The cigar has long been seen as a luxury of the rich and famous.  Pictures of well-heeled men drawing on different types of cigars and nursing a glass of aged brandy have been well documented and immortalized in movies and TV.  If you are getting curious about cigars and want to loosen up with a stogie and an adult beverage after a hard day’s work, here are a few hints to get you going. 

Traditionally, cigars have been mated with a hard liquor.  Popular liquors include brandy, rum, and whiskey.  It has been debated that good cigars should always be matched with a potent drink that has a suggestion of sweetness.  Cigar smokers have long savored these popular unions.  For ages, the idea of pairing different types of cigars with beer has gone overlooked. 

But why overlook good old beer?  Recently, the trend has been to pair cigars with various varieties of beer as it seems that as cigars have entered the mainstream.  What better way to enjoy a puff of this newly popularized delicacy than to mate it with beer?  Pairing a better cigar with a satisfactory beer is not an easy feat, but when attained is well worth the effort.  Much of the pairing off has to do with your expertise.  If you are a beginner, you will in all likelihood need help in mating your particular cigar with the proper beer.  If you have a more knowledgeable taste, and you recognize what you like, you can probably make a connection between certain types of cigars and a great beer. 

As cigars are so strong and flavorsome, one of the challenges is to find a beer that complements the strength of many types of cigars.  For that reason, many types of cigars will match nicely with a good barley wine or a single malt scotch.  If your cigar can be distinguished as spicy, woody, with a hint of cedar, try matching it with a barley wine.  The fruity tinge of a barely wine ought to complement nicely with the pungent flavor of your cigar.  The combination of a savory cigar with a somewhat fruity beer can also create a taste that heightens the qualities in each significantly.

If you don’t have a clue as to which flavor combinations could work, try out different ones.  First, come up with the types of cigars that you like.  Then try to distinguish the characteristics that you enjoy about it.  Only then find a beer whose flavor you think might go well with the cigar.  Many unthinkable combinations have been arrived at this way.