Today I've decided to pair a Punch Gran Puro Santa Rita with a can of Old Speckled Hen and The Condition of Muzak from The Cornelius Quartet by Michael Moorcock. This turned out to be a magnificent mix, though Jerry Cornelius stories probably seem like they'd be better suited for something hallucinogenic, or at least a glass of absinthe, but what can I say? I'm a rebel. Let's get back to the cigar, though. This cigar was beautiful, with a milk chocolate wrapper of fine Honduran leaf and nice long filler. The band came off nicely without tearing the wrapper at all. It started out magnificent and was a great smoke all the way through. It had a strong, earthy flavor with notes of woody cedar and hints of lemon or some other citrus. There was a good nicotine strength to the thing, and the mouth feel of the smoke was perhaps just a bit lacking. Overall, a wonderful cigar, though.

Combining it with the Old Speckled Hen turned out to be quite inspiring. The earthy notes in the cigar brought out the nutty richness in the ale quite well. The beautiful balance between the flavoring hops and the malt did a terrific job cleansing my palate between puffs on the cigar, and left a pleasant, creamy lingering flavor on the tongue. Together, these two provided a flavorful, enjoyable backdrop against which the surreal adventures of Mr Cornelius could unfold. I cannot recommend this particular combination highly enough; I give the entire experience five stars.