Élégant
During my last trip to Cuba, as part of the XVIII Habano Festival, I –along with all those who attended the opening night’s ceremonies- received a pre-launch Habano, a special edition from Casa del Habano, made by Hoyo de Monterrey and named “Elegante”. The “Vitola de Galera” (internal name) was an unmistakable Taco (47 x 158mm), which until then had only been used by Partagas with the “Vitola de Salida” (external name) Presidente. Instead of smoking this special cigar that night, I decided to save it for a special pairing.
There are several descriptors that come to my mind when I think of Hoyo de Monterrey. One in particular, is the precisely the name given to this format: Elegante. For the most part, the cigars from Hoyo de Monterrey tend to be lighter and smoother, mostly with larger ring gauges and all with excellent draw.
Since I started with a Habano and was focused on elegance, from the beginning I discarded pairing it with a cocktail, but not because they are less elegant, instead because I wanted something cleaner, simpler and transparent in its aging. It was then that I remember a bottle that I received from Benoit Bail during the rum festival in Berlin, while visiting his stand of Rhum Agricole. The idea made a lot of sense in my mind, knowing the profile of aged rums such as this one: I am referring to the Isautier 10 Year Old from Reunion.
In the case of this Habano, we make a cut that is only a couple of millimeters thick, and we can
also cut the side of the “boquilla” (the side where the cigar is lit) to make it wider and allow for a bigger draw, but I prefer this format just as it is, with the tight boquilla. At any rate, the smoking time of this cigar does not exceed 30 minutes, which is all I need to find a good balance between it and the rum.
All the while, the rum is everything one should expect from a product of this origin and age: French oak barrels that give you subtle notes of vanilla, prune jam and light hints of aromatic clove, all this well-balanced and rounded, the alcohol devoid of anything that one could perceive as aggressive.
The Habano showcases a strength typical of its composition and, despite having spent the past 6 months in my humidor, still feels like a cigar made this year, due to the intensity of the ammonia note (the ammonia starts to break down with time).
To be honest, this simple and honest pairing works because both components (the cigar and the rum) are easy to enjoy. The rum does not need any ice, much less being mixed in a cocktail.
I know the rum and the cigar are both very hard to find items, you could say this is an extremely selective pairing, but the idea of the pairing was to share with our readers that there is elegance in simplicity, or in doing this the old fashioned way.
Philip Ili Barake
#GR CigarPairing
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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).