Sunday Sunset With Crux Du Connoisseur and Chai Tea

After dinner on Sunday I once again aheaded out to the porch for a last bit of relaxation before the Monday grind. I was looking through the humidor for a smaller smoke and came across the Crux Du Connoisseur No. 3. I also grabbed pod of an instant Chai Tea Latte that was in the pantry. I am not sure when or why we picked that up, but it seemed like a promising accompaniment.

The Crux Du Connoisseur No. 3 was included in the January Luxury Cigar Club mailing. The 5 3/4 x 35 panatela is draped in a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. The binder is also Nicaraguan and the filler Honduran. The cap and wrapper are somewhat roughly applied, and I did have to use my PerfecRepair to glue the corner of the wrapper back down after cutting. There were no other issues and that repair was easy and seamless.

The smoke starts off with a surprise kick. Cinnamon hits right off the bat. Sweet caramel and espresso join in the mix very quickly and the profile balances out. This medium to full bodied profile continues through the length of the cigar. In the last inch or so, the espresso begins to dominate the caramel. The cigar was a surprisingly robust and flavorful smoke with a short 45 minute burn time. Before that time was up I was perusing online web sites with an eye to buying more. It's an ideal "quick smoke."

And the instant Chai Tea Latte? It was flavorful, and was a near-perfect pairing. While I was enjoying the beverage and cigar that sun was hitting at a low angle and shining directly on me, heating up the space against the house where I sitting. Despite the reported 60° temperature, I needed neither a jacket nor the heater. A fine way to close out Sunday to say the least.

Cheers!

Mid-Week Cigar, and Chai Latte. Wait, What?

I often lament that the first four days after a weekend are the hardest. After making it through three of those days, I decided to celebrate with a quick smoke. I selected a Rocky Patel Cigar Smoking Championship Mareva for the moment.

This Rocky Patel stick was developed as the official cigar for the 2020 Cigar Smoking World Championship. The cigar was released in three sizes, but the 5⅛ x 42 Mareva vitola is the size used in the slow smoking competition.

The blend features Mexican San Andrés Maduro wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder, with Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos as the fillers. The cigar has fairly strong notes of cocoa and espresso. A pepper and cedar spiciness lingers just under the dark chocolate notes, ever present but not overwhelming. The body is medium to full. The burn is even with copious smoke output.

The beverage pairing came from an instant Chai Latte pod I found in our pantry. Not sure where that box came from, but on a whim I decided to try it out. It was drinkable. The warm creamy beverage, with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg flavors, among other spices, actually made for a tasty pairing with the cigar. It's quite a switch for this black coffee guy, but I'll admit to having enjoyed it. I might even try a fresh made one at the coffee shop sometime, if I can bring myself to say "Chai Latte" out loud. :-)

For those curious, my smoking time on the cigar was just under an hour. I understand the record for slow smoking this particular stick is somewhere around three and a half hours! That just seems like work to me. I'll smoke for enjoyment, thank you. 

Flying Dog Earl Grey Black Wheat

The sample box from Flying Dog arrived just before we left for our Florida vacation. When I saw the bottle of Earl Grey Black Wheat I was intrigued, and it didn't take long after our return home for us to decide to crack it open. Colleen, being the tea fan in the house, wanted to try it as well, so right after the photo op I split the pour into two glasses to easily share.

The beer pours a dark, mahogany tinted color with an attractive mocha head. The aroma is yeasty with roasted and nutty aspects, and a hint of citrus comes into play as the beer warms. The tea influence is evident in the tasting and the tannic bitterness and citrus of the tea is readily apparent. This combination of the tea with the roasted coffee and cocoa notes works surprisingly well. Mouthfeel is moderately thick and the finish exhibits a strong tea astringency. 

Earl Gray Black Wheat Dunkelweizen is the second in the brewery's Brewhouse Rarities series for 2015. As with most beers in the series, it's not exactly "typical." It still has the dark malt and chewy wheat traits expected in a Dunkelweizen, but the tea influence is an interesting, and tasty twist.

The beer reviewed here was a promotional sample from the brewery. My impressions are provided of my own free will.