La Flor De Cano Churchill and He’Brew Hop Manna IPA: Pairing

The Ale

He’Brew Hop Manna IPA

Dry Hopped with Centennial, Cascade and Citra

Shmaltz Brewing Company

Shmaltzbrewing.com

Saratoga Springs, New York, USA

1pt 6oz bottle

$5.99

65 IBU’s

6.8% abv

Malts: 2-row, wheat, Munich, Vienna, CaraMunich 40

Hops: Warrior, Casade, Citra, Amarillo, Crystal, Centennial

Appearance: hazy amber with light caramel highlights; finger and a half off white head that leaves plenty of lacing on the glass.

Aroma: light nose; citrus spice

Flavors: solid citrus notes with grapefruit salad coming to mind – white grapefruit leading the way with a little pink and red grapefruit in the mix, spicy citrus-pepper and pine, nice hoppy bitterness, dry dust earthy tone, very light on the sweet, malts must be doing their job to keep the bitterness in check for it is not overly bitter. 

Mouthfeel: medium citrus bitterness, moderate carbonation, sticky oily hops, medium body, lingering citrus twang

To the Point: a nice dry hopped ale, if you like citrus/pine this is for you, I would buy this again. 

The Cigar

La Flor De Cano

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra

Fillers: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Mexico

Size: ? 6.75x50 – I don’t see this size in my postings.

I can’t find any info on this cigar on the net. 

Must be a Churchill

I don’t think they make this cigar any longer.

I purchased this cigar so long ago I don’t remember when.  Looking at my postings it must have been in 2010 (not so long ago). 

I do remember that it has a nice earthy style that pairs well with an IPA and that is way I pulled this one out of the humidor.

From what I am reading on my reviews on the other sizes it was a pretty inconsistent smoke from one size to another.  One would have a nice earthy profile; the next one had an earthy herbal style and the other had a peppery earthy profile.  From what I remember (don’t trust the memory) this stick was or is earthy.  I smoked a couple last summer with an IPA.  Let’s see what it is

Taste Profile: from start to finish this is a medium bodied smoke with an earthy profile.  Toasted forest floor with campfire wood likeness.  Toasted wood, leafs, touch of soil, and smoked mushroom.   

The Pairing

This cigar has always been good with an IPA.  No spice to bring out the bitterness in an already bitter beverage.  The earthy style mingles so well with the citrusy Hop Manna.