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Photographer: Danna Bordalí
Philip Ili Barake and David Pérez
Philip Ili Barake (left) and David Pérez (right)
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Photographer: Danna Bordalí
Rum and Cigar Pairing
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Photographer: Danna Bordalí
Rum Cigar and Coffee Pairing
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Photographer: Danna Bordalí
Rum and Coffee Pairing
Cold Thinking
A couple of times each year, the weather is reversed between the hemispheres: if it is summer in the southern one, with high temperatures, the northern one is experiencing bitter colds. This is something quite evident today, with historical arctic colds.
I attempted to do a pairing based on where the majority (70%) of our readers are located. So this pairing is for those suffering the cold effects of winter. Few people would want to stay out in the cold for a very long smoke, so I had to select a cigar that would have a maximum smoking time between 30 and 40 minutes. I opted for a Rocky Patel Private Cellar Torpedo (6 1/8 x 52), this cigar is remarkable for its ring size and the color of its Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, with a color that suggests a maduro cigar, but with a shine that is truly characteristic of Connecticut. The filler is Nicaraguan, which gives the cigar a lot of complexity, with dark toasted coffee beans and dry fruits, perfect for this pairing.
I designed this experience so it would work in the average household, with ingredients that are easy to be replaced, so there is no need to use the exact ones mentioned here. I wanted to combine a simple coffee service (American Coffee or weak Espresso with milk and sugar and a traditional Espresso) with a Venezuelan rum that would mix well with caramel and coffee notes. I chose Ron Pampero Aniversario, a rum that I believe is well positioned from a price/quality perspective.
I also had to select a place to conduct the pairing, ideally a coffee house with a terrace (patio) where one could smoke peacefully, where they prepared and served the coffee well and where I would be allowed to take my time to prepare and finish the pairing. I roamed through many of the coffee houses in Santiago, looking for one that met my criteria. I then came across Café Vivaldi, in the Providencia neighborhood of Santiago. It is a very tranquil place, in a relatively new residential area (it was built about 5 years ago), with an ideal terrace for the pairing and with a surprisingly high quality of coffee preparation and service. Once all the pieces were set, it was time to start the pairing.
A couple of months ago I decided to start inviting selected friends to my pairings, this is something that has worked out quite well and I expect I will be continuing this tradition in the future. For this cold weather pairing I invited David Pérez, someone with whom I had shared a great pairing in the past.
The pairing would take place as follows: we would match the first third of the cigar with two types of coffee, one Americano and the other a double espresso. We would add a touch of rum to each of the coffees at the beginning and would then decide if we needed to add a bit of brown sugar. As it turns out, both coffees in the pairing benefited from the touch of sugar.
Smoking the cigar was fabulous, even better than the first experience I had with the cigar alone (without coffee). The draw was excellent and there was a lot of potential for a powerful combination. Be careful, however, not to add too much rum to the coffee, as this will unbalance the coffee, rendering the pairing useless.
Both coffees showed a good marriage with the cigar and the rum, interplaying with the common notes. But it was the creaminess of the espresso that convinced us to conduct the second phase only with the espresso.
We moved from a very balanced pairing to a very demanding one, as the cigar became more and more aggressive. So we started sipping the espresso and the rum by themselves, not combined, making this a triangular pairing.
The rum, with its sugary notes, was enhancing the sweetness level of the espresso, meanwhile the cigar was adding tannic, dry and spicy notes to the equation, reminiscent of the high intensity cigars such as Ramón Allones from Cuba, or a Double Maduro Hoyo de Monterrey from Honduras, with its aggressive notes.
The longer the pairing went on, the more intense the experience, and the more coffee and rum we had to consume, which are both perfect remedies for a cold day outside. If you can devote 40 minutes of your day to this pairing, I highly suggest you do so. Just make sure you are wearing a warm jacket or coat. I am sure you will think of me as you enjoy this magical combination.
Cheers!
Philip Ili Barake
Philip@GotRum.com