One of the best things about summer is getting a big group of people together to enjoy some good food, delicious drinks and smoke some cigars while the sun sets. So the next time you buy cigars online and they get delivered to your house, invite your friends over and talk about all things cigar, discovering new cigars and ones you might have forgotten about. Here’s our guide to throwing the best party for your fellow cigar aficionados.
CIGARS
Obviously at a cigar tasting party you’ll need to make sure you have a fantastic selection of cigars. We have plenty of cigars for sale, which are ready to be shipped to any location worldwide; so you’ll never be at risk of not having enough. We also highly recommend asking your friends to bring a box of 50 cigars too, so as to allow you all to try different cigars and brands, after all this is a cigar tasting party. You could also request people to bring particular strengths, giving you a diverse array of flavours and potencies. We think our Cuban cigar samplers were almost made for such an event, with the likes of the All Star Sampler or Limited Edition Sampler being perfect accompaniments to a night of sampling some of the finest cigars.
And lastly, what we think works best, is to begin with the lighter cigar and work your way up to the strongest. So for instance, we recommend beginning the evening with lighter cigars like any from the Hoyo de Monterrey brand and ending with any of the Ramon Allones cigars which are known for their more potent flavours.
DRINKS
You might have noticed in our previous posts on our Cuban cigar blog, such as The Perfect Pair: Cigars and Spirits and Best Cigar and Coffee Pairings, that we enjoy pairing our cigars with other delicious and delightful indulgencies. So we feel it’s only pair (pun intended) that your attendees bring a beverage of choice to the gathering/party so that those that want to get involved can create their own pairings and develop a taste for particular flavours.
We really like the recommendation Darius Namdar gave when he won Habanosommelier at this years Gala and propose the El Rey del Mundo Choix Supreme with a glass of the Grand Marnier Cuvée du Centenaire to finish the evening. The refined and complex flavours of orange in the aged cognac is complemented by the hints of tobacco and balsamic, sure to be balanced by any cigar from El Rey del Mundo.
FOOD
As with every decent party, there is always an excellent feast of delicious delicacies and salty snacks to accommodate a night of drinking and socialising. The food you serve will not only complement the beverages you consume, but they should predominantly balance the cigars you smoke. We advise opting for palate cleansing snacks which are not overpowering so as to allow the cigars to take centre stage, such as crackers and mild cheese and small canapés.
SET UP
Many of your fellow friends will have their own cigar accessories, but to those that are new to smoking or have forgotten theirs, be the best host and impress your guests with one of our S.T Dupont lighters or Cuban cigar cutters. In addition to this, consider the amount of cigars which will be smoked and accommodate for their ash by placing cigar ashtrays around the room/ga
rden/space. We think the Montecristo Ashtray or Cohiba Ashtray will set the scene perfectly as Montecristo Cigars or Cohiba Cuban cigars will obviously be passed round.
This post has already got us excited for our next Cigar Tasting Party and we're already planning for the weekend. What cigars would you bring to a cigar tasting party? Tell us in the comments section below!