arabica (Pacamara, Caturra, Catuai, IHCAFE 90)

PROCESS: Pre-Germinated*
ROAST: Medium
BREW METHOD: Pour over

WEBSITE: thehondurancoffee.com

>>>

NOTES:
Sweet nuances. Medium brightness delivered on a plush medium+ body. Noses to the tune of heavy tropical flowery bits. On the sip is a growing then lingering chocolate brownie thing. Undertones are a caramelized sugar. Slurping adds a touch of pecan, some buttery cedar. On the lengthy finish is that aforementioned chocolate, now more of a chocolate pip, and a rich soil earthiness plus a savory note which clings to the corners of the tongue.

Very deep but not dark-bitter. Rich. Lush. Soft but with plenty 'nuff bracing. Clean after the big finish. 
Fairly straight-forward. Could play a few more notes, but the ones played are clear and enjoyable -- leaving no vacant spots. Excellent balance. A great option for any setting, this. I think I'll light a cigar to go w/ the rest of this carafe.

FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

*"which is a fairly new process my dad came across. It’s a fully washed but instead of just washing they let it germinate in water tanks where the water is changed 3 times a day for 5 days or before seed germination." - Juan Hipp Jr. (brand owner)

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