What a difference 11 months and a day makes
Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 1:16 pm
This is more of a cigar story than a Port story, but the port plays a strong supporting role 
11 months ago I purchased a few Romeo y Julieta Tubo #3's while visiting Victoria, BC during Memorial Day weekend without really knowing anything about cigars other than I was building interest in them. I didn't even have a humidor for them but wasn't worried as I planned to enjoy them within the next couple of weeks anyways. Needless to say I smoked one and was very disappointed as it was only ok and I had spent $16 on it. Afterward I pretty much neglected the one remaining stick for the next few months and didn't even put it in a humidor after I had set one up because a little bit of mold had formed on the cap and I didn't want it to spread around.
Luckily Seattle area RH (relative humidity) rarely drops below 60%, and doesn't go much higher than 70% so even with the mold, the cigar never dried out. On came my science experiment of trying to revive/save the one of the first Cubans I had ever owned by removing the mold and sticking the cigar in a fridge+humidification to kill any mold that might want to regrow. Which brings me to 6 months later (last night) of the completion of my science experiment.
I had zero expectations for this cigar as I had even created a sizable tear in the outer wrapper back when I removed the band and I had already treated it so badly. Let me tell you, 11 months made a world of difference. Excellent burn, loads of creamy creamy smoke, and lots of tasty woody notes I can probably attribute to the cedar the cigar was wrapped in. To mark the occasion I even went old school and used a combination of cedar strips and matches to light it as opposed to a lighter and it made for a nice experience.
On to the port...
Now the cigar was already impressing me from the very beginning, and I had already opened a bottle of Kopke 10 year tawny the previous night. It was an okay beverage by itself:
Day 1:
Glass 1 - Good fruit flavors, a little too light for what I want out of a tawny, and a strong alcohol aftertaste that I found could be avoided by letting the wine spread all over my tongue instead of just drinking it back
Day 2:
Glass 2 (testing the change in the afternoon)- The alcohol aftertaste has greatly dissipated making it easier to enjoy
Glasses 3-5 (cigar introduction later that night) - Similar start to the flavor, but this time all unwanted aftertaste completely disappears and the addition of port to the cigar taste amplifies the wonderful cedar notes I was already tasting. Admittedly unexpected as I was already on Cloud 9 from how much the cigar had improved with age, and now the port I was giving a passable grade was taking me to cloud 10.
All I have to say is I'm not big on writing a lot of things, but this moment just had to be documented. I'm sorry if this was a bit long, but I just had a great time last night and pleasantly had my expectations blown away by a Cuban cigar that got some TLC, and what pairing it with a Tawny can do
11 months ago I purchased a few Romeo y Julieta Tubo #3's while visiting Victoria, BC during Memorial Day weekend without really knowing anything about cigars other than I was building interest in them. I didn't even have a humidor for them but wasn't worried as I planned to enjoy them within the next couple of weeks anyways. Needless to say I smoked one and was very disappointed as it was only ok and I had spent $16 on it. Afterward I pretty much neglected the one remaining stick for the next few months and didn't even put it in a humidor after I had set one up because a little bit of mold had formed on the cap and I didn't want it to spread around.
Luckily Seattle area RH (relative humidity) rarely drops below 60%, and doesn't go much higher than 70% so even with the mold, the cigar never dried out. On came my science experiment of trying to revive/save the one of the first Cubans I had ever owned by removing the mold and sticking the cigar in a fridge+humidification to kill any mold that might want to regrow. Which brings me to 6 months later (last night) of the completion of my science experiment.
I had zero expectations for this cigar as I had even created a sizable tear in the outer wrapper back when I removed the band and I had already treated it so badly. Let me tell you, 11 months made a world of difference. Excellent burn, loads of creamy creamy smoke, and lots of tasty woody notes I can probably attribute to the cedar the cigar was wrapped in. To mark the occasion I even went old school and used a combination of cedar strips and matches to light it as opposed to a lighter and it made for a nice experience.
On to the port...
Now the cigar was already impressing me from the very beginning, and I had already opened a bottle of Kopke 10 year tawny the previous night. It was an okay beverage by itself:
Day 1:
Glass 1 - Good fruit flavors, a little too light for what I want out of a tawny, and a strong alcohol aftertaste that I found could be avoided by letting the wine spread all over my tongue instead of just drinking it back
Day 2:
Glass 2 (testing the change in the afternoon)- The alcohol aftertaste has greatly dissipated making it easier to enjoy
Glasses 3-5 (cigar introduction later that night) - Similar start to the flavor, but this time all unwanted aftertaste completely disappears and the addition of port to the cigar taste amplifies the wonderful cedar notes I was already tasting. Admittedly unexpected as I was already on Cloud 9 from how much the cigar had improved with age, and now the port I was giving a passable grade was taking me to cloud 10.
All I have to say is I'm not big on writing a lot of things, but this moment just had to be documented. I'm sorry if this was a bit long, but I just had a great time last night and pleasantly had my expectations blown away by a Cuban cigar that got some TLC, and what pairing it with a Tawny can do