The Pairing Question
The cigar-cocktail pairing is one of the most-discussed and most-poorly-documented areas of the cigar lifestyle. Every retailer offers pairing suggestions; almost none publish their methodology. The Kaufmann Pairing Index™ (KPI) is the encyclopedia attempt to make pairing recommendations transparent, reproducible, and bidirectional.
The KPI Structure
The KPI rates cigar-drink combinations on a six-band scale:
- Reference Pairing — the canonical match (e.g., Cohiba with Cuban rum, Padrón 1964 with Pappy Van Winkle)
- Strong Pairing — complementary across at least three flavor dimensions
- Good Pairing — compatible without conflict
- Acceptable — will not ruin either component
- Indifferent — neither component supports the other
- Disharmonious — one component clashes with or overwhelms the other
The Interactive Matrix
The full KPI matrix, when launched in Q3 2026, will allow:
- Cigar-first lookup — pick a cigar, see ranked drink pairings
- Drink-first lookup — pick a spirit or cocktail, see ranked cigar pairings
- Profile-based lookup — pick a strength/body/flavor profile, see compatible matches
- Custom KCS-driven recommendations — using your KCS scoring history
Interactive Matrix: Q3 2026
Coming Up
Initial pairings being documented for the launch:
- Cuban Habanos × rum (Cuban, Caribbean, Demerara, Solera)
- Nicaraguan production × bourbon (entry, mid, high-end)
- Dominican premium × single malt (Highland, Speyside, Islay)
- Connecticut wrappers × coffee (espresso, drip, pour-over)
- Maduro production × cognac (VS, VSOP, XO)
- Special editions × classic cocktails (Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Sazerac, Daiquirí)