Tobacco and rum are a strong fusion.

Generally the most traditional approach to selecting a pairing is to propose two products of similar strengths, in order to ensure that neither of them overshadows the other. Consequently it would be appropriate to taste a very strong cigar with a powerful rum aged for long years in oak barrels. Anyway opposites can also attract each other, so we should not avoid, for example, tasting a strong cigar with a softer profile brandy. 

Rum and tobacco have a common history. The sugar cane, brought by the colonizers and raw material for the drink, and the native plant of America were for years two of the main economic sources of the Caribbean and contributed to the process of miscegenation in the region. 

That relationship has not weakened. On the contrary. The force of time and the weight of tradition have strengthened it to such an extent that the image of a cigar next to a glass of rum is very natural. It is a pairing by geographic association, which stems from their common history and the fact of being born under the same weather and terrain conditions.

When the cigar smoker dissolves the smoke in the mouth, that is, when the smoke comes into contact with the saliva and changes the Ph, a drink is required that “cleanses a little” the palate and that provides a certain sweetness, a function They serve well distilled beverages like rum.

The joys of tobacco and rum begin before either is brought to the mouth. The expert studies and enjoys tobacco from the moment he has it in front of his eyes: he sees if there are defects in his twist, he analyzes its aroma when it is switched off, as well as the smell given off when lighting it. Rum can also be said to provide visual information, although not as technical as that offered by a wine, before analyzing its aroma and flavor.

All this process allows identifying the aromas present in both products (whether it is wood, coffee or fruit) and establishing the perfect combination.

The Rum is made in the following way: the sugar cane is crushed in the mill, which is a mill that allows the pressing of various fruits. The resulting liquid is heated to a temperature close to the boiling point. Later it is cooled, and then the sediments are removed. Again the juice is subjected to heat, and again is cooled again. The result of these operations is a thick syrup, dark in color, almost free of impurities. Immediately it is come to centrifuge, until separating the sugar crystals, used in the manufacture of sweeteners. The residues, after removing the crystallized sugars, are called molasses. With them, once the juice is fermented and subjected to a distillation process, another class of rum is produced, of lower quality and finesse. The reeds that were pressed and crushed are called bagasse, and are used as fuel, after being dried, to heat the alembics.

The juice is fermented, and later distilled, in pot or column stills, and a distillate -guarding- is obtained from this process, which can be aged in oak barrels for some years, or be marketed without aging, such as white rum.

Cigars are, broadly speaking, of two kinds: hand-made and machine-made. The former, made by hand, are undoubtedly of a higher quality than the latter, since they are made with five tobacco leaves: three constitute the casing or filler; one more to wrap the casing, called cape, and another for the cape, the final wrap of the cigars. Those that were made in series, in a factory, take tobacco leaf bites as fillers. There are also differences given by the thickness (called a ring gauge) of the cigar; and by the length (format, size).

Anyway, the essential thing is to find combinations of great products that please your palate and we are here to always recommend the best. Come and become an expert and know all about these secrets, which will take you to experience all these sensations of flavors at their best.