March 2, 2013
Finding the Best Coffee for Jameson Irish Whiskey
Tyler was generous enough to provide a window into his coffee psyche when it came to deciding which brew would pair best with Jameson Irish Whiskey. If you want to get geeky, here are his answers to my Irish coffee interrogation:
How did you choose the two coffees? What was the selection process?
For the Americano version, we just used our best straight-drinking espresso blend, F2, in the Irish coffee. This is an excellent coffee as an espresso, but did not work as well in the Irish coffee. For the French press version we used our Portofino blend. Portofino is a blended coffee comprised solely of coffees from Indonesia. (Notable coffees from this reigion include Sumatras and Javas.) We chose it because it is a fuller bodied coffee (think rich, creamy, and smooth) that would give us more texture in the finished drink. Portofino also possesses herbal and smoky qualities in the aroma.
What kind/style/flavor profile of coffee works best?
I liked the Portofino for the Irish coffee because of its texture, minimal acidity, and fruitiness. I didn't want to try to contrast the flavors of the whiskey with strong citrus or sweet fruit notes. Rather, with the Portofino we are using the body of the coffee to compliment the beverage, and its aroma (smoky, caramely, earthy) and acidity are more mimicking the flavor profile of the whiskey.
Best to use a French press or an Americano?
While the F2 is great on its own we ultimately didn't like the Americano brew method for the Irish coffee. A bit of the complexity of the espresso was lost with the cream and the intensity of the whiskey. Also, an Americano is largely composed of water, diluting the finished product slightly and coming across slightly lighter in body than we would like. The other method was with a French Press of Portofino, which eliminated many of the aforementioned issues. French press, because it does not pass through a paper filter and the water is in complete contact with ground coffee, allows more of the coffee oils and suspended particles in the finished brew.
When you combine coffee and whiskey, do you find 1+1=3? In other words, the coffee and whiskey each bring something to the glass to create unique flavors?
Absolutely. I think current trends in cocktail making and espresso/coffee beverage construction leans heavily towards the 1+1=3 model. We are less trying to mask the flavors of the alcohol of the coffee as we are trying to present them in complete, well thought out design that essentially creates something entirely new for the customer.
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