CigAr And rum PAiring

cigar & rum Pairing

by Philip ili Barake

my name is Philip ili Barake, sommelier by trade. As a result of working with selected restaurants and wine producers in Chile, i started developing a passion for distilled spirits and cigars. As part of my most recent job, i had the opportunity to visit many Central American countries, as well as, rum distilleries and tobacco growers.

But my passion for spirits and cigars did not end there; in 2010 i had the honor of representing Chile at the international Cigar sommelier Competition, where i won first place, becoming the first south American to ever achieve that feat.

now i face the challenge of impressing the readers of “got rum?” with what is perhaps the toughest task for a sommelier: discussing pairings while being well aware that there are as many individual preferences as there are rums and cigars in the world.

i believe a pairing is an experience that should not be limited to only two products; it is something that can be incorporated into our lives. i hope to help our readers discover and appreciate the pleasure of trying new things (or experiencing known things in new ways).

Philip #grCigarPairing

2022 summer coffee

we are in the midst of summer and every year at this time we feel the heat and need to quench our thirst with something cool, but we don’t always crave classic cocktails like the mojito or the daiquiri, but rather something better suited to pair with a cigar. This is a challenge, because the aforementioned cocktails don’t always go well with a Puro.

given this scenario, a simple cocktail you can prepare at home -with different versions or modifications- is what we call the summer Coffee. You’ll need a cup, ideally a glass one for Capuccino, filled with crushed ice and then add equal portions of rum and coffee liqueur. The exact number of ounces you use will depend on the size of the cup you use, just remember to use plenty of ice to endure the outdoor heat.

The rum i selected for this occasion is havana 7 year old from Cuba, which you could very easily replace with any other rum aged fewer than 10 years, ideally with a similar profile (low congener) and not very sweet, since the coffee liqueur will add sweetness to the cocktail and you don’t want the final product to be overly sweet.

For the cigar i selected a Toro (6 x 50) from Camacho de Brotherhood series, a mix of nicaraguan, dominican republic and honduran tobaccos, with an intensity ranging from medium to high. This intensity is ideal for the pairing, but you could also use a shorter cigar for a quicker smoke.

Photo credit: @Cigarili

Photo credit: @Cigarili

upon lighting up the cigar, the first few draws give me hints of maduro tobacco, pepper, freshly toasted barley and mild hints of caramel that continue to increase in intensity as we start the pairing with the cocktail and approach the first third of the cigar.

As i start to smoke the second third of the cigar, i had to prepare a second summer Coffee. The notes coming are now those of toasted red fruits and cocoa powder, they are very enjoyable. At this point i would have preferred to have a shorter cigar, but in hindsight i also enjoyed the second cocktail for two reasons: it is so easy to prepare and despite its simplicity, it is overly harmonious and balanced, full of flavors and aromas that combine exceedingly well with the cigar.

This is a simple and refreshing pairing, always welcomed by a cigar smoker during the scorching summer afternoons. i hope you can recreate this pairing at home, it is very simple and you can replace both the cigar and the rums to your liking.

Cheers! Philip ili Barake #grCigarPairing