Pipes and Cigars sent out its tobacco-drink pairing guide:
- Burley blends like Half and Half and Sir Walter Raleigh are medium-bodied tobaccos with a natural bit of bitterness balanced by a touch of sweetness, so medium-bodied drinks that are sweet or bitter will work well, such as medium roast coffee, dark rum, whiskeys with ice or a bit of water, and richer white or lighter red wines will work.
- Latakia blends including Peterson Nightcap and My Mixture 965 have more body and a smoky character so dark roast coffee, ruby port or sherry, straight bourbon, and cordials are great options.
- Aromatics, along the lines of Cult Blood Red Moon and Captain Black Royal are light and sweet, so flavored seltzers, lemonade, plain or lightly sweetened iced tea, light lager beers, and dry white wines can be great pairings.
- Since Virginia and Virginia/Perique blends (Escudo Navy De Luxe, Peterson Elizabethan) share some of the characteristics of aromatics other than the room note, the suggestions for aromatics will also work well here.
I remain unconvinced. In my view, the best drink to have with a pipe is water, and to spend your focus on the flavor of the pipe and the experience of smoking it. Other flavors just get in the way. The only exception: drink a root beer before you enjoy a Burley blend.
Pairing drinks, tobaccos, and pipes in some desire to set up the “perfect” experience fits within the consumer mold, but not that of reality. Consumers think outside-in, meaning how to find an external pattern to enforce the inner state they desire; hermeticists, New Thought’ers, and metalheads think inside-out, or about which internal pattern we can create from which the external naturally flows.
If you want the perfect pipe smoking experience, in my view, find something you like to smoke and a serviceable pipe. Then practice while doing other things that are of importance to you, while working on your technique as it occurs to you that you need to do so, and eventually you will find your pace.
Tags: hermeticism, pipe smoking
Pipe Tobacco Activity Recommendations
Certain pipe tobaccos are good when paired with doing something.
Aromatics – Morning stroll, social events. People like smelling the aromatics, vs the leaf so an aromatic is best when around non-smokers
Virginia – Sit down and enjoy the grassy quality. Good in the day and afternoon sunlight.
Cheaper Virginia – if not demanding your enjoyment, a basic Virginia is good to put into pipe and do some work.
VaPer – Good afternoon sitting smoke
Burley – The BEST blend for working both inside and outside. America was built on Burley power. Put this in pipe and go to work. It can cause a laser like focus, kind of like an adderall without the continual speediness. If you don’t want the speedy feeling just put down the pipe. There was a reason many physical laborers had a cigarette in their mouths while working.
Dark Fired Kentucky – SIT DOWN! Do no activity. Eat beforehand. Have water or juice or whiskey on hand. Any quick activity can be a hassle.
Light Latakia English – Great morning and work blend.
Heavy Latakia English – Good in evening, sitting and enjoying. A dramatic smell and experience. Very good in winter months.
This has the ring of truth for me. Burley is great for combat with gnarly and knotty problems.
I will have to say water, coffee, iced coffee or hot/cold tea. I find alcohol kills all flavor, plus inhibits my mental state for enjoying a pipe.
Any suggestions for a small humidor for a cigar noob?
Some smokers swear by their tupperware (large size!) humidors using boveda packs and a hygrometer. I have never done this; we have one bathroom (in the same guest area that houses the anomalous walk-in closet that contains The Tobacco Cellar) which is a bit damp, so I can keep cigars in there for a couple weeks if need be. Generally, however, I just walk on down to Spec’s and pick up a few, then consume within a couple days. I looked into having an actual humidor in the past and it was not as terrible as I expected in terms of cost. You need a walk-in cabinet that seals, and an electronic gizmo that can measure air moisture and humidify as needed. Hilariously our bathroom is about the same level, so I could probably convert it, except that some one might come in and take a covert dump and convert all of my cigars into maduros.
Thanks! I might try the Tupperware method.
Mason jar and a boveda has always done me well.