The best cigar and drink pairings (and the bar that serves them all…)

The Bloomsbury Club talks us through its famous ‘Cigar Menu’, and explains what you should be sipping with your stogie…

There’s nothing quite as iconic as a fine cigar. Laborious puffs and wisps of lazy smoke will wind forth from a good stogie and, while society’s relationship with smoking may have changed over the years, the cigar has remained a stable staple of the gourmet lifestyle.

But only if you enjoy it correctly. Fortunately, for Gentleman’s Journal Clubhouse members, The Bloomsbury Club are on hand to offer 50% off their bar offerings — one of which is their famous ‘Cigar Menu’.

So for all the distinguished gents out there who have a penchant for a cigar break, or post-dinner smokes, here are the best distinctive cigars — what what to perfectly pair them with…

H.upmann Half Coronas

Flavour strength: Light to medium.

A cigar suitable for a superspy, the Half Corona presents itself with a creamy structure, alongside hints of coffee in the background. This petite Havana is one which is best suited for briefly kicking back and musing in a short smoking lull.

Suggested Pairing: Gin Martini

Montecristo No.4

Flavour strength: Medium to full

With a name borrowed from French author Alexandre Dumas’ famed adventure novel, the Montecristo is a cigar which certainly lives up to its name. Pungent, with scents of roasted coffee, caramel, vanilla and cocoa, the cigar is the benchmark of which its counterparts aspire to.

Suggested pairing: Armagnac

Hoyo De Monterrey Epicure No.2

Flavour strength: Light

Universal in its offerings; the Hoyo De Monterrey appeals to both the tobacco devotee, with its educated palate appeal, and novice alike, due to its dulcet taste. Starting as light and sweet on the smokers palette, it becomes more peppery with every puff, the No. 2 is a chameleon in its character.

Suggested pairing: Gin & Tonic

Partagas D4

Flavour strength: Full flavoured

Appropriate to pair with an Old Fashioned, the D4 is a cigar firmly grounded to its roots. Beginning its life in the Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba, before making its way to its entrusted 19th-century factory, the Partagas is truly a king amongst Robusto cigars.

Suggested pairing: Old Fashioned

Romeo Y Julieta Wide Churchill

Flavour strength: Medium

Lending its name from Shakespeare’s famed tragedy (due to its popularity with the cigar’s rollers) and the iconic former Prime Minister (after his visit to the factory in the 40s), the cigar is one which is both all talk and all walk thanks to its aromatic subtlety.

Suggested pairing: Dark Rum

Cohiba Siglo IV

Flavour strength: Medium/Medium to full

One for the aficionado, the Cohiba is a Havana which was traditionally held aside as diplomatic gifts due to its craftwork construction and notes of sweet pepper. And, with its higher-end price, the cigar is one which will be your companion for over an hour as the perfect post-lunch light up.

Suggested pairing: Single Malt Whisky

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