![Cigar and Rum Pairing Cigar and Rum Pairing](https://www.gotrum.com/downloads/2703/download/Cigar%20and%20Rum%20Pairing.jpg?cb=2ce1b96083d3a8ae0696f0c2fa58ece3&w={width}&h={height})
Cigar and Rum Pairing
10 Lot 23
For this pairing I didn’t want to search through cocktail recipes: I wanted something simple and straightforward. Among the options I spotted a bottle of Bacardi 10 Year Old, which I had opened recently and I imagined its potential paired with a medium-bodied cigar. It is possible that the cigar I selected is slightly more intense, but it was love at first sight so I went with it.
![Bacardi Gran Reserva 10 yr old Bacardi Gran Reserva 10 yr old](https://www.gotrum.com/downloads/3353/download/Bacardi%20Gran%20Reserva%2010%20yr%20old.jpg?cb=75cdda93ddf59979e848853e2179b046&w={width}&h={height})
Bacardi Gran Reserva 10 yr old
When I first saw the bottle of Bacardi Gran Reserva 10 Year Old, I saw a cigar band (more precisely a “puro” band) around the bottle’s neck. It is a visual reminder that Bacardi was born in Cuba, a land also known for its rums and, even though Bacardi is not made there anymore, it will always be part of its history.
![Perdomo Cigars Perdomo Cigars](https://www.gotrum.com/downloads/3354/download/Perdomo%20Cigars.jpg?cb=ba811d894d7168f054f4c492af6f7703&w={width}&h={height})
Perdomo Cigars
The cigar I chose was the Toro (6” x 50) from the Lot 23 line from Perdomo Cigars. It is a cigar from the Estelí Valley in Nicaragua. As the name implies, it is made from tobacco leaves grown in Lot 23, near the cigar factory. Just like a Gran Chateaux in the world of wines comes from a specific lot, throughout the years Lot 23 has been the birthplace of many cigars of different ages. Before lighting it up, I examined it and can indeed tell that it has been aged at least 4-5 years. The complex aromas coming from the foot of the cigar (the end you light up) are a giveaway. The cigar has Nicaraguan filler and Connecticut wrapper.
I gave the cigar a “V” cut (I really like the draw you get with it) and, once lit, it had a textbook medium-intensity body. Towards the end of the second third, the intensity increased a notch, but it was still very enjoyable. I had already started sipping the rum a few minutes before lighting up the cigar. It is a clean blend of rums, with notes of bananas and pears, a bit oxidized, accompanied by hints of vanilla and soft caramel from the charred barrel aging.
There is great synergy between both products from the very beginning, a great draw, beautiful light grey ash and the tobacco notes start to develop complexity, pairing up with the rum in a very classy way, with prolonged aftertaste. Neither the rum nor the cigar attempt to overpower the other, resulting in a very pleasant pairing that lasts for about an hour.
Philip Ili Barake
#GRCigarPairing
![Philip Barake write up Philip Barake write up](https://www.gotrum.com/downloads/2662/download/Philip%20Barake%20write%20up.jpg?cb=16e73ce66268137f02b8360b58065191&w={width}&h={height})