La Sirena King Poseidon and Old Crafty Hen: Pairing

Around the World with King Poseidon

The Ale

“Old Crafty Hen”

Vintage Ale

Morland Brewing

England

1pt .9oz bottle

$4.49 a bottle

6.5% abv

I read that this ale has been brewed since 2008 but, just came to the United States in November of 2011.  I wonder if they still brew “Hen’s Tooth”.  I really liked that ale. 

Appearance: rich copper body with a light tan one finger (if that) head

Aroma: malt focused; caramel, biscuit, and dark fruits

Flavors: lightly toasted caramel, raisin, a little plum skin, apple, light woody tone, to me the alcohol does not play a role in the flavor

Mouthfeel: light carbonation, smooth, mild hop bitterness on the finish giving it a semi-dry feel on the palate.

To the Point: a very tasty Vintage Ale.  I would buy this again. 

The Cigar

La Sirena King Poseidon

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro

Binder: two Cuban seed Nicaraguan tobacco

Fillers: Nicaraguan Criollo 98 and Corojo 96

Size: 6x 60 

I just reviewed this cigar last week with a very good tawny port (click here to see post) so; tonight I am going to pair it with a good English Ale.  I smoked another King Poseidon just the other day and really enjoyed it.  Earlier today I reviewed the “Old Crafty Hen” and I think these two should pair up really well. 

Off the Light: tonight I get a nice robust dark roasted coffee note greets my palate on the first few puffs.   As the smoke continues there is a rich composted earth tone with some woody notes that develops with a hint of spice.  The dark roasted coffee note really seems to dominate.  The cigar holds a good gray ash with little to no flaking. 

The Pairing: The coffee like profile of the cigar mingles well with the lightly toasted caramel and dark fruit notes of this English Ale.  Both of these products have a light woody tone and during this pairing an oaky note seems to stand out. 

Second Half of the Cigar: full bodied dark roasted coffee and earthy tones dominate with a measure of oak and a white and green peppercorn blend in the mix.  This is a smooth and full bodied experience.  It does not seem to be the most complex smoke, but for my palate it sure is tasty.

The Pairing: this ale really seems to be mellow and it helps to mellow out this full bodied smoke.  On the second half of this smoke the spice profile picks up a bit and a sip of the ale just refreshes the palate making me want another puff of the cigar.  This is a really nice ale to have with a full bodied cigar. 

Around the World with King Poseidon Series

Click here to read about this cigar paired with:

Brux

20 year old Port

Baco Noir Wine 

Curivari Seleccion Privada Diplomaticos and Swordfish Double Cascadian Dark Ale

The Cigar

Curivari Seleccion Privada Diplomaticos

Curivari.com

Nicaragua Puro

Criollo and Corojo Tobaccos

Size: 6.25 x 54

Personally, some guy must have measured this one … I would bet it is no bigger than 52 on the ring gauge. 

Off the Light: the palate is greeted with roasted grains and a medium roast coffee style.  As the smoke continues there seems to be an Alder wood quality in the mix. Smooth delivery and medium in body.

Mid-Point: The woody quality continues with a mild-medium coffee and roasted grains.  The Curivari web site says it has a sweet finish.  I’ll call it a semi-sweet finish.  Also on the web site it says it has flavors of vanilla and wood.  I am having a hard time picking up the vanilla note.  The smooth texture makes for a pleasing smoking experience. 

Down the Stretch: a pretty consistent smoke throughout.  Medium body, nice toasted notes and a smooth delivery. 

To the Point: I like this stick.  If you like a medium bodied smoke with some good roasted notes this is it. 

The Ale

Swordfish Double Cascadian Dark Ale

Reel Ales

Fish Brewing Company

Olympia, Washington, USA

Reelales.com

7.5% abv

64 IBUs

1pt 6oz bottle

The store I go to gave me this bottle.

Appearance: black body with a two finger tan and creamy looking head that leave some massive lacing on the glass. 

Aroma: nice hoppy presence that reminds me of soft pine; roasted grains in the mix, a touch of semi-sweet chocolate

Flavors: the hoppy notes come through with a tasty mix of pine and citrus rind; the toasted malts are present with roasted grains, bitter chocolate bite, toasted … slightly burnt caramel, I think you can even throw in coffee … medium roast coffee

Mouthfeel: low carbonation, nice bitter style (it does have a 65 IBU), the malts are doing their job for some balance, lingering roasted notes on the aftertaste, a touch of 99% dark chocolate bitterness, not heavy like a stout – closer to a porter in mouthfeel 

To the Point: to me it is a tasty dark ale and perfect on this cold fall day here in Michigan. 

The Pairing

This is one fine pairing.  The roasted grains, medium coffee and nice woody style of the cigar comingles well with the Ales hoppy tones and roasted malts.  The medium body of the cigar keeps the bitterness of the Ale in check.  A stronger or spicier cigar would bring out the bitterness of the Ale and may be too much.  

Ave Maria Cigars: Quick Reviews

Clermont Corona

Size: 5.5 x 45

Profile: Nice full bodied start off the light. Settles to a medium-full after the first half inch.  Solid oak and earthy style while the peppery spice plays on the nose and the back of the palate.  I smoked this little stogie down to the nub – my finger tips and lips started to feel the burn. 

I paired this cigar with Altenmunster Festbier.  This Marzen style beer is a mild brew yet tasty.  It has sweet toasted malts, light rye bread likeness, and grassy hops to give it some balance. This Oktoberfest may not be big in style but, it is tasty and easy to drink.  As for the pairing; this is very pleasing.  The oaky profile of the cigar mixes it up well with this beer.  Altenmunster just refreshes the palate and makes me want another puff of the cigar. 

Crusader Robusto

Size: 5 x 52

Profile: This stick starts off differently than the Corona.  Nice sweet tobacco notes with a soft earthy tones.  The mouthfeel is more medium-full on this Robusto compared to the full bodied start of the corona.  As the smoke continues on this Robusto the oaky wood note develops as the soft earthy tones and sweet tobacco swirl around the palate.  So far I have not noticed the spice showing up (half-way thru).  As soon as I write that on the next few puffs the white pepper spice hits the palate.  The second half of this cigar finishes on the full side of medium-full.  The sweet tobacco notes seem to fade in the second half.   

Knights Templar Toro

Size: 6 x 48

I don’t remember the last time I had a Toro size with a 48 ring gauge.  I like the 52 or 54 sized Toro’s.

Profile: has a hint of sweet tobacco but not as much as the Crusader Robusto.  The oak was up front here at the start.  As the smoking experience continues this stick is reminding me of the Churchill size with the oak as the main profile with a little earthiness and this stick has just a hint of dusty white pepper. 

I paired this stogie with Xingu Black Beer.  The oaky profile of the cigar was a nice contrast to the black beers toasted grains and roasted caramel. 

Ave Maria Lionheart and Peirano Estate Petite Sirah 2008: Pairing

The Cigar

Ave Maria Lionheart Box-press

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Sun Grown

Binder: Nicaraguan

Fillers: Nicaraguan

Size: 5.5 x 55

Special Edition Sampler

Taste Profile: nice woody tone that reminds me of oak, a touch of walnut, earthy notes, and dusty white pepper. The cigar has a dry leathery texture.  The cigar provides plenty of smoke, burns evenly, and has a solid medium body just on the edge of medium-full. 

The Wine

Peirano Estate Petite Sirah 2008

The Heritage Collection

Peirano Estate Vineyards

Graton, California, USA

11.2% abv

See full review (click here)

This wine has a very nice bouquet.  To me this wine has rich dark berries, dark soil earthy tones with a firm oaky presence, and hint of soft white pepper. 

The Pairing

These two match up well with their oaky tones and dusty white pepper spice.  The dark berries of the wine mingle well with the earthy and walnut notes of the cigar.  I like puffing on this and when the dry leathery mouthfeel kicks in a sip or two of the wine refreshes the palate and those tasty dark berry notes are just wonderful.  

Black Crown Robusto Cigar

Wrapper: Honduran Habano

Binders: yes, two: Honduran Habano and Nicaraguan Ligero

Fillers: Seven different long filler from Central America

Size: 5 x 50

It is interesting how things work out sometimes.  Usually I end up on the day late and dollar short side but, not this time.  I was planning to buy a five pack of the Black Crown Cigar ($23.00) and buy a new lighter.  The lighter I was planning on buying was the Bugatti B-2002 Dual Flame Lighter which was selling for $49.00.  That would be $72.00 plus shipping and handling.

Two days later I see the ‘week-end spotlight’:  A box of 20 Robusto Black Crown cigars for $79.00 plus a free Bugatti B-2002 Dual Flame Lighter and free shipping to boot.

Today they showed up on the door step.  Let’s give one a review but, remember they just showed up today.  In the winter months I like to give the cigars a little time in the humidor to readjust from the shipping process so, this should not be a problems here in October. 

Appearance: nice looking stick, brown leather like look and a nice sheen.

Off the Light: nice and spicy; reminds me of spicy cedar and cracked black pepper.  As the smoke continues there is a good earthy tone of forest floor (dried leafs, fertile soil and cedar wood). Solid full bodied experience on the first inch or so; the spice profile is the most dominate at the point.  As the burn approached the mid-point of this robusto the spice settled a little – just a little. I am going to give this stogie an 8 on my strength scale; just making the full bodied range.   

Second Half: the spice settles a little more and the earthy tones start to show a little more.  To me there is a French roast coffee likeness here on the second half.  The description that I read on this cigar had ‘toasted peanuts and cocoa.’  I did not pick either one of those out on this stick.  I wish I did for that sounds really good to me.    

On the final two inches of the smoke the cigar really balances out with the earthy tones being the main profile and the spice playing a secondary role.  For my strength rating I’ll give it a 7 which is medium-full. 

To the Point: I do not like buying a box of cigars that I have never tried before but the deal that I described above I just could not pass it up.  I really like the cigar right off the bat.  I like a spicy smoke that leans toward the full side and the first half was just that.  I like the change during the second half of the smoke for that strong spicy profile could get be a little too much all the way through. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this smoke.  I would recommend the Black Crown Robusto to anybody who likes a spicy medium-full to full cigar.  I am happy with this box purchase.  

12-10-12 Lighter update: I have had a chance to use this now and this lighter is ... useless.  Yes, useless!  The fuel tank does not hold much to start with and after lighting a cigar or two it will be out of fluid. If you think Colibri is bad wait till you use this Bugatti.  Save your money.  Use a match.

Ave Maria Special Edition Sampler

One of Each of the Following

Click on the link

Charlemagne Dbl. Corona 7.5x54 - below

Barbarossa Churchill 7x48

St. George Belicoso 6x54

Knights Templar Toro 6x48

Lionheart Box-press 5.5x55

Clermont Corona 5.5x45

Crusader Robusto 5x52

Ark of the Covenant Gordo 4.5x60

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Sun-grown

Binder/Fillers: Honduran and Nicaraguan

Quick Review: Charlemagne Double Corona – 7.5 x 54

This big boy has a very hearty oaky profile, hint of dusty white pepper and a medium-full body.  

La Sirena King Poseidon and Ramos Pinto Porto 20 Years: Pairing

Around the World with King Poseidon 

The Port

Ramos Pinto Porto 20 Years

Tawny Port

No Vintage on Bottle

Quinta do Bom Retiro

Produced and bottled by:

Adriano Ramos Pinto

19.5% abv

750ml bottle

Appearance: shiny copper

Aroma: nutty for sure, reminds me of almond and hazelnut, also vanilla and oak, brown spice, toasted caramel,

Flavors: roasted caramel, roasted almond, touch of hazelnut, dried cherries and candied fruit, oak backbone with toasted vanilla shining through,

Mouthfeel: smooth, the alcohol is not showing (have to be careful for it is tasty), touch of sweetness on the delivery, dry on the mid and finish, pleasing complexity,

The Cigar

La Sirena King Poseidon

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro

Binder: two Cuban seed Nicaraguan tobacco

Fillers: Nicaraguan Criollo 98 and Corojo 96

Size: 6x 60 

A very good barnyard aroma as I smell the stick and I know this is going to be good (I hope). 

Off the Light: rich composted earth on the first few puffs.  As the smoke continues there is a woody tone that develops with a hint of spice.  There is a dark roast coffee likeness.  The cigar holds a good gray ash with little to no flaking. 

The Pairing: a sip of the tawny port and a puff of the cigar: oh that’s nice; some of the port flavors seem to transfer to the smoking experience.  Now a sip of water and then a few puffs of the stick and a sip of the port: not bad; the port flavors really seem to stand out.  Not much intermingling of the flavors this way as compared to sipping the porto first and then smoking the cigar. 

Second Half of the Cigar: full bodied dark roasted coffee and earthy tones dominate with a measure of oak and a white and green peppercorn blend in the mix.  This is a smooth and full bodied experience.  It does not seem to be the most complex smoke, but for my palate it sure is tasty. 

The Pairing: sipping the port first and then puffing the cigar sure seems to be the right exchange in my humble opinion.  Sip this porto and swirl it on the palate … just let it coat the mouth and then take a puff of the cigar.  The roasted caramel, toffee, and nutty flavors are just terrific and then the cigars dark roasted coffee and earthy tones mingle for a great experience.  The candied dry fruits of the Port just sweetens the deal. 

To the Point: I think this Ramos Pinto 20 year old Tawny Port will probably go well with most quality cigars but, this has been a great pairing with the La Sirena King Poseidon.  

Around the World with King Poseidon Series

Click here to read about this cigar paired with:

Brux

Old Crafty Hen

Baco Noir Wine

Gurkha Beauty Cigar and Peninsula Cellars 2010 Dry Riesling

The Wine

Peninsula Cellars 2010 Dry Riesling

Peninsula Cellars

Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Old Mission Peninsula

12.5% abv

$15.00 a bottle

Appearance: yellow crystal

Aroma: soon as I opened the bottle I knew I was going to like it.  First off I did not smell straight out lemon.  I am soooo tired of lemon.  A lot of the beers I had this summer and spring had a lemon note, some stronger than others, and then when I would have a white wine guess what note was prominent you got it lemon.  So, I had to read this bottle first before opening and I did not see the word lemon.  It did had lime but, no lemon.  Back to the aroma: tropical fruit all right; mango, white peach, Fuji apple, pineapple acidity,

Flavors: apple, green apple, summer stone fruit, touch of tangerine and a dose of lime. 

Mouthfeel: crisp notes, there seems to be an ever so slight watery edge that hits the tip of the tongue but, right after that ‘tip’ it is nothing but dry baby. 

The Cigar

Cigar Pairing: I would say, be careful on some medium to medium-full and me personally I would not pair it with a full bodied smoke.  I would go for the mild to mild-medium smoke that has an elegant feel to the smoking experience. 

I have two in mind; CAO l’anniversaire Cameroon and a Gurkha Beauty.  I am going to do the Gurkha Beauty for I can see on the blog here that I have not had this stick since October of last year.  Let’s do it up!

Wrapper: Connecticut seed – Ecuadorian

Binder: Dominican

Fillers: Nicaraguan

5 year old tobaccos

Size: 6.5 x 56

Smoking Profile: mild, smooth, semi-creamy, light oaky wood notes, walnut meat, and a earthy tone develops in the final third of the stick.  This cigar is all about its mouthfeel than the flavor profile.  This cigar reminds me of oatmeal – smooth, mild, creamy and bland on the flavor.  This cigar is like oatmeal to me in that every once in a while it sure hits the spot.  After all it has been 10 months since I smoked a Gurkha Beauty.

The Pairing: interesting … very interesting … the light oak and walnut notes really don’t intermingle with the flavors of this Riesling.  Now, I do like it when the flavors intermingle and either collide or really work well together.  It gives me something to write about … but, here … nothing.  No interplay, no mingling, intermingling or co-mingling.  The best thing about this is I get all the flavors of the wine and then when I puff on the cigar I get all the flavors of the cigar.  This is still a very good pairing.  I am enjoying the experience.   Wait WAIT!  There is an effect.  The mouthfeel!  This Riesling is on the dry side of town, that light lime citrus note lingers on the palate and it is nice to drink a water along the way.  Well, while smoking this cigar with this wine I have not had a sip of water and I am three-quarters of the way done with this cigar.  This cigar actually seems to refresh the palate while drinking this white wine.  I don’t know if I ever had this experience before where the cigar refreshes the palate from the beverage.  

La Sirena King Poseidon and Brux: Review

Before getting to this pairing I am going to give you my call for the Detroit Loins game today.  (I live in the Detroit area) I am not a homer.  I dog this team most of the time but, look at their record they have been easy to complain about.  Here is my call: Loins 35 - Rams 21 and since this is the first game of the season this is their season record: 9 -7.

The Ale

Brux

Domesticated Wild Ale

Brewed and bottled by: Sierra Nevada Brewing

In collaboration with Russian River Brewing

1pt 9.4oz bottle

8.3% abv

One problem with these big bottles is getting the sediment off the bottom.  Rolling the bottle before opening my work on some Germen low carbonated beer but, roll a bottle of Belgian or Belgian style ale and you will have a never ending flow of foam.

Pouring your first glass and trying to swirl the bottle during this pour usually does not get much of the sediment up. 

So, what I usually do is pour the first glass and then put a stopper in the bottle and then give the bottle a good swirl to get the sediment stirred up.  The second glass will give you the correct appearance, aroma’s, and flavors.  Leave a comment on what you recommend. 

Appearance: slightly misty amber body (I could call it burnt orange as well) with a nice big foamy head that disappeared before I started to think about the color.  Little to no lacing.

Aroma: The overall bouquet seemed nice when I first opened the bottle but when it was time to check the aroma out well it was fairly light, some spice, light lemon meat,

Flavors: earthy yeast, sour dough bread, summer white fruit – pear, nectarine, and a dirty caramel note.  The flavors all seem to become muddled together after about a half a glass.

Mouthfeel: sparkling water texture to the carbonation and watery edge that swirls through the palate but just like sparkling water the effervesce is short lived; it is like I can feel the alcohol evaporate on my tongue and this of course gives me a dry feel on the finish.

To the Point: it just seems to funky to me, the flavors just seem to muted; you have heard of a Dirty Martine well I’ll have to call this the Dirty Belgian Ale – why you ask – because the yeast and the caramel notes just seem dirty – but that is just me.  On BeerAdvocate they are giving this ale as 88 with 63 reviews.

Personally, I could skip this one all day long but, guess what - I have another bottle of this.  I guess I’ll just have to pair that one with a cigar.  I hate to waste a cigar on the ale though.  But, I am going to do this with my new favorite stick – La Sirena King Poseidon.   

The Cigar

La Sirena King Poseidon

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro

Binder: two Cuban seed Nicaraguan tobacco

Fillers: Nicaraguan Criollo 98 and Corojo 96

Size: 6x 60 

I’m going to make this a Series with this cigar. I have done two reviews already with this stick; one with a tawny port and the other an English Ale.   What should I name this series?  1) Around the World with King Poseidon or 2) The Adventures of King Poseidon.  I am going to go with … Around the World with King Poseidon.  I will select different beers, wines, and spirits from ‘Around the World’.  This is a no brainer. 

Flavor Profile: on the first inch the dark roasted coffee like notes dominate and then slowing some woody tones and spice start to develop.  By mid-point the earthy coffee style is full bodied with some good peppercorn spice and oak woody notes. 

The cigar burns well.  No corrections needed and it holds a tight salt and pepper gray ash.  Of course now that I mention that no corrections are needed this stick needed a couple of correction to the burn.  

I did have to do a little running around to find my Hound Dog Annie and that is when the cigar had some burning issues. 

The Pairing: first off, I have to admit that I did not want to waste a cigar on this ale but, then I thought a Ship has to pull into a Port that is not the most exciting Port around – just because it has too.  Well, let’s pull up dock side together with these two and just see what happens. 

With the second bottle ready to go the first thing I notice is the carbonation is lively.  Even though I used a stopper in the first bottle the effervesce just dwindles with each glass poured.  But, this effervesce is refreshing to the palate while smoking this full bodied smoke. 

The flavors of the ale still seem muted and hard to distinguish but, while smoking this cigar the ale seems a little tastier to me.  I think it is the earthiness of the yeast is mixing well with the earthy coffee profile of the cigar. 

What I learned from this matching, of the Brux and the La Sirena King Poseidon, is that this ale needs a good cigar to go with it to make it enjoyable.  I also learned that who cares what the flavor profile is of the ale is long as you enjoy it with what you are consuming at the moment.  And, I am enjoying this ale with this cigar which I did not really care for this ale by itself.  

Around the World with King Poseidon Series

Click here to read about this cigar paired with:

20 year old Port

Old Crafty Hen

Baco Noir Wine

Drew Estate Undercrown Gordito and Magic Hat Encore: Review

The Ale

Magic Hat Encore

Magic Hat Brewing Company

Magichat.net

South Burlington, Vermont, USA

IPA on Tour – American Wheat IPA

6.4% abv

                   

Appearance: muddy clay body with a nice two finger tan head.  Make sure to get the sediment off the bottom of the bottle.

Aroma: milder than I thought it would be.  Soft grassy hops with some wheat.  Not that interesting.   

Flavors: grassy, pine, a little twist of citrus peel; a touch of malt in the mix with nice earthy grains. 

Mouthfeel: mild-moderate bitterness, fine fizzy carbonation, a light pine note lingers. 

To the Point: overall, to me, this is an okay IPA. 

The Cigar

Drew Estate Undercrown Gordito

Drewestate.com

Wrapper: San Andreas Otapan Negro Ultimo Corte

Binder: T52 Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut & Cured Habano

Fillers: Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaraguan

Size: 6 x 60

$11.99 at Smoky’s of Northville (MI tax)

Off the Light: an earthy medium roast coffee for the first half inch.  Then a little peppercorn spice kicks in to add some interest.  The mouthfeel here during the first couple of inches seems to have a dry leathery texture. 

The Rest of the Smoke: this cigar is pretty consistent the rest of the way.  The earthy medium roast coffee, very light spice, and toasted grains make for a pleasing smoking experience.  The texture is smooth leather like and has a medium body weight on the palate. 

To the Point: I really enjoyed this Gordito size.  The Undercrown lineup seems to very pleasing to my palate.  I would buy a box of this size. 

The Pairing

I was looking forward to smoking this cigar with an IPA style beer.  With its earthy taste profile and light spice I thought it should pair well with some IPAs. 

I was right.  The slight peppercorn spice of the cigar is not strong enough to make the pairing too bitter.  There is a slightly stronger twang from the pine, when I sip this ale, during that matching.  The earthy grains of the ale mix well with the toasted grains of the cigar.  I actually like this ale a bit more while smoking the Undercrown.  This is a good example of pairing the right cigar with the right ale.  

Casa Magna Diadema and Old Speckled Hen Ale

The Ale

Old Speckled Hen Ale
Morland Brewing

England

5.2% abv

$10.99 a six pack

12oz bottles

English Pale Ale

I have not had this ale in a long long time.  This use to be one of my favorite English Ales and when I saw the six pack sitting there in the store I just had to pick one up.  They also make Hen’s Tooth which I like a lot as well and I have not seen that around in years.  I can’t believe that I have never reviewed this ale. 

Appearance: nice copper body with a 2 finger off-white head.

Aroma: lightly toasted malts, citrus meat, a little sharp

Flavors: rich toasted malts, the citrus meat is still playing along in the taste, pecan shell bitterness, mineral water tea like note,

Mouthfeel: moderate carbonation, light malts on the delivery and a mild bitterness on the mid and finish, when I think about it – it seems a bit thin on the front, a typical amber ale bitterness that leaves a spicy feel on the palate

To the Point: why was it one of my favorites … I just could not tell you.  It really is nothing all that special.  Just a decent pale ale overall but, it is very easy to drink.  The bitter notes are mild-moderate overall and don’t weigh on the palate.   

I just did a search on my posts and I did do a review back in 2010 and I just never made a link to it.  I’ll make the link (see side margin – under England).  I’ll have to  check my old review for differences myself.

The Cigar

Casa Magna Diadema

I’ll have to tell you that I have not been doing too many cigar reviews this summer so, in the coming month or two, I will not have too many postings. 

Yes, a little bit has to do with the hot weather and a big part has to do with that I put my summer place up for sale and I have been looking for a new place. 

My summer place is in Grindstone Michigan and it is an RV community.  You own your own land and all you can place on the lot is an RV or a Park Model.  Quarry Fields is one of the first if not the first of its kind (in Michigan) when they started it back in the early 80’s. 

I know that Brad, one of the followers of this blog, is an RVer and I think he should be thinking about buying this baby.  Well, maybe he should just visit one day!

Enough of that … let’s get to the review!

Nicaraguan Puro

Wrapper: Ligero Cuban seed Colorado

Fillers: Ligero and Visos Cuban seed

Size: 6 ¾ x 54

The Colorado wrapper gives this cigar a nice reddish brown color. 

Off the Light it has solid soil earthy tones right off the bat.  As the smoke continues a woody note starts to develop that reminds of cedar.  There is a good full body coffee note that sure pleases my palate and I sure love coffee.  There is a nice dusting of white peppercorn to add some spicy interest. 

The Pairing

This is a nice pairing.  The spicy notes of the cigar bring out the spiciness of the English Ale.  The ale is still refreshing enough to please the palate during this pairing.  The toasted malts mingle well with the coffee profile of the cigar.  I think I remember why I liked this “Old Speckled Hen” for it pairs well with a cigar. 

I am enjoying this so much that I am going to pitch a fire and sit by it and enjoy the rest of this experience.

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban and Curivari Reserva Limitada Café 60: Review

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban

12 Years Old Matured in Portuguese Port Casks

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

46% abv
100ml bottle from a sampler pack  

Appearance: deep amber honey

Aroma: it sure is nice but, this is a hard on for me; if I think port while sniffing … I can come up with dark chocolate and pecan … if it came in a chocolate box they would call it a pecan turtle … right … now I pick up a little caramel.

Flavors: I get that pecan turtle on the tip of the tongue and on the mid and finish a nice pink peppercorn and a hint of ginger

Mouthfeel: smooth, nice warmth, the aftertaste has that mint mouthwash feel,

To the Point: I sure like this one and I don’t think I did it justice … I am going to their web site to see what they have to say.

That was easy it is Glenmorangie.com   

On the Aroma they say, “Dark mint chocolate, tangerines and Seville oranges mingle with sandalwood and walnut before giving way to a spicy finish of pepper and nutmeg.”

On the Flavors they say, Mint chocolate and walnuts envelop the palate like velvet, laying the foundations for rose, Turkish delight and sweet Seville oranges.

That was fun.  They have mint in the taste; I picked mint up in the aftertaste.  Now as I sip it I can see how they call it dark mint chocolate but, I like my pink peppercorn and ginger over their nutmeg and pepper. 

To the Point: this is one tasty little scotch.  I would buy this again. 

Time to light up a cigar and finish off the rest of this little bottle of Quinta Ruban Scotch. 

The Cigar is a Curivari Reserva Limitada Café 60.  The length is 5.5” and the ring gauge is 58.  I can’t believe that I have not reviewed this cigar yet.  Out of the Curivari line-up this is one of my favorites.  I think this will be an excellent match with this Scotch.  The flavor notes are mild-medium roast coffee (main profile), a touch of hardwood, and soft soil, it is like you can taste the soil the tobacco was grown in.  The texture is smooth and the aftertaste is pleasing.  I’ll call it mild-medium in body – I’ll give a 4 on my strength scale. 

The interplay is just wonderful.  This is one of the few times for me when a Scotch and a Cigar just matched up perfectly.   And, this all makes sense because I love a fine cigar and a tawny port wine.  The mild-medium roast coffee of the cigar mingles so well with the pecan caramel chocolate on the front and that mint chocolate on the finish of the Scotch.  The pink peppercorn and ginger, of the scotch, brings a nice dimension on the next puff of the cigar.  

Glenmorangie Original 10 Years Old

I bought a four pack sampler of Glenmorangie

Each bottle is 100ml
Contains:
10 Year Old Original
12 Year Old Lasanta Matured in Sherry Casks
12 Year Old Quinta Ruban Matured in Port Casks
12 Year Old Nectar D'or Matured in Sauternes Casks


This Review: Glenmorangie Original
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
43% abv

This is the Glenmorangie you will usually see in restaurants and bars. 

Appearance: straw-yellow

Aroma: alcohol overwhelms, kind of grassy, nothing impressive

Flavors: sweet grains, then the peppery warmth from the alcohol kicks in, little pear, touch of oak,

Mouthfeel: fairly smooth, good warmth, the aftertaste is not much to talk about,

To the Point: to me not that impressed, sure glad I didn’t buy a fifth or a shot at the bar.  I’ll skip this one.  I had half the bottle and I'll pass the other half on to someone else. I am not going to waste a cigar on this one.