Cigar & Rum Pairing
Rum Fest Pairing
Some time ago, before the Covid virus changed our lives, I participated as a judge at one of the rum festivals I used to admire due to the number of booths and the number of products that consumers and rum lovers could find there. I recall receiving an invitation again in 2020, but my participation was derailed again by the virus. I’m glad, however, that they held the event and were able to attract a lot of rum aficionados. I put together this pairing while thinking about all the people behind that organization.
Back then, at the festival’s own stand, they were selling a rum straight from the barrel. They were literally filling the bottles from the barrel and Don Pancho was there signing every bottle. It was a great opportunity for rum lovers to own something unique, so I reserved some of my budget and suitcase space for a bottle.
The good news was that, at the end, all judges received a complimentary bottle, so I was able to purchase other bottles instead. Since then, the question in the back of my mind has been: when do I open the bottle and how do I consume the contents? Seeing that the rum festival was able to take place during these uncertain times, I decided it was time to open my signed and numbered bottle.
Robusto from AJ Fernandez Romeo y Julieta cigar
On a sunny day, I retrieved a cigar from the humidor that I keep at the bar: it is a humidor reserved for my friends. I selected a Robusto from AJ Fernandez Romeo y Julieta, the format provides a smoking time perfect for enjoying a rum neat. The leaves are a mix of 100% Nicaraguan tobaccos, the wrapper is a clone of Habano 2000 from Nicaragua. By design, this cigar is meant to be a maduro, but upon a closer examination of the wrapper, I would have expected a darker color. Regardless, prior to lighting up the cigar, the aroma has intense notes of new black leather, with some dry fruits, but the leather notes are the dominant ones.
I lit up the cigar, the draw was very good. From the beginning, the intensity surpasses that from the Cuban Romeo y Julieta, which is understandable due to it being made from 100% Nicaraguan tobaccos. I perceived notes of toasted pistachios with very agreeable spicy flavors.
Rumclub Berlin
The rum, on the other hand, has a clear alcoholic intensity, due to its ABV of 51.1%. The age statement is 10 years in American oak barrel, I don’t know if the barrel had a previous use, but everything points to either a new barrel or one with only one previous use. The flavor profile is typical of rums from Don Pancho, with dry fruits, vanilla, followed by notes of coffee and dry orange peel. Well-balanced for a straight pairing.
To summarize, as I finish smoking the second third of the cigar, the intensity of this cigar was consistently higher than that of its Cuban counterpart, it burned evenly. The ash was good, not excessively white that it makes you question the quality of the soil, but rather a very natural white.
I give this pairing a score of 10: it helped me recall great times during the festival and left me craving for many more!
Cheers!
Philip Ili Barake
#GRCigarPairing
