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.
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| 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
