Photograph by Danna Bordalí Arias
Tea Time Photo
In this month's issue Philip Ili Barake pairs a cigar, rums and teas with Eduardo Molina, owner of Tea Studio located in Santiago, Chile.
Tea Time
This article has been in the works for several months, the challenge was to be able to do a pairing of a rum and a tea accompanied with a cigar that was both smooth and hopefully had been aged for a long time. So for this challenge, I contacted Eduardo Molina, owner of Tea Studio located in Santiago, Chile. It was his passion that led him to open this emporium that highlights the different varieties of teas and infusions. My very first lesson in this process was that no matter how fine the quality or uniqueness of the tea, it could be completely ruined in its final steps if I did not know the temperature of the water and the amount of steeping time….I saw a lot of similarity with creating a cocktail. There are a lot of recipes out there, but it is the knowledge that helps produce an excellent cocktail, creating an experience at the very moment of sipping the drink.
Prior to my reunion with Eduardo, I explained to him the unusual pairing I had been thinking about,to seek teas that would pair up with different types of rums (left to his discretion) and that both would be accompanied at the very end with a relatively smooth cigar. This was not going to be an easy job. This task was to follow the tradition of “once” or “eleven” in Spanish, a time in the middle of the afternoon when ladies would gather to drink tea to which they had added a little “aguardiente”, a word which has eleven letters, hence the name “once”.
The rums I chose for this pairing are:
• Rhum J.M from Martinique
• Dos Maderas Rum From Spain/Caribbean
• Angostura 1824 Rum from Trinidad & Tobago
• Rhum Santa Teresa Orange Liqueurs from Venezuela
• Ron Zacapa XO from Guatemala
On the day of our reunion, Eduardo had the following selection of teas and infusions:
Ceylan, Kenilworth Estate OP1
A classic Ceylan tea with bitter notes and intermediate intensity. It seemed to be the ideal tea to pair with the Rhum Orange Liqueur to spice up the sour notes.
Rooibos from South Africa
This was the only infusion in the lineup that expressed subtle notes of tobacco, cinnamon and dried wood with mushrooms. These notes made the infusion seem a bit too weak and we wanted to give it a bit of a boost so we chose Dos Maderas Rum from Spain, whose aging in sherry casks would go well with the infusion and give it a fruity and aromatic complexity.
Georgia BOPF, from Georgia (an Assam BOP can be used instead due to its similar characteristics).
This was a finely-ground tea that gave us rustic and astringent notes, while at the same time, demonstrating at times some subtle sweet notes on the palate. For this tea, we chose the Angostura 1824 Rum, with an aromatic complexity that we were not sure how it would turn out.
Christmas Tea
This tea had notes of candied dried fruits, with lots of clove and slight cinnamon. We immediately knew which rum we would pair it with. We selected Ron Zacapa XO, with notes derived from French oak barrels. We knew this rum would complement this Indian tea’s notes and spices.
Russian Caravan (can be substituted by a Lapsang Souchong which has similar traits).
For this blend of smoked black teas we wanted to find something that would refresh the tea, that it would not mask its notes. We chose the Rhum J.M Blanc from Martinique.
After the tasting notes and selections of each rum with the teas and infusions, came the point for the blending, a shot of rum in the cup and the rest f illed with the tea or infusion. With this method we created a new line of “blended teas“, and what a pleasant surprise it was!
The first blend, Ceylan with Rhum Orange, worked out like a charm, surprising us with a hint of ginger and a slight bite that was quite pleasant followed by citric notes of orange. Truly we anticipated what was going to happen, but we were pleasantly surprised by the way the two blended so well together.
In the infusion the final aroma was the highlight, aromatically they supported each other, but in the mouth the infusion won over the rum.
In the blend using the tea from Georgia, we had a similar situation happen as in the previous blend. Aromatically, they both stood out and had a deeper, richer color. On the palate, the rustic characteristics of the tea out did the rum, aromatically it was great, leaving a longer lasting taste of the tea in the mouth.
The fourth pairing was one of complemented aromas. The truth is that, even in theory, both aromas were well enhanced. A ll of the notes related to the candied dried fruits and spices ended up blending very well together resulting with the tea outdoing the rum. This was an excellent blend for subsequent pairings with cigars.
Last, but not least, in the final blend, the one with potentially the most conflictive aromas, the smokey notes were diminished thanks to the rum with its tropical notes, however, the smokey notes did prevail being a great option for pairing with cigars.
With the ideas clear and the potentials of these tastings between the teas and the infusions blended together, came the time to see what cigar would complement the tastings. In this case, I chose a Vintage 2003 Coronas from the Sancho Panza line. Having smoked this type of cigar in the past, its smoothness with hints of nicotine and ammonia, seemed ideal for each of the pairings, enhancing the notes of each of the teas associated with the levels of the smokey notes. In the very last pairing, these notes were enhanced in a somewhat evasive form.
I encourage you to try these pairings in your very own home. These teas are not hard to find and you will be able to develop your very own pairings depending on how you like to drink these beverages.
Once you have discovered your pairing, you will always enjoy “once” in the afternoon!
Philip Ili Barake
Cigar Sommelier
Philip@GotRum.com