Staff Reviews

As per the usual, the Thanksgiving holiday called for an onslaught of primo cigars. Top-notch, full-bodied premiums that could stand up to my traditional (and supernatural) display of utter gluttony. Naturally, my favorites were chosen…Edicion de Silvio, Gurkha Centurian Double-X, Graycliff Espresso; the whole 9 yards. This year, a newcomer made the cut. 601 Serie, a cigar from the makers of REO and Vibe made in Nicaragua by Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia, the creator of Don Pepin Garcia cigars, 5 Vegas Miami, and Tatuaje.

601 Serie is a gorgeous cigar, one I instantly fell in love with in Las Vegas, celebrating its release. This beauty is good, plain and simple. It comes in two varieties, a dark, silky Connecticut-seed wrapper from Ecuador and a darker, toothy Habano-seed wrapper grown in Nicaragua. Each is fully loaded with Habano-seed Nicaraguan long-fillers, a longtime favorite of Pepin.

I chose the Habano-seed. Not because it’s stronger, because believe me, the Connecticut blend definitely has a lot of kick. I just love the flavor of Pepin’s Habano-seed wrappers. Rich, toasty and earthy, these cigars always smoke smooth and delicious right down to the very last puff. Although the tobaccos used are primarily the same leaves found in Tatuaje, the flavor is very different. Once you pick up the gentle sweetness on the aftertaste, you’ll see what I mean. The smoke fills your mouth in velvety fashion, coating it with rich, robust flavors. The ash is bright white and firm, holding strong until the midway point, where I had to help it off into the ashtray. The cigar was full-bodied, relaxing my aching stomach after thoroughly abusing it just 2 hours prior. Perfect. I didn’t want it to end. But, they made more than one, so I’ll surely be back for seconds, thirds, and so on.

I had a lot to be thankful for this past Thanksgiving. My family and loved ones, my beautiful fiance, our brave soldiers abroad, the incredible meal that was prepared for me and of course, a divine selection of handmade cigars. 601 Serie was a wonderful toast to end the celebration.

Today, I realized I haven’t written a review since October. Amazing, considering I’ve probably smoked about 50 cigars since then. In the words of Nimish, the Prince of Indian Tabac, I am a “slacker.”

About 2 weeks ago, I received an email request to review Saint Luis Rey. Interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever tried the Honduran blend and, since I love doing research in the business, I’ll be more than happy to sample this cigar. Naturally, I chose the Churchill, as this size tends to be the most flavorful vitola with many blends. As the cigar burns, the natural oils of the tobaccos heat up and mingle. The longer the burn, the longer these tasty oils can mingle, often leading towards a more complex cigar.

The dark, leathery Nicaraguan wrapper catches my eye. Relatively smooth, there are some large veins running down the side. She's a nice looking stick. The cap is clipped and I start puffing. Almost instantly, I notice a woody characteristic that dominates. The finish is short, with a little bit of bite left at the front of my palate. The flavor is relatively dry, and medium-bodied in strength from the get-go. About a third of the way through, I begin to pick up an herbal note on the aftertaste. Weird, but short-lived. The end of the cigar is rich, with a light, lingering sweetness. Still, a woody flavor takes priority right down to the nub.

Overall, the cigar was pretty decent. Not overly complex, but not one-dimensional either. The herbal note was a little less than desirable, but the last third made up for this minor hiccup. You may not find this cigar in my regular rotation, but I wouldn’t turn it down given the chance to burn one again.

Last night I decided to crack open the old El Presidente humidor at home. It’s been a long time since I’ve touched this thing, other than the routine re-charge of the humidifiers. After taking a peak inside and under the lift-out tray I was quite impressed with the collection of lovelies I’ve been sitting on.

At the bottom were a few Hemingway Signatures. I don’t remember buying them, but I have no problem smoking them. Not a day goes by when I don’t hear good things about these heavily sought cigars, so I was looking forward to re-visiting the blend. Especially after pulling them out of the humidor. The Signatures are pretty. A perfecto-shaped vitola sporting a smooth Cameroon wrapper. I filled my 3-capacity Xikar case and hit the streets of downtown Bethlehem.

Despite being pretty, the wrapper is extremely delicate, as two small cracks formed from clipping the cap. The cigar lit easily, thanks to the tiny foot at the bottom of its slightly tapered 6” x 47 barrel. The draw was a tad tight, but loosened after burning for a minute or two. In the beginning, the flavor was a bit flat. The cigar bit at the back of my palate, leaving behind a tannic aftertaste. Fortunately, this faded as a sweet, cedary note gradually came into the picture. Nice, something to enjoy other than aesthetics. The Signature didn’t offer too many twists or turns throughout the journey. Rather, I seemed to be taking a long straightaway on cruise control. The woody flavors dominated, and a little bit of pepper pushes through the nose. I expected a nutty character, since I tend to find this in Cameroon-wrapper cigars. Not here. The strength plateaus at a solid medium-bodied, with no increase towards the end.

I guess this is why so many new cigar enthusiasts enjoy this cigar…it’s consistent in both performance and flavor, from start to finish. When you light one up, you know exactly what you’re in for. In that respect, it’s very similar to the traditional Fuente line. Well made and straightforward. I’ve said it before: I like complexity…a cigar that either changes or offers a few more layers of flavor. The Hemingway may look good and smoke well, but it’s not for me.

It's funny, I've had a flurry of emails lately from guys offering to send me higher priced sticks ("Gonz, you've gotta try this Opus whatchamacallit with nine gazillion years of aging and plume drooling out of the wrapper leaf - it's orgasmic.")  Pa-lease.  I even had someone offer me food stamps so I could spend more on cigars.  I should probably lay off of the Lucky Charms and buy more cigars, but I'm ok in that arena, no worries.  Seriously though, hunting season quickly approaches and it's time to clean out those double-barrels and dust off the tree stand.  In the meantime I'll hunt down some low-priced cigar surprises and I want to hear you say "wow, Gonz, you're right, damn, this is a good cigar, and for only $2 a stick!"  Well, I've got a doozy for you this time, folks, I can barely contain myself 'cause I know you'll be singing the praises of this brand.

Double Happiness.  How can you go wrong with a name like Double Happiness?  I'm not sure there are too many things out there that guarantee double happiness.  I like being happy, but this is happiness times 2.  I'm not quite sure if double happiness is less than or greater than ecstatic, but it's probably pretty close.  Kinda reminds of the last time I doubled my pleasure and doubled my fun with Doublemint gum.  (OK that was cheesy, but I couldn't resist.)  While the band shows the sun and moon, both with cigar, and both with a giant (double happy) smile on their face, being the dirty old man that I am, I think the Free Cuba label would've been more appropriate here.

The contents of this cigar are a bit of a mystery.  Starting at $1.75 per stick, requesting the components is perhaps too much to ask.  I'm going to take a stab at it though - the wrapper is a probably an Ecuadorian-Connecticut.  It's thin and gentle but smooth with nary an offensive vein.  The filler is well-packed and firm but the draw smooth and easy.  The initial match up has a front-of-palate bitterness that disappears beyond the first dozen or so draws.  The finish is smooth and tender, lending itself to a mix of Dominican and Honduran fillers.  The cigar is extremely well-made, a gem from the La Aurora factory, this brand is no slouch.  The first inch of ash held firm before dropping, and that's probably only b/c I was nervous to get it all over my keyboard.  The flavor is balanced and unintrusive, you won't be overwhelmed with flavor, this fella is smooth and true throughout.  You'll enjoy it down to the nub, and pick up another.   You'll be impressed, trust me, it's mellow puro you'll want to add to the weekly garage organizing projects.

I picked up the Torpedo (I know, living on the edge of craziness I am) and it's a pure delight.  I simply picked up a 5-pack with extreme hesitation that this would end up in butt heap, but I'm going to splurge and pony up $50 for 20.  Big time!

Spark'em up,
- Gonz


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