Stumpjack Coffee Blends for Cigars

I've been wanting to create some special coffees specifically for pairing with cigars for some time now, and finally we took the time to discuss the concept with our roaster, Russ from Two Rivers Roasting, with some ideas for what coffees to put together and what kind of cigars, generally speaking, we were looking to pair them with. We had the general idea, what specific qualities we were thinking of, but the real credit for the success of the project goes to our roaster. Russ made use of his extensive experience and know-how and created two outstanding blends, what we're calling, simply enough, Sigaro Mezcla Uno and Sigaro Mezcla Dos (Cigar Blend One and Cigar Blend Two). The label images shown here provide a little more detailed info (click on them to enlarge).

We've been putting them out in the shop for everyday brewed coffees and they've been very well received. I've also done some informal, backyard pairing with a few cigars from my humidor and thus far I've been very pleased indeed. Sometime soon we'll powwow with a few fellow aficionados and do a little more formal and documented pairing (specific cigars), and we'll share the results with everyone here. But shewt, stop in and get yourself a pound or two, open your humidor, grab a couple of smokes and make your own evaluation...have fun with it. We'll be getting another several pounds in later next week.

This Weekend's Happenings

Before closing shop tonight I wanted to get a few pics on here from the Cigars in the Park powwow. Joe had two great cigars picked out: a Rocky Patel Edge Corojo and a Punch Gran Puro Santa Rita, which we paired with two coffees: a nice Guatemalan and a really fine Papua New Guinea (oh so good...). Pete Honzik serenaded the small gathering with a myriad of acoustic selections, a veritable plethora of eclectic tunes from his fertile mental catalogue of songs (italics=inside joke). Pete is always good, but tonight was a real treat as he pulled out a bunch of tunes he hasn't performed in a while, and played some great stuff from, to name just a few, Michael Hedges, Leon Redbone, The Pogues and even a little Who medley of sorts...very spontaneous and enjoyable. Man, what an absolutely gorgeous evening in downtown Two Rivers...just what the doctor ordered to close out the week. I'm really looking forward to the next Cigars in the Park...nice job, Joe.

Pete's playing over at Element right now, so Kim and I are heading over for a little more R&R right now. Y'all have a fun weekend!

Saturday evening (the 23rd):

Cigars in the Park
Central Park in Two Rivers

Friday Night (the 22nd):
They're back! Dos hermanos, Andy and Greg, aka Pick & Squeeze
8:00 p.m. These cats are a lot of fun and have a very unique sound.

A few shots from tonight (Friday) - Pick & Squeeze

Community, springtime, business, etc...

This morning I read Two Rivers City Manager Greg Buckley's column from yesterday's Chronicle, wherein Greg talked about the recent celebration of canoeist Rick Kark's 300th river experience here on the East Twin river. A small armada of canoes and kayak's joined Kark on the river, followed by a post-trip discussion and presentation from him at the Community House. The article got me to pining for warm weather and more outdoor activities that don't necessitate layered or insulated clothing. By the way, Greg does a nice job with his weekly column, regularly providing a well-written essay of interesting and worthwhile information on some of what's going on in the community...it's worth reading.

Our goal here at Stumpjack Coffee is to get more involved in and even initiate ourselves a number of events and "happenings" in our community here. As business continues to grow (which I'm pleased to say is indeed the case) we will be better able to diversify and expand our reach into the community with both time and resources. Community involvement and enhancement is an exciting prospect and is one of the key points in our mission statement.

We do have at least one item in the works right now that I can tell you about and that is the "cigars in the park" event that Joe Donati of Lakeshore Cigar Company is planning for sometime in June (specific date to be announced soon). We will be a part of that project, helping Joe with the planning and gofer stuff ("go fer this, go fer that") as well as providing drinks and perhaps some additional coffee/cigar tasting expertise. This event is going to be a lot of fun and Joe gets a huge tip of the hat for coming up with the idea and putting it into action (so you should make a point to visit his shop in Manitowoc, buy several cigars and tell him thanks). Chow Chong of Unique Flying Objects in Two Rivers, and a cigar lover himself, suggested naming the event "Cigars Under the Stars"...I like the sound of that.