"Got Rum" Magazine. Photo by: @CigarIli
January 2014 Cigar & Rum Pairing
Philip Ili Barake, Cigar Sommelier and writer for "Got Rum?" magazine, pairs up Botran Reserva rum from Guatemala with a Dominican Republic Toro cigar from the Aniversario 107 line up from La Aurora in his article called "Anniversary Pairing" that published in the January 2015 issue of "Got Rum?' magazine.
Anniversary Pairing
I hope that in 2015 I will receive more pairing ideas/suggestions from “Got Rum?” readers, so I can bring them to life. In the meantime, I want to start the year right with a rum that my good friend Mario Navarro is promoting, I am referring to Botran Reserva from Guatemala, a now discontinued rum which used to be aged at a high altitude and which comprised of rums aged between 5 and 14 years. Unlike Zacapa 23, this Botran rum was also aged in barrels that at one time had port wine. These days you can only find Botran in a 15 and an 18 year old presentations. Hopefully I’ll be able to do a pairing with either one of these in the future.
As for the cigar, I opted for one from my beloved Dominican Republic. I selected a cigar from the Aniversario 107 line up from La Aurora, which is the oldest cigar brand in operation in the country, it was created in 1903.
The cigars in this lineup, which was launched in 2010 to celebrate the 107th anniversary of the brand, have a blend of Dominican, Nicaraguan and Equatorian tobaccos. There were initially three formats: a Robusto (50 x 4.5), a Belicoso (52 x 6.25) and the one I chose for this pairing, a Toro (54 x 5.5). After the launch, La Aurora added a Corona, a Lancero and a “Gran 107” to the lineup.
Once I had the rum and the cigar identified, I proceeded to my favorite workplace, a very comfortable terrace, where I was greeted by a temperature of about 88 F in the shade, which was a bit bothersome. I lit up my cigar with a cedar stick, the traditional and formal way. If you ever try this out in the open, be careful with the wind, which can make the task difficult or, even worse, can lead to burning the cigar’s wrapper!
Starting with the first third of the cigar, the rum comes across with an intense note of caramel and vanilla. I perceive so much caramel, that I’m immediately reminded of a dessert we call “Leche Asada”, which is prepared like a custard or flan, with burnt sugar caramel at the bottom. The caramel note at the end was enjoyable, definitely dessert-like, and it went very well with the tobacco notes from the cigar.
My cigar was perfectly crafted and had an excellent draw. The notes were very typical of the combination of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos. The body (or strength) was medium, with well -balanced earthy and spicy notes, which combined with the rum to produce a very creamy combination, a perfect pairing.
The pairing got even better as I approached the second third of the cigar. It continued showcasing its medium body, while the rum’s flavors started to linger longer on the palate, losing some of the intense caramel note from the beginning and offering instead dried fruit notes (figs and raisins), undoubtedly from the time spent inside the port barrels.
This was a simple, honest and fool-proof pairing, something I imagine would be enjoyable by the vast majority of our readers. The cigar is a classic example of Dominican tobacco, despite it being a blend of different origins, and a Spanish-style rum that deserves a place in every rum collection.
Cheers,
Philip Ili Barake
Philip@gotrum.com