Cigar & drink pairings that just aren't ideal...

[griller]

So it's 65 degrees and gorgeous on a Fall Sunday afternoon on my deck. PERFECT time for a cigar & beverage for the hour or so that I have before winding down for dinner, etc. I'm sitting on my Cubans as much as possible right now, trying to get some age on some and save a few $$ for upcoming holiday purchases. So, I've acquired several Illusione Epernay boxes to pinch hit as "daily" smokes because they're easy to get stateside and exhibit some Cunan-esque qualities in flavor (to me, that tea like flavor I get from Trinidad Coloniales and Upmann Connie A).

So, I grab an Epernay Le Ferme (5.25 x 48; box from February '19), and an Oskar Blues "Tenfidy" Imperial Stout. The beer selection was two-fold, 1) It's Fall and I crave Stouts and Porters and 2) it's 10.5% APV. Now, this is the first stout/porter I've consumed since probably March of this year, and my first sampling of Tenfidy, so I really didn't consider the actual cigar pairing until I had already lit the cigar and poured the beer. That's when I recognized the error in my ways, as the Epernay blend was intentionally created to pair well with champagne... So, after the 1st ten minutes of the smoking session, I realize that I can hardly taste the cigar at all, and that the Stout is completely overpowering my palate. This immediately took me to El Prez sharing a pic of a cigar he paired with a Negroni cocktail, and it had me kicking myself for wasting this cigar on a poorly coordinated beverage to compliment. 

Definitely a 1st world problem/mistake on my part, but I'm curious if any of y'all have stories where you set up a great cigar, a great beverage, but discovered that pairing the 2 was less than ideal.

[El Presidente]

I reall enjoy a stout / dark ale with a Boli Belicoso Finos, Mag 46, Partagas 898.  Can't do it with a Monte/Cohiba

People say you can't do red wine and tannic red wine is a definate no no. There are plenty of reds that work well.  Amarone and a cigar is a marriage made in heaven for me. 

Generally I can't do a pale beer and a cigar. Just doesn't work for me. 

Gin tonic and a cigar? Just passable. Plenty of better options. 

 

 

 

[Meesterjojo]

Milk + any cigar. Strawberry milk sounded real keen one night. Nope.

[PuroDiario]

Gin and tonic i some times do, but really not a good cigar pairing across the board. 

[Fuzz]

Drink: Durian juice.

Not to be paired with: Everything.

[Ken Gargett]

3 hours ago, El Presidente said:

People say you can't do red wine and tannic red wine is a definate no no. There are plenty of reds that work well.  Amarone and a cigar is a marriage made in heaven for me. 

 

amarone and a cigar? well hannibal lecter liked amarone with his victim's liver and fava beans (in the book) and that would be preferable to a cigar. you have tarmac for taste buds. horrendous idea. 

i know we all politely say well each to his own and whatever makes you happy. well no longer. it is time a line was drawn in the sand. 

this is that line.

reds with the slightest hint of tannin and any cigar - palate clashing, soul destroying, insidious rubbish. an offence against civilisation. a travesty. a tragedy. take a stand. just say no! 

now i am off for my afternoon nap. 

[El Presidente]

Just now, Ken Gargett said:

 

now i am off for my afternoon nap. 

make it a long one. 

......children and the elderly get very grumpy when they don't have their afternoon nap. 

[Bijan]

Can't say that I've had red wine with a cigar, but I have black tea with cigars all the time and the tannins in that don't have much of a negative effect.

[SirVantes]

Does amarone really not work?  Vintage port (to my palate) does, and they seem to share many characteristics in terms of taste profile.  It can't be because amarone is dry - I find oloroso sherry works with a cigar too.

[Ken Gargett]

44 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

make it a long one. 

......children and the elderly get very grumpy when they don't have their afternoon nap. 

charming. 

you've always reminded me of a younger kirk douglas. sadly only about ten minutes younger. 

[HuffnPuffff]

Aperol spritz killed my 2014 Lusi.
Great drink normally, but a train wreck with this cigar. The slight bitterness in the cocktail really knocked the balance out of the smoke.
Hoegaarden white beer is my go-to drink with a cigar.



Train wreck


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[Bill Hayes]

3 hours ago, Meesterjojo said:

Milk + any cigar. Strawberry milk sounded real keen one night. Nope.

I don't mind Dare double espresso ice coffee milk with some cigars. Ha ha. I sometimes put out a few drinks to try along the way. I like Ten Fiddy stout but would only consider with BBF, Boli PC, maybe JL#2 or non cubans with maduro wrappers. No to Chartruise. ha ha! No to most white wines for me, although some sweeter and sparkling Asti varietals might work with varying marques. I think a simple whisky and soda works well. I like MacCallan but wouldn't dare water it down. I had a nice Pinot Noir with Coro once. No! I used to try and make quality with quality and overdo it. Once I separated smoking from drinking then it clicked. Sparkling water, coke, coffee, whisky soda or lighter beers that don't overpower like a brown ale, cherry porter without bitterness. IPA, Hazy IPA, Pale Ale, WC IPA - forget about it. Some of the German and Belgium wheat beers can kind of work though for me. I also think that some of the great dark rums take over the palate and bit, as does straight bourbon or rye. I just add a little coke. I usually like to smoke half the cigar with water, coffee or coke and then introduce a drink toward the back end. Anyhoo, interesting post. Cheers

[Meesterjojo]

3 hours ago, HuffnPuffff said:

Aperol spritz killed my 2014 Lusi.
Great drink normally, but a train wreck with this cigar. The slight bitterness in the cocktail really knocked the balance out of the smoke.
Hoegaarden white beer is my go-to drink with a cigar.

Train wreck

Have you tried celis if you're a fan of hoegaarden? I'm sure you know the story- hoegaarden burned down, founder sold it and came to Austin tx. Developed celis white in early 1990s. Fast forward to now: they dropped off the map until a few years ago and now make the original two celis brews plus a rose.

[Edicion]

I never got the pairing of cognac and cigars.

 

[HuffnPuffff]

Have you tried celis if you're a fan of hoegaarden? I'm sure you know the story- hoegaarden burned down, founder sold it and came to Austin tx. Developed celis white in early 1990s. Fast forward to now: they dropped off the map until a few years ago and now make the original two celis brews plus a rose.

Thanks for this; never heard of it.
Will look for it in Hong Kong.
Long live innovation and rebirth!


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[La_Tigre]

14 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

amarone and a cigar? well hannibal lecter liked amarone with his victim's liver and fava beans (in the book) and that would be preferable to a cigar. you have tarmac for taste buds. horrendous idea. 

i know we all politely say well each to his own and whatever makes you happy. well no longer. it is time a line was drawn in the sand. 

this is that line.

reds with the slightest hint of tannin and any cigar - palate clashing, soul destroying, insidious rubbish. an offence against civilisation. a travesty. a tragedy. take a stand. just say no! 

now i am off for my afternoon nap. 

Ken,

Honest question. What run-of-the-mill reds would you recommend?

Cheers!

[cigaraholic]

If you want to drink dry red wine with a cigar I think 2 good choices are Beaujolais and Zinfandel, both low tannins and early drinkers.

[mikelikescigars]

Generally not into wine with cigars, though if I was would go with richer juicier styles like cigaraholic mentioned Zinfandel or a ripe california PN. Think Beaujolais would go well though think the Beaujolais itself would get lost, though the cigar would still show well.

[99call]

I can never understand people drinking heavily peated whisky with cigars.   Conceptually..... I guess it should work.........but it really...........really doesn't

[Ken Gargett]

3 hours ago, La_Tigre said:

Ken,

Honest question. What run-of-the-mill reds would you recommend?

Cheers!

a basic beaujolais if you have to. something made from carbonic maceration perhaps. possibly a sparkling shoraz - bit limited to Australia, though. the softest, easiest-drinking red you can find. 

[traveller]

1 hour ago, 99call said:

I can never understand people drinking heavily peated whisky with cigars.   Conceptually..... I guess it should work.........but it really...........really doesn't

I mean, try it with a Nicaraguan pepper/strength bomb and even the most heavily peated whisky you can't taste peat anymore, you can actually taste the sweetness of the whisky. Pretty interesting experience.

[Bill Hayes]

1 hour ago, Ken Gargett said:

a basic beaujolais if you have to. something made from carbonic maceration perhaps. possibly a sparkling shoraz - bit limited to Australia, though. the softest, easiest-drinking red you can find. 

Ahh, got ya. I'm thinking a 2022 Barolo then. 😉

[Ken Gargett]

Just now, Bill Hayes said:

Ahh, got ya. I'm thinking a 2022 Barolo then. 😉

bill, that should be perfect in 2122. 

[gustavehenne]

2 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

a basic beaujolais if you have to. something made from carbonic maceration perhaps. possibly a sparkling shoraz - bit limited to Australia, though. the softest, easiest-drinking red you can find. 

I love a Moulin-a-Vent with a cigar, or an easy drinking Pinot with some age on it that has dropped its harsher side - recently tried Two Paddocks from NZ and it was terrific with a RA Gigantes.

My favourite pairing though is German Riesling especially from the Saar valley. The sweetness and acidity just go phenomenally well with a cigar in my view, although my taste buds are nowhere close to being as developed as @Ken Gargett.

What doesn't go well - I tried a Meursault Premier Cru with a fairly light cigar (I think it was a Hoyo Epicure Especial but it was a while ago) and it was lost. Way too powerful a wine and way too subtle a cigar...

[mikelikescigars]

1 minute ago, stevenhaugen said:

I love a Moulin-a-Vent with a cigar, or an easy drinking Pinot with some age on it that has dropped its harsher side - recently tried Two Paddocks from NZ and it was terrific with a RA Gigantes.

My favourite pairing though is German Riesling especially from the Saar valley. The sweetness and acidity just go phenomenally well with a cigar in my view, although my taste buds are nowhere close to being as developed as @Ken Gargett.

What doesn't go well - I tried a Meursault Premier Cru with a fairly light cigar (I think it was a Hoyo Epicure Especial but it was a while ago) and it was lost. Way too powerful a wine and way too subtle a cigar...

Love the idea of german riesling for a bit of sweetness and that acidic lift and agree on Moulin-a-Vent on beaujolais as that's a slighter stronger style that can hold up to the cigar!