The Borons Cigar Blog

Ed and I finally blocked off some time and got together with Stogie Review founding member Walt. For the past couple of reviews, we’ve been moonlighting with Mike over at MikesStogies.com. While I can guarantee we’ll do more with him, we thought it was time to go back where it all started – The Stogie Review. This video review is posted here basically for archive purposes, like all of our guest spots on StogieReview.com.

I’ve been a fan of the Illusione Epernay for awhile now. It was only recently that Mike from MikesStogies.com turned Ed and I on to the Le Monde size. Once Ed started carrying the Illusione lines, it was only a matter of time before we reviewed this cigar. There isn’t a lot I can say except it is an exceptional smoke with plenty of flavor. This cigar delivered, period.

So block off 26 minutes of your time and see what Walt, Ed, and I thought of the Illusione Epernay.

MP3 Audio Only

Over the three plus years writing this blog, I’ve made it pretty clear about my feelings towards full time, career politicians. They are ALL overblown windbags who look out for their own special interests and are generally so full of Shinola that the whites of their eyes are more of a gritty earth tone. I believe by the comments I see from the general public is that most folks feel the same way about the politico stooges of our society – the disdain for their rhetoric and a lack of trust that in comparison, almost puts used car salesmen on a Mother Theresa level.

But somehow, we all buy into the rhetoric, choosing up with one side that we believe matches our core values and for many of us, one side is oh SO right and the other side is oh so wrong. We get irritated and angry at the opposition, and we even fight with family and friends if their political beliefs are different than ours. But for most of us – a rather extremely high majority – we are sane, keep our wits, and realize that a person’s political preference doesn’t make them necessarily a good or bad person. Right?

And then again, we see what happened in Arizona and I can personally say that while I was outraged and horribly saddened, I was also almost ashamed to be affiliated with a political party of any kind, as the madness that this crazed gunman delivered was based in hatred derived from stereotypical rhetoric that politicians spew on a minute by minute basis.

The President and all who spoke in wake of this horrific event made it clear that it was the actions of one mentally damaged person and not society or a political group as a whole. And while it’s true, I can’t help but think how many guys are out there like this who are ready to step outside the bounds of human decency – ready to strike so their point can be heard? There are numbers of groups who are considered militia and oppose what society deems as the norm, and yeah, that’s pretty scary stuff – real scary stuff.

Okay, I’m not trying be be an alarmist and go all negative Chicken Little here. I think I’m really just trying to deal with what just happened here and examine my own belief systems.I’m sure a whole lot of people have done the same in the past week, including many of you.

Now you guys know I like to think of myself as a humorist and don’t normally take my blog topics into darkened territory, but you just can’t blow of what happened to a bunch of innocent people (and somebody’s little girl), and not have it make you step back and take a deep and well needed pause. There’s no doubt that writing this piece is my own cathartic attempt at dealing with a disturbing reality – and while we all learn various things from these events, I began to think about the fact that we ALL need to take a collective pause every so often, and not just when bad crap goes down. We all need to pop our heads out of the ostrich hole while extending our myopic view way beyond the daily grind. There was a cool scene in the film, the Dead Poet Society where a school instructor played by Robin Williams had students stand on top of their desks and scan the room in order to realize that your own personal every day view is not the only viewpoint out there.

So how does one fat-ass blog writing Polack from New Jersey attempt to tie cigars into today’s most somber topic? Pretty easy, actually. I truly believed that if all adults the world over smoked and enjoyed a cigar – especially with one another – a hell of a lot of hatred and war would be reduced before our very eyes. I’m actually serious and I’ve thought about this for  long, long time. Cigars shared and enjoyed promote a level of friendship and camaraderie like nothing else I have ever seen. People from vastly different social, economic, and opposing political viewpoints will gather and have a good cigar together and realize that we’re really not that different at all, and it is that premium handrolled happy stick that creates a common bond amongst mortal men. You think there’s any other reason that American Indians smoked a peace pipe? There’s no question that time spent with a good cigar can revitalize the brain and the soul, giving us that long and much needed pause we require.

We all know all too well that life can get weird so fast that your head will spin. So before we experience more weird, I say we take stock in the good things we have in life. We know we can’t take back what happened this past week, but we can sure as hell do some much needed reflection and take a good look around and try to make things better. And if you smoke cigars, you know that there’s not a better instrument out there to help your mind remain calm, your body relax, and prepare yourself for what the world brings our way next.

Tommy Z.

JR Cigar Blog With the Zman

I don’t know where I got today’s cigar. I probably picked it up at a random local shop, or Ed’s place. The name Lot 23 comes from the name of a tobacco field near the Perdomo factory. All the tobacco in this cigar is from this one field, or lot. As always, I paired this cigar with water and offer you my thoughts.

Wrapper: Nicaragua

Binder/Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Punta Gorda 5 x 60

Price: Around $5.00

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a toothy appearance and a few medium sized veins. When squeezing the cigar, I found it to be firmly and evenly packed. The odor coming off of the wrapper and foot was sweet and barnyardish. The pre-light draw had slight resistance, and had a dark, sweet taste.

The burn got a little wavy from time to time, but required no corrections. The ash held for over an inch.

Flavor:

The first third had a nice dominant coffee flavor. Passing smoke through the nose, I found it to be pretty spicy with a sweet note. There were notes of wood and a sweetness that completed the flavor profile.

The second third saw the introduction of a dry chocolaty flavor. It wasn’t the melt in your mouth chocolate. I’d compare it more to the dry powered stuff you put in milk. The spice was still present, and had a tinge of sweetness and wood. Like before, coffee was strong and was the dominant flavor.

In the last third, I hit the taper of the torpedo shape. The coffee was still the dominant flavor, and the spice began to leave a coating on the lips with a slight tingle. The chocolate went back to being more of a sweet note. Basically the same core flavors, coffee, sweetness, spice, and woody notes were there all along. The only difference is they mixed and mingled together differently. The intensity of the flavors changed from time to time, if that makes sense.

Conclusion:

This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. Sure, the flavors were common, and they didn’t switch up a lot. But they were enjoyable, and I never got a bad or harsh note. I used to smoke these all the time when I first started smoking cigars, and it was nice to re-visit it. If you haven’t tried the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro, I think it is worth it.

This post will be stuck at the top of the site until the contest is over.

This raffle is possible thanks to Xikar. You may know of them for their great cutters, lighters, HC Series Cigars, and cigar accessories. Did you know they offer ashtray’s too?

Xikar was kind enough to donate a Crystal Ashtray that one of you will win. These have a MSRP of $89.99. The ashtray is made of lead crystal, and has grooves of varying sizes to prevent your cigar from falling into the deep ash bin. The beautiful oval design features vibrant decoupage of the Havana Collection.

The bottom line is, this ashtray kicks ass.

So you are probably asking… How this become yours? Read on…

I like to keep these contests simple, so here’s how you can enter this raffle.

1 – You must be 18 years or older

2 – Live in the United States of America

3 – Leave a comment, any comment here on this post.

4 – Please leave a valid email address, or else I won’t be able to contact you.

5 – You can enter only once.

All contact information will be kept confidential. I will treat it as I would like mine treated.

And that’s it! By leaving a comment, you will be entered into the contest. I will draw a random winner, and ship this great prize to your door.

Thanks again to the great people at Xikar for bringing in 2011 with a great contest!

Every winter I bitch and moan about the grotesque winter cold, and I write several blogs that clearly display my disdain for the frigidness of the north east in January. And every time I write one, you guys in the north commiserate with me as we swap our cold weather war stories – while you in the south ask us if we want some cheese with out whine and tell us how it’s 72 and you just played 18.

Wow, how I loved winter as a kid growing up in the mountain regions of north Jersey. Tons of snow would cover the landscape meaning a day off from school that was packed with sledding, skating, snowball fights, and pb&j for lunch with a gallon of hot chocolate to wash it all down. As a nostalgia freak, “the memories are so thick you’d have to wash them away with a brush” (James Earl Jones in field of Dreams.)

When you lived where I grew up, being off from school for a snow day was commonplace and we were given up to ten snow days – once we hit 11 we had to make up days at the end of the year, and that actually did happen several times. My brother and I would wake up around 5am to look out the window as flakes the size of garbage can lids littered the sky and piled up in the streets. But it wasn’t until the phone rang – the phone call on the snow chain, that we knew a day of frosty, school-free bliss was ahead!

It’s amazing how growing older makes you despise the long days of winter (unless you ski or snowmobile.) Just walking from my car into the store yesterday was dreadful as the arctic winds howled in my face and crept up my shorts. A most uncomfortable moment as visions of palm trees danced in my head.

As always, the worst part of the icy coldness is the inability to smoke cigars. Yeah, once a week I’ll make the pilgrimage to the JR Store in Whippany, NJ, but it’s 35 minutes from the house and one time a week is really all I can do. And yeah, I bought a good heater and set up a little cave in the garage, but it still starts getting cold at around the 20 minute mark as my feet begin to turn into popsicles. Okay, sure, I can smoke in the car, but since I work from home, I don’t really drive long enough distances to enjoy a good smoke. An NO, I can’t smoke in the house – and just let me say that NO ONE I know can – before you so-called tough guys brand me a whipped wuss.

Last Friday when It snowed, I went out to shovel and decided to light up a big-ass CAO Brazillia Amazon, going into the garage for a good puff every couple of minutes or so. Nothing like exercising and smoking to get the heart pumping. Oh yeah, beer helps a lot, too. But other than that, I’m not enjoying my favorite pastime and I am losing my mind.

Okay, so I promised not to bitch, gripe, and moan any longer, and I just can’t seem to help myself. Maybe I have to get like five monster infared heaters and a few fake palm trees to make the garage a cozy and swank little man pit. But them I’ve got to leave the garage door open a bit or the place will stink to the high heavens as I croak from lack of fresh air. But if I open the door, then all the heat pours out. Holy crap this is an awful dilemma. You know there’s a lot of winter left and it’s way to early to be joensing for the warm, but I swear every year I’m yearning for springtime earlier and earlier. I’m either gonna have to tough it out, or move to the south, and that just ain’t in the plans right now.

Okay, I’ll kindly STFU and dream about great cigars… hey… just like the ones below!!!

Til next week, pray for warm and smoke ‘em if ya can, my bruthas and sistas.

Tommy Z.

JR Cigars Blog With the Zman

This Sun Grown version of the well-known favorite, Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva, is crafted with the Fuentes classic blend of the finest, aged Dominican filler tobaccos, topped off with rich, robust Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper leaves. The addition of the highly sought after wrapper leaves creates a fuller bodied, more flavorful smoke with increased hints of natural sweetness. These “limited availability” beauties are hard to come by, but are definitely worth the wait.

I picked up this cigar from Ed’s shop. He recently started carrying them, so I figured why not. There isn’t a lot of information on the Internet about this thing. What made this cigar look appealing was it’s oily appearance, shaggy foot, and tight pigtail cap. As always, I paired this cigar with water.

Wrapper: Brazil

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican, Nicaragua

Size: Matador 6.5 x 56

Price: Around $8.00

Pre-smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a dark, oily appearance with no visible flaws. The smell coming off of the wrapper and foot had a barnyard and woody odor. The cigar was pretty evenly packed, with only a minor soft spot or two. The pre-light draw had a little resistance, and had dark, somewhat earthy flavors.

The ash held for about 1.5 inches, and the burn required a couple minor touch-up’s.

Flavor:

The first third brought one word to my mind: Smooth. The smoke feel was silky smooth. You could pass smoke easily though the sinus, which resulted in an easy mild spice. There were earthy notes way in the back ground. Woodiness and sweet co-co seemed to be dominant, but there was a nice coffee flavor in mixed in there as well.

The second third saw in increase in coffee flavor. The woodiness decreased, and the sweet co-co/chocolate picked up in strength. Passing smoke though the sinus, there was minimal sweet spice. It was more of a sweet creamy flavor. There was a slight cinnamony  tingle left in the aftertaste.

The last third had an increase in that sweet, cinnamon spice. It left a nice lingering tingle in the mouth and on the lips. The smoke became creamier, and resembled caramel. When passing smoke though the nose, the increase in strength was very noticeable. Coffee was up next, along with co-co or chocolate. The woody notes fell into the background, but would pop out from time to time.

Conclusion:

Wow what a nice cigar. The combination of creaminess, sweetness, spice, body… everything about this smoke hit the spot for me. There isn’t really anything more I can say. Try this medium to full bodied cigar!

I picked up a couple of these cigars locally. What caught my eye was the nice presentation and decent price. This cigar uses a new “Immersion process,” which I have no idea what that means. Thee is a little more information over at the General Cigars web site. As always, I paired this review with water.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra

Binder: Connecticut broadleaf

Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican

Size: Marco – 6 1/4 x 54

Price: $6.15

Pre-smoke & Construction:

Peeling away the cedar liner revealed a nice looking brown wrapper. There were a couple good sized veins, but overall flaws were minimal. The smell coming off of the cigar was a mild earthiness and cedar. The cigar was packed with tobacco. Towards the head, there was literally no give when you squeezed. This, along with the restrictive nipple at the foot, led to a tight draw. Too tight for my liking. The pre-light draw had an earthy natural tobacco taste.

The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for around 1.5 inches. The draw stayed pretty tight, but loosened up a little as I got past the half way point.

Flavor:

The first third: There wasn’t a lot going on. Simple woody flavors along with natural tobacco. A slight tingle was left in the mouth after exhaling, and there was an ever so slight spice through the nose.

The second third had an increase in that cedary, woody flavor, and it dominated the flavor profile for the most part. Right along side it was a strange floral note. I can’t think of a better way to describe it. Earthiness lingered in the back ground. Through the nose, it still tasted woody with a dry mild pepper. Like before, the smoke left a tingle on the lips and tongue.

The last third had an interesting smoke feel. It was that fruitiness along with a tingling sensation. It was a little stronger then previous thirds. Through the nose, there was a distinct pepper that was medium in strength. Next up was that woodiness, which I mentioned before. Those elusive earthy notes were in the back ground like before.

Conclusion:

This mild to medium bodied cigar was all right. It struck me as nothing special though. On the positive side, the smoke feel combined with the simple flavors for a unique experience. I never got any bad flavors, and I could see this appealing to someone. In the end, to me it just seemed to fall a little short. It was aight…

Okay, let’s set the record straight and call a spade a spade… all of my supposed cigar loving buddies who dissed me on New Year’s Day – you’re all wuss bags and wimps!

It all started on New Year’s morning when I sent out a gang text message to a collective throng of tobacco laden heathens, that we were all to meet for hours of cigar smoking debauchery at the JR Cigars location in Whippany, NJ. I clearly stated I’d be there from noon to 4pm, giving everyone ample time slots to jump in and out of. We were to meet in the main smoking room where numbers of tv’s were showing college bowl games, the beer was flowing, and good food was being devoured. Yeah, it was going to be a great day for the manly man indeed.

So I arrive at JR Headquarters, a monolith of a cigar store and lounge, that is luckily just 30 minutes from my frozen abode in icy northern New Jersey. I hadn’t smoked a cigar in a good three weeks because of the frigid temperatures, and wow, was I ever jonesing for a nicotine rush. As I walked by the lavish bar towards the main room, I said my hellos to the good workers I’ve grown to know and love, then perused through the liquor store area that has one of the finest selections or cigar smoking hootch one has ever witnessed. I wanted to pick out a few bottles of the good stuff to share with my brothers this first day of 2011, and the choices were endless. Although it was some brutal decision making, I settled on a bottle of smooth and delicious Oak Cross Scotch from Compass Box Whisky, and some tasty 20 year-old port wine courtesy of the fine people at Taylor Fladgate. My buddies were in for a treat as this testosterone filled day was just getting ramped up. Into the main lounge I went while pushing several tables together as to be ready for the crew. Very shortly a collection of stogie sucking Neanderthals would be arriving as I gladly took on the role as grand poobah of this gathering of aromatic misfits. Twas a fine day for those who revel in premium tobacco.

It was now 12:30 and no one had yet showed. It was okay, I figured half of these creatures were sleeping off their New Year’s Eve binging and it was only a matter of time before they rolled in for an afternoon gathering of bullshitting and ball scratching. We are men, hear us friggin roar, god dammit.

Then it happened, the hour of 1 struck, and the test message excuses started pouring in… “I don’t feel good, I was out too late”… “I got in a big fight with my wife and I can’t go anywhere”… “I have house work to do”… My wife doesn’t want me smelling like smoke today”… “I have to watch my kids while the Mrs. shops”… “We’re going to my in-laws who I hate”… YADA, YADA, YADA! Good God in heaven, every one of my so-called pals in tobacco had stood me up! Wimps, losers, and wussbags every one of them! Their wives had forcibly removed their precious jewels and secured them on the mantle, leaving each one of these low-lifes, sackless, and me, completely on my own. Here I was at JR Cigars, the ultimate palace of unabashed manliness – alone and thoroughly dissed by my faux friends in the tobacco-sphere.

So, did I pack it in and call it an early day? HELL NO, as I opened that fine bottle of scotch and torched up the incredibly delicious EP Carillo Short Run I had just picked up in the wondrous humidor just 20 some odd feet away. Penn State and Florida were duking it out on the tube (which come to think of it, is no longer a tube) as I raised my glass of grains, with middle finger held high in honor of my idiot, one-time friends. Screw them, this was the life.

It was 20 minutes to four and last call for the bar keeps, as I took a final puff on the JR Ultimate Belicoso Cabinet Oscuro that I had nurtured for the previous hour or so. Yeah, my pretend friends had dissed me, but I didn’t care. I had just spent four hours in my happy-place and no one could ever take that away from me. No, I wasn’t blitzed as I made sure I was plenty fine to drive, but I sure as hell did smell like Santiago in the D.R. If any of you dumb-ass, whipped mo-fo’s happen to be reading, you missed a hell of a good New Year’s Day, and trust me, I smoked enough premium stoags for every last one of you!

Until next time,

Tommy Z

JR CIGARS Blog with the ZMAN

Handmade in the Dominican Republic, these limited release cigars are the first of several small batches of unique blends being introduced by Ernesto Perez Carillo. Only 1,500 boxes of each size have been made. New blends will be released, also in limited quantities, in 2011.

This blend is comprised of rich, complex Nicaraguan and Dominican long filler tobaccos combined with a spicy Nicaraguan binder and an attractive, oily Ecuador Sumatra wrapper creating medium to full bodied, toasty flavors intermingled with hints of sweetness, cocoa, and nuts. The slow burn, solid ash, and long finish also contribute to the success of this cigar.

These cigars are exclusive to Bonita Smoke Shop. I ordered a bundle in an effort to find a decent morning cigar, and this the cheapest of their blends. I had good experiences with their House Blend and 18th Anniversary, so I figured it was time to try this one. As you have gathered by now, I bought these from their website. For the review, I paired with water.

Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro

Binder: Indonesian Bezuki

Filler: Dominican

Size: Toro 6 x 52

Price: Bundle of 20 – $38.95

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a slightly toothy appearance, with some small to medium sized veins. The smell off of the wrapper and foot was a smooth earthiness. The cigar was evenly packed, and bounced back when squeezed. The pre-light draw was good, with just a little resistance. The pre-light draw had a slightly sweet, earthy flavor.

The ash held for around 1 inch, and the burn required a couple minor touch-up’s.

Flavor:

The first was mostly earthy with a woody note that was not cedary. There was a nice natural tobacco flavor that had a sweet tinge to it. When passing smoke through the nose, I detected the same woody/earthy flavors with no spice.

The second third kept the dominant woody and earthy flavors that were present in the first third. There may have been a touch of coffee lingering way in the back ground. The smoke feel became smoother and had a tinge of sweetness.

The last third was basically identical as the second third. The only change was a slight pepper. Wood was the dominant flavor, followed by earthiness, and that tinge of sweet coffee.

Conclusion:

This was a decent medium bodied cigar, and I think it met the price point. I smoke these often in the morning with coffee. When pairing this cigar with water, the simple flavor profile may bore me. But coffee does the trick. After smoking the Perdomo Slow Aged with coffee for awhile, I kind of got burnt out on it. I think this will fit the bill just fine.

As you’ve probably read here, Ed has expanded his shop and added an amazing lounge.

It is only right that he has a grand opening to celebrate the occasion.

So mark your calendar for Saturday, January 8th. Throughout the day (11am – 7pm) there will be raffles, food, and of course cigars. Check here for any updates, or visit Ed’s website.

A quick update – Quite a few of you have contacted me asking “What about the next Ed/Tom review?” Ed and I are getting together this month, after his grand opening, to do a review. We are arranging to have a guest who is well respected and you all will recognize him immediately. Stay tuned!

The event is over and was a great success. Thanks to everyone who attended. Good times!