Archive for the ‘Nub’ Category

A Smoky Goodbye to 2011 by Tommy Zman

Friday, December 30th, 2011

First off, wish me a happy birthday, ya slugs! Yeah, it’s today, December 30 and I don’t smell a day over 40.

Okay, I seriously ask you guys, how can it possibly be the end of another year? I remember celebrating the new millennium like it was yesterday and now that’s a dozen years ago? This is crazy! And now we’re facing a glitch in the Mayan calendar, hoping and praying that these ancient knuckleheads simply ran out of paper.

goodbye_2011-saidaonlineA hell of a lot of crap happened during the course of 2011, way too much to talk about in detail, so I might as well just stick with the cigar happenings. First off, the good people here at JR Cigars gave Steve Nathan and I our own YouTube show where we get to entertain and spread the cigar knowledge to the world. The feeling of power is somewhat overwhelming, and gratifying all-the-same. Of course when you mix a ranting, psycho Polack with a chemically imbalanced Debbie Downer of a cigar training manager, you’re going to create a chemistry that is horribly unpleasant, yet for some unexplainable reason, you just can’t stop looking at it. I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you.

As far as cigars go, JR went completely bonkers bringing in a plethora of new brands to the company, the brands you’ve been asking for, ie; Rocky Patel, My Father, Don Pepin, Jaime Garcia, NUB, La Flor Dominicana, Alec Bradley, Oliva, VegaFina, EP Carillo, CAO OSA Sol, Macanudo Cru Royale! Yeah, the list is long and deep and I personally couldn’t be happier. I am definitely gonna celebrate the new year in JR style with more smokes than I could have ever imagined enjoying. Sweet!

cra-logo-colorNow, while the good stuff was certainly good, the bad stuff was incredibly annoying. The Food and Drug Administration decided they wanted to regulate the cigar industry, treating our precious smokes in the same way that they scrutinize cigarettes. If these politico nightmares get their way, an entire industry that employs some 85,000 people will be in for the fight of their lives – so it’s up to us to fight these clueless numbskulls with every last ounce of smoke that we’ve got! January 19 is now the date that the FDA will stop taking feedback from the public on this matter and it’s up to us to make as much noise as we possibly can until then!

And now you’ve got these stooges on the Orange Bowl committee who have been bamboozled by the ancient and out of touch Frank Louseyburg of NJ and his smoke Nazi cronies. Our good friends at Camacho Cigars had a 3-year deal with the Orange Bowl to be an official sponsor of the game which included outdoor smoking lounges at the event. But three holier than thou senators stirred up a bunch of health organizations and bullied the Orange Bowl Committee and the NCAA, getting Camacho tossed out as a sponsor! Of course the Bowl organizers used the lame and shameless excuse of what a poor message a cigar company would send to kids, but somehow it’s okay for collegiate sports to advertise alcohol, fast food, and the pill that makes you call the doctor after 4 hours. From what I understand, a rum company is an official sponsor of the game, which is a hypocrisy that has us all shaking our heads. What kind of message does consuming alcohol send to our children? The message is simple: when enjoyed responsibly by adults in moderation, all of these grown-up products should be allowed to do business under the name of freedom in these here United States of America.

So what’s up for 2012? Well this FDA thing is looming and we need to educate, get the word out, and fight these fascist legislators with everything we’ve got. And while the crap keeps hitting the proverbial fan with new anti-smoking laws and continual tax hikes on our cigars, new brands will continue to come out this year as our industry will stick together like never before.

So, that’s it from the great state of Jersey, guys. You and I will be talking again next year for sure!

TZ.Sig.2

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

Cain Nub Maduro

Thursday, December 30th, 2010

I don’t remember where I picked up the cigar up for review today. I have had mixed feelings about the Cain line. I always felt they focused on power over flavor. I couldn’t tell you if there is any difference between this cigar and the regular Cain Maduro besides the obvious – size. I do know I am a fan of the Nubs, so I figured why not. Let’s see how the Cain Maduro treated me.

 

Wrapper/Binder/Filler: Nicaragua

Size: 4 x 60

Price: $5.75

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper didn’t have any flaws. A few bumps and some small veins are about all you notice on this dark wrapper. The odor I got off of the wrapper and foot was a sweet earthiness. Overall it was rolled evenly and was pretty densely packed. This did not affect the draw, which was free with only slight resistance. The pre-light draw had notes of wood, earthiness, and mild spice.

The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for about two inches.

1_Cain Nub Maduro

Flavor:

The first third was pretty consistent and not very complex. I picked up on earthiness, pepper, and coffee. When passing smoke through the sinus, there was that familiar “Nic Zing,” or peppery spice. I passed a whole draw through the nose and it did not melt my face. Finally, there was an ever so faint sweetness that I attribute to the maduro wrapper. The smoke feel was dry, but there was plenty of volume.

2_Cain Nub Maduro

The second third kept the same core flavors as before – Earthy, coffee, peppery spice. There was a sweet note somewhere in there as well. The pepper increased in strength. I couldn’t exhale an entire draw through my nose anymore. It was still pleasant overall.

3_Cain Nub Maduro

The last third remained pretty much like the second third. There may have been an added woody component, but it was hard to pick out. Otherwise, no real changes.

4_Cain Nub Maduro

Conclusion:

This was a good full bodied cigar. I enjoyed this one more then the regular Cain Maduro. I couldn’t tell you why I liked this one more, and who cares anyway. The flavor profile was fairly simple and one dimensional, but it just seemed to hit the spot. I had no crazy nicotine buzz, and the power didn’t drown out the flavors. Overall, I think it is worth trying.

Nub Maduro Review & A Rant

Friday, June 12th, 2009

NubLive I’m a fan of the Nub line for sure, so Matt and I were looking forward to meeting Sam Leccia, the creator of Nub cigars. No fault to Sam, unfortunately the Nub Live event on June 6th was a wash and insulting. It was held at a tobacco warehouse in Tampa.

It turns out, you had to buy a minimum of one box. No singles, no 5 packs. Oh, and it was cash only. What is this, the 60’s? Add to that a very uninviting environment. I have “Not felt” a cigar event as much as this one. I’m not buying a box of a cigar I’ve never had.

Despite Sam being a nice guy and offering us a free cigar, we decided after 15 minutes to go down the street and purchase a few Nub Maduros at a place that didn’t require a minimum of $107.00 in cash. Although Sam was positive and nice, the negative incompetent people around him spoke volumes over his easy going personality. This reminds me of an experience another cigar reviewer had. Read about it here. I believe Sam’s vision of what Nub Live is about is sometimes being ruined by incompetent bookers and venue staff.

 

Now that the rant is off of my chest, I sat down with a glass of water, a fresh palate, and smoked another Nub Maduro for this review. Let’s see how it turned out.

 

4Nub MaduroWrapper: Brazilian Maduro

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: 60 x 4

Price: $6.00

Pre-smoke and construction:

The Nubs in general have good construction. This one was no different. The dark wrapper had small veins and had the smell of hay or grass. The foot had a similar smell with an added sweetness. When squeezing the cigar, a few soft spots were found, but nothing alarming or unusual. The pre-light draw was free and had an earthy taste.

I did no burn corrections, and only ashed once. As with all Nubs, construction was top notch.

 

 

Flavor:

The first third opened up with a simple earthy flavor. A slight peppery spice was detected when passing through the sinus. Although simple, it was easy and wasn’t bad.

1NubMaduro

The second third showed a decrease in earthy flavors. There were short bursts of a dry mocha. Sort of like the chocolate powder you put in milk. A slight peppery taste remained in the background. An ashy flavor crept into the mix, and wasn’t a pleasant taste.

2NubMaduro

The last third didn’t go to well. I still got bursts of dry mocha, which was enjoyable. Unfortunately, ashy flavors overtook it most of the time. The smoke began to irritate my mouth and back of the throat.

3NubMaduro

Conclusion:

I know what some of you are saying… “Tom is just mad about the Nub event and is slamming the cigar.” On the contrary, I have no ill feelings towards Sam or Nub in general. Re-read the rant. My beef is only with the venue staff and whoever books the Nub Live events. I’ll smoke a Nub Habano or Connecticut any day. They are good consistent smokes. There is another Nub event later this year in Tampa, and I’ll be sure to check it out since it will be at a reputable cigar shop.

The Nub Maduro fell into the medium body range. I guess it just wasn’t what I expected from a maduro cigar. It seemed one dimensional and I am not a fan of ashy tasting cigars. I have a feeling a little age may have done this cigar some good. Unfortunately, the Nub Maduro’s that I smoked didn’t offer an enjoyable experience. If I run across them again, I may try another. If it turns out any better, I will be sure to update the review.

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