'heart of darkness'

[beekind]

has anyone opened a bottle of ken's 'heart of darkness', yet?
i'm just curious as to any pairings. a friend at work got a bottle (#46, i think) and we're planning on a tasting pretty soon. (daniel, if you're reading this-no pressure ).

just wondering if there is any chocolate or other foods that might accompany it, without destroying ones palate.

-dave

 

[cam07ds]

has anyone opened a bottle of ken's 'heart of darkness', yet?
i'm just curious as to any pairings. a friend at work got a bottle (#46, i think) and we're planning on a tasting pretty soon. (daniel, if you're reading this-no pressure ).

just wondering if there is any chocolate or other foods that might accompany it, without destroying ones palate.

-dave

Well I've been lucky enough to taste an earlier batch of Heart of Darkness and its fantastic. I would expect no less from this run. I have bottle #39 and have not been able to bring myself to open it yet.

Steve

 

[Leonora]

I had it in a pairing with various levels of dark chocolate. It made me weak in the knees. *grin*

Leonora

 

[wayneb]

Seriously, anything short of eating a whole habanero pepper, raw with seeds and all, would do little to dull your tastebuds to the Heart. In fact, it might work the other way around. I think, as does Leonora, that the Heart pairs well with any strong, full-flavored chocolate. It would also work well against similarly robust flavored desserts, but it will swamp the tastes of light, delicate items.

Personally, from the tastes I've had, I wouldn't want anything else with it. I prefer to savor every drop, unencumbered by competing sensations! ;D

 

[Brad Dahlhofer]

Thanks to everyone that's purchased a bottle.

When I've had the privileged to enjoy this mead, Ken had paired it with some very nice chocolate truffles.

 

[skunkboy]

I like it with a glass... ;-)

 

[beekind]

okay, thanks for all your suggestions.
my friend, daniel (who has the bottle), just read this with me.
we'll take all this under advisement. but, from what ya'll say, we'll be in too much sensory bliss to care.

 

[Brad Dahlhofer]

Well?? What did you think? Did you pair it with anything?

 

[beekind]

Just happened to be roaming through looking for some other advice and came across this older link and decided that I really wanted to say what I thought of Ken's mead.

Let me put it this way, I now feel like the novice that I am. At the time, I had made around 25 batches and got the normal compliments from friends and such, but having something this good really made me realize how far I have to go. Basically, this melomel had nothing wrong with it-I could find no evil (harshness, off flavors, cloying sweetness, etc.). It was pure and beautiful. Each sip was so full of depth and richness, I didn't find myself wanting to just swill it. Every sip was a complete experience of flavor, without ever being overblown anywhere.

Ken, I doff my cap to you, and find myself envious of your friends and family that can count on drinking this year after year.
Thanks.

Oh, and yes. My friend, Daniel, used to work in a restaurant and made a wonderfully rich soup with an amazingly decadent amount of fresh wild porcini mushrooms in it. It paired very well, in the sense that the food and mead kept my palate awake without feeling abused. And, yes, you could pair the mead with rocks and still be smiling.

 

[Brad Dahlhofer]

And sadly there are now less than 12 bottles left in inventory.

 

[darthbooger]

How much do those bottles run and what size is it?

 

[AToE]

Little over a hundred bucks for a half bottle was the last price I saw.

 

[Chevette Girl]

And, yes, you could pair the mead with rocks and still be smiling.

Now, if that isn't a glowing recommendation, I don't know what is. :sunny:

 

[ken_schramm]

My profound thanks to you all. Your words are touchingly kind.

Hopefully you'll find that the coming release is up to the standard we have set for this mead. I wish it wasn't so pricey, but then again, I wish I got to drink it all, too.

KDS