this is coffee

Ten of us turned out for the second Bourbon Club meeting at the Pub.  As an added bonus, Blacksburg Brewing Company’s Pilsner was on tap.  I still miss the New River Pale Ale and I tend to prefer ales, so I approached this beer with a healthy dose of skepticism.  My initial assessment: we finally have a great, genuine local brew again.  Congratulations to John Bryce and crew.  By focusing their efforts on producing one great product, they have delivered a balanced beverage with a hoppiness that finishes clean, goes great with food and should be a crowd-pleaser.  As a coffee guy, I’m not backing away from my preference for a bigger hop presence, but BBC has made it harder to order from the local selection of taps.  Oh, and it was served in the cool logo glass pictured.  For now, that is the only way it is served.

On to the bourbons.  Our host, the tenacious John Bissey of the London Underground set out plates of roasted beef tenderloin garnished with red onions and a white sauce over sliced baguette.  (Hey, it’s Bourbon Club, not Favorite Sweater Club.)  Next he poured Basil Hayden’s 8 Year into our commemorative Pub rocks glasses and we sipped.  The mint and honey that characterize this beverage were unanimously noted even if we were slightly distracted by the Sharks/Bruins game in HD.  Two teams allegedly in contention for Lord Stanley’s Jug and not one pair of mitts ever hit the ice.  Grr.  Speaking of ice, the Basil should not be tampered with, ever.  At 80 proof, leave it alone.

The next pour came from Wild Turkey’s beautifully crafted Kentucky Spirit bottle.  The vessel itself bears mention and resembles something Robert Winkler paid homage to in his book about the “feathered dinosaur.”   True Kentucky spirit is alive and well in this honey-colored, rich bourbon with its perfect balance between sweet and fire.  We were lucky enough to have some branch water this week.  Not that these bourbons needed it, but it gave our tasting authenticity.  A splash in my glass at least allowed me to savor each bourbon a little longer.

Cruiser Update: East Coasters valiantly tried to get the Electra Delivery Cruiser in for us.  We are still committed to working with them to get the bike road-ready.  I have reluctantly ordered it from another dealer since there are no other local purveyors.  Nova Roast local delivery should be pedal-powered by March, 2009.

Le Nez du Cafe

Tuesday, February 3rd will probably be tough to beat for the Nova Roasters.  Despite rough sledding during the day jobs, we picked up a new restaurant account in Blacksburg, attended the inaugural Bourbon Club meeting at the London Underground, and taught a cupping class at Virginia Tech’s Coffee College to an enthusiastic group of Hokies.

As part of the 20th anniversary celebration at Blackburg’s only real pub, bartender and manager John Bissey has organized a month-long course of bourbon tastings.  The meetings are every Tuesday in February and will feature a wide range of single barrel bourbons from the best distilleries in Kentucky.  We started off with a glass of Woodford Reserve and enjoyed its distinct apricot and vanilla flavors.  Those of us lucky enough to brave the blast of Blacksburg winter were then presented with a pour from the Elijah Craig 18-year-old.  I’ve had the 12-year-old, but I was unprepared for the intense caramel and oak, the long, slow heat and candied almond flavor.  To better understand these bourbons, John had spring water (trying to get some branch water for next week) and ice, the only additives grudgingly approved by distillers.  Wisely, he also served up a fantastic white cheddar with some apple and bread slices.  We each took home a commemorative rocks glass which right now sits on my desk, sadly, empty.

Virginia Tech’s Coffee College is organized by Don Harvey of Deet’s place and Nova Roast’s Brian Babcock.  Again the weather was not enough to keep the coffee-curious away.  (For background, read the old Planet Blacksburg entry here.)  Tuesday’s class was an introduction to roasting, blending and cupping, with heavy emphasis on cupping.  The lucky group of students that turned out were presented flights of Yirgacheffe, Sumatra and Colombia and a comparison of three different roast levels of Selva Negra.  The class was quiet at first, but once the coffees started brewing they came alive and many students really nailed the different characteristics of each coffee.  Wouldn’t be surprised if several from this group found careers as specialty coffee professionals.