Whether it is a scotch, whiskey, coffee, or even a Dr. Pepper, it is customary to pair your cigar with a drink. ?Your beverage of choice, whatever it may be, is crucial to bringing out certain desired flavors from your cigar. There are four main identifiable tastes: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. ?These tastes can vary greatly depending on what they are paired with because the different tastes highlight one another. ? For example, if you bite into a lemon and then drink a glass of water, the water will taste very sweet.? On the other hand, if you eat something salty and then drink a glass of water, the water will taste sour or bitter. This same theory can be applied to smoking cigars.? If you enjoy a cigar with a more bitter drink like coffee, whiskey, or scotch, you will encounter more sweet flavors while smoking your cigar.? However, if you enjoy a sweet beverage with your cigar like a cola or sweet red wine, you will notice the more smoky flavors in the cigar. It can also be beneficial to pair a bitter drink with a bitter cigar to become desensitized to the strong bitterness, or to pair a sweet drink with a sweet cigar to become desensitized to the sweetness.? This helps mute the flavors to make the experience a milder one. Whatever you are looking for from your cigar-drink pairings, be sure to keep these helpful tips in mind. ?Customize your cigar-drink combo because with a good cigar and a good drink in hand, you can never go wrong.