Perdomo ESV 2002 Churchill and N’ice Chouffe: Pairing

The Cigar

Perdomo SEV 2002 Churchill

Estate Seleccion Vintage

Tabacalera Perdomo

Wrapper: Nicaraguan broadleaf sun-grown

Fillers: Nicaraguan

Size: 7 x 54

$8.95 a stick

Notice the color difference in the wrapper (see pic)

The Torpedo is black and the Churchill is dark brown

I smoked a few of these sticks over the last month and I enjoyed a couple of them and then … I came across one that I did not care for as much as the others.  I’ll bet that the ones I liked had the black wrapper and the one I did not care for as much was this brown colored wrapper. 

Off the Light: soil earthy tone for the first inch.  As the smoking experience continued the soil earthy tone was still tasty and a damp campfire note developed. One inch into the stick and I can tell this is not as complex as the Torpedo size.  At this point I taste smoky wood and soil.  There is a slight spicy note swirling around.  My Strength Rating: 5 - medium

Mid-Point:  earthy tones of dried leafs and wood, a touch of campfire, and I am not picking up any spice at all at this point. 

Down the Stretch: the notes become a little more burnt, damp campfire like, dark soil, burnt leafs

To the Point: I liked the Torpedo size better because of it's complexity and more specifically the spice.  It might have been because of the wrapper - brown versus black wrapper - I'll buy the black wrapper.   

The Ale

N’ice Chouffe

Limited Edition

Ale Brewed with Spices (Thyme and Curacao Peel)

Brasserie D’Achouffe

Belgium

Achouffe.be

10% abv

75cl bottle/750 ml

$13.99

The problem I have with these 75cl bottles is getting that great sediment off the bottom of the bottle for the first pour.  Stirring or rolling a Belgian beer bottle does not work well before opening (experience) it just explodes when you open it.

Appearance: rich dark mahogany with a beige head and little lacing.  On the second half of the bottle (after stirring up the sediment) the body is a dark brown. The lacing is stronger on the second half of the 75cl bottle. 

Aroma: very faint, earthy yeast.  As it warmed sweet malty notes.

Flavors: this is a tough one; nothing standing out right away but I sure like for some reason (tasty should work).  As it warms up a nice spice note develops but I don’t know if I could pick out thyme.  Dusty orange peel, brown holiday nut raisin bread, allspice comes to mind with the bready note, thyme starts to show as the ale warms (halfway through the bottle), nice toasted grains, the dark candy-sugar also shows better as the ale warms up. 

This is liquid holiday dark bread - with orange peel, walnut, raisin, touch of allspice in the mix and thyme sprinkled on top of the crust. 

It is suggested on the bottle to serve at 60 degrees Fahrenheit.  I have to agree from this experience.  When it was still chill from the fridge the notes were muted and they opened up as it warmed.  It is also suggested, on the bottle, to enjoy after dinner. 

  

Mouthfeel: smooth carbonation – in other words low, medium to medium-full body, full of flavors once it opens. 

To the Point: I really like this ale.  Top shelf stuff here.  I’ll have to plan to have this in stock next year for the holidays.  Hope I remember! 

The Pairing

This is a good pairing.  Nothing memorable though.  The dark notes work well together; the dark bready notes of the ale and the smoky earthy tones of the cigar make for a tasty pairing.  The slightly sweet candied-sugar of the ale brings out a slight sweet note in the Maduro wrapper.