Cigar pairing–Dare to pair, and beyond
A cigar isn’t just a cigar. A cigar opens up unexpected perspectives, takes you into new worlds, and creates wholesome experiences. Perfectly paired.
Every cigar pairing follows the premise that a cigar is never just a cigar. A multitude of combinations of smoke and mostly liquids, have been tried to create a dynamic around cigars over the past years. A traditional cigar pairing depends on the region, but it doesn’t get more original than a Cuban cigar pairing. The two most common ones are still practiced by the old timers in Cuba: either with coffee (almost like a Turkish coffee) and a lot of sugar, or a good aged rum. Whether one keeps it traditional or not, a cigar pairing is about harmony, balance, variety, and complementary texture as well as temperature.
A cigar pairing with Rum, Cognac or Whisk(e)y seems to be most intuitive, as those classic spirits are often recited in that regard. For everyone who chooses to explore different pathways, cigar pairing is a wonderful rabbit hole. There is a whole new world of holistic moments opening up that make the cigar pairing even more exciting, colorful and individual!
How to pair a cigar?
Just as with food pairing, there are two fundamental approaches to a cigar pairing:
Complementary, as birds of a feather flock together.
Contrasting, as opposites attract each other.
The complementary approach works with the premise of harmony. A creamy, luscious Connecticut Shade wrapper for example. It is defined by a fine, nutty quality and elegant bitterness, thus, it asks for a creamy, nutty, and fine, off-dry beverage. Almond milk or a light Sherry are pairings that cause excitement and pure joy for the palate.
A contrasting cigar pairing is a conscious choice of opposing elements that are put in correlation to challenge all senses. Confusion by design. Tastes differ, but a fresh, fizzy beverage can be just as perfect a cigar pairing for a Connecticut wrapper. On the other hand, a chocolate-like Maduro Wrapper is lifted in new spheres with a glass of tomato juice, or even a Red Snapper cocktail.
Often times the body and strength are referred to as the two main parameters for a cigar pairing. A full body means a lot of smoke, and a rather oily or chewy texture. Body doesn’t necessarily resemble strength, and as always: let experience be your guide. Having said that, i.e. stronger cigars might require a more robust beverage as well. Some people might go ‘color to color’, meaning a cigar pairing of a (rather) dark beverage and a dark wrapper.
What to pair with a cigar?
If nothing else, the meteoric rise of bar culture has established cocktails as a great cigar pairing. Having said that, an excellent drink doesn’t have to contain bourbon whiskey, wine, beer or other alcohols nor does it have to be sweet or tropical, which are still the predominant image of cocktails.
Furthermore, veggie juices, spicy essences, tea or various milk and nut milk beverages should be in the mix for a unique cigar pairing. Even fermented fruits or vegetables, verjus, or other unusual ingredients such as malt coffee – pure, on the rocks, or in a cocktail – pair well! The combinations that suite your favorite Vitola seem to be limitless. You are in charge, you can choose the flavor direction you want to head into.
Why care?
The rise in popularity of sound cigar pairing isn’t just a clever trick of marketing departments.
Enjoying smoke, challenges our sensory perception in various ways. Astringency and bitterness, tobaccos that dry up the palate or the opposite – leading to salivation, warm-cold divergence, and a sheer endless variety of aromatic impressions stressing our olfactory mechanism: everything asks for refreshment and appeasement.
Lemon flavors and carbonated beverages ‘clean’ our taste buds, and leave us in pleasant anticipation of the next puff.
Milky and creamy flavors have silky, calming effect especially if combined with rather spicy, bitter, or peppery sticks.
You should try a floral elderflower soda with your next Davidoff Signature No.2, a chocolate milk with an AJ Fernandez‘ Bellas Artes Maduro or an aged Champagne with the Illusione‘s Epernay. Speaking of which: Franca Comparetto wrote a great article on Champagne pairings.
Inspiration and association
The basis of decision-making regarding the right cigar pairing is the sensory assessment of the stick. The characteristics of each Vitola create a chain of associative reactions. Is there a sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness or Umami that can be emphasized by a certain beverage? What flavors do you notice? Earthy, woody, grassy, fruity, or spicy and peppery? Those sensory synapses should by translated in a matching cigar pairing – either complementing or contrasting.
Your phantasy can create all sorts of cigar pairings. Dare to pair, and a stick is never just a stick.
There is a third dimension. The snack. It still seems to be rather unusual for many, but a classic cigar pairing (with a beverage) and finger food can create magic triangle. Green olives with a Rocky Patel Vintage 1999 Connecticut, rosemary cracker with a Nica Puro or some dry-cured ham with a Kafie 1901 San Andres. Incredible.
Snacks also have psychological effect. They help to remember flavors and verbalizing what you taste and what you smell. A true symbiosis.
One can even take it a step further, because we are not impacted by the stick, the cigar pairing and a snack. We are also impacted by the audio-visual stimulation caused by wrapper, band and packaging. Marketing, storytelling and brand positioning impact our experience significantly. Considering those elements, we begin to expand from a cigar pairing to a cigar experience.
A cigar pairing is an excellent way to discover your own sensory talents, to train and to stimulate. In holistic context though, a cigar pairing isn’t the only part of the experience. It’s much rather a multi-sensory event with more than ‘just’ a beverage or a snack. Let’s explore.
If you have ever lit a stogy or poured a glass of Single Malt while a neon sign was penetrating your sight, and fast techno base was beating with mind-blowing intensity your ear drums, you can anticipate the deeper implications.
The sensitive ensemble of our perceptions is like a treasure box of unique experiences, whereas our sensorium cannot be assessed on its own. The whole is important.
Scientific observations in the areas of multi-sensory, neuroscience and cognition support the subjective feeling that single perceptions are processed and combined to a comprehensive perception (‘the multi-sensory orchestra’).
Scientists also conducted assessments, where they observed the brain activity under the influence of alcohol and tobacco, combined with visual impressions of colors. So, now we go very much beyond the cigar pairing. The areas of the brain processing scents are also processing in a positive mood. Those areas were strongly affected by different colors. A ‘match’ of scent and color increased the activity of those areas of the brain by a great multiple. The same observations were made with haptic impressions and acoustic.
What does it mean for the passionado?
Sweet, bitter, acid, salt, nutty, grassy, earthy, or floral. Not only the blend and cigar pairing create the flavors, but the entire experience. One could say that a cigar experience is a cigar pairing with the right surrounding.
At tastings we might philosophize about scent and taste of various Vitolas, but the true product can only be experienced in a multi-sensory environment. Cigar pairings allow us to tap into that world and explore, but the real fascination is in the composition of all impressions. The cigar experience doesn’t have to happen accidentally, but rather when it’s actively pursued and designed. How do visual impressions modify my perception? What is the perfect sound for a smoke? And what difference does a velvet cushion make?
Branding influences the experience
The topic of multi-sensory branding is poorly represented in large parts of the industry. Manufacturers obviously use the band and the box as an extended experience design. Successful retailers and lounges are using a comprehensive interior design to improve the journey of the passionado. Nevertheless, a holistic branding approach is still rare.
Cigar pairing is about the fundamentals, and the modern passionado thrives for an experience beyond that. This is also a test for the predominant business models in the industry. In times of digitalization and commoditization, the design of such customer journeys is more important than ever.
Whether you are business woman or man, or a passionado: go beyond the cigar pairing!
Colors and lighting are important, not only the sweetness or bitterness of the beverage. If you also pay attention to rhythm, sound, touch, and feel, you will create a transformative force that makes the experience even more worthwhile. Everything is connected with our organoleptic and gustatory perception.
Let’s explore beyond the cigar pairing. Long live the cigar experience.
With the best of spirits, light em up!
Reinhard
Sensory expert, cigar passionado, and host of the Light ‘em Up Lounge
