March Matching 2013 Game 2

Pinar del Rio Habano and Rocky Patel The Edge Maduro go head to head while

I enjoy a 32 oz growler of Sir Edward’s Double Brown Ale from Witch’s Hat Brewery.

sorry the best pic I could get

To read about (click on link below)

The Set-up

Play in Game

Game 1

Let’s introduce the Ale and the Cigars:

The Ale

Sir Edward’s Double Brown Ale

Witch’s Hat

South Lyon, Michigan, USA

8.9% abv

Witchshatbrewing.com

The Double Brown Ale has a rich malty nose with touch of coffee and lightly roasted grains.  The taste profile follows the nose with toasted grains, rich coffee with a light shot of cream, dry sea grass swirls around the mid palate, and 85% dark chocolate like bitterness on the finish and more so on the aftertaste.  The mouthfeel has a syrupy feel with roasted notes lingering on the palate and a dry finish.

The pictures have been taken, the pre-game stats have been written, and a few sips of the Double Brown Ale have my palate ready to light these cigars up.

The Cigars:

The Habano

Pinar del Rio Toro Habano

Habano Sun Grown

Liga Cubana No. 5

Wrapper: Dominican Republic Habano Sun Grown

Binder: Criollo ’98 from Dom.

Fillers: Nicaraguan and Dom. Rep.

Size: 6 x 50

This cigar starts off with a nice Habano spicy flavor.  The spice reminds me of green peppercorn.  There is a good earthy tone with a touch of woody notes that help to give it some body.  I’ll give it a 6/6.5 on my strength scale. 

By the mid-point the peppery spice has settled.  The dusty earthy tone remains with a mild-medium coffee note and a sweet woody character – I am thing Alder wood.  I think I’ll give it a 5/5.5 on my strength scale here at the mid-point.

The cigar is pretty much like the mid-point as it smokes through the final third.  It is a little more robust in body. 

This cigar won the play in game beating its brother the Pinar del Rio Oscuro cigar.  It was the contrast in flavors that made this an interesting pairing.  The Edge is going to be similar to the Pinar Oscuro in that the cigar will complement the ales flavors.  Let’s see how they rumble here today on the hardwood.  

The Edge

Rocky Patel ‘The Edge’ Toro Maduro

Wrapper: Maduro

Binder: Nicaraguan

Fillers: ? Secrete

According to Rockypatel.com

Size: 6 x 52

My Strength Rating: 6.5

Here is what I had to say about ‘The Edge’ back on May of 2011.

I can’t believe I have never reviewed this stick.  A few years back every time I went in to the cigar store I would pick up 4 sticks just to store away in my humidor.  Well, I have a good collection of these babies.  So, it is time for a review. 

I have always liked this cigar for its size, price, and flavor.  The flavor is fairly consistent all the way thru the smoking experience.  Dark roasted French Roast coffee notes mingled with some dried brown spice and toasted pumpernickel.  The mouthfeel is very pleasing and smooth for a medium-full bodied smoke. 

This cigar should pair well with most stouts, porters and dopplebocks.

The Habano cigar has won the coin flip

The Battle

The Habano cigar opens up with some spicy notes and woody tones.  A few sips of the ale and that nice contrasting experience is still pleasing.  The cigar brings out the dry sea grass and moderate dark chocolate bitterness in the ale.

The Maduro cigar starts off with some dark bread and mild earthy coffee like qualities.  After getting the burn established I take a few sips of the Ale; ooooh, this is nice.  The dark roasted coffee like flavor of the Cigar starts to kick in and mingles oooh so well with the coffee with a light shot of cream like flavor of the Ale.  The moderate syrupy texture of the Ale seems to be more noticeable during this pairing compared to the Habano and Ale pairing. 

The Habano cigar comes back with some of that nice Alder wood like flavor and a touch of earthy mild-medium coffee like notes.  The things that I am not picking up during this exchange are the toasted grains and the moderate syrupy like mouthfeel of the Ale.  Otherwise, I really like this pairing.  I do like how the peppery notes of the cigar bring out the hoppy notes of the Ale. 

The Maduro cigar plays oh so nice with the Ale.  The coffee flavors mingle well; the gentle brown spice and pumpernickel like bready notes comingle with the Ales hops.  The bitter notes are more of an undertone during this pairing.  The Ales toasted grains, coffee, and dark chocolate like qualities are very pleasing with The Edge Cigar.  The moderate syrupy feel that the Ale should have is in play during this pairing.  I really like this mouthfeel during the exchange of these two. 

This has been a classic battle on the old hardwood floor.  The Pinar del Rio Habano played a great game with its contrasting style to the Sir Edward’s Double Brown Ales flavors.  But, the winner is Rocky Patel’s ‘The Edge’.  The Edge just plays so well with the Ales flavors and mouthfeel.  The toasted grains and dark chocolate like flavors of Sir Edward are spot on; the mouthfeel of the Ale is spot on.  I would smoke either one of these cigars with this ale and be satisfied.  But, The Edge by Rocky Patel just maximizes my experience.  It was the French Roast like coffee note of The Edge, the toasted grains, the mouthfeel, and the rich comingling notes of both that just hit the spot.  On this day The Edge wins by just five points.  

This should be a classic match-up with The Edge going against the Padilla Limitado.  Click hereto see the match-up