Staff Reviews

Rolando Reyes, Sr. is tireless. The man is over 80 years old, widely acknowledged as the best blender alive, and he still works like a horse day in and day out. Actually, it's probably more like night in, night out: his work habits are legendary - he sleeps during the day, wakes up late in the afternoon, and then stays up the entire night sorting cigars until rollers arrive the next morning. He inspects every cigar rolled in his factory. Yes, every single cigar. Amazing. Most people think that's some made up myth....but it ain't. My last trip to Honduras in July, I popped in on his factory late in the afternoon thinking he'd be up. Unfortunately he was asleep in his house, which sits about a pitching-wedge away from the front door of the factory. They woke him - damn, I felt bad about that - and we sat down at his kitchen table. On the table were 3 things - a pile of unbanded cigars, a bottle of rum, and a giant box of Twinkies. Twinkies! Forget that Atkins diet or South Beach crap - the "Rolando diet" is my kind of regimen. Rolando is an old school, no-nonsense guy who isn't really into bells and whistles. Which is probably why you don't see any glitzy packaging, slick marketing, or tons of publicity on his flagship Puros Indios or Cuba Aliados brands. But to me, "no pretense" is exactly what Flor del Todo is about, so while it's certainly not his finest blend it's a tidy personification of the man himself.

So on to the cigar: at first glance, Flor del Todo is certainly not winning any beauty contests. It is however one of Keith's top five knockaround cigars...cigars I burn when I'm putzing around the yard, on long car rides, playing golf, stuff like that. The Churchill is a meaty 7.25"x53 vitola packed to the brim with fillers. It feels like there's 2 cigars worth of tobaccos in here; in fact it takes a solid hour+ to burn it down to my knuckles. The draw is not effortless - not that it's a tough draw - but there's a little bit of resistance to it which I especially like in a knockaround cigar like this. The wrapper is a thick, double-fermented Ecuadorian leaf with a sort of marbelized appearance and rustic, chewy texture to it. The body is medium, the flavor smooth, slightly creamy, a little gritty on the tongue with a nutty character and pleasant aroma. The finish is very clean and crisp.

I give this one extra credit in the ratings category because of the enormous value - each stick costs around a buck each and that my friend, is unbeatable.

I recently re-introduced myself to CAO Brazilia, my favorite CAO blend prior to the re-release of CAO Black. I particularly enjoy the Brazilia because both the flavor and strength varies drastically between the different sizes. I find, ironically enough, the strength decreases as the size increases. Because of this, my favorite size is the Gol! – a well-fed Robusto shape that boasts a solid 56-ring frame. It’s a very close 2nd to the Piranha in terms of full bodied strength and full-flavored taste, but burns significantly longer at about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.

Dark, toothy Brazilian maduro wrappers surrounding an aged blend of Nicaraguan long-leaf tobaccos, bunched inside a thick Nicaraguan binder. That’s the recipe CAO cooks up for this flavorful, big-ring line, and it sure does deliver an enjoyable experience filled with flavorful goodness. The Gol! opens with a “charry”, spicy eruption that instantly calls my palate to attention. The flavor mellows shortly after lighting, losing any hints of char or burnt toast, while gaining an oakiness that’s chewy and rich. Ahhh...smooth sailing from here on out, folks. Time to sit back and enjoy the rich, robust flavors of well-aged Nicaraguan tobaccos, complemented by a slow-burning wrapper leaf that lends just the right amount of pepper after each puff. It’s not the most complex cigar, by any means, but it’s damn flavorful and quite consistent from cigar to cigar. The construction is quality – strong, white ash, cool, even burn and a perfect balance between semi-strong strength and flavor. Bottom line, this blend is good across the board and is a must-try for anyone who appreciates a full-flavored maduro.

I've hesitated to write this pick for a few weeks now, I admit it, I was trying to keep these for myself and not let the masses know how awesome a deal this is. I'm not kidding, first time I saw them in our catalog I did a double-take...what? RP Vintage Seconds? Can't be. Well my friends, it's true. Strap me up and call me Sally if I'm not telling ya that these are the best darn Seconds I've ever smoked. We seem to sell more and more Rocky Patel products around here, and I've had the pleasure to be passed an RP Vintage a time or two (the bosses upstairs were nice-enough to pass us "geekers" a couple smokes after a Rocky Patel visit a few months back, I'm forever thankful) and smoked it until my fingers were charred purple. Listen sister, if you haven't spent your grocery money yet, forget the TP and get yourself a couple of RP Vintage but if you can't live without a couple extra 12-packs of Charmin in the closet like me, you need a bundle of these Seconds.

I'm getting soft and with two kids at home soaking my candy bar money, I'll try almost any cheap smoke. My only 3 requirements for smoking a second are:

1. There are no visible fingernails sticking out of the wrapper
2. It's doesn't unravel when I snip the end
3. My ears don't bleed when I try to suck through the cigar

Yeah, tough requirements, eh? So I grabbed me a 15 spot of the Churchill '92s. No fingernails, and after a quick snip, no unraveling of the wrapper, and a quick, firm, but easy draw. So far so good, let's continue. Spark it up baby, this one made it past the screeners. A few strokes in and the flavor is spot in - a meaty, full flavor that leaves a deep creamy walnut splash at the back of your tongue. The finish lingers but doesn't erode your taste buds and anything you might eat or drink later. But, they'll sure take on the heartiest Guinness Extra Stout or McEwan's Scotch Ale any day of the week (if you haven't tried a McEwan's Scotch Ale - awesome!) A solid persistent body holds throughout the 7" cigar and won't leave you begging for more. In fact, you might want to throw a PB&J sandwich into your stomach a few minutes before lighting up, for some reason, these leave me a little woozy. The charcoal gray ash forms and drops on demand, just perfect, slow-burning construction.

The best part about RP Vintage is that they're consistent and the same is true here with the 2nds. I started writing this review over the course of several days, have smoked another 1/2 dozen, and they're all identical, identically good. With each one I get a slight awkward shaped burn to start, then it evens out nicely after about 1 inch, and the flavor holds every step of the way. The aroma is powerful and fills your personal space for days, so I don't recommend a shared office or your bedroom. Also, in case it matters, they don't have that nice box press (well, they come in a bundle, duh!) that the RP Vintage has. Nevertheless, bargain, bargain, bargain.

Light'em up,
Gonz

I just returned about a week ago from New Orleans, where the annual RTDA cigar industry trade show was held this year. Man, talk about a roll in the catnip. I always look forward to RTDA - catching up with friends in the industry, working out deals, discussing new projects, smoking 20 cigars a day....and hatching schemes to destroy the competition (he he he). It's sensory overload, with cigars as far as the eye can see, tons of new releases and all the cigars you can smoke. Since getting back I've let my palate recover for the past 5 days without a cigar. And now I'm back in the swing. One of the samples at my fingertips is a new size of La Gloria Cubana Serie R - it's about 5"x56 in size, natural wrapper. The Serie R blend was actually on the forefront of the trend toward full-bodied cigars when it first came out 4 or 5 years ago. In fact back, this was a regular in my rotation when it was released. But come to think of it, I haven't had one in quite some time so I'm looking forward to this review.

At first glance it's a little rough-looking in appearance, the wrapper very marbelized with several prominent veins, plus I noticed one soft spot in the midsection. I like this vitola, not grotesquely thick yet ample girth to showcase the blending abilities of maker Ernesto Carrillo. It produces abundant spice on the back of my throat from the get-go, frankly a little overwhelming for my palate at 9:00 in the morning. I know I know, go ahead and call me Sally. Let me get a refill of coffee.....okay I'm back! It settles down a bit from here but remains very bold and complex. The aroma is intoxicating and the big, creamy clouds of smoke are a treat. Around the mid-point however I experience some bite and a slight grassy taste as it begins to burn a little hot and harsh for just a brief spell, before evolving back to the more familiar rich, creamy, and full profile with distinct notes of cedar. The finish is long and lingering, tingling the back of the tongue.

The Serie R is a very good full-bodied cigar with ample complexity and flavor, one that deserves credit for helping to kick-start the trend toward heavier blends. Perhaps it has been eclipsed slightly by other, newer blends in the full-bodied department (CAO Brazilia, Edge, 5 Vegas 'A', Camacho, Joya Antanos, etc.) but should remain a staple in most humidors.

Back when I was cigar newbie, I think it was the summer of '95, I walked into a tobacco shop down in the west village of NYC. I pressed my eyes against the dirty glass case to get a better look at the goods. $11 - wow, that must be a great cigar. It was a Nat Sherman brand. Never heard of it, but if it cost $11, it must be phenomenal. And next to doin' the wild thing, it was the best darn experience I had ever had. I sat on a corner for about 45 minutes just people-watching (it's quite an area) and smoking my $11 cigar. I loved every minute of it. I thought "I just spent more on a cigar than I'll spend all afternoon on food and beer". It was creamy, full-bodied, held a nice chalky-white ash, felt like the most special thing I bought in my life. Being just out of college, I couldn't believe I just spent $11 on something other than beer. Simply delicious.

Don't ask me which Nat Sherman line I smoked, all I remember is that it said Nat Sherman and it held a special place in my heart. Well, 7 years later, things are very different in the cigar industry and Nat Sherman has been a feature in our catalog for some time now. I hesitated for a few months now to actually smoke one - I didn't want to tarnish that little piece of history. I finally gave in and I picked the Nat Sherman Host Harrington for my ride home tonight.

As I write this and look back on the past 45 minutes, I think I've got myself another gem. The cigar is constructed with super-smooth Connecticut wrappers and Dominican and Honduran fillers. You'll immediately taste a slight hint of sweetness - almost like honey - very soft, barely noticeable. Spark one up and you'll quickly fill your tastebuds with a hearty, creamy smoke, and a mellow-to-medium strength on your palate. It's extremely flavorful with a hint of spice undertones. The body of this cigar is impressive, it's firm, holds a long medium-gray ash, never burns hot and never deviates from that flavor for one second. You're never left longing for more, this cigar gives it all up. There are no surprises and no imperfections. This is a superbly manufactured cigar and sure isn't some fly-by-night brand. I smoked it down to an inch and the creamy flavor and body holds throughout (and not once did the ash flake apart on my car seats!)

Today, there are a lot of great cigars out there and I hope none of you are paying $11 a stick to get your favorite. The Nat Sherman cigars start at just under $3 per stick. That's right, Crazy Eddie would be proud. And you know what - it's still manufactured like an $11 cigar. That retailer probably ripped me off in a big way. But who cares, I found a brand that I hold in the utmost respect and they impressed me yet again. I'm psyched this brand is plentiful and I'm proud it's in our catalog b/c this Honduran number is right up my alley. I love cigars, I have a passion for them, I get excited when I write about them. And, I’m often disappointed at some mediocre cigars that are rushed to market and never live up to the hype. Thankfully, this feature is my public service to all of you out there. Stick with me, I'll get you to the good ones - and this IS a great one.

I promise you'll be impressed - don't expect a "make your stomach turn" cigar, but expect a superbly constructed, superbly flavored, and superbly priced cigar that won't let you down. I bet some of you will make this your new everyday cigar - I sure will - at least until the next Pick. Spark'm up!