I have spent a great deal of time thinking about what pairings may be good or bad. This tobacco with that tea, and this beverage with that type of leaf. I suppose that is all well and good, not meaning to criticize the great pairings of the past, but I have been in an interesting funk lately. Firstly, I have been enjoying more than a few bowls of Hartenstein Trail. This is a great full flavored latakia blend from the Edwards Tobacco in Denver. Excellent smoke in a multitude of different bowl sizes. Cool smoking and a great low nicotine level that makes it particularly perfect for before bedtime smoking. Worth every moment.
The second thing that I have noticed is that I don't find myself wanting to pair my smoking with my tea/coffee drinking lately. I have stumbled across some great flavor combinations in the past for sure, but I have been more interested in the tobacco by itself. Coincidentally, I have also been interested in the tea and the coffee by themselves as well. It seems that adding anything to the equation means that I will (of necessity) pay less attention to either of the things I am tasting individually. I imagine, as things warm up again I will ease back into pairing my puffs with my beverages, but for the moment I am enjoying the simplicity. What say you? Do you enjoy things more in pairs, or one experience at a time?
