Memoirs of a Cigar

I was given this double corona as a freebie when puchasing some cigars recently. Little did I know you can buy these for less than a dollar each. I sat outside reading the latest Cigar Insider while trying this cigar out. It looked like a real cigar, and smoked like one too! It was actually pretty decent, and a tremendous value obviously.

I was drinking Paul Masson VSOP Brandy which is mixed with fine French Congnac and tastes wonderful. It is also relatively inexpensive and a tremendous value.

To be honest, with all the great cigars on the market, the Trinidad y Cia is a little too cheap for me to spend time smoking them, so I probably wouldn’t buy one. But Paul Masson VSOP Brandy is excellent, and I will be buying it again.

A co-worker was slurping down a Jamba Juice in a meeting at work today, so I decided I wanted a Jamba too. I had already worked through lunch so I decided to go and grab one.

A funny thing happened on my way back to the office, I ended up driving past a small park that I had never really noticed before. It was such a nice day out, I said to myself “Wouldnt that be a nice place to smoke a cigar,” see where I’m going with this?

I ended up having my own Habanos Festival right then and there with a Partagas Limited Reserve 1998. Who ever said ‘working ain’t easy’ has got to check out this park.

Tatuaje means “Tatoo” in Spanish, and is named for it’s maker Pete Johnson, who has several tatoo’s. Pete is one of the newest cigar makers who is earning quite a reputation for his highly rated cigars.

Apparently he went to Cuba and a guy riding past his hotel one morning on a bicycle handed him one of his home made cigars, which was better than all the store bought cigars Pete had purchased. This was the inspiration for the Tatuaje blend. He then worked with the Garcia Family in Nicaragua to recreate this amazing cigar.

Pete was smoking these for himself while working at a Beverley Hills Cigar Club, and one day handed one to a famous Swiss buyer to try along with his purchases. The buyer came back the next day and bought a box of Tatuaje’s, and that’s when Pete knew he was on to something, so the story goes.

One of the newest boutique blends, they are made in Miami and Estelli Nicaragua by Don Pepin Garcia, one of the most sought after cigar rollers in the industry. This is an amazing cigar, for a great price, that show what can happen when everything comes together perfectly. You could also make the case that the success of these cigars is a key driver to the recent surge of Boutique Cigars in the industry. I encourge everyone to enjoy a Tatuaje, a piece of recent cigar history, and enjoy the taste of Havana.

I enjoyed another CAO LX2 Lancero walking around Palo Alto the other day. One of my favorite cigars, this Lancero packs a blast of complex flavor in the old Cuban style.

The Alec Bradley Tempus Cigars are all amazing. I recently smoked the Centario size, which was in the top 25 cigars of 2008. A large, bold, balanced and woody cigar. It wasent as great as the shorter ones I have had before, but it is a great value none the less.

I paired it with the original Dominican Republic Rum, the Brugal Anejo, which is a very smooth rum. Its the bottle we have all seen in the store that has the gold net around the bottle. It reminded me of vodka for the clarity of taste that it had, which is to say it was so smooth, it almost didn’t have any flavor at all.

For close to $25.00 you can get a bottle of rum, and a top rated cigar to enjoy in perfect harmony. What a deal!

Arguably the best cigar in the world, but more definitely the Cuban Cigar against which all other cigars are judged.  Cigar Aficionado calls this cigar a ‘Classic’, which is any cigar rated 95 points or higher.  A new Monty will be around 95 points, whereas an aged Monty (3-10 years, or more!) should reach close to 100 points.  I had 2 boxes of these down in Guatemala, and several on other special occasions. They are always perfect, always amazing, and they go well with everything.  They are Cuba’s perfect cigar, and you could smoke one every day (if it wasn’t for the price) and never tire of them.

In Cuba the Montecristo #2 retails for around $3.00 USD.  Surrounding countries, such as Belize, usually mark them up to a price of around $12.00.  In the US you should expect to pay at least $20.00 – $25.00 for one of these beauties,  if your getting a great deal, say from a friend.  In a pure profit exchange, you may pay as high as $50.00 for this amazing cigar.  If you compare that price to the best Nicaraguan Cigar, the Padron 1926 Serie 80 year anniversary, which can retail for around $40, I would say the prices are to be expected.

Pre-Monty we had some drinks (Mojito, Capriana, Argentinian Malbec) and some appetizers (Kobe Beef Sliders, Tortilla Espanolla, Marinated Olives) and then desert (Churros with Hot Chocolate).  I then stepped outside, and proceeded to light what may have been the best cigar I have ever smoked.  I have smoked many Montecristo #2 ‘s before, but for some reason this one took the cake.  Maybe my palate has developed further where I can better appreciate the subtleties of this cigar, or perhaps these Monte’s were aged longer, or just from a better batch of tobacco.  Whatever the reason, it was heavenly.

Usually when smoking on busy streets people will avoid you and your smoke. Sometimes I notice that people who cant even smell the cigar simply cough out of habit of seeing the cigar (how ridiculous).  Not one person coughed, gave me dirty looks or avoided me.  In fact, quite the contrary.  People seemed to be walking closer to me purposely and slowing down and smelling the air.  One couple even came up to us and told us their life story; from living in Japan, to reclaiming their childhood stomping grounds from an unpleasant memory, to their new book coming out entitled “I think, therefore IM” which is a true story of the re-uniting of high school sweethearts 30 years later, with some interesting web 2.0 aspects.

While smoking, time seemed to stand still.  I remember a 3000 GT parking right in front of me, and the next thing I knew the car was empty.  I never even saw the driver exit the car, he just vanished!  It honestly seemed as if this cigar transported me to another dimension.

Now these are 3 seriously hard to find cigars, 2 Cubans and a Limited Production Cigar.  How I was able to procure these cigars I cannot say, but what I can say is that they were expensive, to the point where you probably don’t even want to know.

The Montecristo #2, arguably the best cigar in the world, and even more likely the best cuban cigar.

The Bolivar Gold, a beautiful Cuban Cigar, of which I know nothing about…yet.

The El Triunfador Lancero, which may be the most sought after cigar of the moment, as its only available in about 20 stores in the world.  Its like smoking a Cuban that turns into a Padron 1926.

My full review of the El Triunfador is here: http://www.memoirsofacigar.com/?p=569

But its my special 4th cigar that I lit up immediately.  An Aged Dunhill Cigar, which was a Pre-Embargo Cuban.  You know what they say, the 1st ones free, then once your hooked you gotta pay.

Held the 2nd Wednesday of March each year, today was National No-Smoking day, so I talked some friends from work into joining me for a Cigar Lunch at Cigar Loft & Lounge on 25th Ave in San Mateo. Hey, I’m just trying to do my part in the battle against smoking.

I smoked an AVO Toro, Richard smoked an Oliva Series O Torpedo, and Doug had a Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 Belicoso.

Will’s Cigar Loft & Lounge is the most comfortable cigar lounge I have experienced in the Bay Area. It features a large, nicely decorated room with plenty of classic executive chairs, lighters and ashtrays. There is also coffee and snacks (the brownie bites are my favorite) and a plasma tv. It’s located just 10 minutes from my work, and has a comfortable and inviting atmosphere.

The cigar selection is excellent. You can find all the Padrons, Fuentes, Ashtons, Partagas, CAOs, NUBs, etc.. and even Tatuajes and Illusions! The layout of the store is perfect, and the cigars are even better. I’m serious! Will admitted to me that he is a perfectionist, and it shows. Each cigar rack has a digital hygrometer at the bottom and they all read 70 to 71.

What really impressed me though is that every single cigar I have picked up is perfect! Usually I go through a few cigars in a box before finding a perfect one, even in the high quality shops, but not here. EVERY CIGAR IS FLAWLESS! If your in the area I strongly recommend swinging by the Cigar Loft & Lounge and enjoying a perfect cigar in a perfect cigar lounge.

There is nothing quite as prestigous as a Belicoso Cigar, and the Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 definately commands respect.

The “Jewel of Nicaragua” was actually named the ‘Official Cigar of the White House’ after the Cuban Embargo! This cigar is a throw back to those cigars of 1970, made with the original blend of Nicaraguan tobacco.

A beautiful, soft and squeezable cigar, the Joya de Nicaragua is a full bodied smoke that is perfectly balanced. It starts off very smooth and then blends into a strong and spicy smoke, and ends up mellowing out a bit. A journey into full flavored Nicaraguan Cigars, this is the classic cigar that laid the foundation for all the great Nicaraguan cigars on the market today.

The Illusion cg:4 was the last cigar I needed to complete the Cigar Aficionado Top Ten Cigars of 2007 list. That’s it, it’s over, my mission has ended. Thank God the 2008 list is out, otherwise I don’t know what I would do with myself now.

The Illusion cg:4 is a 93 point, Nicuraguan Puro, with a beautiful wrapper and a sweet taste. It lights up perfectly, and tastes mild and sweet with a rich nutty flavor. For some reason there is a fear you get when lighting it up, that it just won’t last very long. Apparently other people had the same feeling too…strange. I guess the taste is just so light and the draw so good, you assume it’s going to just go up in flames. Well it doesn’t. It burns just right and tastes even better.

The beginning is smooth and honey sweet. The middle becomes more caramel sweet, and the end more creamy. A great cigar, and for just over $5.00, an excellent value.

I stepped out onto the roof of Hotel Vitale in my robe and slippers as the clock on the Ferry Building struck 12. I had planned on smoking this classic Cuban Cigar the night before in the smoking room at Ruby Skye, but apparently the ventilation system was broken so we couldn’t smoke in the club. We did manage to sneak a few cigarettes in the VIP Suite, but a cigar would not have been able to slip passed unnoticed.

Always a great smoke, the Partagas Serie D #4 helped me battle my hangover in style, while I read Willie Brown’s column in the paper, overlooking the Embarcadero and the San Francisco Bay.

After a hard weekend of partying, I enjoyed a Lancero at Montara Beach while reading the latest issue of Cigar Aficionado. A good strong smoke from start to finish. The La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero is a spicy, peppery cigar, with a touch of sweetness on the long finish.

Ashton cigars are of impecable quality, all coming from Chateau de la Fuente in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The Ashton Heritage ‘Puro Sol’, for 100% Sun Grown Tobacco, is unique in that it uses an African Cameroon Wrapper atop it’s otherwise Pure Dominican Cigar, but not just any Cameroon Wrapper.

The wrapper comes from a tiny village called Guereki in the Central African Rain Forest. The water there is considered “Water from the Gods”, and has been left untouched since the beginning of the natural rain forest, thousands of years ago. The water and soil produced this amazing, delicate, sweet tasting tobacco leaf, cultivated by the Meerapfel Family.

Only a true Cigar Conissuer will be able to truely appreciate the complexity, rarity and deep history that has gone into the creation of the Ashton Heritage Puro Sol. It is a unique smoke; strong and flavorfull on the inhale, yet mild and dry on the exhale. This rare African Cameroon Wrapper gives the cigar a sweet yet powerfull bite, which contrasts against the Dominican binder and filler that provides a rich chocolate taste, with a light tang of black cherry.

It took a bit of magic to fandangle one of these from Hemingway Smoke Shop in Palo Alto. I let the owner know I had a Cigar Blog, and that I loved Lanceros. He went upstairs and came back with an unopened box of these, ripped open the packaging and held them out for me to smell. He said he was saving these, and dreaded opening them up, but now he could smoke one every day until the box was done. . Ahh…the power of the blog.

The El Triunfador is a boutique cigar, made by Tatuaje Cigars in very limited production. Apparently it’s only available to 25 stores, and is very hard to get, unless you have a cigar blog of course. It’s a Nicaraguan Cigar covered in a Conneticut Broadleaf Maduro Wrapper with a pig tail on top.

A peppery blast started off this 7 and 1/2 half inch jouney. Quickly the pepper disapeared and roasted nuts and coffee taste took it’s place. Never overpowering, but always flavorfull, this is a wonderfull smoke. Immediately I was impressed by the smooth and creamy smoke. I found myself bathing in this luscious cigar’s smoke and loving every second of it. And that was all in the first third of the cigar!

The middle of the cigar mellowed out and was amazingly smooth. Like a finely aged Cuban, the center of this cigar was perfect, as good as anything I have ever smoked. They could have nicknamed this cigar “oh my god”, because that’s what you’ll say when smoking the center of it “oh my god”, Perfect.

In the last third, the pepper came back, along with a bit of spice, and the taste of a good espresso. Amazingly it ends up tasting like a Padron 1926 Maduro.

In summary, the El Triunfador Lancero starts with a peppery blast and luscious smoke, followed by the taste of a classic Cuban, and finishes tasting like a Padron 1926 Maduro. Who could ask for anything more, El Triunfador.

This past Friday I went a little crazy at Hemmingway Smoke Shop on University Avenue in Palo Alto. I decided to see how many of the Cigar Aficionado Top Ten Cigars of 2008 I could find in one swoop. I ended up with 5 in the top ten, number 25 (which is a phenomenal smoke), and 4 Lanceros-my new cigar size of choice. I was also offered the good stuff by the store owner, a special hard to find Lancero, and a Davidoff 100 which is supposed to be a “classic cigar” aka rated over 95 points.

$250.00 later, I was having a hard time deciding what to smoke, so I did what any cigar aficionado would do, I started at the top.

The #4 rated cigar of 2008, the La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial No. 5. A gorgeous cigar, with an impecable Ecuadoran Wrapper. This Belicoso is so good looking, it’s difficult to cut it, so I handed it over for a table top V-cut. It was toasty and spicy from start to finish. It’s made by Jose “Pepin” Garcia in Nicaragua, and is all Nicaraguan except for the Ecuadoran Wrapper. This powerful spicy smoke made a wonderful main couse, followed by Red Mango for desert.