Final Game – March Matching Maduro Madness

Here we are for the final game.  We have Short’s Brew Cup A Joe Coffee Crème Stout being matched up with these final three cigars. 

We Have:

La Perla Black Pearl 2:1 odds

La Estrella Cubana  3:1 odds

Cain Nub 464 Maduro    4:1 odds

The Black Pearl and La Estrella are 5x56 Gordos and the Cain measures in at 4x64.

Linking You Up

The Black Pearl beat the Bahia Maduro in an upset matchup.

The LEC beat the 5 Vegas A Maduro in a close battle.

And, the Cain Nub did in the Oliveros Maduro Gordo in a runaway bout.

The Cain will be lit first and then paired up against the Black Pearl.  Then, along the way the LEC will be introduced to the matchup and we will see which cigar is the winner being matched up with the Cup A Joe Stout.  See Cup A Joe tasting notes by clicking on this link – Cup A Joe. 

Game On

I take a couple of sips of this tasty coffee stout and I am ready to light up the Nub. 

The Cain Nub came into this contest as the odds on favorite to win the March Matching Maduro tourney at 1:1 odds.  The first game, while an easy victory over the Oliveros, showed that this cigar may have some issues being paired up with this stout.  That is way it is coming into the final dance as a 4:1 underdog, now.

The Cain Nub shows off some smooth earthy and medium coffee notes.  The draw on the cigar is a little firm.  The first few exchanges with the stout bring out some of the sour milk sugar notes in the stout.  The coffee flavors, in the stout, play second fiddle during this possession. There is a long bitter coffee and chocolate like aftertaste. 

The Black Pearl is ready to play.  The draw is perfect.  The opening notes have a sweet maduro style. The toasted wheat and rye is flavorful and the delicate earthy profile is pleasing. 

The Black Pearl was 9:1 to win this tournament.  I sure wish I put my money on this horse.  Now, it is a 2:1 favorite to win the final dance.  The Black Pearl does not really have that big man presence in its game but, it has some great role players that really came through in its first matchup against the Bahia Maduro. 

The toasted wheat and rye bread, dried raisins and fig, and the forest floor earthiness are starting to develop.  Let’s see how it mixes it up with the stout.

The sweet maduro style manages the sweet milk sugar in the flavor profile of the stout.  The creamy semi-sweet chocolate coffee taste is really coming through in the stout during this pairing.  This is no girly-man coffee.  This is the start the Black Pearl needs to win this game. 

The Cain Nub gets a few more exchanges with the stout.  The spice from the cigar picks up a little.  This stout seems like a completely different stout than the one during the Black Pearl pairing. 

It is very interesting how a cigar can change the flavor profile of a beverage.  And, that is the purpose of this blog, to show you how your cigar and beverage pairing needs to be evaluated before you light up a cigar. 

Here comes the LEC.  This cigar has a beautiful draw.  The dark roasted coffee profile is playing a big role on this opening possession.  There is a firm earthy note with deep roasted tobacco flavors coming through.  If the LEC wants to win these big players really need to compete.

This cigar came into the tourney as a 5:1 to win the March Matching Maduros. It beat out the 5 Vegas Maduro. Today it has 3:1 odds to win the final dance.   

The first exchange for the LEC with the Cup A Joe.  Oh boy is this tasty.  A touch of sweetness comes through in the stout with the big coffee and semi-sweet chocolate notes mingling in.  This is a smooth and tasty exchange.

The Black Pearl wants the ball.  Yes, this is going to be a game.  The flavors of the Black Pearl really mix it up well with the Cup A Joe.

The Cain Nub is back.  The earthy notes have a rich soil and alder wood like taste.  The spice is still present.  Matched with the stout the milk sugar sweetness is still dominate and there is a little better note of coffee coming from the stout.  The Cain is barely hanging in here.  The draw is still on the firm side.

Time Out!  The referees get together.  After a few exchanges between the cigars and the Cup A Joe Coffee Crème Stout – the ref points to the Cain Nub and then to the locker room.  The Cain Nub is out.  We are down to the last two cigars in this contest and it looks like it is going to go down to the Nub.  Oops, sorry Cain Nub. 

Half-time

How do we get a winner from these two?  The Black Pearl and the LEC are putting on a clinic here. 

The La Estrella Cubana wins the tip off.  Overall this Gordo has a soil earthy profile, dark roasted coffee notes, burnt toast, and deep roasted tobacco flavors for a medium bodied robust smoking experience. 

Mixed with the stout, the cigar brings out the rich and deep roasted grains and malts in the stout.  The strong coffee and chocolate notes in the Joe are very tasty during the exchanges.  The sweetness from the stout seems to be under control.

The cigar bands come off for a fight to the finish.  I just can’t say, right now, which is better with this stout.

The Black Pearl says, “Just wait. I am here to play.”  I thought the Black Pearls game was uninteresting coming into this tournament.  Boy, this just shows with the right beverage a cigar sure can be magical.   The smooth tasting role players of toasted wheat and rye bread, dried raisins and fig, a slight nutty note, and a forest floor earthiness are mingling well with this stout.  The stout is creamy smooth.  The dark rich coffee and semi-sweet chocolate is wonderful during this pairing. 

Time out!  Time to open another bottle of stout.  That dark tan head is just beautiful.  The texture is smooth and creamy during this pairing with these two cigars. 

The LEC is throwing some elbows.  This is a battle.

The Black Pearl battling back. 

Boy, is this one tasty competition.  This is also one classic March Matching final game.  I have about one inch left in each cigar to call a winner.  This is one of those games you hate to see a loser. 

The Black Pearl still has that tasty sweet maduro taste working for it.  All the role plays in its flavor profile are doing a fine job with this stout.

The LEC has all the deep roasted flavors mixing it up to make this a tasty fuller bodied experience. 

The winner is … Black Pearl at the buzzer.  The Black Pearl just seems to bring out all the flavors in the stout.  The dark espresso like flavor and semi-sweet chocolate and the milk sugar all seem to be mixed in during this pairing. 

The LEC is an excellent choice with this stout as well.  The pairing seemed a little fuller, which I like, but the touch of sweet milk sugar from the stout was not as noticeable at the finish. 

The La Perla Black Pearl cigar is the winner of the 2011 March Matching Maduro Madness.  The Cup A Joe Coffee Crème Stout was an excellent brew to pair with these tasty cigars and really brought out the flavors in the Black Pearl.   I have to admit that I did not see this coming when the tournament started.

Round 1 – Game 3 of the March Matching Maduros

The Third Game:

We have a number one seed going against the number six seed here in Game 3. They are being match with Short’s Brewing Cup A Joe Stout.

Cain Maduro Nub (1:1 odds) vs Oliveros Maduro (15:1 odds)                                                  

This should be an interesting game between these two fine cigars and this tasty stout.

To read the full tasting note of each click on the links below

Cain Maduro Nub

Oliveros Maduro

Cup A Joe Stout

Here is the pre-game break down:

The Cain Nub 464 Torpedo Maduro brings some nice earthy notes with coffee flavor and seems to have a smooth medium roast style overall.

The Oliveros LTD reminds me of Michigan States basketball team.  It does not know what it is supposed to do.  It was billed as full-bodied and spicy but, it is lost and uninteresting.  I don’t know how this cigar made it to the big dance.  OH, it was in the Plumpin’ Maduros Sampler from Cigars International. 

The Cup A Joe has a creamy semi-sweet chocolate coffee taste.  Rich and deep roasted grains and malts mix with some dark chocolate and coffee bitterness.

Who do you think is going to win this game Dick?

“It should be a slam dunk for the Cain Nub baby.  I don’t know how it got a 15:1 odds – it should be 100:1.  It is brick ‘n’ mortar going against the internet.  It’s hardback going against the kindle.  Close the store now baby and call it the CAIN!  Hoop de do, Dickery doc!”

The Game:

Oliveros LTD Maduro has won the tip off and will be lighted up first.

Very smooth opening possession.  The one player this cigar has is earthy.  And, earthy is only good for about 5 minutes and then this game will be over.  Let’s see how the Oliveros mingles with this stout.

This was a very good exchange.  The earthy notes of the cigar play well with the chocolate and coffee profile of the stout. 

Here comes Cain! Cain is the shortest team playing in the March Matching Maduros but, it plays a big man game. 

It’s a slam dunk right off the light.  Smooth sweet earthy coffee just combined for a fabulous play on its first possession.  Let’s see how it plays with the stout. 

Did I just experience that?  The Cain brought out that sweet milk sugar in the stout.  It is playing the same game as the 5 Vegas did in their bout with the LEC.  Hey, the LEC has a much better game than the Oliveos, this should not be a problem. 

As I smoked the first half of the Cain the medium roast coffee, the rich soil earthy notes and woody flavor started to mix it up well with the Cup A Joe.  The stout came thru with the robust coffee and semi-sweet chocolate along with the sweet crème taste. 

The Cup A Joe really brought out the best in the Oliveros cigar.  The main player of earth from the cigar is doing its best to hang in there but, there really is nothing coming off the bench to help. 

At half time.  We have the Cain with a comfortable lead over the Oliveros in this third game of the March Matching Maduros. 

The Cain wins the second half tip off and it is getting everybody involved in this game.  The toasty tobacco notes are pleasing.  Zesty spice comes in off the bench to score a few points. 

The Oliveros LTD is out of its league here in this match up but, don’t get me wrong it is smoking well with this tasty stout.  I think if you have a Maduro cigar and it is a little boring to smoke – pair it up with a Cup A Joe Stout from Short’s Brewing and you got yourself a winner. 

The Oliveros is starting to show it does not have a second half game.  The earthy notes are fading a bit and there is an astringent note coming off the bench that needs to be benched. 

The Cain is maintaining its smooth, toasty, and roasty style.  Its medium roast coffee and earthy notes are still in the game and bring out all the good flavors of this stout. 

While the Oliveros played the game of its life during this pairing it just could not get pass the Cain’s lineup of quality flavors. 

The number one seed in this tournament holds off the opposition in impressive fashion and wins this game hands down. 

I think the Cain is going to have some trouble handling its opponents in the final round of the March Matching Maduros.

Tomorrow: Final Round Anaylsis

Round 1 – Game 2: of the March Matching Maduros

The Second Game:

We have a number two seed going against the number five seed here in Game 2. They are being match with Short’s Brewing Cup A Joe Stout.

Bahia Maduro (3:1) vs La Perla Maduro (9:1)  Put your money on the Bahia!!!                                           

This should be a good game between these two fine cigars and this tasty stout.

To read the full tasting note of each click on the links below

Bahia Maduro

La Perla Maduro

Cup A Joe Stout

Here is the pre-game break down:

The La Perla Maduro flavors of toasted wheat and rye bread, dried raisins and fig, a slight nutty note, and a forest floor earthiness. 

This cigar lacks the big man (flavor) in its game.  This cigar plays a little finesse game with its delicate and smooth delivery but, its overall game seems to be lacking.  While this cigar has some complexity it just seems to play a little weak.

With only a 4 power ranking (my strength rating) it may be missing some substance to match up with this stout.

The Bahia Maduro flavors bring some nice rich soil earthiness, a touch of sweet tobacco, and a nice touch of a medium roasted coffee to its game. 

This cigar seems to have a pretty good game overall but, let’s see how it matches up with this interesting stout. 

The Cup A Joe has a creamy semi-sweet chocolate coffee taste.  Rich and deep roasted grains and malts mix with some dark chocolate and coffee bitterness.

Who do you think is going to win this game Dick?

“Well, the Bahia brings some hoop de do to its game and it will come out on top baby!”

The Game:

Bahia Maduro has won the tip off and will be lighted up first. 

This mild-medium bodied cigar, 3:1 favorite, with its sweet maduro and earthy notes starts off well.  The first couple of exchanges with this stout score some good points on its first possession.  The medium roast coffee notes of the cigar say it is ready to play with the stout’s rich creamy semi-sweet chocolate and dark roasted coffee notes. 

The Black Pearl gets it game on.  The role players are ready to play.  The flavors of toasted wheat and rye bread, dried raisins and fig, a slight nutty note, and a forest floor earthiness are making this a real game.  The first few exchanges with the stout say that this 9:1 odds on stick is ready to play ball.  I did not expect this.

I thought that this stick was dead in the water coming into this game.  It is putting on a clinic here.  The dark dried fruits and toasty bread like qualities are coming thru and mixing it up well with the rich coffee and chocolate of the stout. 

Wow, we have a game here.  This is the beverage to match up with the Pearl. 

The Bahia says, ‘back down little brother.’  The coffee and earthy notes, of the cigar, start to control the game.  This is a very tasty pairing. 

Black Pearl has possession and the role players and bench player are making this a game.  They are standing tall against the big players of the Bahia.  The stout really brings this (Black Pearl) cigar to life.  I found this cigar uninteresting during the regular season but, it is here to play ball. 

At half time we have a tied ball game.  I have to admit. I thought the Bahia would run away with this game.  I thought the big men up front of coffee and earth would dominate the role players of the Black Pearl while match up with the Cup A Joe Stout. 

Let’s see what happens with the second half.

The Black Pearl wins the tip off and it is coming out swinging.  The uninteresting complexity sure seems to come to life during this pairing.  This cigar needs a good quality beverage to make it come to life. I don’t know if the Bahia can come back from this run.   

The Black Pearl with its toasted wheat and rye bread, dried raisins and fig, a slight nutty note, and a forest floor earthiness role players are sure putting on a clinic here with this pairing.  And the sweet maduro profile is standing tall right now.  I really like this pairing.

The Bahia Maduro has one big man playing right now and that is its earthy style mixing it up with the stout.  Coffee really seems to be lacking during this pairing – go figure.  The sweet maduro notes seemed to shrink during this pairing. Sometimes the cigar and beverage are too similar and the flavors just don’t come thru during game time.

I think the sweet maduro and the role players of the Black Pearl really played well with the Cup A Joe.  They complemented each other well and played off of each other well for an excellent matching. 

We have another upset!  The Black Pearl wins game 2 of this March Matching Maduro Madness.  I have to say I did not see this one coming. 

Tomorrow game 3
Cain Maduro Nub (1:1 odds) vs Oliveros Maduro (15:1 odds)
The number one seed vs the number 6 seed.

Round 1- Game 1: of March Matching Maduros

The First Game

We have a number three seed going against the number 4 seed here in game one. They are being match with Short’s Brewing Cup A Joe Stout.

5 Vegas A Maduro (4:1) vs La Estrella Cubana Maduro (5:1)             

This should be an excellent game between these two fine cigars and this tasty stout.

To read the full tasting note of each click on the links below

5 Vegas A Maduro

La Estrella Cubana Maduro

Cup A Joe Stout

Here is the pre-game break down:

The LEC has some good dark roasted coffee notes with some soil, burnt toast, and deep roasted tobacco flavors coming off the bench. 

The 5 Vegas A has two main players that will make this tough on the opposition.  There is a medium-dark roasted coffee note with a good cocoa powder taste for that good inside attack.  The bench players well be strong as well, toasted pumpernickel bread, white peppercorn spice added to the mix along with a good soil earthiness.

The Cup A Joe has a creamy semi-sweet chocolate coffee taste.  Rich and deep roasted grains and malts mix with some dark chocolate and coffee bitterness.

The Game:

LEC has won the tip off and will be lighted up first.

This is a solid start for LEC.  The dark roasted coffee notes are solid and the role players are doing their job.  The first few exchanges with the Stout went well.  This is truly a deep roasted coffee experience. 

This cigar is showing that it wants to win this event.

The draw, on this cigar, is excellent. 

5 Vegas A light up:

5 Vegas A’s first possession is going well.  That medium-dark roasted coffee is present on the first few puffs.  This game is really going to be decided by how well the cocoa powder profile comes through, I’ll bet.  Wow, pumpernickel bread just threw a few elbows to say get out of the way I am here to play.  Cocoa powder is present but, is assisting to pumpernickel. 

Here are the first few exchanges with the stout.  After a few puffs of the cigar the stout seems thick on the feel and the sweet crème and sweet roasted malts really seem to come through at this point.  This has been a very interesting exchange. 

The draw on the 5 Vegas A is good, a bit tight; let’s see if the nerves settle down.  

This is going to be a tough call here.  Both cigars are matching up well with the stout. 

The mid-point:

The LEC cigar really seems to bring out the deep roasted coffee and bitter chocolate style of the ale.  The sweetness seems to be more of a side note in this game.

The smoke is filling the stadium.  Time to turn on the fans.

The 5 Vegas A Maduro seems to bring out that sweet milk sugar profile of the stout.  The coffee and dark chocolate bite seems to be on the back side of the taste. 

Looks like an upset in the making.  Let’s see what happens down the stretch. 

The Bands come off the cigars for a battle down the stretch.  Here we go!

Down the Stretch:

The La Estrella Cubana Maduro is a fine pairing with the Cup A Joe Stout.  The deep roasted coffee and semi-sweet chocolate profile is very pleasing during the exchanges between these two fine products.  The stout seems to be a bit creamer and the coffee taste better during this pairing.

The 5 Vegas A Maduro is a good pairing as well but, with the sweet mild sugar coming to the front during this pairing is not what I wanted.  I want the focus to be on the coffee and chocolate while the milk sugar plays its role in the back court. 

We have an upset in the first game of this competition.  La Estrella Cubana Maduro comes out on top with a runaway victory.

Stay tuned for the second game of this series.

Bahia Maduro (3:1) vs La Perla Maduro (9:1)                          

The two seed vs the five seed

The Set-up to March Matching Maduro Madness with Cup A Joe Stout

The Set-up to March Matching Maduro’s

I have selected a stout to be matched up with each of these cigars.  I have never had this stout before so here is the profile.

Name:

Short’s Brew Cup A Joe – Coffee Crème Stout

Stout brewed with coffee and milk sugar

Stats:

8 % abv

30 IBU

12 oz bottle

My Strength Rating: 9

Info:

Short’s Brewing Company

Elk Rapids, Michigan, USA

Joe’s Profile

Appearance: Black as night body with a fine bubbly, dark tan, ½ finger head.  Very little carbonation here it looks like.  That little foamy head sure leaves plenty of lacing on the glass. 

Aroma: What else coffee and a big roasted malty sweetness

Flavors: Creamy semi-sweet chocolate coffee taste.  If you drink weak coffee in the morning don’t even think about drinking this.  This is no girly-man coffee.  Rich and deep roasted grains and malts mix with some dark chocolate and coffee bitterness.  To me this is very pleasing to drink. 

Mouthfeel: yes, very low carbonation – this could become a factor in this review.  Carbonation is a good thing for refreshing the palate.  More water is going to be needed on the bench and maybe a few more time-outs to recoup from each pairing.  The texture is smooth and somewhat creamy. 

Here are the brackets for Round 1:

Cain Maduro Nub (1:1 odds) vs Oliveros Maduro (15:1 odds) 

The one seed vs the six seed

Bahia Maduro (3:1) vs La Perla Maduro(9:1)                          
The two seed vs the five seed

5 Vegas A Maduro (4:1) vs La Estrella Maduro (5:1)                

The three seed vs the four seed

Round 1: March Matching Maduros start tomorrow