Cognac, Coffee and Chocolate

   2169  
When we lived in Budapest, I became a convert to a delightful Central European custom. After dinner, we would enjoy chocolate and coffee. It was still the heyday of communism, but in the coffee shops, Hungarians still savored their occasional treats. The brandy then was virtually undrinkable, and the chocolate and coffee were just approximations of the real items. The wistful expressions on the faces of those sitting in world famous coffee shops, such as Ruszworm’s or Gerbeaud’s, seemed to mean that they were remembering previous tastes, not really enjoying what was on their tables then. I tasted the real combination at the famous New York Kavehaz, Erszebet korut 9-11, during a return trip to post communist Hungary a few years ago. At this famous and opulent nineteenth century coffee house, where Molnar wrote his plays, the magic of cognac, coffee and chocolate still worked. Recently I tried to recapture that taste through cognac and chocolates offered at the French Embassy’s Taste of France Reception, as assembled and managed by the capable Washington chapter of the French Wine Society. To my surprise, I found the flavors in combination to be elusive. You can find your own preferences, just as you can do so with wines and champagnes. Always bearing in mind your own taste, undeterred by the taste of somebody else, as reflected in those ubiquitous point scores! Cognac, of course, is the great starting point. There was an excellent tasting and lecture by the Rémy Martin representative. He said that Rémy Martin, founded in 1724, is the oldest house still in existence. (Certainly not the oldest house literally – that distinction would probably belong to Otard Cognac, which in 1795 purchased the imposing medieval Château de Cognac, where the future King François Ier was born). The cognac region of France, some 4 ½ hours southwest of Paris, has since 1909 recognized six crus, Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fin Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires. (The lines separating these regions, however, was not completed until 1924.) It is the pride of Rémy Martin that only Fine Champagne Cognac is made by their house. That means that their selection is a blend of only Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, with at least 55% from the former region. In addition, Rémy Martin distills the wine with the grape pulp, or lees, adding heft to the wine, and is said to be the only major cognac house that does this, producing a “greater range of aromas, texture and smoothness,” certainly at a greater price. The spirit, as is traditional in Cognac (which distinguishes it from the practice in Armagnac) is distilled twice, which produces a smoother spirit (if you prefer cognac) or a less genuine one (if your preference runs to armagnac). About the grape used to produce cognac, ugni blanc, the less said the better. This is a very ordinary grape which prodced thin, unsatisfactory wine, until the miracle of distillation transformed it. Rémy Martin VSOP cognac is justly celebrated. Like the cognac produced by other reputable houses, it is aged longer than the 4 ½ to 6 ½ years required by law. The XO, a blend of 240 different spirits, is aged, our speaker said, for 22 years! The color is produced (these are white grapes, and alcohol is colorless) by their aging in Limousin oak barrels. We then tasted the 1738 Accord Royal, which is pegged at a quality and price level between the VSOP and XO, which would price it at $55 a bottle retail (the sale price was $46.50). This was a superior cognac in every respect, full bodied and flavorful. You may have your own favorite cognac. Some, such as Hennessy, do not limit themselves to the two most pricey cognac regions, but include some of the other four. I couldn’t help but think that with some Borderies adding a bit of heft to the blend, for example, it would not be as necessary to gain that tannic component from the oak cask. It would come from the spirit itself. My own favorite spirits were from the Hennessy Paradis cellar in Cognac, where kegs of their individual spirits are kept, still maturing. A Borderies from 1888, and a Bons Bois from 1864, were the finest spirits I have ever tasted. Once bottled, of course, cognac stops aging. So now, you have consulted your palate and your pocketbook, and have decided on a cognac that suits both. In general, the farther up the quality line, the smoother the cognac. What coffee would go best? I think that here there is a vast range of choice. I would look for a coffee that was assertive, flavorful and strong. The degree of sweetness or bitterness depends upon you. Do you take coffee black, with or without sugar? Each decision is a variable that affects the overall taste of the after dinner blend of cognac, coffee and chocolate. I tend to prefer a coffee that is strong, flavorful and not bitter. Of the coffees I have tasted, not all that is available by any means, my two favorites, to which I add probably too much sugar, are Kona Coffee from Hawaii, and Blue Mountain Coffee from Jamaica, either one served quite hot. Their flavor complements a good cognac, say a Hennessey VSOP, perfectly. But we must add the chocolate. I don’t much like weak chocolate, and anything that has a chalky taste. Bitter chocolate is not really to my taste either, but it might be yours, particularly when the relatively high sugars that become alcohol in your…
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • ALREADY SUBSCRIBED?
Previous Article Mori, Lignac & Le Chardenoux Buzz
Next Article The Obama Win – The Aftermath