Cigars have been viewed as a luxury item, because of pictures represented through TV and movies of wealthy and powerful males puffing on a stogie while swirling a glass of fine wine. If you are just growing interested in cigars and wish to unwind with a stogie and beverage after a long day’s work, here are a few hints to get you started up.

Traditionally, strong drinks such as brandy, whiskey, and rum have been associated with cigars. Many connooisseurs argue that a fine cigar should always be coupled with a strong drink with a subtle hint of sweetness. Indeed, cigar smokers have long enjoyed these popular pairings but for years, the idea of pairing cigars with beer has gone overlooked. But you should not overlook good old beer and of late the trend has been to pair cigars with various varieties of beer. It seems that as cigars have entered the mainstream, this has been democratized and popularized but what better way to enjoy a puff of this newly popularized treat than to pair it with beer?

Pairing a good cigar with a good beer is not an easy feat, but when accomplished, it is well worth the effort. If you are a novice, you may indeed need help in pairing your specific cigar with the appropriate beer, as it has much to do with your level of experience. For those of the more experienced palate, you probably know what you’re doing and can make the appropriate fusion of fine cigar with quality beer.

Because cigars are so strong and flavorful, one of the challenges in pairing is to find a beer that complements the intensity of most cigars. Most cigars will complement themselves nicely with rum, or a barley wine. Try coupling your cigar with a barley wine if the cigar is described as spicy, woody, and with a hint of cedar. The fruity hint of barley wine should complement nicely with the spicy flavor of your cigar. The flavors of each should create a flavor of cream that will enhance the experience significantly to your delight.

If you have no clue as to what flavor combinations might work, then why not experiment but first find a cigar that you enjoy. Try to identify the characteristics that you enjoy about it and then, find a beer whose flavors you think might ‘match’ or complement the cigar. In this same way, some of the best complements of beer and cigar have been discovered.

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