Cuban flavour
Havana Club’s Icónica Collection gives a glimpse of Cuban heritage
I always like the idea of a rum speaking to you about where it has come from. Not just terroir and in terms of production, but also giving you a little glimpse of the culture and heritage that surrounds it as well. Sure, it’s an abstract notion, but I feel like it adds a little more fun to the whole experience.
When Havana Club showed me its Icónica Collection, I must admit to being pretty taken with the idea. Its mission statement is to celebrate the tradition and heritage of Cuban rum, while also rivalling prestige spirits from around the world. For many, Cuba’s still a distant land waiting to be discovered, and so anything that can provide an authentic glimpse is welcome in my eyes.
The Icónica Collection currently includes four aged rums; Añejo 15 Años, Tributo, Uníon and Máximo Extra Añejo. Each was blended using reserves of rum under the stewardship of the Masters of Cuban rum. Don José Navarro is the first master of Cuban rum and talking about the collection he says, “The masters of Cuban rum and I are incredibly proud of the Havana Club Icónica Collection. Together we have dedicated a huge amount of time and energy to ensure that each product in the range is a true testament to the tradition of the masters of Cuban rum. With richly complex and distinctive flavours, each of the expressions is a manifestation of our devoted work and a reflection of our Cuban heritage.”
Of the range, there’s one or two in particular that peak my interest, simply because of the symbology that comes to mind when you consider its concept – a cigar and rum pairing.
It’s an iconic image. That sugarcane and tobacco largely come from the same place, does make the pairing fitting. Sitting down with a rum and a well-matched cigar, you’re transported to those places.
Typically, when pairing rums to cigars, the choice of rum is one of the Cuban styles. The sweet flavours of the rums from that part of the world marry with the spicier, warm notes of the cigars. It’s a complimentary relationship where the one has what the other needs.
It was in 2015 that Cuba’s Havana Club launched a new rum to the Icónica Collection, designed specifically to pair with cigars.
There is a perception that the pairing of rum and cigars is a status symbol – scratch that, almost anything with a cigar is seen as a status symbol. However, Havana Club’s release both maintains that status and makes it more accessible. The rums are fairly pricey, but the cigar pairings are easy enough for those new to marrying the two to get your head around.
Havana Club Unión was produced to be paired the Cuban cigar Cohiba Siglo VI. The process behind coming up with the rum and its pairing with Cohiba was led by Havana Club’s maestro ronero, Asbel Morales, and Cuban cigar sommelier Fernando Fernández.
For Morales, the inspiration behind the pairing was the process of how tobacco leaves are aged. The smooth, powerful flavour of the Cohiba Siglo VI cigar balances with the sweet vanilla and milk chocolate note of Uníon.
Morales says, “Havana Club Unión and Cohiba cigars represent distinguished expressions from the same soil and authentic tradition; their shared origins and heritage make them natural partners. It was an honour to collaborate with cigar sommelier Fernando Fernández to create this prestige rum.”
Tributo is another that leads itself to being paired with cigars. Tributo 2017 has tobacco notes on the palate, alongside coffee and chocolate, with a slightly tannic note that comes from the aged aguardiente.
Havana Club pairs Tributo 2017 with two cigars; Montecristo No.2 (156mm length and 52 ring gauge), and Bolívar Coronas Gigantes (178mm and 47 ring gauge). The Montecristo No.2 has notes toasted nuts, coffee and vanilla and packs a certain intensity to it, that matches nicely with the coffee on the palate of Tributo 2017. The Bolívar Coronas Gigantes has earthier notes with fruit and black tobacco leaves.
To best enjoy these pairings, perhaps try these rums near neat (over ice) and sipped and savoured as you smoke.
So even if you haven’t yet found your way to Cuba, fear not. Matching a cigar with your sipping rum, is an excellent way of immersing yourself in the way of life over there. With Havana Club’s Icónica Collection a celebration of Cuban heritage, that would probably make quite a good place to start.