Archive for June, 2010

June 2010 Cigar Site Of The Month-MikesStogies.com

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

MikesStogies.com is a new site, and I usually wait awhile before I brag about new cigar blogs…

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Why am I reluctant to brag about new cigar sites? This small rant will explain.

But this guy started out with a good approach. He is posting content on a regular basis that fits with his lifestyle. This means he didn’t start out with new content every day in order to get high ranks on Google. This would give readers a false expectation from the start. Only time will tell the future of this site, but I think it will be around awhile.

Go check out Mikes Stogies for good honest written reviews. He also is dabbling in video reviews, which I enjoy.

Fogo – Connecticut

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

Fogo is a fairly new brand from the same guys who own Brazil Cigars and Tobacco. If that sounds familiar, these are the same people who make Dona Flor Brazilian puro’s. I’m a huge fan of those cigars. Ed and I have reviewed them a few times. When Dana Sheldon, the president of the company, came to Ed’s 5th anniversary celebration, he let me know of this new line. I was surprised that there was not a drop of tobacco in it from Brazil. What does Fogo mean? I think it translates to “Fire.” Hence the volcano on the band. Dana was kind enough to give me samples of two blends, the Connecticut and Habano wrapped version. Stay tuned for that review. In the mean time, I offer you my thoughts on the Fogo Connecticut. As always, I paired this cigar with PUR filtered water.

 

Wrapper: Connecticut seed grown in Ecuador

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: 5 x 54

Price: Around $5.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The light brown wrapper had a nice appearance with minimal flaws. A few small veins and a little bit of a toothy appearance is about it. The wrapper had an odor of earthiness and natural tobacco, while the foot had more of a wood with mild spice aroma. The cigar was very firm and evenly packed. The pre-light draw was a little snug, but within my tolerance. The pre-smoke taste was toasty and woody.

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

1FogoConnecticut

 

Flavor:

First third was mild in body with simple flavors. Mild earthy notes were in the background. A toasty nuttiness was up next, with a slight peppery spice on the retro-hale.

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The second third was very similar to the first, but there were some differences. Some draws had a creamy feel, and others were crisp and toasty. Passing smoke through the nose, that spicy pepper slightly increased in strength. The smoke coated the inside of the mouth and the body increased into the upper mild range. Otherwise, the earthy and nutty flavors were the same.

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The last third increased in strength a little. Although the flavor profile didn’t really change, it seemed more refined and smooth. The smoke feel became a little creamier with a nice spicy aftertaste.

4FogoConnecticut

Conclusion:

This was a good mild bodied cigar. The flavors were simple but good. If I were to complain, the flavor profile was one dimensional and similar to many Connecticut wrapped cigars. Personally, I really enjoy this smoke with coffee. This is quite a departure from my coveted Dona Flor brand, but I see the market that this cigar is aimed at. If you like mild and reasonably priced cigars, I would have to recommend the Fogo Connecticut.

Hey “Man”…

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

Testosterone is a wonderful thing, don’t you think? Flexing our “guyness” is something we need to do from time to time as we go through the daily grind of working, taxes, and paying bills. Camaraderie amongst other members of the male species and grunting like the apes that we are is a crucial part in the preservation of our collective psyche. Okay, thankfully we’re not gonna fling our crap at one another – I mean, evolution has brought us to a slightly higher standard – but we will congregate and do all the stereotypical things that men do when brought together in a most manly environment.

So here we go…

tetrick3Take hundreds and hundreds of manly men and put them around huge barbecue pits – burgers, dogs, sausage and chicken searing over the hot coals as the air is filled with the smoke of charring animal flesh. Now tell the guys that they can have all the icy cold beer that they can wash down their eager gullets. Then give them a bag completely chock full of premium hand rolled cigars and let them know they can smoke in public to their hearts delight. Maybe bring in a couple of spectacular Playboy playmates to fraternize with for several hours. Oh yeah, motorcycles – toss a bunch of custom hogs into the mix because a man needs to be surrounded by outrageously crafted machines. Now tell the guys that they can gamble… let’s see, how about horse racing? Yeah, that’s cool right?

So let me get this all straight…

cuban_cigars_spainWe gather several hundred guys, feed them barbecued meat, give them ample amounts of golden nectar, load them up with fine cigars, toss in a couple of centerfold gals & custom bikes, then let these boys roam the grounds like crazed primates, throwing their money down on highly trained athletic equines. Sounds like the ultimate fantasy that every upright walking male creature would kill to be a part of, right? Well, there’s no need to whack anybody to experience this kind of hedonistic day of decadence, all you needed to do was attend Meadowlands Madness that took place this past Friday night in northern New Jersey.

Playboy BunnyDon’t you remember a few weeks ago I wrote about this amazing upcoming event and I said that I don’t care where you live, it would be worth the trip to partake in the festivities? Well I was right, and if you didn’t show, well all I can say is that  there’s always next year. I could also say that you blew it big time, but don’t worry bro, I won’t rub that in your face.

You know, I’ve been associated with the good peeps at JR Cigars for quite a while now and the one thing that’s for sure is that everything they do is centered on giving the customer the best smoking experience possible. And I can tell you that without a shadow of a doubt, the Meadowlands Madness event was as fun and awesome as any cigar shindig you’ll ever attend. Everyone was in a great mood, stuffing their faces, guzzling their favorite swill, and toking the hand rolled beauties that came in everyone’s $230 value goodie bag. Can it possibly get any better? Yeah it can.

mm-headerI was asked by the JR staff to pose in the winner’s circle photo after the fifth race and award the winner a trophy. So I’m standing at the finish line and here comes my two horses, one and two for the exacta paying $100! Wahoo baby! So as I’m posing with the driver and the owner, the PA announcer says, “And awarding the trophy to the winner is the Zman from JR Cigars!” Then I look at the tote board and the it says ZMAN in gigantic letters! What a friggin pisser. Thanks a ton to my good buddy, Steve Nathan! You rock, my brother.

So if you didn’t get to attend, well, hopefully we’ll do another and you’ll wise up and get your lame-ass carcass to the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Until then, this is the your gluttonous and hedonistic purveyor of manly goodness, signing off.

Tommy Z.

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

St. Pete Cigar 5th Anniversary Recap

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

On July 5th, 2010 St. Pete Cigars celebrated it’s 5th anniversary. Needless to say it was a great success and many people took part in the celebration. You’ve heard me time and time again speak positively about Ed’s shop, so I’ll get right to the topic at hand.

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There were plenty of sponsors who donated cigars for everyone. The Dona Flor guys Tom (Left) and Dana (right) were there with their new Fogo line of cigars. They were more then generous with the freebies and got into the spirit of things all day.

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Our local Perdomo rep John (below, 3rd from the right) gave away posters and cigar after cigar.

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And it didn’t stop there. Alec Bradley, Ashton, CAO, Camacho, JC Newman, LaFlor Dominicana, General Cigar Co., Oliveros and Gurkha all donated cigars and swag. There was so much stuff to give away that Ed had to hold raffles about two times an hour.

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Ed kept food stocked throughout the day, and the cigars never stopped. So make sure to pay Ed a visit next time you are in the area. I haven’t broken out an amazing slide show in awhile. So here it is:

Rocky Patel – Patel Bros.

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

The Patel Bros. line is a collaboration between Rocky and his brother Nish Patel. A unique feature of this cigar is the wrapper, which was grown in Pennsylvania. I tend to be a Rocky Patel whore at times, so I had to get my hands on this to try. After purchasing, I let them sit in my humidor for at least a couple of months before this review. As always, I paired this smoke with water and offer you my thoughts.

 

Wrapper: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: Toro 6.5 x 52

Price: Around $6.50

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was very nice looking, with no real flaws and a few small to medium veins. The wrapper had a sweet earthy barnyard odor, while the foot was more of a rich soil. The pre-light draw had slight resistance, and had a sweet earthiness with slight spice. I found a few hard spots here and there when pinching the entire length of the cigar.

The burn requires a couple major corrections in the first third, but evened out. The ash held for about an inch.

1PatelBros

 

Flavor:

The first third opened up with a simple tobacco taste accompanied by a smooth spicy pepper. It didn’t take long for sweet coffee notes to kick in. It reminded me of coffee with a touch of sugar. After about 1.5 inches in, mocha or cocoa-ish flavors were noticed.

2PatelBros

The second third kept that nice peppery edge. It had a small punch but wasn’t very strong and had no harshness. It was what I like about tobacco from Nicaragua, that “Nic-Zing” if you will. Coffee flavors were up next, with a coco-ish sweetness coming in afterwards. Lastly… There were slight notes of earth or leather.

3PatelBros

The last third had a dominant coffee flavor. The pepper fell back a little and wasn’t quite as strong as before. The sweetness would come and go. The aftertaste was earthy and leathery. All the while, it did keep some of it’s zing when exhaling through the nose.

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Conclusion:

This was a good upper medium to full bodied cigar. I wouldn’t call it a WOW cigar, but it wasn’t bad by any means. If this sounds like it’s up your ally, my pals over at Tex Cigars and Bonita Smoke Shop have em. I’d smoke these again if I run across them again. My final verdict is – Give them a try.

The Allure of A Fine Old Cuban Cigar

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
Cigar auctions are a cool thing. You sip Champagne, smoke a Cuban cigar and bid on rare and not-so-rare smokes. At least that's what happened on Monday night at the C. Gars Ltd. Boisdale of Belgravia in London. Owner Mitchell Orchant put together an impressive selection of more than 170 different lots of cigars from current production to century-old smokes, with plenty of Cuban Davidoffs, Cuban Dunhills, pre-embargo sticks and rare humidors in between.

Best Dog Walking Cigar

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
A friend of mine always has a clever way to critique his cigars. The other day he commented that his favorite "dog walking cigar" is the Acid Blondie. Who knew there is a perfect dog walking cigar?!? Well, it's my assumption there is a perfect cigar for every little thing we do each day!Smoke 'Um if you got um!Stan the cigar man.

Best Dog Walking Cigar

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
A friend of mine always has a clever way to critique his cigars. The other day he commented that his favorite "dog walking cigar" is the Acid Blondie. Who knew there is a perfect dog walking cigar?!? Well, it's my assumption there is a perfect cigar for every little thing we do each day!Smoke 'Um if you got um!Stan the cigar man.

Best Dog Walking Cigar

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
A friend of mine always has a clever way to critique his cigars. The other day he commented that his favorite "dog walking cigar" is the Acid Blondie. Who knew there is a perfect dog walking cigar?!? Well, it's my assumption there is a perfect cigar for every little thing we do each day! Smoke 'Um if you got um! Stan the cigar man.

Best Dog Walking Cigar

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
A friend of mine always has a clever way to critique his cigars. The other day he commented that his favorite "dog walking cigar" is the Acid Blondie. Who knew there is a perfect dog walking cigar?!? Well, it's my assumption there is a perfect cigar for every little thing we do each day! Smoke 'Um if you got um! Stan the cigar man.

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