Pairing Cigars with your Man Food, by Tommy Zman

I think it has become obvious on this blog that I have an over the top passion for cigar smoking. I am passionate about a lot of things and unfortunately I don’t know how to stay away from over-indulging. I’m pretty much the classic CROMAG whose passion runs deep for typical guy stuff… you know, sports, cars & bikes, beautiful women, beer, scotches, wines, and other fine libations, beautiful women, guy flicks, The Sopranos, fishing, did I forget to mention beautiful women? But other than my love for cigars, my insatiable lust for amazing man foods is substantial.

Now before I smoked cigars, I used to skeeve out when I saw someone smoke while they ate. But now I find that there’s NOTHING that accompanies a hearty man-meal better than a finely aged, premium hand rolled gem tendered from a Latin-American country.

Let’s start with grilling. Oh man, I just love to char a meaty carcass over an open flame, all while smoking a good pre-meal happy stick. Generally I go for a shorter smoke for time’s sake, something on the lighter to medium bodied side accompanied by a nice cold beer. Something like an Alec Bradley American Classic is an excellent start while quaffing on liquid grains while devouring pieces of my test steak that I always have off to the side as I cook (like I said, I overindulge.)

While I’m actually eating, the type or body of the cigar I pick really just depends on the kind of food that I’m enjoying. With good eats like seafood, shellfish, burgers or even pasta, I can go medium bodied. The flavor profile and strength of a Romeo Y Julieta Reserva Real will compliment these kind of foods quite nicely. Remember, you want to be able to taste your food and taste the cigar as well. So, you don’t want to choose a smoke that over powers your taste buds where you don’t enjoy your meal. And by the same token, you don’t want to go too light with your cigar’s body so your food overpowers the tobacco’s flavor.

Now, hearty full-flavored foods need hearty, full-bodied smokes to create the perfect pairing. A thick grilled juicy steak (with some Montreal seasoning), tangy dry-rubbed bbq ribs, pork chops, broiled rack of lamb – oh damn, I’m starting to salivate – these kind of meals NEED a smoke with rich body and some strength in order to cut through to your taste buds! An El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Larga is a fine choice – lots of smoke and tobacco flavor to make it all work out just right. And hey, much like cigars, if you’re choosing a nice wine with dinner, that has to compliment the entire shebang as well. Rich red Cabs, bold zinfindels, or maybe a peppery Australian Shiraz mixes so well with hearty meats and full tobacco flavor. (Oh yeah, I am definitely NOT eating light for dinner.)

Finally, that post meal cigar needs not only some full, bold flavors, but I like a touch of sweetness as well. A nice dark maduro or double maduro wrapped smoke – the Omar Ortiz Honudran Maduro is a freakin’ flavor bomb – is the perfect way that I like to cap off a kick-ash man-meal. Now there’s most likely a good single malt scotch making the round, so I like the sweetness of a Sherry cask aged to match that maduro. There’s also the possibility of a dark roast coffee along with an aged tawny port, another amazing combo to bring some serious flavor to your life! YESSUH!

Well, guys, I hope I drove your stomach into the growling frenzy that my gut is presently experiencing. Good food & drinks go so well when paired with the right cigars and you really should give some thought to the experience to make your meals truly memorable. Go for it, my BOTL’s and SOTL’s cuz we’ve only got one life to enjoy!

PLEASE SUPPORT Cigar Rights of America as they continue to deal with congress, the senate, and all US legislators who need to be made aware that our cigars are the best friends we know of and we will fight like hell to keep them in our lives! http://cigarrrights.org

TZ.Sig.2

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

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