Archive for May, 2011

Reflections On This Past Week in History

Monday, May 9th, 2011

Well, Osama Bin gone for a while now and I can honestly say that I don’t miss the old bastid very much, do you? Didn’t think so. Just think about what a disgusting and horrid life the dude lived in total seclusion, inside a heavily guarded, locked-down, barren fortress, with no possible way to even stroll over to the local Dunkin Donuts for a Coolata. Seems the guy lived the ultimate secluded hermetic life, like the scummy rat that he truly was. I think it’s going to be incredibly interesting to see what our boys found in that un-manly cave, the kind of stuff that hopefully leads us to a few of the other bearded goats of terror.

team-6Remember when our soldiers took Saddam’s palaces a few years back and found all the accoutrements of an upscale, hoity-toity lifestyle? Well, something tells me that our Navy Seals heroes didn’t find lavish humidors stocked with the finest cigars from the world over, along with a high end scotch and wine selection. Yeah, I’m doubting that Bin Dirtbag had any social graces or signs of culture whatsoever. Judging by his over sized baby diaper and that cruddy camouflage jacket. I’m pretty sure the man never washed those most important parts very often (please don’t make me have to spell this out for you). I just can’t imagine there was any direct tv to watch the ball games or televised be-headings from his local neighborhood, or a microwave to cook up his rat-meat Hot Pockets.

I think I can say with absolute certainty that the guy was uncool as they come and I’m quite sure he didn’t smoke cigars, (wow… what a low-life friggin animal.) I mean, really. Nothing defines a man more than a premium cigar hanging from his mandibles – a man who enjoys the vast and simple pleasures of life. But Bin Laden was not a cool dude at all, most likely the sandal wearing nerd who received a turban wedgie everyday in gym class. He was the scurvy little urchin picked last for any team sport and cowered in the corner while being pelted by an endless barrage of sand-filled dodgeballs. But it seems that one dodgeball too many made contact with the head of the man who was to one day become the most wanted terrorist of all time.

I know that we’re all proud of them men of Seal team 6 who heroically entered Osama’s compound and sent the beast to his fiery unresting place. For the soldiers on that mission, the acts of bravery are unparalleled and I’m sure every one of you reading this would be honored to fire up your finest aged cigars with these heroic men of valor. It’s kind of a shame that they’ll never receive the adulation from Joe Six-Pack Public American – a ticker-tape parade through Heroes Canyon in New York city -  but of course we realize that anonymity is best in this situation. I’m pretty sure that those men are well aware that an entire nation, and many other nations for that matter, bow our heads and raise our glasses high for the ultimate tribute of thanks.

cigar_ping6It certainly was an interesting past week for Americans who live in a nation that has to remain vigilant in it’s opposition to Bin Laden’s miscreant followers of hate. You know, guys, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… if every living breathing adult in this world partook in a finely aged premium cigar on a daily basis, war would be no more as an international Earth-Herf would have us all mellow and on the same page of life. Yeah, just some weird reflecting for me and I’m sure for you too.

Have a great week, just cuz I said so…

TZ.Sig.2

Tommy Z . JR Cigars Blog With the Zman

Casa Magna Oscuro

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

I picked up the Casa Magna Oscuro at Ed’s shop awhile back. The original Casa Magna Colorado is one of my go to cigars, but the Oscuro slipped through the cracks. I just never got around to smoking it. As you probably know, the Colorado was Cigar Aficionados 2008 cigar of the year (which I disagree with). If you are asking yourself, “What does Oscuro mean? What is it?” I encourage you to check out this article by Doc Stogie Fresh. He explains in detail.

How does the Oscuro compare to the Colorado? Let’s find out. I paired up with water and got to smoking.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Oscuro

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: Churchill Gordo 6 5/8 x 56

Price: Around $7.00

1 Casa_Magna_Oscuro Cigar

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The dark wrapper looked nice, with a few medium sized veins. It was pretty bumpy and rugged looking, but had no real flaws. The odor coming off of the wrapper and foot was pure shit, or barnyard (this isn’t a bad thing despite sounding bad). The cigar was rock solidly packed, which explains a draw that was on the tight side. The pre-light draw was like a pungent earthiness and resembled compost.

The ash held for around an inch. The burn required a few minor corrections. As I hit the second third, I grew tired of the tight draw. I ended up pulling a good sized stem out of the cigar. This loosened up the draw a little, and increased the overall enjoyment.

Flavor:

The first third: The smoke was dry, very dry. It left me craving water. The flavors were pretty straight forward. Up first was an earthy, rich soily taste. There were hints of sweetness, like a dry cocoa. There was a black coffee component that really captured the bitterness you can get in black coffee. Passing through the nose, there was a decent peppery spice.

2 Casa_Magna_Oscuro Cigar

Throughout the second third, I continued to crave water. The smoke was so dry it left me parched. I’m not saying it was unpleasant, I just had to drink a lot of water. The flavors were mainly a dark black coffee with some bitterness. The sweet dry cocoa was very noticeable, and had a more traditional bitter chocolate tint. Through the nose, the spice was fairly strong. As I progressed into the cigar, a tingly sensation was felt in the mouth and on the lips. It peppery, but not a traditional black pepper.

3 Casa_Magna_Oscuro Cigar

The last third kept pace with the second third. There simply wasn’t any noticeable flavor changes. The only change I could detect was strength and body. The flavors stood out more, and the nicotine punch was impossible to ignore.

4 Casa_Magna_Oscuro Cigar

Conclusion:

This was a good full bodied cigar. The flavors were good and the strength was there. I can see this cigar having a market. If I had to choose between this or the Colorado, I’d pick the Colorado hands down. That is just my personal preference. Something about this cigar just felt less refined (not to say it was bad). So as I commonly do, I’m going to cop out and suggest you full bodied smokers try this for yourself and be your own judge.

J. Fuego Natural

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

I’m sure most of you noticed I missed my Friday review. I have no good excuse. Life simply got in the way. Don’t fret, this place isn’t becoming yet another cigar review site that doesn’t get updated (you know who you are).

Anyway… I rooted around the humidor and found some J. Fuego Naturals. I can’t recall where I got them, or even when I got them. The only thing I know about them, well, you are about to read it. As always, I paired this review with water and here are my thoughts.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Shade Grown Criollo

Binder: ???

Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua

Size: Toro 6.5 x 52

Price: Around $6.50

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The dark wrapper was rugged looking and had a nice sheen when held to a light. There were some small to medium sized veins. The odor off of the wrapper and foot was a natural earthy tobacco. Overall the cigar was tightly packed, but I did find a couple tighter spots. This probably explained a draw that was a little on the snug side. The pre-light flavor was a dark earthiness with perhaps a hint of coffee.

The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for an inch or so. The snug draw turned out to not be an issue.

1 J_Fuego_Natural Cigar

Flavor:

The first third had a bit of a spicy blast when passing smoke through the nose. Next up was earthiness combined with wood. The woody flavors lingered on the palate long after exhaling the smoke. After about an inch or so, the peppery spice calmed down but kept some of it’s “Zing.” As the first third came to a close, the smoke took on a smooth feel.

2 J_Fuego_Natural Cigar

The second third had a dominant woody flavor. It wasn’t cedar, but it was wood, that’s all I know. The earthiness faded and was hard to pick out at times. When retrohaling, that peppery zing was still there, but with less intensity. The smoke feel was somewhat creamy and buttery. It had a sweet overtone that resembled mocha or creamy caramel.

3 J_Fuego_Natural Cigar

The last third… It went quite well. Like before, the dominant flavor was wood. It was strange though. It was woody, but a creamy wood. A sweet tingly spice appeared on the aftertaste. The buttery, creamy, sweet smoke was impossible to ignore. It just stuck to the mouth and lips.

4 J_Fuego_Natural Cigar

Conclusion:

This was a very enjoyable medium bodied cigar. It was nothing groundbreaking or amazing. It was simply enjoyable and relaxing. Overall, I enjoyed the flavor profile and experience. I definitely recommend trying this cigar.

JR Cigar Tube with Nathan & the Zman is Here!

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of politicians – especially the lanky, wing-eared nerd in the Whitehouse. So to make our relationship just a bit more off kilter, the president goes ahead and upstages two of the biggest announcements in the history of my career with JR Cigars. The guy really does have amazing timing along with some really serious nerve – Really.

JRCigarTube.ComingToday, is indeed a most momentous occasion for all fans of JR CIGARS as we have launched the inaugural episode of JR Cigar Tube with Nathan & the ZMan! It’s a cigar show on the web that will entertain and interact with the audience, answering your tobacco laden questions, and of course yak uncontrollably about the world we all love and adore… CIGARS, CIGARS, CIGARS, CIGARS!!!

UnknownMy partner and co-host, Mr. Steve Nathan is the corporate training manager at JR and is a true guru when it comes to finely aged premium smokes. But he’s also a brutally neurotic wanker who has more serious issues than Time magazine. He’s the corporate shill in the relationship, always the good company man, trying to say and do the right thing. And me, I’m pretty much his antithesis… yelling, getting pissed & vinegared and standing up for the cigar fans everywhere. The dude has little patience for my psycho ranting behavior and refuses to share a dressing room with me. This is truly a match made in hell, and if we don’t end up killing each other, we just might end up with a pretty damned good show. We might even just maim one another which certainly makes good fodder for you reality geeks!

So you know, every episode of the show is broken into three short video clips running in the three and a half to five minute range. Each week, each particular episode will air  Part one on Monday morning, part two on Wednesday morning, and part three on Friday mornings, which makes an entire show about 12 – 15 minutes in total. The simple fact is that hard research shows that generally after 5 minutes or less, viewers brains completely shut down and mindlessly move onto something else. Since we really don’t want that to happen, we want you to visit three times a week and join in on the mayhem.

Now our little cigar video show is meant to be interactive – meaning that we want to hear from you, the fans! We want you to air your questions, comments, concerns, or whatever is on your mind about the world of cigars, and we’ll address it on the show. Talk to us, write to us on FaceBook, and let us know what’s on your mind! With the taxes and anti smoking zealots out there dominating the world and trying to take our passion away, we need to collectively stand up and fight the good fight. We’re all in this together and hopefully Steve and I can be a voice of reason (wow, that’s kind of an oxy moron – Nathan & Zman, voices of reason) for the cigar smoking wariors of the world. We are truly the puro patriots at your service.

Picture 7And Another Thing…

The new JR CIGARS Catalog has just launched so expect it in the mail anytime real soon, or download a pdf of it off the home page of the JR website. I am particularly excited about the catalog as yours truly now has a feature column in the back of every issue, entitled: What Really Roasts My Robusto, a collection of ZMan rants, both positive and negative, about the crazy and ever changing world of premium cigars! Of course there are a ton of amazing cigars and some seriously great specials on many of your favorite sticks!

So I ask you to do a few things…

1. Check into the new show 3 days a week

2. Join the YouTube page

3. Click the LIKE button on every episode

4. Post a comment or ask us questions on the YouTube or FaceBook page! Let’s get interactive because we really want to her from you!

Thanks guys, I really do appreciate the support.

TZ.Sig.2

Tommy Z . JR Cigars Blog With the Zman

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