Cigar and Tea paring

[gasninja]

An Upmann 2 started the morning, Hoyo Epi 2 following 4 Yancha tasting. Now ending with a 2010 D4 with 05 7542. A full day.

I had an Hoya epicure no 1 on Sunday and brewed a 70's da ye loose leaf sheng.

[SilentChaos]

An Upmann 2 started the morning, Hoyo Epi 2 following 4 Yancha tasting. Now ending with a 2010 D4 with 05 7542. A full day.

I had an Hoya epicure no 1 on Sunday and brewed a 70's da ye loose leaf sheng.

aaaaahhhh....the epicure....you have good taste.

[Risdt]

Today I tried a vegafina robusto together with a medium roasted alishan. The combinations felt much more 'organic' than lets say, cigars paired with whisky. It was a very natural combination. I'm still having troubles noting the nuances on a cigar, they still taste pretty much the same to me. Hopefully, I will develop a better cigar palate in the future

Right now I cannot say that much about the pairing, except that the roasty, flowery flavors went very well together with the tobacco. Think I'll be doing sessions like this a few more times this summer

Now... I have to recover from the nicotine! I feel woozy.

[ethan]

Cure for nicotine is to put sugar, candy, a chocolate....on your tongue & let it stay there for 10 seconds or so. Should diminish the effects.

[sencha]

I didn't want to post a separate thread since I doubt it'll receive many replies at all, but lately I've been taking to enjoying the combination of Swedish snus tobacco and various greens. It's an oral tobacco product that's been air-cured, pasteurized, and processed in such a manner that reduces the amount of nitrosamines that occur naturally in tobacco products, which would theoretically reduce the risk of cancer [1]. It's quite delicious depending on the brand/flavor, unlike American dipping tobacco (which it's most often compared to). One concern with smoking tobacco (cigars and cigarettes) is that it dulls the taste buds, which is absolutely not what the average tea drinker wants. So far, even after a few years of using snus, I haven't noticed a decrease in the taste or complexity in tea, or foods in general. Nowhere near like when I had been smoking previously.

I'm currently enjoying a stark portion (stark means strong, containing approximately 15 mg of nicotine per portion) of Skruf original [2] alongside a cup of Upton's first grade gunpowder, and it's rather delicious. While the tea isn't the top of the line, it's been a staple of mine for a while given its low price, and has a delicious smoky taste I enjoy (plus, it's a nice break from using steam-processed teas most of the time). Skruf's taste is predominantly tobacco, with hints of bergamot and rose oil. Steeped for a relatively short period of time (compared to the 3-4 minutes Upton recommends), the gunpowder doesn't eliminate the taste of the tobacco or added aromas entirely, and it makes a nice synergy, in my opinion.

Despite the cancer risk being reduced, the introduction of tobacco (or anything, really) to the oral cavity for a significant amount of waking hours most likely has an effect on the gums and oral health in general. Green tea, on the other hand, seems to have a positive effect. I'm not saying they cancel each other out, but at least I feel more confident in my use of oral tobacco than I would if I didn't drink tea.

Has anyone else used or tried snus, with or without tea? I'm referring to the brands sold almost exclusively in Sweden, not the candy-like Camel brand sold in the states.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSNA
[2] http://www.skruf.se/

[jayinhk]

I went through a Swedish snus phase back in '07 or '08, but stopped because 1. Oral tobacco is illegal in HK and 2. My mom would have flipped if I stuck it in the fridge. It is tasty, clean, and definitely much better than smoking or dip, but perhaps less tasty than chew...

[Risdt]

I've got a vacation house in Sweden so I'm quite familiar with snuss
The first time I tried it my head was spinning because I'm not used to any nicotine at all (except a cigar now and then). I've tried the bagged version and the loose one, seem to prefer the one in bags but when I told some of our Swedish friends they laughed at me for being such a girl
I do enjoy the taste, the one that seems to be most popular has a very refreshing pine tree taste. I'm just wondering if it wouldn't get messy when it's between your lips and you drink tea? The taste might also be a bit too pungent for delicate teas. Might try it in the future though

[jayinhk]

Definitely sounds worth a shot! I prefer pouches too, but I know the Swedish guys like the loose kind. It might hit you harder if you're swallowing the juices with hot tea!

[sencha]

jayinhk, That's really unfortunate that it's illegal in HK. It's also mostly banned in most all EU countries, which is a bit silly considering cigarettes are legal.

Risdt, I think the one with the pine taste is Göteborg’s Rapé. I haven't tried it yet because I'm personally afraid of the "pine" taste (I think it comes from the Juniper berry?) and the can design is not appealing at all. Oh, and the name is a little... "interesting" for those of us in the US.

The Swedes who use snus probably look at portion users like we tea drinkers look at teabag users. I'm ordering some loose snus next order just to give it a try at home, but it won't replace my portion use when I'm out or at work. There's way too much risk involved (black pieces of tobacco stuck in your teeth, for one), IMO.

[TIM]

Last day of tasting Maocha from 2013. Day 17th with a Exclusivo Espana.
Yiwu still on the top of the list.

[Cwyn]

I like cigars, and generally have one after a tea session. During the session I am concerned with getting 10 steeps or more down my gullet, keeps me busy. And I don't like a cigar with delicate teas, a cigar does ruin the palate, But I do pair a cigar with a smoky tuo, such as a Menghai tuo. I am going to be tea drunk and splayed out over the bar anyway when I get done. But in fact for charred tea, a cigar is actually helpful, because it cancels the char flavor, makes it a null so I can taste the actual leaf flavor. If I don't have the cigar, all I taste is smoky char in those tuos.

[drinking_teas]

how did I know that TIM posted this from the title?

[kyarazen]

how did I know that TIM posted this from the title?

well, if you've visited the mandarin's tea room you should be able to make the association

[meintea]

an interesting combination. I just participated in my first poker, cigar and whiskey evening. I can see the appeal, but never thought about the crossover to tea.

[Hannah]

Definitely worth trying!!!
Putting cigars with younger sheng puerh seems to be my favourite combination so far! Seems to bring out a sweetness and take away from of the bite of the sheng