The Borons Cigar Blog

A few years ago, the web phenom, My Space began and it was all the rage. Like many, I started my own page, but soon found out that this fashionable forum was mainly for teenagers and horny pervs. It gave people a chance to basically have their own intenet portal, and communicate with friends, discreetly, via the web. But the messages I got on a daily basis were from dopey kids, half backed retards, and skanks who wanted to talk dirty for $65 an hour. It didn’t help my business dealings as I had hoped, and I stopped using it. I still have a My Space page but haven’t visited it in well over a year or so.

Then some brainy, baby-faced, Jewish kid from Harvard invented a thing called Facebook. He’s now the richest person in the world under the age of 25 and his estimate worth is right around a billion dollars.

It took me a while to join Facebook, along with a lot of coaxing from friends, including my buddy, author, Larry Winget. He kept telling me how great it was for business networking and I could really drive a lot of traffic to my website. Others said I would connect with long lost friends, relatives, and other interesting folks of the world. I was reluctant – basically because I’m not a conformist who jumps on bandwagons and rides the trends that happen to be the flavor of the day. After much procrastination, I finally signed up and found it to actually be enjoyable. Several honeys from high school looked me up and they’re hotter than ever! Okay, there’s a few fatties that didn’t age so well, but they’re all good people and nice to hear from. (Plus, I found another 8 Tom Zarzecki’s. Whould think it?)

Many of the guys I yak with on cigar forums and such, have Facebook pages, so I get to know a little more about them and talk more one on one. Plus, I get to get my cojones broken from members of THIS forum, over there, including Darren From Detroit, Lucie, Brian B, Maduroman, Madfermaduro, RL7, and Cotty. If you have a specialized interest or hobby, you can connect with tons of like minded goons, as I did with the stogie-sucking crowd. (But be ready to receive 12,000 annoying requests to join Mafia Wars.)

But I really have to admit that Larry was right, Facebook has been a great networking device for my website. Social marketing is king right now and connecting with my fan base and potential fan base has been greatly enhanced. I have over 500 friends, and that means every time I post something new on my page, like a new article I’ve written, those 500 plus people get to hear about it. And it’s been great hearing from people that either read my stuff in Cigar Magazine or on my site, as well as turning new people onto my stuff. Larry Winget has close to 3,000 fans, which is has helped him immensely.

Now if, you’re not the social type, then Facebook definitely isn’t for you. And God help you, because then Twitter REALLY isn’t for you. Many have joined Twitter, but I completely loathe this pablum puking piece of retard techno-drivel. It gained huge popularity when Ashton Kutcher challenged CNN to see who could reach a million fans first. Kutcher won, appeared on Larry King, and I sat there saying, “Big f@#king deal.” If your not familiar with it, Twitter is a gross misuse of technology, a narcissistic social web toy created for people suffering from chronic boredom. “Jack is on his way to Shoetown… Gary is applying balm on his corns… Janice is thinking of feta cheese… Charlie is rubbing one out to Cosmo.” Twitter allows you to send inane messages containing no more than 140 characters to any mindless stooge who feels the obligation to follow your every waking move. Many use it to keep tabs on the rich and famous… Oprah Winfrey is thinking of buying Canada… Mylie Cyrus doesn’t believe she’s a talentless media creation… Tommy Lee just punched the pool boy… Jennifer Love Hewitt’s ass was just given it’s own zip code… Mike Tyson learned the difference between vowels and consonants this morning. I can’t stomach the thought of Twittering my life away, and it’s really nobody’s goddamned business what movie I’m watching, food I’m devouring, or bathroom I’m defiling. So…Tweet THIS.

Between chat forums, web boards, blogs, Facebook, My Space, Twitter, Linkedin, and the rest of the social stratosphere, I’m wondering if anyone is actually doing any friggin’ work, anymore. I know if you’re reading this, then you’re not… but hey, that’s a good thing.

So look me up on Facebook. I’m the one with the beer and the cigar and the shit-eating grin… Graduated from West Milford High in New Jersey in ’77, likes the color green, played hockey for the New Jersey Rockets, the 1978, US Junior B National Champions, and enjoys a COUGAR or two.

Until Next Week,
Socially Yours,

Tommy Z.

JR Cigars Blog With the Zman

Not too long ago, Andy and Jerry from Xikar contacted me about the new HC Series cigars. They simply wanted my opinion on Xikar’s new cigar blends. Next thing I knew, two sampler packs arrived and it was time for me start reviewing. To the people at Xikar – Thanks for letting me try these smokes! Hopefully I enjoy them like I do the Defiance line. Stay tuned, still have the Connecticut Shade and Criollo to review.

On to the cigar… Jesus Fuego was once again tasked to blend Xikar a new line of cigars known as the HC Series. I tend to enjoy his blends, so lets see if that trend continues. As always, I’m paired up with PUR filtered tap water.

Wrapper: Habano Colorado-Jalapa Valley

Binder: Esteli

Filler: Costa Rida Jalapa Honduras

Size: Robusto 5×50

Price: Around $8.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

Overall the cigar was well constructed. The shiny wrapper had no visible flaws, with medium sized veins. When sniffing the wrapper, I was reminded of a barn. The foot also smelled of a barn, with a touch of pepper. The entire cigar was firmly packed, yet offered a decent draw with a bit of resistance. The pre-light draw had a dark, earthy taste.

The burn was almost perfect and I never had to touch it up. The ash was strong, requiring a firm tap on the ashtray at around an inch.

Flavor:

Right out of the gate, the first third began with strength and said “PAY ATTENTION TO ME!” When retrohaling, I could easily detect pepper and sweet notes. A hint of earthiness hung around but it was very subtle. As I wrapped up the first third, mocha or chocolaty flavors reared it’s head. Very nice…

The second third began with the pepper mellowing out quite a bit. The sweetness remained, as did the mocha. Like the first third, earthy notes lingered but were subtle. The main change was mocha became the dominant flavor.

The last third was great. The flavors really came together and melded nicely. All of the flavors mentioned before were there, but none stood out over the other. It was like they were equal in strength and the recipe was complete. A touch of peppery spice, mocha, earthiness, and strength all in one. As my fingers started to burn, I realized it was time to reluctantly put this cigar down.

Conclusion:

I’m sure you gathered that this is a full bodied cigar, no question. Although it wasn’t the most complex flavor profile I’ve had, I can’t penalize it for that. Overall it was a full, rich tasting cigar that I really enjoyed. Even on an empty stomach, I had barely a nicotine buzz and no queasiness. My only complaint is the price. $8.00 for a robusto is a little steep for me. I will admit you get a good bang for your buck. This is a cigar I think most full bodied smokers will enjoy. Even some of you light to medium guys could probably enjoy this. Jerry over at The Stogie Review loved it. See what he had to say HERE.

I was at my desk this afternoon when a buddy called. He was watching the British Open. "Jimenez just shot a 64," he said. "He's in the lead. And he's smoking a robusto with a red band on it." Miguel Angel Jimenez, Spanish golfer, loves cigars, especially Cubans.

Many thanks to Ricardo Ortiz of the Isabela Miami cigar company for sending me some samples for this review. I’m sure the first thing you’ll notice is the band. It looks much like a Cohiba. Before you start screaming “RIP OFF!” read on…

Rewind to Vincent Ortiz, a Cuban born man who rolled and blended cigars for most of the Cuban elite, as well as Fidel’s bodyguards. Eventually, some of his cigars found their was into Fidel’s hands. Vincent eventually became Fidel’s personal cigar blender. When Fidel decided to make a brand out of his favorite cigars, he tabbed Vincent for the blend, as well as Vincent’s idea to model the representation after Fidel’s favorite city. They chose the New York taxi logo which became the legendary Cohiba brand. This accounts for the similarities between the brands.

As for the tobacco, they are aged for a minimum of one year. Isabela cigars are rolled in Miami by Vincent Ortiz, and are produced in very small batches for limited production. Without further delay, I grabbed a glass of water and reviews the Isabela.

 

Wrapper, Binder & Filler: Sumatra, Nicaraguan, Honduran, Dominican

Size: Esplendido  7 1/4 x 54

Price: Around $5.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had small veins, and overall looked nice. Squeezing the entire cigar, I found it was consistent and bounced back when pinched. The wrapper and foot had virtually no smell, so I’m stretching to say it had slight woody notes. The pre-light draw was free, and had a sweet taste. Obviously the sweetness came from sugar cane, which is used to sweeten the cap.

The burn required no corrections, and I felt confident in the ash until it got to around an inch.

Flavor:

 

The first third was very mild. The most obvious flavor came from the sweet cap. It was very mellow and combined with mild earthy notes and grassy notes. Overall just a very mellow experience.

The second third didn’t change a whole lot. Most notably was a reduction in the sweet sugar flavor. This was due to the sugar cane applied to the cap, which started to wear off from me taking draws. Mild earthy notes remained and had a grassy tinge to it. Really not a lot of change from the first third.

The sweetness applied to the cap was gone during the last third. I hated to see it go, since I enjoy sweet flavors in a cigar. This left me with the earthy/grassy flavors I mentioned before. The smoke feel became thicker, and slight woody notes were noticed when passing through the sinus.

 

Conclusion:

First lets get to the bad… It was very one dimensional, and I found myself getting bored towards the last third with this particular size. 7 1/4 x 54 was overkill. The good… Thankfully I was sent a verity of sizes, and I enjoyed the Robusto (5×52) the most. For such a simple flavor profile, the robusto offered the right amount of smoking time for such a simple flavor profile. Based on its own merits, this was an easy, simple, and dare I say good mild cigar. I won’t be scouring the Internet or local shops to find more, but it certainly is worth a try if you are into mild cigars. The price isn’t bad either.

Don’t forget this Friday, July 17th, 6PM – 9PM is the Alec Bradley Cigar tasting event. This event will be held at St. Pete Pipe & Cigars. For more info, click HERE!

I’ve been on an Alec Bradley kick these days. We will see if I go through with buying a box of the Tempus or not. This is my favorite Alec Bradley cigar at the moment. On another note…

 

A few of you have been asking what Ed and I are reviewing next. After some debate, we decided on the Perdomo 10th Anniversary Criollo. As always, the review will be featured on The Stogie Review as well as here.

 

Our next “Quick Smoke With Ed & Tom” review will most likely be the Victor Sinclair Bohemian Buddha in the small size of 4.5 X 36.

Contests… Duque is sponsoring a giveaway of a box of cigars. I’m also working with Cheap Humidors and hopefully will finalize a contest very soon.

Stay tuned!

What my wife has been warning me about for years finally happened. I have a skull in my home bar. No, it's not my own pickled skull or that of some wayward guest whom I beheaded for drinking too much of my Chivas Royal Salute. It's a bottle of vodka.

I know Gurkha catches a lot of flack from a lot of people. I am one of those people who are extra critical of their marketing and slogans. At the end of the day, I usually have good experiences with their cigars. I can’t deny it. That’s why I reached for the Black Dragon tonight. After a hearty meal, I poured a few sips of The Glenlivet 12 year scotch, filled up a glass of water, and sat down for this review.

Wrapper: Connecticut Maduro

Binder: Cameroon

Filler: Dominican

Size: Robusto 4.25 x 52

Price: 6 to $7.00

Pre-light & Construction:

As always, the presentation of the cigar was a bit fancy. A small cedar band covered the foot, while a large band almost covered the rest of the cigar. Once removed, I found a nice dark maduro wrapper that looked rugged, oily, and just plain good. I squeezed the cigar and found it was very tight, which usually worries me. Despite the tightness, the draw was free with a perfect amount of resistance. Sniffing the wrapper revealed smells of cedar and earth. The foot had a similar smell, with a slight pepper added. The pre-light draw had a simple taste of tobacco, slight sweetness, and earth. I had to correct the burn quite a few times, and the ash was flakey, holding for a about an inch.

Flavor:

The first third had started off with simple earthy flavors. When I took a small sip of scotch and drew from the cigar, the flavor was warm and satisfying. When the scotch aftertaste wore off and I drew from the cigar, the flavor profile wasn’t nearly as satisfying. It was still decent though.

The second third picked up the pace a little. Coffee flavors appeared and grew to about the same strength as the earthy notes. I picked up a nutty flavor as well, but it was barely noticeable.

When I got to the last third, the coffee notes continued along with the earthy flavors. For sticking it out this long, I was rewarded with unidentified sweet flavors. I noticed a sweet earthy spice when passing through the sinus as well.

Conclusion:

This was a decent medium to full bodied cigar. This isn’t the best Gurkha I’ve had. I’d take a Genghis Khan over this any day. I found myself getting bored with the flavor profile. I suppose this cigar doesn’t suit what I like in a flavor profile. If the flavors I described sound like something you’d like, by all means give the Black Dragon a try. It was by no means bad.

Ah, the family road trip. Since the economy blows, instead of spending a fortune on airfare and some tropical far away money pit, we decided to see the nation’s capital a few weeks ago, and right now as we speak, I’m scribing this wonderful bloggy from a Hampton Inn, on the outskirts of chocolately Hershey, Pennsylvania.

I’m actually sitting under a tree at 8pm, on the side of the hotel, smoking a delectable Don Pepin Blue Lancero. On the way here we drove through Amish country in Lancaster, PA, and made a stop at Demuth’s Tobacconist, where owner Jack was so kind to present me with this treasure of a smoke. Demuth’s was established in 1770, making it the oldest tobacconist in the United States. It’s a gorgeous and nostalgic little shop and I could have stayed all damned day if it weren’t for the fact that the wife and kids were waiting impatiently in the car, on the street.

So we’re here in chocolate town, USA, and we spent all day Sunday in the amusement park – walking, and walking, and walking some more. Hershey is simply a beautiful place to visit – so clean, friendly, and the park features eleven roller coasters, not a one in which I partook in. Oh my kids, 14 and 18, rode every one over and over, but their dad just happens to be a vile wuss, one who despises vertical drops, loop-de-loops, and uncontrollable bouts of centrifugal force – which in turn causes his uncontrollable loosening of the bowels. TMI? Maybe – but factual, none the less.

I have always hated fast and furious amusement rides. When I was a little kid my dad stuck me on a roller coaster that terrorized me so fiercely that I instantly needed a psychotherapist and a clean pair of shorts. Today I watched the kids on Farenheit, the steepest vertical drop coaster in the world., and I nearly soiled my Underoos just watching those two masochists, who were loving every damned second of it.

Whoa, my good brutha, this Pepin is the bomb… delicious flavor, perfect draw, tons of smoke – the perfect ending to an evening in Pennsylvania Dutch farm country.

Say… did I forget to mention that the park is chock full of more hot moms than you can shake your Reeses Pieces at? My God, it’s a milf hunter’s buffet, and as you might expect I’m making a very obvious jackass of myself. At least I had on my extra-dark sunglasses, and I had the Linda Blair head rotation thing down to a science. (Um, could someone please help to remove the grotesque “L” that’s embroidered on my forehead? The kids get oh-so embarrassed when people spend the day pointing and staring.

Road trips with the family – something you remember for the rest of your life. When I was a kid, we drove in a VW Beetle with no air conditioning, vinyl seats, my brother and I beating the piss out of one another – and dad smoked DeNobilis – the equal to cat shit rolled in tar paper. Trust me when I say…who could ever forget that?

Tomorrow we arise for our complimentary breakfast and do the big park all over again. Hottie cougar mommas be prepared, the stogie-sucking Polack from New Jersey will be making the rounds once more.

Well, that’s it for now as the Pepin is winding down and the indoor pool is calling my name for a pre-bedtime dip. So, until next week,, I bid you farewell from my chocolate induced stupor from the confines of the Keystone State.

Later all,

Tommy Z.

JR CIGARS Blog Wiht the Zman

It's being called the year with no summer in the Northeast. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about sitting out on a patio, or my back terrace to have a cigar and ended up watching another torrential downpour through the windows.

Not too long ago, a new cigar blog popped up called The Cigar Nut. David, who runs the site, paid me a visit to review the Rocky Patel Vintage 1999 Connecticut.

When your done watching this quick, to the point review, pay The Cigar Nut a visit. It is in its infancy right now, so you might as well add it to your favorites and check back every now and then. Reviews seem to be popping up at a consistent rate.

A lot of sites are doing video reviews now, and most of them offer something a little different then the others. David definitely has his own style and offers a to the point, honest review. Check it out!