An Introduction To Pairing

I’m going to start this post off with a disclaimer of sorts…

Drink what you like, drink what tastes good.

Now that’s out of the way, there are definitely some beverages that pair better with the right cigar than others.  Pairing cigars and drinks for the greatest enjoyment involves both art and science.  The act is far more subjective than objective, and depends in a wide variety of personal styles and tastes.

Interestingly, when you start to discuss pairing, most people instantly assume you are talking about alcoholic beverages.  I have personally discovered this can be an incorrect assumption.  I was given an interesting statistic recently, that the most popular beverage enjoyed with a cigar is… Coffee!

I tend to believe this.  One reason is that I have many friends who indeed enjoy a cigar at various times of the day with a good cup of coffee, but beyond that, this particular beverage has the one factor that makes a good pairing… Bold flavor.

When it comes down to it, that’s really the characteristic that makes the best pairing no matter what specific beverage you choose.  The flavor of the drink has to be able to stand up to the myriad flavors and bold presence of a fine cigar.  The key to a good pair is the balance between the two.  You want neither the smoke or the drink to overpower the other.

There are other aspects to be considered, such as flavor profiles of each item that are complimentary – not in conflict, different levels of sweetness or savor…  Perhaps we will discuss these more specifically in future posts.

Finding the right combination of fine cigar and fine beverages should be a search, or an adventure, not a race to a goal.

Tell us about your favorite pairings in the comments below.

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