The Velvet Cigar

Posted By ironmeden on January 26, 2012

As I continue the hobby of cigar smoking, there is a lot of time to think about the topic of cigars. One topic I always seem to discuss with myself is what will happen to the cigar smoker in the next 10 years.

I have been smoking cigars now for about 12 years, probably the last 9 on a regular basis. I have seen the hobby turn from an inexpensive luxury into an expensive hobby. Once I could get a great cigar for around $5 and then splurge for a unique smoking experience by getting a $15 cigar. Now those same great cigars are $8 to $11 and the unique cigars will bite the wallet at the $20 mark.

I see the quality of cigars increase over that time also, but that increase in quality doesn’t add up sometimes to why cigars are getting so expensive. The biggest reason is the government. A lot of states are looking to make up lost monies by looking at products such as tobacco to try and make up their budgets or say they are increasing the taxes to apply those to health agencies, but over time those funds find their way into the general fund instead of what they were intended for.

These higher taxes take their toll on the small business owners who make their living on selling cigars. As some shops pay more in taxes on cigars then earn on profit for their cigars, over time you as a cigar smoker will see these local shops shut their doors. Some metropolitan areas are blessed with having many locations to frequent and there are some areas that have a handful of shops spread out over a large region.

The cigar industry is also being threatened by FDA regulation. There is a big fight currently in Congress to make sure that your cigar is not regulated by that department. I fear if the FDA get their hands into regulating the cigar industry, who is to say they won’t one day determine what you find on your cigar shelves. I know this is extreme example, but what if they say the Corojo tobacco shouldn’t be sold because of something they find in the leaf that they deem detrimental to the cigar or the cigar smoker. This regulation can go so many different ways, your favorite Fuente you enjoy today may not be the same Fuente you smoke if the FDA gets their hands in the cigar industry in a few years.

This is where supporting groups like the Cigar Rights of American (CRA) who are organizing  with congressional bodies in Congress to fight this type of control. Its important to contact your state’s representative no matter which side of the isle they sit and make sure you voice your opinion and concerns about this possible legislation.  Its important if you are a cigar smoker to support groups like the CRA.

The fight has been going on for many years and its for your rights to afford the cigars you want to smoke, being able to choose the cigars to smoke and an environment to enjoy those cigars.

Casa Fernandez – Copacabana

Wrapper: Sun Grown Corojo 1999
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

I’m smoking the Torpedo which measures 6 1/4 x 54. The wrapper is medium brown in color with a more then rounded torpedo head. There are a few strong veins running across the wrapper. The band is simple but with a slight elegance with the Copacabana name in the middle with a white background with high lights of gold and dark blues.

I cut the head of the cigar and lit it with my Colibri dual flame lighter.

The cigar is quite smooth from the start. Light almond and hay flavors get the cigar starting up.

At the 1/4 mark the cigar is sporting a relaxed body and wonderful aroma. The original flavor notes continue on to this point.

Halfway through, i’m really enjoying this cigar. The body of the cigar seems to be getting fuller as the cigar continues on.

At the 3/4 mark the cigar doesn’t let up on the body. It only gets richer and dense. There are light pepper notes towards the end.

The Copacabana is a tasty cigar. The cigar exhibits mild strength at the start of the cigar turning into a medium strength on the way to the end. The Copacabana doesn’t have all the fireworks from the cigars i’ve recently reviewed. This is a cigar that will certainly meet the needs of a cigar smoker looking for a more traditional smoke without the glitz. This cigar is worthy of a box purchase. I give this smoke a 5 out of 5. Rating:

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Posted By ironmeden on January 14, 2012

What can make a cigar a enjoyable experience is not only the smoke itself is sometimes the stories that go along with the cigar.

The story from Steve Saka at Drew Estate starts off telling the rollers of the Liga Privada cigars to discontinue smoking the cigars while they rolled them because of the limited amount of tobacco for these blends and the intense demand for the cigars. The rollers decided then to use different priming from the tobacco available to them and blend a cigar for their private use. Once word got around about this unique blend, it was decided to bring this cigar to market.

Lets find out if its worthy to be included with the T52 and No. 9 blends

Liga Privada – Undercrown

Wrapper: San Andres Maduro
Binder: T52 Connecticut stalk cut & cured Habano
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaraguan

I’m smoking the Robusto which measures 5 x 54. The wrapper has a very smooth deep chocolate appearance. There are a couple minor veins but overall its a very attractive wrapper. The band is simple with a blue and gold color palate with a lion  head sitting upon an upside down crown. The name of the cigar is branded on both sides of the band, but on the left hand side of the band its spelled backwards.

I cut the head of the cigar and light is with my dual flame Colibri lighter. The cigar is quite smooth at the start, exhibiting a rich leather and dark chocolate flavors.

At the 1/4 mark, there seems to be a light tingle of pepper on the lips. The cigar still has a nice full body of flavors.

With every draw the lips continue to receive the bite of pepper. Its not strong, but its enough to let you know there is something there. The burn is razor sharp.

At the 3/4 mark the spice has moved on into the mouth and is getting stronger. The leather flavor note is very noticeable at this point.

The Undercrown starts off almost similar to the T52, smooth and deep in flavors, but this blend certainly is different once you reach the halfway point where it gives the smoker an assault of spice. You will want to have a full stomach when you enjoy this cigar. Drew Estate continues to add great blends to the Liga Privada line.  If you have enjoyed the No. 9 and T52, you will welcome this blend into your humidor. I give this this cigar 4.5 out of 5. Rating:

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Posted By ironmeden on January 7, 2012

I have an idea. This  opinion is directed towards the cigar manufacturers and as a industry as a whole.

If you rent movies via Redbox or Netflix, you probably noticed within the last year that there is a delay in movies showing up through these vendors from when they are released in the store for purchase. The reason for this is that the movie studios are losing money on the sales from the DVD/BluRays when people were just getting their movies from an inexpensive way and watching them and returning them. Instead of the studios getting money from sales and customers creating a library of movies, people are training themselves to watch and return. To solve this problem, the studios are demanding a window of time before they are available at Redbox or Netflix. Warner Bros recently announced there will be a 56 day window between release of the DVD/BlueRay and availability at the rental option.

Being a very frequent customer at my local cigar shops, I see the new cigars coming to market and arriving on the shelves. Having to deal with the high tobacco taxes here in Minnesota and i’m sure there are many other states that have to deal with this robbery, I got to thinking of a way where the local tobacconist could have a window of opportunity to sell their cigars before they are available at on-line outlets. We know why the online outlets can charge for a box a cigars cheaper then what you can get them for at your local B&M, the online outlets don’t have to deal with taxes. Being either tobacco taxes or local sales taxes, these online outlets do have an advantage over the local cigar shops. Online sales are based on the ‘honor system’, that you will pay your local tobacco and sales taxes once you complete your purchase.

Being in Minnesota we lose many months to smoking outside due to winter and with the convenience of having cigar lounges, I can make up a lot of time smoking by frequenting these local establishments.

These places are a very much needed for the cigar smoker. One reason being is the availability of smoking the newest cigars coming to market. Second, its something as a cigar smoker I feel the need to support. Its important to support small business owners and to keep these places in business. If the government has their way, these places would be shutdown and we’ll end up having to pay high membership fees for Smoke Easy’s.

To help these businesses, I think cigar B&M’s should demand a window where they have the opportunity to sell the cigars on their shelves before they are available at the large online outlets.  Its difficult for these local shops to compete with the large online retailers when depending on the brand, the price difference can be between $50 to $100 a box.

Ok, so what if this is something that is adopted, what would keep the local tobacconist from gouging the consumer during this exclusivity window? It would be up to the customer to make sure they are not being overcharged. Word of mouth and with how social media has entrenched itself in our daily lives, the consumer can be quite vocal about where the best deals would be in there local area.

Alec Bradley – Black Market

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Sumatra
Filler: Panama and Honduran

I purchased this sample from a local cigar shop. One of my go to cigar shops for the newest cigars on the market is Tobacco Grove in Maple Grove,  MN.  The Alec Bradley Black Market Toro 6 x 50 has dark wrapper with a smooth appearance and minor veins. One thing I did notice was the cap of the cigar was not as large as I like to see a cap. Most caps will fit mostly over the head of the cigar giving it good coverage, but this sample lacked a adequate cap. There are two bands on the cigar. The first band covers about the lower half of the cigar with a sandpaper appearance with the Alec Bradley logo at the top center with the ‘Black Market’ moniker going from the bottom left to the upper right. Once you take the band off, there is a smaller band below with the colors of black and the sandpaper color.

I decided to cut the head of the cigar instead of punch. When I made my cut which was lower then the cap, the cap fell right off the cigar. In all my years of smoking I have never had a cap of a cigar just fall right off. I thought it may be a dryness issue, but I just popped this cigar out of my humidor and the cigar didn’t crack under the roll through the fingers. I lit it with triple flame lighter.

The first initial impression is of a nice draw and floral aroma. There is a light spice with cumin and a rich leather backing.

At the 1/4 mark of the cigar, this is one unique flavor profile so far. I usually do not like to compare current reviews with previous reviews of other cigars, but the flavors i’m getting out this cigar reminds me strongly of my reviews of the Felipe Gregorio Moroccan series of cigars. There is just something different about this cigar that is spurring this comparison. This is a delicious cigar right off the bat. This is a cigar you want to smoke slowly so you can enjoy what your getting out of it.

Halfway through the cigar still has a light tingle of spice, but its receding in the background. The flavors are still what is prominent in this cigar. I’m getting a hint of dark chocolate with a dab of cherry.

At the 3/4 mark, the cigar seems to get a little smokey. The cigar started off with more body, but going towards the end, its easing up. Its not as powerful, but the flavor profile is still attacking my palate.

Wow, the Black Market is a great addition to the Alec Bradley line of cigars. This was delicious from the start to the end. At the end, the cigar did get my head spinning a little. If your looking for a cigar that will give you a different experience, this is the cigar. I give this cigar a 5 out of 5. Rating:

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Posted By ironmeden on January 1, 2012

Its been a few years since i’ve done a ‘Best of’ posting. I thought it would be a nice change of pace to add my list of cigars I smoked in 2011. Now i’m putting on the list cigars I smoked, not necessarily cigars that were released in 2011. There are a few cigars that came out previous years.

Best Cigars 2011

1. Viaje TNT – I absolutely loved this cigar. I realize its a limited released cigar but it just blew me away with what it had to offer.
2. Viaje C-4 – Wow Viaje made the top 2 on my list! Talk about a company that can make great limited release cigars. This was a great companion cigar to the TNT.
3. Punch Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary – Over the years the original Rare Corojo has been a go to cigar for me. This was a more unique blend when compared to original that added density and complexity to this delicious smoke.
4. Liga Pravada T52 – This cigar was one of the smoothest cigars I smoked this year. Rich flavors of Chocolate and Leather.
5. My Father Limited Edition 2011 – This cigar had a great ride throughout, starting with a spicy kick turning into a sweet tasting note.

Honorable Mentions: Gurkha Archive 1887, Urbano Corojo, Jaime Garcia Limited Edition, La Gloria Cubana Retro Especiale, Oja Anniversary.

What were your 5 best in 2011?

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Posted By ironmeden on December 22, 2011

So over the weekend i’m at a local cigar shop and they have a special running on select Colibri lights. The deal was 40% off the retail price. I can tell these lighters have been there a while because the white packaging inside is quite yellow. So it must be a clearance on older models.

I see one that catches my eye and start playing with it. It has a nice dark blue color with a gun metal accent. I give a few clicks and its a dual flame lighter. I’m a sucker for dual flame lighters. I decided to treat myself and pick it up. After the discount its about $50 with tax.

I’m pretty proud of myself regarding this purchase. Hopefully it will last longer then the Colibri triple flame lighter I had a few years ago which died after a couple years.

I bring it to another cigar shop and show the owner the lighter I purchased. He looks at it and smirks and says take a look at this lighter. He pulls out the same damn lighter his brother recently purchased for him at the price of $12.

The name on his lighter is Fujima. I look at the light and compare the two and its the exact same lighter. Here are some pics.

The only noticeable difference beside the price is the dual flame, the Colibri has the flames angled towards the center.

Now this is a case of Colibri no longer making this model and selling the design to a Chinese company?  Is it like a patented drug that goes generic after a certain number of years? I checked the Colibri website and there is no mention of this lighter. My best guess this is a lighter that was produced before they went out of business a few years ago and this Fugima company purchased the design and started producing the same lighter. If that is the case, then my anger will subside, but if my buddies lighter lasts longer then mine, then anger will return.

Urbano – Connecticut

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic

Its time to check out the other end of the spectrum from Urbano cigars. Recently I sampled the Urbano Corojo which was one of the spiciest Corojo’s i’ve sampled in recent membory.

Matt Urbano was kind enough to send up some samples to the great midwest.

The Connecticut Torpedo has a dark gold wrapper with a high amount of veins coursing across the face. The head of the cigar has a nice tight  wrapped leaf. The band is easy on the eyes, with the Urbano crest in the middle of the cigar basked in a gold color highlighted by a royal blue. The pictures give the blue color a more lighter blue, but it a darker royal blue.

I clip the head of the cigar and light it with my single flame torch. The initial feeling from the cigar is smooth. A hint of almonds, toast and vanilla. There is a hint of spice hiding behind each draw.

At the 1/4 mark the cigar has a more then usual spice then what I find with a Connecticut. The cigar is mild moving a little towards the medium. The cigar is burning even with a slight touch of a tough draw.

Halfway through the aroma from the cigar is very pleasant. The spice continues to lead the way with the body of the cigar still dancing the fine line of a mild to medium cigar.

At the 3/4 mark the cigar is still smooth and it certainly at this point has moved into a more medium bodied cigar. The burn has been even throughout the cigar.

Well Matt Urbano has another great cigar on his hands. Having only smoked the Corojo, i’m sensing a theme of spice from the Urbano line. Though this cigar is advertised as a mild stick, this Connecticut bucks the trend of laying low and giving the smoker a easy ride. It certainly keeps the smoker on their toes and fails to get boring at any point. For the Connecticut smoker who wants something a little more dangerous, the Urbano Connecticut will give you a challenge. I give this cigar a 4 out of 5. Rating:

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