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Photo by Alejandra Her rera
Highest Pairing
Philip Ili Barake brings us "Highest Pairing" in the September 2013 issue of "Got Rum?". This pairing literally takes us up 7900 feet in the mountains.
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The Highest Pairing
For the September issue I had thought about doing a pairing that involved preparing a meal along with a rum, but time was not on my side and therefore was impossible to accomplish for this month. I decided to take advantage of a business trip I had booked to La Parva, a region in Chile, and I packed my very last cigar of the Drew Estate Liga Privada Unico Feral Flying Pig.
Since I was at an altitude of approximately 7900 feet, it came to me exactly what rum I was going to use for the pairing with my cigar. I chose Ron Zacapa Solera 23, a rum that is aged high up in the mountains of Guatemala in both American and Spanish barrels. The combination of high altitude, rum and cigar should be a perfect pairing.
First, I had to take advantage of the little daylight that was left of the day. My photographer and I had to take the photos for this pairing in areas that would depict the high altitude we were at, along with the cold weather. Without a doubt, the area we chose was magical and the perfect place to smoke the cigar, over looking the vast landscape.
Now, just think about the situation we were in: here we were at an altitude of about 7900 ft., completely surrounded by snow, a camp fire at our feet and the most breathtaking view. All that was missing in that very moment was my cigar along with a snifter of Ron Zacapa Solera 23.
Initially I encountered a problem; I had managed to forget my lighter! What was I thinking?!?!? Then it occurred to me that I was sitting right by a camp fire. With a lot of caution, so as not to burn the wrapper, I knelt down and lit my cigar without any complication.
In one of the past issue of “Got Rum?” I had already paired a cigar from the Drew Estate and had mentioned how much I enjoy this series for its thick body, a 60 ring gauge and 5 3/8 length. At first glance, this is a double figurado cigar with one of the ends featuring a knob twisted to resemble a pigtail. The wrapper has a rich dark chocolate color and has a minimal number of veins. As a reminder, when working with cigars with this type of pigtail, do not attempt to un-twist it, as this can cause the wrapper to break.
Once I lit the cigar, the first third did not seem very aggressive, I found it to be complex, with medium intensity and pleasant notes of tobacco with hints of earthy elements. As I experienced these notes from the cigar I began to accompany it with sips of Zacapa, served with only a single ice cube. Of course, with temperatures below 0°C, the ice cube was well maintained, with very little dilution.
As the burn approached the middle of the cigar, the notes of the tobacco began to produce hints of sweetness and toasted pistachios that were quite enjoyable. Altogether, the strong character I was expecting from the beginning started to emerge. Along with the sweetness of the rum, with its hints of caramel and vanilla, they maintained an excellent contrast and balance that was very enjoyable.
Despite the cold, the pairing did not allow me to accelerate its time, hence the pairing took a little over an hour….with the absolutely breathtaking view and the perfect pairing, another hour could have passed easily and I would have been just as happy. I hope that someday you too will have the same unique experience as I did.
Cheers!
Philip