Monday, April 30, 2012

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum and La Aurora Preferidos #2 Maduro Cigar: Pairing


The Ale

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum
‘Whole-Cone Imperial IPA’
2012

10.4% abv

Appearance: rich amber

Nose: floral, grassy, sweet-bitter citrus

Flavors: tasty hops: floral, grass, citrus meat, and underlying sweet malts. 

Mouthfeel: low-fine carbonation, oily feel, little wool like on the finish, citrus bitter notes play on the palate for a long lingering session. 

My Strength Rating: 7

To the Point: a very tasty IPA, on the bitter side but, it does have some underlying sweet tones.  If you like IPA’s give this a try. 


The Cigar

La Aurora Preferidos #2 Maduro
Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Fillers: Dominican, Cameroon, Brazil
Size: 5 x 54 Perfecto
My Strength Rating: 4 – mild-medium

Flavor Profile: light forest floor with a focus on dry leafs.  there is also a dry wheat toast and mild coffee.    

There is a firm and tight gray ash and the burn is good so far. 

The mouthfeel is relatively smooth yet dry on the palate – one might call it smooth leather.  I never found these to be complex in any way.  It seems to be a rather stylish smoke.  The body weight is not overpowering and the look of the cigar has – well – let’s call it – style.  This cigar would pair well with a Pinot Noir, Baco Noir or maybe even a Merlot.  It could even be paired with a fuller bodied white.  For beers – I could see Nut Browns, Brown Ales, or a Belgian Dubbel.  As for an IPA – I think the mouthfeel may be too dry to pair with that. 

The Pairing

And, with that last sentence above I had to go and pair this cigar with Sierra Nevada’s Hoptimum.  My ruling: it works.  I enjoyed these two together.  The Hoptimum had enough malty undertones to pull this off.  The cigar worked with this IPA because it does not have any spice on the flavor notes and the main profile is earthy.  


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