Blue Bottle Koratie Natural

Were you ever lucky enough to get the last of something? It's always sweeter. Kinda like when I got the last piece of Pecan Pie at thanksgiving or the last tickle-me-elmo in the United States (not sure why I wanted it, but I got the last one.) Even getting someone's last piece of gum is good, after the awarkward "are you sure you don't mind" banter goes on for a bit. Well I can add to that glorious list, with the Koratie Natural! I got the last bag of the last batch that Blue Bottle's ever going to roast. I didn't get the scoop on why they're discontinuing the brew, but I'm glad I got to taste it before it was gone. This brew is very manly. It's like a man with a beard and a nice flannel, that's actually a teddy-bear on the inside. It puts up a good front with it's strong deep smell, but it's really tasty and easy to drink when you open it up. I do have to say as far as flavors go, it's not my favorite but this is definately a great coffee. It's not to crazy with flavor so I see how it could be a good house brew for a hip little breakfast joint.

2007 Casillero del Diablo Chardonnay

With the first rain of the season in Peurto Vallarta comes tons of moths. Also what comes with the first rain ( If your staying at Villa Los Arcos ) is a Hand-Rolled Mexican Cigar paired with the Diablo Chilean Chardonnay. This wine paired very nicely with the Cigar, not to buttery and the fruit stood up to the cigar and complimented it nicely. Puffin on a fatty cigar helps the street cred of this wine... A great "drinking" Chardonnay, not the best, but I wasn't disappointed. Have it on a hot day and enjoy your life. Not sure how many pesos Alfonso dropped to pick up this bottle, but in the States it looks like you can pick up a bottle for under $10.

mute moth. a very short film.

2002 Kendall Jackson Zinfandel

Its a tough choice when trying to tell the cooks what kind of wine to get if you haven't been to the store to know the selection. So for this dinner I said get me some Zinfandel from another country. Alfonso brought back the 2002 Kendal Jackson Zinfandel, from California. If your in Mexico I guess the US is technically another country.... I have to say it paired perfectly with the Chicken Mole (molee, molee, molee......mole), which is a sauce made of chocolate and peppers. Chewy made the perfect meal and this Zinfandel proved to be the perfect wine and the whole group was really pleased with how well it went, I started a slow clap and then everyone applauded (Insert loud obnoxious laughing).

I've discovered it's hard to drink wine in Mexico. Well, red wine at least. It's not like the Bay Area where the temperature is moderate and pretty much caters to any type of drinking. There's a reason people drink gallons of Tecate and pitchers of Margaritas. Because it's hot!

Aero Mexicana

One sip wonder.
It's either amazing and it's love at first sip or it's a small espresso from that quirky cafe on your European cafe, or it sucks. And it's a wonder why they serve such horrible coffee on Aero Mexico. They serve dos equis, tequila shots and even a meal, so why does the brew taste like an el gato en los pantalones? I guess it makes some sense, airlines are cutting back and they only send the good stuff to the states. I couldn't get any info on the type of coffee but it could be appropriately named as meurtes de perro . Hopefully I'll find some dankness on our Mexican extravaganza vacation for two.

2006 Ravenswood Sonoma County Old Vine Zinfandel

Have you ever heard the term Jammy? I know it's dumb and sounds like a name you'd call your Maw Maw, but I gotta say this Sonoma County is a Jammy friend of mine. It's a really solid Zin that paired well with a spicy Lentil soup. A mostly simple wine with some nice spiciness on the back end. Retailing for $14.99 at BevMo, it's a little steep for an everyday type wine (which is how I'd classify this wine) My suggestion would be to definitely pick this up if it's a 5 cent sale, If not, I'd say pick up something a little cheaper for the everyday.

Capricorn Dark Guatemala

Have you ever been down to the Ghirardelli store down by the wharf? You know the one where you go to eat a huge bowl of ice cream and you leave with sticky hands and diarrhea. I know what your thinking. "Yeah!! why do I always leave with sticky hands and diarrhea?" Well this coffee will bring you back to that magical place without the diarrhea, hopefully. It reminds me of the dark chocolate free sample that you get from the Ghirardelli woman standing with a full bag of already opened chocolates. Like it's really that hard to open the chocolates yourself. They don't want you to wait another second before you devour the little dark chocolate. To put the icing on the cake a friend bought me the bag of beans making them the same price as a free chocolate but with way more benefits. I love dark brews and I absolutely loved this Capricorn roast.

Van Ruiten Ancient Vine Carignane 2005

Riddle: It's got white make-up on, but dressed in all black. It's light, but somehow very dark. Answer: The girl that checked us out at whole foods and this wine. Kinda scary I know, but don't be scared. The VR Carignane will treat you right, just make sure to have a few friends around to finish the bottle because the second day this wine looses the brightness and just becomes a very dark wine without the interestingness. This '05 produced in Lodi, CA made for a great pairing with a white pizza and also was great on it's own. I don't often drink Carignane's but I would strongly consider throwing this one in the rotation. Overall a really great wine. I think it's winning some awards as well. Go check it out.

Ritual IHTIERI KETI ARA SUMATRA

It's late on a Monday night and you realize that all the beans have run out and a grumpy morning is in your future, well my friend there is still hope yet. Whole Foods sells this variation of Ritual coffee that will put a pep in your step. This is one of those coffee's that make me miss sitting at a truck stop late at night talking with my friends about nothing important, but everything that is good in life. IKAS is a really beefy brew which is right up my alley. I've been dripping the brew and getting some really good results, unlike with the Chapadao from earlier. I think my little wooden spoon to stir the drip is the magic wand. If you don't have a little wooden spoon you should rush to the little wooden spoon store and pick one up. But seriously I would definitely get the coffee again. Way to go Ritual for keeping the fresh beans on the shelf. I picked these up on the 20th, so 5 days after being roasted is really good for the grocery store. Keep drinking the strong stuff.

2004 VAN RUITEN VINEYARDS CAB-SHIRAZ

I pulled this bottle out of the new and improved "wine cabinet" in our new apartment to find a pretty horrid looking stuffy label. I'm bad about choosing things based on the packaging... Anyways, at first sip the wine was simple and flavorful. I would consider it to be on the lighter side of full bodied wines, a good "drinking" wine. I say this because when paired with meats, it didn't really hold up at all. The label said that it would pair well with most meats, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Does not pair well with Steak. The bottle did not specify but I could guarantee this was like a 60% Shiraz 40% Cab because of it's splashiness factor. Even though it didn't go with the steak (not the wines fault) I really enjoyed the wine and am looking forward to finishing the bottle. I'd like to try this again with a soup or some light pasta, probably a better combo. Retails for around $15.99.

Blue Bottle Misty Valley

Have you ever had a blueberry cobbler? Not just any cobbler, but one that your Maw-Maw made especially for you and then your Paw-Paw put some Breyers' Vanilla on top and then you sat around and talked about the good ole' days and those fish that they never really caught? Me neither. But when I tried the Misty Valley it came real close to what that would feel like. When I asked the young lady at the Mint Plaza Blue Bottle what would be a good coffee to drip she stumbled through several options asking about my likes and dislikes, and then she got a twinkle in her eye. "Misty Valley, Misty Valley, you have to try the Misty Valley it's one of our new blends" I took that excitement as a really good sign, I know that look when I'm telling someone about a coffee I really like, and she definitely had it. Blueberries is the first thing that comes to mind when you take a whiff of these beans. It's really amazing how the fragrance of the beans draw you in to "just one more cup." I found myself sniffing the mug like I would a deep purple Cabernet, Not quite the same..... As the week went on I took note of how the beans were changing with the "older" they got. And I have to say you can really tell a difference. I first had these Beans two days after they were roasted and they were amazing, I mean really amazing. Then I had a few beans left and I made a drip at work about a week later and the flavor had dimished extremely. I still can't believe most coffee shops are serving beans that were roasted weeks, and some even months ago. Those shops are missing the point. Misty Valley gets it and you should get some if it. Buy this blend