Author: chiron99 | Total views: 41 Comments: 0
Word Count: 614 Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 4:00 AM

Cigars and Coffee: Why Not?

There's a whole discussion out there surrounding the topic, Should cigars ever be combined with food and drink?

The question is, should you smoke before or after dinner? For every cigar aficionado who cheekily answers that question, "Both," there are twice as many who think that the taste of a premium cigar shouldn't be allowed within twenty-five miles (figuratively speaking) of the taste of food. After all, premium cigars, even the mild kinds, have a strong, overpowering taste. They can put the taste of your appetizer, or the bouquet of your dinner wine, well in the shade. Not good, for people who like the finer things in life--which presumably includes most cigar smokers, who are known for their refined palates.

But some cigar devotees are equally passionate about the goodness of bringing these two great tastes--premium cigars and comestibles--together. These gourmands will insist that, with a short pause in between courses, nothing brings out the taste of, say, a fine hard cheese better than does a good, cigar. They make an art out of contrasts: sweet, rich dark chocolate following a bitter cigar, or a stinging scotch after a mild cigar.

The same principles apply when serving coffee along with cigars. And combining these two Central American imports together is something it only makes sense to do. The two have a great deal in common--a history rooted in colonialism, a tendency to stimulate the appetite, a record of being condemned by your parents. ("Coffee stunts your growth!") Coffee is a classic after-party or after-dinner beverage; it clears and stimulates the palate at the same time, and it gets people talking. At your next small get-together, a course of coffee followed by cigars--or cigars followed by coffee--may well be the perfect combination to create a memorable evening.

As stated above, contrast is key. Two bitter tastes, one after the other, just make your tongue feel tired-out; they cancel each other like matter and anti-matter. Two sweet tastes, meanwhile, can be overwhelming and self-cancelling in a different way: as if you've listened to too much Abba. Think of a child who loves chocolate bars and loves soda, and thinks (on getting his first allowance) that the two will make a wonderful combination: they don't.

So, when serving coffee with cigars, remember that opposites attract, and beauty lies in contrasts. If you're going to be enjoying a strong, bitter stogie, make sure the coffee you have on hand is mild, less-acidic, and flavored. Give your guests some French-roasted coffee, or the sweet seasonal coffees served during holidays. (The Thanksgiving pumpkin-pie-flavored coffee; the St. Patrick's minty coffee, etc.) Keep plenty of cream and sugar on hand. (Notice I said "cream," not "creamer," as in that powdery stuff you find in little pink packets at restaurants. The difference between the two is--to misquote Mark Twain--as great as that between lightning and a lightning bug.)

Or if, like me, you're a purist who likes his coffee strong and black (like the captain in the movie Airplane!), vary instead the kinds of cigars you smoke with coffee. Serve a strong Colombian coffee to wash a chocolaty oscuro out of your mouth--you'll enjoy both more. Keep your cigars mild and sweetish so that your coffee has some room to be its stinging, bitter self.

Above all, don't skimp on quality. You don't buy cheap cigars, so why serve yourself, or your guests, powdery instant coffee or cheap, served-at-work-during-morning-break brands? Good coffee is as much of an art as fine premium cigars. Respect them both, or the quality of one will out the cheapness of the other.

About the Author

CigarFox provides you the opportunity to build your own sampler of the finest cigars that include cigar brands like Montecristo, Romeo & Julieta, H Upmann, Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, Gurkha and many more. Choose from more than 1200 different cigars! Other cigar products include cigar humidors, cigar boxes, and cigar accessories like Zippo Lighters.