Holy Smokes: Marrying Cigars and Champagne

I’ve chosen a glass of Ruinart Brut non-vintage to pair with the Topes. Ruinart is one of the oldest houses in Champagne, founded in 1729. The non-vintage is made up of 40% Chardonnay and 60% Pinot Noir. The bubbles are fine and the nose is floral, the colour is golden, on the tongue, white peach is dominant. Even though it’s a brut, it is quite round and balanced on the palate. The condition of the cigar is very good. Possibly a little over humidified, as it’s a little softer than I like. The retractable Roof is open today so there's a breeze through the terrace, which is great - if you're not trying to smoke a cigar. The aroma from the foot is leathery and woody. The pre-draw is perfect, bringing with it a little hay but predominantly flavours of leather and wood. The smoke production is good, which you’d expect from a cigar of this width. Strength tastes like a medium to start with, with some notes of pepper on the back of my tongue. There’s a little bitterness initially, which is indicative of a young cigar. The woodiness is oakier which brings out a certain nuttiness - it’s tasty. The retro hale is a little bitter with stronger coffee notes. Trinidad released the Vigia in 2015 that is a similar shorter, wider gauge cigar but the Topes is much bigger on flavour and character. The burn is a little uneven; this is due more to the breeze than the cigar construction. I take a sip of the Ruinart. The carbonation of the champagne refreshes your tongue, but the little bit of sweetness isn’t working with the first third of the cigar.

"That floral sweetness in the Ruinart brings out the smooth and balanced flavour of the Topes. The medium bodied woodiness complements the white peach and nuttiness in the champagne too."

Entering the second third, the bitterness has gone. The flavour is settling but still at a medium strength. Although the burn is a little uneven I've resisted topping it off with the lighter, sometimes you just need to let nature take its course. Just over a third of the cigar isn’t bad but I would have expected a longer ash for a wide gauge cigar like this, which belies a construction issue with how the tobacco was packed in the filler. The flavour is now reminiscent of the Ingenios at the moment. Some people don’t like the richer, slightly sweeter taste of limited edition cigars but I rather like them. I like the difference in flavour and it adds another dimension to any cigar brand. The flavour is quite rich and complex, smooth and very balanced. I retaste the champagne and now they work together. The sweet spot of the Topes in the second third is just perfect with the Ruinart. That floral sweetness in the Ruinart brings out the smooth and balanced flavour of the Topes. The medium bodied woodiness complements the white peach and nuttiness in the champagne too. I’m picking up just a little heat on my lips on the draw as I enter the final third of the cigar. As the draw is relatively easy it doesn't surprise me that the cigar is heating up a bit. There's a gentle increase in strength now and you can taste the nicotine. The toasty notes are intensifying along with the increase in woodiness and pepper. Still no relight needed, although the burn is a little uneven again. As the heat is just starting to build with each draw, I slow down my smoking, just to give the cigar a chance to cool down a little. The flavour is most definitely a medium-full smoke in the final third.

TRINIDAD TOPES

APPEARANCE: 9.5/10 A near flawless presentation cigar. The wrapper was of the correct maduro colour with no blemishes or large protruding veins. Bands were affixed correctly. I’m sure that the larger shape will please many smokers, as it is in essence a fat robusto or robusto gordo. CONSTRUCTION: 8/10 The slightly open draw made the cigar burn a little hot in the final third. The draw was pretty easy and the smoke production was good. The burn was never even throughout the cigar, some of this was due to the breeze but the loose ash is a sign of below-par construction. It was never so bad as to make me pick up my lighter but I was constantly rotating the cigar to try to make the burn more even. SMELL AND TASTE: 9/10 As this was a pre-production release, I cannot say that how the actual release cigar will be. All I can say is that this cigar was a very good representation of a Trinidad limited edition cigar. The profile and taste were both a good reflection of the two previous limited editions. PAIRING: 7/10 Champagne isn’t the easiest drink to pair with cigars. The Ruinart didn’t work terribly well with the first third as the bitterness of the cigar overpowered the more delicate champagne. Having said that, in the second third they came together very well. The cigar hits its sweet spot at this point and becomes smooth, rich and balanced. The style of the champagne was a perfect match to the cigar in the second third, if the cigar had been longer then the pairing would have been even more enjoyable. The strength of the cigar increased in the final third, as expected, and the champagne was little more than a palette cleanser. I do enjoy a good champagne with cigars but more as a drink than a pairing. Vintage champagnes work very well but I would look to pair them with vintage cigars or alternatively with cigars that are on the mild side.