Memoirs of a Cigar

It’s a gorgous Saturday afternoon and I’m back on my Cubans and Belgians theme. Today my Cubans and Belgians have a decidely French twist, with a French Farmhouse Ale and a French Regional Edition Cigar.

“Impossibly Delicious”, the Saison Dupont was named the #1 Beer in the World by Men’s Journal in 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20080707034243/http://www.mensjournal.com/feature/0507/bestBeer_world.html It’s a crisp and refreshing Belgian Farmhouse Ale which is brewed in the Hainaut province of Belgium, which is the French speaking region. It originated before the age of refrigeration, was brewed in the cold of winter and was provided to farm workers as a refreshing beverage during the summer harvest. It has a golden hay color, a big fruity bouquet, a malty testure, flavors of citrus and spice, and crisp, dry finish. A perfect light beer for a hot summer day. 94 points!

The Bolivar Libertadores, as it is officially known, is the same size as the Montecristo Sublime. It was originally released in France for 2006, and then re-released in 2007. It has the classic Bolivar band, with a second band which reads Exclusivo Francia. Apart from being a gorgous looking cigar, the Bolivar Libertadores is an amazing smoke, with a light citrus zestiness throughout. It starts off with an elegant light tobacco taste, and the lemon zestiness I already mentioned. The center of the cigar becomes creamy and cookies are added to the flavor profile. The final third brought in toasted nuts and the classic Bolivar spices, while still maintaining it’s zesty lemon flavor. I would say it most closely resembles a Bolivar Gold in terms of it light and elegant demeanor. Also it’s construction must be mentioned as it burned flawlessly and produced a perfect draw. A 92 point cigar, and a perfect pairing for the Saison Dupont.

My primary cigar smoking enviornment is my waterfront terrace, where I can smoke and enjoy the sunset over the water. For most, this would be more than adequate, but for a true aficionado, there is always room for improvment.

Enter Jacuzzi.

Since we have a large patio, I have been researching the possibility of getting a jacuzzi. I checked our lease, and it’s not specifically mentioned, so I should be ok to get one. My friend from work Julio, just happened to be getting rid of his jacuzzi, so I rented a u-haul and assisted in taking it off his hands. The only problem was the engine noise, and so I spent a month researching how to silence the jacuzzi engine. I ordered 8 feet of Super SoundProofing Foam, which has both sound absorbing and sound proofing qualities. I surrounded the engine, and built a secondary soundproofing enclosure, and I was in business.

My inaugural dip in the Jacuzzi included a Partagas Series D #4. I got in and it was all I dreamed of and more. The PSD#4 was delicious and full of leather, sweet wood, nuts and black cherry flavors. Life just keeps getting better and better!

My new passion, aside from cigars of course, is Belgian Beer. It started at a resturant in San Carlos called The Refuge, which has 21 Belgian Beers on tap (each with their own glass). I tried a few beers that night, including a Tripel Karmilet, which I found to be heavenly. To be honest, I don’t really drink beer that much, and typical beer doesn’t really pair well with cigars, but Belgian Beer is different. They are in a class of their own, and really should be known by something closer to Champagne Beer, as they are amazing.

I am planning on delving into the world of Belgian Beers and experiencing all the different types, of which there are several. Almost all Cuban Cigars are over 90 point cigars, and similarily most Belgian Beers are over 90 point beers. I hope you will enjoy this journey into the world of Belgian Beer’s and Cigars with me, and I hope you can try some amazing world class Belgians, and Cubans, yourself.

Duvel is one of the most well known Belgian Beers. It’s known as a Blonde or Golden Ale, and is a classic example of these types of beers. It has the refreshing taste of a golden Pilsner, and the depth and complexity of an Ale. It’s golden in color and has a clean white frothy head. Unlike with most standard beer, with Belgian’s you typically want a thick frothy head on top of your beer, which helps release all the wonderful aromas. So toward the end of your pour, you want to splash it around a bit to get a nice layer of foam on top. I would rate the Duval Belgian Golden Ale as a solid 90 point Belgian Beer.

Similarily, the Cohiba Robusto is one of the most well known Cuban Cigars. It’s has that classic Cuban taste, which comes from the volcanic ash in the soil used to grow the tobacco. It reveals a full flavored taste with a light spice and an entoxicating aroma. The Cohiba Robusto has a golden yellow band with white dots on a black strip across the top. In fact the easiest way to recognize a fake is to look at the white dots. A real Cuban will be perfectly printed and cut, whereas a fake will usually be uneven.

The Cohiba Robusto is easily one of the 10 best Cuban Cigars in the world, and probably the most recognizable. It starts off with a light peper spice and settles into a mellow leather and almond taste. The center of the cigar adds a grassy taste unique to this cigar, along with a leather and creamy profile. It also has flavors of sweet cedar wood and tea notes. The final third of the cigar increases in strength and it’s leather, wood and tea notes take over. The cigar I am smoking has a few years of age to it, and so it has an increase in it’s magical earthy Cuban finesse. A wonderful 92 point cigar.

Its Saturday, and I had to work from 8 to 2. I came home and made a list of all the things I wanted to do this weekend, which made me realize I don’t have enough daylight hours to accomplish all my goals, so I cut the list down and delayed some tasks for a later date, but it was too late, the damage was already done. I was stressed out!

I tried taking a short nap, but that didn’t help. I tried playing this new highly addictive iPhone game called Angry Birds which temporarily distracted me, but once I put the phone down the stress was back. I bought some tickets to a festival in Napa for next weekend… still stressed. I bought tickets to the movie Inception in IMAX for tonight, still stressed.

I poured myself a glass of Bacardi Select, dropped in 2 ice cubes, and took a sip. Still stressed. I then took extreme measures.

I opened my All Cuban Humidor, which holds about 150 cigars, has 2 levels and an electronic humidifier. I saw an old Montecristo #2 I had been aging for over a year, maybe two. I snatched it, grabbed my drink and a book off the shelf; The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written. I went outside, clipped it, lit it, and took a puff…and the stress was gone!

The Magic of the Montecristo #2.

The Edmundo Dantes Exclusivo Mexico is an amazing looking cigar. It’s a 7 inch long Churchill sized cigar, with a tapered head like you would find on a Salamon cigar. It is made in the Montecristo Factory in Havana, with a blend of Montecristo & H. Upmann tobacco’s.

600 boxes were originally produced in 2007 for Max Gutmann, the Habanos importer for Mexico. They were sold out almost instantly, and so Habanos S.A. decided to release another 600 boxes in 2008, of which I purchased one for just over $100.00.

The first puffs of the cigar were delicate and soft, with deep notes of wood and smokey, meaty flavors. The cigar then revealed mild coffee and earth with a caramel sweetness, cinnamon and nuts. The coffee flavors grew stronger and blended with creamy chocolate flavors. This blend stayed for most of the cigar, with a hint of salty tobacco flavors on the palate near the center, which were very satisfying and made my mouth salivate. I switched from drinking coffee to Perrier lemon lime near the halfway point, which is one of my favorite beverages for a professional cigar tasting.

The Edmundo Dantes Conde 109 then became more leathery for the final third, and became quite complex. Notes of rich wood, earth, dark fruits and sweetness came through, all with an amazing aroma.

The Edmundo Dantes Conde 109 Exclusivo Mexico is a great cigar, although a bit too pricey for my tastes. It’s a medium bodied cigar that is very balanced and flavorfull. Definately an amazing Cuban which I would rate at 94-95 points.

At 9AM on the 4th of July, I made my way out to Foster City to grab a spot at the park for a day of Barbecuing and Fireworks. I brought along with me a long smoke, since I would single handedly try and secure a front row spot until reinforcements arrived at noon. The cigar’s smoke didn’t keep people away as I had hoped, but in fact neighbors complimented me on how good it smelled.

The Diamond Crown Maximus Double Corona No. 1 was recently rated the #4 Cigar of 2009 by Cigar Aficionado. It will also be one of the top 3 smokes showcased at the Big Smoke in Las Vegas later this year. I’m guessing because 1 of the top 3 was a Cuban, they bumped this cigar up to take it’s place.

The Diamond Crown Maximus Double Corona No. 1 was, indeed, a great smoke. Covered in a dark Equadoran Sumatra Wrapper it lasted over 2.5 hours. It was a rich spicy smoke, with flavors of sweet cedar wood and esspresso beans. It maintained it’s near perfect flavor from start to finish, with little variance, which was fine being that it was so good.

I spent the rest of the day laying out in the sun, playing a game of touch football out in the street, and enjoying one of the only firework shows still happening in the peninsula. A great #4 cigar of the year, on the 4th of July.

The E.P. Carrillo Short Run, or ‘EPC Short Run’ as I like to call it, is the second cigar released by Ernesto Perez Carrillo since leaving La Gloria Cubana and founding his new cigar brand: “E.P. Carrillo”.

I consider myself a huge Ernesto Perez Carillo fan! My most expensive humidor is a limited edition EPC Series R Limitada Humidor. My first favorite cigar brand was La Gloria Cubana. And now I’m a die hard E.P. Carrillo Cigar fan too!

Upon lighting the EPC Short Run, I noticed it was toasty and woody, and very similar in flavor to the Edicion Inaugural, but fuller in flavor. There were some wonderful floral notes, and some green tobacco notes as well. The first third was rich, rugged, and buttery with flavors of chocolate, nuts, and coffee, which faded in and out.

The second third of the cigar featured toasted wood, spice and nutmeg. The very center of the cigar, or the ‘sweet spot’ was just that, a sweet spot. A sweet flavor took over which seemed to mellow out the toasted wood and spice for a bit. After the ‘sweet spot’ I could taste some dark chocolate flavors as well.

The final third became more leathery and had notes of bitter chocolate. The flavors went back to bouncing back and forth between puffs. One puff would be sweet tobaco, next chocolate, next nutmeg, next toasted wood…a really amazing interplay of flavors!

While the EPC Edicion Inaugural was mild and extreemely smooth, the EPC Short Run is stronger and more full flavored. I enjoyed both cigars tremendously, but would have to say I like the first slightly over the second. Of course that might have something to do with the amazing setting in which I enjoyed the Edicion Inaugural. You can find my original review of the EPC Edicion Inagural here: http://www.memoirsofacigar.com/?p=1724