Did you know that you can pair your cigars with a good cup of coffee? Cigar and coffee pairings are among the most cherished choices for aficionados.
Let's delve into this in detail.
A cigar is a product of exceptional refinement, created through the cultivation of the land and special human attention. However, even though cigars are self-sufficient in terms of pleasure, they can also be complemented by other pleasures, such as a meal or a beverage.
In this case, coffee is a perfect companion to a cigar. Both of these products possess great individual complexity, but when combined, the result can be truly captivating.
Among the "compatible" coffees for cigars, you can find Cuban, Kenyan, Puerto Rican, and Colombian coffees, to name a few. The pairings will largely depend on your personal taste.
In the following lines, we will explore:
- The specifics of cigars and coffees.
- Why coffee and cigar pairings work.
- Some examples of successful pairings.
Let's move on to the explanations.
Cigar: A Reminder of Its Appeal
A cigar is an agricultural product cultivated for flavors ranging from mild to robust, sweet to spicy, and simple to complex. Cigars can change in flavor throughout their smoke and can also vary in their effects on the smoker, from relaxing to invigorating.
Their properties are determined by the climate and region of cultivation, the specific leaves used for wrapping, their aging process, and several other factors.
Just with these "variables," cigars offer a multitude of options and characteristics for smokers to explore. It's a vast world of taste.
Coffee: A Reminder of Its Terroir
Similarly, coffee beans are cultivated and produced as part of an agricultural process. Like cigars, the composition of coffee is determined by where the beans are grown. The taste of a cup of coffee typically ranges from mild to strong, nutty to fruity, and sweet to bitter.
Coffee can also have multiple flavors in a single cup, with each sip offering different notes, variations in the initial taste, or aftertaste. Coffee, like wine, is a world of flavors that cannot be fully explored, and that's part of its appeal.
Here's a selection of coffee blends that are particularly appreciated when paired with a cigar:
1/ Cuban Coffee
The most popular Cuban coffee blend is Cubita, which offers strong earthy tones with delicious notes of caramel and smoke. Unfortunately, it's challenging to find in France.
An alternative is the Santiago blend, which is incredibly smooth with a sweet and buttery flavor.
2/ Kenyan Coffee
Delicate and sweet notes emanate from these coffee beans, providing a subtle fruity flavor.
3/ Puerto Rican Coffee
A robust and powerful blend with a delightfully smooth and chocolatey taste.
4/ Colombian Coffee
A perfectly balanced taste, this medium roast comes with subtle notes of bitterness, cream, fruit, and spices.
With this small selection, combined with some of your favorite cigars, you have plenty of material to explore new flavors for a while!
The Cigar and Coffee Pairing
There is a golden zone between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. This magical strip of the world encompasses regions like South America, Africa, and South Asia. It's also called the "coffee belt," where the best conditions for coffee bean growth are found.
With its rich soil and tropical climate, it's also the region where our beloved tobacco plants thrive.
Savoring a cigar with a cup of coffee offers a range of unique flavors, as the aromas often overlap and complement each other so well. Each one presents hints of spices, earthiness, and hints of acidity, balanced by a multitude of other flavors that evolve during the tasting.
Obviously, the most challenging part is finding the combinations, which will depend heavily on the taste preferences of the cigar smoker and coffee drinker.
The Best Cigar and Coffee Pairings
A simple method to approach the selection process is to look for similarities between the two tastes.
For example:
- A mild and sweet cigar with a Connecticut wrapper pairs well with a similarly flavored roasted coffee, perhaps fruity.
- A moderately robust cigar with a nutty and/or slightly spicy taste, wrapped in a Havana leaf, goes well with medium roast coffee or cocoa-based coffee.
- A dark and deep Maduro-wrapped cigar is more leathery and spicy, complementing a bold roast with more acidic notes.
With a vast array of cigars and coffees available, the combinations are endless. Here are a few examples you can try:
1/ Flat White Coffee & Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill Cigar
The Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill is a moderately robust cigar with an extremely smooth draw, which pairs perfectly with the mildness of a "flat white". The cigar presents an earthy aspect that complements the milky coffee flavors, while the fruity and vanilla notes blend well with the beverage.
2/ Black Coffee & Partagas Lusitanias Cigar
This pairing is exquisite because the moderately robust nature of the Partagas Lusitanias cigar aligns perfectly with the strength of black coffee. Starting with floral and sweet notes, the cigar will reveal the coffee flavors and balance its bitterness.
The cigar then develops into leather and cedar notes, creating a powerful combination.
3/ Latte Coffee & Montecristo No 3 Cigar
A moderately robust smoke, the Montecristo No. 3 is the perfect companion for a rich and creamy coffee like a latte. The cigar itself offers notes of mocha coffee, so this touch of sweetness pairs well with the milk coffee.
4/ Espresso Coffee & Davidoff Winston Churchill The Late Hour Robusto Cigar
An espresso, as well as a sophisticated and powerful cigar, deserves an equally sophisticated companion. Davidoff's Late Hour Robusto is a robust smoke full of strong flavors and aromas that perfectly complement the strength of an espresso.
The cigar offers spicy and sweet notes with a hint of chocolate and caramel, enhancing the rich and bold flavors of the coffee.
If you're unsure about how to pair a cigar and coffee, try one of the aforementioned combinations, and you can't go wrong.
Find Your Perfect Cigar-Coffee Pairing!
There are countless possible combinations when it comes to pairing cigars and coffee, but it all depends on what you like and what you're most eager to try. Overall, this article has provided you with some guidelines to assist you in making your choices.
By exploring our selection of the most "cigar-friendly" coffees and quickly understanding their specific qualities, you undoubtedly have a better idea of what would go well with your favorite cigars.
Whether it's morning, evening, or afternoon, discover the diversity and nuances of each smoke and each cup, and savor the perfect combination.
>> To accompany this exceptional cigar-coffee experience, don't forget your essential accessories kit.
