Coffee #8: Gimme! Coffee Bolivia Coroico Varios Organic

  • Roaster: Gimme! Coffee
  • Coffee: Bolivia Coroico Varios Organic
  • Process: Washed
  • Origin: Bolivia, Caranavi, North Yungas, Coroico
  • Variety: Caturra Red/Yellow, Tipica, Catuai
  • Parameters: Clever, 6,5 grams coffee beans per 100ml water, ~2 minutes and 30 seconds
  • Tasted: 30th March 2013

Gimme! Coffee Colombia Finca San Luis La Gloria

As I receive my fresh Bolivia-brew in NoLIta the nose already put across soft nuances and fruit. The roasting adds to fine chocolate aroma spectrum of light toffee and cocoa, then adds onto a osage orange fruitiness. It’s an aroma spectrum that is hard to find words for, whereas it is nevertheless dreadfully engaging and attractive.

Initially the palate is rather darker than the nose advocates. After the first good touch of sweetness there’s a little green apple, almost tannin-like sensation on the mid-palate. The acidity is absolutely balanced, but is underlying this cups intense flavor intensity, a flavor intensity that plays out loud in high-notes without really losing focus or breaking the overall structure. Followed by the steady and soft slippery body is a suitable fair arrangement of roast bitterness.

Like mentioned above, this cup is extremely engaging and makes a coffee nerd like myself truly content in being one. Gimme! Coffee persists on bringing me coffees where I within seconds, when the coffee is still hot, can sense the stunning epic that is about to go down. With consistency and quality Gimme! Coffee continues to impress!

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Publish date:
April 26th, 2013
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Washed
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Coffee #7: Gimme! Coffee Leftist Espresso Blend

  • Roaster: Gimme! Coffee
  • Coffee: Leftist Espresso Blend
  • Origin: Mixed
  • Variety: Mixed
  • Roasted: 1st April 2013
  • Parameters: Espresso
  • Tasted: 5th April 2013

Gimme! Coffee Leftist Espresso Blend

The light brown crema is like a jacket, topping the more or less perfect-looking espresso.

On the nose there’s plenty of action. Fascinatingly there are aromas of citrussy grape along with, caramelized almonds and coffee roast. I’m thrilled to dive into my shot!

Oily the viscous cup of coffee hangs back on my mid-palate with a fairly distinct bitterness. This batch was just roasted, and I can tell by the top-notch acidity spotlighting on the end part of my tongue. The formation of this fruity espresso is held together by an incredibly balanced sweetness. A transaction from fruit to roast characters is made on in a long finish.

A superb drop-in at Gimme! Coffee in NoLIta. This place grasps both brews and espresso with vast accuracy. To bring out this espresso its true potential, and further enhancement, I would’ve like to see slightly longer rested beans, to give the roasted character spectrum an opportunity to connect and in balance interlace with the high-notes of fruit. Always a pleasure Gimme! Coffee.

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Publish date:
April 5th, 2013
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Espresso
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Wine #32: 1993 Opus One

  • Producer: Opus One
  • Style: Dry red wine
  • Grapes: 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Merlot
  • Vintage: 1993
  • ABV: 13,5%
  • Origin: USA, California, Napa Valley
  • Tasted: 11th April 2012

1993 Opus One

The wine has a vivid see-through garnet color with an observable strenuous core.

It is with a fragrant pride this wine leads me through a heady scent of black currants, eucalyptus, candy-like red berries and a delicate vanilla and oak spice derived from oak. The multifaceted compote of fruits arranges the undoubtedly develop nose.

On the palate Opus One is nothing short of elegant. With superb structure there’s a high fine-tuned acidity, a medium delicate Bordeaux-body and attention-grabbing high fruit concentration. By now the tannins are silky, sleek and on par with the medium-level body. The characters divulge a classic concerto of cassis, cedar tree, cigar box and a faint vanilla. Before the inevitable fade, cedar and cassis persists to ram on the elongated finish.

Next to 1993 Château Mouton Rothschild, this is a classic wine, with elegant wine-making and great fruit concentration – without difficulty mistaken for a left bank-Bordeaux on finer quality. Even though Opus One today still brings with elegant wine-making and a great fruit concentration in recent vintages, I can’t help to think that a wine of this class is a dying breed in California. This is to date still one of the finer and astonishingly elegant U.S. wines I’ve had. Bearing in mind 1993 is a lesser vintage in Bordeaux, my colleagues agrees that 1993 Opus One at present simply outscores Mouton. If you stumble upon a even-matured bottle, this will continue to drink fine for a year or two.

94p – Outstanding

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Publish date:
April 3rd, 2013
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Red wine
Wine
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Coffee #6: Gimme! Coffee Colombia Finca San Luis La Gloria

  • Roaster: Gimme! Coffee
  • Coffee: Colombia Finca San Luis La Gloria
  • Process: Washed
  • Origin: Colombia, Tolíma, Líbano
  • Variety: Caturra
  • Parameters: Clever, 6,5 grams coffee beans per 100ml water, ~2 minutes and 30 seconds
  • Tasted: 26th March 2013

20130326_105459

Gimme! Coffee at Mott Street.

Gimme! Coffee Colombia Finca San Luis La Gloria

While still scorching hot, Finca San Luis La Gloria is dazzlingly aromatic. On the nose, orange peel and wine grape aromas lingers.

When the cup is still hot and not as acidic, the mouth feeling reminds me of a light smoother orange juice without pulps, and so does the characteristics. The sweetness tingles on the tip of my tongue just right and, as the acidity becomes more evident, characters of citrus follow in a complete sense of balance. After a while I experience a subtle synergy between the light roast and fruits, combining an impression of milk chocolate.

Gimme! Coffee brings me the most memorable cup of coffee since my arrival in the big city of New York. It’s a full fruit bomb! A fruit bomb that facade the roasted aromas in an incredibly fine way, just the way I like it. The intricacy and balance couldn’t be better. The exact rested acidity is just unbelievable. Will stop by for another cup and review soon. Well-done Gimme! Coffee!

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Publish date:
March 26th, 2013
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Coffee
Washed
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Announcement: Interrupted challenge progression

I’ve lately been struggling to keep up with the “one post a day for 100 days challenge” as I no longer have an operational computer. However I will from now on continue to fill the blanks and catch up on the missed entries from public internet access and my job. In essence the project is not yet unsuccessful, and I refuse to fail.

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March 26th, 2013
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Wine #31: 2008 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume

  • Producer: Domaine des Baumard
  • Wine: Quarts de Chaume
  • Style: Sweet white wine
  • Grapes: 100% Chenin Blanc
  • Vintage: 2008
  • ABV: 13%
  • Origin: France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Quarts de Chaume
  • Tasted: 4th April 2012 and 11th October 2012

2008 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume

I’ve had the privilege of tasting this sweet beast twice. Since I seem to have misplaced my first tasting note, here comes a write-up from my second encounter, tasted at my university during a lecture given by no less than Andreas Larsson.

It’s with a tight, deep and luscious golden color this wine collides thick the glass.

Prominent the wine unwraps, welcoming to share its aroma complexities. Just barely reserved, aromas of honey, chalky minerality, orange marmalade, wax and dried apricots composes a scenic opus. It’s pronounced, focused and, while preparing you for a sugary deliberation on the palate, the wine rather displays a lighter lanolin and yellow plum typicity.

Characters on the palate evocates apricots, honey, tropical fruits and Christmas tangerine. With purity there’s a marked, not bold, sweetness that hits the front of your tongue. The sweetness and fruit concentration supplies a wholly thick body. Instantaneously backed up, the sweetness is bordered by a high-pitched and fresh acidity. The aforementioned acidity contributes and amps the fruit, that continues to shine bright in a elongated finish.

This wine is nothing short of outstanding. It has the balance, complexity, concentration, length and integration. If you’re not familiar with Jean and Florent’s work, read up on practices such as vignes hautes et larges (VHL) and cryo-selection. One of the cleaner and arranged sweet whites I’ve bumped into in a long time. A must taste for every sweet tooth or oenophile looking to discover structured sweet white wines.

94p – Outstanding

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Publish date:
March 15th, 2013
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White wine
Wine
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Beer #12: De Dolle Arabier

  • Brewery: De Dolle Brouwers
  • Beer: Arabier
  • Style: Belgian Strong Ale
  • ABV: 8%
  • Origin: Belgium, Diksmuide
  • Tasted: 12th March 2013

De Dolle Arabier

Served on tap at Bierkraft in Brooklyn, De Dolle’s Arabier is a bit dim, with a fresh dark golden orange color.

Aroma density is the first thing that comes to mind snuffling this beer. It’s profoundly aromatic because of the hops and brings out interlay with apricots, peach, flowers, white pepper, a dash of dirt and a wheat beer-like olive note.

On the palate the beer, fresh like cough drops, speaks in persistent high-notes. The medium bodied malt is combined with a mouth filling soft carbonation, that is kept by back by a immense floral hop character and the other flavors supplied by it. I’m having a tough time determining whether the beer is spiking or the high flavor intensity and spiciness composes a more evident alcohol. The length is long, bitter, with plenty of flowers and apricot-like fruits.

Undoubtedly a geeky beer in my opinion, hard to fully appreciate. The beer is about as fresh it can be at the moment, and rigid to drink in big gulps, even though I would love to. As the spring is about to arrive here in New York, I can’t help but to envision sitting with a tall tulip glass of this, enjoying one of the earliest balmy spring suns. To sum the appraise, this beer is original, complex and highly aromatic.

93p – Excellent

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Publish date:
March 14th, 2013
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Belgian Strong Ale
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Wine #30: 1995 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890

  • Producer: La Rioja Alta
  • Wine: Rioja Gran Reserva 890
  • Style: Dry red wine
  • Grapes: 100% Tempranillo
  • Vintage: 1995
  • ABV: 12,5%
  • Origin: Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta
  • Tasted: 12th March 2013

1995 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890

Near perfect looking, the wine is light with a garnet edge and some miniscule sediments.

Right away the 890 brings a substantial classic Rioja-nose. There’s a bounty of dill, oxidized red apples and a trivial burnt minerality. From the oak there’s charming aromas of vanilla and toffee. The depth and intricacy it produces is purely outstanding. Something about this wine communicates with my soul.

On the palate the wine is yielding and silky. There’s some volatility there that I anticipate will go away with some air. In the rear of all classic Rioja characters underlies additional layers of nuanced notes of fruits and oak. The acidity is savory and sour, something that assist the flavors to deliver in a high volume. Engaging, the tannins are fabulously small and enthralling. Overall structure so graceful, nuanced and wispy. In a long aftertaste span, the wine whisper characters of black truffles and layered fruits.

This is a justly lingering wine in a style I completely worship. It will carry on developing for years to come. Potentially, the tannins will keep on mellowing into nano-like smooth grains, whilst the fruit stays intact. This is a minor upgrade to the 904. Mulling over the wines tradition and price, I can’t help to think of Rioja Alta as enormous value. Pardon me, but this is fucking awesome.

95p – Outstanding

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Publish date:
March 13th, 2013
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Red wine
Wine
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Wine #29: 1978 Chateau Cheval Blanc

  • Producer: Château Cheval Blanc
  • Style: Dry red wine
  • Grapes: Cabernet Franc, Merlot
  • Vintage: 1978
  • ABV: 12,5%
  • Origin: France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  • Tasted: 9th December 2012

1978 Château Cheval Blanc

Continuing with Bordeaux notes, my third week of consistent blogging is done. Without doubt lacking some energy color-wise, the 1978 Cheval Blanc is routing towards a brown-garnet tinge.

The range of aromas on the nose is quite huge but, spaced out from the elegance of many other wines during the same tasting, pretty shady and slightly funky. I’m getting Kriek-cherries, figs, spice and green herbs. Subsequently comes a very clear coffee-grounds aroma jointed with notes of barnyard and Brett. While sitting in front of the label of Cheval Blanc, it’s difficult to not like the aroma spectrum.

On the palate the wine certainly comes across as weighty. The wine has a smooth mouth-filling sensation. Grippingly the tannins, still, grabs hold of your palate, gums and teeth. It has some sort of dodgy flavor intensity that is faintly floral and perfumed while the acidity comes in and elevates the dark fruit. Throughout the palate and onto the finish, from the oak there’s a heavy roasted chocolate character. Because the roasted oak finish, the after taste is very long.

This is a tough wine to evaluate. While the wine still comes across with great longetivity, the attention span seems kind of short. I cannot get my head around it, so for me at this price point it’s not worth it.  The wine is dark and strong but slender. Unless you’re sure that you have cautiously cellared ’78 Cheval Blanc’s laying around, I suggest drinking these as soon as possible. It is still a wine of caliber and wonderful experience.

93p – Excellent

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March 12th, 2013
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Wine #28: 1993 Chateau Mouton Rothschild

  • Producer: Château Mouton Rothschild
  • Style: Dry red wine
  • Grapes: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot
  • Vintage: 1993
  • ABV: 12,5%
  • Origin: France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  • Tasted: 11th April 2012

1993 Château Mouton Rothschild

In United States the 1993 label painted by Balthus was rejected by the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), and therefore sold blank.

Not excessively matured in color, both the 1993′s are bearing towards a garnet rim with a active ruby core.

Both wines are popped and poured, and with just a swift sniff, certainly clean. They both scream of great Paulliac typicity with aromas of cedar, cassis and a refined cigar box. The American bottle is contains added roasted aromas from the oak, middling in a subtle chocolate and eucalyptus note. Entirely the bottle without the young woman is more attention-paying in its aromas and more pronounced.

On the palate both wines persistently speaks in a spot on typicity. The tannins are matured and petite by now and the acidity is still sufficiently vivid to structure up the amorphous rest. The American exemplar of this bottle is slightly more rigorous, and brings a slightly fecal funkiness to the palate, in a nice way.

Compared to some other wines I’ve had from the left bank vintage 1993, both bottles are still remarkably holding up. Even now they’re satisfactory balanced and have an enormous typicity. The legend behind Balthus label makes this a rather out of the ordinary drink. By now the bad year of 1993 buffs during the tasting, and to tell the truth, it’s not going to drink able-bodied for many years to come, so drink up. Cool tasting!

90p – Excellent

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Publish date:
March 11th, 2013
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Red wine
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