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.

Rioja wine is known for its rich color and taste, and a wine that goes well with some of the more flavorful Cuban cigars. Not too many outside of Spain know Bodegas Consejo de la Alta, located in the heart of Rioja Alta, Spain. This small winery produces small batch Tempranillo wines.  They are always in high demand in Spain, and throughout Europe. One Rioja wine that caught my attention is their Cata de Consejero from the 2001 vintage. I actually felt privileged to drink a bottle with a friend, as only 6,000 bottles were produced. I guess that there may be a few hundred bottles out there that are not yet opened, mostly in collectors’ hands. This Rioja red was aged for 20 months in French and American Oak barrels and an additional 12 months in the bottle before being released. It’s been a few years since it was released so this bottle had lots of years on it. We carefully opened it and the cork required some muscle but eventually came out clean, a good sign. The color was an intense deep red and the aromas that came out of the bottle reminded you of spices and figs, letting you know that this is not a lightweight. We decided that decanting and letting it sit for about half an hour would do it justice.

So there we are, staring at the decanter and waiting for the half-hour to pass us by. It gave us an opportunity to discuss the cigar that would match a wine of this caliber. It came down to two, the Padron 1964 Anniversary  Diplomatico (7 inches long with a ring gauge of 50) and the J.L. SALAZAR y HERMANOS Reserva Especial Churchill (7 1/4 inches long with a ring gauge of 52). Both are handmade with habano tobacco from Nicaragua, are box-pressed and have received very good reviews.

We lit up the cigars and cut a deal that I get the first half of the J.L. Salazar y Hermanos and he gets the first half of the Padron 1964 Anniversary cigar. I believe that the cigar scissor was invented for just that purpose. To cut the top part of the cigar that has saliva after someone else smoked it when passing a cigar from one smoker to another. Sure you lose a good half-an-inch from the cigar, but it allows you to smoke a cigar that was half-smoked. Remember that the purpose is to match wines with cigars.

Both the Padron and the J.L. Salazar started with a mouth full of rich smoke, the Padron 1964 Anniversary was a little milder while the J.L. Salazar was more full-bodied. The taste of both cigars was somewhat comparable, the J.L. Salazar having more of a floral touch and the Padron having more cream. Both smoked well and evenly. About one-quarter inch down, the iPhone alarm went off. It’s time for wine!

Consejo De La Alta Cata De Consejero 2001 has received rave reviews. Wine Enthusiast Magazine awarded 91 points to this Rioja wine. Wine Spectator gave it 89 points, with a stellar review. But the true test is what we think (because we are drinking it) and how it pairs with our cigars.

Swirling it around the glass, you can see the wine does not have the tension that it had when we first poured it into the decanter. The aromas have also loosed up a bit. They are still intense but now show more elegance. At first taste, it has smooth blackberries, a little blueberry, sweet plums, light touches of fig and an earthy background that is hard to identify. It felt firm and silky, completely complementing the cigars. I started to detect sweet cured tobacco and coffee in this complex wine. The Rioja wine continued to get smoother, meaning that we obviously did not let it air enough. Good thing that we waited and drank slowly. After a few more minutes, we refilled our glasses. 

Glass two and we were both eager to exchange cigars in order to compare our notes, but we weren’t half-way through. The wine started showing some toasty notes that blended wonderfully with the cigars. The floral notes of the JL Salazar y Hermanos accented the dark berries in the wine. The Padron 1964 Anniversary, on the other hand, started showing mouth-covering cream that went well with the wine’s coffee notes. It was clear that the characteristics of this special red wine meshed well with those of the cigars.

Finally switching time came. I generally enjoy the last half of the cigar more than the first half, but only if it is a truly good cigar. If the tobacco was not properly fermented and cured, then the opposite applies. In this case, there was nothing to worry about and I eagerly waited for the trade. I started smoking the Padron and my buddy the J.L. Salazar. We compared notes and while the Padron was creamy with light sweet notes, the J.L. Salazar had opened up a little more to reveal chocolate notes. The Padron was medium-bodied at this point, as compared to the full-bodied J.L. Salazar. Maybe it was the extra quarter inch of the JL Salazar over the Padron. There was something in the Padron that I picked up but could not identify. It was a blend of cocoa, coffee and cream that made it hard to put the cigar down. The Salazar had also developed a sweet chocolate, flower and earthy taste that also grabbed you. The Cata De Consejero’s smooth and intense taste added to the enjoyment.

We were almost out of wine and the cigars were reaching the nub. The extra quarter inch of the Salazar was important now. The Padron’s taste did not intensify during the last two inches, while the Salazar’s taste did. Both were delicious and kept us smoking them until we can no longer hold them. Comparing notes, we decided that both cigars had many similar characteristics. Among the differences, the Padron had a creaminess that was missing in the Salazar. On the other hand the Padron was lacking the Salazar’s floral and chocolaty taste that intensified as the cigar got smaller.

We finally drank the last of the wine and both agreed that we could not have had a better combination. Absolutely beautifully. It’s too bad that so few bottles of this Rioja wine were produced. If I knew the wine’s match with the cigars would be so wonderful, I would have saved it for a special occasion.

I was part of a historic stock market crash, and so were you. You see how people still talk about “The Great Depression” and people jumping out of windows? Well that’s what our next generation will say 20 years from now about today, except we no longer jump out of windows when things don’t go our way. Instead we drink wine and smoke cigars. With an over 777 point drop in the Dow Industrial Average and about one trillion dollars in market value disappearing into thin air, I decided to drink a 2002 Vintage Crianza from Spain. Crianza wines are kept in oak barrels for over a year before being bottled. I let it sit out for about 30 minutes and wanted to air it for an additional 15 minutes but the market kept dropping so I just had to start drinking. It went well with a Don Kiki Brown Label Toro. It probably was not the best wine match for this cigar. The Brown Label Toro is a must for anyone who enjoys a rich and smooth tobacco taste. It has a dark and shiny Criollo wrapper and is extremely well made. For the price, it’s one of the best deals out there.

The first half was very good and extremely smooth.  Rich in chocolate notes and earthy tones with a naturally sweet tobacco taste. The second half was incredible and highlighted the chocolate but with an extremely smooth leathery tobacco taste surrounded by cream. I just couldn’t put it down, except to drink the Crianza wine that had by now properly aired its 6 years of aging.

Now I know why the Don Kiki Brown Label got a 9.4 rating by Smoke Magazines’ tasting panel. I’m not sure if the Crianza was the perfect wine for this medium to full bodied cigar. A Merlot may have been better as it felt that I was missing those berry tones that Merlot wines have. It would have complemented the Brown Label better, but that could just be in my mind. Next time I smoke a Don Kiki Brown Toro, I’ll try it with a nice Merlot and report back. Hopefully it’ll be a celebration cause the stock market bounced back and the economy is back on track.