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First cigar in a while, and some great bourbon


TBoner
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Cigar: La Flor Dominicana Oscuro Ligero

Appearance: Deep chocolate with some coffee hues; slightly oily wrapper w/a few distinct veins.

Aroma: Chocolate and cassia, oak and leather. Typical of oscuros, but not as sweet-scented as some I’ve had.

Pre-light draw: very bitter chocolate, old leather, earthy. A bit of cinnamon again.

Flavor: creamy bittersweet chocolate, cinnamon and sugar toast, a bit of coffee with cream and perhaps one sugar.

Finish: Creamy and rich, loaded with sweetness and a robust coffee flavor.

Overall, a full-bodied and rich smoke, with tendencies toward bittersweet chocolate (always a good thing).

Bourbon: Eagle Rare 10yr/101

Appearance: Deep amber-orange; dense legs in the glass make it look nearly caramel-thick

Aroma: Demerara sugar, orange peel, and toffee that could seem rumlike are balanced by a remarkably rich allspice character and a fair bit of oak, as well as the scent of old leather.

Flavor: Orange peel again, and caramel rather than toffee. The oak is there, and the spice, but the ten years in the barrel has allowed them to mellow. No red hots, just a beautifully integrated pie spice character and some nice pepper notes. The alcohol comes through, but not overtly. Rather, it pushes up the richness of leather and pipe tobacco that age has brought on. There’s a fine earthiness to this.

Finish: Long and earthy, punctuated by a return of the caramel. Balance is the operative word here, as it has been throughout.

Well, damnit, I’ve had a couple of pours from this bottle in the past, and enjoyed them immensely. But tonight…well, tonight, this is my favorite whiskey. Not as spectacular as a few select drams I’ve had the pleasure of sampling, but definitely the sort of thing I could drink everyday and pour on special occasions, too.

I’ll have to pour this again on its own (no cigar) to make sure, but it looks like being from Texas may pay off (there are lots of bottles of this stashed here and there around the state). I do want to try it apart from a cigar soon, though, because I think tonight has reconfirmed for me that cigars tend to bring out the most rumlike elements of bourbons (and some scotches, too).

I mention it because one of the reasons I bought a pipe last year was that I had pretty much decided that cigars want rum, want it badly enough that they will make other spirits taste like rum. That didn’t happen tonight, but some of the character that came through in both nose and palate was rummy. Just curious to see how the whiskey sans cigar comes across next time.

All in all, this pairing was nice, with the bourbon spice contrasting the generally bittersweet components of the cigar. What a great evening.:grin:

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Well done:toast: I was tempted to kick off cigar season last night, but I had too much to do around the house. Maybe tonight I'll fire up a Hemingway with some ETL.

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Well done:toast: I was tempted to kick off cigar season last night, but I had too much to do around the house. Maybe tonight I'll fire up a Hemingway with some ETL.

That sounds good. The earthy note from ETL (and ER101 et al.) may be what is needed for me to really get the most out of bourbon and cigar pairings. And a Hemingway...if not for the price, these would've become my favorite smoke.

Oh, and I don't even think about a cigar season. Here in Dallas, it's a year-round affair.

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I have a Fuente Double Chateau at home waiting to be smoked. Anyone have any experience with these?

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Sorry for not replying sooner.

I don't have experience with those, but I know there are some outstanding cigar forums out there (I favor Cigar Weekly's forums) where you may find input and info, including pairing recommendations.

No matter when and with what you enjoy it, I don't doubt it will be a worthy experience (many a time I've considered the purchase before picking up something else).

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