Tea/Cigar crossover?

[traveller]

Anyone here into nice teas? Oolongs, Puerhs, White Tea etc etc? 

Just started going down the rabbit hole a little deeper of higher end loose teas after many years of drinking loose leaf teas. I am struck by a lot of the similarities between cigars and tea, with people obsessing about regions, farms, countries, terroir and even storage conditions and the effects of aging, even the mention of a tea humidor.

Wondering if we have anybody similarly obsessed with tea as they are cigars? Anyone drink tea with cigars regularly? If you do what types? Do you feel like they help bring each others flavours out?

[Lfhard]

Yes I’m into loose leaf teas as well. There is this tea that I drink that reminds me of a Cohiba has like a lemon grass flavor and just makes me want to smoke a cohiba when I drink that tea. I like mainly black teas but every now and then I’ll throw some green tea in the mix. I have not got to drink tea with cigars as much as I would like but when I do it does bring out some of the flavors more if it’s paired right. I have not got that far into it as a tea humidor but I do have a cabinet full of different bags of tea. My wife used to give me crap because of my tea collection and brewing it but now I got her into it and she needs her tea every day. Hopefully I can get her into cigars like that one day haha. 

[eaglebear29]

Yeah tea pairing actually is my main pairing, different tea roasts for different cigars. Ive been into Ceremonial Grade Matcha for about 13 years and id say that is one of my favorite pairings over dried tea and coffee. Its my main go to. Black tea can be fun and a huge palate cleanser for when you want to rewash. If I like to coat the flavors in my mouth ill stick to a lighter tea as black tea is used when people are at cigar tastings back to back because the black tea with the option of sugar or honey cleanses the palate clean. Matcha isn't for everyone but I feel the Japanese are artisans when it comes to tea like the Cubans are with cigars. Id even say a little more so as they really take their craft to a whole other level ya know not wanting to dishonor there fam and what not. They really strive to get it better every year and a good matcha plain might not be for the beginner as one sweetened with honey and/or milk. Its very Zen like smoking a cigar as well and so is the process of making it.

 

You don't boil the water, you get it just before it boils over and hot but not bubbling at around 170-180 degrees. Or boil the water and let it sit for 10-15 min then mix in the matcha. Doing it this way doesn't boil the matcha flavor and nuke off the nutrients. You do this because Matcha is young green tea leaves picked young and grown in the shade so it has 128x more nutrients. An example not to shit on regular tea cause don't get me wrong I love it but in comparison regular tea is like the sun dried up cigar that was left out of the humidor for months if not years that has lost and dried up all its true flavor and notes. Where as matcha is crafted perfectly and can be stored in the fridge to hold its little bit of moisture and hold its vibrant green colors for long periods of time.

 

Matcha to me is on a whole different level I've had Akira artisanal master blender collection small batch picks that have chocolate notes to creamy notes to more grassy creamy notes. I love to drink them straight but its fun to add in a little heated up milk and honey or sometimes go with all milk after you mix it in minimal water, then add a dash of honey. I love doing loose leaf teas and tea bags but I'm telling you give matcha a try and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I love coffee with a cigar but being a alaskan commercial fisherman I use it as more of a tool. It can be a bit much if I'm not physically working so that's what I love about matcha I can get a nice buzz of energy without a big spike in energy followed by a big crash. Matcha is more consistent for me not just working as well before the days of staying awake for when you actually need coffee but for just chillin, so I won't get all wigged out on to much crack caffeine while just chillin but that's just me.

 

Id recommend ceremonial over culinary grade matcha and first try it with maybe milk and honey but if you like your coffee black or either or like me then try both go for it straight up. Get good brands like Akira that have the 3rd party testing on there website as China tries to make a bunch of bunk crap that is full of heavy metals. I learned this the hard way years ago when I got some in bulk for cheap added it to my smoothies and found myself vomiting, which brought me down the rabbit holes where I got to learn all this fascinating stuff over the years.

 

There is definitely good matcha to pair with good cigars, Lemongrass or grassy twany flavors, chocolates, and really good matcha can also be creamy plain. I can get all these notes without the milk and honey. I usually use the milk and honey for my standard matcha every once in awhile to spice it up. I hope someone enjoyed this and would give matcha a try with a nice CC or NW. Cheers and Happy Holidays to Everyone!

 

[Meklown]

Not similarly obsessed no, but I do regularly drink puer. 

I do smoke a cigar concurrently sometimes, and admittedly I think a cigar will overpower the nuances in the puer, but I think it is a good accompaniment, that's why I don't chase or obsess over the super high end stuff. Balances and neutralises the palate. It can hang around with most cigar types/strengths, except I just probably wouldn't have it with a Trinidad. 

I love white teas on their own but I find them more nuanced than puer so I wouldn't have them with a cigar. I only have oolongs on occasion as while I do like them, my stomach doesn't fancy the acidity / caffeine too often. That said, I think the acidity allows it to stand up well beside a cigar. 

[rabidraccoon]

Tea is my top pairing with cigars and I drink a ton of teas in general. For cigars I really like a blend with hibiscus, liquorice, rosehips. That tart and sweet combo is a great palate cleanser. Mint with some sugar is also good. In Hong Kong I’ve had Pu Erh with cigars at a lounge which was also great. Personally I don’t like to do delicate or really nice greens like Uji Gyokuros with cigars. Whites stand up very well to cigars and blacks as well. The only thing I’ve really had a problem with is super ginger forward herbal blends because the ginger sting and cigar smoke is kinda aggressive together. There’s so much you can do especially if you buy a bunch of bulk teas/herbs and do your own blends you can come up with something perfect you like or buy some of the premade blends from the tea companies.

[DennyPaul]

May interest you to know: according to the Sahakians of Davidoff London (via their YouTube channel), black tea is ill-advised to pair with cigars. Apparently, cigar tasters use it as a very effective palate cleanser between testing cigars.

A big part of the experience is about how flavors of a cigar build, and the tea is just too effective at washing all that away. 

[MrBirdman]

6 hours ago, DennyPaul said:

May interest you to know: according to the Sahakians of Davidoff London (via their YouTube channel), black tea is ill-advised to pair with cigars. Apparently, cigar tasters use it as a very effective palate cleanser between testing cigars.

A big part of the experience is about how flavors of a cigar build, and the tea is just too effective at washing all that away. 

Everyone’s palate is different. I enjoy liquor but find the alcohol has the same effect they mention, it obliterates the flavor on my palate. So I rarely drink with cigars. Whereas tea pairs really well for me. The changes in your palate occur from the build up of volatile flavor compounds, which are quite “sticky.” That’s one reason why I don’t think many people can fairly judge cigars one right after another the way you can with wine. The first will change your palate and it takes either several hours or a good teeth brushing to clean it up.

The astringency and tannins in the tea might have a presence, but if you enjoy the combination (as I do) there’s no reason not to pair them. 

[Chibearsv]

30 minutes ago, MrBirdman said:

Everyone’s palate is different. I enjoy liquor but find the alcohol has the same effect they mention, it obliterates the flavor on my palate. So I rarely drink with cigars. Whereas tea pairs really well for me. The changes in your palate occur from the build up of volatile flavor compounds, which are quite “sticky.” That’s one reason why I don’t think many people can fairly judge cigars one right after another the way you can with wine. The first will change your palate and it takes either several hours or a good teeth brushing to clean it up.

The astringency and tannins in the tea might have a presence, but if you enjoy the combination (as I do) there’s no reason not to pair them. 

I agree with you. I find that the tea can elevate sweetness in some cigars. 

[MrBirdman]

49 minutes ago, Chibearsv said:

I find that the tea can elevate sweetness in some cigars. 

Absolutely, well said. The marcas I most enjoy with black tea are Upmann, ERDM and Trini, though I’ll also pair it with Montecristos and Cohiba. I also occasionally enjoy pairing white tea, with Cohiba in particular.

[raggie]

Just getting into loose leaf teas! I received a sampler and gaiwan as a Christmas gift, and I’m excited to delve into yet another hobby. It’s interesting exploring the nuances of subtleties in tobacco, teas, coffees, etc.

[GaryK 54]

I particularly enjoy 西湖龙井 Xihu Longjing (West Lake Dragon Well) Chinese green tea. In general, I find Chinese green tea to be a little lighter in flavour and less astringent than Japanese green tea - owing to the difference in processing the tea leaves. Longjing tea is my go-to beverage (along with San Pellegrino) when I really want to pull out the flavours in a cigar.