Esculentus magnificus!

The nose transported us nostalgically to a Parisian café – wooden tables with ash, smoke and fag packets, coffee dregs and almond croissants. The palate also had dry, ashy sweetness – stem ginger in syrup, chocolate Swiss roll, digestive biscuits and roasted peaches – and a stone-licking, ashtray-licking, tingling finish of liquorice root sticks and black pepper. Water brought dolly mixtures, sticky toffee pudding, banana split and plum clafoutis to the nose – and some sanded pine and linseed oil. The palate, with fruit and nut chocolate, coffee kisses, Demerara, toasted coconut, dried dates and hints of Eastern spice was more than drinkable – esculentus magnificus!