Memoirs of a Cigar

Sunday, Chloe and I spent the morning site seeing in San Antonio, Texas. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk located across the street from the famed Alamo. Apparently I was continuing a tradition of cigar smoking at the Alamo, as I found this picture of an Alamo defender with his weapons, trusty stead, and cigar!

We continued our sightseeing by walking down the Riverwalk; a canal lined with resturants, bars, shops and the Riverwalk Mall. We even took the 35 minute boat tour down the river, which is a must for any San Antonio visit.

The Don Pepin Garcia Blue Label Torpedo is a fabulous smoke. The Lancero of this line was rated the #8 cigar of the year by Cigar Aficionado, and the torpedo is just as great. A full flavored spicy cigar with a great draw and complex flavors of chocolate and earth. I picked this cigar up from the El Ray de Los Habanos factory in Miami about a month ago, and it was perfect. This Nicaraguan Puro was smooth, balanced and extremely satisfying. The only thing wrong with this cigar is it was my last one! I should have bought a whole box!

Antonio Maceo, the son of black Dominican woman and a Venezuelan soldier, was introduced to a group of anti-Spanish revolutionaries in the 1860′s. Soon after they invited him to join their Masonic Lodge, which served as a center for Cuban Revolutionary planning, at a time when Spain was struggling to maintain their control on their last colony; Cuba. He eventually rose to become a revolutionary hero, comander of a large multi-racial army, and became known as “the Bronze Titan”.

“El Titan De Bronze” cigars is located on the corner of 8th & 11th in Little Havana, Miami Florida. They produce good quality, low priced cigars in several blends and almost every shape imaginable; from Lanceros to Short Torpedos to Salomons to Cuelebras. Chloe and I met the owner of “El Titan De Bronze” during a recent trip to their Factory Store, who is a lively older gentleman, eager to share his knowledge and passion for cigars. I purchased almost every size and blend he recomended, and will rate them all here in the near future.

The Gran Reserve Maduro Belicoso from El Titan De Bronze is a solid smoke. It has a silky smooth, milk chocolate colored wrapper, and features flavors of earth, mild spice with just a touch if sweetness. It draws well and has a nice long finish.

After my excellent Illusione ~1~ last night I decided to start my Sunday morning off with an Illusione Eperney La Petite. It was my first Eperney, and it won’t be my last. A 90 point cigar that tasted honey sweet with flavors of wood and nuts. Amazingly, my Illusione Eperney became sugary sweet toward the end, with flavors of Graham Cracker.
I played my Bueno Vista Social Club CD, and read a few chapters of “Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba”. An excellent book which intertwines the history of Cuba, with the family who invented Bacardi Rum. It provided a pleasurable smoking experience for the eyes, ears and mouth.

The moment I found out these RJ Cigars were “Made in Panama”, I knew something was up. Secretly I was told they are Cuban Romeo y Julieta’s redistributed through Panama for the American Market. These elegant Double Coronas come sealed in Cedar Tubes and are wrapped in paper. I lit mine up at the beach today and found a expertly rolled 90 point Habano with a clean balanced flavor.

I’m back in full form, smoking a A sized Nicaraguan Puro, sipping Royal Cuvee, bumping the new David Guetta album, and iPhone Blogging. It doesn’t get any better than this!

The Illusione ~1~ is a monstorous 9.25 inches long, blended by Don Giolito from first generation Corojo 99 and Criollo 98 seed, finished with a Cafe Colorado wrapper, and a cuban triple cap. Cuban cigars this size are called “A Size”, of which I have enjoyed the Montecristo A previously. The Illusione 1 is a bold, clean cigar, produced in Honduras from 100% Nicaraguan tobacco, reminicent of the original Nicaraguan Cigars from before 1979. There are no special flavors added, just powefull tobacco, expertly rolled, for a fine, balanced smoking experience. I would give it a 92-93 point rating, although CA gave it a 89 when originally reviewed in August of 2007.

I’m also finishing up a bottle of Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee from 2002. An amazing, flavorfull sparkling wine which was first served to King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain during their visit to California in 1987. It exhibits flavors of black cherry and strawberry, blended with apple and citrus flavors. It has an amazingly long finish, and is one of my favorite Gloria’s.

Smoking a pre 1979 Nicaraguan Puro while drinking a Royal 1987 Sparkling Wine, in 2009 on MemoirsofaCigar.comMemoirsofaCigar.com, you can call me a Renaissance Man!!!

I brought back a handfull of La Gloria Cubana Artesano de Miami Torpedo’s from the El Credito Factory in Miami. These were the last cigars made by Ernesto Carillo before leaving the brand he created, and they are my favorite La Glorias. They have a honey scent to them, and smoke wonderfully. I smoked one and gave one to my friend Serge. Being straight from the factory, they do need another few months of aging before they become magical, but they were still top notch in my book.

A few weeks ago I met up with my friend Serge at La Bodeguita Del Medio, in Palo Alto, for a lunchtime cigar. I purused the walk in humidor stocked with Padrons, Graycliffs, little Pre-Embargo Cubans, and La Bodeguita’s own brand of cigars. I ended up selecting the Emerald Green Box with a Candella Wrapper Graycliff Robusto PG inside. A great choice as it turns out, as the Candella Wrapper was wonderful sitting out back in the sun under the trees.

Graycliffs are made in the Bahamas, but are managed by former Cuban Cohiba Expert, Avo Lina, so their quality is outstanding. I have smoked 3 different Graycliffs, and all 3 have been excellent. They honestly taste like they have been aged 10 years, and clearly have that finesse that only comes with aged cigars. They are a bit on the pricey side, but you pay for their amazing smoothness.

Candella Wrappers are green, and have a unique grassy, smokey taste to them. Candella Wrappers used to be called “American Market Selection”, as they were the most popular cigars in the U.S. back in the 60′s & 70′s. Legend has it that the H. Uppmans that President Kennedy stockpilled before the Cuban Embargo had Candella Wrappers. As far as Candella Wrappers go, the Graycliff Emerald PG was the best I have ever had.

Sunday night I picked up my friend Dave from the airport, as he has just flown back from a week long vacation in Spain. I decided to commemorate his return from the ‘white isle’ by breaking out 2 Romeo Y Julieta Limited Edition’s from 2007.

Officialy called the “Escudo”, they are essentially large robustos, and they look and smell wonderfull. We smoked our 2007 RyJ Edicion Limitada’s by the pool watching a slide show of vacation pictures.

The Romeo Y Julieta Limited Edition 2007 is a full flavored cigar that is rich and deep. So much so in fact, that you might guess it was maduro in a blind test. The flavor profile was dominated by a strong tobacco, wood, and earth taste, with additional notes of coffee and cocoa. These cigars are geared toward those who enjoy a full flavored powerhouse of a cigar, reminicent of old style Habanos.

Sunday morning I lit up my last Oliva Series V, the Lancero. Everyone knows that the Oliva Series V are one of the most full flavored cigars made today, and that the Habano Sun Grown Wrapper is the secret behind this amazing cigar. I dared smoking my Oliva Series V first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, and surprisingly it worked out alright.

Being a Lancero, which has a higher wrapper to filler ratio, you really enjoy the flavors of this sweet, flavorfull wrapper. The surprising thing about this cigar was that it was not very strong at all. It was still sweet and full of nuts, coffee and cedar notes, but was soft and balanced with a flawless draw.

The Oliva Series V Lancero, a great cigar, but without that punch to the gut the larger Series V’s can pack.

This Friday night I came home, grabbed a Partagas Black Label and a bottle of VSOP Congac, and headed to the beach. With Black Label firmly in hand, I headed down the road of freedom from the stress of the work week, and planted myself down on a bench along the cliffs to witness one of the most incredible sunsets ever seen at Surfers Beach in Half Moon Bay. With the Moon to my left, Sunset to my right, and nothing but relaxation ahead, I forged on with my weapon of choice; the Partagas Black Label. The dark black cherry scent oozing from the foot of the cigar was intoxicating, so much that I found myself taking deep breaths of it half a dozen times before lighting up.

I was first introduced to the Black Label when a friend brought a box up to our cabin in Tahoe for the weekend. He claimed it was his favorite cigar, and it soon became one of mine as well. I think I have purchased about 4 boxes of them since, which makes them my most purchased cigars.

Amazingly, no Partagas Black Label has ever recieved a 90 point rating by Cigar Aficionado. Scores ranges from 84-88 points, with a 88 point Pyramid being the highest I could find, but I have loved every Black Label I have ever had. Also, I am proud to hand them out to friends on special occasions, as they look spectacular with their dark Sun-Grown Medio Tiempo Maduro Wrappers from the Connecticut Valley, and never has anyone been disapointed. Pyamids, Tubos, Maximos, Gigantes, and Prontos all are excellent smokes in my opinion, and I would go so far as to say they are the best made Partagas Cigars outside of Cuba.

Last Thursday I decided to try a highly praised cigar, that had recently garnered a 93 point rating in a recent edition of Cigar Insider (Cigar Aficionado’s online newsletter). I have tried the Ashton VSG’s before, but I was really excited to try the Spellbound, since it’s supposed to be the best of the line.

The Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Spellbound is a magnificent cigar. It’s comparable to the Padron 1926 in that it’s an amazingly balanced, complex, rich and rewarding smoke.

The Spellbound is a large box pressed cigar, that is perfect from start to finish. It tasted of sweet wood and balanced leather, with some coffee notes and a hint of spice. The really special thing about the Ashton VSG Spellbound is that with the massive flavor it has, it maintains it’s balanced smoothness without being too strong or overpowering. I would say it’s the best Ashton I have ever smoked, and was extremely satisfying.

I recently dipped into my collection of certified vintage cigars that I picked up from JR Cigars, and decided to try one of the two Punch Torpedos I had. Being a Saturday afternoon I opted for the Natural Wrapper as opposed to the Maduro.

The 1998 Punch Grand Cru No. 2 Pyramid is a good looking cigar. The cigar band looks fabulous and the pyramid tip looks like it could put someones eye out. Oh, and it tasted great too. I was very empressed with the woody flavor and the great draw. This is a subtle and smooth cigar, that is mild and satisfying, but it does get a bit acidic toward the final third. I can’t wait to try the Maduro soon to see how it compares.

The blending of the AVO 787 is like a jazz session. While smoking, the various flavors seem to drop away, and then return harmoniously to join the rest of the group. This is where the magic of this cigar lies…in the ever changing flavor profile, that although constantly moving, maintains a progressive harmony.

Launched at the 2007 RTDA Trade Show, it was accompanied by Avo Uvezian himself (whom the cigar is named after) with some of his legendary Jazz Music. The AVO 787 was created by Davidoff’s Master Blender Hendrik Kelner.

The blending of this cigar is superb! It’s balanced, aromatic and complicated all at the same time. It starts off with an array of flavors ranging from caramel, coffee, cream, chocolate, nuts and spice. The AVO 787 moves from flavor to flavor, like a symphony moving from one song to the next. It truly is an amazing cigar that every aficionado should try at least once, if not more.

In the mid 1990′s the Partagas factory in Cuba started producing a limited number of Salomon cigars for special events. In 1996, they launched the Cuaba brand, which exclusively makes Salomon type cigars or Figurados (fancy cigars).

At 6 5/8 inches long, the Cuaba Distinguidos is one of the largest Cuaba Salomones in regular production. A medium bodied cigar with very soft and supple smoke. The start of the cigar tastes predominantly of nutmeg and cinnamon, with a mellow wood taste and subtle honey notes. The finish of the cigar tastes of toasted tobacco and is both earthy and sweet. The last third of the Distiguidos did get a big strong, but up until that point it was perfectly mild and balanced. This cigar was so soft and smooth I honestly had a hard time keeping myself to a conisieurs smoking pace.

The Cuaba Distinguidos tastes very similar to the Partagas Presidente Salomon I smoked a week earlier, which makes sense since they are produced in the same factory and come from the same cigar bloodline.

I recently happened upon 2 Cuban Cigars. These were not just any Cuban Cigars but 2 Partagas Presidentes. These 93 point cigars come in a Salomon size (pronounced Salomones in Cuban).

The Partagas Presidentes are one of only 2 Salomon sized Partagas cigars still made in the world famous Partagas factory. All the other Salomones have been transitioned over to the Cuaba line. At 6 and 1/4 inches long, the Partagas Presidente Salomones is a beautiful cigar. It’s easy to see why this size has been reserved only for special occasions over the years.

The taste of the Partagas Presidente Salomones was smooth and suave from start to finish. A very mild and balanced smoke with a pronounced taste of nutmeg. It also features a clean tobacco taste on it’s finish. I shared these 2 Partagas Presidentes Salomones with my buddy Rich from work. Not only did he get a free Cuban, but he found a folded $100 bill on the sidewalk. What a lucky guy!