What can be more wonderful than a delicious beer? A delicious beer with a mouth-watering cigar. There are many cigar and beer lovers that manage to combine these two delights in some of the most palate-tingling combinations.

Beer and cigars work wonderfully because they can beautifully complement their taste and form a gorgeous mix. Another important factor is that beer is a watery drink that constantly hydrates the palate and makes the smoking enjoyable and easy. The crisp and bitterness of the beer are a natural pair for tobacco and they work great together.

But things are not as simple as they may seem at first. There are many ways in which you can pair cigars and beer and we are going to teach you how to delight your palate.

1. Color matching

Just like we match our ties and shoes we should also consider matching cigars and beer based on their nuances. The trick here is that both cigars and beer have different characteristics for different colors. Cigar wrapper colors range from the sandy Claro to the carbon black Obscuro. The color of the wrapper tells a lot about the strength, age, and overall taste experience of the cigar. The lighter the cigar, the younger, and lighter the aroma. If the cigar has a dark color it means that it has aged a lot and it has a deep and rich aroma.

Beer is one of the most wonderful crafts of the human race and it has some very simple components: water, hops, malt, yeast, and lots of love. The endless combinations of these ingredients create the amazing diversity of types, strengths, tastes, and personalities of beer. Just like in the case of cigars, a pale color means that the beer is not very strong in terms of alcoholic percentage or taste. Such beers are the pilsners and they are best paired with a similar-colored cigar.

The medium colored beers and the ambers are medium in strength and they often have very subtle and interesting aromas. These cigars find a very good pair in the Colorado-wrapped cigars that are in the medium range of taste and strength. In this category are also most of the craft beer like IPA and ambers.

In the hardcore, category comes the heavy and delicious stouts. These are some of the strongest beers in terms of alcohol percentage and taste and such a bad boy has to be matched with a Maduro or an Obscuro. These strong and heavy cigars have dark brown or even black wrapper that shows their personality and strength.

2. Strength balancing

Just like in the case of sports the matches are made based on strength. This thing also applies to beer and cigar pairing. Just imagine how displeasing it would be to have one of the best beers but a wrong cigar. This is one of the saddest things that can happen for a beer and cigar fan.

One of the best ways to find the perfect match is to consider the strengths of both beer and cigars. When buying a cigar look for its strength and characteristics. If you know that you are a light beer fan don’t go for a medium or full-bodied cigar because the strong taste of the smoke will cover all the aroma of the beer. At the same time if you like strong stouts don’t choose a light cigar because you won’t feel a thing.

Strength balancing is not a difficult thing to do, you just have to be very careful when buying both the cigar and beer and to follow your taste and preference.

3. Choose for the occasion

This may seem a bit odd but there are some types of cigars that work for some occasions while others don’t. In this section, we are going to discuss a bit about smoking time. This characteristic of the cigar is very important because you can’t really rush the smoking time. Well, you can try but you will only end up ruining a perfectly good stogie.

Short smoking time is suitable when you are out for a beer and it lasts for about 20-30 minutes. A medium smoking time can last up to 60 minutes while a long one can take about one hour and a half. The smoking duration of the cigar is mainly given by the length and thickness of the cigar. The long and thick stogies that are popular in movies have a very long smoking time and they are suitable for a long talk along with a delicious beer (or beers). Take into consideration how long you want to smoke and drink and make your decision based on that.

4. Choose for yourself

In the world of both cigars and beer, there are some names that are considered popular and a must-have in every home or humidor. Even though this may apply for connoisseurs or collectors it is not the case of the regular beer and cigar fan. Try to choose which beer and cigar to buy based on what you like.

Even though there are many guides and “celebrity” pairs out there that are indeed delicious, try to follow your heart and make a pair that will suit your taste buds and palate.

5. Aroma matching

Try to think of the aromas you generally like and decide if you want to have them in the beer and cigar too. There are many interesting combinations like a citrus beer and earth cigar but try to imagine the flavor combination and see if you would like it or not on your palate. Another important thing to consider is balancing the personalities of the aromas.

Beer and cigars can form a perfect love story together or an awkward first (and last) date. Creating the perfect pair has to be a very personal experience while still following some tested and recommended steps. Cigars and beer can take your taste experience to the next level and make every puff and sip a pure delight. Cheers, and enjoy your next favorite delight!