The Borons Cigar Blog

The Alec Bradley New York was released awhile back for distribution in New York shops only. How I came across it at a local cigar shop here in Florida, I don’t know. Naturally I jumped at the chance, and picked a few up. I’m not good at hyping things up, so let’s get right to the review.

 

Wrapper: Criollo 98

Binder: Criollo 98

Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua

Size: Declaration (Gran Toro) 58 x 6

Price: Around $7.75

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The oily wrapper was shiny, and the color variances looked good. There were a few small to medium sized veins, but no real flaws to speak of. The smell of the wrapper was a simple earthiness and wood. The foot had almost no smell at all. I could only pick up a mild natural tobacco scent. The cigar was a little squishy, except towards the head. The draw was good, with only slight resistance. On pre-light draw, the flavor was mild and earthy, with fruity notes to accompany it.

The ash held for around one inch. The burn got wavy at times, and required several minor corrections.

Flavor:

The first third was pretty easy on the palate. Up first was nuttiness and a touch of wood. Through the nose, it was hard to find any additional flavor. It was basically a combination of nuttiness and wood, with an ever so slight spicy note. What kind of spice? I can’t say, it was too mild. Towards the end of this third, I picked up a floral note.

The second third picked up the pace a bit. Most noticeable was a smooth nuttiness mixed with spice. It made retrohaling more enjoyable, and lingered in the aftertaste. Cedar was up next, with a slight floral notes behind it. Sometimes cedar would dominate the flavor profile, and at other times, it was more nutty.

While the last third kept the same core flavors from the second third, a sweet cocoa joined in. This may have been the missing component that the flavor profile needed all along. Not to say the cigar was bad before, but in this third, everything just came together.

Conclusion:

This was a decent lower medium to medium bodied cigar. The flavors were simple, subtle, and at times challenging. For the full bodied smoker, or even some medium smokers, the subtleness may not be for you. For me, I could smoke these in the morning with coffee and be completely satisfied. As I often say, you’ll have to judge for yourself on this one. I thought it was decent.

 

This Sunday is Father’s Day.  It is a nice time to recall what the father and son team of Julio and Christian Eiroa have done.  Julio, a tobacco farmer,  created Caribe Cigars which made  Baccarat,  Baccarat- Repeater and La Fontana—named after legendary salesman Sal Fontana.  Nice mild blends that sell very well.  His son Christian joined the company in 1995.   By 2000,  Christian came up with his own blend that would remake the company and the cigar industry, the Camacho Corojo—the first of the bold cigars.  He added to the Camacho line with the Diploma series, which was even stronger.   That was  followed by the Triple Maduro and finally the Connecticut.  Along the way Caribe became Camacho Cigars.

When last we talked with Christian Eiroa,  (last summer’s JR catalogue…what you didn’t see it?  You don’t get the catalogue?  Get it here.) he was working with Davidoff after having sold Camacho Cigar company in 2008. The Eiroas kept the farming operation which Julio still runs in Honduras.

At the time Christian told me about some of his plans.  Now, I can tell you.  Christian turns 40 on July 5^th and to mark the occasion, most people would simply have a big party.  Not Christian, he is starting a new company, or two.  He wants to be able to create a new cigar line and distribution company, building it from the ground up and learning from the mistakes he made in the past.

The first company is Tabacaleras United or Unidas which will be a distribution company and should not be confused with GR Tabacaleras Unidas — an existing Miami and Honduras company owned by George Rico for distribution of his family’s Gran Habano cigars.

Christian’s  distribution company will handle his new cigars which will be CLE Cigars for Christian Luis Eiroa. The first cigar will be the Cuarenta (or 40^th in English).  It come in four sizes, 5.5” x 46, 5“ x 50, his 11/18 shape and a 6” x 60.  The cigars will use a Habano wrapper over Honduran fillers and binder.  These will retail for between $5.50 to $6.95.  The second cigar will be the CLE Corojo in the same four sizes and same price point.  The cigars were made in the old Camacho factory the Eiroas once owned which now is the Davidoff factory in Danli, Honduras.

Christian also is partnering with several other people on cigars.  One is Robert Caldwell who will be making the Wynwood cigar with Christian.  Wynwood is a new trendy area of Miami with art galleries and is expected to become a new high end shopping area.  Caldwell and Eiroa are planning to open a cigar factory in a building they have a few blocks from the main area once they can get visas for rollers.  They hope to be up and running in late July.  The Wynwood  cigars will come in 4 sizes,  will be made at the Miami factory and will retail for $7 to $9.

The third brand Christian is partnering in and will distribute will be Asylum Cigars.  Tom Lazuka and Kevin Baxter  co-own the brand with Christian.  Asylum is going to be a Nicaraguan cigar coming in four sizes ranging from a 4″ x 44 to a 6″ x 60.  Prices will be $4.40 – $6.60.  According to Lazuka,  the Asylum will be a medium to full-bodied cigar with full flavor.  He says the company is also coming out with Asylum 13 which will be a little bit stronger and come in three sizes a 5” x 50, 6” x 60 and a huge 7” x 70.  They will come in 50 count boxes except for the 70 ring gauge which will come in a box of 30.  Suggested retail is $5, $6, $7.

What about mom?

Well grandmom really.  Goldie Drell Paley was the wife of Samuel Paley who founded La Palina Cigars in 1896.   Bill Paley—Samuel’s grandson and owner of the current iteration of La Palina  — thought it was time for a cigar to celebrate women in that it would be made by, named for and designed by women.  He tasked La Palina Vice President Courtney Smith, to develop the cigar.  The result  is debuting as the Goldie Laguito No. 2 –named for Bill Paley’s grandmother Goldie and for its size, the Laguito No. 2 in Cuba is a 38 x 6″ cigar.

The cigar is produced at the El Titan de Bronze factory in the Little Havana section of Miami. The cigar is being made under the supervision of Sandy Cobas, the owner of El Titan, and rolled by Maria Sierra—one of the first women trained in Cuba to roll cigars.  Maria began her 32 year career at Cuba’s famed El Laguito factory in 1967 .  She was trained by the legendary Avelino Lara—who  developed  the Cohiba brand. She has continued rolling cigars after leaving Cuba.

Do not expect a girlie blend though, as the cigar uses Medio Tiempo leaves that are the strongest on the plant.  The Goldie is a limited release of 1,000 boxes.

They won’t give up

Even though we won the tax election in California (raising taxes on cigars by 73%) the other side is not giving up.

According to the LA Times, which actually editorialized for our side,  the pro tax people are not conceding.  Instead, they are hoping on absentee ballots changing the outcome.  As of now we are still winning by 42,000 (down from 63, 000).  But this is a good thing to remember….they cannot steal the election if it is NOT close.

I picked up the Howitzer at St. Pete Cigar a couple of weeks ago. I am a fan of most Sag Imports products, so I had to try this one.

The Howitzer is the second installment of the Quesada Q d’etat line. These cigars are limited to 1,000 ten count boxes. This line is intended to create awareness of increased government regulation and taxation on cigars. Tobacco regulations are especially appealing to the lazy parent. Such regulations are often aimed at this demographic. It’s easier to let the government do parenting for them.

Anyway… Each box comes with a CRA registration form. They claim to fight against such regulation.

 

Wrapper: Dominican

Binder & Filler: Dominican

Size: 6 x 60

Price: $9.50

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a toothy, rugged appearance, with some good sized veins here and there. It had a nice smell of cedar, earthiness, and barnyard. The smell of the foot was hard to pin down, but I did detect a little tingly spice. The cigar was pretty evenly packed, and bounced back when squeezed. The draw was perfect, with only slight resistance. The pre-light flavor was mild and cedary.

The burn required a few minor corrections, and the ash held for almost two inches.

Flavor:

The first third had a dominant woody flavor, followed by a floral and earthy notes. Retrohaling revealed a smooth, mild spice. The smoke feel was dry, but didn’t leave me parched.

During the second third, the floral flavor increased in strength. Like before, when passing smoke through the nose, there was a smooth spice. A bitter sweet note was noticed in the background.

The last third had an even combination of wood and coffee. Next up was an easy, tingly spice mixed with floral notes. It was good, but saying more would be redundant.

Conclusion:

This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. The flavors were pretty straight forward, and construction was almost flawless. Flavor delivery was refined and enjoyable, but this was no wow cigar. I could see myself smoking this from time to time, but I wouldn’t put a lot of effort in seeking it out. If you run across the Howitzer, I think it is worth trying.

It doesn’t seem like the cigar or tobacco industry has many successes when it comes to government legislation, but this week some good news actually came out of California, possibly the most unfriendly state there is in the union when it comes to ANYTHING to do with smoking. While the vote was as close to dead even as can be, the people voted down raising taxes on tobacco, a move that has the smoke Nazi coalition fuming (pun very intended.)

From the California Secretary of State’s online voters guide, PROP 29: Imposes additional $1.00 per pack tax on cigarettes and an equivalent tax increase on other tobacco products. Revenues fund research for cancer and tobacco-related diseases. Fiscal Impact: Net increase in cigarette excise tax revenues of about $735 million annually by 2013–14 for certain research and tobacco prevention and cessation programs. Other state and local revenue increases amounting to tens of millions of dollars annually.

First of all, no one knows where they come up with these inflated facts and figures and furthermore, no one can ever seem to account for the revenue coming in. A decade ago or so, New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman more than doubled the tobacco tax claiming it would generate half a billion dollars, but guess what? The bill failed miserably and taxes were eventually lowered. Why? Because people went to places like across the border in Pennsylvania to buy their cigarettes – where there was ZERO tax on tobacco – and our great state of Snooki & the Sopranos actually lost millions and millions in tax revenue. And this is just one of the reasons that over-taxing a product does not work.

On that same California State webite, they listed the pros and cons of Prop 29, and here was the con – and if you read it, you would vote down this ridiculous measure as well: Everyone supports cancer research, but Prop. 29 is flawed: $735 million annually in new taxes but doesn’t require revenue be spent in California to create jobs or fund schools. Creates new government spending bureaucracy with political appointees, duplicating existing programs. More waste, no accountability to taxpayers. No on 29. ReadForYourself.org

A few years back it was the same left coast state lead by meathead Rob Reiner that began the war on smoking by raising taxes and banning tobacco virtually everywhere. Restaurant and establishment owners who had spent huge dollars building cigar bars and lounges were forced to shut down and many people’s life’s saving went up in – well, you know. The scary part was that it was California that set the precedent, leading the charge in anti-smoking fascist movement. New York followed suit as many great cigar friendly establishments were crushed by the new laws, then their legislature went and raised the tobacco tax to devastating 85%, but thankfully like here in New Jersey, I have heard that the tax may be lowered significantly, real soon.

So it is vital that California’s people continue to defeat these dreadful and crippling tax hikes as no doubt, the other states are watching and ready to pounce after a big state like CA makes that first move. And again, while the vote was so close it was scary, (50.8% to 49.2%) the majority said, “Enough is enough of this bulls@!t!” I’ve been saying it for months and months on this blog, guys, but it is going to get tougher and tougher on cigar smokers and we have to continue to make noise, not back down, and stand up, and kick and scream and fight like patriots for our rights! So how about a thumbs up and a hell yeah to the people of the Golden State who said NO to political fascism! It sure as hell is a good excuse to smoke ‘em cuz ya gottem!

PLEASE SUPPORT Cigar Rights of America as they continue to deal with congress, the senate, and all US legislators who need to be made aware that our cigars are the best friends we know of and we will fight like hell to keep them in our lives! >>http://cigarrrights.org

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

CLICK HERE to Check out this week’s J•R CIGARS Weekly Special!

There are some definite advantages to living in a Parisian apartment. Unfortunately for me, having a built-in wine cellar isn’t one of them. Those like me, who passionately believe that drinking young wine before it’s truly ripe, is a sad, sad waste, have but two choices: either age their own wine or pay a premium [...]

Some of my early smoking consisted of the Partagas Black. This came years ago at the recommendation of Jerry from Stogie Review. Partagas fell off of my radar in recent years, until I got a sample of the 1845 in the mail from General Cigar. So without further ado, here are my thoughts…

 

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Viso

Binder: Connecticut Habano

Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan Ligero & Seco

Size: Robusto 5.5 x 49

Price: $6.49

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a rugged look, with a couple decent sized veins, but no visible flaws were observed. The wrapper had a scent of mild barnyard and earthiness, and the foot had more of a woody, spicy odor. The cigar was was solidly packed and did not give when squeezed. This accounted for a draw that was on the snug size, but it fell just within my tolerance. The pre-light flavor was dark earthiness with some bitterness, similar to coffee.

The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for about an inch.

Flavor:

The first third had pretty straightforward flavors. Earthiness and wood mixed together pretty evenly. There was an easy peppery spice that was easy to swish around the mouth and sinus.

The second third had a woody core, with a note of of bitter sweetness. The smoke feel became a little creamy, with an underlying sweetness. The peppery spice increased a little, but remained easy on the palate.

The last third basically kept the same pace as the second. The strength and body increased but remained well with the medium range. Nothing stood out over the other. Everything was just… Nice.

Conclusion:

This was a good medium bodied cigar. As you read, the flavors were very simple. Despite this, the cigar was enjoyable and relaxing. As for the snug draw, that seemed to be limited to the cigar that I reviewed. The others I smoked were fine. This would go nice with coffee, or make a good dog walker.

Ya win Some…

Well in California it went down to the wire, but fortunately sanity prevailed as voters rejected the tax increase on cigars and cigarettes.  With 100 percent reporting, a margin of about 63-thousand votes carried the day to reject the proposed increase in taxes.

There was big money on both sides in the contest.   The American Cancer Society reportedly put in over $8 million and Mayor Nanny Bloomberg who lives 3-thousand miles away put in $500k of his money to push the tax increase.  Lance Armstrong put his popularity and $1.5 million behind the measure which initially had the support of 67 percent of the voters.   But thanks to a strongly funded campaign  on our side, the measure ended up failing 50.8% to 49.2%

This was a big win in California.

Money Does Talk

In Springfield, MO, voters there did not repeal the city’s smoking ban.

The vote was 36 percent in favor and 64 percent against.  The total vote was just over 19,000.  As usual the anti-tobacco group outspent Live Free Springfield by a margin of about 4 to 1. Or they spent about $4 for every yes vote they got.  Put another way,  Live Free Springfield managed to raise about half of what the American Cancer Society alone put into the antis pockets through small donations.

While Live Free Springfield did not prevail at the ballot box, the group did get an exemption for cigar shops out of the city council before yesterday’s election.  But as we mark the anniversary of D-Day, it should  be noted that the Veterans of Foreign Wars still cannot smoke at their clubhouse in Springfield.

According to Live Free Springfield’s Facebook page,

“The greatest part of all of our work is knowing that we were on the side of Truth and not spin, of facts and not feelings, of Freedom and Rights and not control and money. That should make you ALL feel good!”

The group’s chairman,  Dave Myers, also wrote:

“Well, we did as well as we could. I want to point out that we had close to 3000 LESS votes this time than last time! There is something seriously wrong with that. That being said,  don’t give up hope. Remember, the lawsuit is still in Southern District Appeals court and we should hear something by the end of June. There are attempts on the state level, as well.

We have to continue this battle, and that’s exactly what it is. This victory for the left will embolden them. We can’t relax, unfortunately. We must continue to show them we are still here and not sitting down! There are other things coming down for which LFS will be here. Part of my Soldier’s creed is: “I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit!”

In my Army service, I continue to fight to secure our Freedoms abroad. I will also do so in service to LFS and the Springfield community. Please, continue to support us.

Stand for Liberty, stand for Freedom. Stand with Live Free Springfield, and live Free!”

They may be down, but they are not out and they will continue the fight.  That is what we need to remember.  Take the victories where we can and organize to try to get the $$$ we need to counter American Cancer, American Heart and American Lung’s big money.

If you consider the exemptions Live Free Springfield already got because of its petition push and special election, our batting average might just be .750 which is Hall of Fame for sure.

 

I am optimistic.  I think we may be turning a corner.  On Saturday night, sitting outside the Hawaii Prince Hotel in Waikiki, I was with 5 other cigar smokers. We were discussing the ways of the world and relaxing with some of the My Father cigars. You have to understand Hawaii is pretty much smoke-free everywhere and has high tobacco taxes.  (Once the smoking ban passed in the state in 2006, Japanese tourism dropped.  The governor at the time thought it was a good idea to send 40,000 ashtrays to Japanese tour operators to let them know you could smoke in Hawaii….yeah in the middle of the street.  Tourism from Japan remains down. Geniuses.)

The Prince Hotel, which is Japanese owned and caters to Japanese travelers, is more tolerant to smoking.  (There also are three bars in Honolulu which allow smoking because no one wants to enforce the ban..the cops are too busy, the Liquor Control guys have way too much work and the Health Department does not want to get involved.  The Prince, however, has a great selection of Scotches and the weather was great so that was our choice)  The hotel set up a big table for us right outside the bar and then took great care of us with drinks and pupus.  A local cigar rep has even hosted cigar parties at the property.  In our discussions, the guys said they are seeing a resurgence  in cigar smoking in Hawaii.  We are seeing it in Texas too and I believe today could be a key.

Why today?   Because there are two votes going on.  If you live in Springfield, MO or in California, get yer butt to the polls and vote.  And if you do not live there but have friends who do, call them and urge them to go vote.   California is trying to raise cigar taxes again it is Prop 29 and I’ll get into that in a minute, but first I want to write about Springfield because it gives us all hope.

 SPRINGFIELD

This special election is about individual rights and repealing a smoking ban that went into effect in April 2011.  (If approved there still would be a moderate smoking ban in Springfield, just not the current one that is so draconian that it banned smoking in cigar stores,  on stage for plays and even electronic cigarettes.) The ban was the result of an election—where the American Cancer Society spent about $9 for every yes vote it got for it.

The thing about Springfield is that the current election is due to people saying enough is enough and doing something about it.  A grass roots group – Live Free Springfield–emerged to fight the initial election. Being way outspent by the anti-tobacco groups, it lost but the members did not give up. (By the way, there is a cigar store in the group, but most members have no affiliation with the store and many are non smokers, they just believe in property rights.) They kept at it, collecting signatures for petitions to force the ban back onto the ballot.  A few weeks ago, the city council in Springfield lifted the ban for e-cigarettes and for the cigar store in hopes of deflating today’s special election.  We will know tomorrow what the result is.

 KALIFORNIA

In California, Prop 29 sounds good….hey it will fund research to cure cancer…how can you be against that?  Well the reality is the bill creates a new bureaucracy which will be funded by a 73% increase in cigar taxes and  a buck a pack additional on cigarettes.  The proponents say it will produce $735 million in new revenues.  The reality is when you raise taxes you get LESS money. The organizers even say the new tax will cut down on smoking which means less sales and fewer tax dollars.

Nevertheless, the new cash will not go to help California’s sink hole of a budget , but instead will  finance smoking research (which may or may not be in the state) and set up yet another agency to administer the funds.

This sucker is SOOOO bad, even the LA Times and a bunch of other newspapers have come out against it.

 

“Proposition 29 is well intentioned, but it just doesn’t make sense for the state to get into the medical research business to the tune of half a billion dollars a year when it has so many other important unmet needs. California can’t afford to retain its K-12 teachers, keep all its parks open, give public college students the courses they need to earn a degree or provide adequate home health aides for the infirm or medical care for the poor. If the state is going to raise a new $735 million, it should put the money in the general fund rather than dedicating it to an already well-funded research effort. Funding priorities shouldn’t be set at the ballot box.”

 

Of course the proposal’s author says the way the California legislature spends money most voters don’t trust them either.

We will know more tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

 

The San Lotano Oval is a product from AJ Fernandez. This cigar has been on my radar for months. A lot of people suggested I try it. Due to lack of availability, I just didn’t have the chance. Until now. I found some at La Habana Cigar Shop recently. Let’s see if the San Lotano Oval lives up to the hype. I paired this cigar with water as always…

 

Wrapper: Habano 2000

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua and Honduras

Size: Corona 5 x 44

Price: Around $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was velvety smooth and almost seamless looking. It had a sweet earthy smell, as did the foot. The cigar was evenly packed, and slightly spongy. The draw was a little snug, but within my tolerances. The pre-light flavor was earthy and sweet.

The burn required two minor corrections, and the ash held for about 3/4 of an inch.

Flavor:

The first third had an interesting medley of peppery spices. It wasn’t a traditional black pepper with that associated burning sensation. This was much more refined, and I lack the palate and vocabulary to describe it. After about 10 minutes, a note of dry cocoa joined the flavor profile.

The cocoa becomes more noticeable in the second third. Behind that was the medley of spices I mentioned before. There was also a slight earthy component, with very subtle floral notes. Towards the end of this third, the flavors mixed together more evenly. That floral note ended up going away entirely.

The last third kept the trend I spoke of in the end of the second third. The flavors mixed together and nothing really stood out over the other. The aftertaste was tingly and stuck to the mouth for some time.

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium bodied cigar. While the flavors were fairly common, the delivery was above average and well refined. Construction was good, as was the ash. There isn’t really anything bad to say. I will be smoking more of these.

You guys know how much I bitch, whine, & complain about cold weather, waiting for what seems like an eternity to smoke cigars outside again here in northern New Jersey. Now, obviously intense heat makes things difficult on us lovers of the leaf, as well, and you guys in the southwest & southeast sure as hell know all about it. While it can get pretty hot here in Jersey, too, it’s the humidity that can make things tough on our beloved stoags.

Ideally, in the late spring and summer months you want to keep the temperature in your home 70 – 72 degrees and the same goes for your gars. Letting it get too hot in the house is going to make those cigars get overheated and dry cigars are just awful to smoke. And the same goes for the humidity. Those of us who live in more humid climates REALLY have to watch it because too wet, too moist can make a cigar unsmokable. In just the past couple of weeks here in the northeast, it has been hot and overly humid and I couldn’t keep my cigar lit for the life of me. After re-lighting a thousand times, I switched to smaller robusto sizes as the larger sticks had too much time to absorb the moisture in the air.

When it’s humid out, it’s humid in your home, too, and in order to keep your cigars around the 70-70 mark you unfortunately need to keep the air conditioning cranking. Hey, I know all about high electric bills, but it’s your precious, hand rolled babies we’re talking about, here! Conditioning the air in your humidor is equally as important (although my wife seems to have slightly different thoughts about this.)

Here’s something important to know – the reason why we season or toast a cigar (holding a flame to the head for ten seconds or so before smoking) is to let your puro acclimate to the high heat it is about to experience. Remember that you’re taking a wickedly searing hot fire and injecting it into moistened tobacco leaves that have been sitting in a much lower temperature and a much wetter environment. Ever have a good cigar swell up and split on you? Sucks, right? Generally that happens because your cigar was either over humidified or you just rammed a flame up it’s keester without first giving it a little tender love and care. When it’s hot and humid outside, you need to really take your time toasting your smokes, letting the moisture and oils warm up within the leaves so you can experience a nice, evenly burning smoke.

Now something REALLY EVIL that can happen when your cigars get both too humid and too hot… TOBACCO BEETLES! Even though today’s cigar makers take many precautions in eliminating unwanted bugs in your churchills and figurados, tobacco beetle eggs are microscopic and naturally live in the leaves. I know that sounds gross, but if they are there, they burn and you’ll never ever notice them. But when your humidor gets to be around 80/80, those pesky little bastids can hatch and THAT is a bad deal for the other inhabitants of your cedar box. When you see pin holes in your cigar, you know the s.o.b. ate his way out and is onto the remaining smorgasbord of premium aged goodness. Beetles can ruin a lot of expensive smokes so you really need to watch your humidor everyday during the summer months and regulate the conditions the best that you can.

So, there you go, a little bit of important cigar-stuff to think about during the season of barbecues, baseball, and burning your Belindas! Be oh-so kind to those beauteous smokes of yours and they are sure to be kind right back at cha!

PLEASE SUPPORT Cigar Rights of America as they continue to deal with congress, the senate, and all US legislators who need to be made aware that our cigars are the best friends we know of and we will fight like hell to keep them in our lives! >>http://cigarrrights.org

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

CLICK HERE to Check out this week’s J•R CIGARS Weekly Special!