Hi Everyone,
I’m rarin’ to come back with some great cigar reviews. But I’ve been sick as a dog. I don’t think I ever got this sick, from the flu, in my adult life. I’m sure my advanced years didn’t help but man, oh, man…It was like a frontal assault and my body was Normandy, France.

I’m finally feeling better after this onslaught of infection and virus that lasted 10 days and counting….but things still taste funny and my head has become a phlegm spigot via my schnoz. (Are you eating your sandwich right now?)

Be patient my lovelies. A few more days and you can kick me around like an old, empty creamed corn can.
Woo Hoo!

Wrapper: Undisclosed
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Size: 6 x 50 “Toro – Box Pressed”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $17.75

It’s good to be back after 2 weeks of having the pandemic flu that is racing through Wisconsin.

I made a decision to rescind my position about posting after-review rock anecdotes. Many readers have told me how much they enjoy them. But I’ve found it a little irritating, that while complimenting me about the stories, they manage to tell me they enjoy the stories more than my reviews. Gee. Thanks. LOL. Give the public what they want.

I’ve written hundreds of stories. There is nothing left to mine. So what I am planning to do, as I have done with this review, is amend an older story. Details have been remembered that were not so at the time of the original posting. So I believe I can freshen up the stories by adding things I remember that the story triggered. This is better than just copying and pasting an old story. I hope that both my long time readers and new readers enjoy the de-canonized rock n roll stories.

One last note….I am working on a big project that involves J.C. Newman Cigar Company. Julius Ceaser Newman was my grandfather’s best friend. Both from Hungary. Both settled in Cleveland. And, of course, both Jewish.
Julius was older than my grandfather but I remember in the 1950’s, that whenever my gramps visited from Cleveland, Julius came too. I loved my grandpa very much but I looked forward to seeing Julius just as much. He was a gentle and kind man and between the two of them, they spoiled me rotten; to my parents’ dismay.

After Julius’s death, my gramps was inconsolable. My grandfather outlived Julius by 20 years. And he never stopped talking about his best friend that whole time.

I would take long walks with the both of them and they let me hold a cigar in my mouth so I could feel like a big kid. I was sworn to silence about this. Although, now and then, my grandfather let me take a few puffs from his cigar and the Katman was born.

I’ve become pen pals with Bobby, Drew, and Eric Newman. They kindly sent me two books. The first is only one of only100 left in existence. Mint condition. It is Julius Ceaser Newman’s autobiography named “Smoke Dreams.” It is a first edition published in 1957. See below.

The other book is an autobiography of the sons’ father; Stanford J. Newman…called “Cigar Family.” Both books are full of wonderful photos and information on this American cigar dynasty. See below.

I am working on a very big magazine article that may have to be published in two or three installments. It’s been great therapy and I already have 43 pages of outline written. At the rate I’m going, it is going to a minimum of 15,000 words. And I hope to shed some light on this amazing family that most cigar smokers are not aware of.

Today we take a look at the 1502 XO Toro.
At the time of this cigar review, I could not find another single review. My benefactor of this gift cigar must have gotten the cigar early because I got it before the release date. As 1502 is a New Breed style blender, I’m sure that the stick is ready to go.

BACKGROUND:
Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A., Nicaragua
Debuted at the 2015 IPCPR trade show but not released until March, 2016. This was 1502 boxes of 10 that went to handpicked stores. The balance of cigars will be released in April or May. Other sizes are to come later.

I’ve had my cigar for a few weeks, so my benefactor somehow got a hold of these sticks prior to the official release.
This is the first limited production cigar in the 1502 line.
The only thing that Enrique Sánchez Icaza will say about the leaf stats is the blend contains 18 year old tobacco. He also said there is some Nicaraguan tobacco in there as well.

According to Cigar Federation web site:
“Debuting at the 2015 IPCPR, the first year 1502 XO cigar is here! Each year the vitola is planned to change, with the first iteration being a 6×50 Box-Press Toro. There are only going to be 1502 boxes of 10 made each year and each box will be numbered, with each cigar also being numbered inside its respective box.

“Enrique has not disclosed much about the tobaccos used in this cigar, except that the binder and filler have been aged for 18 years.”

Each cigar shows a serial number. Mine is #005288. As the first release contained 15,020 cigars, mine was made in the first third stage of production.

From Global Premium Cigars web site:
“I have always strived for perfection in my life. Perfection cannot always be rushed. The 1502 XO achieves the perfect balance of flavor and strength, attained, in large part, by the use of well-aged, rare 18 year old tobacco. Let the 1502 XO, our masterpiece, help you relax and enjoy the wonders of what life has to offer.”
(Enrique Sánchez Icaza)

DESCRIPTION:
This is one beautiful cigar. A crisp box press with sharp corners. Almost perfectly square. A solid cigar but with just the right amount of give when squeezed.
I can only assume that the cap is a triple but it is so flawlessly constructed, it is impossible to count. It is a little off kilter but no matter.
Seams are nearly invisible. The very oily wrapper’s color is that of a dark chocolate candy bar.
I can only see a few small veins.
The foot is partially closed.
The cigar band is stunning. A gold background with black and red lettering. Very classy.

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I can smell barnyard, bittersweet dark chocolate fudge brownies, red hot pepper that makes me sneeze twice in succession, espresso, dried fruit, some kind of berry, and cedar.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell big floral notes, dark chocolate, spice, orange citrus, cedar, coffee, fruit, and a very strong dose of wood.
The cold draw presents flavors of sweetness, dark chocolate, spice, cedar, raspberry, and citrus.

FIRST THIRD:
I hate defiling this work of art. Such a beautiful cigar…as it should be for $18.
As I only have one stick, I know not if troubles await me in the burn process. I always have burn issues with box pressed sticks.
Here goes…

I use a single torch flame to burn the exterior of the wrapper with pin point accuracy to toast the foot. Thereby allowing the burn to go inwards instead of torching the whole foot and just crossing my fingers. After getting the exterior going, I put the cigar down to rest and allow it to cool hopefully ensuring an even burn line. This method gives me more control of the burn.
So far, so good.

My palate is heightened after such a long break without a cigar.
First flavors up are: Milk chocolate, creaminess, low level spiciness, strong cedar, and malt. Lots of malt.

The char line is behaving nicely. Of course, I’m keeping an eagle eye on it.

I think it’s pretty cool that my cigar was made in the first third of the run as opposed to the latter part…as the number on the cigar band testifies to.

The char line needs its first minor touch up. I used to be of the opinion that box pressed cigars were cool, Daddy-O. But I have better luck with the char line on a round cigar.

The red pepper ratchets up. It is now singeing the hair in my ears. I no longer have nose hair as my testosterone level, at my age, has dropped to that of a 6 year old girl. A 6 year old girl with a moustache.

Taking my time with the cigar. Only a few puffs every minute or two. I want to savor this $18 cigar. But at this point, it behaves like any $8-$10 cigar. Good, but nothing special.

I’m getting some interesting flavors now: Cherries Jubilee on vanilla ice cream. I know that’s pretty wild but it unlocked a memory chip in my brain. My folks went out to eat every Friday when I was young. Three of the four eat outs, we went to a chain restaurant but once a month, we went to a classy joint. Red leather booths accented with black leather, dimly lit, all male waiters, etc. You even got a relish tray which was always my favorite part. But I always regretted chomping down on that green onion in the tray.

After dinner, my pop always treated us to cherries jubilee. I do believe that some sort of liqueur was used but the alcohol was burned away by the flame. I can still taste those delectable cherries coating the rich vanilla ice cream.
So, short story long…that is exactly what the cigar presents at the moment.

The chocolate takes on several flavors. There is dark bittersweet. There is the fudge you put on ice cream. And Oreos.

A significant sophistication kicks in. Complexity, only 1” in, elicits delicious flavors and character.
Here they are at the 1” burned point: Chocolate, red pepper, creaminess, cherries jubilee, vanilla, cedar, slight smokiness, roasted nuts, coffee, a touch of toffee, and lots of malt= Biscuit Malt, Cara Vienna Malt, Chocolate Rye Malt, Chocolate Wheat Malt, Coffee Malt, and Smoked Malt. (See Malt Chart).
Strength has been medium body.

The cigar smoke output is heavy.
The creaminess surges. In fact, all of the flavors surge at this point…1-1/2” burned.
But I can’t help but think while smoking the 1502 XO Toro, does the character reflect the price point? No. It doesn’t. I don’t care if they got a hold of 18 year old tobacco. I’ve smoked plenty of well-aged cigars that don’t come close to this price.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 30 minutes.
Strength is edging towards medium/full.
I’m finding that the constant touch ups to the burn line is becoming aggravating. An $18 cigar should have a pristine, razor sharp char line.

The 1502 XO Toro is an interesting cigar but it needs some oomph. I did find another review and the writer only found a handful of flavors.
And as I near the halfway point, the large array of flavors begins to dissipate.

You can take a gander at “The Katman’s Best 210 Boutique Brands/Blends in the $6-$11.00+ Range” and find every single cigar as good, or better, than the 1502 XO Toro…and for a lot less dough.

I had high hopes for this blend. It sounded perfect on paper. I’m going to find out that this cigar blend will shine in the last third.

Of course, at best, this cigar only has a couple of months age on it. Being one of the first rolled helps, naturally. And I’ve had it for a few weeks. But maybe this is an Old School type of blend that needs a lot of humidor time. I think this is why there are only a couple reviews up and running. The lucky reviewers who are supplied cigars by Global Premium Cigars have the opportunity to give the cigar a run for its money; testing its viability for review and discovering it ain’t ready.
I reach the halfway point at around 45 minutes.

The raspberry element comes and goes.
The malts rule the roost now. Followed by creaminess, chocolate, coffee, cedar, nuts, raisins, and a touch of shortbread.
The 1502 XO Toro seems to be morphing.

That berry flavor is becoming an important component. It gives off a sweet and tart flavor that is welcome in this confused flavor profile.
I can’t believe that this is all there is to an $18 cigar. It just has to be Old School requiring at least 6 months of humidor time.
Strength hits a steady medium/full body now.

The char line is a crime to humanity:

The cigar band is removed leaving sharp creases from the box press.
My palate is so clean and fresh, from not smoking a cigar in over two weeks, that I believe it is the reason I taste so many variations on a theme from the 1502 XO Toro; compared to other reviews.

No matter what I do, the char line refuses to behave. Who knows how much damage constant torching the foot affects the subtleties and nuances that this cigar may have produced.
The balance is way off. The finish is very short…except for the berries and the malts.

I really miss the red pepper. There is no discernible spiciness at all. I’m a spice junkie and for me, it makes or breaks a cigar. Of course, the old Cuban cigar makers think that the process to make a cigar spicy is heresy. But that is what the American palate likes.

In the photo below, you can see how the cap is dismantling from the cigar:

To say I am underwhelmed is an understatement.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is an hour.
Strength remains at medium/full.

Now I feel very badly for the reader that sent me this expensive stick. I had pinned my hopes on coming back with a spectacular cigar to review.

If they flavors don’t explode in this final third, you will see that reflected in my rating of the 1502 XO Toro.
Sure enough, flavors are now a bucking bronco.

The red pepper returns and gives the blend the zest it so sorely needs.
The list of early flavors returns intact.
The strength pushes into full body territory.

The balance coalesces. The finish is long and chewy. I can feel and taste all those flavors on my teeth. And the complexity is where it should have been much earlier in the cigar experience.
Because I missed writing so much over these two weeks, I plan to review another cigar tomorrow that buddy, Eric Anderson, sent me. Fingers crossed.
I take a couple of huge puffs and the pepper hits me like cold symptoms: runny nose and watery eyes.

And then disaster. The flavor profile lays there like my first wife on our honeymoon. A flounder.
The 1502 XO Toro becomes a bit harsh. And hot.

I really did want the 1502 XO Toro to be a stunning experience. I am really disappointed in its performance.
Construction is that of a cheap cigar. Same goes for the burn line.
Flavors are inconsistent.
Sorry Global Premium Cigars. I wanted to make you proud but your product let me down.

RATING: 83

And now for something completely different:
It was around 1983 and I was still under the mentorship of Hall of Fame drummer, Hal Blaine.

Hal got me sessions all over L.A. And this day, it was a national Chevy TV commercial. It wasn’t until 1991, that Chevy started using Bob Seger’s tune “Like a Rock.” And it was used for nearly 10 years. But this session was 1983. The pre-Bob Seger period.
Hal bypassed the red tape and got me my union card for my first gig. I was only to be paid scale until Hal stepped in and talked to the man in charge.

You don’t get residuals when you are a newbie. If you are a musician that the client really wants, they negotiate and you get a flat fee for the recording and some sort of royalty each time the commercial is aired.

My musician cousin, and reed playing legend, Fred Selden, became a millionaire doing TV commercials and TV shows. In his younger days, he would do three sessions per day and those royalty checks kept on coming in during the summer reruns. He split his time doing TV, movies, recording albums, and commercials. He told me he got around $600 per show. Back in the day, TV show seasons were around 18-20 shows. That means a total of around $12,000. And he got another $400 for each rerun. Another $4800. So for around 80 hours of work, he got $210 per hour. And this was in the 1980’s!

I think I got $268 for the one session. When called back for another Chevy session, Hal fixed it so I got around $500 for the session and royalties. I literally lived on those royalties for a year. That’s as much as Chevy would budge on the duration of royalties. Even though they used the same music for a couple of years.

Here is the reason I chose this topic….During the second session, a very well-known studio reed player was drunk. And doing coke.

Musicians at this level of power and prestige don’t put up with any shit. And 90% of the time, the first take was the only take. A little rehearsal and everyone was ready to go. Most times, they didn’t even rehearse. They were all brilliant sight readers and all they needed was a piece of sheet music put in front of them and it was a done deal.

I had to study my ass off to get to that level of musicianship. Thankfully, commercials were usually simple…but then now and again…the bass line was the heartbeat of the song. Hal would always sneak me the sheet music ahead of time so I could practice. Those years taking bass lessons from another Hall of Fame Side Person: Carol Kaye really came in handy.

I did have a leg up on this though. Having my recording studio for several years had prepped my properly for this. I played close to thousands of sessions in my own studio. Bands would come in missing a bassist and would ask me if I knew anyone? I raised my hand. Played them some samples, gave them my resume; and I was hired.

I would produce the session, guiding the musicians, singers, and my engineer; and then come back late at night and sit in a dimly lit booth and record my part while being all alone. I found out many years later that is how McCartney did his bass lines once they stopped touring and began composing the best songs in the world.

The next day, the band would come in to hear what I had done. I not only played the perfect bass line but did a rough mix. While the band had to get the recording part done quickly, to save money, I had all night to play around with my bass lines. There is something magical about a dimly lit studio in the middle of the night with just you and your bass and the recording equipment. It sometimes became a pain in the ass being player and engineer and producer at the same time, but I didn’t have to rush things and all musicians know that being relaxed gets the most out of a good player.

Back to Chevy. The reed player was playing tenor sax that day. And he kept screwing up and laughing. The conductor lost patience with this after a few bad takes. He brought the guy into the booth and we could see him reading the riot act to this drunken buffoon.

Apparently, this scared the guy sober. You don’t want to lose your place in line with the people who controlled the hiring. There were plenty of musicians that would give their left testicle for just one chance. Good musicians. It was all about who you knew.

I always sat next to Hal during the sessions and he had a million stories and jokes. He would tell them to me during one or two minute breaks and he knew what he was doing when he told them to me. I was like the bad little kid trying not to laugh out loud during class. It broke my concentration. Hal loved that I could barely keep it together because of some funny story he told.

One time, I got caught laughing and the conductor yelled at Hal. The conductor had gone through this a hundred times and knew it wasn’t my fault.

Sessions usually lasted four hours. That was the union minimum for pay regardless how short the session took. Then there was a sliding scale for time needed after the four hours.

95% of the musicians had other sessions booked one after another. So they packed up quickly and split.
Hal was around 55 back in 1983. And he was a millionaire many times over and doing three sessions per day had become too much for him. So one a day became his regimen.

After the Chevy session, we went to Canter’s Deli in West L.A. Some of the best Jewish soul food on the planet. I almost always scored a chopped liver sandwich on rye with onion and tomato. Or a Reuben. Or matzoh ball soup with a side of knish.

Famous vaudevillian, Eddie Canter, opened the place back in 1931. And it was the place to go for good Jewish deli. It was always crowded and celebrities liked it.

Stuffed, Hal and I parted ways and went our way. I had a nice hour drive back to the studio. And I always had a doob to settle me down after the adrenaline rush of the high pressure recording work.

Wrapper: Colorado Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 52 “Toro”
Body: Full
Price: $9.00 (Sold out)

Photos courtesy of Ezra Zion Cigar Company:

Today we take a look at the Makin’ Bacon by Ezra Zion Cigar Co.
Many thanks to my pal, Eric Anderson, for the sticks.
Erik sent me the package the sticks came in but I lost it. I lose a lot of things.
Why am I reviewing a cigar, whose number was so small, that if you did not act the moment you received an email from EZ telling you they were available, you were SOL?
Simply put. To document their existence.

BACKGROUND:
From the Ezra Zion Cigar web site:
“We’ve heard so many times that Ezra Zion is the “Bacon of Cigars!”

“To celebrate such high praise, we’ve created Makin’ Bacon! This cigar was blended and rolled in Texas at EZHQ. And get this…every one of them was meticulously handmade by master cigar-maker Noel Rojas!

“Makin’ Bacon is a meaty, peppery cigar balanced with cocoa, cream, and oak. A rustic oily Colorado Habano wrapper compliments a potent mix of vintage Nicaraguan Visos and Ligeros. It’s finished with a shaggy foot, highlighting the gorgeous wrapper flavors on the first puffs of the cigar!

“Full bodied with Med/Full strength, Makin’ Bacon is a complex, beautiful 6×52 toro.

“Makin’ Bacon might just be the best cigar you’ve ever smoked!

“Total Production: 750.”
Wow. “…might be the best cigar you’ve ever smoked.” Now that’s confidence.

DESCRIPTION:
Nice looking cigar. But rock hard. No give at all.
The wrapper is very oily and the color of coffee beans and mulch. Seams are nearly invisible but there are some big honkin’ veins.
The cap is so seamless that I have no idea how many there are.
There is just the slightest bit of tooth.
And there is a partially closed foot.

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell a floral sweetness, chocolate, coffee, spice, cedar, roasted nuts, and black licorice.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell strong spice and barnyard, very earthy tobacco, clove, chocolate, and cedar.
The cold draw presents flavors of milk chocolate, spice, cedar, caramel, fruit, citrus, hickory and a generic sweetness.

FIRST THIRD:
Despite the cigar being so hard, the draw is spot on.

An adult portion of red pepper bursts on to my palate. Excellent. Followed by malt, chocolate, cedar, creaminess, sweetness, dried fruit, and a very earthy tobacco flavor.

This cigar begins with a big bang. This is a completely different style of blend from the earlier limited edition cigars that EZ sold in the past year.

Strength hits medium/full body almost immediately. Methinks it will hit full body very soon and my ‘nads will be in a sling for not eating breakfast prior to the review.

The Makin’ Bacon has some similarities to the finest Illusione blends, the Meridian “Sopadre” by Cornelius & Anthony, and the El Güegüense from Foundation Cigar Company. This is a very sophisticated amalgam of flavors and character.

Half an inch in, the Makin’ Bacon needs its first burn line touchup.
A heavy cigar that I expect to be a 2+ hour burn.
This is a very smoky cigar. It nearly blinds me as I try to type.

The fruit element begins to define itself: a combination of black cherry, raisins, and berries.
The creamy component has a vanilla pudding element. Wait. A caramel flan. That’s it.
The black licorice shows as a flavor now.

There is an extreme “aged” quality to this blend. I reviewed the 1502 XO yesterday that boasted having 18 year old tobacco. And it didn’t come close to tasting like a well-aged cigar.
Meanwhile, the Makin’ Bacon has a very sophisticated, deeply aged flavor.

It’s taken 15 minutes to smoke the first inch and a quarter.

The char line is not the most well behaved cigar I’ve smoked but it is minor and as long as it doesn’t run for the border (being stopped by a 40’-0 wall), then I have no problems with it.

The cigars were released on Feb. 24. Eric had to have snagged some that same day as they were sold out the next day. Between him and me, the cigars have had nearly 4 weeks of humidor time.

This is a manly cigar. The type one would smoke, with pride, in an exclusive (No Jews) men’s club in upper Manhattan. If I changed my name, I could probably sneak through if I tipped the door man $5.

I used to believe that The Collective was their best regular production cigar. While the Makin’ Bacon was an extremely limited production blend, it trumps the other blends by a mile. I reviewed the many other impossible-to-get blends, that disappeared in a day, and thought they were the best to come out of the brains of Kyle and Chris. But this is a whole different animal.

On another note, I lost my favorite cheap lighter. So back to Amazon where I got a similar one by the same manufacturer for $7. I love it. It has a long name: GStar® TorchZilla Series Brawny Heptagon Shaped 45 Degree Angle Palm Torch.
This brand makes sturdy lighters for just pennies. I got Charlotte one. And I love it because it is a single torch. It is what I use to toast the foot and correct the char lines.

I love its huge butane tank as I take a long time to toast the foot and with a regular lighter, and find myself refilling it every other day or so. This one can go a week or 10 days.

Back to the Makin’ Bacon.

Absolutely phenomenal cigar. I don’t understand why they only made 750 cigars. It’s not fair to their loyal customers who can’t react in time to buy their cigars.
This is a blend that should be regular production. EZ is missing out on a huge customer base willing to put their cash on the barrel head for these limited production blends.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 40 minutes.
Strength is full body.
The burn line is still not behaving.

I’m very happy that my second review, after a couple weeks off due to the flu, is a great cigar. Would have been really bummed if the Makin’ Bacon was a dog turd.
But then, I haven’t smoked an EZ cigar that has earned that distinction. The boys create magic when they put their heads together.

Here they are: Creaminess, black cherries, spice, chocolate, coffee, malts, pie crust, caramel flan, raisins, black licorice, cedar, a hickory smokiness, and berries.

Nicotine shows up. I was afraid of this. I still have a slow 4” to go. Oy vey.

If you are a spice junkie like me, you would have loved this cigar blend. The red pepper has maintained a steady presence giving the blend a real kick in the arse.

I’m going to do this in stages as I will need to walk off the nicotine every now and then.

While I let the cigar sit in the ashtray to cool the burn line, a side note…I’m feeling much better after nearly 3 weeks of the flu. Poor Charlotte is only finishing her first week and called off going to work. The worst part is the fatigue. I can’t even lift my massive, Jewish 3” penis.

I’m at the halfway point.
Smoke time is one hour 5 minutes.

The Makin’ Bacon is one of the strongest cigars I’ve had in a long, long time. My head is spinning. And my eyes are crossed.
As I write this, the flavors explode. The balance is on the money. It has a very tasty long finish.
Yesterday’s review was about an $18 cigar. Ptooey. Now here is a cigar half that price that makes the 1502 XO seem like a Quorum.
It is rich with wonderful intensity.

The flavors in the aforementioned list are pounding away. But there are ancillary flavors brought on by its complexity. Such as (Hang on. I’m smacking my lips) gingerbread, an abundance of fresh fruit, a nice vegetal note, and dried figs.

EZ claims that this might be the best cigar you’ve ever smoked. I’m not sure about that. But it is certainly my new favorite EZ blend. And there are few regular production cigars that match the Makin’ Bacon’s quality.

If this cigar had been released in 2015, I’m sure it would have been in my top 10 of my Top 25 Cigars of 2015.
I was very kind to EZ on that list. It got 4 spots on the list.

The char line is behaving nicely now.

The malts move to the front of the list: Caramel Wheat Malt, Chocolate Rye Malt, Flaked Oats Malt, Smoked Malt, and Marris Otter Malt. (See Malt Chart).

This is a big boy cigar. Those with very sophisticated palates will love this blend. Although, it takes some real stamina to withstand the nicotine assault.
I’m going to kill some time here so I can gather my wits about me. I wrote this little ditty on March 18 in an email to Darryl Martin and Miguel Castro…my pen pal buddies.

“On a lighter note…I ventured out of the house for the first time in 10 days to get cat food. I went to our local pet store. Mind you, I’m still as weak as a kitten. The cat also needed box litter.
“The stuff we usually get that does the trick was only in 18lb bags. I lug this thing home…plus the cat food bag.

“I clean the litter box. I read somewhere it is better not to use box liners and they were right. Especially, if you use the right litter. The stuff I buy is not sand or grit. It is made of this weird substance made from wood and paper and clumps nicely.

“So I go upstairs and dump the old litter into a big tall kitchen waste bag that was only half full. I pull the strings tight. I go out front where the big trash bins are and I notice the bag is leaking at the bottom.
“I waddle as fast as I can; trying to open the giant lid and lift the bag at the same time.

“Well, you guessed it. I pulled the bin down on top of me with the trash bag full of litter, with shit in it, right on top of me and the bag explodes all over me.

“I’m lying on my back. I can’t believe this. I’m covered in gunk. A small child could have made sand castles with me.
“I throw my head back flat on the concrete driveway and just start laughing. It was that or either start crying.
“So now…weak and worn out and still ill, I open the garage and get a snow shovel and start cleaning. Except this crap is heavier than snow.
“I come into the house and I still haven’t put the new litter into the box yet. I accomplish that task and hit the shower. But then I feel the need to take a dump while I’m in the shower. It comes on me like lightning. Thank you antibiotics.

“No time to dry off as I leap on to the toilet. I’m soaking wet. My long Goldilocks’ tresses are sopping wet. A huge pool of water is forming at my feet.
“And I just burst into tears. Like a 4 year old who pooped his pants.
“I get back in the shower and finish but still have to clean up the bathroom due to all the water on the floor.
“I was feeling a bit better today. Not coughing as much. My head not as clogged up as much. But the fatigue level was high.

“Now I can’t even lift my tiny dick I’m so wiped out.
“I crawl into bed and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
“The best part…All I did was towel dry my hair. I have very curly hair and I’m convinced it is long enough to have a full-on fro like back in the day. My hair is so long that it is down to my man breasts.
“I wake up a couple hours later, go into the bathroom to pee, and see myself in the mirror.
“YIKES!

“I look like a giant sea urchin ate my head.
So back into the shower to wet my hair.
“And I sit as I write this waiting for it to dry a bit so I can blow dry it into some sort of normality.”

OK. The nicotine is on the wane and I no longer find myself hallucinating.
Some bitterness appears. Usually happens if you suck too much and too hard but I haven’t done that. I only take a couple puffs every minute or two. Hope it goes away.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 45 minutes.
The full body strength is off the charts.
I’m going to lay down when I finish. But I dare not close my eyes.
The caramel and creaminess move to the front of the line. The Makin’ Bacon is so complex that flavors are indescribable as sole units.
The red pepper is still strong.

The bitterness disappears.

Last night, I smoked an Illusione Fume D’ Amour that a reader sent me. There is a striking similarity. The difference is that the Makin’ Bacon has a bigger array of flavors.

I wish I had the opportunity to buy some Makin’ Bacon. Just didn’t have the dough in time. Knowing what I know now, I would have bought 20 cigars. That would bring the price down to $8 instead of $9.
This would be a great cigar to hand out to the wedding party in May when my daughter gets married. Then watch the drinkers turn green. LOL.

Speaking of Katie, she started her second week of training to become a corrections officer for the Milwaukee Sheriff’s Department.

She should have been a cop but when the call went out for more cops, hundreds applied. Even though, she came in at the top 5% of people taking tests and had a background as an EMT, they didn’t hire her.
She hopes that a couple years bashing convicts in the head with her baton, she will take the test again and hope that her experience will get her in.

Katie has wanted to be a cop since she was 12. I guess patience is a virtue.

OK. Berries. Nothing specific but very strong.
The Makin’ Bacon was a great cigar experience. I wish I could tell you that you can buy some, as every serious cigar smoker deserves a chance to buy these cigars, but they are gone for good. Would be nice if EZ brought them back.
The cigar finishes smooth and very full bodied. Chock full of nicotine. Not sure if I can get to the end. No heat. No bitterness.
I am very grateful to Eric Anderson for being so generous.

RATING: 96

I shall take a day or two off. It was nice getting back to my desk and writing after suffering the slings and arrows of the pandemic flu.
I will decide each morning whether I will review that day or not.

I am being egged on by my doctors, and my wife, to continue to write. Sort of like doing crossword puzzles all day long. Good flexing of the brain muscle.

But then, I have my JC Newman project too. I’m really into it. But it’s a lot harder than writing a one-off cigar review. I keep forgetting where I am and what I want. But I’ve now managed 46 pages of outline. And due to the massive amount of information in the two books that the three Newman brothers gave me, I’m struggling to find my own voice and not just copy what I read.

And lastly, as we are moving April 15, and as soon as Charlotte gets over her flu, we will be going through every box in the basement and expecting to find a treasure trove of old photos. I know I have some of my grandfather and JC Newman. I’m pretty confident that this chore will finish off the process of my hair turning snow white.

I’ve got some very good cigars to review thanks to some special readers. So I will be busy.
Doctor’s orders.

Wrapper: Brazilian Cubra
Binder/Filler: Dominican San Vicente, Nicaraguan Condega Viso, PA Broadleaf
Size: 7.5 x 39 “Laguito No.1”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $14.00

Today we take a look at the Bespoke Grand Café.
Thanks to Jeremy Casdagli for the samples.

There are so many names for cigars this size so I consulted Cigar Aficionado. Here are the differences: The Panatela is 5”-7-1/2” long and a ring gauge of 34-38. A Lonsdale is typically 6.5” x 42. A Lancero is 7” x 38. A Laguito No.1 is exactly 7-1/4” x 38.
So this cigar is a cross between a Lancero and a Panatela.

The reason I bring this up is that I am not a fan of long skinny cigars. It is a small niche in the serious cigar smoking community. It had its time in the history of cigar smoking but the more popular sizes are Robustos and Toros. Or in the other extreme: Corona Gorda or Coronas.

I find that most Lanceros have burn issues. If you don’t keep an eagle eye on the char line, it goes all to hell.

So, when I got the samples, I groaned when I saw the Laguito. The redeeming quality to this particular brand is that they are hugely popular in Europe and Russia. So Bespoke must be doing something right.
I’ve had the cigars in my humidor for 4-5 weeks. It should be ready to go. Let’s see.

BACKGROUND:
If you want to learn about this company, you need to go to either their web site or to Cigar Journal where there is a lot of information.
The company is based in Estonia. Its biggest sales are in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Scandinavia.
Distributed by Biggs Mansion out of Chicago.

Bespoke has several lines and I have in my possession the Grand Café ($14.00), Cotton Tail ($16.00) and Gran Mareva ($13.00).
From Jeremy about the line:
From KBF factory:
Traditional Line: Cotton Tail, Grand Cafe, Robusto, Super Belicoso
Basilica Line: Basilica A, Basilica C # 1, and being introduced this summer : Basilica C # 2, Basilica C # 3
Mareva Line: Gran Mareva, Gran Mareva Gold & Mareva Especial
Cabinet Line: – coming this autumn – The Rosetta : a beautiful coned cigar – 4inches ending with 46 gauge – using an 11 year old bonao opus X binder

From Costa Rica – using Peruvian , Nicaraguan and ecuador connecticut wrapper
Daughters of the Wind Line: Pyramide, Dahman,Salomone

From the Bespoke Cigars web site:
“This cigar was launched to celebrate the launching of the Bespoke cigar brand in the Republic of Belarus in 2012. The first client to offer Bespoke cigars in Minsk was The Grand Café. With the Tripa including aged Nicaraguan Condega Viso & Dominican Seco along with a little USA Pennsylvanian broad-leaf this elegant cigar delivers distinct vanilla notes with a sweet aroma.

“This cigar is blended especially for Bespoke cigars by Hendrik Kelner Jr of the famous Kelner family of Master blenders at the KBF factory, Santiago, Dominican Republic.

From Cigar Journal:
“Jeremy Casdagli, founder and co-owner of Bespoke Cigars, has been crafting his own blends of long filler cigars for 20 years. Since 2014, his production has been concentrated at the Kelner Boutique Factory (KBF) in the Dominican Republic, which is headed by Hendrik Kelner, Jr. (of Davidoff fame). Within months, Bespoke Ci¬gars developed a reputation in Europe and the Middle East for complex, uniquely sized cigars. Since November 2015, his full line has been available in a retail and distribution partnership with Biggs Mansion in Chicago. “Being based in Tallinn, it was natural to develop first in the Nordics,” Casdagli explains, “but, while looking for another possible sales platform for my cigars, I kept an eye out for buildings reminiscent of my family’s ancestral home, Villa Casdagli, in Cairo. “When a friend encouraged me to visit his club, the Biggs Lounge in Chicago, I thought, ah, America!” he says with a laugh.

DESCRIPTION:
The Bespoke Grand Café is a well-constructed cigar. Nearly invisible seams. Few veins. A hard cigar. With little or no give.
The wrapper is an oily, tawny, peanut color.
It is impossible to count the caps but there is a nice Cuban fan tail atop it.

And the foot is partially closed.

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell wood, cream, spice, milk chocolate, roasted nuts, cedar, and coffee.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell spice, cream, fresh grass, barnyard, coffee, cedar, and chocolate.
The cold draw presents flavors of chocolate, black pepper, cedar, dried fruit, and baking spices.

FIRST THIRD:
Wow! A huge blast of pepper; both black and red!
Like dominoes, more flavors fall into place: Creaminess, vanilla, chocolate, malt, coffee, caramel, nuts, sweetness, toastiness, cedar, and baking spices.
Now this is what I expect a $14 cigar to start like. It wastes no time hitting par excellence.

Strength is nearing medium/full. Complexity is beginning to hit within the first inch and the balance is perfect. It has a very tasty long finish.
And voila!! The char line is spot on!! This is a first for me. Very cool Bespoke Cigars.

The stick is super complex by this early point. Jeremy sent me 3 cigars each of the three sample blends. I tried this one about a week or so in and it was most definitely not ready. Now, after 4-5 weeks, it is banging the gong for the blender’s intent. And I do believe that Jeremy told me it is his favorite of the blends he produces.

Nice slow smoking cigar. The Bespoke Grand Café is not like most Lanceros I’ve smoked. The others burn quickly and unevenly. This Laguito smokes slowly like a robusto. It won’t be over 15 minutes after starting it.

If the Bespoke Grand Café continues on this trajectory, it will get a great rating.
More subtle flavors appear: Cinnamon, lemon custard, and pie crust.
If you are looking to buy some Bespoke Cigars, the Bespoke web site shows only one store in the U.S. Biggs Cigar Emporium.
There is an incredible Cubanesque flavor to this blend. At first, when I received the cigars, I thought they were Cuban. The Casdagli family is Greek, not Cuban.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 25 minutes.
Strength is medium/full.

No kidding. This is the best Laguito, or Lancero, I’ve ever smoked. Now I understand the price point.
The flavors keep up their bombardment of the senses while the complexity is deep and rich.

I’m not quite sure where you can buy these cigars. I Googled them and only found Biggs Mansion as a source but they don’t sell online. Check out their retailer’s page.
I found an online store: Puro Express. The prices are in Euros. They appear to sell every single blend and size and quantities for Bespoke. The page this link will take you to shows the traditional line but if you type in Bespoke in the Search window, it opens 5 pages of choices.
Maybe after reading the review, Jeremy can add a comment about this.

Maybe I’m insane but the Bespoke Grand Café has a strong RASS element to it. My only serious recommendation is that you allow the cigars at least a month or longer before lighting one up. It’s night and day from a week or two off the truck.
I thought I had reviewed the RASS but I can’t find it. Man, I lose more things than your wife who says she is putting something special in a safe place never to be found again.

A sweet fruity component appears. Black currants. And those little chocolate rings with the raspberry jell in them. My favorite as a kid when we had company.

I reach the halfway point.
Smoke time is 35 minutes.

Construction is absolutely flawless. Not a single touch up of the char line is required. I think I read that Jeremy uses #8 rollers. No doubt.

Yesterday, I gave the Makin’ Bacon a 96. The Bespoke Grand Café is a completely different blend but every bit as good, if not better.

This is a treat of magical proportions. The creaminess, the spiciness, the malts, the graham cracker (new), the vanilla, milk chocolate, nuts, coffee, toastiness, baking spices, pie crust, fruit, cedar, and an incredibly intense complexity make this a stunner of a cigar. I didn’t see this coming.

I have the biggest smile on my puss. And the good part? I still have one left. And I still have two left of the Cotton Tail and the Grand Mareva blends to smoke. I can’t wait to review them. It will be a tall order to beat the Bespoke Grand Café’s rating.

This is about as perfect cigar as they come.

Sorry detractors but this cigar blend is a bona fide flavor bomb now. And I still have a little less than 3” to go. This is also the first cigar I’ve smoked in months that didn’t need at least one char line touch up. Now that’s rolling talent.

I get a lot of heat for dissing bad cigars. It seems that is all readers remember…how cruel I was. But if I don’t tell you the truth, who will?

I have the same reputation for going overboard in fawning over a great cigar blend. This is one of those times.

The price point? Worth every nickel.

I can’t begin to count double digit priced cigars that come nowhere close to the quality of the Bespoke Grand Café.

Jeremy showed me that Cigar Journal gave his Basilica blend a 93 and he was bummed that it was all they could muster. Don’t worry Jeremy. I shall make you a happy man today.
The only other cigar I’ve rated this high is the Dunbarton & Tobacco Trust Sobremesa.
It will definitely make the top of the list when I do my top 25 cigars of 2016 list.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is 55 minutes.
Strength hits full body.

While I totally understand the pricing on this line of cigars, it is too rich for my blood. Living on social security, and my health issues, has removed a cigar this price from my budget. Still, the fact that I have a few left makes me very happy.

This is a special cigar for a special occasion. Like sitting alone in your man cave watching sports. You don’t want any distractions when you smoke the Bespoke Grand Café. The subtleties and nuances could be eliminated if you are herfing with your friends. You lose that all important inner focus.

If I blind taste tested this cigar, I would definitely think it is Cuban.
I’m very glad I was patient with this cigar. When a manufacturer sends you samples, you want to please them. And get a review out as soon as possible. But if you wait, like your gut tells you to do, you are rewarded.

I highly recommend the Bespoke Grand Café. It is the first, and only, lancero I’ve ever recommended and given the Katman blessing.

There is no let up to the flavor profile. It keeps grinding out complex flavors.
And as a spice junkie, this blend is perfect for me. The cigar stays at a highly spicy place the entire time.

With 2” to go, some nicotine shows up. But it is mild and not swooning material.

I will try to get more info on how to buy this cigar when Jeremy gets back to me. I really think that you sophisticated smokers will enjoy the hell out of this blend.
The Bespoke Grand Café finishes without a hint of heat or bitterness. And cool to the touch.
Thank you Jeremy Casdagli.
Final smoke time is one hour 10 minutes.

RATING: 98

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: 6 X 52 “Toro”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $19.00 MSRP

Photo courtesy of Jack Schwartz Cigars:

Today we take a look at the Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur.
After battling the flu for 2-1/2 weeks, I feel invigorated and hence the deluge of reviews this week.

BACKGROUND:
Factory: Occidental Cigar Factory, Dominican Republic
Limited production: 1,250 Boxes of 20 Cigars
Release Date: Nov. 25, 2015
Halfwheel gave it a 90 rating. Leaf Enthusiast gave it a 100! Stogie Guys gave it a perfect 5 out of 5 cigars.

According to Halfwheel.com web site:
“As has become common in this business, when an anniversary is celebrated, there is a cigar to go along with it. That happened in 2005 with the Paul Garmirian 15th Anniversary—a 10-vitola line—and in 2010 with the 20th Anniversary, which included eight different cigars rolled over various years.
“For 2015 and its 25th anniversary, the company released another anniversary cigar, but in a bit different fashion. It was limited to just a single release in the company’s 6 x 52 toro size known as Connoisseur.
1. PG 25th took over 2 years to develop
2. Fully fermented wrapper
“For us, this is more than just another cigar. It was something in between our lines that was missing. We made hints and suggestions, graphs and charts, and the artists in the Dominican nodded silently. We waited until all the stars were aligned. This particular wrapper needed an extra 9 months of fermentation.

“Even that description describes much of what I’ve come to appreciate about Paul Garmirian’s cigars. Production is relatively limited, methodical and aged. The company has a unique habit of releasing handfuls of boxes with dates from the 1990s written on them. It’s a great way for those of us who struggle with aging full boxes for decades or those who simply weren’t able to buy PG Cigars in 1997.

“As for the 25th Anniversary, the limited edition cigar began shipping on Nov. 25, 2015.”

Online stores that carry this cigar: Atlantic, McLean Cigars, and you can Google for more sites. And all seem to sell it for $2 less than MSRP: $17.00.

DESCRIPTION:
I use an accurate method for measuring ring gauges and it came out as a 54 rather than a 52.
Nice looking cigar but not without its flaws. Discoloration of the wrapper, some big veins, and the caps are not consistent with one being flawless and one very sloppy.
Seams are tight. The wrapper is an oily russet brown.
One cigar’s flawless cap makes it impossible to count them but the sloppy one clearly shows a triple cap.
It wears the standard PG cigar band with a secondary band with “25th” written on it.

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell sweet barnyard, spice, cedar, milk chocolate, and citrus.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell strong red pepper, chocolate, cedar, lime citrus, wood, and dried fruit.
The cold draw presents flavors of citrus, spice, strong cedar, a bit of chocolate and lemon rind.

FIRST THIRD:
Right out of the pocket, I get a power blast of red pepper. Plus a large dose of malts, creaminess, graham cracker, cedar, roasted nuts, and a touch of chocolate.
The draw is a bit airy but not an impediment.
Strength is medium body.
And a slow smoker.

I have to be honest. I don’t understand the ridiculous price points coming down the chute each year. $20 is about to become the norm in a year or two.

I spoke to Paul Stulac yesterday and laughed about when his cigars came out, they were expensive at $12 a stick for his premier line. Now he has lowered his prices and just try and find a decent cigar under $12.00. Of course, you can shop at the big online stores which seem to sell mostly drek. I got a catalog the other day and it’s the same shit every time one comes out. Catalogs are aimed at those who don’t seem to have a serious palate. I know. I’m an arrogant SOB.

Hence, the big draw to boutique brands and the high prices that comes with them.

And with only ¾” burned, like a light switch was turned on….complexity hits hard. The balance is on the right journey. The finish is long and sweet.
The char line should be behaving better.

The bakery flavors, plus malts, are the predominant flavors….pie crust, lots of butter, salt, nuts, and a sweet/savory thing going on. Reminds me of an English meat pie. Ever eat a kidney pie before? Don’t. They sell this crap on the streets of London and the pubs like they were giving away free drugs. Horrible food. But the Scottish Egg is the absolute worst. A hardboiled egg covered in that horrible stuff the Brits call sausage that is only half meat and I don’t have the slightest idea what the other crap in the mix is but it is godawful no matter how hungry you are.

I’m disappointed with the burn line. It is wavy and needs lots of small touch ups. A $19 cigar should have been rolled much better.
Don’t get me wrong. A very good cigar. But then I just reviewed the Bespoke Grand Café and it was flawless with flawless construction. Not a single touch up was needed and it was $14…not $19. I can’t believe I’m comparing $14 to $19.
I believe that Halfwheel’s rating of 90 is much closer to planet earth than the other reviewers who gave it a 100.

Had to get up and change to CD No. 2 of the live Led Zep concert from 1972. 3 disc set.
Hard to review without music.
Strength hits medium/full body.

Now I’ve had these two cigars for at least a month if not longer. And I believe that they had some serious humidor time before I got them.

I have trouble keeping track. When I get a care package, I go into this frenzy of ecstasy that makes me forget everything about documenting its existence and this is why I am derelict in keeping track of my dear readers that give me cigars.

The char line, finally, is on the road to riches and diamond rings.
There is a deep richness that contributes to the complexity. Flavors morph. No specific flavor really stands out amongst the rest.
The Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur is a very smoky cigar. Each puff swarms the dining room with billows of white clouds.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 40 minutes.
The flavor profile opens like a rose. Here they are: Creaminess, malts, pepper, dried fruit, orange blossom honey, roasted nuts, coffee, graham cracker, cinnamon, molasses, tamarind, onion, cedar, caramel, salt, and milk chocolate.

Now that’s a crazy bunch of mixed up flavors. For those detractors that don’t believe I taste all that…read a Cigar Aficionado lately? The flavors they come up with baffle even me. Fig paste? Cocoa nib? Peanut shavings? Chestnuts? Maple candy? And toasted marshmallow?

The Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur really takes off now. A new flavor: Peanuts; enters the arena. LOL. And it urges on the fruitiness and bread-like qualities to taste like a PB&J sandwich.

The human palate is a wonderful and mysterious thing. No two are alike. The only way to develop the palate is through constant analysis and focus each time you light a cigar.

The Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur is now a phenomenal flavor bomb. And now I waver between Halfwheel’s rating and the other reviewers who gave it a perfect 100.

Here is something no other reviewer will admit. Everyone wants to be the first to review a new cigar. Why? Ego. And bragging rights. I am no different. Long ago and far away, I did the same thing. Smoked good cigars too soon. I didn’t want to be the last reviewer to write about a new cigar.

And most of the big reviewers, while getting free cigars from the manufacturers prior to release, still don’t allow the proper time to age the blend. Everyone misses the blender’s intent. This, of course, is a disservice to the blender.

I haven’t reviewed a new cigar in quite a while. I don’t buy cigars. I am totally dependent on the good hearts of my readers. Now and again, I do get new cigars. But most of the time, I get cigars that have been in my reader’s humidor for some time and then sent on to me. So sure, I’m late to the party. But I get to review and report what the blender wanted you to taste.

I don’t know how long it’s been but I started the regimen of making the manufacturer wait a couple months before I reviewed the samples sent to me. Yeah, it made them impatient but all was forgiven when their cigars got great reviews.

This is the other reason I taste so many flavors. You know this. There is a small window of opportunity to catch a cigar at its pinnacle while you are humidor aging it. Too soon and you miss out on everything. Too much aging and you taste only the shell of what it once was.

Very few cigar brands/blends survive the test of time. I know this because I’ve been sent cigars by readers with years of humidor time and they lost most of the blender’s intent. And are no longer reviewable. Good for smoking, sure. But past their expiration date. It is an urban myth that every cigar aged for a couple of years gets better with time. My guess is that only 10% of cigars out there do well under those circumstances.

Where was I?
Oh yeah…the Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur.
I reach the halfway point.
Smoke time is one hour.
Nicotine rears its ugly head.
Strength hits full body.

The Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur is definitely designed for the connoisseur’s palate. But newbies will dig it too as long as they can handle strong cigars.

Flavors are bold. Impossible to miss.

The more I smoke, the higher the rating becomes. It is deserving of a rating higher than 90. What it will be? No idea as halfway is not positive evidence of the final outcome.

“Moby Dick” from Zep is playing with the long drum solo. I remember so well that in this concert, and just about every other concert I went to in the 60’s and 70’s, the obligatory drum solo was an excuse to go use the bathroom or buy a beer.
The only drum solo I ever witnessed, in which no one left the arena, was the drum solo in “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 25 minutes.
Strength is full body.
This is a languid experience. Slow roll.

The price point. Ouch. While the MSRP is $19, they can be had for $17 online. Still, a very expensive cigar. But a much better deal than the fancy Padrons whose price points are ridiculous. I’ve yet to smoke an Anniversary cigar worth the dough.

So, in those terms, is the Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur worth $17? It is way out of my price affordability. But then all Garmirian cigars are expensive. I have an Artisan’s Selection by Paul Garmirian Cigars that goes for under $7.00. It is their line of cigars that are cost effective. I have a couple and will review it soon.
The char line remains wavy but no touch ups required.

The Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur is now near perfect. I take a look at my Top 25 Cigars of 2015 and don’t really find a cigar this good in all those great cigars.

The Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur shares the stage with the Bespoke Grand Café in terms of perfection. As the Garmirian cigar was released in 2015, I am going to amend my list and it will settle in at No.1. The Bespoke may take that position in my 2016 list.

While the Dunbarton and Trust Sobremesa is a great cigar, it is not as good as this cigar.
Now I have the torturous duty to bump a cigar off the 2015 list.
Done.

How lucky am I? Two great cigar reviews in a row. This never happens.
For those wondering when I am going to review a cigar that you can afford….next review.
The Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur ends beautifully without heat or bitterness. Cook as a cuke.

If you can, find the dough in your wallet, I seriously suggest you buy one or two of these cigars. But give it time in your humidor. $17 is too much to go into the toilet if you smoke it too soon.
Brava Paul Garmirian.

Final smoke time is 2 hours 5 minutes.

RATING: 97

Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 54 “Toro Gordo – Box Pressed”
Body: Medium
Price: $8.50

Today we take a look at the 262 Allegiance Toro.
Thanks to Charlotte for giving me the nod to buy an 8 pack on Cigar Monster for $19.99.
This included two of each: Ideology, Revere, Paradigm, and Allegiance. Killer deal.

It felt good to write so much this week but I think this will be it for a few days. My illness, besides the symptoms of dementia, lowers my immune system and I believe the flu is starting all over again. Ain’t that a wet dream.

Note:
I’m now embarrassed by my writing. The doctors that urge me on because it is good brain exercise don’t have a clue what it means to watch your writing become garbage. So…I am on the verge of calling it quits.
I have some manufacturer obligations and I will keep my word on reviewing those cigars.
I have to put an end to this. If a reader sends me something special, I will consider reviewing it. I’m nearly out of reviewable cigars so this is basically a moot point.
It hurts my heart to stop writing. But I don’t want to go out making a total ass of myself. Which I believe I’ve already begun to do.
Thanks to all the readers that have sent me cigars to smoke.
Thanks for sticking with me.
Your Uncle Katman

BACKGROUND:
Release Date: April 2014
Regular production.
Factory: Tabacalera Carreras in Estelí, Nicaragua.

From the 262 press release:
“This new blend is one that Clint Aaron, Founder of 262 Cigars, feels will be enjoyable by folks from every palate. This mild-medium cigar is comprised of a Brazilian Mata-Fina wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers from both Nicaragua and Honduras which make for an effortless and enjoyable smoke.

“The Allegiance name, while stirring many connotations for many people, is 262’s official “line in the sand” campaign. While all of their previous brands have been named in support of their overall cigar revolution theme, Allegiance is meant to take on a stronger tone. State by state, town by town, and at the Federal level too, we are seeing a growing opposition to our cigar culture. Attacks are being made on all sides; industry, tradition, and art. Their intentions are clear, the line has been drawn, and it’s time to declare a side. Inaction does not excuse you from siding with the enemy. So, where does your allegiance lie?”

DESCRIPTION:
Of the four sizes, this is the only box press. It’s a very clean and crisp looking cigar. Almost like a Twix bar.
The oily milk chocolate wrapper is near flawless in its composition. It appears to be seamless. That might change when I remove the billboard sized cigar band.
The cigar is very hard with little give. And the triple cap is close to immaculate.
As the cigar has been out for a while, but still in production, there was no shortage of other reviews. The cigar is a wild card. Every review is different on its description of flavors to its final rating.

SIZES AND PRICING:
Corona 5.5 x 44 $7.00
Robusto 5 x 50 $7.50
Lancero 7 x 38 $8.20
Toro Gordo 6 x 52 $8.50

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell strong baking cocoa, sweetness, spice, sweet cream, cedar, very earthy, and a touch of cappuccino.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell almost the same: Milk chocolate, cream, cedar, spice, pine notes, sweetness, barnyard, and coffee.
The cold draw presents flavors of coffee, chocolate, spice, creaminess, cedar, lemon citrus, and pine notes.
In one review, I read the writer saying he smelled acetone. Yikes. I don’t think I would light a cigar that smelled of toxic cleaning fluid. And of course, it got a very low rating.

FIRST THIRD:
While toasting the foot, I get a wonderful charred oak aroma.
The 262 Allegiance Toro starts with a big bang. Flavors are intense and unique.

Here they are: Graham cracker, black pepper, creaminess, coffee, malts, cocoa powder, charred oak, black licorice, pine notes, butter, floral notes, cinnamon, and very earthy tobacco. Whew.

Actually, it reminds me of the Doxology and the Alec Bradley Post Embargo with that creamy graham cracker grouping of flavors.
I believe I’ve had the sticks for about a month. I reviewed the Ideology and the Paradigm in 2014. And I liked them both very much.
Strength is medium body.

Citrus enters the picture. Very lemony. Tart. Offsets what sweetness the 262 Allegiance Toro possesses.
This has to be one of the first crisply box pressed cigars I’ve smoked that has a perfect char line requiring no touch ups…so far.

The draw is a bit tighter than I prefer but it isn’t inhibiting my enjoyment of this blend.
The line has only 5 blends. I still have the Revere to review. And the Suit and Tie which I’ve yet to review.

The tight draw, naturally, comes from the enormously packed cigar. You couldn’t stuff a kitty’s hair in this sausage. And the big ring gauge. So, as an added extra attraction, you get a nice slow smoke. Something to savor. No hurry.

And then it happens…what was in the back of my mind when I looked at this cigar: Removing the giant cigar band.
I literally shred the band with a curved X-Acto blade but there is so much glue and so much overlap of the band’s edges that all seems to be lost.
But then I slip the cigar band off the 2nd cigar and have an easier time breaking it apart.
That is sloppy workmanship. And if both cigars are like that, in most probability, all of the Allegiance cigars have that problem. I really don’t enjoy spending 5 minutes ripping little pieces of cigar band off a millimeter at a time.

I jinxed it by giving the 262 Allegiance Toro high praise in the char line department. I’m now forced to rectify the situation.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 35 minutes.
The intensity of the flavors is on the wane. They were much tastier in the first third. Everything has flattened out. All that is left is the creaminess and graham cracker. The black pepper, which I loved, is now gone. So is that long list of flavors that showed up early. What happened?

But I’m more concerned about the flavor profile. I expected this blend to blossom; not trail off into the sunset. I so enjoyed the Ideology and the Paradigm.
I, arrogantly, thought that the reviewers giving the cigar such low scores were full of shit. My bad. It seems they may have been right if the blend doesn’t go into action very, very soon.

The malts return. So does the lemon citrus. Very tart once again.
One by one, flavor elements return. Clearly, this stick is a bit schizo.
Strength remains at a weak medium body.

This is the first Allegiance I’ve smoked. I think. I must have had this cigar but maybe chose not to review it? Is that possible? Can’t remember. My reviews of the 3 other blends: Peacefield Maduro (10-24-2015), Paradigm (12-25-2014), and Ideology (5-25-2014) were staggered quite a bit. The Peacefield Maduro is a very inexpensive bundle cigar that 262 produces. Goes for around $3.

On the upside, the cigar stays lit…sonovabitch. The ash I was about to praise just fell off and on to the top of my camera. I have to take my camera in to be serviced and cleaned. I’ve dropped ash on to this poor baby hundreds of times and it is acting bizarre when I try to take photos. No. I don’t have a smart phone. I’m a house rat and don’t go anywhere. Why spend a couple hundred dollars a month for a phone when I have my lap top a few feet away. We have a cheap Virgin Mobile flip phone for when we leave the house. $20 per month for 400 minutes. Can’t beat that. It’s more of a safety device than anything else. Besides, when is the last time you’ve seen a public telephone booth?

The halfway point is here.
Smoke time is one hour.

Most flavors return but are subdued. Maybe a month of humidor time is not nearly enough. It’s hard to tell when some of the big guy reviewers thrashed it.
There should be a cigar reviewer’s union that in its bylaws requires the reviewer to disclose how much humidor time the cigar was given prior to the review.

The 262 Allegiance Toro is beginning to blossom. Flavors are returning to their rightful positions in line.
Even the pepper is returning. This kind of behavior can only mean two things: 1) The cigar needs months of humidor time, not a single month, or 2) It just isn’t a very good blend.

The price point of $8.50 seems a bit much. And yes, I know I’ve been reviewing cigars at almost twice that price.
But it feels more like a $5 stick.
Of course, getting it for only $2.50 in the 8 pack sampler takes some of the sting out of the discounted price.

I find it odd that some boutique brands crank out one cigar after another. Other boutique brands spew a bunch of cigars in a short time and then lay dormant for a couple years. And there are other boutique brands that put out one or two blends and then sort of disappear….maybe putting out a new blend once a year.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 20 minutes.
We are back at the beginning. That giant list of flavors returns. Even the black pepper is very spicy. Giving the weak medium body some zest.

I like the 262 Allegiance Toro once again. It is extremely flavorful. My criticism is that it started like gangbusters and then it was like letting the air out of a balloon.

Only to return in the last third. How many cigars have you smoked that this happens? Me? A lot. I should augment my Best Cigar lists with an Avoid This Cigar list.
That might be a good project while I am healing from my second bout of the flu.

I’m enjoying the cigar once again.
I read one review in which the writer said he tasted paint. I laughed.
Guess what? While I don’t know what paint tastes like, I’m getting a paint aroma. Very pungent.
WTF?

How can Clint Aaron make such a gorgeous looking cigar and it tastes like doo doo?
I still have the second stick and I will allow it to rest for a few months and return to comment. But I don’t think I’m off base with my opinion here. Especially, since so many other reviewers had an unpleasant experience as well.

I will allow my last 262 blend: The Revere age a few months before I review it just to be on the safe side.
The paint goes away after just a couple of minutes.
The blend needs to go on anti-psychotic medicine.

What a bummer. I was on a roll with rave reviews. It had to come to an end. I just didn’t expect it to be with this blend. Especially, after re-reading my old reviews of the other 262 blends.
Even the bundle inexpensive Peacefield Maduro is a much better cigar and it’s only $3.

If I do have the flu once again, it is mild compared to the first one. So my hopes are that I won’t be down and out for too long. I only have head congestion and that terrible fatigue. The first one turned into an infection in only two days. So I have a different antibiotic in the house and started taking it yesterday. Fingers crossed.

And please no lectures about taking antibiotics. I haven’t been sick enough with a cold to need antibiotics in years. So I’m not over doing it.

If you can find the same sampler on Cigar Monster, buy it. I just checked Famous Smoke and they have the same 8 pack sampler, “Best of 262,” for a buck more: $20.99. Based on what you have to pay on certain online stores, this is a $68 package.

Final smoke time is just short of 2 hours.

RATING: 77

IMPORTANT MESSAGE:
Dear friend, and ardent cigar smoker, Darryl Martin lost his wife Penny a little over a week ago. Penny was 51 and had end stage cancer.
Darryl spent every dime they had going above and beyond normal health care. They tried experimental trials and other last hope measures to stop the cancer that was eating Penny alive. Darryl lives in Houston and he sent Penny to Seattle where there is a special clinic for cancer patients who are last stage. Their insurance did not cover this.
And now Darryl is left with a mountain of health care bills that is overwhelming. He even has to save his money to get Penny home. On the right side of this page is a Go Fund Me Campaign to help Darryl pay his heath care bills.
Please do whatever you can. And size donation is a godsend.
Thank you and God bless.
The Katman

<

Wrapper: Brazilian Cubra
Binder/Filler: Dominican San Vicente, Peruvian Seco & PA Broadleaf
Size: 4.875 x 52/62
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $16.00
Weight: 17.5g

Today we take a look at Bespoke Cotton Tail.
Thanks to Jeremy Casdagli for the samples.
I recently reviewed the Grand Café and was completely blown away by this Laguito No.1. Not cheap at $14.00 but worth every dime. I hope the Cotton Tail to be in the same league.

BACKGROUND:
If you want to learn about this company, you need to go to either their web site or to Cigar Journal where there is a lot of information.
The company is based in Estonia. Its biggest sales are in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Scandinavia.
Distributed by Biggs Mansion out of Chicago.
Bespoke has several lines and I have in my possession the Grand Café ($14.00), Cotton Tail ($16.00) and Gran Mareva ($13.00).

From Jeremy about the line:
From KBF factory:
Traditional Line: Cotton Tail, Grand Cafe, Robusto, Super Belicoso
Basilica Line: Basilica A, Basilica C # 1, and being introduced this summer : Basilica C # 2, Basilica C # 3
Mareva Line: Gran Mareva, Gran Mareva Gold & Mareva Especial
Cabinet Line: – coming this autumn – The Rosetta : a beautiful coned cigar – 4inches ending with 46 gauge – using an 11 year old bonao opus X binder
From Costa Rica – using Peruvian, Nicaraguan and Ecuador Connecticut wrapper
Daughters of the Wind Line: Pyramide, Dahman, Salomone.

From the Bespoke Cigars web site:
“This vitola has not been made since the 1950s and was re-introduced to the smoking community by Jeremy Casdagli in 2009. With the densely packed Tripa consisting of USA Pennsylvanian Broadleaf in addition to the aged Dominican and Peruvian leaves this cigar delivers an extraordinary rich and distinctively sweet flavor.

“This cigar is blended especially for Bespoke cigars by Hendrik Kelner Jr of the famous Kelner family of Master blenders at the KBF factory, Santiago, Dominican Republic.”

From Cigar Journal:
“Jeremy Casdagli, founder and co-owner of Bespoke Cigars, has been crafting his own blends of long filler cigars for 20 years. Since 2014, his production has been concentrated at the Kelner Boutique Factory (KBF) in the Dominican Republic, which is headed by Hendrik Kelner, Jr. (of Davidoff fame). Within months, Bespoke Cigars developed a reputation in Europe and the Middle East for complex, uniquely sized cigars. Since November 2015, his full line has been available in a retail and distribution partnership with Biggs Mansion in Chicago. “Being based in Tallinn, it was natural to develop first in the Nordics,” Casdagli explains, “but, while looking for another possible sales platform for my cigars, I kept an eye out for buildings reminiscent of my family’s ancestral home, Villa Casdagli, in Cairo. “When a friend encouraged me to visit his club, the Biggs Lounge in Chicago, I thought, ah, America!” he says with a laugh.”

DESCRIPTION:
What an oddball looking cigar. The construction is superb on one stick and a little sloppy on the other. No seams and very few veins on one. I’m guessing it has a triple cap because it is flawlessly constructed. No lines in sight. And the other makes it obviously clear it has a triple cap.
One wrapper has an oily gingerbread color. Rock solid. The other has a much darker wrapper. More the color of standard brown. Particularly noticeable on the photo below of the bottoms of the cigars:

The slope of the cigar’s shape is intriguing.
The cap is nicely rounded and the foot is closed with a pig tail.
The double cigar bands couldn’t be simpler with the top gold band merely showing the logo and the secondary band merely stating “Bespoke Cotton Tail.”

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell sweet cherries, spice, cedar, cinnamon, barnyard, coffee, milk chocolate, and a touch of banana.
From the clipped cap and clipped foot, I smell strong cinnamon and spice, coffee, sweetness, barnyard, black licorice, and cedar.
The cold draw presents flavors of black coffee, strong black pepper, baking spices, vanilla toffee, ginger, cedar, and dark chocolate.

FIRST THIRD:
The bulbous shape of the foot is going to be difficult to toast and burn consistently. But I will give it my best shot.
The draw is impeccable. Smoke pours from the foot.

First flavors: Lightning strong black pepper, creaminess, baking spices, black licorice, coffee, cocoa, cedar, and an array of flavors that are too subtle to call yet.

I made a huge mistake by clipping the bottom of the foot off prior to lighting. There is a large vein running lengthways from the foot to the cigar band. But cutting the pigtail/foot off, it allowed the vein to split and a large piece of wrapper to come loose. I tried gluing it but the outcome was undesirable.
So, fortunately I’ve learned my lesson and torch the darker cigar’s foot with the pigtail intact and no burn issues or construction issues.

That was an expensive lesson as this is the most expensive of the samples that Jeremy sent me.
Getting this bulbous foot to light evenly has become quite the chore. I will try to fix the dead Cotton Tail later as I do think it is fixable and I don’t want to waste it by tossing it.
There is almost a cotton candy sweetness.

Strength is medium body.

Like any expensive cigar should do, the flavor profile is exuberant and brash right from the get go. No lingering or lying about. It gets down to it.
Just like the Grand Café that I reviewed, the Bespoke line needs a good month or so of humidor time before even thinking of lighting up. I wasted one cigar of each blend by smoking it a week in. My bad.

The maltiness of the blend is all over the place.
Once again, as in the Grand Café, there is a deep Cubanesque flavor to this blend. It is so very rich and delectable that it is most definitely one of the best cigars I’ve smoked.

The Bespoke Cotton Tail is a meatier version of the Grand Café. A richer, bolder blend. While the Grand Café is lighter but still intense with flavor.
There are some strong dried fruit flavors: dates, raisins, and figs. The black coffee is so influenced by the creaminess that it is more like a cappuccino now.

Caramel plays an important part in the cigar’s sweetness. The cotton candy disappears.
The char line is near perfect. Only a couple minor touch ups were required and considering the odd shape to the foot, I find that impressive.

The Bespoke Cotton Tail is moving towards medium/full. The balance is absolutely perfect. And the long chewy finish is a delight.

Jeremy Casdagli is something else. When Bespoke Cigars becomes easier to find either in your local B & M or online, this line of cigars will take off like a rocket.

I know the prices are outrageous. But I can’t count the $15 cigars I’ve smoked that can’t touch the hem of the Bespoke line’s tutu. Yes, it is a special occasion cigar. But what it won’t do is let you down. No starting off halfcocked. And gradually getting better. The Bespoke line is better than any Padron I’ve smoked. Or any Davidoff. And so on and so on.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 45 minutes.
Strength is medium/full.

So far, I’ve managed to keep the huge ash, that is dangling precariously, from falling on to the top of my camera or my ‘nads.

Here they are: Creaminess, black pepper, malts, cappuccino, chocolate, malts, dried fruit, cedar, black licorice, baking spices, caramel, and a small list of indescribable subtle elements.
The Bespoke Cotton Tail is so complex that my palate finds it difficult to name all that I taste. It is a spectacular cigar blend like its brother, Grand Café.

The price point. Double Ouch!
I just received some samples from Cornelius & Anthony called simply “Cornelius.” And the Toro I was given goes for $15.00. This price point is quickly becoming the norm.
Even with my Fawlty Towers memory, I do remember when an expensive cigar was $9. And it wasn’t even that long ago.

I have to wrap my brain around this new mind set. Yet I find the problem being that few of these new blends at this price point are worth the dough. I reviewed the Padrón Dámaso No. 17 (Which CA only rated an 88) in October and it was going for $17.50! Or the Davidoff Anniversario for $27.00! Or the Ave Maria Reconquista for $17.00!

I’ve smoked each of those three and there is no way they are worth that kind of money. And this is what separates the man from the boys…The Bespoke Cotton Tail is worth every penny of the $16.00 price.

The only issue I have is that the high price knocks a lot of consumers out of the market for these cigars. I know a lot of readers are laughing while reading this and saying, “Are you kidding me?” A lot of readers are struggling to find decent $4 cigars. Using Cbid like it’s a religion. I understand this. I certainly can’t afford this cigar. I will just have to be happy with the samples that Jeremy sent me and that’s that.

But if you are lucky enough to find some in your local B & M, I highly recommend you try one or two or whatever you can afford. Contact Biggs Mansion to phone order.

If you are a loyal reader, you know I don’t heap praise on a cigar that doesn’t deserve it. If this line of cigars were terrible, I’d contact the manufacturer and let him know that if I review the cigar, he won’t be happy. So, yes, I’m a hypocrite. I’ve never been able to write negative reviews when a cigar was gifted to me. Well, at least not recently. I actually did write plenty of negative reviews of manufacturer supplied cigars and I ended up burning some pretty big bridges.
So, in this case, I find giving the manufacturer an option of me not writing a negative review is just a courtesy no matter how much a hypocrite it makes me.

So, with relish, I fawn and flail myself over the Bespoke Cotton Tail.
And I still have the Gran Mareva to review. The least expensive of the trio going for $13.00.

I reach the halfway point.
Smoke time is one hour 15 minutes.
Strength is medium/full.

The Bespoke Cotton Tail continues on its journey becoming more complex with each puff. The flavors are just outrageous. A puff, then a sip of water, and then another puff and the flavor profile just explodes with intensity.

The flavor profile is like a roulette wheel and each time the ball hits a number, a new flavor blasts away like a shotgun at my palate.

Now Jeremy told me that the Grand Café was his favorite. After smoking the Bespoke Cotton Tail, I have no idea how he makes that distinction.

I taste hickory smoked bacon. Woo Hoo. I taste a BLT with avocado. This is one crazy cigar blend. This cigar has to be your first of the day. Otherwise, you may miss out on the nuances of this blend. LOL. I don’t want this to end. I can’t think of many cigars that actually uplift your spirit and make you laugh.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 35 minutes.
Strength remains at medium/full.

Look up the word “smooth” in the dictionary and a photo of the Bespoke Cotton Tail will be there.
I am flummoxed at what the rating will be. I gave the Grand Café a well-deserved 98. The Bespoke Cotton Tail is in the same neighborhood. I have my own system for rating cigars but it still remains subjective like all rating systems. Don’t let any reviewer tell you that they have this special system that gives a perfect, on the money rating. You still have the responsibility of the input. You still have to choose.

The difference, in all the topics available to me, is so slight that I need to use the decimal system to differentiate the two.

Each cigar is brilliant. Each is unique in its own way. How do you rate uniqueness?

I don’t know how it is possible but the last third is so intense with flavor that my palate is doing the happy dance. It is one of the most complex cigars I’ve ever smoked.

I’ve already amended my Top 25 Cigars of 2015 and topped the list with the Bespoke Grand Café. Tall Richard brought this to my attention that a top 25 list should be canonized once it is published. But I didn’t get a chance to smoke and review the Grand Café in 2015 when it was released. And I don’t have access to the huge array of cigars that the Big Guys get. While this is another 2015 release, I won’t add it to the list as the list is already represented by Bespoke. But if I were to add it, both Bespoke blends would be No.1 and No.2.

None of the other cigars on my list come close to the quality of the Bespoke brand.

I got an email from buddy Aaron Hamamoto. He bought the MoyaRuiz Pickle Juice cigars and is sending me a few to review. He wasn’t impressed but he also smoked one ROTT. I’d guess that maybe 1% of cigars taste good ROTT. The rest need humidor time. Plus, I’ve found, through experience, with MoyaRuiz cigars that they need a good month or two before they are ready to smoke. Plus, the Pickle Juice got some online reviews and they weren’t very kind. I chock it up to the reviewer not allowing enough humidor time. So we shall see.

And one other note…the Pickle Juice cigar has a Candela wrapper. I’ve not smoked a single candela wrapped cigar that didn’t need at least a couple months of humi time.

The end is near. The Bespoke Cotton Tail is seeking the end of its cigar experience.
With 1-1/4” to go, some nicotine shows up.
Final smoke time is 2 hours 10 minutes.

I think this is a perfect cigar. Not a single criticism except it is difficult, at the start, to keep the char line even due to its oddball shape. After an inch in, the char line is perfect.
So what rating does a perfect cigar get?

RATING: 100

IMPORTANT MESSAGE:
Dear friend, and ardent cigar smoker, Darryl Martin lost his wife Penny a little over a week ago. Penny was 51 and had end stage cancer.
Darryl spent every dime they had going above and beyond normal health care. They tried experimental trials and other last hope measures to stop the cancer that was eating Penny alive. Darryl lives in Houston and he sent Penny to Seattle where there is a special clinic for cancer patients who are last stage. Their insurance did not cover this.
And now Darryl is left with a mountain of health care bills that is overwhelming. He even has to save his money to get Penny home. On the right side of this page is a Go Fund Me Campaign to help Darryl pay his heath care bills.
Please do whatever you can. And size donation is a godsend.
So come one dear readers. Show how big your heart is. This is a BOTL that needs our help. This man has a heart as big as the whole outdoors and he would help you if you needed the shirt off his back.
Thank you and God bless.
The Katman

<

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano (2005)
Binder: Corojo (2006)
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 48/54/48 “11/18 Perfecto” (Designation named for Christian Eiroa’s mother’s birthday)
Body: Full
Price: $17.00

Today we take a look at the vintage Camacho Liberty Series 2014.
Thanks to Darryl Martin for the cigar. (See note at bottom of review about Darryl).
I only have a handful of cigars left to review so I’m trying to go on a run. Rather than spread them out, I should be done in a week or so. And then it is either over for good or dependent on readers to lend a hand.

BACKGROUND:
Factory: Agroindustria LAEPE S.A., Honduras
Limited production.
Debuted at the 2014 IPCPR trade show
Date Released: July 5, 2014. Only 40,000 cigars released. (2,000 boxes of 20)
This year marks the 13th year of the Camacho Liberty Series
The cigar is available at Corona Cigar Co., Smoke Inn, and Hiland’s Cigars.

DESCRIPTION:
Funky looking cigar. The shape may make it very difficult to roll. Seams are not tight. A lot of veins and wrinkles. Tightly packed.
The wrapper is a very oily coffee bean color with a small amount of tooth.
It appears to have a quadruple cap. Close up photos will tell.
I love the cigar band. And the footer band.
Length is actually 5-7/8” long. May have shrunk over time.

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell strong bittersweet cocoa, spice, a chocolate candy sweetness, black raisins, black walnuts and oak.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell strong clove and other baking spices, chocolate, sweetness, dried fruit, whopping spiciness, nuts, and oak.
The cold draw presents flavors of peppermint, chocolate, spice, baking spices, sweetness, dried fruit, nuts, and oak.

FIRST THIRD:
As I toast the foot, I notice a long vein starting at the foot and going up over an inch. As the heat toasts the foot, it is also heating the vein causing it to crack. This may give me trouble later. Fingers crossed.

Nice flavor blend: Creaminess, hot cocoa with marshmallows, graham cracker, mixed nuts, very little spice (Probably due to its age), aged oak, black licorice, malts, toasty, vanilla bean, and cinnamon…and a little fruity…like me.

I read several reviews as everyone and his brother rushed to review it when it was released. And everyone reports a green cigar…not ready for review. And they all report the same thing over and over: grass, cedar, bitterness, natural tobacco, and salt.

C’mon. Even the newbiest of newbies can determine that the cigar needs “..love me long time” in the humidor. All Camacho blends need a lot of time, both the original and the Davidoff knock offs.
Darryl Martin did me a real solid by giving up this cigar to me. He knew it would be a great tasting cigar after owning for nearly 2 years.
Strength is medium but about to quantum leap to medium/full in the first ¾”.

Cigar Aficionado has not been impressed with this blend giving the cigar a 91 in 2012. This was the last time it reviewed the cigar. Prior to that, in the early 2000’s, it rated it 4 times and never got a rating over 89.

Ever wonder how above board the CA reviews are? Some are dead on accurate and others leave you scratching your head. Davidoff, one of the most highly respected cigars in the world and the cigar to be seen with in upscale men’s clubs, never gets anything over an 88; generally speaking.

A smoky almond element appears. Age has done wonders for this cigar. Too bad Camacho doesn’t get with the times by not requiring a year of humidor time before it’s ready to torch.
The char line is wavy but no touch ups required.

The black licorice just leaps out at me now with a little over 1” burned.

Charlotte is readying herself for our move with what she has at hand. But we came to an agreement that only plastic tubs would be used. No more cardboard boxes. We have to throw away half of what we own. Actually, we are going to have a huge garage sale. We have to dump everything. We get our social security on this Friday and it means buying a shit load of those plastic tubs. And Saturday, we get down to it. Can’t wait to see what we find.

We wanted to bring our fridge with us but it’s too big. When I saw the apartment sized fridge in the unit, I could have plotzed. I guess we have to shop more often than we do now. It is like a Barbie-sized refrigerator.
It could be worse. It could be an old person’s home with Haitian nurses calling my Poppy and forgetting to change my diaper for 3 days.

The Camacho Liberty Series 2014 is an extremely slow smoke. It is also finding its complexity now.
Pumpkin pie spices now dominate the flavor profile. In addition, the black licorice, fruity elements, floral notes, and smoky almonds dominate at the other end of the scale.

After reviewing both Bespoke cigars: Cotton Tail and Grand Café, I am spoiled rotten. While the Camacho Liberty Series 2014 and the Bespoke run in the $17 range, the Camacho isn’t nearly as good a cigar as the Bespoke twins. I have one each left for my enjoyment which I will save for my first cigar of the day once I run out of review cigars. And I still have the Basilica C#1 to review. That’s the most expensive Bespoke so far at $19.00. This should be a doozy.

The Camacho Liberty Series 2014 makes that quantum leap once again but with big juicy goblins of flavor. The complexity button was slammed down like it was the Shuttle taking off.
Camacho really screwed up with this series if the best they could do, for the most part, was just touch the hem of the upper 80’s in Cigar Aficionado’s rating book.

Why you ask? Because of the aging. Simple answer. No way did this cigar taste this good after only 6 months of aging. That is the upside of not having the need to compete with other reviewers. There is a group of them that just can’t wait to review the cigar first…even if it isn’t ready.

I was lucky enough to be given the only pre-release cigar of the Ortega Serie D Black from Eddie. And even then, I waited over a month before I put pen to paper. Maybe longer.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 40 minutes.
Strength is medium/full.
The black licorice is super strong now. So are herbal and baking spices.

But lo and behold, a new flavor: Root beer. Can’t mistake that taste. Black pepper makes its surge for a place in line.

Back in the mid/late 60’s, I’d drive out to Fullerton, CA where my best friend, Skipper Howlett, lived. His family left Long Beach because the housing market was huge in Orange County and they got this huge beautiful house for damn near nothing.

I had a car. Skip didn’t. So I made the drive on the newly opened 405 freeway. I would stomp the gas pedal of that 1960 Pontiac Bonneville and hit 120mph and not another soul on the freeway.
I’d pick him up at his house and our first stop was at the A&W Root Beer drive in in downtown Fullerton. I paid because Skip never had any money. He had a tough father. We would get a huge frosty mug of root beer and a pair of taquitos in guacamole sauce.

Then we would cruise the downtown area going into music stores and guitar shops and drool over the cool guitars.

I can still taste that root beer thanks to the Camacho Liberty Series 2014.
A couple years of aging has done well by this blend. I am positive I taste the blender’s intent.
OK. The list: Root beer, baking spices, black pepper, herbal spices, toasty, smoky almonds, creaminess, black licorice, slowly forming peanuts, graham cracker, malts, vanilla, cinnamon, and charred oak.
Very nice. The cocoa is gone. Too bad.
I reach the halfway point.
Smoke time is 55 minutes.
Strength is medium/full.

The price point is ridiculous. Clearly, this cigar did not go over well. With only 2,000 boxes for sale, you can still buy this cigar at these stores: Corona Cigar Co., Smoke Inn, and Hiland’s Cigars.
I’d say go for it but at $17 a pop, I say no…don’t go for it.

Sure, it is a very nice cigar. But the price point is nuts. If you have that kind of dough to spend on a single cigar, get some Bespoke Cigars. At least you are getting phenomenal cigars.
Based on the Camacho Liberty Series 2014, with a couple years on it, at best it is a good $11.00 cigar.

None of the other reviews get it right. Not their fault unless you agree that they were impatient and needed to keep their name up in lights by competing for the first on the block to review it before anyone else.

The Camacho Liberty Series 2014 is chockful of wonderful nuanced flavors that they all missed due to their impatience. This is a disservice to the blend. I’m sure Camacho was not happy about this. And I’m sure it was the reason that, two years after release, you can still buy the cigar. And at the same price as in 2014.

Strength hits full body. And the dreaded Vitamin N shows up.

The primaries are coming to Wisconsin on April 5. Watching the 24/7 news channels reports of primary day and the 4 hour lines to vote, I don’t know if I am going to be able to vote. One reason is my back injuries. The other is I just might forget why I’m there and leave.

But I will try. Everyone should try. I’m a lifelong Democrat. (Do I hear Boos in the peanut gallery?) I watch a lot of TV being in lock down in my own home. I watch a lot of the news. All the channels. And yes, even Fox News. I’m so sick of what is going on with the Republicans that I can no longer watch. The news channels repeat the same shit over and over. Trump is a neo-fascist. Cruz scares the hell out of me. But I could live with Kasich. I can’t live with Bernie. He will kill the country with his higher taxes to aid all the free programs he promises.

The kids hear the word “Free!” and they get excited. But then this generation gets its news from Twitter and Face Book. They don’t read. They don’t watch the news channels. I’m ashamed of them.
So, yes, I’m a Hillary fan. (Now I’ve let the flood gates loose for your opinions on her).

The Camacho Liberty Series 2014 is becoming a brilliant blend. It is by no reach of the imagination a flavor bomb blend. The complexity and extended age allows the flavors to mingle around your palate and provide some real decent variety.
Nothing has changed since I last listed the flavor profile. They have become more intense though.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 20 minutes.
Strength is very full bodied.

At Corona Cigars, if you buy a box, the single price drops to $15.00. Atlantic only carries the 2015 version which goes for $18 per stick but on sale for $11 in a 20 count box. I’ve reviewed the 2015 and the 2007. I gave the 2015 a measly rating of 80. But here is the perfect example of not waiting long enough before reviewing the cigar.

That’s the tricky thing about reviewing cigar brands that are Old School. I think that is the main reason boutique brands are so popular. For the most part, a month of humidor time is plenty. That’s New Breed blending. You’d think with Davidoff taking over they would try to attain the New Breed style…but they didn’t. So dumb.

The nicotine is making me drool. My eyes are blurry. Other than that, I’m fine.

The Camacho Liberty Series 2014 is a great blend. I don’t believe it is worth $17.00 but then apparently thousands of smokers didn’t think so either. Or else there still wouldn’t be sticks for sale.

I’m not a fan of the new Camacho with its Joe Camel advertising and stupid scorpion mascot. It’s overkill for a brand that doesn’t come up to snuff on its blends. Instead of focusing on the dumb PR campaign, they should have put their energy to a better purpose…like producing fine cigars that match the original brand.

Still, the Camacho Liberty Series 2014 has been a totally enjoyable experience.
I have maybe half a dozen cigars left to review. If you would like to help me out, now is the time. Thanks.

We move April 16. If you plan to ship anything to my current address, don’t do it after April 10. And if you ship to my new address, wait til at least April 15.

RATING: 90

NOTE: For those flummoxed by how to score some Bespoke Cigars, you can only do it by phone with Biggs Mansion.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE:
Dear friend, and ardent cigar smoker, Darryl Martin lost his wife Penny a little over a week ago. Penny was 51 and had end stage cancer.
Darryl spent every dime they had going above and beyond normal health care. They tried experimental trials and other last hope measures to stop the cancer that was eating Penny alive. Darryl lives in Houston and he sent Penny to Seattle where there is a special clinic for cancer patients who are last stage. Their insurance did not cover this.
And now Darryl is left with a mountain of health care bills that is overwhelming. He even has to save his money to get Penny home. On the right side of this page is a Go Fund Me Campaign to help Darryl pay his heath care bills.
C’mon readers. Darryl is BOTL and is the type of guy who would take the shirt off his back if you needed it. If things were reversed, he would be first in line to donate money if you needed it. He is going through enormous pain now and on top of it he is at wit’s end trying to figure out how he can get Penny home and pay his medical bills. Do Darryl a solid and donate what you can.
Please do whatever you can. And size donation is a godsend.
Thank you and God bless.
The Katman

<

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Rosado (10-year-aged Cuban-seed)
Binder: Nicaraguan (Jalapa)
Filler: Nicaraguan (Condega, Estelí Ligero & Ometepe)
Size: 5.5 x 54 “Toro”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $17.20 MSRP ($16.35 online)

Today we take a look at the Davidoff Nicaragua Toro.
A gift from a kind reader.

BACKGROUND:
Factory: Cigars Davidoff
Regular Production.
Date Released: July, 2013 (Originally priced at $16.50 in 2013.)

From Cigar Aficionado:
“95-rating and the #3 spot of 2013’s ‘Best Cigars.’ “The Toro was our favorite, showing complexity, elegance and balance, with floral notes, hints of coffee and leather and a very long finish. This is a beautiful, elegant smoke that’s a worthy addition to the storied Davidoff name.

“Davidoff cigars have been made in the Dominican Republic under the watchful eye of Hendrik Kelner since the early 1990s, and the vast majority of those cigars have been a mild- to medium-bodied blend of locally grown filler and binder leaves wrapped with creamy, light Connecticut-seed tobacco. With today’s cigar aficionados having developed a tremendous appetite for Nicaraguan cigars, Davidoff’s new leaders aimed at expanding their footprint, and Nicaraguan tobacco
became the target.

“But rather than opening its own factory in Nicaragua, or contracting out a brand, the Davidoff team opted to make a different move and import tobacco from Nicaragua to its Dominican factory. There, they used tried-and-true construction and quality control methods to bring an entirely new taste profile to the venerable Davidoff brand.

“The result is Davidoff Nicaragua, the most exciting cigars from Davidoff in many years. The cigar line launched in the middle of 2013 to great fanfare, with three sizes:
Robusto, Short Corona and Toro. The Toro was our favorite, showing complexity, elegance and balance, with floral notes, hints of coffee and leather and a very long finish. This is a beautiful, elegant smoke that’s a worthy addition to the storied Davidoff name.”

DESCRIPTION:
Sleek in appearance. An oily, pecan cinnamon colored wrapper. Seams are tight. Few veins.
A beautifully applied, round triple cap.
The cigar is super solid without much give.
The double cigar bands are classy. The Davidoff in silver surrounded by what appears to be pearls or diamonds shimmer in the sunlight.

SIZES AND PRICING:
Short Corona 3.75 x 46 $10.29 MSRP (Regular Production)
Robusto 5 x 50 $14.50 MSRP (Regular Production)
Toro 5.5 x 54 $17.20 MSRP (Regular Production)
Salomon 6.5 x 50 $18.60 MSRP (Regular Production)
Belicoso 5.25 x 52 $17.25 (250 Humidors of 48 Cigars-$3,900.00)

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell creamy vanilla toffee, spice, cedar, cinnamon, floral notes, sweet caramel, and roasted nuts.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell strong roasted nuts, spice, cinnamon, hay, barnyard, very spicy notes, wood, and floral notes.
The cold draw presents flavors of warm spice, creamy vanilla, chocolate salt water taffy, caramel, cinnamon, floral notes, cedar, and baking spices.

FIRST THIRD:
We start off with a Pepin Garcia-like pepper bomb. The creaminess moves in quickly along with caramel, sweetness, vanilla salt water taffy, and cedar.

The Davidoff Nicaragua Toro is certainly intriguing. But for $17, it should come with a basket of never empty fries.
Strength is a solid medium body.
I have no idea how much humidor time this cigar has. I’ve had it for a couple months and the reader that sent it to me may have said how long he owned it but I can’t find the information or the name of the reader. My apologies.

So the point is that I’m pretty sure this cigar has plenty of humidor time. This means I expect to taste the blender’s intent.

I read other reviews and, to be honest, they weren’t rave reviews. The reviewers viewed this cigar as just OK. I did find one reviewer that gave it a 95. Most hovered around 88. That’s a shame. But as I described my view in yesterday’s review of the Camacho Liberty Series 2014, timing is everything. Camacho, in both old and new incarnations, is Old School blending style. In other words, all blends need a lot of humidor time.

Same goes for Davidoff. And not a single review I read said how long they had aged the cigar they reviewed. I check again and not a single review happened more than a month after the cigar was released. One even occurred the same week as the release. If you’ve smoked Davidoff cigars, you know that ain’t enough time and hence; lukewarm reviews.

So clearly, Cigar Aficionado got some aged sticks for their reviews which got the Toro a 95 and #3 of 2013. Again, a rush to judgment by reviewers who just can’t wait to be in the group of first reviewers and the hell with the reader by misleading them because it’s all a game. And yes, I’ve been guilty of that as well. Just not lately. I stopped that horseshit a long time ago. Except in the case of a great boutique cigar that was rarin’ to go ROTT.

There are no transitions at 1-1/2” burned. No complexity. Balance is not so great. And a short finish.
It started out pretty damn good but what happened? The wrapper has been aged for 10 years for chrissakes. BTW- Happy Easter.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 35 minutes.
Strength is medium body.
I believe the Davidoff web site says this is a medium/full blend but it is anything but at this juncture of the burn.

A $17 cigar should pop from the very beginning and never stop accelerating. The Davidoff Nicaragua Toro has its tires stuck in the mud.

It is creamy. It has nice vanilla notes. It is nutty…like you have to be to spend $17 on this cigar, and it is totally devoid of any spiciness, cinnamon, caramel, and sweetness.
A big element missing is malt.

I want to like this cigar. I want to like any $17 cigar. But that first third was a major disappointment. Davidoff is not one of those brands where a few years of aging diminish the flavor. They get better. Some folks mistake certain blends for those that get better with extended periods of humidor time. Most cigars in the $3-$7 range dissipate in flavor after 2-3 years of humidor time. I know this for a fact because it is what a certain percentage of readers send me. Cigars that are 2-5 years old. I light one up and it’s like smoking hay. Now I know my detractors are seething right now because I am behaving like an ingrate. You’d be surprised at the number of well-known and well respected brands go to shit after a few years aging. But I’ve kept them all because it still gives me something to smoke. Like now.

I want to thank Duff Ensign for the wonderful care package I received yesterday. Duff is 63, I believe, and we have become pen pals. He is a crazy fuck but we have a lot in common. So, thanks Duffy. You are a mensch.

The Davidoff Nicaragua Toro is bordering on being flavorless. I take back that Davidoffs get better with time. This tastes exactly like a cigar that has been overaged. Flattened out flavors.
I must admit that the construction is first rate. Near flawless char line. And not a single wrapper issue.

I’m beginning to wonder if the Davidoff Nicaragua Toro is a blend that tastes great in the first couple months after receipt but then goes downhill after that. The CA rating occurred a month after the cigar was released. It says that it has “Profound coffee and leather flavors.” So far, nothing has been profound. And I don’t taste coffee and I don’t recollect any reviewer stating they taste coffee.

I reach the halfway point.
Smoke time is one hour.
Strength is medium/full.

In fact, I just skimmed through a dozen reviews and only ONE states they taste coffee. Most are responding like me. And almost to a man, they call it “woodsy.”

The flavor profiles described by other reviewers is tight and small. They also describe the first third as nothing special. And nothing really happens until the last third.
This is the character of an inexpensive cigar; not a $17 stick.

I’m actually embarrassed for Davidoff. I am even more flummoxed by Cigar Aficionado for making this their #3 cigar of 2013. And rating it a 95. Plus there is a lot of dissension amongst reviewers as to how they perceive this blend that it makes me wonder if we are all smoking the same cigar?

I don’t like accusing other reviewers of being in the pocket of certain manufacturers. I do believe most are forthright and honest. But I learned the hard way about this situation. You don’t dare give a manufacturer supplied sample a less than rave review. If you do, most manufacturers take you off their reviewer’s list. This has happened to me a dozen times. They all say they welcome criticism but they really don’t.

I was literally shitting my pants prior to the Bespoke cigar reviews. Both expensive cigars and what if they turned out to be dogs? Thankfully, they are brilliant blends.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 15 minutes.
Strength is medium/full.

Finally!! The flavors begin to pour out like a martini shaker.
We have malts, creamy vanilla, coffee, red pepper, cinnamon, caramel, fruit, wood, chocolate salt water taffy, leather, and a rich earthiness.

For me, unfortunately too little too late. The cigar should have been at this level from the start and built upon these flavors until my head was spinning. Instead, it held everything back til the last third.
Is this what CA experienced? Did they forgo the lack of flavor in the first two thirds in making their decision? Doesn’t make sense.

But then it brings us back to the sneaky suspicion we all have about CA. You read the monthly ratings of cigars and some you agree with and others leave you scratching your head wondering if the guys rating the cigars were on acid?
At last, the balance is spot on. Nice long finish.

The Davidoff Nicaragua Toro gets better with each puff but I am truly bummed out.
The red pepper comes back in force. So does everything else.

I don’t know why this series of events occurred. In order to deserve a 95 rating, this cigar blend should have tasted like the last third at the very first puffs of the cigar. And only gotten better.
The only difference in my review to the ones that reviewed the cigar a month after it came out is the last third. They didn’t get to experience the blender’s intent as I am doing now.

Could this cigar need a couple years? No friggin idea.

You have no idea how disappointed I am. I don’t like thrashing a cigar blend. But then I just might be doing my readers a public service by warning them about purchasing a $17 cigar with high expectations only to be disappointed and let down.

The construction matched its price point. Impeccable. It needed just a couple minor tune ups on the burn line.
The only thing restricting me from giving it a 95 is the first two thirds. LOL.

Don’t waste your time, or money, with the Davidoff Nicaragua Toro. Unless you have the magic wand that CA also possesses.

I feel bad for the kind reader that sent me this cigar. Clearly, he must have bought more than one. If he bought them at his local B & M, instead of online, he paid a lot more than $17 depending on his state’s cigar taxes.

Clearly, Davidoff has a strict pricing schedule as every online store I visit sells these cigars for the exact same price so no deals anywhere. Unless some store is selling them for $7.00, there is no deal big enough to warrant buying the Davidoff Nicaragua Toro.

RATING: 85

IMPORTANT MESSAGE:
Dear friend, and ardent cigar smoker, Darryl Martin lost his wife Penny a little over a week ago. Penny was 51 and had end stage cancer.
Darryl spent every dime they had going above and beyond normal health care. They tried experimental trials and other last hope measures to stop the cancer that was eating Penny alive. Darryl lives in Houston and he sent Penny to Seattle where there is a special clinic for cancer patients who are last stage. Their insurance did not cover this.
And now Darryl is left with a mountain of health care bills that is overwhelming. He even has to save his money to get Penny home. On the right side of this page is a Go Fund Me Campaign to help Darryl pay his heath care bills.
C’mon readers. Darryl is BOTL and is the type of guy who would take the shirt off his back if you needed it. If things were reversed, he would be first in line to donate money if you needed it. He is going through enormous pain now and on top of it he is at wit’s end trying to figure out how he can get Penny home and pay his medical bills. Do Darryl a solid and donate what you can.
Please do whatever you can. And size donation is a godsend.
Thank you and God bless.
The Katman

Monday, March 28, 2016 — Miami, FL – Drew Estate announced today that a Drew Estate Lounge will open at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., home of the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers. This new Drew Estate Lounge is a major milestone in the company’s Lounge Program, officially placing Drew Estate in a professional sports arena for the first time.

“This new lounge brings the Rebirth of Cigars to a broad new audience of hockey fans at the BB&T Center. On a personal level, I am a huge fan of the Florida Panthers. I became a season ticket holder this year and have been so impressed with the ownership, their management of the team and the family environment that is reminiscent of the Drew Estate’s culture, so this is especially exciting for me,” Drew Estate President Michael Cellucci said. “We’re excited to join forces with the BB&T Center for this new chapter in Drew Estate’s Lounge program.”

“Drew Estate was our first choice when partnering with a cigar company. What we expected was a cool brand with creative execution; what we didn’t expect was a friendship with a group of people we so admire and with whom we absolutely love spending time,” Florida Panthers Executive Vice President Charlie Turano said. “The Drew Estate Lounge at the BB&T Center is a special place.”

Drew Estate also announced a new cigar called the “Year of the Rat”. The new cigar will be joining the ultra-premium Liga Privada Unico Serie line and is a commemorative cigar celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Florida Panthers 1996 Stanley Cup team. This cigar will launch April 1st and will only be available for sale at this Drew Estate Lounge.

The new “Year of the Rat” cigars presented in a 5-1/2 x 46 vitola featuring the iconic fan tail featured on many Unico Serie cigars. The cigar will feature a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with a Brazilian binder and Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. The cigar will be packaged in 10-count boxes and will have an MSRP of $14.00.

“Our Liga Privada Unico Serie line of cigars is reserved for our most exclusive, limited cigars. We wanted to create something extra special to commemorate our new partnership with the Florida Panthers and we believe the new ‘Year of the Rat’ expresses our sense of friendship with the team at the BB&T Center,” Drew Estate President Michael Cellucci said.

To learn more about the new cigar, visit http://drewestate.com.

About Drew Estate

Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”TM, Drew Estate has led the “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that have attracted new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Natural by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Nirvana, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, and Java by Drew Estate.

About BB&T Center

Home to the Florida Panthers Hockey Club and leading international concerts and events, the Broward County-owned BB&T Center is one of the top ranked venues of its kind in the world, servicing Broward, Collier, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach Counties.

Wrapper: Brazilian Cubra
Binder: Nicaraguan (Condega), Dominican H192 (Double Binder)
Filler: Dominican Havana Vuelta Seco, Dominican Havana Vuelta Abajo Viso, Peruvian Pelo D’Oro Viso, Nicaraguan Jalapa Viso
Size: 6 x 52 “Toro”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $19.00

Today we take a look at the Bespoke Basilica C#1.
Thanks to Jeremy Casdagli for the samples.
I recently reviewed the Grand Café, and the Cotton Tail, and was completely blown away by both giving them an extraordinary 98 and 100 scores respectively.

BACKGROUND:
If you want to learn about this company, you need to go to either their web site or to Cigar Journal where there is a lot of information.
The company is based in Estonia. Its biggest sales are in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Scandinavia.
Distributed by Biggs Mansion out of Chicago.
Bespoke has several lines and I have in my possession the Grand Café ($14.00), Cotton Tail ($16.00) and the Basilica C#1 ($19.00).

From Jeremy about the line:
From KBF factory:
Traditional Line: Cotton Tail, Grand Cafe, Robusto, Super Belicoso
Basilica Line: Basilica A, Basilica C # 1, and being introduced this summer : Basilica C # 2, Basilica C # 3
Mareva Line: Gran Mareva, Gran Mareva Gold & Mareva Especial
Cabinet Line: – coming this autumn – The Rosetta : a beautiful coned cigar – 4inches ending with 46 gauge – using an 11 year old Bonao opus X binder
From Costa Rica – using Peruvian, Nicaraguan and Ecuador Connecticut wrapper
Daughters of the Wind Line: Pyramide, Dahman, Salomone.

From the Bespoke Cigars web site:
“Mild, full bodied cigar with citrus notes. The filler is embraced with 2 binder leaves. One of these binders delivering the citrus flavours to the palate. The cigar is designed to give an initial mellow introduction by having the filler extend beyond the 2 binders. These citrus notes will stay throughout the smoke with some nutty & sweet flavours developing through the smoke. This is a beautiful and well balanced cigar with a complex blend.

“This cigar is blended especially for Bespoke cigars by Hendrik Kelner Jr of the famous Kelner family of Master blenders at the KBF factory, Santiago, Dominican Republic.”

“The Basilica Line:
“The idea:
“The initial idea behind this line came from a series of tasting sessions with my Middle East clients. Bespoke Cigars was initially seeking to create something specifically for this market. We had established that sweetness within tobacco was well received but that also citrus notes & aromas were endemic to the Middle Eastern region. We knew also that the Canonazo format would allow the cigar to deliver complexity without being too long a smoke.

“Hendrik Kelner Jnr produced over 15 different Canonazos for us to taste. We eventually settled on 2 that we hope you will enjoy as much as we did.”

“The name:
“The Basilica was the name given to the Huge Cannon built in the 13th Century for the Ottomans to be used for the siege of Constantinople. It was built in Turkey, towed by over 600 men, and placed outside the walls of the famous City.

“The gunpowder used to hurl the 272kg cannon ball over 1.6 km was manufactured in Egypt. The Greeks being besieged called the cannon “The Basilica.” So with an Egyptian heritage and a Greek name – the association with my family history was obvious to me. The design of the foot of the cigar also invokes exploding cannon. I designed the foot this way to lead the smoker gently into the full flavours emitted by the rich binder leaves of both cigars. The Basilicas are characterized as a full bodied, well balanced smoke with medium strength.”

From Cigar Journal:
“Jeremy Casdagli, founder and co-owner of Bespoke Cigars, has been crafting his own blends of long filler cigars for 20 years. Since 2014, his production has been concentrated at the Kelner Boutique Factory (KBF) in the Dominican Republic, which is headed by Hendrik Kelner, Jr. (of Davidoff fame). Within months, Bespoke Cigars developed a reputation in Europe and the Middle East for complex, uniquely sized cigars. Since November 2015, his full line has been available in a retail and distribution partnership with Biggs Mansion in Chicago. “Being based in Tallinn, it was natural to develop first in the Nordics,” Casdagli explains, “but, while looking for another possible sales platform for my cigars, I kept an eye out for buildings reminiscent of my family’s ancestral home, Villa Casdagli, in Cairo. “When a friend encouraged me to visit his club, the Biggs Lounge in Chicago, I thought, ah, America!” he says with a laugh.”

DESCRIPTION:
The wrapper on the Bespoke Basilica C#1 is more rustic than the other two blends I’ve reviewed.
The wrapper is an oily, mottled, cinnamon penny brown color. Seams are tight but a couple very large veins in one stick that look like they want to pop.
Lots of spider veins. Absolutely flawless triple or quadruple caps. Can’t tell.
Both sticks are very smooth to the touch.
And both have a shaggy foot.

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell sweet cinnamon, lemon citrus, roasted nuts, cedar, caramel, coffee, and milk chocolate.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell dark cocoa, lemon citrus, strong red pepper, sweetness, nuts, herbal and baking spices, cinnamon, and cedar.
The cold draw presents flavors of strong lemon citrus, strong red pepper, a vegetal note, creaminess, vanilla taffy, cedar, and baking spices.

FIRST THIRD:
A blast of red pepper. A big dose of lemon citrus followed by a sweet cedar flavor. It finds its nuttiness right away. The creaminess is delicious.
The Bespoke Basilica C#1 gets right down to it like I expect an expensive cigar to do…unlike the Davidoff Nicaragua I reviewed yesterday. That was a travesty.
Strength is medium body.
There is a Ruth’s Chris steakhouse meatiness to it. Expertly charbroiled element.

That same Cubanesque flavor runs through the Bespoke Basilica C#1 just like the other blends. I swear there must be Cuban tobacco in this cigar. But, obviously, it can’t. Or can it? Hmmmm…LOL

With only an inch burned, the cigar is very complex. Very nice balance and a long finish.
Lovely reader, Brock, complained that he couldn’t get the time of day from Biggs Mansion in order to snag some of these cigars. I contacted Jeremy and he said he would take care of it. This is Jeremy’s email:
“Dear Phil
“I have alerted my brand ambassador in California about this – and I am so sorry about the experience in Biggs. But if you want to pass me on this readers details I can reply to him personally. I will also call Biggs – if I could get the readers name I will make sure they call him back.

“The good news is that Berkeley humidor in New Jersey is starting to stock Bespoke also – so we are starting to get representation on the East Coast – Florida will also be up and running in the summer. I will also be planning road trip in USA towards the end of the year.”

So, Brock, if you email me I will put you in touch with Jeremy. Or anyone else interested in buying Bespoke cigars.
The Bespoke Basilica C#1 is a great cigar and I’m only nearing the end of the first third. But it doesn’t have the WOW factor that either the Cotton Tail or Grand Café had.
I’ve had all three blends for a couple of months now. So it is not an issue of humidor time. This is definitely New Breed blending at its best.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 45 minutes.
The flavor profile opens its petals and blossoms like a spring rose.

Here they are: Lemon citrus, red pepper, nutty, cinnamon, toasty, meaty, creamy, caramel, vanilla taffy, coffee, cedar, and baking spices.
The Bespoke Basilica C#1 has really kicked into high gear.

I do wish this had happened from the very first moment after lighting up but not every cigar is perfect as I deemed the Cotton Tail to be and the Grand Café to nearly be.
Strength is medium/full. On its way to full body shortly.
This is a good sized cigar but it is so delightful that it seems time is in the fast lane.

Bespoke has officially become my desert island cigar brand. A few hundred boxes of each blend on a warm, humid South Pacific Isle and I would be happy.
Damn. The Bespoke Basilica C#1 is kicking ass and taking names now.

Other blends seem so shallow to me now. I don’t know what sort of pact that Jeremy made with Beezelbub, but it was a good one.
My boxers keep rolling up and down inside my sweat pants. Not to mention, my toupee is spinning at 7500 rpm.

The Bespoke Basilica C#1 is a cross between the Cotton Tail and the Grand Café.
Look at how many lines Jeremy has. He could keep me reviewing for weeks.

The nuances and subtleties are more than this palate can distinguish. I’m stumped.
A couple points will be taken off the final rating due to the Bespoke Basilica C#1 getting a late start but still…it will have a score that it should be proud of.

When Jeremy told me that he thought one of his blends got a 93 in an online cigar magazine was too low, I had to laugh. Now I know what he means.

I’ve reached the halfway point.
Smoke time is one hour 10 minutes.
Strength remains at medium/full.

Man, $19.00 for a cigar is a wallet heart attack. My age is making the new price arenas hard to swallow. Remember, I’ve been buying premium cigars since 1968.

My first box was, I think, Arturo Fuentes that I bought at a local B & M in Long Beach. The 20 count box was $19.00. The same price as this Bespoke cigar.

I loved to sit in the college green between classes and light one up. Women, naturally, wouldn’t come near me. Of course, I didn’t have my fro yet. That was still 4 years away.
Back in 1983, we did a special video to be played at the Hollywood Palladium on Halloween night. It was a giveaway for two tickets to Transylvania sponsored by Tiger Beat Magazine, Rocshire Records, and Life Magazine.

Butch Patrick and I were in NYC doing the Today Show so the video took our places. I hired Grandpa (Al Lewis) to be master of ceremonies. The video had to be one take. I sat there in my finest Alexander Haig suit and tie smoking a fine cigar and pissing and moaning about what a dud Butch was when he comes up from behind and lets me have it with 2 real lemon meringue pies.
This is the only photo I could find:

BTW- That was nonsense in the middle of the review. Another review site, which I respect, has as their byline “No nonsense cigar reviews.” I guess that’s a dig at me. For I am the Katman…the King of Nonsense.

The Bespoke Basilica C#1 is cruising. Each puff makes my palate explode.
As usual, the construction is immaculate.
I can’t wait to smoke, and review, the other blends.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 30 minutes.
Jeremy seems to have the knack for picking the right size and shape for each blend.
While there is a thread running amongst all three blends, they are unique in their own way.
This whole time, the cigar has only needed one minor touch up.
The last third is uber powerful in the flavor department. Just like the Cotton Tail, it is so good it makes me smile and laugh out loud. How can a cigar be this good?

Forget your Padrons or Davidoffs or other ridiculously priced brands. I’ll take a Bespoke blend over any $50 Padron or Davidoff.

Jeremy is working on making this line more accessible.

If you want to get hold of Jeremy to make buying his cigars a bit easier, here is his email address: jeremy@bespokecigar.com. Mind you, he lives in Estonia. So be patient with his reply.

In my late 30’s, I gave up project managing because I just couldn’t take the politics and back stabbing any longer. I went to work for a longtime friend who was from Estonia. The friend is almost 20 years my senior but was the kindest boss I’d worked for. I was a structural draftsman for him. No idea how calming it is to sit at your board and just draw (with a pencil) and do trig and geometry. From that point forward, I became a lover of math. The only Estonian I ever knew until Jeremy.

Now the hard part. I must deduct some points because the Bespoke Basilica C#1 didn’t really kick in til the second third. Even so, it is a brilliant blend.
Final smoke time is one hour 50 minutes.

RATING: 94

PRESS RELEASE:

April 6, 2016 — Black Label Trading Company is pleased to announce the third release of MORPHINE: Hand crafted in Esteli at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

Black Label Trading Co. first released MORPHINE in June, 2014. Followed by the second release in June 2015. MORPHINE is produced by BLTC’s factory, Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli.

“Morphine has quickly become a favorite of our customers. I think we can now say its our signature blend. The 2016 Morphine will not disappoint with it’s big bold flavors and unique character. The blend is the same but we have changed the vitolas to highlight different characteristics of the cigar. This production also includes our first torpedo cigar in any of the BLTC lines.” Said James Brown.

MORPHINE cigars will be available in limited quantities at select BLTC retailers at the end of May, 2016.
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaragua
Corona Gorda – 5.5 x 48 (20 count) MSRP $10.50
Lancero – 7.25 x 42 (12 count) MSRP $11.00
Torpedo Box Press – 5 x 54 (18 count) MSRP $10.50

Black Label Trading Company is redefining the standards for cigar making. With a less is more philosophy Black Label Trading Co. creates hand crafted premium cigars of the utmost quality in small batch, limited quantities.

BLTC are available for purchase through Boutiques United. More information can be found at www.BlackLabelTrading.com

Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 50 “Toro”
Body: Medium
Price: $15.00 MSRP
Humidor Time: 3 weeks

Cigar band photo courtesy of Cigar Aficionado:

Today we take a look at the new Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony.
Many thanks to Courtney Smith, Director of Brand Development for C & A Premium Cigars, for the samples.

BACKGROUND:
Regular Production.
From the Cornelius & Anthony press release:
“Cornelius & Anthony Premium Cigars is the new cigar division of the Bailey family’s 150-year-old tobacco company. Our passion for the finest grown tobacco coupled with the foremost aspects of craftsmanship allows us to introduce the most exquisite cigars on the market.

“Our premiere release is Cornelius. This line is a tribute to Cornelius Bailey, Steven Bailey’s great, great, grandfather. Cornelius was the first of 5 generations of Bailey family to run the family tobacco company that was established in 1866.

“Produced at the El Titan de Bronze factory in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, Cornelius is made under the supervision of owner Sandra Cobas. Cornelius will be initially released in 3 sizes and presented in boxes of 20.

“The Cornelius blend has a layered complexity with notes of both sweetness and spice. The blend has a refined balance that culminates with a buttery smooth finish.
The Bailey family has passionately cared for the land they cultivate for 5 generations. We are proud to have Cornelius as our premiere release, to introduce our company and our dedication, to you.”

From the Cigar Aficionado web site (2-3-16):
“A Virginia family company known for cigarettes and tobacco plantations now has a premium cigar. Cornelius & Anthony, the premium cigar subsidiary of S&M Brands Inc., will be debuting its new Miami-made Cornelius brand this month. Cornelius is the first brand to be commercially launched by Cornelius & Anthony, and is owned by Stephen Bailey, a fifth-generation progeny of the Bailey family which has grown tobacco in Virginia for the last 150 years.

“If Cornelius & Anthony sounds familiar, it’s because the company had a display booth at last year’s IPCPR trade show in New Orleans, showcasing its Meridian brand, which was made in the Dominican Republic. Those Meridians, however, never made it to market. The brand has been reblended and will be released this summer with new art and new packaging.

“A longtime premium cigar smoker, Stephen Bailey is president of S&M Brands, best known for its Bailey, Tahoe and Riverside brands of cigarettes as well as its portfolio of other machine-made tobacco products, which includes little cigars. The family grows and brokers its tobacco under the company name Golden Leaf Tobacco, also located in Virginia, however none of its tobacco is used for the Cornelius cigar line.”

Photo courtesy of Cigar Aficionado:

C & A are already preparing for their next cigar. From CA web site (3-28-16):
“When Steven Bailey, tobacco scion and owner of Cornelius & Anthony, launched the Cornelius cigar, the brand paid homage to his family’s 150-year history of growing tobacco in Virginia. Bailey named it after his great-great grandfather. He will again pay tribute to his family’s legacy with his next cigar, Daddy Mac, named after his father, Mac Bailey, which is set to ship early next week.

“The premium cigar company’s sophomore smoke consists of Nicaraguan filler and an Ecuadoran binder draped in a Brazilian wrapper. The cigars are being produced at Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, differing from Cornelius & Anthony’s Cornelius cigars, which are produced at the El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami’s Little Havana section.

“Shipping in boxes of 20, Daddy Mac will come in four sizes: Gordo, measuring 6 inches by 60 ring gauge; Toro, 6 by 50; Robusto, 5 by 50; and Corona Gorda, 5 1/2 by 46. The cigars are slated to carry retail prices ranging from $8.50 to $11 per cigar.

“Cornelius & Anthony is a subsidiary of the Bailey family’s S&M Brands Inc., which produces Bailey, Tahoe and Riverside cigarettes, as well as smaller machine-made cigars. The family also grows and brokers tobacco under the company name Golden Leaf Tobacco.”

DESCRIPTION:
Very nice looking stick. Tight seams. Few veins. An impeccable triple cap.
The oily, brown, tortilla/gingerbread wrapper is smooth as silk.
The sticks are solid without much give.
And the cigar bands are attractive and classy.

SIZES AND PRICING:
Toro 6 x 50 $15.00
Robusto: 5 x 50 $13.50
Corona Gorda: 5.5 x 46 $12.00

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell very sweet floral notes; like honeysuckle. There is a milk chocolate element, nutty, caramel, unusually sweet generic notes.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell barnyard, chocolate, floral notes, nutty, espresso, and sweetness.
The cold draw presents flavors of sweet tobacco, cinnamon, raisins, chocolate, marshmallows, sweetness, nuttiness, and coffee.

FIRST THIRD:
The start is an unmistakable, powerful pepper bomb.
There are notes of sweet black cherries, cinnamon, baking spices, cedar, caramel, and creaminess.
Smoke is plentiful as it wraps my head like a wet towel.
Strength is mild/medium body.
The spice bomb begins to fade.
At the moment, ¾” in, the flavors aren’t vibrant. But the nuttiness takes over the list and makes this blend very pleasurable.

I only found two other reviews which gives me pause. Could the Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony be an Old School blend? I was given two sticks. When I receive just two, I don’t smoke one to see if it is ready. Why? Because I’ve had more than one occasion when writing a review something catastrophic happens to the cigar and I have a backup cigar to take its place. With only two to play with, I have to guess as to its readiness.

1-1/2” in, things take off. The flavors go from being a bit bland to standing up and yelling, “Hey! I’m over here!” I have no idea what that means.

All the earlier flavors explode like a pie in the face. Now we’re talking.
Strength hits a solid medium body.

Malts show up in different forms. Spicy cinnamon is right up front with the creaminess and nuttiness just behind them. The black cherries become maraschino cherries along with golden raisins and figs. Almost like fruit cocktail. The caramel and malts work in tandem creating a delicious component.
The chocolate is the platform that all the flavors rest upon. The cedar is sweet. And there is another type of sweetness I can’t yet identify.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 25 minutes.
Strength remains at medium body.
Complexity settles in. Nice balance and a long finish.

I am beginning to taste the “blender’s intent” now. A touch of black licorice shows itself.
I believe that the Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony would be better served with 2-3 months of humidor time. Now I know why I only found a couple of reviews.

But I pride my palate in being able to detect possibilities and probabilities of a blend.
The Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony needs a few minor touch ups to the burn line. Nothing serious.

I am very conflicted at this point. I’ve smoked 2-1/2” and I have to admit I expected more. Obviously, the last third will tell me what the entire blend will taste like in a couple months. That’s OK. It’s just that this ain’t no cheap every day cigar. It’s $15.00 a pop.

I must eat my words. While typing the above paragraph, the flavor profile explodes. Big, delicious, fat, wonderful flavors burst upon my palate. It only took the first third for the blend to kick in. This will happen with more aging. And I will return to this review in a couple months and report.

Man, I just have to dileneate the flavors: Malts, spicy cinnamon, fruity sweetness, creaminess, nuttiness, chocolate, caramel, coffee, cedar, marshmallow, and graham cracker.
Makes me long for a s’more.

I reach the halfway point at 45 minutes.
There is a gorgeous complexity now. Like being wrapped in a warm blanket.
This is the $15 part of the Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony. Let it rest for 2-3 months and the entire blend; from the start, will taste like this.

In the past, I railed about cigars in this price range. It is the new norm for high end boutique cigars. I took a gander at some reviews several years old and read how I complained about the expensive $9 stick. Things have changed my brothers and sisters.

I gave the Bespoke blends absolutely rave reviews with high scores. This part of the Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony matches those blends.
I mean, c’mon, at $15, the blend has to be stupendous or it will die the death of a thousand razors. I stole that from the movie, “Lincoln Lawyer.”

The Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony is the perfect cigar for any time of day. Morning or evening, it works perfectly. Its medium body keeps it seamless for a full stomach or an empty one.
I did find a couple of reviews. I have to assume that they received their sticks from C & A the same time I did and they reviewed the blend even sooner than me. And I can agree with them on the flavors and character of the cigar.

I believe all three of us would have had more to say had we waited for the Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony to age a bit longer.
On the other hand, the last half is looming large with solid character and flavors.

I’ve slowed down my puffing to make the cigar last longer. Each puff, accompanied by a sip of water does wonderful things to my palate.

I reviewed the Meridian Sopadre by Cornelius & Anthony back in November of last year and loved it. Rated it a 93. And it was half the price of the Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony. Is this blend twice as good? No. Is this blend a spectacular package? Yes. I’m a firm believer in manufacturers telling reviewers how long they should wait before reviewing the cigar. The trouble with that is everyone has a different palate. So that’s a no go.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 10 minutes.
Strength is a touch above medium body now.

As the great prognosticator, I say this cigar will be worth every shekel in a few months. Flavors I taste in the second half will be batting first at the start of the cigar.

The graham cracker, caramel, malts, chocolate, coffee, marshmallow, sweet cedar, fruitiness, and a touch of spiciness have a perfect balance.

Now you loyal readers know that I don’t B.S. if I think a cigar isn’t up to par. I say it like it is. That’s why you read me. You get the lowdown even if a cigar has been supplied to me by a manufacturer.

Time has flown by. What a spectacular blend! The big difference between the Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony and the Bespoke blends is that the Cornelius has big time graham cracker, caramel, and malts.
Cornelius & Anthony hit this one out of the park. I wish now that I had waited a few weeks longer to more accurately report the blend’s character correctly. But I know a great cigar when I smoke it.

Out of nowhere, I get some berry preserves on the palate. Either raspberry or black berry. What a nice surprise.
Construction has been spot on. Yes, the char line needed a couple touch ups but besides that, it is a perfectly rolled cigar.

If $12-$15 for these three sizes is in your wallet’s wheelhouse, I definitely recommend you trying a few. Then you make your own mind up about purchasing more.
I love the Corona Gorda size and I bet it’s a killer.

There is no heat as I prepare for the last rites of the Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony. Flavors are intense. No bitterness. It makes me want to take out a roach clip and smoke it til there is nothing left. But as we are moving this month, all my cigar stuff is packed away.

This has been a wonderful experience. A big sloppy kiss goes out to Courtney Smith for sending me the samples.
I check the press release and can’t find a release date. Maybe Courtney will comment below and let us know.
Good cigar. The Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony is worth your hard earned dough.

RATING: 94

Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican
Size: 6 x 54 “Toro”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $7.00 MSRP ($5.21 at Antillian Cigar Corp.)
Humidor Time: 10 Days

Today we take a look at the El Galan Maduro.
Thanks to Antillian for the cigars.
This turned out to be a solid, everyday cigar and was ready for review in no time.

BACKGROUND:
Regular Production.
Rated 89 by Cigar Snob Magazine.
From the CI web site:
“Felix Mesa is a Cuban born master blender who can trace his heritage back generations to Cuba’s famed central region. Setting up shop in Esteli, Nicaragua, Mesa has gaining a reputation for crafting some of the best and most evocative Cuban-esque blends on the market today, and offering them for a fraction of what similar premium blends go for.

“El Galan Maduro hails from Mesa’s Nicaraguan factory and comes draped in an utterly gorgeous Brazilian maduro wrapper. The medium to full-bodied blend is completed with a selection of prime-grade Nicaraguan and Dominican long-fillers and exudes flavors of espresso, dark chocolate, hay, and cedar. If you’ve been searching for an affordable, everyday maduro blend, try El Galan Maduro and I am confident it’ll become a part of your regular rotation.”

DESCRIPTION:
What really stands out on the El Galan Maduro is how oily it is. The wrapper has an attractive color of espresso coffee beans.
The construction of the cigar is more on the rustic side. Big veins. Highly visible seams. Sloppy triple caps. But the mottled finish of the wrapper gives it an appealing factor.

SIZES AND PRICING:
Toro: 6 x 54 $5.00 by the box
Corona Gorda: 6 x 60 $5.25 by the box

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I can smell peat, sweetness, chocolate, vegetal notes, spice, coffee, and cedar.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell strong barnyard and red pepper, green vegetal notes, chocolate, sweetness, cedar, and peppermint.
The cold draw presents flavors of barnyard, chocolate, peat, vegetal notes, raisins, and cedar.

FIRST THIRD:
The El Galan Maduro starts off pleasantly with notes of baking cocoa, malt, sweetness, raisins, and then POW! A blast of red pepper!
Also in the mix: creaminess, coffee, and cedar.

Smoke pours from the foot the same as when my first wife lit my leg on fire, while I was asleep, during our honeymoon.
A spicy aroma wafts gently into the air around me.
Strength is medium body.
The char line behaves nicely.

The chocolate brings out a shortbread cookie element. According to Wikipedia: “Shortbread originated in Scotland, with the first printed recipe, in 1736, from a Scotswoman named Mrs. McLintock.”
Photo courtesy of Amazon.com:

The years I spent in England, in the mid 70’s, every time we took a tea break, out came the shortbread biscuits. Just try and swallow while that cookie is in your mouth. Impossible. I think shortbread biscuits are the cause of 23% of the deaths in Scotland and England each year.

At the 1” burned mark, the flavor of caramel appears. The ash is holding its own and the flavor profile becomes spicier. I love spicy cigars. There is a group of us shmos that just love spicy blends. Almost to the point, the spicier the better.

The El Galan Maduro is really beginning to take off now. Big, bold flavors. It is rivaling much more expensive cigars for a delicious array of flavors, character, nuances, and smoothness.
The malts are all over the place. Along with the creaminess and spiciness, they are driving the bus.

I’m really surprised that a cigar this inexpensive tastes this good. If it continues on this route, it will have surpassed the flavor ratings of double digit priced cigars I’ve reviewed.
The El Galan also comes in a Habano wrapper which I would love to try.

The great thing about the Antillian Cigar Corp web site store is that everything is shipped free. And they have a huge selection of great cigars (34 brands) that you should check out here.

The El Galan Maduro takes its own sweet time. A leisurely smoke.
Strength hits medium/full.
This is a no brainer. A box of 24 or 25 for around $125 will keep you in pig heaven.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 35 minutes.
Here they are: Malt, creaminess, red pepper, chocolate ice cream, caramel, shortbread cookies, cedar, raisins, sweetness, coffee, and liver and onions. (Just checking to see if you were paying attention).

We are in the midst of moving to a smaller place. A 2 bedroom apartment. I swear it feels like being 20 and being in college all over again. So we are dumping 50% of everything we own because there just isn’t room.

Hours after I put up stuff to sell on craigslist, they all came a’ runnin’. Yesterday we sold the fridge, the stove, washer/dryer, and assorted other things. Instead of ending up in the hospital in traction this morning, the plan is to hit the basement and separate trash from old papers we will have shredded. Oh boy. I plan to have an IV, full of Demerol, hooked up to me for the whole day.
“What a man, what a man, what a man,
What a mighty good man
Gotta say it again now
What a man, what a man, what a man,
What a mighty good man”
Thank you Salt N’ Pepa.

Damn. The El Galan Maduro put its phaser on kill. My palate is awash in such wonderful flavors. Now this is not a flavor bomb. And it doesn’t have the extra special experience a Bespoke or a Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur; it is far above other blends at this price point.

And it only took a bit over a week to be ready to smoke. Now that’s New Breed blending.
The spiciness, alas, is on the wane. To compensate, the creaminess moves up the line.

The El Galan Maduro reminds me a bit of the Ave Maria Divinia, the Alec Bradley Post Embargo, and the Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Champagne.

I reach the halfway point. Smoke time is almost 50 minutes.
Strength remains at medium/full. A very smooth blend.
Construction is excellent. In 3”, I’ve only knocked off three pieces of ash. No wrapper issues. And just a couple minor touch ups of the burn line more for prettier photos than really necessary. I’m impressed.

I don’t know about you, but I have the worst time with box pressed cigars. I get runs in them like nobody’s business. And it appears that box press has taken over to the point that it seems like every other cigar has that type of construction.

None of the usual boutique online stores carry this line so no discount. And none of the cigar auction sites carry this blend. But at a little more than $5, you really have to be a miser to want that 50¢ back. Sure on a box it would save you $10-$12. But how many cigars have the price point of $12? A lot.
The char line is now dead nuts razor sharp.

Transitions separate the good cigars from the ordinary. The El Galan Maduro is chock full of transitions. Something you rarely see in a $5 cigar.

The move is creeping up on us. On Friday, I pick up the 26’-0 U Haul truck. Saturday morning, the movers show up. At our age, our friends are either dead or infirm and in no physical shape to help move. Not like in the Way Back Machine when all one had to do was get a keg of beer, pizzas, and doobies to get a huge crowd to help you move.

As I near the last third, the El Galan Maduro is pumping out incredible complex flavors. I tried one a few days after I got them and that was a waste. Not even close to being ready. Then I tried one a couple days ago and lightning shot out of my arse. Time to review.

You gotta try these cigars. Or try the Habanos and let me know what you think. Five packs are only around $25 and free shipping on the Antillian Cigar Corp. web site.
Tell them the Katman sent you. The folks at Antillian have been very kind to me over the years.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 10 minutes.
The El Galan Maduro is so ultra smooth that the medium/full strength is hard to acknowledge. A great blend for newbies.
A bit of nicotine creeps in.

Our daughter, Katie, has been a prison guard in the Milwaukee area for a month or so by now. I believe she had 6 weeks of training. She hopes that a couple years of doing this will get her on the Milwaukee PD. She took the test and was in the top 5% but didn’t get hired. This bummed us all out. She had her EMT background and all for naught.
If she accomplishes this, we won’t be around to see grandchildren.
She is a real card. The kid can tell funny stories like I used to be able to do. And her daily experiences with prisoners are hilarious. I should sit her down and take notes and report back here.

We did the math for moving expenses…and sonovabitch. I just put my only bass up for sale on craigslist and Milwaukee Rocks web sites. If I don’t do this, we are in big trouble. I did this with great trepidation. Even though my illness prevents me from playing, having the bass around gave me hope.

The El Galan Maduro gets my highest recommendations. I am having a rip roarin’ good time.

Both the experienced smoker and the newbie will dig the El Galan Maduro.
It is super complex and oh so flavorful.
Final smoke time is one hour 25 minutes.
Be a self-guided missile and snag some.

RATING: 90

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Seed Candela
Binder: Nicaraguan (Double Binders)
Filler: Nicaraguan (30 percent viso, 30 percent seco and 40 percent ligero. Criollo and Corojo from Estelí and Jalapa)
Size: 6 x 50 “Toro”
Body: Medium
Price: $7.69 in 13 Count Jars
Humidor Time: 3.5 weeks

Today we take a look at the MoyaRuiz Pickle Juice.
Thanks to Aaron Hamamoto for the sticks.
Yes I know they are sold out. Aaron asked me to review the blend so who am I to turn down this good man’s request?
Photos courtesy of Aaron Hamamoto:

Photo courtesy of MoyaRuiz Cigars:

As many reviews online, each represents a different view point of this blend. The ratings are all over the place.

BACKGROUND:
Production: 6,500 cigars for jars, 7,000 total (From MoyaRuiz Cigars web site)
From the Cigar Aficionado web site:
“Beginning the week of March 7, 50 cigar retailers will start to receive MoyaRuiz’s special St. Patrick’s Day candela cigar dubbed Pickle Juice.

“Pickle Juice will be a limited release Toro measuring 6 inches by 50 ring gauge, and it will be packed not in conventional cigar boxes, but in plastic, 13-count containers that resemble pickle jars.
“The idea for Pickle Juice came to me from an article that I read online,” said Danny Moya, co-owner of MoyaRuiz Cigars. “It listed strange things people drink that you’ve probably never tried. The name jumped right at me.”

“Rolled at Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, Pickle Juice is draped in a candela Habano-seed wrapper from Nicaragua, with double binders from Nicaragua and a Nicaraguan filler mix of Criollo and Corojo tobaccos cultivated in Jalapa and Estelí.

“The container’s likeness to a pickle jar is completed with a few details: the jars are covered by a screw-top lid and the label includes a cartoonish, hand drawn pickle on the side. In addition, a “Tobacco Facts” label designed to resemble the nutrition facts label found on food products adorns one side of the jar. Instead of calories and other food facts, the label breaks down the percentage of filler-grade tobaccos used in the Pickle Juice blend: 30 percent viso, 30 percent seco and 40 percent ligero.

“The pickle theme carries over to the cigar band, too, as it is a smaller version of the same hand drawn pickle found on the label.

“As a company, we wanted to create something special for our customers that have supported MoyaRuiz Cigars since day one,” Moya added.

“Only 500 jars will be shipped to retailers, and Moya says the cigar will carry a retail price from $11 to $13. Moya added that he will announce the 50 retailers receiving Pickle Juice on his company’s website and social media.”

Just my opinion, I am a big fan of the La Jugada Prieto, La Jugada Habano, and the La Jugada Nunchuck. But they lost me on the Chinese Finger Trap and The Rake. To me, it seemed that once the MoyaRuiz team of Danny Moya and Nelson Ruiz got kitschy with their blends, some of their mastery of cigar blending got lost in the PR. You can type in all of the above blends in my Search Window to read the reviews.

DESCRIPTION:
The oily wrapper is definitely pickle green.
Seams are tight on one cigar and not so tight on another. Both samples have a bright white vein running the length of the cigar.
One cigar is silky smooth while another has a slight sandy feel. The stick is rock hard without any give.
The cap uses a dark brown leaf. I imagine that it might be a filler leaf. Just spit ballin’.

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell dark chocolate, fresh green grass, spiciness, espresso, cedar, and some sweetness.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell a huge dose of dark cocoa, red pepper, espresso, sweetness, cedar, freshly mown grass, and rich tobacco notes. (I use a backstop cutter so it removes a consistent cut every time. Same thing this morning and moments later, the entire cap construction falls off.)
The cold draw presents flavors of spicy grass, mint, chocolate, coffee, cedar, sweetness, and mint.

FIRST THIRD:
There is an herbal and chocolate mix to the start of the MoyaRuiz Pickle Juice
I’m a big fan of the Illusione 88 Candela, the CroMagnon Fomorian EMH by RoMa Craft Tobac, the Illusione 888 Claro, and the La Flor Dominicana Double Claro. I’ve reviewed several other candela wrapper cigars and wasn’t that impressed.

A good start as flavors begin to roll in: Creaminess, red pepper, generic sweetness, herbal notes, cedar, mint, and green tea. LOL. Who da’ thunk?

While I went through my Acid Cigars stage from 2000-2007, my favorite remains Cold Infusion Tea.
Strength is medium body from the get go.

The char line is wavy and needs a quick tune up so it doesn’t get away from me.

Ever borrow money from those cash pay companies? Neither have I. But we were desperate and a friend suggested going there. The paperwork was like buying a house and the interest is 500%. No shit. So I borrowed just enough to get us through the move and have 7 months to pay it off. The final payback is $1.15million dollars. I can do that.

The candela wrapper is extremely fragile. One of the less than tight seams comes apart. I grab my cigar glue and fix it but the loose wrapper is like a thin cracker. I manage not to lose any of it in the gluing process. Steady hands like a surgeon. Which, in God’s eyes, I am. During my Bar Mitzvah speech at the altar, I told God that I would be a surgeon when I grew up. And since I have barely been inside a synagogue since that time, I’m sure he still thinks I’m a doc.

The MoyaRuiz Pickle Juice is friggin delicious. Some of the big guys gave this cigar less than a favorable review. Others raved. I’m with the latter….so far. Clearly, the not so nice reviews did not allow the cigar to humidor rest enough. Because I’m getting some wonderful flavors.

I had girded my loins to be ready for a crappy cigar due to the silly PR campaign. But I’m wrong. I like this blend better than The Rake and the Chinese Finger Trap.

The lousy construction issues will affect my rating. The heat is on the verge of creating lots of cracks in the wrapper. I harken back to my list of Candela wrapped cigar list above and didn’t have a single issue with the wrappers.

This wrapper is too thin. My humidor has an electronic humidifier so humidity is not an issue.
I really don’t know if I am going to make it through the whole cigar.

The MoyaRuiz Pickle Juice is a creamy, chocolate, mocha milk shake. The red pepper is still with me. I like that. It gives the illusion of the cigar blend being stronger than it really is.
This is a very slow smoke.

The Rake and Chinese Finger Trap were over $10 a pop. This stick, $3 less, is a much better blend.
The notes of green tea are slowly disappearing.
But now the MoyaRuiz Pickle Juice is finding its complexity, balance and a nice long finish.
The cracks in the wrapper are becoming very serious:

They occur about an inch from the char line so if the Cosmic Muffin is with me, I might just burn through them.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 35 minutes.
Strength is a solid medium body.
Transitions had begun to kick in when all of a sudden, the air brakes were slammed.

The flavor profile is somewhat stagnant now. It is merely chocolate, creaminess, red pepper, herbal notes, and cedar. Instead of exploring the blend, the cigar is choosing to become reclusive.
The cigar tries to canoe on me. What a mess.

The larger of the two cracks is expanding exponentially.
Drat. While I feared that the flavors wouldn’t be there, I didn’t give a thought to there might be a major construction issue.
The spiciness increases.

For a short time, I was happily surprised by the quality of this cigar. Now I think I am in the camp of reviewers who didn’t think that highly of the stick.
I could start over and light the other stick but I’d rather let it rest some more, smoke it, and report back.

With the huge cracks on the back side of the cigar being so enormous, I can see the thickness of the wrapper. I would need a micrometer to measure it. If I had to guess, I’d say it was only 1/128th of an inch…or .11mm. Normally, wrappers are thicker than .11mm. It’s the thickness of rice paper. Shame.

Reviewing the MoyaRuiz Pickle Juice has become a real bummer.
The char line is now at the major eruption of cracked wrapper. It needs a major tune up. The end of the cigar looks like something left over from the firebombing of Dresden.

If these cigars were donated by the manufacturer, I would probably be a hypocrite and contact them and inform them that I am about to give them a really bad rating.
But as the sticks were a gift from Aaron Hamamoto, it is on his dime; so I’m not, in any way, beholden to the manufacturer.

This scenario has only happened a few times in thousands of reviews. So this hypocritical method on my part is not a regular thing.

I’m going to try and burn past the wrapper issue. After that, it should be clear sailing but, alas, the rating will reflect the construction.
The lousy construction is also affecting the draw. It’s like sipping through a straw that has a hole in it.
The crack on the front side of the cigar is getting some traction and is now travelling up the cigar. I glue it
Damn.

I’m sure I will get comments telling me that smokers who bought this cigar had no trouble with it like I did.
And the thing is, it ain’t that cold here in Wisconsin. We are getting mid/high 50° day time temps.

It now looks like I’m smoking a joke cigar that explodes halfway through.
The pity is that it is a pretty good tasting blend.
I’m getting floral notes now. Other flavors: Creaminess, chocolate, herbal notes, coffee, red pepper, malts, cedar, and a touch of green tea.

I reach the halfway point.
Smoke time is now irrelevant as I’ve spent so much time fixing the wrapper. If I had to guess, maybe 55 minutes.
Strength is medium+ body.

And then POW! A flavor explosion. Especially, the red pepper. I like it. This blend is like the little train that could. In spite of the horrible construction, it is making a huge effort to inject big flavors.

I’m leaving the cigar band until the last possible moment to try and control the crack moving up the front of the cigar.
I seem to be successfully eradicating the exploding wrapper on the back side simply by burning through it.

I only skimmed a couple of big guy reviews and most seem to only report a grassy flavor. There is a lot more than that. In fact, I don’t taste any grassiness.
I will, for the first time, give a cigar a double rating. One for construction and one for flavor. It is only fair.

The malts are screaming laughter now. Very important part of the flavor profile.
The MoyaRuiz Pickle Juice is an extremely flavorful cigar now. Watch. I will, at some point, light up my other stick and have zero construction issues. A roll of the dice, I guess.
The draw is terrible.
If I were not reviewing this cigar, I would have tossed it long ago. And lit up another.

I haven’t thrown it away because I’m curious about the flavors in the last third.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 10 minutes.
Strength is eking towards medium/full. And some nicotine enters from stage left.
The cigar goes out. Damn.

Any moment, I expect the entire wrapper to come off. I think I need a rubber band.
Sure enough, the entire wrapper comes apart exposing the binder. And even the binder has a loose seam that requires being glued.

This has been the biggest disaster of any review I’ve written.
Meanwhile, back to the flavors. The red pepper is uber strong. And some harshness sinks in.
I think it is time for the MoyaRuiz Pickle Juice to die a horrible death and I’m done. Stick a fork in me.

This would have been my last review for a while. But I wouId like to do one positive review before we move on Saturday. I have three Bespoke cigar blends cooling their heels in my humidor and a couple other blends doing the same. But they need more time. I have another cigar in mind…the La Conquista by Gran Habano. It will be on the shelves sometime this summer. And will debut at the 2016 IPCPR trade show. This is what Halfwheel.com says about the cigar:
“The company will be releasing La Conquista, a full-bodied cigar that uses a Nicaraguan wrapper and binder along with filler from Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Columbia, which also is being manufactured in Honduras. The profile is described as spicy and peppery with a long, leathery finish, and packaging that the company calls traditional and very different from other Gran Habano products. Sizes, pricing and a formal release date are still being finalized.”

Photo courtesy of Halfwheel.com:

RATINGS:
For Construction: 0
For Flavors: 88

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Costa Rican, & Colombian
Size: 6 x 54 “Gran Robusto”
Body: Full
Price: Undetermined
Humidor Time: 2.75 weeks.

Today we take a look at the pre-release of the Gran Habano La Conquista Pre-Lanzamiento 2016. (Pre-Lanzamiento translates to “Pre-Launch.”)
Thanks to George and Natasha Rico for the samples.
According to Natasha, this cigar name may change when it comes to market. I’ve tried one and it is stupendous. Something to look forward to.

BACKGROUND:
Box Size: 20 Cigars
From Natasha Rico:
“Gran Habano introduces its TBD pre-release line of cigars, a beautifully-blended cigar that will treat the smoker’s palate to a spicy, peppery, and long leathery finished delicacy. From the novice to most sophisticated smoker, this pre-release’s refinement is certain to romance and captivate the senses.

“Other comments: The final name has not been finalized. We are also in the process of finalizing the bands and packaging. We are working with someone new for this particular project who worked in Cuba designing bands for their brands. This line will look very different from all the other Gran Habano and S.T.K. lines.”

From Natasha in a message to me on Face Book:
“Hi Phillip, it’s Natasha. How are you? I never did a press release for La Conquista. What you have received is a pre-release that we are using for retail tasting events and we are sending out to bloggers. I’m waiting for George to finalize the packaging and bands to do the press release with photos. So far, it’s looking very nice!!! Take care!”

DESCRIPTION:
A stout, good looking stick. An oily russet brown color, with touches of pumpkin, that is mostly silky to the touch but has areas of tooth.
Seams are tight. Very few small veins but a couple large ones.
One cap is round and the other is flat. But all are triple caps impeccably applied.
The cigar is solid with a perfect amount of give.
The cigar band is ornate and gorgeous. Very old school.

SIZES AND PRICING (Prices Undetermined)
5 x 52 Robusto
6 x 54 Gran Robusto
6 x 60 Imperial

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell orange citrus, floral notes, dark bittersweet chocolate, cedar, sweetness, barnyard, and dried fruit.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell dark chocolate, black pepper, citrus, dried fruit, cedar, and cream.
The cold draw presents flavors of jalapeno pepper, chocolate, coffee, sweetness, cedar, nuts, and some barnyard.

FIRST THIRD:
We start off with a mix of chocolate, spiciness, cream, coffee, nuts, malts, something unusually sweet, cedar, and herbal notes.
That sweetness that I can’t describe is totally unique to anything I’ve tasted before. I’ll get it as long as it maintains its presence.

Strength starts out at medium body. The draw is spot on.
The sweetness is a combination of molasses, maple syrup, and pecans. Strange, I know.
There is something else on the tip of my palate that gives the Gran Habano La Conquista Pre-Lanzamiento 2016 a very unique quality.

The blend starts off quickly with becoming quite complex. This is a completely different animal from other GH blends. I don’t mean good or bad. What I mean is that it seems to have hit the high premium market flavor profile and complexity. Having no idea what the cigar will cost, I’m expecting either a $15 stick or a surprise $9 stick.

Caramel enters. A nice toastiness arrives. The pepper lays at the back of the palate in just a perfect strategy. Something constant but not overwhelming; complementing each puff.
There is a very Cubanesque approach to the blend. I think this component is what has been eluding my description.

This is a very slow smoke and not a single construction issue.

As I near the second third, here are the flavors: Creaminess, spice, chocolate, coffee, sweetness, malts, nuts, toasty, cedar, syrups, and fruit. The fruitiness has been the elusive flavor because of its complexity. It’s just not a single or duo of fruits. It is mixed with cream; almost like a yogurt.

Our move is now two days away. Charlotte and I have become planks of wood from the strain of packing and throwing away stuff we don’t need. Getting bags of old papers ready for the professional shredder, and stuff to take to the dump. Living in a two story house with a basement has become a curse. I came upstairs from the man cave around 7 last night and found Charlotte slumped over on the couch. Out. I went back stairs and the last thing I remember was the clock said 7:30. We are too old to do this by ourselves. But it is almost over. The move, not us.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 40 minutes.
Strength moves to medium/full.

The flavor profile expands dramatically. I get new elements of vanilla and root beer. Root beer was the missing flavor I couldn’t get my palate around earlier. I thought it might have a root beeriness but it was very mild and wasn’t consistent.

Back when I was a teen…when the dinosaurs fought each other for the sweet leaves on the top of the trees, there was an A & W Root Beer Drive-In on every corner. On a hot summer day in So Cal, there was nothing like being served a frozen, frosty glass mug of root beer.

The Gran Habano La Conquista Pre-Lanzamiento 2016 is an excellent blend. While the flavors are pretty darn good, I do believe they could use some tweaking to put them more in the forefront from the start. This blend should hit you with a sledge hammer right from the get go. Instead, it creeps up on you. I prefer an explosion rather than a gradual build up.

The blend is very smooth. The spiciness continues to lie in the background. I would like to see it more powerful.
The chocolate is on its way out. So is the coffee.

I reach the halfway point.
Smoke time is 55 minutes.

A sip of water and the root beer flavor washes over my palate. It brings out the creaminess. The sassafras is very upfront as well. It brings herbal notes to the forefront.
Natasha told me this is a full bodied cigar. Based on the gradual push of flavor, complexity and character, I am guessing that won’t happen until the last third.
With more humidor time, all of things I wanted in this blend will probably come to fruition.

The complexity is going Bozo crazy now. I taste root beer, creaminess, herbal notes, pepper, nuts, and matzos with butter shmeared on them. I threw in the last flavor because I’m hungry and we are living out of a big cooler since we sold our fridge last Saturday.

After yesterday’s disastrous review, it is nice to see a char line that doesn’t need touch ups. And a stick that has zero construction problems.

The Gran Habano La Conquista Pre-Lanzamiento 2016 is gearing up now for its grand entrance. Flavors are becoming intense. And highly recognizable.

Sir Paul is coming to Milwaukee July 8. I’ve never seen my hero play live. And at the prices they are charging, I doubt I ever will. Prices range from $100 for lawn seating to $8927 for the rear reserved seats. The lawn seats are so far away from the stage, you might as well park your car and walk over to the arena and stand on the sidewalk and just listen.
This guy has more money than two Trumps. Why he doesn’t make his concerts affordable is beyond me. There are so many big artists that charge just a flat fee that allows everyone a chance to go to the concert. But not McCartney. I guess he is still paying off new prosthetic legs for his ex-wife.
Back in the mid/late 1960’s, we would go to concerts and pay $3.50 for front row seats.
One of my all-time favorite concerts was seeing Simon & Garfunkel opening for the Mamas & Papas in the round at Melodyland in Anaheim.

Back to the Gran Habano La Conquista Pre-Lanzamiento 2016. I believe as I pass the halfway point, I am getting the blender’s intent. And what you will taste once the cigar has had a few months of humidor time. Still, I’d like more spiciness.
I don’t think the Gran Habano La Conquista Pre-Lanzamiento 2016 will be an inexpensive cigar. The flavors and complexity are those of a master blender. Which comes with a price.

Chocolate, coffee, malts, caramel, and the spiciness return. Big time.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 10 minutes.
Strength hits a very strong full body.

The first half was a prelude to the unveiling of the second half’s quality.
Damn! This is one might fine tasting blend. The sweet caramel mixes nicely with the root beer. So does the creaminess.

The funny thing is that this might not be the final blend. The Ricos want to make the blend even better than this blend. Lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, Miss Clawdy.

I’m thrilled that this is such a slow smoke. Balance is perfect. And what a finish! Long, chewy, and chock full of flavors.
I’m sitting here smacking my lips like a dog to experience the finish.

I will base my rating on the supposition that I allowed the cigar to humidor age much longer. The last half, and last third, are so special and enticing that I’m sure, with time, the Gran Habano La Conquista Pre-Lanzamiento 2016 will start off with a bang.

The Doors are playing on the Classic Radio station on TV at the moment. I saw them in 1969 at the L.A. Forum. But I had to pay big bucks: $7.50. LOL.
Every flavor mentioned is blasting away. I can’t wait to see what the final blend will be if this is only the test model.

Nicotine shows up. I see dead relatives motioning me to skip to my lou down the lighted tunnel towards them. But I resist. After all this hard work to pack the house up, I intend to live to settle into our new place.

I received a press release from GH yesterday. Their new cigar is called La Coleccion de Elegancia. A high premium that they are taking orders for now. I will post the press release today.

Based on what I taste so far. And the cigar blend gets tweaked later before release; I can easily see this cigar in my Top 25 Cigars of 2016.

I can say, unequivocally, that this is the finest GH cigar blend I’ve smoked. Kudos George and Natasha.
Keep an eye for this new blend. It may not be released using the current moniker but you can always contact me for confirmation.

Since we got that loan from the pay day cash place, there has been a black Cadillac sitting in front of my house with two guys just sitting there. And they don’t have necks. Gulp.

Out of nowhere, I get a very strong black licorice flavor. “Yummy, yummy, I got love in my tummy.” Did I leave out a “yummy?”
Many thanks to the Ricos for sending me samples. This was a helluva cigar!!
Final smoke time is one hour 35 minutes.

RATING: 93

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican Ligero (Aged 5 Years)
Size: 6 X 50 “Toro”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $8.00 MSRP
Humidor Time: 2.5 Months

Today we take a look at the Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60.
Many thanks to cousins Drew, Eric, and Bobby Newman for the cigars.
Julius Ceaser Newman, and my grandfather, Harold (Armin) Kohn were best friends in Cleveland. Both were from Hungary. And, of course, both Jewish. On my grandfather’s 4 times a year visits from Cleveland to Long Beach, CA, Julius came too. My grandfather stayed in the extra bedroom. Julius stayed in a hotel. We lived in a simple 3 bedroom ranch house in Long Beach. No extra room. We took long walks together, after lunch, and they always stuck an unlit cigar in my mouth. Which means I’ve had a cigar in my mouth for 61 years.

I’m working on a project because I have one of only 100 original prints of Julius’s autobiography and a copy of the three brothers’ father’s autobiography. I’m now up to 72 pages of outline. It is exhausting. I’m planning something big.

BACKGROUND:
Regular Production
Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente
From the JC Newman Cigar Co. web site:
“Previously rolled in Cuba and the official cigar of Spain’s King Alfonso XIII, Cuesta-Rey is known throughout the world for superior quality, taste, and craftsmanship. What makes Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino so flavorful is its rich Sumatra-seed Sungrown wrapper, which is grown on the Oliva family’s farm in the fertile Quevado region of Ecuador and hand selected from the “Centro Fino” or “fine center” part of the tobacco plant.

“Featuring a hearty blend of five-year-old aged Dominican ligero filler tobacco and handmade by Tabacalera A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic, Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino is a smooth, very flavorful, medium to full-bodied premium cigar. After rolling, CUESTA-REY cigars are aged in Spanish cedar lined cabinets to further develop their outstanding, rich flavor. Centro Fino continues Cuesta-Rey’s 120-year old tradition of cigar excellence that Angel La Madrid Cuesta and Peregrino Rey created in 1884.”

DESCRIPTION:
I love the super oily coffee bean colored wrapper. The wrapper is very smooth but there is tooth here and there.
The double cigar band, especially the main band, are so Cuban in appearance.
The triple caps are near impeccable. The sticks are solid with perfect give to them.

SIZES AND PRICING (Couldn’t find pricing on all sizes- It seems that all online stores only carry the sizes with price points noted):
Churchill 7 x 49
#55 6.5 x 55
Pyramid #9 6.25 x 52 $8.30
Captiva 6.187 x 42 $6.85
Toro #60 6 x 50 $6.80
Cortez 5.5 x 48
Belicoso #11 4.875 x 50
Robusto #7 4.5 x 50 $6.10

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell sweetness, spicy pepper, a touch of tart pineapple, a touch of mocha, cedar, and a bit of cocoa.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell chocolate dipped pineapple, strong red pepper, mocha java, cedar, and herbal notes.
The cold draw presents flavors of chocolate, mint patties, malts, cedar, herbal notes, yes; more of that crazy pineapple, and black tea.

FIRST THIRD:
A bushel of flavors begin the journey: Chocolate, creaminess, coffee, out of the park red pepper, malt, herbal notes, fruit, cedar, and charred steak.
Smoke emits from the foot like a chimney.

I’m glad I was patient with the Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60. This is an Old School blend that requires a lot of humidor time. And I’ve been rewarded with a great blend. And the blender’s intent.
I love the powerful red pepper. Right behind, the chocolate and creaminess with coffee turns the stick into a Starbuck’s drink.
This is exactly how an expensive cigar should start. With a bang. Only this isn’t an inexpensive cigar. I couldn’t find it on Cbid but I did find a box of this size on cigarauctioneer.com going for $39.00 for a box of 10 cigars and ending this Sunday.

You can pretty much find this sized stick going for $5.00 anywhere online. And based on the several Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60’s I’ve smoked, this cigar is worth twice the price.
Strength is medium/full.

At only 1-1/2” burned, the cigar turns complex. A very nice balance with a long finish.
Construction is par excellence. The ash is hanging tough. And not a single wrapper issue. A very well made cigar.
While typing that last sentence, the ash falls off right on to my naughty bits. Only wearing boxers, t shirt, and robe. Try and get that image out of your brain.

The Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60 is going into “The Katman’s List of 164 Great Cigars in the $5.00-$8.00 Range.”
A cornucopia of fruit appears: tart green apple, fresh figs, raisins, and pomegranate. And caramel and vanilla complement the other flavors.

I have trouble keeping track of time. I may have had these cigars for longer than 2.5 months. I just can’t remember. This is a stick you buy, affordably, and then hide away for 3 months. And then you get a $5 cigar that tastes like a $10 cigar.

The complex nature of the blend makes me think I am smoking a well-aged Fuente Don Carlos. Really.
I just now read my review of the Don Carlos and damn! It is so darn close to the Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60 flavor profile. And it too had over two months of humi time.
Where is Rod Serling when you need him? Oh right. He’s dead.

I’m so old. (How old are you?) That I remember watching the original “Twilight Zone” on TV when they were new and only on once a week. They always scared the crap out of me. I loved it. Now, in order to scare kids, a movie, or TV show, has to show disembowelment. Different times. I prefer mine.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 30 minutes.
Strength moves to full body.
The Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60 is a perfect anytime cigar. Never disappoints. And wallet/wife friendly.

The Newman Brothers also sent me some El Baton cigars for review. Same thing has happened to them. With almost 3 months humidor time, they have become a stunning blend. And I also have the great Diamond Crown Julius Ceaser 1895 Perfecto waiting in the wings. Also with 3 months humi time.
The Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60 is now so complex that all of the flavors have morphed into one. The malts are very important so here they are: Cara Munich Malt, Chocolate Malt, Coffee Malt, and Flaked Rye Malt. (See Malt Chart).

Construction is still on point and no touch ups required for the char line.
This is one of those rare blends where you get that very earthy, tobacco flavor.
There is also a meatiness. Like a charred steak just taken off the grill. A touch of salt and I’m ready to carve and eat.

My first romantic meal? 1965. I was on a tour of Israel and Europe that my grandfather took me on for the entire summer. There were about 50 people on this synagogue tour and only 5 teens. Of which only 2 were chicks. I got Frieda. A first generation Polish girl whose parents went through the horror of Auschwitz.
We were in Paris and I took her to a fancy restaurant and ordered the greatest dinner in the world that included a Chateaubriand steak. I had never had one but the waiter recommended it and was delicious.

After dinner, we walked the Seine and held hands. I had wood the entire time. My first girlfriend and I were 15. When it came time to make out, I kept running to the bathroom because I was so nervous, I thought I would throw up. This got on Frieda’s nerves so I got it together and we kissed for an hour. A very fond memory.

Where was I? Right. The Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60. You know it’s gotta be a great cigar if it can dredge up a wonderful memory that is over 50 years old.
I reach the halfway point.
Smoke time is 50 minutes.
The Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60 reaches full body.

This has to be one of the smoothest full body cigars I’ve smoked.
And then to make me into a schmuck, the nicotine arrives with the gumption to want to scalp me and use a spoon to scoop my brain into a foie gras.

Life drains from my body and I slump to the floor only to be carried away, to the backyard, by a coterie of a dozen little mice…where they devour me with tiny forks and knives and little napkins tucked beneath their chins.
Uh-oh. Flashback. I was wondering if that would ever happen.

I could smoke the Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60 all day long.
I know that readers get very tired of me describing a blend as a flavor bomb because they think I used the term too much in the past. I’ve been very good lately. But I have to break the fast and call out the Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown as a bona fide flavor bomb.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 10 minutes.
Strength is full body.
Man oh man. Manny Mota! Jesus Alou! Flavors just explode at this point.

I found online stores selling a box of 10 for $46.00-$51.00. This is insane.
I’m having trouble remembering a cigar, this good, at the price point of the Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60.

A sip of water and Kaboom. Blam. Pow. There is a heavy chocolate, creamy malt flavor that reminds me of that cold drink I would get at the Thrifty Drug Store diner when I sneaked off campus at lunch time in high school. Are you old enough to remember when drug stores had little diners at the back of the store? Do you remember fighting in the Civil War? I do. But as a Jew, I was only allowed to be a bookie. They wouldn’t let me carry a gun. I save a lot of lives as soldiers, from both sides, lined up to borrow money.

I’m trying to write while Charlotte is bothering me with questions as she continues packing for our move. I’m thinking of boxing her and using double packing tape. Don’t make a big deal. I will poke holes for her to breathe.

The Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60 is making both my yarmulke and toupee spin like tops. I am beginning to levitate. That can only happen if you train your scalp to make the toupee and yarmulke spin in opposite directions. No easy feat.

If you don’t score a box of these, forget the 5 pack, you’re nuts. The only advice from me is to promise that you let the cigars rest for at least two months. Do not touch them prior to that.

Just look at how the sunlight makes the oily wrapper shimmer:

I must tip my hat to J.C. Newman Cigar Co. for the enormous quality at such a low price. I’ve reviewed a ton of expensive boutique cigars that can’t touch the hem of the tutu of the Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60.

I’m not kidding. Well, most of the time I’m not kidding. I’m having a great time. This proves my point I’ve made over and over. Expensive cigars boast all sorts of things about the aging of the tobacco and how rare it is and then they slap a $15 price tag on it for suckers to buy who just absolutely know that for that price they are getting the best cigar on the block. LOL.

I could list dozens of double digit priced cigars that don’t come close to the Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Toro #60. But then the manufacturers of those cigars would stop sending me samples.

It seems my wonderful cigar experience is coming to a too soon end.
Clearly, I loved this cigar. You will too.
Final smoke time is one hour 30 minutes.

RATING: 92

I had a squeaker.
Total shut down of renal function.. Been in the hospital til this afternoon. Almost didn’t make it lads and lassies.
Will report back as soon as I’m strong enough.
Your loving Uncle Katman

Well, I made sure our seder is fokakte. Verblunget. Verstinken. I am totally unable to eat a thing.
I cannot get out of bed.
As always, I can find humor in any horrifying story, but I’m still sick as a dog.

Don’t even expect to be able to smoke a cigar for a awhile.

So, when I eventually put an end to puking my guts out and shooting bits of my kidney out of my arse hole, I shall return with the story and then onward to a cigar review.

I will say this….I had my very first massive catheter hose shoved up my penis in the hospital so I could pee into a bag. I thought that pain was terrifying.
Try having it pulled out…by three beautiful blonde nurses.

Now, when I pee, it looks like a hundred flakes of reddish/gold exit my massive Jewish penis. I’ve found a high pitch girlish scream that dogs can’t hear.