March 13th, 2017

Today, I am reviewing a sample from the 2016 IPCPR called Bellas Artes by A.J. Fernandez. My selection comes in a Toro-sized 6 inches long by 54 ring gauge vitola. The wrapper is a Connecticut Corojo Habano (2000), with a binder from Nicaragua and filler leaves from Brazil, Honduras and Nicaragua. The cigar usually runs for about $9.50.

Upon inspection, I take notice of a caramel colored wrapper, which is smooth and with a very little amount of veins. This cigar is oval, and looks fantastic. The wrapper gives off scents of cedar, cinnamon, hay and brown sugar. The foot changes things a bit, and has some molasses, crushed red pepper, brown sugar and nuttiness. The cold draw displays a flavor profile of peanut, earth, cedar and coffee grounds.

February 13th, 2017

Cigar size: 5 inches by 52 ring gauge

Sometimes, it seems as if there is a new boutique cigar maker appearing every other day. There’s just no end to them. One of the latest on the scene, Galano Cigars, comes from the heart of the American cigar industry. This firm makes cigars in the historic Tampa neighborhood of Ybor City. That’s like saying a young man plays football at Alabama – it’s a safe bet he’s a baller.

March 6th, 2017

Today, I’m reviewing a sample from the 2016 IPCPR called the Solera Sungrown. It’s produced by Aging Room. The particular vitola I’m profiling here is a Fantastico, which measures 5.6 inches in length by a 54 ring gauge. The wrapper is a Dominican Sungrown, while the binder and filler are Dominican Habano. These cigars are priced at about $7.52 each.

Inspecting the cigar, I note a milk chocolate color and a tooth to the touch. There are some small veins, and the seams are tight. I do not find any soft spots in this firm cigar. The wrapper gives offs scents of barnyard, earth, black pepper and avocado. The foot presents with floral notes, black pepper and cream. The cold draw, however, has a different profile. I pick up notes of sweet hay, grass, cocoa and cream.

February 9th, 2017

Steve Saka, former CEO of Drew Estate and creator of the Liga Privada line, is in his third year of producing his own cigars, which include the Sobremesa and (as of 2016) the Mi Quierda. Both lines are excellent, and represent fine examples of Steve’s craft.

In this, the third and final of three articles profiling the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust cigar lineup, Jeff Slatton (jefslat) takes a look at two recent and noteworthy additions – the Mi Querida Gordo and the Sobremesa Elegante en Cedro.

March 2nd, 2017

Today, I am reviewing a sample from the 2016 IPCPR called Red (by La Barba). This cigar has a Honduran wrapper, Honduran Binder, and filler leaves that come from Honduras and Nicaragua. The Red I’m profiling comes in a Corona-sized 5.75 inches long by 46 ring gauge format. It’s priced at around $9.00.

As I examine the cigar, I notice a milk chocolate colored wrapper with tight, practically nonexistent seams. The Red is firm, and has a solid construction. Scents coming from the wrapper bring forth suggestions of brown sugar, coffee, leather and black pepper. The foot has raisin, hay, grass, licorice, black pepper, cloves and cocoa. Breaking down the cold draw reveals notes of raisin, salt, peanut, grass, hay and grapes.

After lighting, the first-third flavor profile includes coffee, caramel, raisin, toasted almond, cocoa, leather and cedar. The second-third presents with caramel, raisin, espresso, cream, crushed red pepper, honey, cedar, orange spice and toffee. Finishing out with the final-third, I sense espresso, coffee, walnut, butter, caramel, leather, hay and crushed red pepper.

February 6th, 2017

Steve Saka, former CEO of Drew Estate and creator of the Liga Privada line, is in his third year of producing his own cigars, which include the Sobremesa and (as of 2016) the Mi Querida. Both lines are excellent, and represent fine examples of Steve’s craft.

In this, the second of three articles profiling the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust lineup, Jeff Slatton (jefslat) takes a look at the Sobremesa Corona Grande – Cigar Weekly’s Top Cigar of 2016!

February 27th, 2017

I have never been a cigarette smoker. In fact, I can honestly say that I've never taken more than a few puffs from a cigarette in my life. It wasn't until I was almost 30 years old (I'm now 46) that I decided to give cigars a try. Since then, my love for tobacco has grown, but I have never been addicted to cigars.

Yes, there's no question that I enjoying smoking cigars. But I will go for weeks or months without a cigar with no ill effect. If I stopped smoking cigars tomorrow and never smoked one again, there is no doubt that I'd miss the cigars. But there would be no ill effects or withdrawal symptoms - you know, like the ones you see with people who quit or attempt to quit smoking cigarettes.

Why are cigars so different from cigarettes? It comes down to one thing - inhaling. Or, better yet, the lack of inhaling of the smoke with a cigar. People who smoke cigarettes inhale the smoke, and quickly become addicted to the nicotine. Cigar smokers (such as me) generally do not inhale the smoke, so there is never a physical addiction. We don't smoke because we have to. We smoke because we want to. We want to enjoy the pleasure that a fine cigar can bring.

February 2nd, 2017

Steve Saka, former CEO of Drew Estate and creator of the Liga Privada line, is in his third year of producing his own cigars, which include the Sobremesa and (as of 2016) the Mi Querida. Both lines are excellent, and represent fine examples of Steve’s craft.

In this article, we’re going to kick off a three-part series on Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust with a ‘double-review’, written by two of our most experienced cigar aficionados, of the Sobremesa Short Churchill – a cigar that garnered a third-place award in Cigar Weekly’s Top 10 Cigars of 2016!

February 20th, 2017

Size of cigar: 6 inches by 54 ring gauge

First, to those six initials... CLE stands for Christian Luis Eiroa, the founder of his eponymous cigar company. And CBT is short for capa-banda-tripa, or wrapper-binder-filler.

The cigar I’m reviewing here incorporates leaves that have been harvested from the very high primings of tobacco plants before being cured and fermented. During fermentation, these leaves typically take on a very dark (or Maduro) color, and usually exhibit a lot of body and strength when smoked. The cigar is produced at Eiroa’s Aladina factory in the Honduras.

January 26th, 2017

This time around, I noted nice tobacco and vanilla aromas from the wrapper, more of the same from the foot, and a generous cold draw following a clean clip. The fairly firm bunch spoke of a well-constructed cigar.

Anyone familiar with the Cult name will recognize the mild start on this cigar, with hints of more to come. On this night, I paired the Gordo with a Topo Chico, in order to give what I perceived as a milder cigar a chance to shine with no interference from my normal pour – beer.

Upon lighting, a very clean burn produced a solid medium-grey ash. The burn was also nice and even. So far, the notes reminded me of some of the better pipe tobaccos, leading to a nice room aroma and flavorful smoke.

This was a very light to medium-bodied smoke – a bit unexpected given the medium-brown wrapper. The smoke exhibited flavors of toasted tobacco and light leather notes, with some almond in the background. To this point, the Cult seemed a nice, complex cigar that was both smooth and pleasant.