Pairing like wine, beer, scotch, food...

lordnoble · Apr 15, 2011

As I sit here smoking a bowl of pretty ordinary 1-Q, I'm amazed at how truly sweet it tastes while I drink my coffee. I've also found Villiger 1888 Mid Day makes a great White Russian companion. So here's my question to you:
What blend pairings (either with food or beverage) have you found to enhance your enjoyment?
-Jason
P.S.- typing one-handed is really hard...

lordnoble · Apr 15, 2011

Just to clarify, I saw the other thread like this but it seemed to center mostly around drinks, which are partially what I'm after, but I'm really looking forward to food/snack/blend pairings.
-Jason

admin · Apr 15, 2011

G. L. Pease Maltese Falcon with 7 Deadly Zins wine, Zamorano cheese and water crackers.
That said, I hardly ever pair food with smoking at the same time, but almost always follow up a good meal with a good smoke.

lyst36 · Apr 15, 2011

I'm with Kevin. I don't like to smoke and eat but I love to smoke just after. If it was a big dinner then I will usually follow it up with some sweet aromatic for dessert.

mowens · Apr 15, 2011

7 Deady Zins eh Kevin? I can't seem to get in to Zinfandel's but that may be the only one I like. I usually go the red wine route when smoking my pipe. Usually a Meritage style if not that then a Cab or Merlot does the trick for me. Lordnoble I tried to eat/drink wine/smoke last weekend and I found it did not work for me. I was eating some havarti cheese with crackers and enjoying some Chardonay when I thought it would be a good idea to smoke a bowl. It may have been the 7 Seas Royal but I found that all the flavors and notes from the food wine and tobacco clashed. I will give it another shot but next time I'll try to do a better pariing of the three.

admin · Apr 15, 2011

@mowens - So have you had 7 Deadly Zins? The reason I said to pair it up with Maltese Falcon is that the wine has a smoky flavor to it. It is "Old Vine Zinfandel". The old vine Zins are the ones I really like. There's a ton of them. My friend John from Coral Springs turned me on to them a few years ago and I've been drinking them ever since.

mowens · Apr 15, 2011

Kevin - Yeah I have had it. It's actually the only Zinfandel I have ever tried. The first two times I had 7DZ I thought it was amazaing. Then I had a bottle about a month ago and it fell flat. So I'm not sure if my taste has changed or if that bottle was stored improperly. I did buy some Maltese Falcon a few months ago but have yet to open it. I will definatley give that combo a shot the next time I run in to bottle of 7DZ. Do you reccomend any other "old vine" zins?

fatman · Apr 15, 2011

I do like some home grown Alabama muscadine wine, and Port! Goes well w/any latakia blend. i agree w/the OP, coffee and 1Q work well together. As I type, I'm have'n some Jonny black and Peacehaven...a marraige made!!

admin · Apr 16, 2011

@mowens Yes - Ravenswood, Bogle, Gnarly Head - there's a bunch more I can't think of right now, but I know them when I see them in the store.

ohin3 · Apr 16, 2011

I do enjoy Zinfandel, but I find it be a food wine more so than a sipping on its own wine. i am more likely to sip an old vine zinfandel on its own though. love those old, woody, smokey and spicey flavours. They do go very well with a latakia mixture.

romeowood · Jun 15, 2011

I've really been getting into this aspect a lot lately, jason--when you start experimenting with the constituent makeups of pairings it gets *really* interesting. I've been looking for both common pairings, or flavors that complement with similar profiles, as well as contrast pairings--drinks, mainly, that will change or highlight only certain aspects of a smoke. The only solid example I could give right now would be a Sandeman's port with Escudo for a common pairing, and (get ready for it) banana bread for the contrast pairing.

Trust me on this one. You'll be surprised at how different it can taste.

pstlpkr · Jun 15, 2011

One of my all time favorite parings (I probably only consume this once a year) is:

Black caviar and table water crackers with cream cheese

Black Tower Liebfraumilch (German White Wine)

Golden Cavendish Slices

fatman · Jun 15, 2011

Ironic how this thread popped back up as I'm thinking.."MMMM, Cumberland (in a Sea Rock) w/a stout cup of coffee (in a Ga. BullDAWG mug)!

lordnoble · Jun 15, 2011

I have to throw out PS Proper English with Lindt 60% Cocoa dark chocolate. The bitter cocoa taste melds with the latakia in the smoke creating this terrific slight citrus chocolate taste on the palate. Normally I abhor all fruit and chocolate pairings, but this was nice flavor probably because it wasn't real fruit.
-Jason

igloo · Jun 15, 2011

A rare treat but a good one , 1992 Robert Mondavi "Reserve" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon , bone in ribeye with Utah red salt and fresh ground black pepper . Done over oak . Followed by Nording Pointer . The wine was about six bucks back in 1992 . From the first taste I knew it was good and stocked up , now it is up and over a hundred bucks . Beringer founders reserves are also good as well .On a tour of Beringers the guide stated [ What is the best kind of wine , the kind you like . Dont spit it out drink up , the wine bar is open .] :D

lordofthepiperings · Jun 16, 2011

I absolutely love having a bowl of Connoisseur's Choice or Sunset Breeze with a glass of Jim Beam's Red Stag. The fruity rum flavor of the CC goes great with the black cherry Jim Beam of Red Stage and Sunset Breeze's Amaretto casing pairs well with it too. I also found one morning that having one of those fruity Sobe Lifewater's went well with Luxury Blend. Had a cherry pomegranet Sobe to go with the Luxury Blend and the drink paired great with the citrus and vanilla flavoring of the Luxury Blend. I've also found the a glass of Bailey's goes great with McClelland's Best of Show and Peterson's Sweet Killarney. Both blends have a caramel flavor to them that comes out great when paired with the candy like taste of Bailey's.

romeowood · Jun 16, 2011

Here's one for you--Bombay Sapphire gin & tonic (easy on the tonic, free hand with the ice) and Sterling's Royal London Dock. The tonic and quinine really brings out the sweet and medicinal flavors, while the herbacious gin explores every spicy nuance of the Latakia and Virginia components. I for one don't subscribe to Latakia being a cold weather smoke.

punkpiper · Jun 16, 2011

I've just noticed how well Gold Blend goes with a cool red stripe. The beer cleansed my palate and brought out the sweet honey and vanilla, then after another few puffs the cinnamon came back.

clanobucklin · Jun 16, 2011

Any Latakia blend with a good glass of dry Red Wine.

Any Aromatic with a good cup of Joe

Any VAPer with beer/ale - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is my favorite beverage on a hot summer's day.

jayh · Jun 16, 2011

I very rarely drink anything but water or coffee when I'm smoking. I'll sometimes have a bourbon, or a Bombay and tonic. I'll eat before I smoke.
I just dont like the feel of beer or wine in my mouth while smoking. Though I love both. In fact I didn't smoke for almost 6 months when I was really into wine tasting/exploration. The carbonation of beer is sharpened and wine gets too muted.
For me smoking deadens my palate for soft and subtle flavors. Coffee and a pipe are a real treat, but not much else.

Pairing like wine, beer, scotch, food...

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