Pairing Hoyo Primaveras Ox 21 & Havana Club Cohiba

Pairing between Hoyo de Monterrey Primaveras Year Of The Ox and Havana Club Cohiba Atmosphere Union. What a fantastic combination. In this article you will find out two things: Firstly, why I believe that this cigar will become a classic once it has matured. And secondly, what you should look out for when pairing a cigar with a drink. By the way: Here you can experience the unboxing of this cigar >

But that's not true at all. You will learn much more than these two things. Here is the table of contents.

This will be a classic

Photos, unless otherwise noted: FotoWerk 132, Christian Schmid

The boxing date is OCT 20 and I tasted the first cigar on 16/01/21, which is just about right for tasting. The cigars were now about 3 months old. This one was already very good and I was an instant fan of the cigar. Within just a few days, the flavour had clearly deteriorated. This is not a fault of the cigar. Below you can find out what is important about Cuban cigars.

The taste can be described in this way, whereby everyone recognises their own taste preferences:

• Tongue / palate: Dark cocoa / tart / slightly salty
• Retronasal: peppery / leather
• R+ Technique: fruity / grassy / coffee beans / wood
• Umami: juicy / slightly spicy

The flavour is linear and intensifies towards the end. This is not a fault of the cigar.

The combination of tongue / retronasal / R+ technology is fantastic. The first sample was so great that I am convinced: This cigar will be a wonderfully balanced and aromatic cigar after a period of maturation. My assessment: minimum ageing time 2 years.

The other specimens were scratchy and biting from about the second half onwards. This is not a fault of the cigar. The ageing time of Cuban cigars varies depending on the brand and format. It is best to store them at 68/69% humidity. Cuban tobacco does not like to mature for long periods at 70% or more. I have had my own personal experience with this.

What you should look out for when pairing

The most important thing: take plenty of time to savour it. Let the rum breathe in the glass first. In my experience with Havana Club Cohiba Atmosphere Union Rum, I let it breathe for about 20 minutes first. I've got into the habit of warming the glass with the rum in the palm of my hand. Of course, I do this at the same time: let it breathe and warm it up.

This gives the rum a very pleasant and warm temperature. The flavours are intensified and it somehow tastes softer.

Once this phase is complete, wet your tongue and clean it with the rum. Then put a second portion in your mouth. Allow the rum to circulate on your tongue and palate. Chew on it so that „ethereal gases“ form. These then pass directly from the palate through the inner nasal canal to the olfactory bulb of the nose.

The result is a full-bodied and „full-nosed“ explosion of flavour. Now sip the rum slowly and take a full puff of the cigar immediately afterwards.

Firstly, let the smoke circulate in your mouth. „Chew“ the smoke and it is automatically pressed through your nose in small quantities. Fantastic combination.

This rum is fantastic. Light chilli notes, lots of vanilla and caramel. Pure pleasure. I enjoyed the pairing with this cigar to the full.

Degassing

With my other cigars, I degassed the cigar several times. This did indeed help for several minutes and the original flavour was restored. Watch this short tutorial video:

Unboxing the cigars

One you can find a detailed report about the unboxing here > The box is really beautifully made. Bright red colour, perfectly lacquered and polished. The velvet bag is high quality. It no longer crackles. With the Montecristo 80, the velvet bag crackled terribly and made a cheap impression.

The cigars with this box are a wonderful collector's item.

Cuban cigars and the important ageing phase

Cuban cigars are super tasty for the first 1 - 3 months after rolling. After that, the cigar begins to mature. The tobacco used is not yet ready for tasting. Cuba has too few resources. The tobacco cannot mature as long as it should. The cigars are rolled and hardly have a resting phase. Depending on the brand and format, the maturing phase in the humidor at home takes between 2 and over 8 years (or even longer). Very important: this is not a fault of the cigar.

If you buy single copies

Place the cigar with the cellophane in the humidor. If your cigar does not have cellophane: Put them in tubos and then in the humidor. Or you can put the individual cigars in a Zippo bag and put a small Boveda inside. You then seal it and place it in the humidor. Cigars that are stored open without cellophane or a box lose their flavour very quickly. This is demonstrated in this article with experiments.

What is the boxing date of the cigar (BD)?

There is a stamp on the back of the box. There you can see when the cigars were placed in the box. From this point onwards, Cuban cigars are excellent for tasting within 1 - 3 months. If you have not bought a whole box, please ask your retailer for the boxing date.

What is „retronasal“?

Retronasal cigar enjoyment enhances the flavour. What it is, why it works and how to do it please read here. Take a look at the ZiZo vacuum technology in particular. Incredible enhancement of cigar enjoyment!

What is the „R+ ZiZo vacuum technology“?

This is the consummate pleasure of a cigar. Hard to describe. I'll try. Here's an example: a baby sucking on a dummy. Try this technique with a cigar. Very little smoke gets into the mouth. But it passes over the tongue and goes straight through the nose. I tried it with about 10 cigars before I mastered it. Please be very careful with this technique when practising: the smoke hit the back of my larynx several times. That was really bad. But now that I can do it, it's a perfect technique for enjoying a cigar.

What is umami?

This means „savouriness“, „spicy“, „essence“, „meaty“. This mixture of taste sensations is perceived on the centre of the tongue. You can find a good article about this on Wikipedia.

Conclusion Pairing

The cigar certainly needs two more years of ageing. In my personal opinion, it will become a classic. On the one hand because of the packaging and on the other because of the flavour. I could already get a good idea of the flavour. After lighting up, the flavour was excellent. Over time, it becomes a little pungent, but after degassing, the original flavour is restored.

This rum is a wonderful complement to this cigar. Not just with this cigar, of course, but with cigars in general. Its caramel notes mixed with vanilla are fantastic. The chilli notes tingle on the nose, on the palate and on the inside of the lips. A pairing in a class of its own.

A pleasure for very special moments. And special moments are always those in which you simply take time to slow down, relax and savour the moment.