I opened the refrigerator and pulled out the chilled bottle. I setup the wine glasses and asked a friend to join me. We talked about the cigar that would best go with this wine. After rummaging through 4 humidors, we decided that the taste of a Don Kiki Brown Label cigar would probably complement this exquisite wine. Don Kiki Brown Label is one of the best medium to full bodied cigars out there. The fact that they only cost about $2 each is an extra perk. You just can’t find a cigar this good at this price. My friend had a chance to see my previous post on the Opus Opus match and made it clear that I should have never paired the Opus X with the Opus One. Where was he yesterday?

We both lit the Don Kiki Brown Labels and started puffing them. He smoked a Churchill and I smoked a Toro. Rich clouds of smoke quickly covered the room. The smell of Nicaraguan tobacco, with its characteristic floral notes, blanketed the room. No one complained. As we started drinking the wine, the cigar’s tobacco taste started to develop. It went from earthy to licorice and cocoa. The Toro smoked beautifully and his Churchill started to burn a little too fast on the left side (his left). We quickly noticed that he had turned on the air purifier when I initially told him that we were smoking cigars, and the clean air from the purifier was hitting him on his left side. Fixing the burn issue of his Churchill was easy. We turned off the purifier and the cigar started to even out. We expedited the fix-up with a torch lighter.

The Opus One wine tasted a little different than it did yesterday. Some acidity was noticeable but not much. My buddy couldn’t sense it, but since I had drank it yesterday I was able to compare the wine’s taste from one day to another. The blackberry and smoky tobacco taste of the wine was still there, and went perfectly with the cigar. The cigar’s taste had developed into a complex combination of cocoa cream and toasted nuts. This paired well with the wine’s lush mouth-feel and deep dark berries taste. What a great combination.

As my Toro got shorter, the flavor intensified and was so smooth that I decided to put it down to saver the moment. Figuring that since my cigar is shorter than his Churchill, I needed to pace myself. We compared notes and his Churchill had a mild spice taste that I just couldn’t pick up in my Toro. It could be that since I tend to chew the cigar’s head a little and he doesn’t, I was picking up the stronger flavors that were being condensed as a result of my cigar’s wet head.

Savoring the wine, I proceeded to empty the bottle evenly between us. He gave me crap about his cigar being longer and therefore he deserved more of the wine. Since I had put my cigar down for a while, I showed him that we were down to about the same size. That’s a normal exchange between us. We tend to outwit each other to see who wins. It was my wine and my cigars so I won.

A Brown Label’s finish is a bittersweet moment. The taste intensifies and gets smoother, but on the other hand you know that the experience is about to end. Having finished the cigars, we drank what was left of the wine and both agreed that it was a very good match. We also decided that while this cigar and wine match was excellent, it may have been better with a cigar that has a creamier taste profile. We agreed to meet next week and see if this match can be outdone.

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.

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.