Wine and Cigars

By Shawn O’Connor

There are only a few simple things to enjoy in life. Obliviously wine is one of them. I feel that wine brings out the best in people. It relaxes them and it enables the idea of true conversation to flow. Now port is a great wine after dinner. It is seductive and sweet and it just allows you to be taken away by the thrill of it.

The ultimate thrill is the combination of port and a fine hand rolled cigar. Smoking a cigar is not really smoking but more of sipping on the flavor of it. First you do not inhale a cigar but you gather it in your mouth. The flavors you can taste are hazelnuts, cedar, pepper, nutmeg, and other flavors. The problem is the flavor tends to become over powering even if it is a mild smoke. So you need something to cleanse the palate. Now understand that I love red wine but it does not stand up to a port. A port clears the sense of taste like coffee beans do when smelling perfumes. Why would I do this? Because it is like trying two different wedding cakes to see which one is better but in reality you are only eating more cake. Let me explain a little more why I love these two things.

First the cigar is joy to smoke. The taste is exquisite. The smell of a fine cigar is enthralling. You get a relaxing feeling from smoking a cigar. The pleasure of blowing smoke is just simple fun. A cigar gives you a block of time back that is back to your life. It takes at least forty five minutes to smoke an average cigar. In our rushed world today it is a rare treat that we can live the moment and a cigar gives us that.

Now port is a great red wine. It is smooth and it sweet. A good tawny port is silky and rich. It coats your tongue and slides down your throat. Since most tawny ports are aged it has a thickness to the liquid that allows it to just linger on your tongue. So you really enjoy the full flavor. It is also a little stronger than wine so you really can’t rush this either. Are you beginning to see the why these pair so well?