The Borons Cigar Blog

As I often do, I ran across this cigar at a local cigar shop. The Freedom is an obvious tribute to America. Since the Rocky Patel brand played a big part in my introduction to cigars, I usually keep an eye on their blends. Let’s see how the Freedom went. America, yippee yo!

Wrapper: Oscuro

Binder & Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Toro 6 x 52

Price: $7.49

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a minimal veins, and a nice oily appearance. The scent of the wrapper and foot was a rich, dark sweetness. Squeezing the cigar revealed a bit of a spongy feel, but it wasn’t extreme. The draw had slight resistance, and the pre-light flavor was dark chocolate and earthiness.

The burn required a few minor corrections. The ash was flaky, and held for about one inch.

Flavor:

The first third had a combination of dark cocoa, coffee, and zingy spice. Earthiness and wood lingered in the background. The smoke feel was heavy, but not quite creamy.

The zingy spice really calmed down in the second third. Sweet cocoa, combined with coffee, dominated the flavor profile. The tingly aftertaste was creamy and sweet. It took effort to pick up the subtle earthy and woody notes. They hid themselves way in the background.

The last third had a nice uptick in strength and flavor. It was very hearty and satisfying. The flavors were consistent with the previous third.

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to full bodied cigar. I had modest expectations, mainly due to the gimmick factor, but this one lived up to the hype. Rich flavor, good construction, and a decent price, leave little to no room for complaints. This one is worth a try.

I am truly amazed at the resilience, tenacity, and devotion that we cigar lovers possess. Here we are in a time when tobacco taxes are the highest in history and public disdain for tobacco is like nothing we’ve ever seen in our lives, yet the cigar industry keeps on smoking. It is truly amazing but this industry is growing – there are more premium brands on the market than ever before – the quality of products is better than ever – and more people are smoking premium hand rolled sticks than anyone could have EVER imagined.

I’ve had the pleasure and honor of talking and smoking with many of the dedicated people of this awesome industry and every single one of them is the same when it comes to their love and belief in their products, and their “KNOWING” that no matter what kind of roadblocks continue to be thrown in the face of the cigar world, we will overcome and triumph. They know how much their products are loved and cherished by the cigar smoking public and it’s for US that these people keep on pushing forward and making cigars – the most enjoyable pastime I have personally ever known.

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the Dinner with the Masters at the Avenue A Club in Newark, New Jersey, as the Fuente Cigar Family was honored. Representing the company was Cynthia Fuente, the first lady of cigars, and she spoke to the attendees about the joys of being in this business for so long. I personally spoke with her for a bit and asked where Fuente is headed with the tumultuous atmosphere that continues to surround the cigar community.

“Tommy, we have never been more positive, determined, and exited to be in the cigar business,” she affirmed with total conviction. “Everyone in this business – we are like one big family, and a family sticks together no matter what obstacles they face in order to live long and enjoy the prosperity that we all deserve.”

Like I said guys, no matter who I speak to, from George Sosa of Alec Bradley, Jose Blanco of Joya de Nicaragua, Rocky Patel, Christian Eiroa, Rene Castenada of Miami Cigars, or Jonathan Drew and Steve Saka of Drew Estates, they mimic the sentiment of Cynthia Fuente, word for word and you can just about see the passion oozing from their very souls when they talk about it. I’ve also had the honor of talking cigars with Frank Llaneza and Sal Fontana, two greats of this business who have since departed but their imprint on this world will not only last, but help to continue to be a driving force that keeps it all alive.

And then there’s people like Glynn Loope, the executive director of Cigar Rights of America who meets with all of the people mentioned above, as well as senators, congressmen, and business people about the rights of the citizens of America and our RIGHT to continue to choose a legal product that actually helped build this country, while it employs some 80,000 people here in the U.S. CRA has gathered over 202,000 petition signatures to date in order to stop the FDA from imposing jurisdiction and taxes that WILL eventually destroy the products we all love, as well as the livelihoods of all the people I have mentioned in this piece.

I’ll say it again, guys, we cigar smokers are a resilient, tenacious, and devoted group of individuals and it is our collective attitudes that will keep the industry alive and keep us enjoying our Prensados, Pepins, Partagas, Punch, and Perdomos. Continue to be steadfast in defending our rights and the FREEDOM that this country has ALWAYS stood for.

I urge you to 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://cigarrights.org

As always, stay smoky my friends,

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

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

The Q D’Etat line comes in three different sizes, the Molotov, Howitzer, and the cigar up for review today. What separates the Daga from the other two is the size and blend. When I saw a box of these at a local cigar shop, I had to grab a few sticks.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Arapiraca

Binder: Cuban Seed & Criollo 98

Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan

Size: Daga 7 x 44/50/54

Price: Around $9.00

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was pretty oily, with some medium sized veins, and a nice toothy appearance. Sniffing the wrapper revealed a rich, woody and earthy smell. The cigar had some lumpy spots, but it was nothing extreme. Despite the small opening at the foot, the draw was perfect, and it had a smooth earthy, grassy flavor.

The ash held for about two inches, and the burn required quite a few minor corrections. This may have been a result of a Criollo binder. Not a big deal.

Flavor:

The first third was a mixture of pepper, wood, a touch of earthiness, and a tinge of coffee. The smoke feel was dry, and left me craving water. The aftertaste had a slight bitterness.

The flavors didn’t change a lot in the second third, but they did come into focus. Each flavor stood out on it’s own, as opposed to just a mixture. The flavor profile felt more refined. A slight floral note was noticed in the background. Like before, the smoke feel remained dry, and I continued to chug water.

The last third ticked up into the full bodied, full strength range. The pepper became smooth, and had a slight sweetness. Coffee was the dominant flavor, and the others fell behind it. The smoke feel remained dry, and I craved less water.

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to full bodied cigar. It’s been so long since I smoked the other two sizes, I can’t decide which of the three I like the best. Judging from my own words, this is the only one I called “Very good” out of the three. I guess that means I liked this one the most. I think it is definitely worth a try.

It was billed as “Dinner With the Masters” and I can tell you first hand that this affair held on October 3, was a first class event that surely lived up to its name.

The scene was the Avenue A Club in Newark, New Jersey, a renovated factory from the early 1,900’s that is not your average, everyday event hall by any means. The place oozes with nostalgic cool from top to bottom with its ultra-high ceilings featuring its pipe & duct work, brick walls, hardwood floors, and, of course, the owner’s private collection of classic and exotic automobile excellence. The floors are lined with everything from Model T’s, American muscle cars, Euro-exotica, and even motorcycles from various eras. This was just a spectacular venue for a group of cigars smokers who came out to support the industry and a great charitable cause as well.

The guest of honor was the gracious and lovely, Ms. Cynthia Fuente, the woman who is affectionately known as the “first lady of cigars.” She and the good folks from Fuente made their way up to Jersey, not only to enjoy an amazing evening of camaraderie, gourmet fare, and premium hand rolled goodness, but they also collected donations for their wonderful charity – The Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, which was founded in 2001 by the Fuente and Newman families to help children in the cigar producing region of the Dominican Republic. Their heartfelt mission: providing a significant humanitarian impact to communities in the DR resulting in a better quality of life to those who experience a lack of education, poor access to health care, nutrition & who have little or no sustainable employment.

The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour of tantalizing hors d’oeuvres as we walked the show room floor, oogling and ahhhh-ing at the testosterone-laden machinery. Those poor girls parading around with the trays of buffalo shrimp, rice balls, and beef-steak couldn’t walk two feet without me pouncing on them like a jungle cat on a wounded zebra. I’m a noted gavone extraordinaire when it comes to pre-game appetizers, and I truly do apologize to anyone I inadvertently shoved, elbowed, or sent tumbling upside down into the club owner’s Shelby Cobra. My bad.

The dinner bell rung as we headed upstairs to the dining area where a goody bag filled with handrolled tobacco goodness brandishing the Arturo Fuente moniker awaited the guests. A gourmet buffet filled with delicious everything was served as well as a scotch tasting, compliments of the people at Ardberg. It was a decadent combination of upscale adult treats that had the crowd of 150 plus in the most relaxed and festive mood.

During coffee and dessert, Cynthia took to the mic, fielding questions from the guests. People were genuinely excited to talk to Ms. Fuente who afterwards greeted and took photos with every single person who approached her. I was most fortunate to spend several moments with this incredible lady, discussing the future of the cigar industry and where Fuente was headed in a world filled with anti-smoking zealots.

“We have never been more positive, determined, and exited to be in the cigar business,” Cynthia affirmed with total conviction. “Everyone in this business – we are like one big family, and a family sticks together no matter what obstacles they face in order to live long and enjoy the prosperity that we all deserve.”

The grand finale for the evening was a raffle with baskets and door prizes of luxury, including a full box of Arturo Fuente Anejos billed as one of the world’s rarest cigars, (they feature a luscious dark maduro wrapper that is carefully aged by artisans in cognac barrels.) Of course, that was the first prize to go, and I would have certainly jumped all over it as well. And again, the proceeds went to the Fuente’s foundation, garnering a record number of raffle ticket sales. I have said many times before, the cigar smoking community truly is the most generous and warm-hearted group of people on this earth.

I can tell you all first hand that this was an event for the ages and I’m sure we all agree that next year couldn’t be soon enough for another night of camaraderie, and cigar smoking excellence.

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

There is still hope.  The Michigan legislature has approved a bill that would set a cap on the tax of cigars at 50 cents and it was signed into law by Governor Rick Snyder yesterday.  The previous tax was 32 percent on the wholesale price, so for a $6 cigar, you would pay Michigan about another 2 bucks.  The legislature realized it was losing local sales to mail order and the measure would help level the playing field.  The tax cap only applies to premium cigars costing more than $3 each.

But the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association oppose the measure, saying it would increase the number of kids who try cigars and reduce the number of adults incentivized to quit.

Right it is always about the kids cause we know they go around smoking $25 Davidoffs. According to a faulty analysis the bill would cost the state almost $2 million. But the reality is the tax cap generates more money for the state.

Six other states have capped their cigar tax, which has led to increased tobacco excise and retail sales tax collections in those states, according to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, which represents more than 100 Michigan cigar shops.

The new law takes effect November first.

New Name

New CyB

The cigar came out at this summer’s trade show.  It was the Cuenca y Blanco named for Alejandro Martinez Cuenca, the owner of Joya de Nicaragua, and for Joya’s senior VP Jose Blanco.  It was the first joint effort between the two as Blanco had retired last year from La Aurora and joined JdN a few months later relocating to Nicaragua.  Well, now comes a name change.  The Cuenca y Blanco will henceforth be known as “CyB by Joya de Nicaragua”.  According to the company’s release, there apparently was a conflict with another brand.  The change is being made proactively.  According to Dr. Martinez Cuenca, “We did not realize there was any potential conflict over the name, otherwise we never would have used it to begin with.”

In order to avoid any legal challenges, JdN simply changed the name of the cigar.  Says Blanco, “We may have changed the name, but the jewel we have created continues to be exactly the same!”

The newly named cigars started shipping yesterday.

Speaking of JdN

My Uzi Weighs a Ton is a joint venture between Drew Estate and Joya de Nicaragua.  Last year the MUWAT came out and while the flavor was good, it was not a cigar I could smoke because the ring gauge was a 60.  This year,  a smaller version came out called Bait Fish in a 4″ x 44 size.  They are starting to show up in stores now and they are tasty suckers.  The wrapper is San Andres with an Ecuadorian Connecticut binder along with Nicaraguan and Mata Fina fillers made at the JdN factory.  Price is  $6.25.

Another Cigar Shipping

The Quesadas, who make the Fonseca line,  did a limited edition line this year called the Q D’etat.  The goal was to make three very limited cigars with  information for people to join the Cigar Rights of America and get involved in the fight against high taxes and the proposed FDA regulation of cigars.  The first was a Molotov perfecto, the second was the Howitzer, aq huge stick, and lastly comes the Daga ( think dagger).  The cigars started showing up in stores late last week.  The Daga is a long Salamone 7” x 44/50/54 and it uses the blend that the Quesadas had for their sold-out 35^th anniversary cigar (although there is a difference in the priming).  The cigar has an Ecuadorian Arapiaca wrapper over  a Criollo ’98 binder with Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers.  Only 1000 boxes of 10 have been made and the retail is just under 10 bucks (state taxes excluded.)

Hypocrisy in AZ

Dr. Richard Carmona was Surgeon General under President Bush from 2002 to 2006.  He was the Surgeon General who issued the report claiming that second hand smoke was a true danger.  In 2003 he told Congress that he would support a ban on all tobacco products.  In other words, a nice guy.

Well now Carmona is running for the Senate in Arizona.  He’s a democrat and turns out Carmona has a bit of ‘splaining to do.  While he hates tobacco, seems he had no trouble making money from  it.  According to the Arizona Republic, Carmona had up to $90k invested in tobacco giants Altria and Philip Morris.  He says he didn’t know he was invested in the stocks and recently sold them (when he had to file his financial statement for the Senate race.)

When he was before Congress, as Surgeon General Carmona said:

“If you are asking me, would I support banning or abolishing tobacco products? Yes. Legislation is not my field. If Congress chose to go that way, that would be up to them. But I see no need for any tobacco products in society.”

 Now he wants to be in Congress so banning tobacco WOULD be in his field…this guy does not need to be in Washington with those views.

If you smoke cigars, then you most likely have cigar buddies. Yeah, you have your set of regular pals and your wife’s friends, people from work, and people you know and associate with throughout the year. But when it comes to smoking premium hand rolled sticks, you have a select group of buds who you will call on when its time to fire up the good stuff.

Your friends who don’t smoke cigars, well, they don’t get it. They don’t understand why you love the leaf with such undeniable passion and for the most part, their wives are total pains in the ash about it. You show up invited to their summer barbecue and the first words out of the shrew’s mouth are, “You’re not going to stink up the party with your god-awful cigars are you?” And as her fellow yentas join in with great disdain, you mumble under your breath where they can cram the grill tongs, then scout the property for a place to hide out for a smoke later on. We are the pariahs of the universe and this is why we NEED our very own set of friends to blow smoke with.

What’s funny is, your so-called friends who are in your cigar circle, well a lot of them probably wouldn’t be guys you would have chosen to bond with if it weren’t for your Hoyo, Rocky, Partagas and Perdomo. There’s always the loudmouth, the know it all, the cheap bastid, and the total friggin goof – all guys you just wouldn’t have normally sought out for friendship, but it is the aged leaf of Latin America that brings you together as true to life bruthas from that utha mutha.

As I have expounded on many times before, cigar friends have a common bond like nothing else comparable in this world. Perfect strangers from various vocations, religions, ethnicities, and economic backgrounds become CFF’s  (Cigar Friends for life) and it is that burning leaf that joins us in herfosity time and time again. (Go ahead, look it up, it’s a real word… not).  The only excuse we need in order to get together is the fact that we have cigars, and I’m sure we can all agree that THAT is just a beautiful thing. Now if there’s a football game, poker, dominoes, or some freshly killed carcass to be grilled, that only sweetens the deal, because we really only need some aged leaf and a source of ignition to enjoy our smoky compadres.

If you find yourself at a mega-herf with hundreds of guys, or a big hosted cigar dinner, the place is alive with a festive flair as those strangers from only an hour before have now become colleagues, cohorts, comrades, and companions, over the intoxicating tastes and scents from places like Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. It’s a phenomenon I can’t really explain, but I don’t really have to – all I need to do is partake in the goodness and then enjoy it to the max.

While you may never get invited to your cigar pals holiday party or kid’s graduation, you’re sure to be asked to the next meeting of the My Fathers, Montecristos, and Macanudo Cru Royales because you my friend are a brother (or sister) of the leaf and the members are waiting with open arms and ashtrays.

I urge you to 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://cigarrights.org

As Always, Stay Smoky My Friends,

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

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

Swag is a line of cigars brought to you from Oliveros. It is said that “SoBe” stands for South Beach. You know, the place where all the kids like to party. Personally, I think Miami is the arm pit of Florida. But it can’t be denied that it’s a hot spot, even in the cigar industry. Anyway, I found this cigar at a local shop, and got to smoking.

Wrapper: Dominican

Binder & Filler: Dominican

Size: Toro Gordo 6 x 60

Price: $7.71

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was pretty rugged looking, with some medium sized veins, and random lumps here and there. This isn’t to say it was looked bad, just rugged. The wrapper and foot had a mild cedar and earthy aroma. Squeezing the cigar revealed some minor inconsistencies, but nothing concerned me. The draw had slight resistance, and the pre-light flavor was earthy and grassy.

The burn required a couple minor corrections, and the ash held for just over an inch.

Flavor:

The first third had a nice tingly spice that had a citrusy edge to it. Earthiness was up next, followed by a bitter sweetness, and subtle woody notes. Simple, but good.

The second third had a slight uptick in strength, but kept the same basic flavors as before. The citrusy spice stood out more, and the bitter sweetness was accompanied by coffee. Woody and earthy notes didn’t go away, but they did take a back seat.

The last third kept the same flavors, but the delivery changed. Basically everything was equal in strength. Nothing stood out over the other. It was very well balanced.

Conclusion:

This was a solid medium to upper medium bodied cigar. The flavors were simple, but they switched up and kept things interesting. All Miami gimmicks aside, this cigar delivered where it counts, and it meets the price point. I’d smoke more of these from time to time. 

Last Friday at Washington, D.C.’s “Little Puff” La Aurora began the roll out of its new Fernando Leon Cigar.  It has been shipped to stores and should be showing up in the coming days.  What is the Fernando Leon?  Well the answer is complicated.

One of the best cigars La Aurora has ever made was the Don Fernando.  It was the personal cigar of Don Fernando Leon, who took over his family’s cigar business in the 1950s.  Don Fernando stayed at the helm of La Aurora until the 90s when his son Guillermo took over.  At first, the cigar was either smoked  or given out by Don Fernando himself to friends.  It had a special Cameroon wrapper over Dominican Olor binder and Dominican seco and ligero fillers.  I still remember the first one Guillermo gave me in the 90s.  The cigar was only one size, a Number 4 or corona (5.5”x 42).  On occasion La Aurora would sell some of the “overruns” or put more simply, the cigars that Don Fernando did not smoke or give away.  In Dallas, we were lucky to get a few boxes several times a year and we snapped them up.   The packaging on the cigar was very understated, it was a standard Leon Jimenes box that simply had the words in Spanish , made especially for Don Fernando Leon.)

Don Fernando worked with Guillermo and Jose Blanco on what became the company’s critically acclaimed 100^th anniversary cigar the Cien Anos.  That cigar was released in 2003. ( While the Cien Anos came back in a limited edition this year, the company’s 107 line is another anniversary smoke marking the company’s 107th year.)

As time went on,  Don Fernando also smoked the Cien Anos and fell in love with the Dominican corojo wrapper.  He then decided he wanted a true Dominican puro for his personal cigar and the wrapper was changed to the Dominican corojo that was used for the Cien Anos.  The cigar, while different, was also spectacular.

When Don Fernando passed away in Spring 2009, son Guillermo wanted to come up with a way to release his father’s cigar to everyone.  After all, Don Fernando has honored HIS father with the creation of the Leon Jimenes line.  There was a problem though…the blend for the Don Fernando only worked in the corona size.  In a robusto, which was the favorite of Guillermo’s brother, it was a totally different cigar, not bad but just totally unrecognizable from the original. (Once as a joke, I gave one to Jose Blanco after a day of smoking and asked him what it was, he could not identify it.  When told what it was, he simply said, “See, it doesn’t work in this size.”)

Fast forward to this year’s IPCPR show and La Aurora was displaying the new Fernando Leon cigar .  The cigar comes in the traditional corona or number 4 size but also in a 5”x50 robusto, 6” x 47 corona gorda, 6”x58 gran toro and a 6.25” x 52 belicoso.  But is it the same cigar?  No.  The Fernando Leon does use the Dominican corojo wrapper  and binder but adds in Peruvian and Brazilian tobaccos to the filler.  I have not smoked a corona to compare it to the original, but my guess is the additional tobaccos were needed to keep the cigar’s flavor the same across the different sizes.  As for the pricing, the Fernando Leon will run just under $8 for the corona ( about the same price as the Don Fernando) up to just over $10 for the gran toro.

Thanks to Iconic Leaf Cigar Company for sending me a couple samples of the Recluse. I know little about this brand, but their website has some information, should you want to check them out. I am always leery of new cigar companies, since many of them are just people who fork over some cash, and get their brand name stamped on an existing cigar. That’s not to say all of those guys have bad products. I give them all a fair chance. Is Iconic Leaf just another fly by night cigar company? It appears that they aren’t. Anyway, I was happy to give their first release a try…

Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro

Binder: Cameroon

Filler: Dominican

Size: Toro 6 1/4 x 50

Price: $7.80

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

Glancing at the wrapper, the first thing that grabbed my attention was how nice it looked. No visible flaws, minimal veins, virtually no seams, and a perfect box pressed shape. Dare I say, it looked pretty. The smell of the wrapper was earth with slight barnyard. Overall, the cigar was evenly packed, with a slight tight spot towards the head. The draw had slight resistance, and a flavor of coffee and sweetness.

The burn required quite a few minor corrections, and the ash was firm for over an inch.

Flavor:

The first third had a dominant flavor of coffee. Earthiness, along with a dark cocoa, would take the spotlight from time to time. The smoke feel bordered on creaminess, and had a nice peppery zing. As I transitioned into the second third, I picked up some woody and nutty notes.

The second third kept those wispy background notes of wood, earth, and nuts. Coffee, cocoa, and sweet peppery spice mixed evenly. The aftertaste lingered for quite some time after exhaling.

The last third kept the same basic flavor profile as before. The main difference was the smoke feel, which became dry and crisp. It left a spicy tingle on the tongue, and had a tinge of sweet bitterness.

Conclusion:

This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. The flavor profile was refined, and everything fit together nicely. I didn’t pay much attention to the burn corrections, since it was on par with a typical box pressed cigar. The price point was easily met, and I think Iconic has a good debut cigar here.