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Photo by Luis Ayala, Editor for "Got Rum?" magazine.
Japanese Craft Pairing
Philip Ili Barake, Cigar Sommelier & writer for "Got Rum?" magazine, does his September 2014 pairing in Texas with Luis & Margaret Ayala, Publishers of "Got Rum?" magazine, and calls this pairing a "Japanese Craft Pairing".
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Photo by Luis Ayala, Editor for "Got Rum?" magazine.
Japanese Rum and Beer
Philip Ili Barake, Cigar Sommelier & writer for "Got Rum?" magazine, does his September 2014 pairing in Texas with Luis & Margaret Ayala, Publishers of "Got Rum?" magazine, and calls this pairing a "Japanese Craft Pairing".
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Photo taken by Luis Ayala, Editor for "Got Rum?" magazine.
Japanese Craft Pairing Cigars
Philip Ili Barake, Cigar Sommelier & writer for "Got Rum?" magazine, does his September 2014 pairing in Texas with Luis & Margaret Ayala, Publishers of "Got Rum?" magazine, and calls this pairing a "Japanese Craft Pairing".
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Philip Ili Barake
Philip Ili Barake, Cigar Sommelier, from Chile and contributing writer for "Got Rum?" magazine.
Japanese Craft Pairing
This pairing took place at 3:00 pm on a hot summer Texas day. We started by enjoying a Daiquiri, to cool down the palate. Here is the recipe we developed:
Japanese Daiquiri
• 2 oz. Nine Leaves Clear 2013 Rum,50%
• 1 oz. Simple Syrup
• 1 oz. Orange Rum Liqueur
• Juice of 1 Fresh Lime
Fill shaker with ice, shake, drain
We all decided to smoke a different cigar for this pairing. Here is what we each chose:
I chose a Hops Craft Beer Cigar,handmade in the Dominican Republic. It was a Dobles 6,1”x 50. The cigar showed some veins/stems, meaning it was not made from the finest leaves (which are usually de-veined prior to rolling).
Margaret chose a San Cristobal Elegancia Imperial, Toro 6 x 52 made in Nicaragua by Don Pepin Garcia’s heralded Nicaraguan factor y and Luis chose a Robusto 3x3 from the Dominican Republic.
Each cigar had a different size and a different burning time, so we started lighting up at different times, first Margaret, then me and finally Luis.
The first third…
Philip: The aromatic dimension imparted by the hops before lighting up the cigar, almost disappeared once the cigar was lit, revealing more of the under lying tobacco notes, very mild. Combined with the Daiquiri this proved to be a very mild, round and refreshing experience.
Margaret: The subtleness of the cigar allows the rum to play its role very well. The cigar is very enjoyable, creamy and unctuous with oak tannins and vanillin. The vanillin note in the cigar gives an added sweetness that complements the lime juice in the Daiquiri.
Luis: The cigar started mild enough, not saturating the palate with nicotine or other spicy or smoky notes. This allowed the white rum in the cocktail to showcase some of its own terroir and the complexities formed during fermentation and concentrated during distillation. The lime from the Daiquiri helped balance both the tobacco and rum notes, making the experience refreshing.
The second third…
At this point in the pairing we switched from the white rum to the Nine Leaves Angel’s Half, American Oak Cask Rum, 50%.
Philip: My cigar continues showcasing a medium to light body, is not really able to keep up with the rum flavor or strength, even after I added a couple of ice cubes to the rum. The rum is featuring some honeydew notes that dominate on my palate.
Margaret: The rum straight was a bit aggressive, after drinking the Daiquiri, so I added four small ice cubes to my snifter. The creaminess of the cigar still comes across, with earth notes and nuts taking center stage. I can taste the White American Oak in the rum, which goes very well with the nuttiness from the cigar.
Luis: The cigar is developing some very nice spicy and peppery notes. When combined with the rum, however, they do not stand up enough and the rum dominates the combination. So I added one small piece of ice to my snifter and I achieved perfection at this stage of the pairing: the rum contributes its full body at a slightly lower proof, while the cigar adds some peppery heat to balance things off.
The last third…
At this time, we switched over to a Hitachino Nest Beer XH (8%).
Philip: I am now get ting the taste of hops I had been expecting, but I am getting it from the beer and not from the cigar.
Margaret: The role changed completely. The creaminess from the cigar has now disappeared going into the last third, becoming bitter and peppery. The creaminess is now coming from the beer, where I am also finding orange peel notes that are not necessarily complementing the cigar. In retrospect, perhaps I should have started this particular cigar with the beer and ended up with the Daiquiri.
Luis: The cigar and the beer are both attempting to grab the spotlight, neither one yielding, neither one winning.
Philip: Seeing as how we we really struggling with the last third of the cigar, I reached out for a bottle of Apple Ale, brewed at 5% ABV, carbonated. The feedback was instantaneously and quite impressive.
We all enjoyed the refreshing mouth feel of the ale, which with its low flavor profile, allowed the cigar to better express itself.
Cheers,
Philip Ili Barake
Philip@gotrum.com