Piraat Ale & Indian Tabac Cameroon Legend MaduroI have had some problems finding a maduro cigar to go with this ale. Some of the big bold smokes that I have in my stash were just kicking up the flavor profile in the ale where I wanted some water to extinguish the overload on the palate.
Remember, this is a sipping ale (10.5 abv). So, I want to take a sip and then enjoy smoking the cigar. This ale is working well with my Indian Tabac Cameroon Legend Maduro Toro (6 x 58).
As I get to the mid-point of the cigar I notice that the ale is giving me a nice complexity of sweet, little sour and bitter notes across the tongue. A nice faint bitter note on the back of the palate from the ale and the earthy quality from the cigar build a fuller mouthfeel experience.
The meaty nut flavor from the cigar reminds me of a mixture of walnut and black walnut. The dark fruit notes in the cigar go well with the tropical notes from the ale. Cocoa is always a good characteristic of a nice maduro, at least to me. This cigar does not give me any sweet notes. It is more of a dry cocoa note that I get. And, the ales sweetness takes care of that so you don’t get a sweetness overload.
The cigar seems to always burn well for me and holds a nice salt and pepper ash.
If you are looking for a fuller mouthfeel, while drinking this ale, this is a good pairing. A little water will help to refresh the palate along the way.
This would be an excellent pairing at the end of a day.
