Tequila & Cigar Pairings

[Sandi_518]

Howdy B/SOTL.  Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend (or when you read this post, your day).😊

When I started smoking cigars May 2001, I was very much in love with rum.  Fast forward to September 2016, I've since moved away from rum (neat), and started pairing cigars with tequilas & bourbons.  Below are my most recent tequila and cigar pairings.  

Note, I do not work for any of the below mentioned tequila brands or cigar companies.

Left to right: El Mayor Tequila (Anejo) paired with NYC's very own Martinez Cigar's Patrimonio Arapiraca LE 2022.  Martinez Cigars released the Patrimonio Arapiraca cigar in early September.  While I'm not a fan of Brazilian Arapiraca tobacco, I allowed the cigar to rest for an additional month and it paired nicely with the tequila.  I paired the Tequila Ocho (Plata) with Altadis's Juan Lopez and ATL Cigar Co. Black cigars.  Juan Lopez was one of the first cigars I purchased from JR Cigars (Manhattan), it was good then and the cigar is still good (to me) now.  Juan Lopez paired better with the tequila than the Black, as the ATL Cigar Co. cigar was overpowered by the taste of the tequila.  I'm not implying the Black is not a good cigar, it just didn't pair well with this specific tequila.  In the future, I'll try a reposado or anejo tequila or bourbon.  Lastly, Davidoff's WC LE 2022 Perfecto and El Tequileño Reposado Gran Reserva.  This pairing was in celebration of my birthday.   Silly me only purchased one of the WC cigars, should have bought more.  Of course, by the time I went back to buy more, they were sold out.  Anyway, this was a very nice pairing of the tequila and cigar, as they equally complimented one another.  I'll have to try El Tequileño with a few other cigars.

Let me know your thoughts and what you pair with your cigars.

Cheers! 🥃 🔥💨

[gabrielle]

Oh I love tequila! What an interesting pairing! I definitely will try it out!

[matthewp]

Thank you so much for sharing! I have always enjoyed tequila, but I have to admit it's not something I have ever tried to pair with a cigar. I just got a bottle of Casamigos, so I think I will give that a go with something in the next week or so.

Traditionally, I like to pair with a craft beer or a bourbon. Recently I had a Tatuaje Black which I paired with an old fashioned that I made with Bulleit - a classic in my opinion!

[Sandi_518]

@matthewp I'm not a beer drinker, nor know anything about beers, but how do you pair your beers with cigars?  Do you smoke a mild strength cigar with a stronger beer or vice-a-versa.  I assuming this is the same as me pairing tequila and bourbon with cigars.

[matthewp]

@Sandi_518 I personally like to balance my pairings exactly like you said. I likely won't drink a heavy and hoppy IPA with something like a Man O' War Ruination, to me it would overwhelm the palate. And with bourbon, I tend to drink it on the rocks with some smoother cigars and in an old fashioned for some of the bolder selections.

[KevinI]

Interesting! I always pair my cigars with bourbon, but I know a lot of people who swear by tequila - maybe ill have to give it a shot!

[Sandi_518]

Hi @KevinI a BOTL recommended tequilas with cigars after I started smoking; however, I never really tried it until now.  Try it with a nice sipping tequila, you will enjoy it. 

[KevinI]

I will give it a try and let you know how it goes!