New CAO Sampler for the 4th of July

Here’s a picture of CAO’s 4th of July America Sampler.

It may be interesting to try the “reverse” barber pole perfecto.

Click here for more details.

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Old Cigar Store in Indy

I was visiting my in-laws in Peru, Indiana (exactly) with my wife a few weeks back.  We decided on my way back home to swing into Indianapolis to kill some time.

Check out this old brownstone downtown.  It is now a steakhouse, but the original facade is still up.  Pretty sweet!

Here’s a blurb on it from the ‘net, “Significance: Visually and architecturally, the Louis G. Deschler Company Building is a significant structure in the Indianapolis Union Station-Wholesale District. The rich architectural details of the Louis G. Deschler Company Building contrast in style to that of its neighbors to the north, both of which were built during the decade following the Civil War. The appearance of the facade is due to the apparent artistic sense of the owner who seemed to be aware of the value of having surroundings appropriate to the clientele which he wished to attract. The individualization of the building with the name and date of the founding of the business was another attempt to add to the respectability of the business and its owner.”

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Benchmade by Ashton Robusto (JUN 2008)

Size:  5″ x 50

Vitola:  Robusto

Wrapper: Nicaraguan

Origin: Nicaragua

The Benchmade cigar is a new from Ashton by Don Pepin Garcia (what isn’t he making?) that is created to set the benchmark for inexpensive cigars.  That crown has been held by Oliva (the Flor de Oliva bundles) for quite some time.  We’ll see.

The pigtail head is loosely tied so that when you punch it or clip it, it kinda begins to unravel on you.  It has a nice easy draw as I expect out of a mixed filler (some short filler and long filler) cigar, but often times as a result of underfilling the cigar, see evidence below.

The flavors are straightforward Pepin, medium-bodied and strength with a little bit of pepper and earth with a hint of cocoa.  The ash is flaky, decent smoke volume, but the cigar does begin to heat up halfway through.  And of course being a mixed filler, there is no complexity. 

I guess I can’t really expect much from a mixed filler and this does nothing for me to reward it the new king of the cheapo stogie, that still belongs to Oliva. 

Rating: 80 (B-)

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La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Oscuro LTD A (2008)

Size:  9″ x 47

Vitola:  Giant

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra           

Origin: Dominican Republic

This is one huge ass cigar.  It’s actually a little frightening as it is nine inches of Litto Gomez Ligero.  This is a special release cigar that I picked up at Capital City Cigars.

It has unbelievably shiny wrapper, and after I punched it and took a draw I found it nice and even, no easy task for a giant cigar like this.

Here’s the cool part… it wasn’t as spicy as I feared.  It actually was smooth and refined for the first 6 inches or so.  Traces of coffee and leather were dominated by a smooth woodiness and a core of spice.  But this wasn’t so spicy to turn you green… until the last three inches. 

The last third of the cigar was very strong, and due to al; of the ligero near the head, it started to burn funky and then it extinguished itself and after multiple relights I had to give up on it.  But, the first two thirds of this cigar was really good, so can’t really give it a bad score, but I need to ding it for the construction at the end.

Rating: 84 (B)

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La Riqueza No. 5 (JUN 2008)

Size:  4 3/8″ x 42

Vitola:  Petite Corona

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf        

Origin: Nicaragua

Pete Johnson?  Pepin Garcia?  Have you heard of these guys before?  Well if you haven’t, then you must have clearly stumbled upon this blog by accident.  The creators of Tatuaje (tah-to-ah-hey) and Cabaiguan (kah-bei-gWAHN ) have joined forces again to bring back a long dead brand from Cuba.  La Riqueza means “the wealth” or “the riches” in Spanish, and guessing by the two individuals involved in this cigar, I can only guess how this is going to be a rich, full-bodied cigar.  These are not available at Capital City Cigars yet, but I’m sure you’ll find them there soon.  Here’s a brief write up on the line.

Now there has been buzz on this cigar for quite a while, so I couldn’t wait to be one of the first few to review it.  Normally I wait a month or so before firing up a fresh cigar, but I couldn’t wait!

I punched the tiny little cigar and it drew very easy.  After lighting it, the first puff gave me the impression of a sweeter version of the Tatuaje Cabinet blend.  The burn was dead even, and this is always surprising with the thicker broadleaf strain.

Spicy and peppery with a core of leather and tobacco with just a nice touch of sweetness form the wrapper… we’re in business now!

Halfway thru I began to taste how “not fresh” the cigar was.  There was definitely a touch of harshness on the palate that required me to “sip” the cigar a little more.  It certainly will lose that edge thru proper aging and humidification.  La Riqueza is going to be yet another winner in Mr. Johnson’s and Mr. Garcia’s stables.

Rating: 87 (B)

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Perdomo Reserve Champagne “F” (OCT 2007)

Size:  4 ¾ ” x 56

Vitola:  Perfecto

Wrapper: Connecticut Shade

Origin: Nicaragua

This cigar is also one of my Go-To cigars.  This is a great inexpensive and consistent example of a good Connecticut Shade wrapped cigar.  You can find it at my favorite cigar shop – Capital City Cigars.

The Perdomo Reserve Champagne line is supposedly a seasonal release, but you can find them in just about every cigar store that carries the Perdomo Reserve line.

The “F” size, which stands for figurado, is not my favorite size (the Robusto is) in the line but certainly does well in a pinch.

This is a funny looking figurado, as its more of a hybrid between a perfecto and a pyramid, where the pyramid has tapered shape from the head to the foot.  It looks like a perfecto with the pointed foot cut off.

This cigar differs from the robusto as it does not have a peppery flavor in the first ¼”.  This cigar starts out a lot milder and smoother.

This stick had very typical Connecticut Shade wrapped cigar flavors, such as wood and creamy light coffee.  But there was a subtle undercurrent of spice that keeps the taste buds perked.  I really enjoyed this cigar, try one if you get the chance.

Oh, and in the Fall, when Starbucks has it’s Pumpkin Spice Lattes available (I swear they lace those things with crack), this cigar is the perfect accompaniment.

Rating: 92 (A)

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Domaine AVO No. 10 (May 2006)

Size:  5 1/8″ x 50

Vitola:  Robusto

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade

Origin: Dominican Republic

Author’s Note: I am, and will always be, very biased to Kelner-made cigars.  So bear this in mind when you read this review.

This cigar is one of my Go-To cigars.  Whenever I can’t find something in the store that fits my taste for the day, I can always go over and grab a Domaine.  The Domaine AVO is also a unique cigar that consistently gives you the same flavor and great construction cigar after cigar.

This particular cigar is from a box I bought in May of ’06 (from Capital City Cigars of course!) that I’ve been aging.  I am interested to see what a little time does to one of my favorite cigars.

The draw is perfect, the construction is perfect and the burn is dead even.  Of course this IS a Henke Kelner  cigar, so I really expect nothing else.

The first inch of the cigar yields a woodiness that is not as dry as other Kelner cigars.  I also pick up coffee bean with just a touch of creaminess.

Amazingly, the “sweet spot” shows up a little over an inch into the cigar.  Anise and the non-dry woodiness abound!  This, to me, is a result of the aging.

Not much changes for the rest of the cigar, but I enjoy it right down to the nub.

The Domaine is not a complex cigar, but it gives me the tastes and consistency I love.

I certainly recommend aging your favorite cigars, patience pays off and if you like them fresh, wait until you try them with some age!

Rating: 93 (A)

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The Griffin’s Special XXI Edition (2005)

Size:  5 ½ ” x 50

Vitola:  Robusto

Wrapper: Connecticut Shade

Origin: Dominican Republic

Author’s Note: I am, and will always be, very biased to Kelner-made cigars.  So bear this in mind when you read this review.

There are few things that excite me more than Limited and Special Edition cigars.  This is where the big boys get to flex their blending muscles and real knock out a great small batch blend.  In my opinion, there is no one better than this than Henke Kelner.  Dr. Kelner is responsible for an quite a few major labels – Davidoff, AVO, The Griffin’s, Cusano, Cuvee, Alec Bradley Havana Sun Grown and Paul Garmirian to name a few.

Each year, Davidoff, AVO and The Griffin’s release a Limited Edition cigar.  Last year, my favorite was The Griffin’s Special XXIII Edition (see pic below) over the Davidoff Puro Dominicano and the AVO LE7.

 

But I digress, I still have a few of the XXIs lying around from ’05 (that I purchased from Capital City Cigars) and I am very eager to try one on the eve of the Special XXIV Edition.  From what I remember of the XXI, I felt it was very mellow and forgettable.  My taste has certainly changed since then.

From the onset this cigar surprised with a bit of pepper I do not remember from my first encounter with this stick.  The cigar was firm to the touch, a bit on the dry side, but drew easy, burned straight and delivered a metric ton of smoke with every puff.  Can you tell I like this cigar already?

I get a consistent sweet wood note as well as the underlying pepper mentioned above and a very mild coffee flavor.  Kelner cigars always have a very dry finish, much like a tannic dry red wine.  I believe this is what consistently gives them lower than normal ratings in Cigar Aficionado (that and they don’t buy a lot of ad space).

Halfway thru, I hit the sweet spot and its licorice and oak for the last half of the cigar.

This cigar is absolutely sublime.  I am in a Zen state of mind.  This cigar has just put itself on The Top Zen (10) List!

Rating: 95 (A)

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Griffin’s Special XXIV Edition Now Available!

From CigarCyclopedia.com, “The Griffin’s Special XXIV Edition is a 5 1/2-inch by 52-ring torpedo made in the Dominican Republic under the watchful eye of Henrik Kelner at the Tabadom complex in Santiago. This is the fifth special-edition cigar under The Griffin’s brand with the first debuting in 2004 to celebrate the brand’s 20th anniversary.

This year’s cigar features an Ecuadorian-grown, Connecticut-seed wrapper, Mexican-grown of Sumatra-seed binder and four different Dominican-grown filler leaves. It has a spicy note to it and is presented in individual glass tubes in boxes of 10.

Only 3,500 boxes will be available in the U.S. and a worldwide total of just 8,000 (80,000 cigars) were produced. Pricing is $11 per cigar or $110 for the box of 10, not including local sales or tobacco taxes.”

This excites me in particular as i was such a fan of last years Griffins LE.  Grab one if you can find them! 

The also have a new size in their regular line, the Short Robusto.

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Common Tobacco Strains

Before I delve into Cigar wrapper types, I wanted to give a quick overview of cigar tobacco in general, specifically the common tobacco strains.

Tobacco originates from South America, specifically Ecuador and Peru.  It belongs in the same family (Solanaceae) which includes tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes!  

Fact o’ the Day– Did you know that out of the 66 different types of tobacco, only two are smokeable?  Nicotiana rustica Linnaeus and Nicotania tobacum Linnaeus,named after Swedish Botanist Carolus Linnaeus in 1753.

From Perelman’s Primer, “the Nicotiana tabacum type is the one we know today that is used for almost all smoking tobacco.”  Within the tabacum family are are various sub-species such as blond, burley, Oriental and black.  The first three are flue or fire -cured and are used primarily in cigarettes.  Black tobacco is air-cured and the only one used in cigars.  Black tobacco thrives best

Common Tobacco Strains – of course there are tons of different Black tobacco strains, and agronomists are always experimenting in order to find the next best thing, but here are the five most common strains. (This list is yanked right from Perelman’s primer)

     Bahia: this is grown in Brazil and is one of the oldest native-seed tobaccos.  More info on Bahia tobacco located here.

     Broadleaf: widely grown, especially in the U.S., this style resulted from the migration of natives from the Andes area into North America.

     Habanesis Hybrids: these styles developed from seeds brought to Cuba from Mexico in 1534 and form the base of the “Cuban seed” tobacco family.

     San Andres Negro: planted in Mexico and was cultivated by the Aztecs.

     Sumatran: originally planted on the Indonesian island of Sumatra from seeds brought by Dutch explorer and traders of the 1500s.

An in-depth look at Cigar Wrapper types will be posted soon.  Stay on the look out.

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