For The Love Of Port

I've searched the forum and haven't really seen this topic brought up yet. I was just wondering if people liked to smoke a cigar while drinking Port or not.

It's something I never tried until a couple days ago and it was an interesting experience. I smoked my first "real" cigar with the remains of a 1960 Kopke Colheita. I found that the cigar does help bring out some complexities not normally found in Port. I also found that it seems to mask other flavors and aromas. Overall, I'd say it depends what you're looking for. My preference would be to drink Port without the cigar.

Many thanks to Alex Rodriguez for his generosity in giving me one of his cigar's.

Smart minds think alike Kris. I just posted a similar topic over in the Madeira forum area. Here is the link.

http://fortheloveofport.com/ftlopforum/ ... php?t=3100

your very welcome kris.

Not being much of a smoker, and maybe only having 1-2 cigars a year, I've ejnoyed a cigar with an old colheita before and it went quite well. Of course I paid the price the next day....but maybe that was more due to the gallons of Port I drank


Jamie,
Good to see you here posting..next time you see my brother you gotta get him off all those Pinot's and force feed him some Port until he likes it

I really like cigars and I really like to smoke them with port, after a great meal. I think that they enhance each other as part of the entire dining experience. Andy, I think the problem you ran into was because you don't smoke enough cigars!

That all said, I would not smoke before or during a tasting session. As Kris noted, the smoke can coat your palate and mask flavors that should be there. IMHO, you should go through the tasting session completely, then pick the one you like the best and refill the glass. Add one double corona and sit back for an hour and relax.

All the best,
John

Solid advice John - you don't want to mask flavours if your are doing a tasting. But once you have found 'your one' - enjoy it with a good cigar.

While I haven't had a good cigar in a long-ish time (over a year) I have some very decent ones in my modest humidor upstairs. This weekend may be time!

Todd

I don't smoke at all, but on the couple of occasions that I have tried smoking a cigar, it coated my tongue with an acrid taste that lasted for a week. My sense of taste was completely skewed. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that if you smoke a cigar and taste wine at the same time, what little of the wine you will taste will not be a true reflection of the wine, despite the cigar possibly bringing out certain otherwise subtle complexities. I would never commit such a heinous act, and I would resent anyone near me smoking a cigar when I drink Port (or any other wine).

Ole Udsen wrote:I don't smoke at all, but on the couple of occasions that I have tried smoking a cigar, it coated my tongue with an acrid taste that lasted for a week.

You must try to smoke better cigars!

Actually, Andre Simon, the founder of the Wine & Food Society, also warned against smoking of any kind until after the tasting was completed. Many of the early WFS dinners ended with Cognac. While not noted on the menus, I'm sure that there was plenty of Cuban cigar smoke in the room.

All the best,
John

I love cigars, with or without port. I find Madeira to be a little better fit with cigars; they drier finish on most Madeira’s is a good fit with cigars. I do usually have a cigar with port too. For critical tasting, I will hold off on the cigar, but for regular drinking... cigars are a must.

Last night (on the 4th of July), we had Cohiba Siglo VI, Partagas EL, and Upmann Mag 46.

The port was: '77 Delaforce- Decent wine with a little bit of alcohol taste to it, but an excellent buy all considered. Chocolate notes, almost like in a Croft. The ’94 will beat out their ’77, but a decent port for sure.

'85 Fonseca- One more port to put in the mix of best 80's vintage. Still has a ton of life in it. Very dark and typical Fonseca taste; lives up to the Fonseca name. Decanted for 1 hour before we started.

'82 Sandeman- We opened it last week and it's still incredible. 1/3 of the bottle was leftover and we thought it would be waste, but the port was as tasty as day one. I haven't had luck with Sandeman, but now I feel different. Could also be a contender for one of the best 80's port in an oddball year at that!

I enjoy cigars with port, but only with a big tawny. The woody flavors of a tawny are a nice match with a cigar. The wood and aged characteristics are not overpowered by the cigar and are complementary. Lighter tawny ports are just to light to match the cigar.

I do not find vintage port to be as good a match with cigars. The cigar overpowers the delicate fruit flavors.

I made a tawny port from the 1988 vintage that is a superb match with a cigar. It was aged in five year old French oak barrels, giving it more wood than a Portuguese tawny. It definitely holds up to a cigar.

If I'm not drinking a tawny with a cigar, I will enjoy a single malt scotch. This is another complementary match. The cigar does not overpower the robust flavor of a single malt.

Hey Moses, I thought you Americans had laws against Cuban cigars?

Ole Udsen wrote:Hey Moses, I thought you Americans had laws against Cuban cigars?

Ole,
Most of the cigars commonly available in the US (at least from what I discovered when I was there on many occasions) are Dominican, Trinidadian, Bermudan or Bahamian, with select few being made in Europe (Davidoff I think imports the majority of their cigars from somewhere in the EU IIRC.)

Of course, many folks bring Cubans in off of cruise ships, via Canada (where we import Cuban cigars freely, if not at a drastic cost), etc. They even have entire schemes (rackets) that re-label Cuban cigars, provide boxes that are stamped with Dominican, Bermudan, Bahamian, etc stamps, and clear customs easily.

I have heard of some people buying replacement labels (big business in some of the Caribbean islands) and mailing the Cuban labels to their home. Bring the cigars through customs, declare them as Dominican, etc, and then replace the Cuban labels (if one feels like it) once safely at home.)

Not that anyone here would do that!

Todd

I started drinking Port to go with my cigars. I love the way they go together. I usually drink a ruby with a cigar. A nice spicy cigar seems to go very well. Great enjoyment for me.

The members from the UK can inform us here, but it seems like it was a British tradition for the men to retire to a study for port and cigars after a big dinner.
My brothers and I have followed this tradtion many times, usually retiring to an outside upstairs deck for cigars and port.

Richard you're almost right. In fact the gentlemen remained at the dining table and enjoyed their port and/or brandy and cigars, while the ladies withdrew. When the gentlemen had had their fill, the time honoured remark was 'Shall we join the ladies?'

Has the traditon been modified as most folks do not smkoe indoors or if so, not in the dining table?

Richard Henderson wrote:Has the traditon been modified as most folks do not smkoe indoors or if so, not in the dining table?

The recent ban on smoking in public places has gone further than anything else to put and end the practice in the U.K., as only place where it could still happen is formal dinning at a private residence (which is quite unusual). Of course, even before the smoking ban, it was considered impolite at formal dinners to start to smoke before the meal was finished and the Port or Brandy was served.

-Jacob

Ole Udsen wrote:Hey Moses, I thought you Americans had laws against Cuban cigars?

Yes, there's an embargo against Cuban product importation since the 1960's; yet the USA is still one of Cuba's largest cigar markets... Go figure.

Moses Botbol wrote:

Ole Udsen wrote:Hey Moses, I thought you Americans had laws against Cuban cigars?

Yes, there's an embargo against Cuban product importation since the 1960's; yet the USA is still one of Cuba's largest cigar markets... Go figure.

There’s quite a nice story (which I’ve seen in some reputable places so I presume it is true) that Kennedy’s last act before signing the embargo was to order several thousand cigars for his personal consumption…

-Jacob

I am going to be involved in an article on this topic and would love to hear your opinions too. I am not a huge cigar nut as mentioned, but have done the Port (and Madeira) and cigar thing dozens of times over the years. Here are specific questions if you would like to offer up specific responses to them, it would be most appreciated:

Why do cigars and ports pair so well?

Are port wines the most popular spirit to drink with cigars?

Which are the top 10 ports you would recommend to drink with cigars, and why?

Do certain ports bring out certain flavors of cigars? Which ports and which flavors?