I've never smoked pipe tobacco, but Grandpa always used too and I always loved the smell...if I were to purchase a pipe, what tobacco would you recommend I seek out? Maybe a few options...thanks
I am gonna echo what most people have already said which is the darker the beer the darker the cigar. I like pairing the Camacho triple maduro with a good big stout. For IPAs, a good sungrown wrappe like an Ashton ESG or VSG.
This happens sometimes too, its really trial and error. I normally would never try a pairing with a beer or cigar whale.
I have a Peterson Pipe, all handmade and have a wonderful velvet pouch for carrying it if you don't have another way to carry it. I have this one: http://pipesandcigars.com/pekipired69p.html#.UQ7DBb_LSSo I have a pouch similar to this (it holds your pipe or two depending on the pipe(s) you have and 2 oz of tobacco): http://pipesandcigars.com/jumaxvelepo.html#.UQ7DWL_LSSo For tobacco, I always recommend a nice smooth tobacco, Virginia Black is nice and has little notes of cherry in it. I smoke the IQ Mix from Lewis Pipes and Cigars in Minneapolis, MN. Its amazing, has notes of vanilla, cherry and is smooth and sweet. I love it and it is wonderful when aged (Yes pipe tobacco like fine beers can be aged and if it dries up a bit just open the baggie and sprinkle in a capful of water and close it back up, it'll re-humidify quickly)
I'm with an earlier poster, I like a milder cigar that doesn't overpower my brew I live in S. FL and in Little Havana is this. It's a really cool place. Only in Miami. http://www.cubancrafters.com/
Big Bad Baptist and a Cohiba 1966 for the Super Bowl. The coffee notes in the beer and cigar are almost perfect.
For the most part I'm also in the cigar and spirits camp. That's not to say that a cigar can't go really well with a good beer when you're in the right mood. Cigars a very much so a full flavored experience that can easily overwhelm the beer you're drinking.
Seriously amazing pipe tobacco, Lewis himself makes some incredible pipes too (He sells Peterson pipes there too, for around web prices) but man his pipes are beautiful (he's a master uh pipemaker? and does pipe repairs as well), however they're pricey. I think his pipes he makes are around $300-400 but man they are all one of a kind and pieces of art.
Rocky Patel anything is gonna be a great cigar. But I really enjoy the 1991 and 92 miniatures 5-packs. I'm kind of new to cigar smoking, but I've come to realize that smaller cigars taste a lot better than bigger ones
last night I was drinking Ten Fidy's and smoking a Hoyo de Monterey. The beer was so much better than the cigar by leaps and bounds
I am starting to feel a bit like Marquis, railing against the BJCP, when I see the topic of pairing cigars and beer. But I will continue to say it; Cigars and beer? Sure! But pair a good cigar with a good beer and one, the other or both will be nullified. The idea of, and yes I had to learn the hard way, wasting either a great beer or great cigar is abhorrent to me. Pair them when you don't give a shit what either tastes like and you'll be happy. As for me, I reach for The Balvenie.
i wouldn't quite go so far as to say "don't give a shit what either tastes like", but i definitely agree with this sentiment in terms of not going into a cigar & beer pairing with expectations beyond it being an experience & 1 you may or may not enjoy. one will probably be very disappointed if they show up with "epic stick" to pair with "epic ale" expecting to have some combined holy grail experience. it's rare that i get the opportunity to torch a cigar. when i do it's even rarer with beer, but typically if i do pair the 2... the beer, like the cigar, is just 1 of the multiple conversation pieces involved in the experience. what's not featured in a picture i included above is the fact that i was waiting on a friend (3rd pic.) - who was bringing his own preferred gar to enjoy with the Abyss we split. we were busy yapping & shooting the shit whereas i wasn't really paying strict attention to the precise taste of any of the particular items we went through - just that all were pleasant/unoffensive.
I've been exploring the pairing of beer and cigars for longer than I care to reveal. Barleywines and other high ABV brews (esp. aged Thomas Hardy ale, if you can find it, RISs, Utopias, etc) with a nice malt backbone are a good place to begin a pairing. As for a cigar, the best place to start, I've found, is to find one with little to no ligero, which is the strongest grade of filler tobacco used in a cigar. Aside from having a terrible combustion rate, ligero tends to blast the palate. Good for after a big meal, but not for pairing with beer. Illusione's Epernay blend contains zero ligero, and pairs well with Belgian beers and a slew of others. Tatuaje's Cabaiguan, I believe, is also sans ligero. Connecticut-wrapped cigars are also a good place to start, as they tend to offer a sweeter smoke and most cigarmakers abstain from ramping up the spice levels when blending with it. St. Paddy's day bring a deluge of candelas, which usually have a nice creaminess to their smoke that lines up well with beers. Beer, unlike spirits, is more of a finesse pairing. Whereas a spirit can heavily influence the overall character of smoke, beer usually finds only one or two flavors to play around with. It's hard to find a "home run" pairing, in the sense that both smoke and drink are complimenting each other. It's not impossible, though. Another thing I've found is cigars tend to balance out beers very well. Using @highbrow awesome collection of Cubans as an example, the saltiness of some Bolivar and Partagás Cubans play really well with sweet, malty beers, much like salt in chocolate. Pepper in a cigar can bring out the subtle pepper notes in a beer, say, a saison. IPAs, aside from Imperials, are tricky with cigars, as they tend to cut through smoke. If you are a fan of bitter, though, a cigar can play well with the FINISH of an IPA, but that's an acquired taste, best for after a big meal, too. At the risk of sounding like a know-it-all douche, I do write about this subject extensively. Here's an index of my articles: http://www.cigaraficionado.com/category/index/id/16/topic/91/traverse/N#top
Hoyo Double Coronas (the real Hoyos) are one of my all time favorites but they are too light for something like Ten Fidy. They'd be great with a Van de Kaizer Red though.
Beer and cigars do not mix well. Maybe a more mild cigar would be, but I would never ruin both an Opus X and a good beer by trying to have them both at the same time. At least, never again - I've tried before, and it just doesn't work. Stick to bourbon or scotch, something that has a far more concentrated flavor that can compete with the cigar, but not mix unfavorably with it like hops do, or have the complexity or depth of flavor lost like typically happens with a RIS or something barrel aged. If you must try anyways, Utopias would probably work - the sweetness probably would hold up to the cigar nicely.
Nice! Jack is great. We've chit chatted a few times about distillery barrel programs, IIRC. Nothing better than cigars and booze! You just reminded me my CA subscription expired. Or is it cA now? Lol
Barley wines and cigars definitely do not compliment each other. I can't taste the Bigfoot i'm drinking..
For me, I like IIPA's with a strong spicy cigar like an Opus X. And a smooth robust cigar like a La Gloria Cubana with a Imperial Stout.
When I was down south, I had some chocolate/sweet flavored cigar which I normally never have, with a chocolate stout. It was awesome. Smoking makes me want to drink, drinking makes me want to smoke. Plus there's nothing better than drinking on a porch swing from a plastic milk jug growler fill wearing cowboy boots. #WINNING
As has been the case almost everytime I've had a memorable tasting (beer, wine, cigars, food), the people involved are an important part of the experience. BTW, Padron 1964 Aniversario Robusto is my prefered choice.
Yeah, yeah... heard this one before. Truth is the amount of cigar content we have per issue has remained consistent through the years, but no matter how many times I say this, detractors don't believe me. Anyway, I agree with your sentiments regarding booze and cigars, so prost and happy smoking.
Haha I should have known that joke wouldn't have been taken lightly! For what it's worth, I love the magazine and intend to renew. I agree that cigar content has stayed the same, if not grown slightly. How do we convince MS that he needs a craft beer magazine now?
This was at my friends lake house the other weekend. Had to add a little Mad Men quote to try and make the picture as good as the pairing This was at our reception the night before our wedding. I smoked a Ruination Man O War with the Bourbon County and it was heavenly! I would have to dig for more pics but I love pairing stogies and beers. English Barleywines and BBA English Barleywines (Abacus/Sucaba for sure) are normally my go to for pairings. I avoid anything overly hoppy. I also find that breakfast stouts and maduros are excellent together. This past weekend I had a nice Connecticut wrapper paired up with a couple of Hefs and it was a great pair for a mid day combo.
I could see a bourbon county pairing well with a cigar now that I think about it. BCBS is all about big flavors and being an amazingly smooth 15%, even while young. It probably doesn't lose much when paired.
