Partagas Gigante Cigar and Sprecher Black Bavarian: Pairing

Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Mexico
Filler: Dom. Rep. / Mexico
Size: 6 x 60
Strength Scale: 3 or 3.5
The only Partagas cigar that I have smoked in a long time is the ‘S’ series. I remember smoking a fair share of them back in the 90’s but, they are on the milder side of medium and not all that complex. With the new sampler pack out with the 6 x 60 sized cigars I thought it was time to give them a try again.

The Partagas Gigante holds a solid grey ash. The construction is solid and the light of the foot is mellow. It has a classic Cameroon taste. The almond like nuttiness is surrounded by a sweet apple-wood taste at the beginning and changes to cedar by mid-point. Think of smoking some shrimp and scallops with some apple wood – in a matter of fact this would be a great dinner pairing. In the mid part of the smoke there is a mild earthiness to the tobacco. This is defiantly a smooth and mellow smoke.

The Black Lager
Yes, it is black and a 2 finger fine tan head that dissipates fairly quick. The head leaves some nice lacing on the glass. As I continue to drink the lager there is little lacing on the glass.
Aroma is roasted and sweet malt.
First sip is caramelized malt for sure. There is a definite dark chocolate taste that swirls around the palate. This is a fine black lager that is complex with the malty notes. To me there are roasted undertones that make me think of roasted coffee beans, there are caramelized malts, up front, giving me that sweetness and the dark chocolate that swirl around the edges that gives me that little bitterness.

The Pairing
The cigar – The Black Lager - The Irish cheddar wine cheese on wafer sour dough bread.
I am not expecting too much interference between the two since the cigar is a mild-medium bodied smoke. After the first few exchanges I am surprised with the taste of the lager. The nutty profile of the Cameroon seems to bring out the spiciness of the hops. The Bavarian Black Lager is displaying some light pepper and spice with this pairing. I still get the caramelized malty aroma with every sip but, this sweetness on the palate seems to be around the edges of the mouth and the slight bitter notes moving to the front. I did not expect this at all. I liked the roasted malt taste during the last pairing I did with this Black Lager. The chocolate profile of the lager is not present but, the mild-medium coffee flavor is there. The Partagas and the cheese seems to bring out the hops a bit here.