From a Cigar Slut’s Lips to Your Mouth

A Favorite Cigar & Brew Pairing for Spring/Summer

As the days are warming up quickly here in Texas, sitting outside in the heat with a cigar may not seem like the best idea. But nighttime chills (and mosquitos) still arise. So let’s walk through a favorite cigar & brew pairing of the spring/summer! 

Rahr & Son’s Paleta de Mango has the refreshing fruit flavors of mango in the front, and the heat of the sun with chile spice in the back of the throat. Pair this with Hoyo de Monterrey’s Excalibur #3 (Gener Jose), a medium bodied and smooth Nicaraguan/Honduran/Dominican blend with Connecticut wrapper, for a delightful unwind at the end of a warm day.

Hoyo de Monterrey’s Excalibur #3 took me approximately 45 minutes to smoke (30 if you burn fast and 1 hour if you burn slow). It has a tight wrap, so if the draw is too much for you after a straight cut, I’d suggest using a shallow punch to help loosen things up. A lit cedar strip intensifies the leather draw, but a butane torch will still do this cigar justice.

The first third of the cigar has a lemongrass flavoring on the lips with a fresh leather and white pepper draw. Lemongrass pairs beautifully with the lemon and mango flavors of the beer in the front of the mouth and accents the chile with the white pepper in the back of the throat. The two balance to make a caramel cream with anise flavoring as a whole.

The second third is much a continuation of the first, as the Excalibur is known for having a consistent flavor profile for a smooth, well-rounded cigar. Together there is just enough consistency to not be surprised and enough spice to keep your palate interested as you relax by the pool.

For the last third of the cigar, the chile and pepper intensify, the leather taste tapers off but remains on the lips, and the flavors melt into a spectacularly spicy finish – enough to clear out any spring allergies. But do not fear! The spice is smoothed out into a caramel & mango custard flavoring at the end akin to mango sticky rice desserts.

Finally, if there are any other ash lovers out there, this is one of the best I’ve tasted to date. The ash is fine and smooth with light salt and soft deep earth with green spring leaf flavors. Wash it down with the last of the Paleta de Mango and it’ll put you in the mindset of laying in a hammock in a grove of fruit trees.

~Laurel Li (she/her), Ms Dallas Eagle ’20-’21, Ms Texas Leather ’20-’21