From a Cigar Slut’s Lips to Your Mouth – Cigar Pairing Rules by Laurel Li

THERE ARE NO RULES! 

(They’re really more of guidelines…)

Cigar flavors are just as diverse as any other foods or drinks. It boils down to your persosnal preferences & finding brands or tobaccos that you enjoy.

Tips for getting started:

If you don’t have the budget to buy up lots of cigars, then try sampler packs from some of the larger cigar distributors. Cigars International and many others put out monthly deals for 5, 10, or 20 count cigar packs for $20 – $50, depending on your price range. They usually come with goodies like cutters or even cigar boxes or small humidors. You can find these online or in those pesky weekly circular ad pages that come in the mail.

Your greatest asset is your nose!

80% of taste comes from smell, so a great way to determine the predominant flavors of a cigar is to smell it along the length. Start at the foot (the part you light) and go down to the cap/shoulder (the part you put in your mouth). This isn’t always possible in stores with walk-in humidors due to sealed wrappers and… well… COVID19. So let’s review what you can tell from sight and descriptions.

• **Hint for service: If you have a great sniffer pup, they can be an incredible asset in differentiating the smells of different cigars! Just make sure the mix of smells in a walk-in humidor isn’t overwhelming. The smell of the cedar shelving and boxes may keep the pests away, but it can distort lighter cigar notes.
• **Pups: Before smelling each cigar, breathe out through your nose, then hold the cigar near your septum/nasal passage and inhale along the length of the cigar. Be careful NOT TO TOUCH the cigar to your nose. We don’t want germs – just scents!

Visual Indicators (Wrappers):

A wrapper is the tobacco leaf you see on the outside of the cigar holding the tobacco inside. It will definitely affect the taste on the lips and give a good amount of fragrance, but doesn’t necessarily indicate what the filler (inner tobacco) will taste like when drawing. Mosts cigar producers do tend to let the wrappers do some of the talking to entice you, so here are some of the common ones:

 – Green wrappers (Connecticut): fresh, crisp, hoppy, can be bitter. Think of an IPA beer or leafy green produce like lettuce, chard or spinach. Pairs well with white wines/teas, fish, chicken, farmhouse ales, or hop heavy beers

 – Light brown/tan: varies, can have caramel or cream flavors or up to light earth and tree bark scents. Flavors will deepen, but not necessarily intensify, as these cigars are smoked. This is due to nicotine concentration build-up as heat travels the length of the cigar. Pairs well with caesar salads, broth based soups, lagers, and fruit wines/teas

 – Medium brown: large amount of variety, typically black pepper, freshly shined/conditioned leather, robust earth tones. The most popular due to the variety of flavor and thickness of the leaves. Pairs well with dark meat chicken & turkey, ales, light malts, ground beef, potatoes, and black teas

 – Dark brown to Black: Heavy leather, black pepper, coffee/espresso, cocoa. Intensifies heavy flavors and can be quite rich. Lighten the heaviness of the cigar by pairing with lighter nibbles like mousse or cheese souffle. Double down on the richness by pairing with after dinner coffee, red meats, dark chocolate, or red wine

Fillers (Under the wrapper):

This is where things get tricky. You can’t actually see the filler except for the edges at the foot of the cigar, but they make up a significant portion of the flavor. Large tobacco producers grow multiple strains/varieties which are affected by the soil content, humidity in the area, aridity, and sun/cloud cover. This is why fillers are typically listed on cigar descriptions by the region where the tobacco is grown. Let’s review the general features for the most common regions.

 – Cuba: Peppery, dark & robust. Grown in 70 degree temps with approximately 70% humidity. This is actually the basis for where we get the 70-70 rule for humidor maintenance.

 – Connecticut [River Valley]: light & crisp. Thicker plant leaves can be oily, these plants are hearty as they are grown in cooler temperatures near glacier water rivers.

 – Nicaragua: Varied by landscape (not usually listed in description). Sweet & rich tobacco comes from closer to the shoreline, whereas spicy and robust tobacco is grown in the high valley. Find a mild or medium balance from island grown varieties.

 – Dominican Republic: varied, Mild to Medium. These are akin to the light brown to medium brown wrappers and have a ton of variety. Some of the most popular cigar producers from this region include Davidoffs, Arturo Fuente, and KBF

 – Ecuador: mild, smooth, earthy. Ecuador actually grows Connecticut based varieties as well as the highly coveted Sumatra variety, giving them mild to medium earth tones.

 – Mexico: thick, hearty, sweet, earthy. I always thick of Mexican pastries when I think of Mexican cigars. They are sweet without being cloying and hearty enough that just one will do to satisfy your cravings.

If this is all still a little much, here are some of my favorite cigar tobacco combinations:

– Got a sweet tooth? Light brown wrappers with Nicaraguan or Dominican Republic fillers have a delightfully creamy caramel flavor

– Are you a fan of scotch/whiskey and a steak? Try dark brown wrappers with Cuban or Mexican filler for a peppery taste to enhance the pete.

– Casual afternoon with friends? Medium brown wrappers with Dominican Republic or Ecuadorian fillers for mid-body fullness that won’t wear you out.

– Hot day by the water? Try out a Connecticut wrapper with Nicaraguan and Connecticut fillers