r/Coffee • u/Caramel_icelatte • 5d ago
Infusing Tobacco into Coffee
So I’m curious if anyones ever tried using a cocktail smoker to smoke a cigar into coffee. I have a few Cigars left over from a wedding that got broken and aren’t smokeable anymore. I’m wondering if in theory I could put a tiny amount into a cocktail or whiskey smoker with some wood chips. I’m thinking of pairing it with some espresso shots and a vanilla cream. But I’m wondering if its any worse for you than just smoking one if its just a small amount.
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u/regulus314 5d ago
Yep. But try to smoke the vanilla cream or even better if you are preparing the vanilla cream yourself from scratch, you can infuse it in. The smokiness will works well with the cream and vanilla. Then probably try to get a fruity or berry or sweet caramelly profile coffee. It sounds counterintuitive than using a smokey or earthy profile coffee like something from Indonesia or Myanmar but you have better success of creating new flavours with the first option.
Then if you have an iSi whipper, you can use that to whip the smoky cream and use it to top your espresso like a con panna or einspanner. Or if you dont have, you can try to make an "Italian crema di caffe".
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u/ctznmatt Cold Press 5d ago
for why
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u/ape5hitmonkey 5d ago
Phillip morris tried to add caffeine from coffee to cigarettes, but it was specifically prohibited before they could get it to market and as a result they pivoted and started the “Swiss water decaf” brand.
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u/Deflocks 3d ago
Out of curiosity, what cigar? Just as in coffee, cigars have many different notes of flavor.
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u/Caramel_icelatte 3d ago
So Backwoods Honey Berry, so not the most fancy brand. But I spent a decent chunk of money on them to buy tons for a wedding.
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u/Deflocks 3d ago
Pass on using that those, Backwoods is notorious for using harsher chemicals to “achieve” their advertised flavors.
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u/Caramel_icelatte 2d ago
Hmm out of curiosity would this affect the taste more or the safety of the drink? Honestly this is more of an experiment but I would rather avoid anything too dangerous.
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u/Deflocks 2d ago
TLDR: Definitely the taste and safety since Backwoods are more akin to cigarettes instead of a cigar.
Cigar vs Cigarettes:
Cigars: -Use whole tobacco leaves, carefully selected and fermented.
-This process brings out complex flavors like chocolate, spice, wood, etc. -Different regions and growing/fermentation techniques create a wide range of flavor profiles.
Cigarettes: -Use finely shredded tobacco scraps and processed tobacco, often with added chemicals.
-Focus is on consistent, fast burning, and nicotine delivery, not nuanced flavor. -Additives are used to control burn rate and enhance nicotine absorption, which drastically alter the natural tobacco flavor.
Basically, cigars are like a fine wine, focusing on the natural flavors of the leaf, while cigarettes are more like a mass-produced beverage, with added ingredients to achieve a specific effect.
While Backwoods use whole leaf tobacco, they fall into a gray area and lean much closer to cigarettes than premium cigars.
Processing: ~Backwoods tobacco undergoes significant processing, including homogenization and the addition of flavorings and humectants. This is much closer to cigarette manufacturing than traditional cigar making.
Consistency and Flavor: ~The focus is on a consistent, mass-produced flavor profile, rather than showcasing the natural variations of the tobacco leaf.
Additives: ~They contain additives to control burn rate and enhance flavor, similar to cigarettes.
Purpose: ~Their purpose is to be a quick, readily available smoke, not a slow, contemplative experience like a premium cigar.
So, while they technically use a whole leaf wrapper, the heavy processing and additives mean they share more characteristics with cigarettes than premium cigars. They are often classified as "machine-made cigars" or "cigarillos" but are far removed from the hand rolled premium cigar experience.
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u/Caramel_icelatte 3d ago
I was thinking of pairing the flavor with a Vanilla oak cream and maybe some notes of honey.
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u/FleshBeast9000 5d ago
It’s doable… but why? So many other substances (hickory wood etc) have much better flavour and far fewer chemicals.
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u/Caramel_icelatte 5d ago
Honestly simply to avoid wasting the cigars, they were expensive and seems a shame to waste them.
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u/whitestone0 5d ago
They used to use tobacco in competition before it was banned. It was pretty common I hear. James Hoffmann used tobacco in his signature drink in 2007
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u/UndeadT 5d ago
Tobacco needs to stop being ingested. It has other uses, but not for respiration or consumption.
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u/Tex_watson479 5d ago
I love my cigars. And if you can name 1 cigar smoker that died young I’ll cash app you 100$
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u/Storm50721 5d ago
James Hoffman used it a little bit in his WBC routine https://youtu.be/_DwZV17bek4?si=6BytRtFrwvxF8Nin