Cigars and Alcohol

"A cigar numbs sorrow and fills the solitary hours with a million gracious images" - George Sand

Back in the days when one could smoke in a British pub, I lit up a cigar in a student's attempt to be mature, gentemanly, and debonair. The cigar was Hamlet, Britain's universal pub cigar made popular over the course of three decades by a series of ads with the catchphrase, "Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet," to the backdrop of Bach's Air on a G String. I felt like I should look a lot cooler than I actually did; instead, I stood by the bar with the thin cigar that wasn't much bigger than a cigarette, wondering how I was supposed to smoke a cigar properly.

As someone who doesn't smoke, I haven't since been much tempted to relive my student's Hamlet moment. In that time, smoking has become pariah - outlawed in offices, restaurants, and then pubs; even my smoker friends light up each cigarette with a detailed expression of guilt, followed by an equally detailed explanation of how they are going to quit as they politely blow smoke away from me.

Cigars, expensive and difficult, may seem an inevitable victim of the decline in smoking: if you can't have a quick fag over a pint, then what chance a cigar over a Cognac? It's certainly rare to see anyone smoke a cigar, but maybe this cultured, complex expression of tobacco is due a new appreciation.

In July, @kt_canfield translated for a group of Cuban sommeliers, who visited Napa and Sonoma equipped with suitcases of cigars and rum. They only just got through customs with them; Cuban products are permitted into the US but only as gifts - which is all those sommeliers were intending to do, as they distributed them liberally to all they met in wine country. Since then, we've smoked a couple of Cuban cigars, and I bought another from Sidestreet, a Napa store, from the Dominican Republic. We've experimented smoking the cigars with Pinot Noir, sherry, and rum, all of which have brought out the complexities of cigars and underlined the potential of cigar and alcohol pairings.

history and production

the smoking of cigars dates back to the European discovery in the sixteenth century of tobacco, and the practice of wrapping tobacco in dried leaves and smoking it; cigarettes originate from as late as the nineteenth century. Cuban cigars perhaps have the greatest renown, not least because they are unavailable in the United States, a country which has a long history of producing and smoking cigars. Tobacco is grown throughout Central America and the Carribbean, though many cigar maunfacturers are based in Europe - Germany and the Netherlands are the two biggest exporters.

Cigars come in various styles, shapes, sizes, and strengths. Perhaps the most important measurement is the width, which is called the ring gauge. The wider the cigar, the more flavour it imparts, although it can also burn out quicker. Measured by 64ths of an inch, gauge sizes range from 33-60. For instance, a toro cigar is 6in (15cm) long with a gauge of 50 - meaning 50 64ths of an inch (20mm) wide. The wrapping of the cigar comes from the widest part of the tobacco plant, the colour ranging from light (claro) to dark (oscuro). The cigar's complex flavours, though, come from fermenting, or slowly drying, the leaves which form the filler; the cigar should not be too dry, however, as a sweet complexity comes from the oils in the leaves.

the cigars

Habanos Trinidad

A cigar which rose to fame by its association with Fidel Castro - an association which turned out to be false. Its classic vitola (a cigar's shape and size) is a fundador, 7½ inches long with a gauge of 40. The cigar's aromas are subtle, delicate, but nevertheless quite pronounced, with a woody, earthy, spicy, herbal character.

Davidoff No.2
From a Ukranian producer based in Geneva, this cigar is a panatela, slightly shorter at 6 inches and narrower with a gauge of 38. Its flavours were smokier and less subtle, and the experience was more about the tobacco. A less complex cigar which benefitted from the pairings, especially the rum.

the pairings

with Senses Pinot Noir

The Cubans had insisted to @kt_canfield that cigars and Pinot Noir were a perfect match. I have to admit to a certain scepticism: light, delicate Pinot would surely be overwhelmed by the intense tobacco flavours of a cigar. The Cubans were right, though. This was a perfect match for the Cuban cigar in particular, the smoky nature of the wine soaking up the leafy, earthy cigar's intense complexity while being given a rich, spicy mouthfeel.

with sherry - El Maestro de Sierra Oloroso and PX

Back in February, I attended a run through of the range of Gonzalez Byass's sherries. Their rep, Paul Shepherd, introduced the Noë Pedro Ximénez sherry, a 30-year-old blend of Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez, as being, to his surprise, perfect with cigars. This was my first introduction to the possibilities of pairing cigars with wine, and I've been intrigued since. On this occasion, we paired the two cigars with a fifteen-year-old Oloroso and PX. The subtler, more nuanced cigar went well with the Oloroso, while the smokier cigar matched the sweet dried fruits of the PX. Both sherries were too young, however: I would love to repeat this experiment with a maturer, more leathery sherry.

with rum - Zacapa 23 años

This is one of the world's great drinks; as it's from Central America (Guatemala), it's also no surprise that it complemented the cigars perfectly. The sweet toffee spices filled the mouth at the same time the tobacco smoke softened the alcohol. This rum is deliciously drinkable, but the cigar slowed appreciation of it on a lingering warm evening. Two intense sets of flavours filling the mouth, yet settling together in easy balance.

Smoking a cigar takes time and proper consideration; it also requires the correct drink to go with it. It's an intense experience, full of long, rich flavours, leaving one a little light-headed. I'm not sure it's something I'd do often, as the drink has to be as complex as the cigar. But as a warm evening sets to a cool, starry darkness, I'm happy to linger on the smoke of a cigar and the spicy sweetness of a rum.