Here at Cut The Cap, we like to think there’s two things we do exceptionally well; drinks and cigars. True, we love a tipple. And true too that we love a fine cigar. Cuban, preferably. So perhaps it’s been long overdue that we should write about the two together. Ladies and gentlemen, we bring to you for the first time ever, Cut The Cap Rum & Cigar Pairing: Ron Cubay.
We managed to get our hands on the three rums on offer by Ron Cubay; Cubay Ron Carta Blanca, Cubay Ron Añejo 7 Year, and Cubay Ron Añejo Reserva Especial 10 Year.
[embedplusvideo height=”350″ width=”560″ editlink=”http://bit.ly/1ezsqaN” standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/Taxo40y1tO0?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=Taxo40y1tO0&width=560&height=350&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=¬es=” id=”ep9113″ /]
The Carta Blanca is the bottle people will be using for their cocktails. Looking purely at the facts, it’s aged 3 years and is a clear rum. It has a nice golden hue to its clarity which is visually appealing.
The Añejo 7 Year is where the cigar lovers will want to start paying attention. As the name suggests, it’s aged for 5-7 years and has the same 38% alcoholic content as the 3 year. In the glass, it’s a beautiful maizy shade of gold.
The Añejo Reserva Especial is where everybody should pay attention. Definitely the show-piece of the Ron Cubay range, It’s aged for 10 years, ups it’s alcoholic content to a cool 40%, and is a mesmerising dark amber in colour.
In the pairing, we decided our best bet was to start with the Carta Blanca in the first third of the cigar, then move on to the 7 year in the second third and finish the last third with the 10 year. The reasoning behind the method in the madness is really quite simple. A good cigar will develop in flavour as you smoke it. And as such, we decided to let the flavours of the cigar develop together with the flavours of the rum.
1st Third – Ron Cubay Carta Blanca
pre-light, we tried the Carta Blanca and there’s a light, sweet aroma. It’s also quite light on the palate. There’s no viscosity, meaning it gently floats around the mouth and goes down quite smoothly. A medium, sugarcane finish on the palate.
We light the cigar, and after a few minutes try some of the Carta Blanca immediately following a puff. The tastes really develop. The sugarcane palate makes way for some citrus fruits. There’s initially a slight tanginess to it. It’s a very pleasant tanginess with no acidity to the taste.
A few minutes more and the tanginess quickly goes as the cigar develops further and our palates adjust. We get alot more of the citrus fruits, with a predominant bitter lemon flavour.
2nd Third – Ron Cubay Añejo 7 Year
Moving in to the second third of our cigar, the mellow flavours of the stogie become a little more prenounced. It’s definitely time to move on to an accompanying rum that also has a stronger flavour. We would imagine the 7 year would be an ideal accompaniment for most. Great flavour, affordable price, and ideal drinking on the rocks.
As with the Carta Blanca, we gave the 7 year a little try before the cigar. A sweet, brown sugar palate with a hint of vanilla.
With the cigar, the flavours really mix well. There’s a caramel aroma, in the air and on the palate, though it’s not particularly sweet. There’s a nice balance between the sweet and bitter which makes the rum go down very easily. The difference between the Carta Blanca and Añejo 7 Year is quite prenounced here. The 7 Year really is proving exactly why it’s a far superior drink to the 3 year-old Carta Blanca.
Final Third – Ron Cubay Añejo Reserva Especial 10 Year
Ladies and gents, we’re at the business end of the cigar and the rums. The cigar is really at it’s prime now. Full of flavour and a very easy draw with plenty of smoke coming through.
The Añejo Reserva Especial is a thicker rum than the previous two. A treacle-like palate without the cigar, and hints of liqourice.
Combine that with the powerful finish of the cigar, there’s an awesome kick of spices mixed with dried fruits and vanilla. The flavour profile really is something to write home about. There’s excellent depth in there, and though the cigar we smoked has a good finish, the rum really accentuates the notes in the cigar.
Wrap-up
Needless to say, the Añejo Reserva Especial is our favourite of the three. The mix of flavours really is uncomparable to the 7 Year and the Carta Blanca. But that’s not to say we haven’t enjoyed the other two. The Carta Blanca was surprisingly a strong performer on its own with no mixers. And that’s a rum made to be mixed in a cocktail. The 7 Year was admirable, and will probably become a lot of people’s go-to bottle. The 10 Year is great, the best without a doubt. But as a regular drink, it may be a little pricey. We’d keep a bottle of 7 Year for exactly that purpose and treat ourselves with the 10 Year on the weekends after a hard week. Perhaps with a Cohiba Maduro 5 Genios?
Thanks for reading our pairing review. We hope you enjoy pairing Ron Cubay with a cigar as much as we did. Visit us on facebook at facebook.com/cutthecap or on twitter (@cutthecap) and let us know how you get on pairing the three Ron Cubay’s with your favourite stogie!
You can pick up Ron Cubay From The Whiskey Exchange priced at £21.95 for the 3 Year and £26.95 for the aged rum