Cigar & Rum Pairing
Best Coffee Time
Often times, the simplest pairings turn out to be the best ones. I’ve seen this on several occasions: sometimes it is the timing, others it is the company that makes all the difference.
For this pairing I selected an ideal moment for a cigar & rum combination, I’m referring to the after-meal time, with the perfect trilogy of coffee, cigar and rum.
In order for this pairing to work, time-wise, we must select the correct cigar format. In other words, the smoking time must not exceed 20 minutes, so it could be a Perla, Laguito N°3 or a Coronas Junior, or other similar ones. I selected a Coronas Junior from Bolivar, a format commonly known as “minutos” (minutes), 42 ring x 110 mm length. It is a full-bodied cigar and, even though the appearance may suggest otherwise, it is 100% handmade.
Coronas Junior Cigar
The coffee for this pairing has to be a basic espresso and the rum must be aged a bit. Don’t select a very old rum or a very premium one, a pairing like this one is best kept simple and basic. It reminded me of a pairing I put together several years ago, with a coffee and Ron Pampero Aniversario. Back then I added the rum to the coffee, this time they will not be combined, but I’ll be using the same rum as before.
Ron Pampanero Aniversario rum
It is now time to light up the cigar and to begin the pairing. This cigar format offers a very good draw right from the start; it is hard to find one cigar that is not perfectly rolled. Right away the cigar has a very aggressive character: it could be described as a small bastard.
I started with just the coffee and the cigar, facing off the bitterness in each. On a scale of 1 to 5, the roasted coffee notes were almost 4 or 5, so very pronounced.
When I introduced the rum into the pairing, there was a diametrically-opposed contrast, but pleasant nonetheless. After a few sips, however, it becomes apparent that the tobacco notes prevail, with the unexpected appearance of a bitter-chocolate note, which prompts you to take sips more frequently. Also, since the volume of the coffee is less and also due to its temperature, the second third of the cigar is even more enjoyable than the first.
It is truly a simple pairing but it offers 20 minutes of flavor explosions, true to my expectations. I hope you are able to recreate it at home, the products are easily replaceable, the key is the timing and having a good quality coffee.
The year is almost gone, I hope you can spend 20 minutes like this, either by yourselves or with those closest to you, which would make this “digestif” even more enjoyable!
Philip Ili Barake
#GRCigarPairing
