Archive for August, 2009

Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2009

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

I wasn’t a big fan of the Rocky Patel Summer Collection from 2008. It’s not that it was bad, I guess I simply wasn’t impressed with it. When I saw the 2009 edition of this cigar, I had to try it. Guys like Jerry from The Stogie Review, and Barry from A Cigar Smoker gave it glowing reviews. Everyone’s palate is different, but these two endorsements were enough for me to pick up a couple sticks for review. As usual, I paired this cigar with water. Let’s get to the review…

 

Stats –

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Cameroon

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: Around $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The oily wrapper looked good, with minimal veins or flaws. It had a simple earthy smell, while the foot had a similar earthy odor with an added spicy sweet component. The pre-light draw was perfect, and had an earthy/hay and natural tobacco taste.

The burn required a few corrections in the first two thirds, and the ash held firm for over an inch.

1RPSummer09

Flavor:

The first third started off with a peppery bite when exhaled through the nose. It demanded my attention, but remained smooth. About an inch into this third, the pepper became much more mellow. This allowed a mocha/co-co flavor to come out. It wasn’t in your face strong, but wasn’t too subtle either. The mocha packed a spicy punch and remained smooth. Things went well.

2RPSummer09

As I rounded the second third, the mocha increased in strength. The sweet, peppery notes were easily noticeable, but became easier and smoother.  Very subtle earthy flavors lurked behind everything allowing for an overall enjoyable, relaxing smoke. The the smoke feel left a tingle on the lips, and was plentiful. My smoking room quickly filled with up.

3RPSummer09

The last third increased in body. Mocha was without a doubt the dominant flavor. The sweet peppery spice remained and bordered on cinnamon. The earthy undertones remained and were drowned out at times. I had to pay attention or I would miss them completely. An additional flavor crept in that I never identified. Barry described it as fruity, but I didn’t detect that. Whatever it was, it had a sweet tinge and was very enjoyable.

4RPSummer09

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to full bodied cigar. I am torn between this and the Winter Collection as far as which is my favorite Rocky Patel seasonal blend. No matter, I strongly suggest you at least give this cigar a chance. Very nice… Rocky – You’ve done it again!

You Gotta Love Vermont

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
I haven't spent a lot of time in Vermont, but it's always been my impression that Vermonters travel to the beat of their own drum. They still hold dear those values of our forefathers, especially those regarding self-reliance and the whole live and let live ethos.

Tatuaje Cojonu 2009

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Back for our monthly visit to The Stogie Review, Ed & I review the Tatuaje Cojonu 2009. Make sure you pay them a visit. It’s practically our second home, and it is the premier site for anything cigar related.

Back to the review… Pete Johnson and Don Pepin Garcia have a winner here. I can’t think of any Tatuaje cigar that has let me down. Do yourself a favor and pick up any of the lines offered.

MP3 version

Remembering Dad

Monday, August 17th, 2009
My father died on July 28. He was ill for a short time, went through a tough operation, gave us hope that he would soon be back on his feet, but died very quickly of a heart attack on a Tuesday morning. One day he was there, the next he was gone. His sudden passing was a dignified and painless way to go, but it was hard on those he left behind.

Mowed Down, But Not Out

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

mowerSOMEBODY GET ME A LAWN DOCTOR

I love mowing my lawn. Yes, I actually do. It takes about an hour or so to do on my lawn on my riding mower, and during that time, my mind unwinds and I go into an almost meditative state. I think about things to do, and projects I want to accomplish. Plus I just love the look of the lawn when it gets those baseball field stripes. Something about the perfect symmetry of the lines from mowing gives a guy a woody. I mean every guy wants a lawn like the outfield in Yankee Stadium. Of course I mean the new Stadium, not the old one where Mickey Mantle tore his knee on a drain and it pretty much started the steep decline of his career.

gran_torinoSo, I was mowing my lawn the other day, much like any other day. I was basically done and was about to blow some cut grass from the driveway back onto the lawn. Yeah, that all that was left as in about ten minutes I was headed to meet some buddies of mine from the Metropolitan Cigar Club, go to dinner, then watch Gran Torino back at the club while enjoying a few tasty smokes.

Sounded like a nice plan, don’t you think? Plans don’t always go the way we think they might.

As I blew the grass debris onto to the lawn, I circled my mower towards the right side of my driveway, where there’s a four foot retaining wall – just like I’ve done a thousand times before over the nine years I’ve lived in my home. I whiz around in a circle, stop at the wall, back up, then blow the final amount of cut grass clippings. No big deal.

Well, suddenly it becomes a big deal when the brakes on your mower don’t happen to work.

I pressed the brake but nothing happened. I pumped them several times in an instant, but the tractor kept going… careening over the retaining wall and throwing me six feet into the air, landing face first.

Damn.

I definitely blacked out for a few seconds as I really don’t remember the actual impact. As I laid there on my back, in a somewhat state of mild shock, I heard my neighbor Sal screaming my name, asking if I was all right. He saw me take the header and expected to see the worst as he came around to the side of the wall where I had been tossed. Think about it – two rotating 21-inch blades could have sliced me to shreds if the mower had landed on top of me. Sal expected to find the worst and that scared the living shit out of him.

But he found me whole and intact, partially because of the great amounts of blubber that protected me from the fall – and partially because from my hockey playing days I know how to hit and roll. It’s an innate reaction to brace myself and roll as I hit, and I know that’s what happened as I awoke on my back.

My first reaction was that I was pissed as all hell. I’m always so careful on the mower and never take chances. Something like this shouldn’t have happened, but it did. I got up on my own power and began to walk around in a daze, very agitated and trying to convince myself that I was okay. Sal’s wife came over and kept insisting I go to the emergency room and that’s the last thing I wanted to do – but the massive pain building in my neck and head was telling me otherwise. I called my friend Dave who is a chiropractor and he said that if I blacked out, I need to go to the hospital.

Damn.

dscn1365jpgSo the ambulance came. “We have to put this neck brace on you and strap you to this board so you don’t move,” I was told by the elder rescue squad woman. Great. Just great. Like Frankenstein’s creation I was strapped in, and THAT was ten times worse than the injury. That brace is a thousand degrees, I was sweating profusely, and my back muscles starting cramping terribly. Staring aimlessly at the lights on the ceiling, this was the worst 25-minute ride of my life as the driver hit every friggin’ bump he could find.

gclooney_lSo we arrived and they carted me into a room in the ER. I did not see Anthony Edwards or George Clooney – in fact I didn’t see anything as I was only able to look straight up. They hooked me up to wires and monitors as I laid there hoping the nurses were at least hot looking. As they leaned over me asking a myriad of questions, I did see a couple of cuties and that was refreshing, although it wasn’t a very good place for a boner to occur. The guy at my right was entering info into a computer and asked me if I was allergic to latex. I was like, “Say what?” Again he asked and my immediate dominatrixresponse was, “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask my dominatrix. Her number’s in my wallet.” The nurses laughed hysterically and the guy was all too serious trying to make sure I didn’t die or anything like that. Even in difficult moments I still will go for the laugh.

iron_maiden02Then they cleared the room and one of the nurses stayed and was asking health insurance info. I was able to reach for my wallet, but couldn’t find my insurance card. She said to me, “So you can’t find the insurance info I need, but you have your dominatrix’s phone number?” Some might think my priorities need fine tuning, but a chick with handcuffs and a whip would have surely felt better than what I was experiencing.

I was now in that Iron Maiden for 2 and half hours and couldn’t be removed until I had head and chest X-Rays. They assured me that it was for my own good and I assured them that water boarding may have been a tad more comforting. Finally, X-Rays were done and nothing was cracked or broken. (I had to pee so bad and couldn’t til they were done. And I let out one hell of a mammoth fart in the bathroom. I know TMI.) But now I had to go for a cat scan, to make sure my thick Polack skull was okay. That was kind of cool and took all of five minutes. The longest part was waiting for the results. And waiting…and waiting…

I was sitting back in the room feeling a bit better. Finally I had some ice water and was sitting up. The cutie nurse got me a wretched turkey sandwich from the fridge, but it was now 10pm I hadn’t eaten since early in the morning so a pile of sawdust would have done just fine – in fact, I think that’s what I was  actually eating.

Finally, the doctor, said I was cleared to go and that I was incredibly fortunate. While I knew that I was indeed quite fortunate, I knew all along that I was fine. I never got nervous or scared and just stayed very positive throughout the entire ordeal. It was all very surreal, as I kept seeing myself hurtling over the retaining wall, over and over again. Sal and Carol came to pick me up which was nice and I was feeling like I had gotten into a fight with 5 guys and got my head handed to me. If you were wondering, my wife and kids were away for the week at the shore and I didn’t want to call them until after I was cleared. No need to get people crazy when you don’t actually know anything.

You know the old deal that you always feel worse days afterwards, and god damn if that ain’t the truth. I feel like I had my ass kicked by a group of angry drunken Marines and I hurt everywhere. My neck seems okay, but the side of my face I landed on is killing me and I’ve got some pretty nasty road rash. I’ve had a few Motrin omelets for breakfast over the past few days and that certainly does help. But all in all I am one fortunate son of a bitch and I’m okay. Wow I’m okay.


So there’s my little story to tell for you all this week. My wrists and side are sore as hell while typing, but I’m a trooper, dammit. I’m the trooper of the blogosphere.

Send cigars if you feel for me, as I’ll be back next week, fit as a fiddle – whatever the hell that means.

Thanx for caring, no really… I love maduro.

Later my peeps,

Tommy Z.

JR Cigars Blog With the Zman.

First Impression: CAO Black VR Maduro

Saturday, August 15th, 2009

I reached into my Cigars Direct CAO care package they sent me not too long ago, and pulled out tonight’s review. From what I understand, the Black VR line is what put CAO on the map over a decade ago. Since then they’ve continued to grow. I am rarely disappointed by a CAO cigar, so I was curious how this first impression cigar review would go. The routine – Glass of water, lighter, cutter, ashtray – Check.

 

Wrapper: Brazil

Binder: Brazil

Filler: Mexico, Dominican Republic

Size: 6 x 50

Price: $7.00

 

Pre-smoke and Construction:

The first thing I noticed was the black oily wrapper. It was so black that I suspect it was dyed. Anyway, it looked great with minimal veins. It had an odor of natural tobacco and sweet earth. The foot had a similar smell, with an added sweet spice. When I squeezed the length of the cigar, I found a couple minimal soft spots, but nothing that I was concerned about. The pre-light draw was good, with slight resistance. I found earthy notes on the pre-light draw.

The burn required a few touch up’s. As the second third came to a close, the wrapper started to lift on one side right at the burn line. I made it through with no problem, just a minor annoyance. The ash held for an inch or so. Overall no major complaints.

1CAOBlackVRMaduro

Flavor:

The first third greeted me with a sweet earthy flavor. After a little time coffee notes joined in with a subtle sweet spice through the nose.

2CAOBlackVRMaduro 

The second third opened up a little and that sweet earth became mocha. It wasn’t strong or heavy but it was enjoyable. If I paid enough attention, I could still taste that sweet earthiness when passing the smoke through the nose. It took me a little while, but I found it hiding behind the mocha.

3CAOBlackVRMaduro 

For the last third, mocha was the dominant flavor. It would occasionally morph into sweet caramel but for the most part stayed mocha. A slight bitter chocolate was noticed when exhaling through the nose, along with a sweet spice that gave it a little kick. With an inch to go, an interesting sweet, almost fruity flavor entered the picture as the mocha calmed down. Before my fingers started to burn, it was time to put this cigar down.

5CAOBlackVRMaduro

Conclusion:

This was a decent medium bodied cigar. This was a slow smoker, taking about 1 hour and 45 minutes. I wasn’t WOW’ed by it, but it definitely had a flavor profile that held my interest. If you are a CAO fan I’d recommend you at least try a couple. You can get a five pack HERE if you so desire. Until next time…

Cheaphumidors.com Contest Winner

Friday, August 14th, 2009

We had a record turnout for this contest with over 60 entries. I had Ed draw a random winner, which you can see below.

Thanks to everyone for entering, and thanks to CheapHumidors.com for sponsoring a very successful contest. Zachary, I’ve already emailed you and await your contact info.

Stay tuned to the site for another contest by Duque Cigars in September.

The Laws of Gin & Tonic

Thursday, August 13th, 2009
Sometimes even the masters return to the basics. When I was invited to meet Angus Winchester, the global brand ambassador for Tanqueray gin at Raines Law Room for a drink, I was expecting anything but something basic. First, the peripatetic Winchester is a loyal soldier in the cocktail revolution, seen seemingly everywhere, from bars to television to books, promoting excellence in drinking.

Xikar HC Series Criollo

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Jerry and Andy from Xikar hooked me up with their new HC Series cigars to review. They were given the standard disclaimer – I’ll call it like I see it. They were up for the challenge and soon I found myself with two cigars from each blend.

First I tried the Habano Colorado and thought it was a hit. Next up is this review, the Criollo. This will replace the Defiance. As with the other Xikar blends, Jesus Fuego in conjunction with the folks at Xikar masterminded all 3 lines. The blends on the Defiance and Criollo are similar, but do have subtle differences (I think). With a clean palate and water, I bring to you my opinion of the Xikar Criollo.

HC Logo

Wrapper: Shade Grown Criollo – Nicaragua

Binder: Sun Grown Corojo – Nicaragua

Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: Around $8.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

Overall, the cigar looked a little toothy (lumpy) with small to medium veins. The wrapper and foot had subtle odors of earth and wood. The pre-light draw was free, and had notes of earth, wood, and natural tobacco. When pinching the cigar, I found a couple soft spots that were minimal and not of concern.

The burn required quite a few corrections in the first two thirds, but evened out in the last third. the ash held for an inch.

1XikarCriollo

Flavor:

The first third began with an overall rich taste. Peppery yet sweet notes were noticed when passing the smoke through the sinus. I started to pick up woody and earthy notes as I progressed further into this third. Like my experience with the Defiance, a sweet, rich, and “thick” flavor would appear and then go away. I never pinned it down accurately, but it was pleasant.

2XikarCriollo

The second third began with the pepper calming down quite a bit. That thick sweetness became a little more consistent and was like caramel. When exhaling through the sinus, the sweetness was very noticeable and had some zing to it. The earthy flavors went away for the most part, but I did notice it from time to time. As things came to a close, the smoke feel became creamy. Overall this third was very enjoyable.

3XikarCriollo

As the last third got underway, the smoke took on a cooling effect with an earthy tinge. The thick caramel remained, but it did thin out a little. As I progressed towards the end, the flavor profile seemed to taper down and simplify itself as if it was winding down.

4XikarCriollo

Conclusion:

It is always enjoyable and a little stressful when a company wants me to review their cigars. The more confident they are in their product, the more afraid I am that I will end up giving it a bad review. I had high expectations for this cigar, and it delivered. If I had to complain, I’d have to pick the burn corrections. But even that wasn’t to the point of getting on my nerves. This was a solid medium to full bodied cigar. I could easily smoke this at lunch time or dinner. It was just an easy, yet flavorful cigar. Thumbs up!

Trade Show, Day Three

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
Monday night was a busy one. Barry and I walked to the Alec Bradley party. On the way we stumbled across the Cigar Factory of New Orleans, which I'd consider a must stop for any cigar smoker coming to the Big Easy. They had 8 rollers working when I visited, pumping out handmade cigars in a very rustic atmosphere.

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