While smoking a cigar exudes feelings of relaxation, comfort and serenity, it is even better when you pair your cigar with a great drink.
Below you will find a listing of our top cigar pairings offered at Karma as well as more in depth descriptions of each.
Stop by and indulge yourself in the simple pleasure of smoke and drink.
#1 – Ashton VSG & Whistle Pig
Full-bodied and in high demand, the Ashton VSG is drawn from a dark and oily Ecuador Sumatra wrapper that houses a delectable blend of premium aged Dominican tobaccos. Notes of earth, cedar, leather, and spice indulge in this 1999 classic Dominican cigar. Whistlepig equally brings a defined profile of Allspice, orange peel, anise, oak, char and caramel. This bourbon finishes with medium body and draws out a marvelous spectrum of sweet nuances in the bold Ashton VSG. Together, the two reveal a strong but warm finish of caramel.
#2 – Arturo Fuente Anejo & Hennessey VSOP
Arturo Fuente Anejo is a handcrafted cigar from the finest aged Dominican binder and filler tobaccos amidst a dark chocolate-hued Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper that has been slow-aged in a cognac barrel. The result is a medium-bodied treat that offers a luxurious profile of brown sugar, creamy spices, and cocoa with a buttery finish. The Hennessey VSOP hails from the oldest Cognac houses and is crafted from a blend of over 60 eaux-de-vie. This cognac is matured in wood barrels and produces a light finish dominated with honey and spice. Together the Anejo and the VSOP evokes a wonderful mixture of sweetness and buttery cream making this pair a great combination for any aficionado.
#3 – La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserve & CROWN ROYAL Whiskey
La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor is a medium to full-bodied Nicaraguan cigar with chocolate-hued wrappers from San Andrés and an aged Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Notes of almonds, dark cocoa, spices, and black pepper are topped with hints of black cherries. Crown Royal was created in 1939 by Sam Bronfman, the owner of The House of Seagram, as a gift for the visiting King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, following 600 meticulous blending trials. Today, Crown Royal’s award-winning whiskies are expertly blended, patiently aged and enjoyed by millions. The marriage of this cigar and whiskey creates a great mixture of cocoa and bold woody flavors culminating in a smooth finish of smoke and drink.
#4 – Padron 1926 Anniversary & Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year
If you are looking for a spectacular smoking experience, look no further than the Padron 1926 Serie. The initial flavor notes of this impeccable cigar provide a mix of chocolate and a hint of spice and red pepper in this full-bodied smoke. Notes of earth and cream make this a wonderful smoking experience with a cigar crafted for Jose Padron’s 75th birthday. Like the famous 12-year-old expression this Balvenie has been matured in two types of cask, given an extra five years of cask aging. Notes of warm acacia honey and green apples on the nose leading to warm winter spices, vanilla, and honeysuckle are very soothing to the palate. The finish is gloriously long with notes of vanilla and honey. The combination of the Padron and the Balvenie creates a lush, full-bodied taste of spice and vanilla that is sure to place any seasoned cigar and whiskey lover in a very happy place.
#5 – Montecristo White & Dewar’s 12 Year Whiskey
The Montecristo White Series offers a perfectly balanced blend of smooth, creamy flavors with notes of vanilla and nuts. This cigar provides all the flavor and balance that make this a staple in many humidors. The Dewar’s 12 Year is a classic 12-year-old blend from Dewars and the successor to Dewar’s “Double Aged” 12 Year Old – so named in reference to the additional six-month marriage the whisky enjoys in oak after its initial maturation and blending. Tasting notes of juicy fruit and thick, creamy malt with floral, and sweet notes of toasted barley, almond, and a tinge of honey produce a wonderful effect on the palate. The finish is perfectly poised with notes of barley malt, hot buttered toast, a little honey, and some aniseed spiciness. This pairing creates a wonderful flavor profile of vanilla, nuts, and fruitiness that captivate the senses from the first puff and drink to the last.
#6 – San Cristobal Revelation & Glenfiddich 14 Year Barrel Reserve
Sharply square-pressed with a lush long-filler recipe of top-quality Nicaraguan tobaccos and finished with an expertly applied triple-cap in the Cuban tradition, the San Cristobal Revelation features a medium-bodied strength profile that showcases a spicy-sweet tea-like flavor accented with zesty cedar and earthy richness, all of which are amply exhibited from these cigars’ larger-ring-gauge styles. The Glenfiddich 14 Year Bourbon Barrel Reserve whisky is aged in ex-bourbon barrels for 14 years before finishing in virgin, deeply charred American oak barrels. The recognizable aroma of fresh, warm butter toffee stands out first. Graham cracker and toasted marshmallow peek through with rich cocoa finishing off with bright bursts of cinnamon from a spice jar mingle with mellow candied orange peel and fresh citrus zest. This combination of smoke and drink is a smooth composition of spice and cocoa making it a perfect match for those outdoor evenings on the patio or the campfire.
#7 – Diamond Crown Black Diamond & Baker Single Barrel Bourbon – 7 Year
Diamond Crown Black Diamond cigars are the latest addition to the luxurious high-end Diamond Crown series from the famous Fuente family and the legendary JC Newman Company. The binder and filler tobaccos used for this masterful creation were carefully grown on the prestigious Chateau de la Fuente farm in the Dominican Republic. Covering this exquisite medium-bodied blend is a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper that was painstakingly aged for 8-years. A thing of beauty, this Connecticut top leaf displays a dark, almost black color, and a nice oily patina. After toasting and torching a Black Diamond, you’ll be greeted with exceptionally smooth tasting notes of bittersweet chocolate, hazelnut, coffee, leather, and cream. The Baker Single Barrel Bourbon 7 Year evokes notes of sweet peanut butter and roasted peanut shells, along with caramel corn, slight char, and whiffs of cinnamon stick, fennel, or anise. There’s some brown sugar, and moderate hints of musty oak, but less of the maple/red fruit. The palate gives a warm sensation flavored with the roasted nuttiness and big spice notes. The Black Diamond and Baker Single Barrel make an excellent pairing elevating both cigar and bourbon to a creamy roasted profile.
#8 – My Father Le Bijou 1922 & Booker’s Bourbon
A lustrous Cuban-seed wrapper harvested in Ecuador shimmers over a full-bodied interior of bold but well-aged Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Just as the original My Father blend was a tribute from Jaime to Pepin, the My Father Le Bijou 1922 is Pepin’s homage to his own father. Potent notes of leather, earth, espresso beans, and dark cocoa command the senses with layers of spice from beginning to end. Booker’s Bourbon is part of Jim Beam’s Small Batch Collection and bottled straight from the barrel, uncut and unfiltered. This rare Bourbon is best enjoyed neat with flavors of oak tannin, smoky vanilla, mocha, and coffee with a clean and intense finish. The combination of this cigar and bourbon produce a wonderful mature full-bodied profile that is guaranteed to warm the palate while adding a little zest.
#9 – Cohiba Red Dot & Gentleman Jack
Often called “Red Dot” Cohibas due to the markings on the band, this exquisite cigar offers a medium-bodied flavor and a strong, smooth, and incredibly rich character. Handmade with a toothy Cameroon wrapper and an aged mixture of Dominican-grown Piloto Cubano tobaccos, Cohiba’s blend sets the standard among today’s premium cigars. Inspired by the original gentleman distiller and its founder Jack Daniel, Gentleman Jack Whiskey undergoes a second charcoal mellowing to achieve exceptional smoothness. Its balanced flavor with notes of double charcoal mellowed with an oak flavor balanced with caramel and vanilla culminates in an exceptionally smooth finish. The marriage of the Cohiba Red Dot and Gentlemen Jack produces a smooth oaky but woody profile complimented by the caramel/vanilla richness of the pair.
#10 – Rocky Patel 1990 – Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
The Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 cigar is a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan Ligero draped in a tantalizing natural Broadleaf wrapper from Honduras. It is medium-bodied and box-pressed with a really enjoyable, complex smooth-rich flavor. Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is made from the finest corn, rye, and barley malt and aged in new oak barrels for years in century-old warehouses until the peak of maturity. The taste is rich and complex, with hints of vanilla, toffee, and candied fruit. The smooth finish lingers on the palate. This deep amber whiskey has a complex aroma of vanilla, mint, and molasses. Pleasantly sweet to the taste with notes of brown sugar and spice that give way to oak, toffee, dark fruit, and anise. The pairing of the Rocky Patel 19909 and Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey produces a very complementary delectable profile of woody smoothness and vanilla richness.
#11 – Romeo y Julieta Reserve Real & Dalmore 12 Year
The Reserva Real is a carefully balanced blend of aged Dominican leaf spiced with Nicaraguan Ligero and finished in either a hand-selected blonde Connecticut shade-seed wrapper grown in the valleys of Ecuador or a deep, dark San Andrés Morrón leaf. Slightly sweet in flavor, it’s an expertly crafted handmade mild-to-medium-bodied smoke with a woodsy flavor and a tender creamy filled aroma. The Dalmore 12 year is a single malt from the Dalmore distillery with a toasty, coffee-rich dram with beautifully spice notes and a thick mouthfeel producing a flavor profile of roasting beans, the oily nuttiness in a fine espresso with little notes of malt and cereal and butter along with rich orange. The palate offers notes of Seville marmalade and triple sec with winter spices and fruitcake. Zesty cocoa and milk chocolate. The Reserve Real and Dalmore come together in a luxurious fruity and sweet profile sure to delight any palate.
#12 – Camacho Criollo & Jim Beam Bourbon
The Camacho Criollo is a carefully crafted masterpiece that starts out mellow and sweet but evolves to a spicy rich taste. Similarly, the Honduran and Dominican-grown Piloto Cubano tobaccos deliver a truly well-rounded taste. To finish it off, the fourth-priming, Honduran-grown wrapper provides complex peppery notes – a signature characteristic of this blend. Not too rich, not too mellow, you couldn’t find a more perfectly balanced, medium-bodied smoke. Jim Beam Bourbon is a staple found in many lounges and offers an elegant, smooth, medium-bodied, mellow taste with hints of caramel and vanilla. This bourbon is aged in charred American white oak barrels producing an aroma of oaky vanilla with a spicy backdrop. The compliment of the Criollo and the Jim Beam Bourbon produce a wonderful toothy pairing of spice and woodiness that elevates and heightens the senses.
#13 – Davidoff 702 Serie & Middleton Vintage Release
The innovative Davidoff 702 Series cigar consists of the original filler and binder tobaccos untouched but adding a dark and oily, super-delicious 702 Ecuadorian wrapper. The number 702 is a name given to a unique hybrid-seed that created using three different Cuban strands of tobacco. This new line contains exciting aromas and flavors ranging from creamy smooth to rich, dark, and bold. The Midleton Very Rare Vintage Release Irish Whiskey is distilled three times, then carefully aged in individually chosen oak casks. The flavor profile consists of initial notes of soft tropical fruits, spiced cooked pears, a touch of gentle toffee, producing notes of light oak with soft sponge cake, and definitely strong marzipan. Combining this cigar with this whiskey creates an impeccable experience of smoothness and bold flavors with hints of spice and fruits.
#14 – Liga Privada No 9 & Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel
The Liga Privada No 9 cigar is born from an extraordinarily detailed manufacturing process and contains a blend created from seven different tobaccos. The Connecticut broadleaf wrapper is hand-fermented for over 18 months and, when finally rolled, its entirety is aged another full year. This produces a bold, delicious smoke offering unrelenting satisfaction in every draw. The lush, earthy, espresso-like flavors of the full-bodied Liga Privada cigar are an undeniable luxury to the seasoned smoker’s refined palate. The Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Whiskey has select layers with subtle notes of caramel and spice with bright fruit notes and sweet aromatics. Both the No 9 and Single Barrel come together in a euphoric mix of boldness and coffee-infused spice allowing this pairing to stand out in a crowd.
#15 – Avo Classic – Riazul Anejo Tequila
The Avo Classic is the foundation behind the entire brand. This delicious, mellow-medium smoke puts Avo on the map. Crafted from an impressive blend of Dominican long-fillers, Dominican binders, and an understatedly beautiful Ecuadorian wrapper, the combination is aged to absolute perfection. What’s more, the perfect burn leaves the palate satisfied well after you’ve finished. Riazul Anejo stands alone with its notes of honey and vanilla and silky mouthfeel. It is a sipping tequila of extraordinary depth with the soft, silky entry leading to a fruity medium body taste with great depth and melange of sweet and peppery spices. This combination of the Avo and Anejo produces a spectacular smooth pairing of silkiness and smoothness making it a must to try.
#16 – Ashton Classic – Blue Moon
Ashton Classic cigars are made from a unique blend of select, specially-aged Dominican leaves and surrounded by smooth-smoking Connecticut shade-grown wrappers. Made in the Dominican Republic by Arturo Fuente, these cigars have a mild, creamy draw and are always consistent in flavor and aroma. Blue Moon Belgian White Ale Beer is a Belgian style wheat ale, crisp and tangy with a subtle citrus sweetness. It is full of zesty orange fruitiness, this citrus beer has a creamy body and a light spicy wheat aroma. The light fruity beer is crafted with Valencia orange peel, a touch of coriander, oats, and wheat for a refreshing and balanced taste which edifies the mild creaminess of the Ashton cigar.
#17 – Zino Platinum Crown – Jefferson’s Ocean Aged At Sea Bourbon
The Zino Platinum Crown Series uses three types of Dominican Ligero, a Piloto, and two types of San Vicente, which are used to create the bulk of the strikingly complex blend. The remaining 25% of the filler is also Ligero, a top-quality longleaf Habano from Peru. These tobaccos were rested for up to 5 years before being rolled within a US Connecticut binder, and aged for 4 years before being encased beneath an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. Jefferson’s Ocean Aged At Sea Bourbon is matured in American oak casks for approximately seven to eight years on land before the casks are placed on a ship and allowed to rest for another five to ten months at sea. As a result of this unique maturation process, Jefferson’s Ocean Bourbon has an aroma of vanilla, caramel and burnt matches with thick notes of butterscotch, vanilla, brown sugar, and salted caramel dominate the palate and lead to a finish accented by sweet hints of citrus. The result of smoke and drink is a luxurious palate experience lush with notes of mahogany and vanilla and topped with a rich creamy filling.
#18 – Under Crown Maduro – 1000 Stories Wine
Wrapped in a dark San Andres Maduro wrapper, Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro starts with notes of coffee with a slight hint of spice that becomes more prominent as the cigar progresses and finishes just as strong. The 1000 Stories Wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Merlot producing a bold, rich flavor with intriguing notes of dried herbs, charred vanilla, and a pleasant hint of smoke. This pairing of cigar and drink creates a delectable pairing of the blends of wine and blends of coffee and spice producing a storied tasting experience of warmth and smoothness.
#19 – Atabey – Glenfiddich 21 Year Single Malt Scotch
Atabey comes from Costa Rica with an Ecuadorian wrapper used to cover undisclosed binder and fillers coming together to produce delicious notes of hickory spice, maple, pepper, and molasses. Atabey cigars are often compared to classic Cuban cigars from the 1980s and even the infamous Cuban Cohiba. The Glen Fiddich 21 Year Single Malt Scotch is intense and sweet with floral hints of banana, figs, and rich toffee. Complex, initially soft, then brisk and vibrant, peppery, if offers notes of smoke, vanilla, ginger, lime, spices, and new leather and finishes in a long, warming flavor of spicy. The warmth of the Single Malt Scotch paired with the creamy smooth complexity of the Atabey cigar creates a wonderful mosaic of medium-bodied taste that any aficionado would love.
#20 – Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro & Copper & Kings Butchertown Brandy
The Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro cigars are a beautiful box-pressed Nicaraguan puro utilizing a six-year aged Cuban-seed Nicaraguan wrapper and filler tobaccos handpicked from their prestigious farms in Esteli, Condega, and Jalapa Valley for the blend. The wrapper is a Maduro Nicaraguan leaf, that has been bourbon barrel-aged 14 months and produces a medium to full-bodied blend with notes of natural sweetness with hints of dark cocoa and espresso. Copper & Kings Butchertown Brandy is a blend of distiller selected reserve casks, exclusively copper, pot-distilled small-batch brandy. Reminiscent of superior whiskey and Kentucky bourbon with blackberry fruit, peaches, and hints of cherry, it finishes off in a velvety smooth experience with an oaky dryness that lingers on the tongue. This pairing of cigar and brandy accentuates the sweet profile of fruit, cocoa, and espresso.
#21 – Camacho Nicaragua Barrel Aged – Flor de Caña 18 Year Old Rum
The Camacho Nicaraguan Barrel-Aged cigar is a bold and scrumptious blend that will undoubtedly become a staple in your humidor. Dominican and Estelí-grown Corojo fillers aged in Nicaraguan rum barrels are paired with a deep reddish-brown Habana 2000 wrapper and a zesty Nicaraguan binder for flavors and aromas that are simply out of this world! Toasted bread and dark roast coffee, combined with leather and oak, are enriched by the warm caramel sweetness from the aged rum. Flor de Caña 18 year old is a very well-aged expression from Nicaragua and is very spicy and crisp full-bodied rum with notes of dry oak, some cocoa, spices, toffee nut, and allspice and finishing with long, tingling, vanilla spice and nutty char. Putting this cigar and rum together produces a wonderfully toasty profile filled with thick with notes of coffee and oak.
#22 – Fuente Opus X Lost City & Zacapa XO Rum
One of the most sought after, and hardest to find cigars in the world, the Opus X is the pinnacle of perfection when it comes to ultra-premium cigars. Made in ultra-small batches, the Lost City cigars incorporate rare, 5-year aged tobaccos grown on the Chateau de la Fuente farm. Made with 100% Dominican-grown tobaccos, this Puro features dark chocolate brown Dominican wrappers and an incomparable blend of Dominican long-fillers. Medium-bodied in strength, complex notes of earth, spice, cedar, and pepper meld beautifully with the delectable essence of cream and caramel to create a smoke worthy of its legendary name. The Zacapa XO rum is aged in a combination of bourbon, delicate sherry, and Pedro Ximenez wine casks to create a unique depth of flavor and character. After three years the used barrels are emptied and then recharred to give the rum a sweeter flavor from the newly charred wood. Combining the XO with the Lost City evokes a masterful, elegant creation of earth, wood, and creamy chocolate that will delight any palate.
#23 – Liga Privada T52 & Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum
The Liga Privada is a robust, full-flavored cigar that took two years of working with different tobacco combinations before the perfect blend was finally born. In fact, the T52 contains a distinct, extraordinarily unique stalk-cut tobacco blend wrapped in a flawless Connecticut Habano broadleaf. Black pepper and spicy notes reign supreme through each draw of this thick, robust smoke. The Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum is a fabulous Venezuelan dark golden rum, distilled from molasses in a copper pot still before it’s aged for up to 12 years. Rich, sweet, and fruity with notes of chocolate that fade to reveal fudge and tropical fruit finishing off with bittersweet orange, dark chocolate, and vanilla cream. This combination of the T52 and the Reserva Exclusiva enhances the big tasty profile of spice and pepper drizzled with chocolate and vanilla blending itself into a wonderful experience of smoke and drink.
