Memoirs of a Cigar

Here is the official Top 10 Cigars of 2009 by Memoirs of a Cigar.

Also available below as a handy Printable PDF, which you can take with you when shopping for cigars.

Top 10 Cigars of 2009 www.memoirsofacigar.com

Room 101 is a Luxury Silver Jewlery Brand based out of Los Angeles. As they expand their line to include tatoos, clothes and even private jet interiors, they have also decided to get into the cigar business. They have a line of lighters, cutters and humidors coming out soon, and they have just released their first cigar entitled “Room 101″. They launched the cigar at a party in Las Vegas which featured one of my favorite rap artists Twista, who hails from Chicago and holds the guinness world record for the fastest rap of all time.

Room 101 Cigars are specially blended by Camacho Cigars. They are brand new and just starting to hit the market. I picked mine up at Cigar Connisuer in Del Ray, Florida last week. Their cigar sizes are named after area codes in L.A., of which I picked up the 404 Belicoso size.

I am always weary of a new cigar entry, as it takes years of trial and error to blend great cigars, however the experience of Camacho is in full form here, and I would go so fat as to say it is the best Camacho Cigar I have ever smoked.

My Room 101 Belicoso was surprisingly good. The cigar is finished in a beautiful Semilla Leaf Wrapper out of Honduras. The begining of the cigar featured a rich tobacco taste with pepper and earth. It reminded me of a Cuban Punch. The middle of the cigar transitioned into a creamy smoke with strong flavors of leather and espresso. It also had a minty tanginess similar to a Cuban Hoyo de Monterrey. The final third of my Room 101 cigar settled down into a smooth earthy smoke with a hint of cocoa. All in all my Room 101 Cigar was an impressive smoke with lots of complexity and a perfect draw. And at only $9.00 it was a good value too.

So I’m back home I’m California where it’s a chilly 42 degrees, and now must face the reality that winter is upon us. This is a harsh reality seldom faced by Floridians, but none the less it is my fate.

I pulled out my Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2009, which is all too appropriate in a moment like this with it’s deep chocolate and spicy leather flavors. The prelight flavors were an intoxicating blend of molasses and cocoa, as were the first few puffs. The middle of the cigar became a fairly one dimensional strong leather taste. The end of the cigar did bring back the wonderful winter blend of chocolate and creamy nuts, well worth the wait.

Make no mistake the Rocky Patel Winter Collection Blend is a powerful maduro that will keep you warm on those cold winter mornings. The scent of the cigar was very well recieved by both myself and a little squirrel that hung around the tree where my smoke was blowing. I fed him a few bites of the cookie I was eating and I think he got a sugar rush as he started running around the tree showing off. Well it’s Christmas an squirels need love too!

It’s my last morning in Florida, an so I’m feeling a bit nostalgic as I selected my final morning balcony cigar to accompany my Cafe Cubano. I had to go with a Lancero, the shape that defines me and my smoking style.

I had gotten a cigar gift card from Tommy (Chloe’s Sister’s Boyfriend) to Conissuers Cigars in Del Ray, which he told me has some unique cigars you can’t find anywhere else. Tommy was right. I found a Room 101 Torpedo, a El Triunfador Lancero, a Don Lino 1989 Churchill, and a Casa Fernandez Lamcero, all of which are brands nearly impossible to find.

In buying my Casa Fernandez Lancero, I was told that it uses the same tobacco as the Illusione Brand in Nicaragua. In cutting and lighting it I noted it’s perfect draw, and velvety texture which made me salivate. Flavors of sweet cedar and molasses were immediately present, followed by nuts, cocoa, cinnamon and caramel.

The Casa Fernandez Lancero is a Nicaraguan Puro made entirely from Aganorsa Tobacco Leaf. It has a Grade A Sun Grown Cuban Seed Corojo Wrapper from 2006. It got a 90 point rating in Cigar Aficionado for it’s hickory and sweet chocolate notes, which are clearly dominate in the last half of the cigar.

The Casa Fernandez Lancero, a great cigar as part of a great gift to end a great vacation. See you next year Florida…

(Florida balcony views below)

Spending time with family, a wonderful Christmas Eve Dinner, and El Triunfador Lancero!

Merry Christmas from Memoirs of a Cigar!!!

I smoked the new release from CAO today, the CAO La Traviata Divino. This was an exceptional cigar. I could talk more about the oily Equadorian Habano Wrapper, or how La Traviata is named after a Cuban Cigar Brand from 100 years ago, but the real story here is the cigar.

The CAO La Traviata was recently rated 93 points in Cigar Aficionado, and I have to agree. This was a mighty fine cigar, which smoked beautifully from start to finish. The Divino is the standard robusto size, but the flavor was far from standard.

The cigar started with flavors of sweet cedar, leather and a touch of pepper. After the first third though it developed further to also include creamy flavors of caramel and roasted nuts. The creamy caramel and nuts really brought all the flavors together for an intensely satisfying smoke.

The CAO La Traviata is also priced around $6.00 each, although I would gladly pay $20.00 for a smoke this good. This cigar is the real deal, and I will be buying more of them tomorrow. I highly recomend smoking this cigar, and I bet you this will be listed in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 10 Cigars of 2009, due to be released Jan 10th.

THIS IS NOT A TALE OF IMPRESSIVE DEEDS, IT IS A PIECE OF TWO LIVES TAKEN IN A MOMENT WHEN THEY WERE RELAXING TOGETHER, ALONG A GIVEN PATH WITH THE SAME DRINK AND CIGAR

The Plan: to enjoy a cigar in a memorable setting by sitting at the Breakers Pool gazing out over the Atlantic

The Method: relaxation

The Objective: to smoke a new exciting cigar just released in December of 2009 that I have only read about until now.

The Pilot: Bernie from www.memoirsofacigar.com

The Co-Pilot: Chloe

The Drink: 10 Cane Rhumba

The Cigar: the latest release from Ernesto Perez Carillo (formerly of La Gloria Cubana) the E.P. Carrillo Edición Inaugural 2009

The Construction: 2-3 year aged Filler, 2 Binders both aged 5 years, an exclusive 3 year aged Wrapper from Equador

The Review: I took my first puff of the EPC 2009 and was immediately floored by the complex flavors blended so perfectly that they could be enjoyed on a daily basis. The flavor was creamy and smooth, with rich and intricate flavors. The best comparison I can muster would be a La Gloria that has gone Davidoff, but even that does not do this cigar justice. This is a work of art, a cigar blended for the ages, a cigar that everyone will enjoy, and which no one could find a single fault in. The EPC might as well stand for Ernesto’s most Perfect Cigar, because it is just that…perfect.

I picked up a supposed ‘Cuban’ cigar from a street vendor (1st sign of a fake) while walking down Ocean Drive in Miami tonight. There were Montecristo #2′s, Cohiba Robusto’s and the most counterfitted cigar in the world; the Cohiba Esplendido (2nd sign of a fake).

The wrapper smelled real, but the foot of the cigar had no smell. The wrappers appearance was flawless; golden brown with smooth veins. Upon cutting the cigar I came to find there were absolutely no pre-light flavors when dry hitting my ‘Cuban’ Cigar (3rd sign of a fake). The asking price for the Cohiba Esplendido was $20.00 (4th ((and most certain)) sign of a fake), but I had never smoked a fake Esplendido before, so I figured I would give it a shot. So after our traditional feast at News Cafe, Chloe and her Mom went inside to read magazines, as I settled in on the little side terrace overlooking the grotto.

Upon lighting my supposed Cohiba Esplendido I noticed part of the wrapper had torn off. Now I have torn cubans before, but never have I seen a wrapper tear this far up the cigar (5th sign of a fake). Also the Cigar appeared to have no binder, just a wrapper over bunched tobacco leaves (6th sign of a fake). I finally lit my ‘Cuban’ and the burn was horrible (7th sign of a fake). Never would a Real Cohiba produced in a Real Cohiba Factory have a burn this uneven.

The first few puffs of my supposed Cohiba Esplendido were light and flavorless. This is not to say it was bad, in fact to the contrary, it was quite smokable. After about a minute I noticed a bitter sensation on the tip of my tounge (8th sign of a fake). To my surprise, the burn evened out quite quickly, leaving me almost willing to think that maybe this was really the cigar it claimed to be. The ash hung on for almost 2 inches before falling off, and so again I started to say to myself, well this seems to have fairly good construction…what if?

Upon close inspection of the wrapper I noticed the black band across the top to be faded slightly, and some of the gold lettering of Cohiba was rubbing off. The cigar did have raised gold Cohiba lettering, which you usually don’t see with a fake cigar. I also found a printing error where some of the black had been printed onto the white area surrounding the gold Cohiba lettering. I concluded that this was not a fake Cuban in a real Cohiba Band, but a fake Cuban with a Counterfitted Band as well.

I continued smoking and noticed the cigar was quite dry and smoked much too fast. Before I knew it I was halfway through, and the cigar started to reveal some flavor. A puff or two later though the flavor was gone, leaving me with my dry, bitter, flavorless supposed ‘Cuban’ Cigar. The end of the cigar revealed a light mint taste, which was quite good actually, and led me to conclude that aside from the bitter element, this was actually an interesting, although pricey, cigar. The light flavors and long ash led me to conclude this may have been a cigar made in Cuba, although certainly not a Cohiba.

Each classic cigar I have enjoyed at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, has been a classic moment etched into my memory, and today was no different.

I picked up a nicely aged Padron 1926 no. 6 Natural at the Breakers News & Cafe. I then strolled to my usual spot under the pillars overlooking the Venetian Gardens and proceeded to enjoy one of life’s simple pleasures, a coffee and a cigar.

I even recorded a short YouTube Video to capture the moment on film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHYH7a0ZoMU

The “Duke” is the newest Romeo y Julieta Cigar in the world. It has a 54 inch ring gauge and is the largest of the Limited Edition Cuban Cigars for 2009.

I recently smoked my first at the stunning Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach Florida. We walked through the hotel, where I picked up a Oban 14 yr Scotch, and made our way out to the back to take in the spectacular ocean views. We then strolled through the gardens, by the pool, and sat down in the Venetian Gardens under the Roman Pillars. Quite an appropriate setting for the “Duke”.

The new Romeo y Julieta Duke is a great cigar. It has a light, fresh flavor profile of spice and cedar wood. Most of the flavors are detected on the palate as you exhale. The cigar stays fresh and clean as you inhale. The cigar became a little heavier in flavor in the second half, with the addition of some leather. All in all, the Romeo y Julieta Duke was a very satisfying cigar, which I look forward to smoking again soon.

I stopped by the Cuban Rum Bar in West Palm Beach yesterday for lunch and a smoke. The Cuban decor was perfect and the Cuban Sandwich was thick and juicy. They had a wide selection of Mojitos including a Blackberry Coconut Mojito.

Being a lover of Bacardi Rum, I know the history of Cuban Rum and how Havana Club Rum was created to fill the void when Bacardi left the island, but I figured I would try a Havana Club Mojito to see how the rum tastes. Bad call. My Havana Club Rum was shit, horrible, a disgrace for a Cuban Rum Bar. I’m not sure if it was due to the Havana Club Rum or if they just dont know how to make a Mojito, but I wouldn’t drink another Havana Club Mojito if it was free.

Take my advice: ONLY DRINK BACARDI MOJITOS!!!

Luckily the lunch wasent a complete wash. Like I said the Cuban Sandwich, although expensive, was good. And my Cohiba Robusto was excellent. These I have been aging for just over a year now and so the dry grassy taste is really starting to come through. Cohiba and Bacardi are the Real Cuba.

I just touched down in Miami about 3 hours ago. We came home and had a wonderful home cooked Lasagne. Then for desert, a cigar of course.

The Cuba Aliados Miami is the perfect Floridian cigar to start off my trip. It is made in Miami by the Reyes Family, who also make the Puros Indios Cigars. It features prominant branding of “Florida” pretty much all over, even on the cedar wood it came wrapped in. The pre-light flavors were intense, and matched the cigars flavors of leather, cedar, earth and spice. The cigar started off mild and soon developed into a full bodied powerhouse.

At only $5.00 it’s a great value, and definately worth trying if you find one. If the flavors end up being the type of smoke you like, you might have just found your new favorite cigar.

We just received our latest delivery of Cubans complete with Partagas, Hoyo De Monterrey, and two types of Romeo y Julietas. I was able to wait about 3 whole hours before firing one of these new Cubans up on a dark and rainy night in California. I chose the highest rated of the group, the 94 point rated Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill.

The Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill is the #6 rated cigar of 2008, and the highest rated Cuban, beating out the H. Upmann Sir Winston by 1 spot. I now can claim to have smoked all of the top 25 rated cigars of 2008! I completed my yearly task just in time, as the new 2009 list comes out next month.

The Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill is a perfect sized full bodied smoke. It’s a full flavored smoke that is very well balanced so that it never becomes too strong. The first puff revealed subtle leather and wood notes. The cigar then added some light cocoa, and toward the middle became full bodied. The end of the cigar maintained the full flavor with a slight twist of citrus which was only barely noticable. I have to say the most striking element of the cigar was it’s ability to stay perfectly balanced, so that you could keep it in your mouth while cigar blogging (if your into that sort of thing) without it ever becoming too strong. It was a perfectly balanced cigar, which is quite a feat for a 94 point rated Cuban.

You have undoubtably heard of the Casa Magna Colorado Robusto, what with it being the #1 rated cigar of the year and all. It is a beautiful Nicaraguan Puro with a Colorado Wrapper which rated 93 points in Cigar Aficionado. The fact that it only costs $5.00 helped catapult this cigar to the top spot for 2008. It is a full flavored smoke with flavors of rich coffee, sweet cedar wood and creamy raisins.

For 2009 Casa Magna had introduced the “Oscuro”, for it’s dark and juicy maduro wrapper which is grown in Honduras. Adding the Honduran Oscuro Wrapper to the Nicaraguan Casa Magna Binder and Filler, adds a layer of sweet maduro taste to the already fabulous cigar.

In smoking the Casa Magna Oscuro, I noticed flavors of cedar wood and raisins, with some creaminess and sweetness too. It was a good dark maduro, one that I would gladly smoke again. I actually liked it better than the original Casa Magna with the Colorado wrapper.

I have been aging a few of the Casa Magna Colorado’s for about a year now in a Cabinet Box,and so I will probably smoke one of them soon to really compare the two. I can also see how well the #1 rated cigar of 2008 ages.

The Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Maduro is my go to Maduro Cigar. I smoke them all the time, and have bought more boxes of them then any other cigar.

They were the first cigar Rocky Patel’s ever produced, and on his website he says he has also smoked more if them then any other cigar. A great little spicy nutty Maduro with elegant and balanced flavors.

I prefer the smallest of the line, the Corona Maduro which is 5.2 x 43. It reminds me of the Cohiba Secretos #5 Maduro, but at a fraction of the price. A great little 92 point Maduro, that pairs amazingly with a morning espresso.