How would you like your coffee?

When we look at the social media, it would not be a lie to say that no matter how many photos of alcoholic drinks and cigars we see in the same frame, we see as many photos of coffee and cigars.

It is difficult to come across someone who has not tasted the coffee, which was used even as a medicine in Ethiopia in the past, then entered Anatolia in the Ottoman period and took its place as a palace drink in the early days. Of course, we Turks have a big hand in this. After all, we are the reason why coffee first spread to Europe and then to the world. However, when it comes to consumption, coffee consumption per person per year Turkey still does not even make the top 50 with only 700gr. For example, Finland leads the list with 9.6kg per person, followed by Norway with 7.2kg and the Netherlands with 6.7kg. Referring to the difference, even in our country without history, despite many international coffee chain, you need to shut down Turkey's large outdoor bread oven and vulgar we need to eat a rather drink coffee.

Of course, these numbers do not prevent us from having a coffee with our cigar, on the contrary, it is encouraging if we want to catch up. So, is there a rule or criterion that should be considered while drinking coffee with our cigar?

In fact, as in most cases, the most important thing here is one's preferences. So no matter what, I don't think it's true to say that this coffee is not necessarily the one that goes with that cigar, the others don't enjoy it. But especially, as with whiskey-style spirits, the important thing in pairing is that the cigar or coffee should not completely suppress the flavor or aroma in the other. Although cigars and coffee naturally have structures that support and strengthen the emergence of flavors, the fact that one is too dominant will affect the taste you will get from the other.

Based on what I wrote above, cigars with dark wrapping leaves in color can be paired with more espresso or longer roasted, darker coffees that are close to these coffee properties. You can also match cigars that are lighter in wrap-leaf color with milky and softer coffees. The rationale here is to match coffee beans and cigars to those with generally more complex structures than toughness (dark wrap does not always mean high-hardness cigars). It should not be forgotten that generally overroasted coffee contains less caffeine, and the leaf fermented several times in the same way is free of less ammonia, nicotine and similar properties and becomes more complex and sweet in flavor.

In general, it would not be wrong to consume bodied cigars with bodied coffees. But instead of tying this to a rule, one is of course free to change it according to one's own preference.

Apart from that, it is possible to decide according to certain times of the day. While you are getting ready for the day in the morning, you can prefer a cigar with a high hardness and a cigar with a high caffeine content, while you can enjoy the fireplace with a dark-core coffee that facilitates digestion but has a more balanced caffeine ratio, and a full-bodied Maduro after dinner. By the way, depending on the body, cigars and coffee, which are high in both nicotine and caffeine, can make you feel a little dizzy.

In another case, it is possible to consume slightly lower cigars in terms of quality and taste, or coffees with more complex or delicious contrasts in terms of quality and taste. This will help to replace the flavors missing in both.

Below, I share the differences between coffee roasting degrees to guide your choice. Just like fermentation, roasting makes the coffee more pure, increases its aroma and sweetness, and makes it more pleasant to drink.