There’s nothing quite like relaxing with an excellent Scotch and a good cigar at the end of the day. There are many different varieties of Scotch, and your enjoyment depends entirely on your palate. There are a few unique ideas you may not have encountered when looking for the perfect whisky to match your cigar. Whether it's your first time or you're a seasoned veteran of cigar and whisky pairings, there is always something new to learn.
If you're just starting out, one rule of thumb to remember is that strong cigars go best with strong whisky. Mild cigars match light whiskies best, and so forth. This is a good starting point for making your selection when faced with the question of what type of cigar to pair with your whisky. It's a good idea to read up on the different types of whisky and what sets them apart from each other. A Speyside malt will be much different than a whisky from Islay, for example. Learning about cigar types will also help you make a good choice. A rudimentary knowledge of what you're looking for will be beneficial when you are making your purchases.
We have compiled a few suggestions for those who are making their first forays into the pairing experience. We tend to prefer a peatier single malt, but do offer some alternatives. Here are a few different ideas to get you started on your journey.
This delicious whisky has become rarer now that Black Art has moved on to other casks, but the first cask pour of this Islay malt is one-of-a-kind. The whisky is garnet red in the glass and its sherry-cask history offers a sweeter finish over the smoky, peaty flavor common to Islay whiskies. Black Art is best paired with an Undercrown Shade Robusto. Its citrus notes complement the sherry cask flavors in the whisky, an irresistible combination.
If peatiness is your favorite aspect of whisky, you have been missing out if you haven’t tried Bruichladdich PC8. One of the peatiest whiskies offered by the distillery, Port Charlotte 8 is a strong, bold malt best paired with a strong Cuban cigar, like a Bolivar or Partagas. PC8 is reminiscent of its island origin, where the peat-smoke scent on the wind greets you as you step off the ferry onto Port Askaig in the rain.
Not everyone enjoys the smoke of a heavy peat whisky. Glenfiddich, much like other Speyside malts, is much sweeter. Hints of pear and other fruits accompany this honeylike whisky that still has a kick going down. Glenfiddich is best paired with a lighter cigar like the Romeo and Julietas once favored by Winston Churchill. The creamy, aromatic smoke pairs well with the sweeter taste of Glenfiddich.
Jura is the island across from Islay, and only has a single distillery. There are more deer on Jura than there are people, and it is where George Orwell wrote his masterpiece, 1984. Superstition is Jura’s most famous whisky. It is a single malt, but a blend of two different ages of whisky. Superstition has a light, peaty flavor that is not as strong as the other whiskies on this list. It has notes of fruit and is quite a light, interesting Scotch. This island blend is best paired with a lighter cigar, such as a Baccarat. The lighter flavors tend to enhance each other. If your cigar choice is too strong, it can overpower the taste of the whisky.
This pairing is more for the story that comes with it than the particular flavor. For a long time, Bruichladdich was a locally-owned distillery, and they made specialty or novelty whiskies depending upon what had happened recently. For example, they made a whisky for Harrison Ford. The Yellow Submarine label is accompanied by a story familiar to those who have ever lived on any kind of island.
One day, some fishermen at the Port Charlotte pier noticed something in the water. It turned out to be an unmanned submarine. They called the Royal Navy to tell them about it. “Is this yours?” they asked. “We don’t know what you’re talking about,” said the Royal Navy. “You sure?” asked the people of Islay. “It’s got Ministry of Defence stamped on the side.” “We assure you we have never heard of it,” said the Royal Navy. A few weeks later, some people from the Royal Navy came by and rather shamefacedly towed their submarine away. In response, Bruichladdich produced Yellow Submarine, and honestly this will pair with just about any kind of cigar because having a story like this to tell about your whisky while you’re smoking is really the entire point of the exercise in the first place. Yellow Submarine is filled with a delicious 14-year-old Islay malt, so the quality is superb.
Overall, the best pairings for whisky and cigars are the ones you like best. While you can read up on any and every pairing or combination, or take suggestions from a bar, in the end all of us have different palates. Just like food, we may prefer taste combinations that seem strange to other people, but work very well for us. Keep exploring and find out your own preferences when it comes to your preferred smoke and tipple.
Cigars and whisky go together well. They complement each other and bring out the different subtle flavors in each. There are countless different whiskies and cigars to choose from, and you may find a lifelong passion in discovering the perfect pairing. If it’s your first time pairing whisky and cigars, this will introduce you to an enduring love of enjoying a smoke while relaxing in your chair, sipping good whisky and telling stories.
In this post, we want to share some tips on how to start your own cigar club.
Whether you're a long established cigar smoker or have just had your first cigar and want to learn more, starting a local cigar club could be just the thing to advance your passion in this hobby. Not only will a local club provide you and your friends with a weekly respite from work and family, it'll give you all a chance to share information and try out new cigars you might not otherwise be able to find. The details of starting a fun and successful club can be a hassle and turn an exciting hobby into a boring chore. Here are the top 6 tips to help you start a successful cigar club, so you can enjoy your cigars without the headaches of management.
Just as in real estate, starting a cigar club depends on location. You'll want to pick a spot that's central to all of your members, guests, and of course yourself. Finding a place to smoke can be as simple as having everyone come to your house or if you want to go bigger you can rent out a local tavern or hall. With modern smoking regulations in commercial buildings, it may be easier for many to simply use a residential home as their meeting spot. Even if you don't have a fully stocked man cave, meeting in a garage with some chairs is just as good and will get you to the purpose of the club which is enjoying cigars.
Aside from picking a place where smoking is acceptable, you'll want to look into other amenities such as comfortable seating, tables, and a TV or other forms of entertainment. Moving your club outdoors is a great way to get a change of scenery and get everyone out and moving. Golf courses or other outdoor activities are a great place for cigar clubs to meet as you already have an activity provided. Another solid option is to rotate your club's meeting through a set of member houses. This helps divide up the responsibilities of hosting amongst your members.
With your location decided, now you just need to pick out some cigars. Cigar selection is widely subjective to the smoker and many will have different tastes be it a heavy Robusto, the popular Churchill, or something lighter. One huge advantage of clubs is that you can try them all and change it up each time you meet.
You can decide with your friends if you want everyone to bring their own cigars and share or just have people chip in money and someone can stock up for the group. Buying in bulk will save you all money and if you find the group starts to settle on a few select cigars, you'll be able to buy more as a team. If your collection starts to grow, you can even invest in a group humidor where everyone can store their sticks for the next meeting.
Drinks, snacks, and alcohol are all fine additions to a cigar club, but you should decide ahead of time which you'll be providing or allowing. Some clubs may want to keep things simple and stick to cigars. Others may want to go the whole nine yards with food and drinks each meeting. Talk to your friends and members to decide what everyone wants to do and who will cover which duties. Many prefer to smoke a cigar with scotch or a similar liquor as the combination of flavors is quite unique.
Now that you've got your location, cigars, and snacks sorted, you can look into entertainment options. Sometimes the simplest and easiest thing to do is flip on the TV for some background noise. Since you're meeting with friends, you can find out what other interests the group has and even plan games or other things you can do while enjoying your cigar. Card and table games are always popular, but pool and darts are also great additions. If your club really wants to stay active, you can try meeting for golf, fishing, or even at shooting ranges for more active meetings.
Cigars have a long and rich history with hundreds, possibly thousands, of different types of cigars. Learning about different flavors, styles, and the history of each stick can be a long and fruitful endeavor. Making learning a part of your club could make your meetings that much more interesting. Have members look into the history of the sticks they're bringing or even organize more experienced cigar shop owners or aficionados give presentations on various cigar related topics. Learning about cigar growing, harvesting, and rolling techniques are all interesting topics that will make sure your club can explain the details to anyone who asks.
The last thing to consider when starting a cigar club is who to invite. Many will find that simply sticking to close friends and family will be the easiest route. If you eventually want to grow your club into a larger group, you can post ads or notifications on popular cigar related web forums and chat groups. Inviting outside members can be a nice addition to your club as it will give you and your friends a chance to meet new people who are interested in the same hobby. New members will also give you a chance to try out new styles of cigars and bring new info to your group.
Regardless of if you've been smoking cigars for years or have never had a cigar in your life, starting a cigar club can be done by all. A cigar club can provide you and your friends with a comfortable location, wide selection and cheaper prices for cigars, and a fun meeting place to talk about cigars with likeminded individuals. Consider these tips and you may find that starting a club is the best thing you've done.
Canoeing is great if you're trying to travel down a river, but if you're trying to smoke a cigar, it's a very different story. If you've laid down hard-earned dollars for a high-quality cigar, would you really be happy only smoking half of it? That's the dark side of cigar canoeing.
If you've smoked your fair share of cigars, you know that canoeing is sometimes a fact of life; it can ruin the smoking experience of even the nicest cigar. Thankfully, if you learn these methods, you'll know exactly what to do--that way, next time you won't be up the creek without a paddle.
Canoeing, sometimes referred to as cigar flagging or running, is a cigar smoker's worst nightmare. Well...maybe it's not as bad as dropping the cigar in a glass of nice scotch, but it's still pretty bad. Simply put, "canoeing" refers to one side of the cigar burning faster than the other side. Left unfixed, this will eventually split the cigar in half (making it resemble a canoe, hence the name).
It's important to make sure that canoeing is indeed the problem you're facing. There are similar problems, for instance, that must be solved with more advanced methods. One example is tunneling. Tunneling occurs when the outer layer (wrapper) is extinguished while the inner layer (filler) keeps burning. Once you understand the difference, it's easy to tell the difference between canoeing and tunneling.
Just as there are several names for the phenomenon of cigar flagging, there are also several methods to fix it, and a few to prevent it from occurring in the first place.
Now that we've defined the problem, let's look at some common ways to solve this commonplace issue--whether you call it flagging or canoeing--that has plagued cigar smokers lo these many years...
Let's start at the beginning: the right time to start preventing canoeing is the moment at which you put a match to the cigar. Take your time--make sure the cigar foot has been lit completely and evenly.
This won't prevent all instances of canoeing, but it will give you a better chance of stopping it.
Do you have cigars that you're saving for a special occasion? You can do your future self a favor by storing your stogies properly; your humidor needs to have proper airflow. If the airflow is constricted in some way, the cigar will dry unevenly, causing one side to burn faster than the other. Humidity is another important variable when it comes to storing your cigars.
The simplest method to prevent cigar canoeing is to simply stop puffing the cigar. Set it down in an ashtray when you begin to see the telltale signs. It's not always an effective method to prevent flagging, but it's an easy fix sometimes if you can catch the canoe before it really takes off.
One of the most commonly-used methods is to re-light the cigar. While this is a popular method, it can decrease the amount of time you'll have to smoke. What's more, it may not necessarily fix the problem for very long--chances are, you may have to re-burn a canoeing cigar two or three times.
You've probably seen this method at use if you're a seasoned cigar smoker, but you might not be comfortable enough to try it yourself. Don't worry--it's easy. All you need to do is lick your finger (don't overdo it, a little saliva is just fine), then gently press it down on the part of the cigar that has begun to canoe. This should even out the cherry of the cigar, but it might require a few tries to get it right.
No cigar smoker should be ignorant of the methods to fix flagging and canoeing--it's an unfortunate occurrence that can limit your enjoyment of even the finest cigars.
By being mindful of the root causes of cigar canoeing and cigar flagging, you can avoid ruining a nice cigar that you've been waiting to enjoy. Even though there are some tried-and-true ways to fix the problem, it's easiest to avoid in the first place by storing the cigars in a properly ventilated, evenly humid humidor.
There are a variety of troubleshooting methods, but even the savviest aficionado will tell you that the easiest way to stop a flagging cigar in its track is to simply stop smoking the cigar and set it down.
We hope you use these suggestions to get an even greater enjoyment out of your next smoking session--you'll be glad you did. Let us know below if you have any comments or questions!
Copyright © 2020 – 2024 CigarS and Whiskey Life. All Rights Reserved
