Renault introduces a new cognac—and it was developed to pair well with the flavors of coffee.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
While many of those in specialty coffee linger over the flavors of our beverage with a meticulous devotion, most specialty coffee pros also find fascination in other beverages as well—often those of the alcoholic variety. A new product from Renault Cognac makes an efficient marriage of those two interests: Avec, released in January, is a cognac developed for drinking with coffee.
Taking its name for the French word meaning “with,” Avec is a Nordic-inspired cognac designed to have notes of vanilla and roasted mocha, with a round and smooth body. One might picture taking a sip of cognac and then a sip of freshly brewed coffee, complementing the flavors of each of them. David Croizet, Renault’s cellar master, told the publication Bar, “On the palate, Avec is incredibly smooth and soft. We were not looking for a big, powerful cognac, but one that complements good coffee.”
According to David, Avec was made using a unique cask-making process involving plunging barrels of the cognac into tanks of hot water before “brasero toasting” them, meaning burning the insides of the barrels on a fire—and then doing this process three times. David told Bar, “We have created a taste that is totally new to Renault and has never been seen in cognac before. Our signature style has always been a balance of fruit and spice. I wanted to see if we could achieve specific aromas with notes of torrefaction: roasted notes of mocha and vanillin.”
Does drinking Avec enhance the coffee-drinking experience? Those to curious to find out the answer can try to get their hands on a bottle through Renault Cognac.
