Coffee and Cigar Pairings

A person much smarter than myself once said, “a bad day with coffee is better than a good day without it.” So, when thinking about beverages that pair perfectly with cigars, of course our minds wander to whisky, bourbon or beer. But today, we’re going to explore why coffee and cigars are the perfect pairing, no matter the time of the day.

What is it about coffee and cigars?

Long story short, they’re incredibly similar. From their geographic lineage to how they’re harvested, fermented, and blended, the similarities between coffee and tobacco production are pretty astounding.

When tobacco leaves are cured, they experience an almost identical degradation process to what coffee goes through when the beans are roasted. The timeline is quite different, but the chemical reactions are pretty exact. And it doesn’t end there, both stimulate our senses, and key factors like the soil and climate greatly affect the character and quality of the end product.

How to pair coffee and cigars

We normally characterize cigars according to their tasting notes. Think things like nutty, woody, sweet, and spicy. Now, coffee has very similar characterizations. These are normally segmented into floral, bitter, mellow, and acidic.

The key to matching your perfect cigar with your perfect coffee is pinpointing your optimum balance of strength and complexity with the coffee and tobacco.

For example, if you were to pair an overly full-bodied cigar with a mellow cup of coffee, you may not get natural flavors of the coffee due to the strength and complexity of the tobacco. On the flipside, if the cigar is too mild compared to a strong coffee, you may lose the balance between the two due to the potency of the coffee.

Like any cigar and beverage pairing, you have to remember, it’s subjective. Everyone has different taste preferences. But, normally, we’d suggest pairing your coffee and cigars like so.

• Pair a mild cigar with a light to medium roast coffee
• Pair a medium to full-bodied cigar with a medium to dark roast coffee
  
• Pair a full-bodied cigar with a dark roast coffee

Some of our favorite coffee and cigar pairings

At the end of the day, balance is key to getting your favorite pair. But, to help get you started, here are some of the Cigar World staff’s favorite cigar and coffee combos.

A flat white coffee and a Cohiba Connecticut 

A medium-bodied smoke with an extremely smooth draw, Cohiba Connecticut is an excellent pairing to compliment a cup of a flat white coffee. The cigar presents a subtle spice that perfectly juxtaposes the milky notes from the coffee.

A black coffee and a Partagas Black Label

This pairing is nothing short of perfect. The full-bodied nature of Partagas Black beautifully plays off the strength of black coffee, balancing out any bitterness. As the cigar progresses, the nutty and earthy notes really make the pairing pop. 

A latte and a La Gloria Cubana Classic

A medium-bodied smoke, LGC Classic pairs perfectly with a rich and creamy latte. The cigar’s sweet tasting notes of molasses and a subtle citrus seem to play off milky coffee in an incredibly pleasing way.

An espresso and a CAO Flathead V450 Spark Plug

A bold coffee such as espresso needs an equally sophisticated and strong cigar to match. Look no further than to CAO V450 Spark Plug for that. This beast of a 4.5” cigar features rich leathery tasting notes that perfectly break through any rich, bold flavors of espresso.

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What’s your favorite coffee to pair with a cigar?

We hope you enjoyed the read, and if you have any perfect cigar and coffee pairings, let us know in the comments below!