Oliva Serie V Special V Figurado and Bell’s Expedition Stout: Pairing

The Stout

Bell’s Expedition Stout

Bottle Dated: 10/22/12

BellsBeer.com

Comstock, Michigan, USA

10.5% abv

$17.99 a six pack

The 2010 vintage was super powerful, yes super powerful not just powerful.  I just finished the last bottle of the 2010 here in March 2013 and it was just as fine as can be.  Let’s see how the 2012 vintage is doing. 

Appearance: a wonderful black body with a dark 2 finger tan head that leaves plenty of lacing on the glass.

Aroma: dark roasted notes of grains and coffee with some nice burnt sugar

Flavors: dark roasted grains, coffee, and dark chocolate like notes; toasted molasses, oily bitter hops,

Mouthfeel: fairly smooth for a Russian Imperial Stout, syrupy, a good alcohol feel on the finish with a 90% dark chocolate dry bitterness,

To the Point: the 2010 had a medicinal alcohol bite and I don’t taste that here with the 2012 vintage.  The alcohol does play a role in the taste and feel.

The Cigar

Oliva Serie V Special V Figurado

6 x 60 Perfecto

Nicaraguan Puro

This cigar has been aging for a year or so in my humidor and has mellowed a bit.  This cigar is similar to the Expedition in that it needs a little time to age to mellow. 

Flavor Profile: smooth toasty grains with a nice touch of earthy coffee with a slight nutty and hardwood note; the spice is settle and pleasing to the palate.

Mouthfeel: smooth, tasty, and sophisticated.

To the Point: damn I only have a couple left so; I need to buy a box.   

The Pairing

This is a terrific pairing.  I thought I was going to have a collision of the titans here with this pairing but, the cigar has mellowed to work well with this strong Stout.  The slight nutty and hardwood notes of the cigar add some nice character to the Stouts rich and dark toasted notes.  The mouthfeel is very dry so have water on the side.  

La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial Belicoso: Review

Wrapper: Cuban-seed Ecuadorian Sumatra

Fillers: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan

Size: 5.5 x 52 – Belicoso 

Billed as: medium-full body

Off the Light: it is like you can taste the black volcanic soils of Nicaraguan where the tobacco plants are grown; rich mineral soil quality; a medium-full roasted coffee note appears; pinch of sea salt; easy draw; nice firm gray ash; holds an inch or so of ash; medium body;

Mid-Point: the soil profile continues and a touch of cedar spice shows up; medium coffee with a dash or white pepper; medium body

Down the Stretch: medium-full coffee; dry soil; dry mouthfeel;

To the Point: a pleasing medium body smoke; worthy to try 

Gurkha XO and Fish Tale Wild Salmon Pale Ale: Pairing

The Ale

Fish Tale Wild Salmon Pale Ale

Organic

Fish Brewing Company

Olympia, Washington, USA

5.5% abv

$12.99 a six pack

Appearance: misty burnt orange body with a one finger egg shell colored head that leave some lacing.

Aroma: very light nose; very light non-descript citrus and fruit; it is more biscuit than anything else; uneventful

Flavors: lightly toasted grains; faint minty-herbal hop; herb biscuit; dust

Mouthfeel: low-moderate carbonation, closer to low; a soft yet strange bitter note; flannel texture; dusty-dirty mineral like aftertaste; the aftertaste does seem to linger – longer than I want it to; the aftertaste makes me want to go brush my teeth; just inside of medium body, the flavors are mild and the dirty aftertaste is medium and the weight feels mild-medium

To the Point: a dirty Pale Ale; you’ve heard of a dirty martini right; to bad I bought a six pack – should have bought a single bottle; organic hell … give me some pesticides; 13 bucks a six pack forget it; save your money; go buy some roundup 

The Cigar

Gurkha XO

Size: 6 x 60

It has a copper colored band which I can’t identify on the Cigar International website.  It came in a three pack as a freebie on a recent purchase and when I went to my account to see what the name of the cigar was it was no longer listed on their site.  The only Gurkha that I found with a copper colored band, most have a bronze colored band, was the Gurkha Grand Age. (Found out today - Estate Vintage Shaggy) But, it is not really shaggy - just a half inch of wrapper missing on the foot.  

Flavor Profile: soft earthy style and mild coffee; very simple; not even close to complex; smooth and delicate; medium- mild body; one might say ‘boring’ and one might say ‘because of its simplicity it is pleasing’ ; there is a very faint plastic smell in the aroma of the smoke during the second half

Burning issues: it needed corrections with the lighter for canoeing; the burning issue became so bad that I was ready to pitch the cigar but, I still had three inches to go. 

To the Point: to me it is kind of uneventful, a mild cigar smoker may like this stick; save your money – don’t buy this cigar; I had two and a half inches to go on the smoke and I pitched it - crap just plain crap

The Pairing

These two deserve one another.  Actually, these two, together, are not all that bad which means, they are not all that good.  The soft earthy tones and mild coffee of the cigar mingle well with the dusty-dirty aftertaste of the ale. Unfortunately the aftertaste of the ale sticks around. 

The lightly toasted grains; faint minty-herbal hop; herb biscuit; and dust of the ale seem to want to help the cigar but, the cigar just goes back to boredomville. 

These two are like two C minus students working together.  Both want to do something but, they just aren’t smart enough to know what to do so they end up with a D on the project. 

I’m telling you … don’t buy either one of these products.  Unless you are a married man and you know what boredom is all about.      

La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial Minuto: Review

Wrapper: Cuban-seed Ecuadorian Sumatra

Fillers: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan

Size: 4.5 x 42 - Corona

The cigar on the far right in the picture

Billed as: medium-full body

This little stick has a nice kick.  It burns warm as most little cigars do; solid dose of white pepper with a dash of black pepper, cedar wood, and mineral soil underneath; spicy on the aroma; burns evenly; holds only a small gray ash; ½ inch or so and it needs to be removed

To the Point: looking for a little spice bomb; this is it

La Perla Habana Black Pearl Cobre Robusto: Review

La Perla Habana

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut

Binder: Criollo

Fillers: Nicaraguan

Size: 5 x 52

Profile: the smoking experience starts off with a medium black pepper spice.  During the first inch the cigar comes across medium to medium full because of the peppery style.  After the first inch the spice settles and the flavors start to evolve.  During the second inch of the smoke the body is more medium.  A woody tone that seems like cedar blends in with a dash of pepper.  Soon a toasted barley grain mixes in with a hint of creamy oatmeal grain with the cedar note swirling around.  The pepper is still present, just a dash, but it is more on the back and aftertaste.  During the second half of the smoke the pepper seems to be more like a white pepper note.  After the second inch of the cigar to the finish the body is more mild-medium with a smooth and almost creamy feel.   

To the Point: take your time smoking this stick and experience the ever-changing flavor profile.   At three bucks a stick it is a very good value.   

Read the other La Perla Habana reviews:

La Perla Habana Classic

Black Pearl Rojo

Black Pearl Original

Black Pearl Morado