Cigar & Hot Tea Pairings
Tea and cigars may seem like an unusual match, but they make perfect sense together. Tons of tea drinkers have great palates, and many prefer the generally less invasive taste of tea over black coffee, for example, which is more acidic. The holistic beverage is well known for encouraging health and plays a frequent role in meditation. Cigars facilitate reflection in much the same way. Why not taste the two together to achieve an even greater sense of relaxation? Here are a few hot tea and cigar pairings to ponder.
Green Tea & Arturo Fuente Claro
Sip on a cup of gourmet green tea to get a fresh, herbal palate with vegetal and floral notes with hints of nuts and butter and a sometimes sweet or bittersweet finish. Don’t boil the water; only simmer it – to roughly 150 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s okay to boil black tea, but green tea becomes bitter in water that’s too hot. And don’t over-steep green tea. That can also make it taste bitter. Twenty to thirty seconds is good enough for many Japanese green teas, but jasmine tea can steep for three to four minutes. Arturo Fuente Claro is an old-school Candela cigar. Candela cigars are blended with a green wrapper leaf and tend to impart mild, buttery notes of hay, grass, and, of course, green tea. The Claro from Fuente possesses a signature sweetness many Candela fans enjoy. Under the wrapper is a mellow blend of premium Dominican long-fillers. Pouring a cup of green tea is a great excuse to explore a classic Candela.
Black Tea & New World by AJ Fernandez
If you like your tea a little hotter, and maybe with milk and sugar, black tea is what you want. Black tea can be fruity, floral, chocolaty, malty, and even deliver smoky hints of tobacco in what you taste. A touch of honey is welcome, but drinking it straight is okay if you don’t mind it bit on the bitter side. New World by AJ Fernandez delivers an epic blend of premium Nicaraguan long-fillers in four classic shapes. Spicy notes of espresso, earth, and dark cocoa leave a bold enough impression to mingle with black tea accordingly. If you take yours with cream and sugar, you’ll taste more sweetness in the cigar. A drier, slightly zestier pairing emerges when you sip it plain.
Herbal Tea & San Cristobal Revelation
Ingredients like sage, chamomile, and cinnamon can be funneled into a soothing herbal tea when you’re craving a tranquil drink. There’s a sedative quality to herbal tea, and you’ll find a wide range of flavors from bright berries to mint or wood. San Cristobal Revelation is a versatile cigar to pair with tea. Notes of pepper, caramel, cedar, and smoked almond layer the palate in a medium-bodied profile you can easily appreciate with a delicate herbal tea without overwhelming your taste buds.
