El Mejor Emerald Campana Pyramid and Harpoon Single Hop ESB: Pairing

The Cigar

El Mejor Emerald Campana Pyramid

Wrapper: Honduran Corojo

Binder: Nicaraguan

Fillers: Nicaraguan

Size: 5 x 58

Freebie (around 2.50 a stick)

Off the Light: earthy tones, toast, and then after a few puffs some spice hit the palate.  Nice black pepper and ginger spice tantalized the tongue for a half an inch of the stick.  One inch into the stick and the spice is all gone and there is a nice earthiness as the main profile.

Mid-Point: the smoke has a good forest floor earthiness, a hint of hardwood (oak), and there is an undertone of spice going on.  On a couple of puffs I thought I detected a little wet musty old wood. 

Down the Stretch: the experience is smooth at this point with the earthy tones and that slight hint of hardwood as its main stay. 

To the Point: for a freebie it’s nice.  If I had to pay for it … I wouldn’t.  Okay, 2 bucks a stick I would say sure.  It’s not that bad.  It is just between okay and good.  I’ll give it a B-.

My Strength Rating: 4.5 – the peppery spices at the front end brings this rating up.

The ESB – Extra Strong Bitters

Harpoon Single Hop ESB

100 Barrel Series

Session 31

5.8% abv

38 ibu

$6.99 a bottle

Harpoon Brewery

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Appearance: deep amber with some shiny copper highlights when held to the light.  The tan head was plentiful and the lacing on the glass is heavy.

Aroma: sweet malts and grains, with a moderate hoppy note. 

Flavors: a mix of golden and fancy raisins, a soft pine, sweet grains, a hint of nuttiness maybe fresh pecan.  It seems fairly simple overall. 

Mouthfeel: surprisingly smooth, a touch of a water edge, not much on any lingering notes. 

To the Point: Not bad.  I would give it a B-. 

My Strength Rating: 4 – that smooth and light water edge holds it to a four rating. The overall flavor profile seems simple. 

The Pairing

Both these products seem simple and they kind of deserve each other.  The earthy tones of the cigar mix well with the earthy and slight nutty notes of the ale.  Neither one of these I would go out of my way to pick up.  I would grade each one around a B- and the overall pairing experience is a B-.  I don’t know about you but, I don’t look to maximize my experience with a B- pairing.