Cigars for the Recession: Castle Hall

Connecticut Salamon, 7.1" x 58 ring, $2.85
According to Cigar Bid, where I purchases these cigars, "Castle Hall is an old Cuban label that Gurkha has re-mastered to sheer perfection." Made in Esteli, Nicaragua, this cigar combines Nicaraguan and Honduran filler with a Cameroon binder and Connecticut wrapper.

The Castle Hall Salamon is a good-looking cigar for less than $3. The wrapper is smooth and silky with just a little bit of oil. There are some spots and the color is anything but perfectly smooth; the cigar feels pretty lumpy and bumpy, too. The cap and foot have additional pieces of tobacco on them and the color does not match, leading you to conclude that they came from different leaves. The aroma is nice, mild tobacco from the body; because of the shape, there is no aroma on the foot. The appearance would be unacceptable on a cigar that costs even $7 or $8, but take it for what it is--you cannot expect impeccable construction and wrap for $3 per stick.

The cigar lit well and drew well from the start--almost too well, in fact--this cigar was evidently a fairly loose pack, but (again) can you complain about that in a $3 salamon measuring 7 inches? Flavor-wise there is some hay and grass with just a little black pepper--so far quite mild but very nice for a Saturday morning on the porch with a cup of coffee.

Toward the end of the first third, I found that the Castle Hall provided plenty of smoke and maintained a mild body with plenty of creamy notes, but there was still a bit of pepper sticking out from time to time.

The cigar continued mostly the same through the second and last thirds--creamy and occasionally nutty with hints of black pepper. Not the most complex smoke in the world, but definitely a high-quality, mild bargain cigar. More than worth the money spent!

Grade: A-