To Pair Or Not To Pair?

[redoxinc]

Are cigars meant to be enjoyed on their own or with a pairing? The more I smoke, the more I think that some cigars are meant to (or would be best) with a specific beverage, and some cigars are meant to be the star of the show. 

Is this a body thing? Are lighter cigars meant to be paired, and stronger cigars smoke stand alone?

For those who smoke with drinks. Could you think of a cigar that would be less than without a certain beverage?

I'm curious as to what your opinions are here - thanks guys!

[Cigarsmoker81]

Mostly water. I find most drinks over powering and the few drinks after I sip my drink i can’t taste the flavours 

 

[redoxinc]

3 hours ago, Cigarsmoker81 said:

Mostly water. I find most drinks over powering and the few drinks after I sip my drink i can’t taste the flavours

The only thing that I think actually helps with flavors is coffee. I usually drink mine black but with a more bitter stick a bit of cream goes a long way, and black coffee with a sweeter stick helps. Also I always go cold coffee with cigars so it doesn't dull my palate.

[BrightonCorgi]

11 minutes ago, Cigarsmoker81 said:

Mostly water. I find most drinks over powering and the few drinks after I sip my drink i can’t taste the flavours

Mostly water for me as well.  I don't find cigars "pair" particularly well to anything.   On the other hand, water pairs well with everything.

[redoxinc]

13 minutes ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Mostly water for me as well.  I don't find cigars "pair" particularly well to anything.   On the other hand, water pairs well with everything.

I guess the next natural question would be this - still or sparkling? I feel like the bubbles help me pull out more flavors a lot of time as well. Kinda like when they give you a glass of sparkling water with your espresso at the boujee coffee shops.

[jakebarnes]

Me + a cigar= perfect pair. 

Honestly, I tend to have water or sparkling water most of the time if I am enjoying a cigar alone. With others, I tend to smoke the "go to" enjoyable cigars that I can have with a wine or coffee (and pair accordingly, usually with a bit more body). Also, QdO Coronas with a good champagne is tops. 

[Ford2112]

I like coffee with a perla/minuto or pc most mornings. Nudie N4 and a stiff cup is my go to lately. Or a Party short.

For long smokes I drink iced tea unsweetened or light flavored spritzers. Water as well. I don't drink booze. If I did I'd be slamming Irish whiskey with double coronas haha

[Fireball]

One time I read someone swear by root beer. I have tried it a couple times and love it.  Other than that - water
 

It seems so weird, but yeah, root beer. 

[Koaxke]

I typically only drink water as well, but the rare times I pair it with another drink it's always whiskey. 

[cigaraholic]

Is this a trick question?

[loose_axle]

This is one I feel like there’s no real answer. It’s subject to situation, time of day, the cigar you’re smoking, the beverages on hand, if you like to drink, if you’re smoking alone and if you’re smoking in company. 
 

Some days I want nothing but a cigar. Others I want the full gamut of some dark spirit or port or sherry with coffee and a range of chocolate, nuts and dried fruit to go along with it. 

[JohnS]

This type of topic comes up regularly over the years. Around four years ago a dedicated study was done on pairings and the result was surprising because the best pairing in that study was in fact, Orange Juice! The link to the study is below:

Here are some further interesting links to explore below:

[El Presidente]

Jesus. Go Birko 

If you dont drink, god bless you. If you do, the alcohol world is your oyster! 

D4 and a PX sherry....brilliance. 

SLR DC and Pol or Tattinger....divine. 

Guinness and a Party connie 1/2/3.....send me to heaven now!

The combinations don't stop. It is a personal choice however but once you have dipped your beak in the tasting/pairing well..and it "hits:...it is one of the great joys of life. 

[redoxinc]

14 hours ago, JohnS said:

This type of topic comes up regularly over the years. Around four years ago a dedicated study was done on pairings and the result was surprising because the best pairing in that study was in fact, Orange Juice! The link to the study is below:

Here are some further interesting links to explore below:

This is so interesting! The OJ makes sense when you're talking about pairing with contrast. Big bright, acidic, and sweet. Now I'm wondering if pairing with compliment would work - with the Monte 4 example, maybe a mocha or a hot chocolate?

 

9 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Jesus. Go Birko 

If you dont drink, god bless you. If you do, the alcohol world is your oyster! 

D4 and a PX sherry....brilliance. 

SLR DC and Pol or Tattinger....divine. 

Guinness and a Party connie 1/2/3.....send me to heaven now!

The combinations don't stop. It is a personal choice however but once you have dipped your beak in the tasting/pairing well..and it "hits:...it is one of the great joys of life. 

Will definitely be trying the D4 and sherry very soon!

[Ford2112]

27 minutes ago, redoxinc said:

This is so interesting! The OJ makes sense when you're talking about pairing with contrast. Big bright, acidic, and sweet. Now I'm wondering if pairing with compliment would work - with the Monte 4 example, maybe a mocha or a hot chocolate?

My neighbor swore by a Monte 4 and hot cocoa

[MagicalBikeRide]

For me, Guinness is top of the tree, followed by coffee and then sparkling water.

But it needs to be the right Guinness. Like the type you only get in a select number of pubs in Ireland, the profile with more cream and sweetness than bitterness and earth, etc. 

This type of Guinness goes so so so well with a wide range of cigars. But it is other worldly with a really good HdM. Cream on top of cream, on top of cream. My favourite dessert. Also pretty sure this combo is the reason I own so much HdM.

 

[MagicalBikeRide]

9 hours ago, El Presidente said:

 Guinness and a Party connie 1/2/3.....send me to heaven now!

👌

[Capn_Jackson]

Sparkling water for me. As you mentioned before, I find that the fizz helps to bring out more flavors. However, I’ve been known to pair with a Guinness, or a nice rum. Occasionally an Old Fashioned.

I concocted something called “Ancho Tea” at a party in college, and sip it with a cigar sometimes. Semi-sweet iced tea with a few splashes of Ancho Reyes Chile Liquor, and a sprinkle of ground nutmeg. I think it’s great, but none of my friends have ever tried a second sip.

Sparkling water, though, almost always.

[Dave O)))]

Here's one from left field. A sour beer works surprisingly well. Like orange juice, it cleans your palate as you go. Added bonus is that a sour has little to no length, so it doesn't really compete with the cigar, and can even complement it if you choose the right type of "fruit". Raspberry sour for example. Sours can be an acquired taste, took me a little while to appreciate them, but once you find your gateway sour, boom!

[djrey]

Pretty much have a club soda, black coffee or latte with every cigar. The carbonation helps bring out flavors in lighter cigars whereas he whole milk fat in a coffee can help round harsh edges in stronger cigars. 

[BrightonCorgi]

On 10/4/2023 at 7:11 AM, MagicalBikeRide said:

For me, Guinness is top of the tree, followed by coffee and then sparkling water.

But it needs to be the right Guinness. Like the type you only get in a select number of pubs in Ireland, the profile with more cream and sweetness than bitterness and earth, etc. 

This type of Guinness goes so so so well with a wide range of cigars. But it is other worldly with a really good HdM. Cream on top of cream, on top of cream. My favourite dessert. Also pretty sure this combo is the reason I own so much HdM.

There are several Guinness formulations in production around the world.  Each region has their own particular taste preference that Guinness caters to.

[Kidfrombrooklyn]

I would always tell my guest that if you paid for it, enjoy it however you wish. There are two views on this imo and there isn't a right or wrong way to approach it. From an analytical standpoint, water is the best pairing. It wont interfere with any subtle secondary flavors or aromas the cigar is throwing at you. In terms of pairing beverages apart from water, I will often pair iced black tea, Chinese herbal tea, champagne or a buttery napa chard. I find these beverages to be somewhat of a universal pairing to almost all cigars. If pairing with alcohol, I'd prefer fermented beverages, rather than distillates. Hard alcohol pairings are a cloyingly experience that numbs the palette and over shadows flavors in the cigar. 

[Grady]

I like negronis.  And I like cigars.  So I often indulge in both simultaneously.  I do think that the result is greater than the sum of two parts, but I'm not entirely convinced that it's about the flavour combination so much as the chemical combination.  That said if I'm going to smoke something new or really want to be able to concentrate on the flavours for whatever reason I do like unflavoured sparkling / soda water, there are some good ones here in the Land of the Morning Calm.

[MagicalBikeRide]

4 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

There are several Guinness formulations in production around the world.  Each region has their own particular taste preference that Guinness caters to.

Yes, but we keep the good stuff at home

IMO, if you’re drinking kegged Guinness from a pub that serves less than 200 pints a day from the same tap, then it’s not worth it. Too much goes wrong with infrequent use and poor bar staff knowledge (eg every draught Guinness served in the UK, ever). Other fantastic stouts / beers / etc available that best it over many fronts and styles in that scenario. 

But it’s kinda like Cuban cigars - every so often you get a 99 pointer and it just can’t be replicated with anything else. That sweetness, cream, viscosity, mouthfeel. Call it what you like, but it’s all that I find unique about a top class Guinness compared with any other stout. And it’s absolutely what their success is built on.
 

Aesthetic / viscosity examples - mostly because my phone is filled with pictures of Guinness and you might enjoy them as much as I do 

 

 

 

[BrightonCorgi]

1 hour ago, MagicalBikeRide said:

IMO, if you’re drinking kegged Guinness from a pub that serves less than 200 pints a day from the same tap, then it’s not worth it.

I doubt even the most hardcore Irish pubs are selling 200+ pints a day of Guinness.  Sounds like a lot considering the other beverages one may choose to purchase in a day.  Where I lived in Brighton is the epicenter of fresh off the boat Irish in Boston and I cannot imagine that much being sold at our village pubs.