Has anyone tried any of the Smoking Monks by Drew Estate yet? I was kind of interested, but if they're flavored similar to the Kuba Kuba or any of those I won't take the time and $$. Not a big fan of the "flavored stuff" by drew estate, but I do like some of their other stuff. Let me know if anyone has tried them. I'm not pairing them with any beers, they just sounded intriguing.
Drew Estate Smoking Monk
- Thread starter Daclous
- Start date
They aren't infused like the acids, but they are full of pipe tobacco. So you get different flavors depending on the pipe tobacco inside.
Hoshneer
Drew Estate NotRex
I haven't tried them yet but for some reason I didn't even know this. Interesting
THEMISCHMAN
SGT Hulka
Also had no idea there was pipe tobacco inside. I'm not exactly sure how one goes about blending a cigar to go with a specific type of beer but I'm still intrigued about these cigars.
A pipe tobacco cigar? That sounds right up my alley!
LevelZero
Fumus, Bibe, Ludum
Had the fortune of finding a 5-Pack (one of each) at my local CI Retail store. Sat down and did the pairing with some craft beer from Brew Works (A brewpub down the street from me). It was pretty fantastic. That being said, in my opinion the Porter, and Hefewiesen paired the best, with the IPA a close 3rd.
Check out the Spectre by AJ Fernandez. It has latakia in it.
If that's the case, try the MUWAT Kentucky Fire Cured. Tastes like hickory campfire and beef jerky. I love em! (not a popular stick around here; I'm in the minority).
LevelZero
Fumus, Bibe, Ludum
That is a great great stick. If you like that, try the Leccia Black, or the new Camacho Barrell Aged.
Fire Cured, and Cask Aged Tobaccos are a niche` market, lets be honest, but if you like it like I do, theyre great.
I just put 'em on my "TRY" list! Thanks for the tip...
Nice! I love heavy latakia pipe blends. Will add this to my gotta try it list! Thanks!
I picked one of these up this afternoon. I'll give it a go this week!
I saw the Camacho Barrel Aged on the net, looked interesting. My local shop didn't have any today though. I'll be adding both of these to the gotta try it list, thanks!
I've only tried the Porter Smoking Monk. It wasn't for me. I found it pretty bland honestly. I've paired many other maduro sticks with a porter and enjoyed it more than this. Personally I wouldn't buy this again but that's just me.
Got one of these (Hefeweizen) last week in a pack sent from @TraderCigarCo. Decided to share with my brother (at Alex's request) and he was a fan. He's more into craft beer than cigars, so I figured he would enjoy it, which he did. I think I will pick up one of the 5er samplers from CI to test em for myself.
i have tried the smoking monk it was the imperial stout. it was very tasty and i got more of them from cbid... i will be definitely getting a box of them next year. i have tried the other ones yet
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Ordered the sampler; had to try these. Normally I prefer generic beer to craft beer, but for this experiment, I'll be making a few trips to the local liquor store. First impressions so far:
The Triple Belgium is OK, but kinda mild and doesn't stand up to the New Belgium Trippel. Switched to Nattys about halfway through the smoke, and it became a more balanced pairing. Smoked well and stayed lit, which was nice - I'm a slow smoker and often find myself re-lighting my smokes, but not so much of an issue with these. Definitely mild by DE standards though, which is not bad, but in my mind it's no match for a Trippel. I'm going to have to try this with a non-trippel Belgian beer such as Hoegaarden next time. Or maybe coffee...
The American IPA - First impression is that this is very similar to the Triple Belgium. Paired with a Founders All Day IPA, and WOW! When it comes to craft beers, an IPA is usually at the bottom of my favorite's list, but this one is pretty easy drinking. Also, the smoke seems to pair well with the beer - much more so than was the case with the Triple Belgium. Still not an overly powerful smoke, but the flavors are matching up pretty well and the mellowness of the smoke does a good job of countering the hoppiness of the beer. Not sure if I'd want to go with a really bitter IPA though, as I don't think the smoke has the strength to match - but this is a much more balanced pairing than my first experience. As with the Triple Belgium, I could see this going well with other drinks, too.
As for the pipe tobacco in the smokes - I'm not a pipe guy so it's hard to say, but the biggest thing I've noticed so far is that the sticks have a nice pre-light aroma to them. Think of how an Acid smells before you light it, but much more subtle, a bit sweet but more... floral, perhaps?
It seems to me that pairing these with the craft beers that they're intended for might be an endeavor best suited for guys who really like craft beer - but they're decent smokes in their own right and you don't have to be a beer snob to enjoy them. I'm going to try the other 3 with said craft beers and I'll post up here, but after that, I'll just smoke the rest with whatever seems right at the time instead of focusing on the intended pairings. Can't wait to try these with coffee, and I think they're going to be a good reliable go-to smoke when I want something smooth and mellow.
The Triple Belgium is OK, but kinda mild and doesn't stand up to the New Belgium Trippel. Switched to Nattys about halfway through the smoke, and it became a more balanced pairing. Smoked well and stayed lit, which was nice - I'm a slow smoker and often find myself re-lighting my smokes, but not so much of an issue with these. Definitely mild by DE standards though, which is not bad, but in my mind it's no match for a Trippel. I'm going to have to try this with a non-trippel Belgian beer such as Hoegaarden next time. Or maybe coffee...
The American IPA - First impression is that this is very similar to the Triple Belgium. Paired with a Founders All Day IPA, and WOW! When it comes to craft beers, an IPA is usually at the bottom of my favorite's list, but this one is pretty easy drinking. Also, the smoke seems to pair well with the beer - much more so than was the case with the Triple Belgium. Still not an overly powerful smoke, but the flavors are matching up pretty well and the mellowness of the smoke does a good job of countering the hoppiness of the beer. Not sure if I'd want to go with a really bitter IPA though, as I don't think the smoke has the strength to match - but this is a much more balanced pairing than my first experience. As with the Triple Belgium, I could see this going well with other drinks, too.
As for the pipe tobacco in the smokes - I'm not a pipe guy so it's hard to say, but the biggest thing I've noticed so far is that the sticks have a nice pre-light aroma to them. Think of how an Acid smells before you light it, but much more subtle, a bit sweet but more... floral, perhaps?
It seems to me that pairing these with the craft beers that they're intended for might be an endeavor best suited for guys who really like craft beer - but they're decent smokes in their own right and you don't have to be a beer snob to enjoy them. I'm going to try the other 3 with said craft beers and I'll post up here, but after that, I'll just smoke the rest with whatever seems right at the time instead of focusing on the intended pairings. Can't wait to try these with coffee, and I think they're going to be a good reliable go-to smoke when I want something smooth and mellow.
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Bump for anyone who's still wondering about these -
I've ditched my "beers first" plans and switched to coffee. The Hefe is great with coffee, and the Porter is pretty darn good too. I'm not certain that they'd stand up to the beers for which they're named, but will probably still try it. The Triple didn't pair with coffee as well as I'd expected.
So far they're decent sticks, quality construction and burn, and pretty easy smoking.
I've ditched my "beers first" plans and switched to coffee. The Hefe is great with coffee, and the Porter is pretty darn good too. I'm not certain that they'd stand up to the beers for which they're named, but will probably still try it. The Triple didn't pair with coffee as well as I'd expected.
So far they're decent sticks, quality construction and burn, and pretty easy smoking.
8ball
Ruler of Grayskull
2 nights ago I smoked the imperial stout gifted to me by @pete hanford . I loved it. After my porter was done I switched to regular pilsner and still enjoyed it. I bet it would pair well with coffee as well. While I wouldn't smoke this all the time, it's an awesome change of pace.
I have tried them all and I am a 'beer snob in training' and found that the flavor of both the beer and the stick complemented each other. There are a couple of other brands coming out with Craft Beer sticks so it'll be interesting to see how this whole thing pans out for the industry. I know from my experience with certiain Ports and Zins created with the cigar smoker in mind, these are go to combinations.
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Any suggestions on what to drink with the Triple and the Hefe?
