Cigar and tea pairing guide

[El Presidente]

 

 

 

Cigar and tea pairing guide

by Alessandro Rocco PietrocolaPosted on January 28, 2021

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The classic pairings for cigars are whiskey, cognac, rum or coffee. But there is one more drink the British like the most — tea. 

It is the best choice, if you don’t like coffee, but want to pair your cigar with a hot soft drink. Cigar flavor profiles are much stronger, most of them will dominate this pairing and you will enjoy it to the fullest.

Reasons why cigars and tea pair very well together

[99call]

I would agree with this, English Breakfast tea is pretty heavy with assam and works really well.   Even with milk, it really slakes the the palate, and refreshes.

Either with Trinidad, or QDO it's my go to pairing

[Bijan]

I generally sip a bit of tea with my cigars in winter. It's light enough that it doesn't affect the flavours and it's warm. Otherwise I like coffee but that's a flavour you can get more often in cigars and so it doesn't work with every cigar.

In summer I'll do club soda/sparkling water, beer or wine more often than anything warm.

[Smokin Steve L.]

Try Assam chai or other chais with a nice Connecticut. It pairs well with stronger cigars as well. Cheers!


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[Shrimpchips]

Rooibos works well with full flavored cigars, and hasn’t done me wrong with any Partagas pairing. Also milk Oolong is great with a creamy profile like Trinidads.  

[treberty]

31 minutes ago, Shrimpchips said:

Rooibos works well with full flavored cigars, and hasn’t done me wrong with any Partagas pairing. Also milk Oolong is great with a creamy profile like Trinidads.  

Having a rooibos now, with a touch of buckwheat honey and a slice of lemon. Paired with a RAS. It sober February for me. Great combination and it's perfect to smoke outside in the Winter!

[Connoisseur Kim]

Teas like Keemun pair well with woody CCs like Upmann Connie A ?

[Fosgate]

I find Thai Iced Tea's addictive leately. Great to put out the fire of anything spicy in a meal with lots of cream and sugar. Also in the summer, slow brewed in the refridgerator it's refreshing and slightly sweet all by itself making it a nice alternative to sun tea/Unsweetend Tea (in the US).

Brand we use

[Meklown]

I found that bottled iced peach tea makes a good pairing with cigars

[xelzh]

Bobba tea anyone?

[Meklown]

1 hour ago, xelzh said:

Bobba tea anyone?

Like this?

 

[djrey]

I have done Shou Puerh with with some earthier cigars such as Bolivar and its a fantastic combination. Especially if you get some wet stored puerhs the damp forest floor characteristic is exceptional. Very unique pairing though coffee is still my favorite. 

[Walter19]

I enjoy herbal teas, that are heavy on the baking spices with just a little honey. I find they pair very nicely all around.

[Bigfatpuff]

Green tea, dragon well. Very refreshing, helps to bring up the sweetness.
Pu’er or Puerh tea, those top ones are warm and sweet, helps to evolve the mixture flavors.
These are my favorite.


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[Tstew75]

Good stuff here!

[jonnyfromiranny]

I've been on a caffeine-free kick and have been pairing Chamomile with Monte 2's. I've enjoyed it, despite it's subtle flavor. It may not add much to the cigar, but it certainly doesn't take anything away and it keeps me warm in the winter. After reading the article, I'm excited to pair it with a milder smoke.

[Fosgate]

43 minutes ago, jonnyfromiranny said:

I've been on a caffeine-free kick and have been pairing Chamomile with Monte 2's. I've enjoyed it, despite it's subtle flavor. It may not add much to the cigar, but it certainly doesn't take anything away and it keeps me warm in the winter. After reading the article, I'm excited to pair it with a milder smoke.

Thats not a bad idea. I'm not a regular coffee, tea or soda drinker because eventually the caffine gets to me, I don't need the sugar etc. I'm been trying to find some alternatives. I'd like to give this a try. 

[Smokin Steve L.]

Talking about tea, Swedes blend tea like no other. They have blends made for every city or town and are unlike anything we can get here in the states. There is one great loose tea merchant online that is very good, but the difference is like a canary island v. Nicaraguan cigar.


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[Shrimpchips]

8 hours ago, Fosgate said:

Thats not a bad idea. I'm not a regular coffee, tea or soda drinker because eventually the caffine gets to me, I don't need the sugar etc. I'm been trying to find some alternatives. I'd like to give this a try. 

Rooibos tea is a herbal tea and is also caffeine free. I find it has a fuller, slightly sweet flavor that nicely compliments cream/baking spice profiles.

[DeskSmkr]

Surprised me, a perfect pair.

[Shrimpchips]

The astringency of the tea can mess with cigars, so I find any milk to help smooth it out can make it more compatible. Never have that problem with black coffee, but straight tea definitely messes with flavors for me.  

[Cazador]

‘Herbal tea’ is not tea. Tea comes from the tea plant. 

[La_Tigre]

Curious what more experienced tea drinkers would recommend with a decent Emperor’s White….need to cut down on the default of an alcoholic pairing. 

[Bijan]

23 minutes ago, La_Tigre said:

Curious what more experienced tea drinkers would recommend with a decent Emperor’s White….need to cut down on the default of an alcoholic pairing. 

White tea/light tea goes with pretty much anything for me. But I'll pair any black tea that is steeped relatively lightly too. I drink a lot of tea and generally don't find it astringent unless steeped very dark.

I get a lot of the flavour from cigars through retrohaling, but still find coffee, flavoured teas or sweet beverages have a significant effect on the flavours, sometimes good, sometimes bad depending on the cigar.

[Shrimpchips]

13 hours ago, Cazador said:

‘Herbal tea’ is not tea. Tea comes from the tea plant. 

Pedantic, but the best kind of correct: technically correct.  Practically speaking, few people would make the distinction of a tisane vs a tea I would have to think. 
 

@Bijan as a habitual coffee drinker, I tend to have my teas dark and likely a little over steeped, even with lighter tisanes/herbal teas but maybe if I have them a bit lighter it would help to compliment more subtle flavors.