Staff Reviews

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!

As I write this, we do not have the Natural Dirt Torpedo in stock. However, it will be arriving shortly, and the more I think about the cigar, the more I am looking forward to its arrival. Drew Estate sent us samples a few months ago, and I burned through them quite quickly. They were good, but nothing too exciting. I thought, “It’s the same as the Dirt, why do I need a torpedo?” I’ll tell you why...

I was given the final product at this year’s RTDA in New Orleans. Sitting in the cafeteria with Marvin Samel of Drew Estate, the boys from CI burned through this stout, aromatic torpedo. It sports a dark, espresso-like maduro wrapper leaf from Nicaragua that’s rough, yet vein-free. The pre-light aroma will not go unnoticed – it’s slightly sweet and hints at a rich, chocolatey smoke waiting. Now picture this, 3 Drew Estate guys and 3 CI guys, sitting at a table, burning Natural Dirt Torpedos. The aroma was incredible, and the flavor hardly played second fiddle. The flavors are deep, rich and enjoyable. Dark hints of mocha swarm my palate with each puff, while a sweet, coffee-like flavor is left behind, lingering, but never overwhelming. From start to finish, I don’t remember sitting this cigar down, and I can honestly say I was drawing on it about 75% of the time. With any other cigar, the flavor would have gone as sour as month-old milk. Not once did the flavor turn sour or harsh, rather it remained buttery smooth. (Side note: When you smoke this cigar, I highly recommend you snip the cap on an angle. Just tilt your guillotine when cutting the cigar and then smoke it with the opening pointing down towards your tongue. This enhances the flavor to something special – you’ll thank me later.) The strength was perfect for a cigar of this nature, slightly above soft but never really hitting the medium-bodied level. As you probably know, this is not my traditional cup of tea, but it’s always nice to stir things up a bit. I’ve enjoyed the Dirt in the past, because of it’s similarity to the Root, but it just wasn’t big enough for me. The Dirt Torpedo solves this “problem”, an amped up version of the popular Dirt. And that is why you need a Dirt Torpedo. Get dirtier.

It’ll be in shortly. Until then, the original Dirt should tide you over. Or, give the Root a go. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

I decided to pick up the game of golf this summer. I call it a game simply because it’s always playing with my mind. One day I’ll do well, the next day I’ll go through $25 in balls. Although I can’t always control how I play on the course, I can control what cigars I’ll be burning while looking for my ball. I’ve always been told never to have ‘good’ or expensive cigars while golfing, since I won’t be able to appreciate them. Look, when I have a cigar, I know I am having a cigar. Regardless of what I am doing, I’ll be able to appreciate it, considering it’s worth appreciating. But, this does make sense on another level, since I find myself dropping or stepping on my cigars quite frequently. And as you probably know, witnessing a pricey stick fall victim to the ground or shoe can be quite painful. The idea: go cheap but keep it enjoyable. The answer: Perdomo² Milenario ‘Mistakes’.

If you haven’t tried the Perdomo² line, I suggest you do so. Nick is a damn good cigar maker, and is responsible for some of today’s most flavorful blends. Perdomo² is one of his veteran brands; a staple in boutique cigar shops from coast to coast that only seems to be getting better with age. Box-pressed and available in either natural (Cameroon) or maduro, the ‘Squared’ is robust and complex, thanks to a man-sized portion of Piloto Cubano Nicaraguan tobaccos that have been aged in cedar casks for a minimum of 5 years. So what are these Mistakes I speak of? A long time ago, in a kingdom not so far from here, the Perdomo factory accidentally shipped unbanded, unbox-pressed Milenarios, a size within the Squared line, to the US. Nick couldn’t watch these quality smokes go to waste, so he sold them to us at a ridiculously low price as a one-time deal. Well, that one-time deal did so well it turned into an ongoing project, called Perdomo² Milenario ‘Mistakes’: same blend, same aging process, same Perdomo² goodness, but well under half the price. A fortunate mistake on Nick Perdomo’s part and a gem of a golf cigar for me. Now I can enjoy the rich, robust spiciness of Perdomo² without babying the cigar for fear of it falling off my cart or crawling underneath my shoe. The cigar part is gravy. Now if I could just fix my horrific slice I’d be all set.

I decided to pick up the game of golf this summer. I call it a game simply because it’s always playing with my mind. One day I’ll do well, the next day I’ll go through $25 in balls. Although I can’t always control how I play on the course, I can control what cigars I’ll be burning while looking for my ball. I’ve always been told never to have ‘good’ or expensive cigars while golfing, since I won’t be able to appreciate them. Look, when I have a cigar, I know I am having a cigar. Regardless of what I am doing, I’ll be able to appreciate it, considering it’s worth appreciating. But, this does make sense on another level, since I find myself dropping or stepping on my cigars quite frequently. And as you probably know, witnessing a pricey stick fall victim to the ground or shoe can be quite painful. The idea: go cheap but keep it enjoyable. The answer: Perdomo² Milenario ‘Mistakes’.

If you haven’t tried the Perdomo² line, I suggest you do so. Nick is a damn good cigar maker, and is responsible for some of today’s most flavorful blends. Perdomo² is one of his veteran brands; a staple in boutique cigar shops from coast to coast that only seems to be getting better with age. Box-pressed and available in either natural (Cameroon) or maduro, the ‘Squared’ is robust and complex, thanks to a man-sized portion of Piloto Cubano Nicaraguan tobaccos that have been aged in cedar casks for a minimum of 5 years. So what are these Mistakes I speak of? A long time ago, in a kingdom not so far from here, the Perdomo factory accidentally shipped unbanded, unbox-pressed Milenarios, a size within the Squared line, to the US. Nick couldn’t watch these quality smokes go to waste, so he sold them to us at a ridiculously low price as a one-time deal. Well, that one-time deal did so well it turned into an ongoing project, called Perdomo² Milenario ‘Mistakes’: same blend, same aging process, same Perdomo² goodness, but well under half the price. A fortunate mistake on Nick Perdomo’s part and a gem of a golf cigar for me. Now I can enjoy the rich, robust spiciness of Perdomo² without babying the cigar for fear of it falling off my cart or crawling underneath my shoe. The cigar part is gravy. Now if I could just fix my horrific slice I’d be all set.

Smooooooooooooooth! That's pretty much all this review needs. Soooooo Smoooooth!!!!

Spark'em up. This is a great summer smoke. This gar is the complete opposite of last month's pick. Let me start by saying I'm not a huge fan of anything imbued with anything. I used to think flavored cigars were for sissies. Well, things sure have changed around here. I've got two in the rotation now, Cuban Honeys (Vanilla) and Acid Def Sea. I haven't smoked too many Acids and my first one about a year ago smelled like potpourri (it was the Nasty size and boy did I think it was nasty.) It took me a full year to pick up another one.

When you open the box, you get a serious whiff of that aromatic smell, it seems a little less so than some of the others. Or, maybe I'm just getting used to it now. Either way, it's become less bothersome. And, you simply don't get that potpourri smell in your mouth. The flavor is awesome. It's a beautiful perfecto shape and I know most people clip both ends, but I'm not like most people. I only snipped the head and not the foot and it sparks up as quickly as can be. The fill seems a little loosely packed, but the burn is impeccable. In fact I smoked one tonight on the way home. Just when you think it's going to fall on your lap, it doesn't. It holds for another 10 drags. I'm not kidding.

Don't expect to be blown over with power. It's smooth, gentle, fresh, and gives just a little hint of spiciness. You'll enjoy this. The smoke is abundant, but so gentle, your wife won't kick you out to the yard. It leaves such a pleasant smell, no after-taste, and you really can't lose.

The burn is even and fairly quick. It'll last 40 minutes and is truly a nice refreshing summertime smoke. Oh, CI is throwing in a free cap just for grins. Enjoy.