Memoirs of a Cigar

The Story of Baby Huey.

There once was a man named Howard, who drove a big yellow work van and installed Hardwood Floors for a living. One year for Halloween the 350+ pound Howard came over our house dressed in only a diaper, and carried a baby bottle filled with beer. Everyone called him Baby Huey, and the name stuck. From then on he was always known as Baby Huey in our house.

As a kid, of all my Dad’s friends, Baby Huey was my favorite. The man was the strongest I had ever seen, and he could rip through an entire telephone book with his bare hands! I’m serious! He would fold the book up so that it was twice as thick, he would wrap his massive hands around the sides of the book, and slowly tear the book in half. Needless to say we never had a phone book around our house for very long.

One year my Dad took me on a fishing trip up to the Delta with Baby Huey. We went out on the boat and stopped in a cove with some fallen down trees near a long bridge. I remember watching a train go over the bridge and counting over 150 cars before loosing interest. As we were preparing the fishing poles Baby Huey took a huge piece of chicken liver and wrapped it around his hook. I said “isn’t that too much bait?”, to which Baby Huey famously replied “Big Bait, Big Hook, Big Fish!”.

I guess Baby Huey was right, because we came across a school of catfish and had the best day of fishing in my entire life. We must have caught close to 25 catfish in under an hour. It seemed like as soon as the bait hit the water, you would have a fish on the hook and have to reel him in and bait up again. One fish was so big it literally snapped my pole in half as it went under the boat! I then graduated to a full size adult pole from that day forward. A pole with a big hook.

The Montecristo “A” had me hook, line and sinker. Add a massive bottle of Chimay Blue to the mix, and I was as helpless as a fish out of water.

If you haven’t yet smoked a Montecristo “A”, you are missing out on one of the finest smoking experiences imaginable. Launched in 1971, the Montecristo “A” was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the Most Expensive Cigar in the World.

At 9.2 inches long, the “A” is a 2 to 3 hour smoke, but the experience is so magical, the time will go by much too fast. Soft and supple flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg, plum and raisin immediately notify your palate that you are dealing with a masterpiece from the very first puff. The cigar also exhibits a creamy herbaceous finesse that is quite remarkable. Honey sweet cedar wood is sprinkled with white pepper spice for the connoisseur’s delight. And that is just in the first third. First Third = 100 Points.

Honestly, the format of the Montecristo “A” is the real hero. It essentially stretches out the flavors over time, so that each flavor can stand on its own for several minutes, rather than smoking them all at once, as with a smaller cigar. This allows you to truly savor each amazing flavor with full focus, while bathing the smoker in intoxicating aromas.

The start of the 2nd third is marked with the amazing experience of pure vanilla bean. Flavors of roasted coffee and then sweet hay soon follow. The very center of the cigar is laden with dark rich chocolate for a mouth watering experience. Bread soaked in honey followed by sweet cedar wood and elegant white pepper spice with an amazing aroma. Second Third = 100 Points.

The final third was slightly heavier with a leathery texture. I noted some red pepper, earth and honeyed wood. Roasted coffee, bitter dark chocolate, and sweet cedar wood with a long finish. While still an outstanding smoke, the final third was not as elegant as the rest of the cigar. Final Third = 98 Points.

The Montecristo “A” is impeccably constructed, the ultimate in refinement, and the pinnacle of elegance and finesse. The presentation is as spectacular as any cigar could be; coming in its own private cigar coffin revealing a gorgeous Montecristo. The burn was perfect and the draw with just a touch of resistance. The flavors were truly outstanding, with the final third a touch heavier then the rest of the cigar. I would have to rate this cigar at 100 points for the first 2 thirds, and at 98 points for the final third due to the heavier flavors, for a final overall score of 99 points, but for a $100 cigar, the experience was priceless.

The Sancho Panza Brand of Cuban Cigars were founded in 1852, and were obviously named after the faithful squire of Don Quixote. As with the story of the Montecristo Brand being traced back to the Count of Montecristo, which was read to cigar rollers working in the factory, I imagine the Sancho Panza’s name was picked up in similar fashion.

The enormous “A” size cigar in the Sancho Panza lineup may have been a tribute to the “Lance” of Don Quixote. Also, the Sancho Panza Belicoso (which I am smoking today) is a bit on the fatter side, as Señor Sancho Panza was a bit hefty as well.

The Sancho Panza Belicosos starts out with mild flavors of sweet cedar wood and light creamy tea notes. Toward the center of the cigar, flavors of creamy coffee, roasted nuts and herbaceous notes are added. The final third of the cigar returns to its sweet cedar and tea flavors.

The cigar is devoid of any spice, save for a few hints of paprika in the center, however the lack of pepper spice is instead substituted with a very pleasant salty note, that shines throughout the cigar.

The flavor profile of the Sancho Panza’s are definitely a cigar for a refined palette. A smooth and creamy, subtle yet flavorful Gentleman’s Cigar. I’m sure Don Quixote would have approved!

Note: If you are looking for a powerful after dinner Cuban Cigar, these are not for you. The Sancho Panza Belicoso is best suited for a mild mid-day smoke, or a light after breakfast treat.

If you read my blog, you would know its no secret that I am an avid La Gloria Cubana fan. From the original, to the Series R, to the Artesanos de Miami Artesanos de Miami review, to the Obelisco, to the extremely limited Series R Gigantes Serie R Maduro Limitada Gigante review that only come in the EPC Humidor 2006 Serie R Limitada Humidor review, I am proud to say I have smoked every La Gloria Cubana ever made.

I have made a ritual out of visiting their flagship store on the corner of 8th & 11th in little Havana, whenever I am in Miami, and I have even drank their in house cafe cubano, along with a smoke of course La Gloria Cubana Factory review.

Their newest release, the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale, or LGC Retro ESP, features a stunning Honduran Connecticut Wrapper that is dark golden in color, and a new Cigar Band that is very attractive.

The La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale smells of dried yellow hay, and starts off with light flavors of hay and earth for most of the first third. It took a while for the core flavors to kick into full gear, but by the end of the first third the flavors really began to shine.

Dried hay, lemon meringue cream, white pepper spice and light cedar wood, intermixed with alternating bursts of sweet caramel and earthy peanut. The cream and wood flavors lay on the tongue, and the caramel and peanut flavors seem to coat the cheeks. The dried hay and white pepper spice are most apparent on the retro-hale, and creep up the back of the throat and into the nose for a very pleasant smoking experience.

The final third mellowed out into a dry earthy smoke, with yellow hay and just a touch of white pepper spice.

Overall I was very satisfied with the newest La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro ESP. It’s a dry, creamy, medium bodied smoke that is complex and full of flavor. 92 points.

I was working out of our UK office earlier this summer, when I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker at a pub over a pint. We were discussing the quality of French food, and he, being French, let me in on a little secret. “Every other country in the world exports their best food, but not in France. We keep all the best, and we export the shit!” he said.

I was quite shocked, and a bit amused, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. It explains why you can grab a baguette and a $5.00 bottle of wine anywhere in France, and it’s the best bread and wine you have ever had.

After London I went to Paris and when shopping in the supermarket I came across a huge selection of Rose Wines, and I said to myself, it was the largest selection of Rose’s I had ever seen. I noticed they were all quite affordable and I wondered how they could sell them all so cheap? Then I remembered the secret, they “keep all the best, and export all the shit”. Well, that explained everything.

Cuba has an amazing product too, Cigars, and for many years you could only pick up the Cohiba 1966 in Cuba, as a gift from the Cuban Government. However, this year they have released the Cohiba 1966 as an Edición Limitada, allowing a prized national possession to be exported, for the first time.

The Cohiba 1966 Edición Limitada 2011, released to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the Cohiba brand, is truly an outstanding cigar. It’s a double robusto with a pig tail cap, and like all Edición Limitada’s, it’s made with the finest tobacco from the Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba. All the tobacco used; wrapper, binder and filler, are aged at least 2 years, and it’s specially grown dark and flavorful wrapper comes from the top of the shade grown black Cuban tobacco plant called Tapado.

The Cohiba 1966 Edición Limitada 2011 starts off with deep rich cocoa flavors, that are soon joined by a touch of cedar wood and sweet hay. I also noted nutmeg and walnut in the background, with a dash of white pepper on the finish.

The center of the cigar was a wonderful combination of chewy and leathery flavors consisting of sweet hay, floral notes, rich esspreso, and that classic Cohiba grassy quality with some sharp tanginess. The smokey aroma is quite intoxicating, like a floral perfume. I wish you could catch and bottle the smoke. It’s that good!

The final third of the cigar exhibited a continuation of the wonderful flavors with the grassy Cohiba notes and overall strength increasing. There was also a noticeable saltiness on the tongue and lips.

Overall the Cohiba 1966 Edición Limitada 2011 was phenomenal, and one of my favorite all time smokes. I paired it with a nice bottle of Rose from the Côtes De Provence region, and so I experienced the best of France & Cuba together in perfect harmony. I could honestly smoke one of these everyday, and I wish I had purchased a box of 10, but alas, I just have my memoir of this fabulous cigar, with a classic rating of 98 points!