Sam's Picks

Lillie Belle Farms
In Your Cups tastes a lot better than it sounds. These richly flavored chocolate thimbles are hand-made by chocolatier Jeff Shepherd in Oregon. The cups' silky and delicious fillings include the Margherita (anejo tequila, lime and salt), Makers Mark cup (pecan butter and makers mark bourbon), Lemon Buttercream (fresh meyer lemons and butter), and Frangelico  (whipped chocolate cream with frangelico). Shepherd uses local products whenever he can, like his own homegrown boysenberries for the Boysenberry Buttercream. The 12-piece box (6 flavors, 2 of each) is $25.00. Lillie Belle Farms, Central Point, OR, 888-899-2022  www.lilliebellefarms.com

Terroir
George Howell is a legend in the specialty coffee business, who first made his mark as founder of The Coffee Connection chain of Boston-area coffee shops that was way ahead of its time. In 2002, he started the George Howell 'Terroir' Coffee Company that specializes in single origin coffees. You will not find higher quality coffee anywhere. The Limited Edition Gift Set includes 12-ounce bags of Kenya Ndiara Estate, Panama La Esmeralda, and Costa Rica La Minita ($69.95). The Espresso Collection Gift Set ($39.95) features 12-ounces bags of Northern Italian Roast and a darker Calabrian Roast from the Daterra Farm in Brazil, and a Northern Italian Roast from Konga Co-op in the Ethiopian region of Yirgacheffe. These espresso coffees are roasted lighter than many espresso blends, which gives them a smoother, less bitter taste. George Howell Coffee Company, Acton, MA, 866-444-5282, www.terroircoffee.com

This Month's Newsletter

Holiday Hams
Though ham is often more associated with Easter, it's actually much more popular during the Christmas holidays, our second favorite, in fact, after turkey. However, for many Americans, ham is a lot more confusing than turkey. Should it be smoked? Fully cooked? Water added? Yikes, no wonder turkey is number one! But you don't have to be ham-handed for the holidays. There are delicious hams out there, waiting to be baked in your oven, many available via mail order. <more>

Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is a temptress. It seduces us with its heady perfume - once described by legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff as "the wonderful aroma of the inside of a kid glove worn by a young woman"- its velvety texture, and its rich flavor. In its youth, Pinot Noir can have an exuberant smell of raspberries, black cherries, violets and plums with touches of spice. As it evolves, leather, smoked meat and tobacco aromas emerge. It is this seductiveness, as well as the difficulty in growing Pinot Noir grapes and making wine from them, that has lured winemakers from across the globe. And every winemaker who wants to make "Pinot" has eventually to make a pilgrimage to Burgundy, the Mecca of Pinot Noir in central France, where it has been made since the time of Julius Caesar. <more>

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