The Cigar
Blend Lab CI WH-660
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador Viso
Binder: Nicarugan Broadleaf
Fillers: Habano Esteli, Condega, Jalapa
Size: 6 x 60
The 6 x 60 size is my favorite size for a cigar. The burn is cooler, the flavors in the smoke are more noticeable, and l like to have time on my side when I smoke a cigar for a great experience.
Off the Light: light earthy tones, portabella mushroom, crisp mineral like soil.
As the smoke continues the earthy tones are still tasty and similar to the first few puffs. The texture is crisp, smooth, and mellow at this point. 4 on my strength scale.
Mid-Point: the earthy tones are becoming a little more medium bodied. Dry mineral soil, grassy, light cedar, firm dry leaves: these are good specific descriptors of a forest floor like quality. To me there is a bright mild-medium roast coffee like character to the smoke. At times I think there is a dry sage like quality. It has an aromatic feel, lightly bitter, pungent, and woody like, maybe pine wood. My strength rating would be a 5 at best.
Down the Stretch: the forest floor like quality continues with just a little change in tones. The herbal and mineral like character is pleasing. CI (cigars international) bills this as bold but, I personally think it is more elegant like than bold.
The Ale
Piraat Ale
10.5% abv
550ml stubby bottle
Around $16.00 a four pack
Br Van Steenberge
I have to visit this brewery some day
Ertvelde, Belgium
This is one of my favorite Belgian Triples. Last year I had to do about 8 cigar pairings with this fine triple ale.
Appearance: hazy amber body with a slightly off-white creamy head that leaves plenty of lacing on the glass.
Aroma: only slightly sweet and grassy on the nose to me. This is the only down fall of this ale. I don’t find the nose that complex for such a tasty ale. Since the nose seems light you may want to drink this ale but, it is only a sipper. Sip and swirl on the palate for a tasty experience.
Flavors: honey dipped tropical fruits and grassy hops sound pretty simple enough but, you have to try this and think about it and it is a little more complex than it appears at first. The tropical fruit notes to look for are papaya, mango, and a light pineapple juice. There is a hint of pink peppercorn in the mix with a light grassy hoppiness that adds a slight bittering note to the punch bowl.
Mouthfeel: very smooth for a 10.5% abv ale. The carbonation is low. There is only a light fizz feel on the palate. The 10.5% abv warms the palate but, does not stand out in the taste so, be careful. I usually limit myself to two of these bottles in a night.
My Strength Rating: 7 – the body weight seems medium-full on the palate; the flavors are tasty so, the ale is full-of-flavor not full flavored.
The Pairing
This is a very good pairing. I want to call it an elegant pairing. Two sophisticated products in style. The two intermingled well together and the flavors of each stood out as true as could be during the pairing. The tropical notes of the ale were complement by the earthy profile of the cigar. The bright mild-medium coffee note of the cigar played well with the sweet malts and grassy hops of the ale.
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