It’s a hot summer day so I want something different in a cigar and in the wine that will accompany it. I’m not a flavored cigar smoker but decided to try an Acid Wafe cigar just to see what it’s like. Drew Estate makes them and they are known for their flavored cigars. Not knowing what to expect from the Acid Wafe, I opened a bottle of Obtainers Montoya 2005. This is a Spanish red wine that is decent tasting as a summer red. I’ve had it before and it’s a bargain for the price.

The Acid Wafe cigar has a flat box-pressed shape. In the mouth it reminds me of the end of the wood tip of those machine-made cigars that come in cardboard packages. Not the taste but just the feel. You can tell the cigar is sweetened when you touch it with the tongue.

I poured the wine a little while ago so I think that it should have aired out enough, being a 2005. The wine’s bouquet is cherry like and lightly sweet. The taste has fruit tones with structured tannins. Very good for a cheaply priced Spanish wine. I guess when you pay $6 for a bottle of Spanish red wine you expect less, so I can say that it exceeded my expectations. It has a nice mouth-feel that I predict will complement the sweet taste of the Acid Wafe cigar.

The Wafe smokes well, notwithstanding the cigar’s shape. You taste the bold notes of the Nicaraguan tobacco, along with the honey flavoring. It’s slightly creamy and has coffee notes in the background. It smokes well and also pairs well with the Montoya Obtainers Spanish red wine.

The wine is pretty consistent, and so is the cigar. The sweetened tobacco taste plays well with the cherry notes of the wine. You can tell this wine is barrel aged, giving it a little oak.

The cigar is short and burns quicker than I am accustomed to. That might be the result of the box pressing and such a flat girth. I guess that it has less tobacco than the regular box-pressed cigars. I am almost down to the end and am impressed that I’m fully smoking a flavored cigar. This one is different than others that I have tried and does not knock you in the mouth with sweetness.

This wine pairs well with the Wafe. It balances my taste buds between the wine’s light acidity and firm tannins, and the cigar’s sweet honey and creamy notes. It’s a nice combination for those who enjoy flavored cigars.

Cigar tax after cigar tax and I’ve had enough. While this blog is for pairing cigars with wines,  the situation with cigar taxes is getting out of control, with increases at the federal and state level.

On April 1, 2009 the Federal cigar tax went up from 4.75 cents a cigar to 40.26 cents a cigar. That’s an over 800% increase! The largest cigar tax increase in history of America. This tax increase was for President Obama’s program that provides health care insurance to children in families with an annual income of about $80,000 or less. It was funded through a $32.8 billion increase in tobacco taxes and added about $10 per box of cigars.

Now the states are looking to increase the cigar tax to levels that are unprecedented. The Florida Senate has passed the state budget with a $1 per ounce tax on cigars. Based on the average weight of the cigars I smoke, that’s an additional $16 per box of 25 cigars. Florida is from the state with the largest concentration of cigar companies and cigar industry employees. Nearly 90% of the U.S. cigar manufacturing industry is based in Florida.

The impact of the tax on Florida’s economy could be the loss of about 50,000 jobs directly and indirectly related to the cigar industry. If approved by the House and the Governor, the tax compounded with the recent federal cigar tax increase, has the potential to drive companies and retailers out of business, and crush Florida’s cigar industry! Florida’s Governor Charlie Christ is a cigar smoker from Tampa. He is opposed to the tax and knows the detrimental impact that it will have on the state. I’m counting on him to stand up and force the Senate to back down from the tax.

The government is bailing out companies with trillions of dollars, yet they continue to create taxes and policies to exacerbate the unemployment problem. It just does not make sense! While the House of Representatives has not accepted the cigar tax in Florida, the state budget problems and lobbyists for certain industries might push them towards it. What can you do? If you live in Florida you can contact your State Representative and let them know that you are opposed to this tax increase. If the Representatives hold their position, the tax will be defeated.

In New York, the state has approved an increase in the cigar excise tax from 37% to 46%. So now cigars and tobacco products (other than snuff) imported into, or manufactured in the state, on or after April 7, 2009, will pay a tobacco excise tax of 46% of the wholesale price. That means that the retail price will be even higher than the 9% tax increase. Cigar smokers in New York can expect to pay an additional 15% for their cigars.

In Maryland, the State Assembly is currently set to consider two bills that propose to increase the state’s current cigar excise tax rate from 15% to 90%. That’s a whopping 600% tax increase!

Michigan’s Governor may be considering a doubling of the current 32% cigar tax rate. The 32% is based on the manufacturer’s wholesale price, therefore the tax increase would increase the price of a substantially more at the retail level. Arkansas approved an increase in all state tobacco taxes, specifically more than doubling the excise tax on cigars from 32% to 68%.

I can keep on going about the taxes but all of a sudden I’m feeling the need to smoke a cigar before it costs me more. Someday the cigar smokers in the USA will get together and do what the liquor industry did after prohibition, make a pact to “never again” let it happen.

Tonight I finished setting up the blog. My hat is off to Wordpress. Setting up and making customized changes to the code is fairly simple, even for me. As a cigar smoking (chomping sometimes also) wine drinker who is not a programmer, I was surprised at how easy it is. 

Interestingly enough, as I did the setup, I had an opportunity to smoke a Don Pepin Garcia My Father cigar. Mild to medium with a smooth smoke. After an inch down, it did not build up but had a nice cocoa and earthy cream taste that grabbed you. About half way down the creamy and smooth flavors started to develop into a richer smoke. Smoked it with a beer from Lithuania called Gedimino. This Pale Lager is about 4.7% alcohol.

While not a wine, it’s what I drank so here’s some info about Gedimino beer. It’s got a golden yellow color and when served in a chilled tall glass it has a decent white head that stuck to the rim.  It smelled slightly fruity with malt scents that hit the nose. A mild beer with a refreshing taste that was partly sweet with laces of corn malts. Definitely a mellow beer that complemented the Don Pepin Garcia My Father Toro. Now mind you that the beer’s bottle is larger than normal as it is based on European standards so it is 1/2 a liter, about 16.9 ounces. It’s enough to last throughout the cigar smoking session.

The Don Pepin was very good and delightful towards the three quarters mark. Since I tend to chew the head of the cigar while I smoke (I like the juices), I was able to get additional flavors that get trapped in the moist head. The cigar is very good and has a taste that lingers for a few hours. The cream definitely stays with you, even after drinking the last of the beer in my glass. I did not want the cigar to end but then I did not want the beer to end either. Both complemented each other and the smoothness and light crisp notes of the beer made the experience extremely enjoyable.

My recommendation is that if you smoke a Don Pepin My Father cigar, that you do it with a beer that complements the creams, such as the Gedimino or Sam Smith’s Pale Ale from the UK. I don’t think that it would go well with a white wine as any sign of citrus would have ruined this wonderful experience.

Welcome cigar smokers and wine drinkers. I’m a drinking and smoking Python. After searching for websites that perfectly match cigars with wines and beers, I came to the conclusion that the only way I’ll find one is if I created it myself. Some of us enjoy drinking wine and beer as we smoke our cigar. I have noticed that the wine or beer you are drinking has a direct impact on the taste of the cigar that you are smoking. Interestingly enough, it does not work the other way around. I have not noticed that the cigar affects the wine’s taste or that of a beer that much. Maybe it’s just me and my taste buds, but try it and let me know what you experience. Anyway, if you smoke handmade cigars and like to drink wine and beer, share your experiences with me and the rest of the world.