The Borons Cigar Blog

Happy New Year. 2013 is going to bring us a bunch of new stuff of course a lot of it is not released yet but there are a few things we can count on.

Fuente Second Century

First of all starting January first, the Fuente family is marking the 101^st year of operations.  2012 was the 100^th anniversary of when Arturo Fuente began rolling cigars on his back porch in Tampa, but for various reasons the family did not want to mark the 100^th anniversary.  Instead, Carlito said he wants to look ahead and not back so therefore 2013 is being called year one time begins…or the first year of the company’s second century.

There will be three new brands for the Fuente portfolio.  The Don Arturo Aniversario Destino Siglo will be debuting in the Spring.  It will be a high end premium, according to Carlito,  “with small production because of the kind of  quality, the special tobacco we are using.  The cigar itself it is all entubado and the runs will be very small like the Opus X.  It is going to help the retailers and help us. These are products for retailers and there are only so many Opus X we can make but the tobaccos on these will be different so they are going to have another product that they can depend upon like the Arturo Fuente Anejo Fuente Opus X.  There are going to be as hot and as sought after as the Opus X.  Ongoing but it won’t be available very day.”

Another new line will be the Angel’s Share which is an Opus X special edition.  The third new line will be the Casa Cuba.  This is an old brand the family had and one that Carlos Fuente, Sr. –Carlito’s father—wanted to bring back.  Carlos did the blend himself in 2012 and the cigars have been sitting for many months.  Says Carlito, “I have held them back. People say this is the best cigar I have ever smoked. I said don’t tell my dad that.  He is pissed at me for holding it back.  He says ‘I don’t make brands to keep it in the bakery, ya gotta sell it.’  Remember my dad was a baker for a while before he joined his father making cigars.“  The cigars will use an Ecuadorian wrapper with Dominican fillers and binder.  They will most likely be released in the summer or fall.

10 Years On

For Jose “Pepin” Garcia 2013 marks a special time as well.  It is the 10^th anniversary of when he began rolling the line bearing his name—Don Pepin—in Miami.  It also marks the beginning of the collaboration between Pepin and Pete Johnson with his Tatuaje cigars…also initially rolled in Miami.  There will be a celebration this year to mark both anniversaries and as for Don Pepin, he will be releasing a special commemorative smoke called the DPG-Limited Edition.  According to Cigar Aficionado,

It will be a one-time run of 2,000 boxes, each containing 14 cigars. The smoke is going to be in one size, 6 1/2-inches long with a 52 ring gauge. Inside will be tobaccos from Nicaragua, grown in 2007 and 2008, wrapped in 2009 Ecuadoran wrapper grown from Habano seeds.

I’ll check with Pete Johnson about what he plans and will have that at a later date. (Hey it is the holidays after all.)

Happy 70^th

And while not a business milestone, turning 70 is kind of a big deal. Nestor Miranda of Miami Cigar & Company will reach that mark on Valentine’s Day.  To commemorate the event, Nestor is releasing a special Nestor Miranda 70^th LE.  This will be a lancero coming from the two factories he has had a great relationship with over the years.   The box of 12 cigars will contain 6 lanceros from the My Father factory in Nicaragua (Pepin’s factory) and 6 lanceros from La Aurora in the Dominican Republic.

The Nicaraguan cigar uses a bark Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan fillers and binder while the Dominican version has a Mexican San Andres wrapper.  There will be only 1,000 individually numbered boxes, with 700 to be released initially and the remaining 300 boxes to sit in Miami Cigar & Company’s humidor for a later date.  The box will look like a classic car Nestor has always admired and these cigars will retail for $14 each plus local taxes.  Look for them around Nestor’s birthday, February 14^th.

I had boldly claimed on several occasions that the ancient Mayans enjoyed a little too much fire water and that their hokey calendar was basically stolen from the design on the Oreo cookie. End of the world, my ash - hey, they didn’t account for Leap Year, so according to those crazy savages the world should have imploded seven years ago. Now they know what Harold Camping feels like.

So now that we’re past that annoying twenty-twelve doomsday crapola, it’s time to move onto 2013. There’s no denying that the end of this year presented us with some painful events that not only shook our country, but the entire world. While many enjoy looking ahead to a new year filled with hope and ambition, many others revel in the fact that the present year is about to go away forever, and sometimes that’s what we need, enabling all of us to move forward. But no matter how you look at it, 2013 is upon us and I say we embrace it with the lighting of a good cigar.

I think this past year was a great year for the cigar industry as many new blends hit the market while Cigar Rights of America made some tremendous headway in their fight against the FDA. Their petition hit the 200,000 mark as cigar smokers have sent a loud message to our government that clearly says to leave our beloved hand-rolled sticks alone. We’ve had enough with over intrusive political putz’s messing with our rights and personal freedoms, and the CRA has gallantly rallied cigar lovers from Maine to New Mexico, sending the message that ENOUGH is definitely ENOUGH!

As far as excellent new cigars that have entered the JR line up this past year, I have a couple of personal faves and recommendations for you right here…

The San Lotano Oval is one hell of a flavorful smoke and if you haven’t tried it, I suggest that the time has come. This interestingly shaped premium cigar is made with the finest leaf grown and patiently aged by A.J. Fernandez, a third-generation cigar maker whose roots began in Cuba. Featuring Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers combined with a special secret ingredient, and a four-year-old Habana 2000 wrapper, the Oval has become a favorite for many experienced smokers and has drawn high marks and praise from basically all of the cigar lifestyle publications.

Another great new cigar at JR that surprised the bejeezuz out of me was the CAO Concert Series. This medium bodied stick features various Honduran and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos that work in perfect harmony with an eye-catching Ecuador Habano Rosado wrapper. With its initial note of pepper followed by a mellow sweetness, this cigar has complexity, a long finish, and a heck of a lot of delicious tobacco flavor. A must try, if you like well rolled cigars with unforgettable taste.

So goodbye 2012 and hello 2013. And while Dick Clark will no longer be ringing in the new year, we move onward and upward with the hope and ambition that has always driven us forward in our lives. Keep moving your feet and I believe that good things are bound to happen.

I wish all our friends and fans an excellent New Year and may we all continue to enjoy the hand rolled leafy pleasures that hail from Latin America. When I say “Smoke ‘em cuz ya gottem”, I mean it, people!

A Happy New Year to You All,

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

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

2012 was a good year. Site wise, traffic reached all time highs, readers have been positive, and a few haters really made it all worth while.

You know the routine… All the cigar blogs are posting their top cigars of 2012. Like previous years, I’m far too lazy for that. Below are a few cigars that stood out to me in 2012. Most weren’t even released this year. There are plenty of good cigars that I had the pleasure to smoke, but these just stick out in my mind, at this very moment.

In no particular order:

Drew Estate Liga Privada No. 9 – Due to limited availability in my area, these are a rare treat. It took a cigar bomb from good friends reminded me that the No. 9 is a must try. The T52 is great as well.

Ortega Serie D – Again, a hard smoke for me to find locally. Thanks to the generosity of a kind person, I was able to smoke quite a few of these. A nice treat.

Room 101 One Shot One Kill – This may be my favorite Room 101 blend. Flashy packaging made me want to hate it. But, the end product squashed the angry Asian hate.

Emilio AF1 – I described this cigar as “Damn good,” and I stand by that opinion. Don’t be fooled by the no frills band. This thing is complex, and packed with flavor. It’s all there.

My Father Le Bijou – This is something I smoke at least once a week. Chances are, if it’s a Friday night at Ed’s shop, this is what you’ll see me with. It’s just a great cigar.

Quesada Oktoberfest – For the second year, this has been a go to cigar. It doesn’t have the most complex flavor profile, but flavor delivery is excellent.

Casa Magna Domus Magnus – Another favorite of mine for two years. This cigar packs in flavor and complexities. I have yet to grow tired of it.

And there you have it. Here’s to another year.

If you are still stumped for presents, know that Ashton’s  new stronger La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva has finally hit store shelves.  The cigars are distributed by Ashton of Philadelphia and made by My Father Cigars—Pepin  and Jaime Garcia.  The reserva is a stronger and richer version of the popular Mi Amor line of La Aroma.  The wrapper is a very dark Cuban-seed leaf grown in Mexico while the fillers and binder are from Nicaragua.  It comes in four sizes—the Beso measuring 5.62” x 48, the Divino at 6.35” x52, the Maximo 5.5” x 54 and the Romantico 6.87” x 50.  The MSRP for the Reserva line is $8.50 to just under $10.  Of course, you KNOW where you can get them below MSRP.  Right?

Bye Bye Ban

Now here is a little gift for the holidays. On January first, one of Indiana’s strictest smoking bans was supposed to go into effect in Johnson county just south of Indianapolis.  But now it won’t.  The county commissioners voted in November  unanimously to ban smoking in all bars, restaurants, businesses, hotels and private clubs.  According to the article:

Commissioner Troy DeHart said [the decision]faced little opposition when it was originally proposed.

“I just don’t think that anybody really paid attention to it,” DeHart said. “The opposition wasn’t there.”

But people did pay attention as word got out and complaints came in prompting the commissioners to repeal what they did.

DeHart said he voted for the ban the first time around because of the adverse health affects smoking and secondhand smoke can have on the human body. But, he said, people have a choice whether they want to be exposed to smoke.

“I felt like we really infringed upon what this country was founded on. It’s not an issue of not smoking or smoking, it’s a loss of freedom,” he said. “I humbly said it more than once that I felt I made a mistake. I will stick to my guns. I made that mistake.”

Alas DeHart leaves the county commissioners this month as a new group comes in and they may try to revisit this issue.  It is why we must stay vigiliant.

Smoking Helps Joints

No this does not have to do with the new marijuiana laws, although I do find it interesting that the states now allowing people to light up joints, still freak out if a person lights up tobacco.  Hmmm, one is legal and the other, well quasi legal. Anyhow, not sure of this Doctor’s story, it could be a simply scam, but it is on the Internet so it must be true.

Anyway, this doctor cites an Australian study in which :

Researchers looked at data on 11,388 senior Australian men who were tracked for roughly a decade, and found that the heaviest smokers — those who had been puffing away for 48 years or more — were up to 51 percent less likely to need a total joint replacement than men who had never smoked.

So was it because the smokers were not obese?  They didn’t vigorously exercise? Didn’t live as long as non-smokers?  Apparently not.

Researchers adjusted for these and other factors — and came to the inescapable conclusion that the nicotine itself protects the joints.

What do ya know.

Two papers in one

UK Telegraph picture

Ok so sometimes conflicting research can get confusing.  Really?  Yeah.  Take the UK Telegraph for example.  In March of this year, beneath this lovely photo is a scary article saying :

“A review of research on alcohol and breast cancer has found that just one drink a day can increase the risk of breast cancer by five per cent.

Women drinking ‘heavily’ by having three or more drinks a day are up to 50 per cent more likely to develop breast cancer than those who abstain, it was found.

It could mean that thousands of cases of breast cancer in Britain each year are caused by alcohol.”

This is scary for women…and like the smoking Nazis…guess you had better not drink at all…  Oh wait.  The same newspaper, using the same photo just last month says if you HAVE breast cancer, drink up.

Those who drink a medium-sized (175ml) glass a day cut their chance of dying within a decade of diagnosis by a fifth – from 20 to 16 per cent, say Cambridge University doctors.

Even drinking half that cut the chance to 18 per cent, they found.

Dr Paul Pharoah, from the university’s department of public health and primary care, told  The Times that their findings suggested women should not deny themselves the odd drink.

He said: “What our study says is that it is reasonable, if you are diagnosed with breast cancer, to enjoy the occasional drink of alcohol.

So as Chris Snowdon putsit, if yu want to avoid breast cancer don’t drink, but if you do get breast cancer, then drink up.  It is like Homer Simpson says…

Have a Merry Christmas.

‘Twas several days before Christmas and all through the blog, the Zman was smoking a big ole’ Yule Log. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, with hopes that there’d be some Montes in there. On Fuente, on Punch, on Ultimate and Hoya, get me some Camacho and Pepin, oh boya… Damn, I am good with the rhymes…

In last week’s blog, I talked all about buying cigars for everyone you know during the holiday season. But I wish my wife would follow the same advice because she hates the smell of stogies with a passion and it’ll be a cold day in Hades before she gifts me with some Latino made sticks. So… yeah, I’m just gonna have to force myself to buy my very own cigars. Actually, now that I think about it, why would I want the wife picking out my precious puros when I can have a jolly old time on the JR Website www.jrcigars.com, salivating like a tobacco starved dog while visions of maduro bombs dance in my head. And the fun part is that with all the massive choices and selection of tobacco goodness, picking them out is almost as good as buying them!

While Christmas is not the food frenzy that Thanksgiving is for my family, it still is a time for the lighting of my favorite gars. After Christmas Eve dinner I’ll hang out on my brother in law’s porch all bundled up with pour of hootch and a full bodied post-meal stick. Christmas Day is at my abode, where I run a heater into the garage so the manly men of the family can enjoy pre- and post dinner hand rolled holiday goodness.

By the way, are you familiar with the holiday season best selling book that explains how Santa Claus can transport himself to every home in the world within just one night. Quantum physics expert, Raj Rajirajraj says that Santas’ magic is really a clever way of bending the time and space continuum. Through the use of meditation and chanting, his vibrational level climbs so high that he becomes literally invisible and can manipulate time and space at ten thousand times the normal human pace. Wow, my Polack brain hurts just thinking about such things. And when it comes down to it, who really cares – I just want my friggin Hess truck, okay? (And cigars… did I forget to mention that?)

Listen, no matter what holiday you celebrate, this really is a time to appreciate everything you have in your life. I do wish all our readers and fans a wonderful time with the family, great food and drink to enjoy, and of course, cigars to bring you pure smoky joy and pleasure.

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

Smoke ‘em cuz ya gottem my friends,

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

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

I picked up the Macanudo Maduro Vintage 1997 from Ed’s shop. Obviously the first thing that caught my eye was the shiny metal band. Besides being a cigar holder, it makes you look cool too. Seriously though, it is claimed that the band can be used to determine the storage condition of the cigar. If it is too tight, the cigar is over humidified. If the band is too loose, the cigar is too dry. Naturally, mine was juuust right.

The Macanudo line has evolved past the traditional golf course, status symbol cigar. I can appreciate their attempts at targeting a broader fan base. As always, I paired this cigar with water. Is this just another mild, boring Macanudo? Read on…

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Vintage 1997

Binder: Honduras

Filler: Nicaragua, Brazil, Dominican

Size: Perfecto 6 x 49

Price: $8.19

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was oily, yet velvety smooth. No flaws were seen, and it looked virtually seamless. I could only detect the smell of hay from the wrapper and foot. Overall, the cigar was consistently packed, with only a small soft spot here and there. The draw had slight resistance, which is right where I like it. The pre-light flavor was wood and coffee.

The ash held for an inch or so, and the burn required a few minor corrections.

Flavor:

The first third opened up with black coffee, but it wasn’t too bitter. In short order, dark chocolate joined in, along with an easy peppery spice. Wood and earthy notes lingered in the background.

The second third was dominated by dark, rich chocolate. It clung to the tongue and lips, and left a spicy, creamy tingle. Up next was coffee, with wispy notes of nuts and earthiness.

The last third took on a drier smoke feel. This allowed the tingly spice to stand out a bit more. It remained sweet, with cocoa and coffee. Woodiness was hiding in the background, and it appeared from time to time.

Conclusion:

This was a really good medium to full bodied cigar. I really enjoyed the rich, balanced flavor profile. This is easily my favorite Macanudo blend. The price is a little high, and the presentation is gimmicky, but it’s a very solid smoke.

Ok Christmas is only next week and if you are looking for a last minute gift (I am sure they are not sold out) you could get a very special Fuente watch.  Last week, watchmaker Hublot held a special luncheon in New York to kick off the Fuente watch.   The event was attended by former NYC mayor Rudy Guliani (a noted cigar smoker) and journalist Paula Zahn who interviewed Carlito Fuente.

Technically the watch is called “King Power Arturo Fuente” and it is in honor of Fuente’s 100^th anniversary which is this year, although the company is actually marking the occasion next year.  Hublot took Fuente’s motto “we will never rush the hands of time: and decided a watch would be a good idea.”

According to the release:

“The watch will be available by year’s endat Hublot boutiques around the world, including Santo Domingo, Bal Harbour, Atlanta, Las Vegas and more.  It comes in a genuine cigar humidor developed specially by Hublot, which is a blend of Macassar ebony and carbon.  In addition, there are 25 special edition Opus X cigars included within the case.”

If you are thinking about picking up one of these limited editions,  they run between $24,000 for the ceramic model and just over $44,000 for the one in gold.

Expensive smokes

Speaking of money, late last month an auction was held in London for rare cigars.  You could tell they were rare because of the prices they fetched.  They spent over $500,000  for the cigar, mostly Cubans.  The highest bid went for 155 Cuban Partagas cigars in a custom humidor for about $14,000. The highest priced cigar was a partial box of Cuban made Dunhills from the 1980s which fetched about $1,000 per cigar.  I really don’t think I could even light one of them for that price.

Old Dunhill

Continuing on a theme here (or another segue)  Dunhill is coming out with a new old cigar. The new Dunhill Aged Reserva Especial 2003 is a limited edition made from the 2003 crop of Dominican fillers.  Cigar Aficionado quotes the head of Dunhill cigars as saying,

“The Aged Vintage Limited Edition is very special to us, as it represents the starting point of many exciting things we are planning in 2013.”

The blend uses a Connecticut shade wrapper with a broadleaf binder.  The cigars were made at General Cigar’s factory in the Dominican Republic and then stored in a Spanish cedar aging room for a year.  It will be in one size, a Robusto Grande 5.5” x 54 and will cost $15…a lot less than the auctioned Dunhill.

Bloomberg Won’t Butt Out

Having solved all of his city’s problems with crime and the aftermath of Sandy, top smoke Nazi Bloomberg now is trying to recruit people to spy on their neighbors about, what else, smoking.  According to the NY Post:

Community groups are being asked to convince tenants and property managers to turn their private buildings into butt-free abodes — the latest front in the Health Department and Mayor Bloomberg’s anti-smoking crusade, according to a recently released “request for proposal” document.

The groups would “work with property managers, tenants, and others on adoption of voluntary smoke-free policies by housing entities reaching one to two multi-unit buildings (containing a minimum of 30 units total),” the document urges.

For their efforts, a community group will collect a $10,000 bounty — paid for out of a Centers for Disease Control grant.

This comes after banning smoking pretty much everywhere in NYC and after the Mayor and his Health Commissioner said there were no plans to expand the smoking ban to apartment buildings.  Yeah right.

“They are liars!” charged Audrey Silk, founder of the Brooklyn-based Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment. “They acclimate the public to a ban, and then they go after the final frontier of our freedom — our homes!”

The good thing is that New York has rent control which means very old leases are still in effect and they do not ban smoking.  But keep it in mind, the other side will not rest until all smoking is banned everywhere including inside your own home!

Jordan still Smokin

Michael Jordan must be glad he doesn’t live in New York…first the taxes would crimp him, but the smoking ban would be a problem for his new house.  He is building a 12.4 million dollar home in Jupiter, Florida.  According to reports he is putting in a state of the art home theater which is designed to handle large amounts of cigar smoke. I wanna go watch a game THERE.

This is a first impression review, and it exists thanks to a long time visitor to the site. You may recognize him as “JJO.” I appreciate the cigar bomb! There isn’t a lot of information out there about this brand. They do have a website, and quick search of a few cigar blogs did yield some results. I just care about the flavor and experience. Read on…

Wrapper: Honduran Habano Maduro

Binder: Nicaraguan Habano

Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: $6.80

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was dark, oily, and very toothy looking. This won’t be winning any beauty awards, but it looked nice to me. The odor of the wrapper was an unmistakable, pungent barnyard. There were some minor inconsistencies in the cigar, and it was rock solidly packed. The draw was a little snug, but within my tolerances. I picked up sweetness and earthiness on the pre-light draw.

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

Flavor:

The first third had a nice woody and peppery core. After a little time, black coffee joined in. There was a dry, bitter sweet component that rounded things out.

The second third changed up a bit. What stood out the most was coffee and dark, dry cocoa. Wood and pepper followed behind. The smoke feel remained dry and crisp.

Dry cocoa dominated the last third. Coffee followed, along with woody notes. The peppery zing didn’t go anywhere. The smoke feel didn’t change at all.

Conclusion:

This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. While nothing new was really brought to the table, I found it to be a satisfying experience. I could see this going nicely with coffee, or a variety of beverages. I’d recommend at least picking a few up if you have the chance.

SO, are you gearing up for the holiday spend-fest? Gonna forgo paying the gas and electric for a few months just to get everybody the expensive crap that they want? Were you able to find that humungous ostentatious red bow for the top of the $75,000 luxury car for the drive way on Christmas morning? And for crissakes, did you go to Jared yet? …DID YOU?

Yeah, just messin’ with you.

Okay, if you’ve been reading this blog lately, you know I’m less than joyous about the forced spending that corporate America thrusts upon the public this most wonderful time of the year. Who has the extra money or time to even shop, let alone act like you’re all merry and whatnot? Okay, a lot of us have turned into Scrooges & Grinches in this godforsaken economic nightmare, but fret not my peeps in the blogosphere, because I believe I have the answer to it all. I believe I have the sure fire cure for ending your holiday woe-fest that’ll have you singing Rudolph whike baking cookies and sucking eggnog down like Buddy the Christmas elf. You ready?…

BUY EVERYONE CIGARS.

That’s it, nothing left to see here… dilemma solved, now go back about your day and enjoy.

Guys, I said that’s it… come on now, be realistic here…  just click on JR’s website, http://jrcigars.com , pour over the endless selection of premium handrolled Latin American goodness, drool uncontrollably for hours on end, and then proceed to get everyone you know & love on your list the gift that keeps on burning. What, you think I’m kidding? Cigars are the ultimate joy in life and the most relaxing pastime ever created by the hands of mankind. I don’t care who it is, your wife, granny, the neighbor’s baby… who wouldn’t love cigars for their holiday gift? I mean, when I put it that way, it’s kind of hard to disagree… right? You know it!

And for you guys reading this who will somehow feel compelled to get the Zman a gift of some sorts… CIGARS, dammit… I want CIGARS! Hand rolled treasures that hail from the jungle covered lands of Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. I want Connecticut shade, Colorado, maduro, double maduro, quintuple maduro, dammit! I want Corojo and Criollo, leaves that are packed with flavor! I want to old guard smokes, the new guard smokes, and everything in between! Get me boxes, and bundles, five packs and singles, make my holiday so happy with everything that jingles! Cigars my friends, all I want is my two front figarados!

Okay, you get the drift… so get on over to the JR web page NOW and snap up all the holiday ligero your plastic bank card allows, because it’s what everyone wants! Um… Did I mention I’d like some cigars?

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

Smoke ‘em cuz ya gottem my friends,

 JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

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

Guayacan cigars, by Noel Rojas, is a brand distributed by Emilio Cigars. The brand lacks a proper website, but they are on the devil site FaceBook. A quick search will lead you there I’m sure. Other then that, I have very little information. Thanks to Gary Griffith for sending me some samples to try out. So far I’ve had good experiences with his stuff, so let’s see if that trend continues.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo 98

Filler: Nicaraguan Corojo 98

Size: Toro 6 x 52

Price: Around $7.00

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was oily and toothy looking, but no major flaws were found. The odor coming off of the wrapper was hay and wood. Sniffing the foot, I picked up wood, earth, and a floral note. The cigar was rock solidly packed, almost to a fault. The draw was a bit snug, but wasn’t extreme. The pre-light flavor was dark, earthy, and leathery.

The burn required a few decent sized corrections in the first and second third, but it wasn’t anything that took away from the experience. The ash held for about 3/4 of an inch.

Flavor:

The first third had no build up. I was immediately introduced to a nice pepper. It didn’t burn, but it did have some zing, along with a tingly finish. Wood, leather, sweetness, and a thick smoke feel brought balance to the flavor profile.

The second third had bitter sweetness, wood, a pinch of earth, and peppery spice. Wrapped around everything was an interesting floral component. The smoke feel remained thick, and it had a nice sweet, sticky aftertaste.

The last third didn’t have any new flavors or big changes. The biggest difference was an increase in body. The flavors were rich and balanced.

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to full bodied cigar. This thing packed in the flavors, and at times I didn’t even notice the snug draw. If I had to complain, the draw would be it. I don’t believe this afflicts them all, since the other one I smoked was fine. All in all, this was a solid cigar.