We’ve been thinking about this rum since Rumfest last year so when we spotted Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva at Soho Wine Supply, we had to grab a bottle and try pairing it with a Montecristo Edmundo we had resting in the humidor.
First let’s explore the rum…
A complex blend of Copper pot still rums aged for 12 long years, has a characterful nose, showing fruit cake, rum’n’raisin ice cream, cocoa, dried ginger, cinnamon and clove. Develops baked bananas with fudge sauce and chewy toffee notes alongside vanilla oak and a deeper note of syrupy gingerbread, with hints of orange zest. The palate evokes chocolate sauce and the sweet toffee, fudge and tropical fruit flavours from the nose. Flakes of Terry’s Dark Chocolate Orange sprinkled over melted vanilla ice cream. Deep, vivid and extremely seductive flavours.
Now here comes the fun part. The rum and cigar pairing
Pouring the Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva the golden rum is thicker than most rums we drink and almost syrup like in its texture.
The smells we were getting were chocolaty, oaky with hint of sweet vanilla.
We added a couple of ice cubes just to loosen the liquid and open up those flavours (plus make it last longer)
Our first thoughts when sipping the rum was how flavoursome the rum was. The rum almost created a coating around the mouth with a woodsy, chocolaty flavour, creating the perfect time to light the Montecrsto Edmundo.
First Third with Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum:
The first few draws of the Montecristo delivered smooth leathery notes that we come to love and expect from the Edmundo., and with our palates layered in the rum the flavours really started to complement each other.
The sweet caramel and vanilla notes from the rum when impacted with the leathery notes of the cigar created an explosion of flavour both complementing each other and creating an almost sweet and spice flavour profile in the mouth.
Second Third with Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum:
Into the second third, and the Edmundo now starts to really step up and showcase why it’s such a loved cigar.
The leather notes have really started to come through stronger with a subtle orange zest however the spice has subsided and been replaced with more cocoa and vanilla which when matched with the sweet notes from the rum, it creates on heck of a party in the mouth that leaves you just sitting in silence enjoying those matched flavours marrying up.
Those woodsy cedar notes are still there but just as a subtle reminder and a nod to where the cigars have been stored, almost giving a flavour of the history of where these cigars had been stored.
Final Third with Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum:
We’re into the final third now and as we see the end is in sight for the cigar we start to actually feel upset that this great experience is coming to an end.
The cigar has really opened up with those cedar notes, the leather has also made a pleasant return along with those great chocolate flavours giving a great all round finish to a great experience.
The rum has really come into its own now and matched with the vanilla notes from the Edmundo, it feels like you’ve eaten your starter and main and now tucking into your dessert.
If we could have that final third experience for longer, we’d happily have a groundhog moment for the rest of eternity.
Conclusions:
The Montecristo Edmundo is one of our favourite go to cigars and we’ve never had a bad experience with one. Matched with the incredible Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, this is perfect for a Sunday afternoon in the garden with nothing but you, your cigar and perhaps a good book or some soft Jazz music in the background.
The sweet notes remind us of a chocolate and vanilla cheesecake, but better for you and less fattening!
It was an experience we shall be doing again very soon.
If you have paired the Montecristo Edmundo with Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva let us know what you found?