A case for pairing cigars with water

(Robert Meyn) ... Although I mentioned that alcohol (especially my favorite, Maker's Mark) is the same kind of solvent as water, I would dissuade y'all from drinking alcohol if you're trying to assess a new stick's true flavor, simply because alcoholic beverages come with their own characteristic flavors which will interfere with your taste buds in a way that water - which, by definition is flavorless - will not. Trying a cigar for the first time accompanied by water will also give a truer sense of which alcoholic beverages will go best with that same cigar when you move on to the 2nd and 3rd cigars you sample, and that is something I'm always looking forward to. Continued