Movie Recommendation: Public Enemies

Public Enemies (2009)

Johnny Depp admirably tones down his insane act to play famous bad-guy John Dillinger in this examination of the crime spree of the 1930s and the rise of the FBI that tried to deal with it. Michael Mann directed it and while he did a good job with the material, at 2 hours and 20 minutes, it was a little on the over-long side. Once again an instance of a director trying to hard to be artistic, I think, and sacrificing entertainment value in the process.

I will admit that I’m not the biggest fan of mobster movies, but this was mostly entertaining and it could go over well as a film to watch in a cigar shop with a bunch of guys gathered around...probably not such a great date film, though, except for the presence of Depp.

On the Open Road, Day Three

Today was a long day of driving. Our group of 3 started out in Cross Lanes, West Virginia early in the morning, stopping at The Waffle Hut in Flatwoods, WV (home of the Lizard Monster, thank you MonsterQuest). Breakfast was great; the locals in the restaurant looked at us kind of funny as it was immediately apparent we were not from there. I will say West Virginia is a beautiful and somewhat mountainous state. Lots of patchy fog as the sun rose made for amazing vistas and a peaceful drive.

We spent about an hour driving through Maryland before finally crossing into Pennsylvania and then we hit the PA Turnpike. I was not aware that late April was the start of Road Work Season, but we lost track of the number of construction zones with single lanes slowed down to 55 or 40 miles per hour. Frustrating at times. We picked up the fourth member of our traveling party at Philadelphia Airport around 3:00 then headed up to Allentown where we are staying or the weekend.

After settling in our rooms, we headed out to 5 Guys for hamburgers then to the Cigars International SuperStore in Bethlehem for the CAO Event that signified the kickoff to CigarFest. It was crowded and somewhat chaotic but the atmosphere was fun and the camaraderie flowed as freely as the smoke that quickly filled their large showroom. Shortly after 6:00, CAO Director of Lifestyle Marketing, Jon Huber, entered. We got to exchange a few words then CAO President, Tim Ozgener, came in and introduced the celebrity guest, boxing great, Joe Frazier. We also got to talk to Tim for a few moments and then he took his place with Messrs. Frazier and Huber up on the platform where Joe signed CAO Champion Samplers and took pictures with those who bought them.

A great evening and kickoff for a fun weekend. We adjourned early to come back to our hotel where we found a nice quiet outdoor spot. The four of us split some more Wild Turkey Bourbon and Rye Whiskey and another cigar each while debating cigars, people and politics. Just like old times. Good debate with strong opinions voiced and all of us went to our rooms still friends (and none of us had blocked someone else on Twitter as a result).

Tomorrow will be a big day...as I've said to the guys a couple times, if we don't each smoke 6 or more cigars each day Friday and Saturday, we're just not working hard enough.

On the Open Road, Day Two

After what was a short night's sleep in Elizabethtown, KY (the less said about phones ringing in the middle of the night the better!) Keith, Ray and I got a fairly early start with breakfast at Shoney's (love that Country Fried Steak!), plenty of coffee, and a quick drive through some narrow two-lane backroads to Loretto, and the Maker's Mark Distillery.

I've been to 3 whiskey distilleries (Jack Daniel's twice and Wild Turkey--twice as of today) and this is definitely the most inviting setting I have seen. Beautiful grounds with well-preserved period buildings and attractive paint jobs (dark brown with red trim) met us as we drove in. The people were all nice and the tour was very fun and informative, followed by a tasting of MM signature Bourbon and a Mint Julep concoction they release every year around Derby time. Keith and I both bought commemorative bottles that we got to hand-dip in the MM red wax ourselves...a nice keepsake for many years to come (although...on the other hand, another commemorative bottle of whiskey that will sit on the shelf fairly permanently).

We took another quick drive through the Bluegrass State to Lawrenceburg, ate lunch at a sandwich shop in downtown and toured the Wild Turkey distillery. It was a polar opposite of Maker's. Although the people were all friendly, the tour guide did not seem to have as personal an investment in the process or the beverage. While MM is a family-run business with charmingly inefficient methods (that produce great Bourbon), Turkey smacks of huge corporations. The buildings were fairly dirty and run-down looking and the entire place was more of the "working distillery" (as the tour guide referred to it) rather than a welcoming place for visitors. Please don't read that I would recommend he visit to Wild Turkey--I would say to go, but also to visit at least one other distillery that keeps that more welcoming feel. If not MM, then perhaps Four Roses which looks welcoming in the brochures, at least.

We stopped in Lexington for a short visit to the first liquor store where I ever bought a bottle of Turkey. We bought a bottle and headed out...next stop: Cross Lanes, West Virginia, a few miles west of Charleston. There we stopped for the night, checked in, ate, and broke out some cigars and the bottle of Wild Turkey 101 we bought at that shop in Lexington where my love of Bourbon Whiskey was born. Another night with too little sleep will be followed by a long day of travel through West Virginia, Maryland, and--finally--Pennsylvania, where the main attraction of this week-long excursion will take place. Stay tuned...

Cigar Review: Illusione Cruzado

Domenicos, 5.625” x 46 ring gauge, $9.25
Dion Giolito founded Illusione Cigars in 2007 and wasted no time in expanding his line of offerings. The Cruzado line was added in 2008 and is intended as a medium-bodied smoke that is still full on flavor. It is a Nicaraguan puro that uses both Criollo 98 and Corojo 2006 leaves in the blend. They are proudly shipped without cellophane to “promote box aging” but this proves to be more of a problem from my perspective as the wrapper of the one I smoked for this review was already cracked at the foot before I took it out of my humidor. Did it happen at the store? On the way home? Later on in my box? I don’t know--I frankly don’t care--it would have been far less likely to happen if there were a cello wrapper. If someone wants badly to “box-age” their cigars, they can more easily take the cello off than I can add cello to protect my investment.

The other problem with having no cellophane is the lack of aromas from the wrapper. This wrapped smelled faintly of musty leather and barnyard; there was little aroma from the foot, either. The appearance was rather rustic with a couple large veins. There was quite a bit of oil, too. After clipping, the prelight draw was excellent and there were flavors of light-roast coffee and cocoa powder, as well as some grassy/hay-like notes.

Initial light-up revealed a very flavorful cigar--mostly coffee (black, but mild), leather (again, mild), and hay notes, but it was in combination that was really unique and fairly fantastic. If the rest of the stick is as good as this, I might have a new favorite from the Illusione company. The rest of the first third continued to feature coffee and leather flavors, with the occasional hit of cocoa or hay. Toward the end of the third, some black pepper was noticeable as well, spicing up this decidedly medium-bodied stick.

The spicy pepper did increase through the second third, but the predominant flavor was leather. There was also an unusual citrus tang. Coffee flavors were there still, too, but underneath everything else. The burn line had been quite wavy and jagged, but even nonetheless. The draw had constricted a bit but I was able to successfully trim the first cut line with my Xikar multitool to open it up a bit again.

The Cruzado ended with as much flavor and complexity as it started--plenty of spice and leather, along with a smokey coffee flavor, with roasted nuts and cocoa powder underneath. The construction was very good all the way, with no major problems. Advertised as a medium-bodied cigar, it did start out that way, but it ended up reaching the medium-to-full range by the end. The crack at the foot burned as evenly as everything else, and the draw issue was easily remedied by opening a larger hole to draw through. I was very pleased with the flavor and look forward to trying other vitolas, although I do with the price was just a little less.

Body: 7/10

Strength: 7/10

Complexity: 9/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 1.5/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 4.5/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 9/10

On the Open Road, Day One

After not getting nearly enough sleep Monday night, Tuesday morning I was off and running...well, driving actually...on Day One of the Tiki Bar Road Trip to CigarFest.

I picked up the rental car around 8:30, packed it up and headed to Nashville to meet two of my traveling companions (the third will join us Thursday in Philadelphia). Ray arrived in town Monday night and I met him at Smoke and Ale, just north of the Nashville Airport. We had a cigar, got him checked out of his hotel and took a spin around "greater Nashville" so he could see a few sites before heading back to the airport to pick up Keith. Then it was off to CAO Headquarters on the west side of town.

Susie--CAO's awesome brand ambassador--greeted us at the door and took us through a tour of their operation, culminating in a visit to the Escaparate room--where all their experimental and proprietary blends are held--and the showroom where we got to pick out a cigar to enjoy while watching the "Seed to Soul" video. We all picked up a pre-release version of the Favorito size of La Traviata and Susie served us some very nice French Roast coffee as we settled into the lounge area. I have already smoked the Animado vitola of La Traviata and planned on buying a box; after trying the Favorito size...I am undecided on which size box I will end up buying. Yes, it is that good. Keep your eyes out for them to be released soon.

I had picked up a Rock-n-Rolled baseball cap at a CAO event last year; Jon Huber--CAO's Director of Lifestyle Marketing--was good enough to autograph it for me and it will join my hat rack in my office, where it will live comfortably next to my CAO HQ hat signed by company president, Tim Ozgener. Susie and the folks were good enough to supply us with some smokes and some swag. The swag will come in handy for Thursday night's CAO event at the CI Superstore in Bethlehem, PA, and I'll be sure to include a picture when that day's post appears.

If you get to Nashville--and you really should, it's a great city--make it a point to call CAO and get an appointment for a tour. After leaving their office I wanted to smoke nothing but their cigars for a week or two. It's awesome to have brand ambassadors like Susie who inspire with their attitude.

It's already late as I write this tonight and it looks like another night of insufficient sleep ahead with another full day tomorrow. We're heading out by 9:00 in the morning to tour the distilleries of Maker's Mark and Wild Turkey before heading on to West Virginia to spend the night there.

Cigar Review: Liga Privada No. 9

Flying Pig, 4.125“ x 60 ring gauge, approx. $12
I have not reviewed a Drew Estate product since the time of the original Tiki Bar blog, way back in early 2007. Then, all I knew Drew for was my beloved Natural Dirt as well as my less-well-loved Acid and Ambrosia sticks. Jonathan DRew has come a long way since then. The Liga Privada #9 was originally released in 2007 and the line-up has been expanding ever since, to the current range of 5 vitolas, including this infamous “Flying Pig.” The No. 9 features filler tobacco from the Dominican Republic and Honduras, a Brazilian binder, and a Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper. Because Drew Estate always meant “infused” or “flavored” cigars to me (as well as the bargain-priced La Vieja Habana and Chateau Real lines) I have always had trouble making myself give up $10 or more for any of these sticks. This is my very first experience with Liga Privada.

The appearance of this cigar was as comical as the name: short, stout, and--frankly--turd-like, especially with the tapered ends. It is finished with a nice pigtail, which is appropriate. The wrapper itself was rough-looking, veiny and mottled--not exactly a pretty wrapper; I kind of expect more for the price. It was fairly oily to the touch but the capline was quite rough. The aroma from the body was faintly of leather and tobacco--kind of a classic humidor smell--the small foot gives off almost no aroma that I can detect--maybe just a touch of barnyard. Prelight this stick had some savory spices and a little anise--it was a mixture of savory and sweet but everything was very faint. The draw was excellent.

Initial puffs featured some leather and a really nice dried berry flavor along with a little black pepper in the retrohale. Overall it all started off very smooth and rich. The first third proceeded to be luxuriously earthy and leathery, although there were notes of cocoa powder and dark roast coffee in there, too. The body was medium-to-full and the draw provided plenty of smoke. This stick smoked almost like a Nub--slow and steady with a rich, full flavor from the very start. There was a ton of flavor here--more than any Nub I have had, but very nuanced and subtle, too.

The second third started off as I tapped ash for the first time. The cigar immediately got fuller in body and more earthy in flavor, with an even deeper coffee flavor. Most sweetness went away and there was a rough, harsh edginess to the smoke in the throat, but it was smoother than ever on the retrohale. After going a little crooked in the first third, the burn line evened out on its own very nicely. By the end of the second third, the Flying Pig was starting to pack a little punch, too.

The last third was really more of the same as the second: coffee and earth primarily. The body had ramped up throughout to be just into the full category and the flavor was full and satisfying all the way down to the nub. With a hefty price tag, it is a sure bet I will not be adding Liga Privadas to my humidor as a regular smoke, but they are definitely good enough to warrant an occasional purchase. This was absolutely a very good smoke.

Body: 8/10

Strength: 8/10

Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 1.5/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 4.5/5

Value: .5/1

Total: 8.5/10

Cigar Review: Perdomo Patriarch Corojo

Robusto, 5” x 50, approx. $6
Nick Perdomo, the head of Tabacalera Perdomo, created the Patriarch to honor the memory of his father, Nicolas Perdomo, Sr., who passed away in 2004. Nick Jr. calls his father a mentor and hero and put together these blends that were his father’s favorites. They are comprised of all Nicaraguan tobaccos from Esteli, Condega and Jalapa and are described on the company website as “rich and complex, with a smooth, elegant finish.” They are available in maduro and Connecticut shade wrappers as well as today’s Corojo variety.

This one looked very nice--it was evenly colored with a light brown wrapper that had just a touch of red to it. The triple cap looked like there was an unfinished spot, though--like they ran out of tobacco, but had to rush to finish the stick regardless. The feel is oily, but with just a little toothy roughness, too. The aroma from the body was classic humidor and barnyard; from the foot there was cocoa, coffee and manure. The prelight draw was excellent; the flavors at that time were somewhat odd and not what I was expecting from a Nicaraguan puro with a corojo wrapper--there was some sweet spice and alfalfa, along with a little chili pepper burn on the lips.

Initial puffs were very tasty--mostly featuring flavors of roasted nuts and black pepper. The smoke was creamy, thick & rich, with a pronounced burn when blown through the nose. A more distinctive “corojo” flavor started coming through shortly--a spiciness that is not just head, in addition to a bit of leather and rich tobacco. So far, I would put this cigar in the high-medium range for body, but very full for flavor. The initial ash held on for more than an inch and the burn could not have been straighter. Late in the first third the flavor became more leathery.

Leatheriness continued to dominate in the second third along with some nice notes of sweet spice, pepper, cedar and roasted nuts. Every now and then I got a hint of a nice creamy coffee flavor as well.

During the last part, the flavors morphed to become more earthy. There was nice black coffee and just a touch of black pepper still, too. In all, this was a very fine cigar that did not disappoint in being full of flavor and fairly complex. The edginess of the beginning mellowed to a nice smoothness as it went on, accompanied by a slight increase in body and strength. I enjoyed this a lot and could easily see adding it to my rotation as a nice afternoon smoke.

Body: 7/10

Strength: 7/10

Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 1.5/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 4.5/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 9/10

One Month with the Motorola DROID

As a die-hard Mac user, I was thrilled when Apple revolutionized the smartphone industry with the iPhone. I died a little inside, though, when I discovered it would only be available through AT&T. I have been a Verizon customer since I first bought a cell phone, back in 1999 or 2000, I think. One of my maxims in life is that “all cell phone companies suck, just in different ways.” Sprint has had a shaky user-base, poor customer service rep, but good phones and decent pricing, especially for push-to-talk (along with their Nextel acquisition). T-Mobile has always had great prices and thoroughly lousy coverage, unless you live in a large city (and even then, I’ve heard of gaping holes). AT&T has good prices, but a reputation for very bad signal strength and coverage area in the U.S. (their “least dropped calls” claim is only thanks to the fact that they are a worldwide company). Verizon has always given me great customer service and practically bullet-proof coverage, but their prices always make me flinch when it’s time to re-up my contract.

I wanted to upgrade my phone; my old Palm 700p was a year over its contract renewal date and I kept hoping for a Verizon iPhone, but it just didn’t seem to be in the cards, so I started investigating other options. Google’s Android phone OS interested me a lot and after comparing and contrasting many of the phones running it, I decided to get what is seen as the top-of-the-line (at least for today): Motorola’s DROID, running on Verizon. After living with the DROID for a month or so, I have a few thoughts:

• The Moto DROID is a solid piece of engineering. The DROID features a nice, large touch-screen with some sensory (vibration) feedback on the permanent buttons at the bottom. The other buttons and controls are fairly simple and straightforward, as well. It features a built-in physical keyboard that slides out as well as a very nice virtual keyboard, ala the iPhone. To be honest, I prefer the virtual keyboard to the physical one--the edge of the top half of the phone gets in the way of my fingers on the physical keyboard and the virtual one is very easy to get used to in that orientation.
• App Selection is Very Good. While not possessing the size and scope of the Apple App Store, the selection of apps for the DROID is excellent. I have added quite a few freebies to my collection in the first month, including weather apps (from both Weather Channel and Weather Bug), a barcode scanner that also scans the net for product identification and price comparison, Solitaire and Checkers games, and silly sound effects (both guns and farts...farts are always funny, especially if they’re not real!). There are lots of other apps available, many of them free, but plenty of good paid ones, too.
• Call Quality is Great. Let’s face it, the “killer app” on any smart phone is the fact that it makes phone calls. If it doesn’t do it well, they what are you paying for? After a slight struggle to pair my old Jawbone BT headset in the beginning, it has worked flawlessly, with a much better sound quality than when I used it through my old Palm Treo. Without BT, the call quality is even better.
• Exclusive Things. One cool thing about the DROID is that you can buy a dash/windshield mounting bracket that comes with a car charger, and it turns your phone instantly into a GPS device. Yes, other phones have GPS, but when you put the DROID into the bracket, it instantly changes to the “Car Home” screen which is by and large voice activated, and features very large, visible buttons to switch between activities if you don’t want to yell at it. The GPS uses Google maps and is much better than the Magellen GPS I used to have (it went on eBay a week after I bought this phone).

Other things I like about my new phone are its very decent picture quality (as compared to my old phone), its expandability, and its compatibility. Windows and Blackberry phones tend to be very difficult to pair with a Mac--they just don’t play well together. Palm has a long history of Mac compatibility, but I have no idea if their new OS carries on that tradition. The DROID made me jump through a few hoops: I had to sign up for a full Google account--including G-Mail which I hadn’t used before and still haven’t used since--and find a free piece of software that will sync my Apple Mail, Calendar, and Address Book apps on my laptop with my phone, but once I had done all that, it all works smoothly and solidly. I now have access to all my vital info from my phone, my laptop, or anyone else’s computer with an internet connection.

Of course, two weeks after I bought the DROID, the Wall Street Journal started reporting that Verizon might get the iPhone later this year...or maybe next. Really? Apple is now going to engineer a CDMA version of the iPhone when that protocol only has a couple more years of viability before Verizon gets LTE up and running throughout their network? Somehow I doubt it. I could be wrong, though, and maybe I’ll wish I had waiting another 6 months...or 12 months...but I doubt that, too. I am a Mac user...and I am very happy with my Motorola DROID.

Road Trip for the Tiki Bar

Excitement has built for months surrounding the next week...four of the original members of the Tiki Bar smoking group will be embarking tomorrow on a road trip. Spanning the eastern part of the United States, from Nashville, Tennessee to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. Lasting a full 7 days and 6 nights...we’re headed to CigarFest.

Members of the Tiki Bar group have been to the Big Smoke in Las Vegas, as well as CigConWest, but this will be the first trip for any of us to one of the meccas of the cigar industry in the United States: the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. Cigars International has been sponsoring CigarFest for several years and because of my own physical proximity to the event (not close, but closer than I was before) as well as the price break over the Vegas Big Smoke event, we decided to give this party a try.

I’ll be meeting the other guys in Nashville tomorrow to start the trip. We are stops at a couple distilleries in Kentucky on the way and intend to hit every single event that CigarFest has to to offer. And faithful Tiki Bar readers will be dragged along for the ride as I post road-reports every evening--at least if I’m still conscious enough to post them every evening! I’ve worked overtime on the blog, too, to make sure that our regular publishing schedule will be maintained while this road trip is ongoing. So make sure to stop by and see what we’re up to each day this week, as well as checking out the cigar reviews that will be published. You can also follow out goings-on on Twitter (@dmjones1009 or @keith1911).

Movie Recommendation: The Lost City

The Lost City (2005)

Andy Garcia is proud of his Cuban heritage and of the brave people in Cuba that stood up to both the corrupt Batista Regime and the brutal Communists that followed. He was so inspired by those who fought the powers and eventually had to flee for their lives to other countries that he worked on the idea for this film for well over a decade before it saw fruition. What we end up with is Garcia’s directorial debut in a film that every cigar-lover should see at least once.

A word about the scenes in the tobacco fields: they were filmed in the Dominican Republic at Chateau de la Fuente. The tobacco grown for use in the film was harvested and turned into a special Opus X “The Lost City” cigar which can be purchased in some locations.

I did say that every cigar lover should see this film, but I cannot say that it is a truly great film. It tells an important story--one that reinforced my own opposition to lifting the Cuban embargo until the Castro regime is removed from power--but it does not do so in a truly spectacular way. Some actors can direct extremely well--Clint Eastwood is a great example. Some actors can only be their best under the guidance of a great director--I always like to cite the example of Ben Affleck, who is pretty decent when the director is excellent, and pretty mediocre the rest of the time. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Andy Garcia is not a “great” director, but merely an adequate one. He is also not an actor who can be at his best under a merely adequate director. So this film suffers in those two ways and it trickles down through the pacing, dialog delivery, and many other little things. I found myself wishing that Garcia had merely acted in the lead role and let a more experienced director craft the telling of this important story.

Cigar Review: Perdomo Habano Corojo

Robusto, 5“ x 52 ring gauge, approx. $8
Perdomo introduced the Habano line in August 2007. Nick Perdomo said at the time that the combination of tobaccos from Nicaragua’s 3 growing regions would ”create a unique smoking experience where you will enjoy the complexity of the full-flavored tobaccos from Esteli, the aromatic tobaccos from Condega, and the naturally sweet tobaccos from the Jalapa Valley.“ These are combined with a Cuban-see Corojo wrapper--which I’ll be looking at today--as well as maduro or Connecticut shade varieties.

The appearance of this cigar was very nice: a double band with the foot one declaring the variety in a way that is unmistakable. The wrapper was a medium-brown with just a tinge of red. It was nice and oily, but there were quite a bit of mottling and dark spots, so it was far from flawless. The feel of the wrapper is quite smooth, but there was a rather firm spot about halfway up the body--I would have to wait and see if that caused any problem. The body had aromas of barnyard and hay, while the foot gave off some cocoa and a rich manure smell, too. The pre-light draw was very good; there were pre-light flavors of hay and caramel--it seemed to have the flavors of a ”classic mild“ cigar at this point.

Initial puffs were very tasty, but pretty mild: again with the hay and maybe some clove or nutmeg--some kind of fall spice. It also began quite nutty. Perlman’s noted that this was a full-bodied stick, but I had a hard time imaging that it would go beyond medium at this point. The first third was really tasty with plenty of that fall spice I noted along with a little pepper spice, earth, hay and roasted nuts.

The nuttiness continued nicely, but most spice went away during the second third. So far, this was shaping up to be an amazingly smooth medium-bodied smoke with some really great flavors, especially those riding underneath the dominant flavors: I continued to get hints of caramel, earth, sweet hay, and even orange peel.

The end had a leathery flavor added to the nuts and earth along with a minor return of the pepper spice. Overall, this was a great cigar with a medium-body and extremely smooth smoke. I found it to be very full-flavored and complex the whole way. Construction was superb: a perfectly straight burn line and perfect draw. I can easily see this being one of my top medium-bodied smokes, especially with the fantastic value that Perdomo Cigars brings to the equation. I will be revisiting this one often, I think.

Body: 6/10

Strength: 5/10

Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 5/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 10/10

Cigar Review: CAO Gold Vintage

Bouchon, 4.875“ x 60 ring gauge, $8.65
If you’re a faithful Tiki Bar Online reader (and I know there are at least 2 of you out there!), you already know how I feel about the CAO Gold Vintage. This 2009 stick resembled the original CAO Gold in appearance, but under the surface the changes are huge. The original Gold featured Nicaraguan filler along with binder and wrapper leaf from Ecuador. The Vintage has filler from Nicaragua and Honduras, a Nicaraguan binder, and an Ecuadorian Connecticut-shade wrapper from the 2004 harvest year. In my opinion, this is one of the finest Connecticut-shade wrapped cigars to hit the market and it has established itself as my favorite in that category--enough so that I took the rare step of purchasing a box of the Cremant vitola. Today’s review of the Bouchon size is an attempt to tell if this more expensive vitola holds up to the same standard as the Cremant.

Appearance is key on these light-colored Connecticut wrappers. Unfortunately, the sample I picked up did not quite hold up to the highest standard. The wrapper was discolored in a couple places and the seam lines were very visible--almost dark--showing an uneven cut in the leaf near the foot. The aroma was a very pleasant hay with a touch of honey sweetness and just a hint of barnyard. With the perfecto tip there was really no noticeable aroma from the foot. My Xikar XI1 took the head off very cleanly, but--as is typical with perfectos--the cold draw was pretty tight. The unlit flavors were nice, though--some caramel and hay. It really was not hard to remember why I like this so much.

Getting perfectos with poor initial draws to light is always a challenge--this was no different. Initial puffs had very little smoke or flavor, but that changed pretty quickly as the nib end turned to ash, revealing a nice mild profile of hay and that creamy sweetness of the shade wrapper. Very soon I started to get some of the peppery notes that elevated this above the typical mild cigar in my previous review. The rest of the first third was mild-to-medium in body with flavors of hay, caramel, and black pepper that paired extraordinarily well with my Saturday morning coffee. The burn line had to be touched up a bit but burned very evenly after that.

I got more nuttiness from the Gold Vintage in the the second third, complementing the creamy sweetness very well. Otherwise, there was not much change to report--just a continuation of a very nice morning cigar.

In the end, the Bouchon provide to be another great morning cigar, continuing on with flavors or roasted nuts, hay and caramel through the final third. The pepper disappeared in there somewhere. Overall this was a very enjoyable variation on the Gold Vintage, but not as enjoyable as the Cremant--there just did not seem to be as much flavor or complexity in the mix. Add to that the slightly higher price point for a smaller vitola and I have to stick with the Cremant for my own humidor. In baseball terms, this was the equivalent of a double compared with the Cremant’s home run.

Body: 3/10

Strength: 5/10

Complexity: 6/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 4.5/5

Value: .5/1

Total: 9/10

Cigar Review: Perdomo Habano Connecticut

Robusto, 5“ x 52 ring gauge, approx. $6.50
After releasing Corojo and Maduro versions in 2007, Perdomo introduced a Connecticut-shade wrapped version of the Habano in 2008. It still incorporates tobacco from Nicaragua’s three major growing regions of Esteli, Condega, and Jalapa. Instead of a Nicaraguan wrapper, they wrapped this one with a USA-grown Connecticut-shade wrapper that should balance out the stronger, more full-bodied elements in the blend.j

The wrapper was golden and beautiful--the color is even and virtually flawless. The only thing really amiss was the pinchy, stretched look in some places. The feel of the leaf was smooth and slightly velvety with just a touch of oiliness--really more to be felt than seen. The wrapper aroma was hay and earth; the foot had cocoa and more earthy notes. The cap was very well-done with faintly visible seams. The prelight draw was very easy. The flavor was mild and slightly sweet--some hay and grassy notes along with a touch of honey and caramel.

Initial puffs had some earth and hay, but overall the flavor seemed to be very mild and non-descript. It was not bad, but it was not telling me much so far, either, about where the cigar would go. I smoked this on a cold Saturday morning and as I wrote, the snow began to lightly fall and the temperature hovered in the mid-30s. The wind was low, making this a glorious morning to bundle up, pour some coffee, and start off the day with a nice mild cigar. The rest of the first third was mild in body with flavors of hay and sweet tobacco, along with undertones of honey and caramel. So far, I was finding it to be pleasant, but not truly distinguished.

The second third was much the same: hay and some mild sweetness. Toward the end there was a little black pepper as well and the body increased from very mild to just slightly higher than very mild. Construction was nearly perfect--a very good draw and mostly even burn line.

The last third, unfortunately, did nothing to change the view I had been developing since the beginning. This is not a bad cigar--there were no sour flavors or ammonia present--there were no truly ”off“ flavors or anything that made me want to put it down early. But there was nothing really ”special“ about it, either. It was merely adequate as a nice mild morning smoke with nothing to really recommend it to me for further purchase. It was not flavorless, but it was almost completely lacking in complexity--it just had no real character to elevate it above the masses of middle-of-the-road smokes. All of which left me with one unfortunate conclusion: why bother?

Body: 3/10

Strength: 3/10

Complexity: 2/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 1.5/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 3/5

Value: 0/1

Total: 6.5/10

News & Views

A weekly roundup of stories that piqued our interest...

Starting with some local flavor this time around, an Athens, TN man was charged with a DUI while riding his lawn mower, reminding us all that the cup holder probably should not be used for beer.

Even closer to home, my home-town newspaper ran a story about an effort to expand high-speed internet access in Rhea County. This is good news for me as DSL is painfully slow after being used to cable internet speeds where we moved from. The sooner I can replace DSL, the better!

Arizona lawmakers passed legislation this past week that makes it against state law to be in the U.S. without proper documentation, so they will actually be able to stop people on suspicion of being illegal aliens. If the federal government isn't taking the issue seriously, I'm glad at least the state of Arizona is.

Speaking of immigrants, singer Gloria Estefan has decided to adopt close ties to President Barack Obama, making her a virtual pariah in the Florida Cuban community. Apparently most Cuban ex-pats living in Florida still don't think highly of communists.

And speaking of Obama, there are a couple interesting pieces regarding the coming disaster known as ObamaCare: medical schools are already predicting they won't be able to keep up with the needs for new doctors imposed by ObamaCare, while Rich Lowry wrote an interesting piece on RomneyCare and it's fiscal ineptitude. In case you haven't heard, Obama apparently points to Massachusetts' RomneyCare program as a model for his national initiative.

Just a month after upgrading smartphones and leaving Palm by the wayside, it looks like Palm is looking for a buyer. This article from MacWorld examines the question of why anyone would want to buy them. Sorry to see them humbled after really blazing a trail in PDAs and smartphones in the early years.

Microsoft finally unveiled their new, uh..."smart" phone. Not so smart, though, as it's really just a "social networking" phone, most likely aimed at young'uns. I think MS has answered a question no one really was asking with these.

Google is apparently considering an Android-based tablet, which could actually be a competitor for the iPad as they actually seem to get it! People, the iPad isn't about replacing a notebook or desktop computer...it's about providing a vehicle for content consumption...all kinds of content...that is better than a smartphone and more convenient than a computer. Netbooks don't do that (they're just underpowered notebooks) and HP's Slate doesn't do that (it's just a re-hash of the Windows Tablet computer concept). I always say, competition's good for everyone!

Adobe upgraded (again) their Creative Suite software to CS5. Good news for everyone who skipped CS4 (like me and the company I work for). Lots of new features but still missing some things I want...most notably the ability to create interactive forms (with checkboxes, radio buttons, field for text, etc.) and be able to export as a PDF with all those items intact, rather than having to create a form in InDesign then open the PDF in Acrobat Professional and add all the interactive stuff. I'll keep hoping for CS6 for that feature...

Turns out cigar and pipe smoking isn't nearly as bad for you as doctors say, according to a study by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and National Institute for Health. Despite their findings, though, they still recommend you stop smoking, because...well, because only bad, evil people smoke cigars...at least in the movies that's the way it is.

Davidoff is set to release it's new Dominican puro: Puro d'Oro. In a first for the company, the name Davidoff does not appear anywhere on the cigar. They've abandoned the traditional white band for a foot band! I guess they're hoping to spur sales of that $1200 gold and leather cigar band...

A Cigar Smoker lit up a pre-release version of the Dirty Rat by Drew Estate this week; no word on when those will hit the streets. Brian at Stogie Guys reviewed the hard-to-find Fuente Hemingway Masterpiece Maduro. Nice Tight Ash looked at the new Favorite vitola of CAO's La Traviata; I haven't seen that one yet, but I smoked the Animado a few days ago and it rocks!!! Cigar Sage smoked a Nestor Miranda Dominicano Rosado; I smoked a Dominicano that was supposed to be a "Dark Natural" but the wrapper colors are so close I couldn't be sure...I've purchased a Rosado and a Dark Natural to smoke and rate side-by-side in the not-too-distant future.

Music Recommendation: The Open Road

The Open Road by John Hiatt

If you know me, you know I am a John Hiatt fan. The magic started for me in 1995 when I heard Hiatt, live on my favorite radio station, performing a couple songs from his new album Walk On. I picked up that CD and have subsequently picked up pretty much his entire output since 1987’s Bring The Family. Hiatt’s unique style of American music--a mixture of rockabilly, country, blues, electric wail and mellow acoustic--has spoken to my soul like no one else in this singer-songwriter category. I admire his music so much I named this blog after one of his songs (well...technically it was named after my smoking group, which was named after one of his songs, but you get the point). So when I heard a new album was coming out, I was predictably overjoyed.

I will admit to being somewhat disappointed by Hiatt’s last album, Same Old Man. While there were some great songs on there, too many seemed to be of the slow, sappy ballad variety and they probably should have been sprinkled through several of his albums rather than being collected on one. This album more than makes up for the imbalance of his last, ripping into the title track with a frenzy. “The Open Road” tells the story of the hopeless in the world and their struggles to find meaning in life. “Haulin’” is a fun little upbeat number that name-checks a bunch of Southern locales while speaking longingly of the lady the singer is missing. And those two songs just kick off the road trip on this album.

There is plenty of musical variety and experimentation here, from the Tom Petty-esque “Go Down Swingin’” to the hard-core blues of “Like A Freight Train,” from the bizarre surf-guitar/ghost story of “Homeland” to the classic Hiatt feel of “What Kind of Man.” Hiatt gives the “Other half of last night’s cigar” a shout-out (along with “A couple of Pop Tarts / Cold cup of coffee / There’s a fine new start”) and ends up heading back home from the Open Road at the end with the love of his life (“Carry You Back Home”).

This is truly a great album--possibly one of Hiatt’s best and definitely the most well-balanced since 2003’s Beneath This Gruff Exterior. Thank you, Mr. Hiatt, for another great collection of music and a possible theme album for the upcoming CigarFest Road Trip...which come to think of it, I will christen with another Hiatt-inspired name: “The Tiki Bar - On the Open Road.”

Breaking News about the Tiki Bar

Happy Friday to one and all of my faithful Tiki Bar readers. I have two pieces of good news for you today.

First, the Tiki Bar Online has picked up our first official sponsor: Burns Tobacconist. Burns is my "local" B&M, even though they are located almost an hour's away (quality cigar stores are few and far between here in East Tennessee). Burns is located in the Chattanooga Billiards Club at 110 Jordan Drive, right off I-75 on the east side of Chattanooga; there is also a CBC and Burns store in downtown Chattanooga at 725 Cherry Street (this location also features an Avo lounge). I first visited Burns about two years ago before we moved to our Tennessee home, but since moving I have been a frequent visitor and a member of the "Havana Room" private club. If you travel anywhere near Chattanooga, it is worth your time to stop buy, say hi to Matt, Jason, and Charlie, buy a few smokes and relax in the shop, grab a drink at the bar, have a meal of their full lunch and dinner menu, or shoot a few rounds of pool.

Second, in just a few weeks, Burns will be introducing the latest cigar to come from CAO's very exclusive Escaparate collection: the 423. We will be reviewing the cigar here on the Tiki Bar Online and we are working on a way for you to win some as well. Hey...that's two announcements in one: CAO's 423 (named for the East Tennessee area code) and the first Tiki Bar contest!

Stay tuned!

Movie Recommendation: Zombieland

Zombieland (2009)

Looking back at my movie mini-reviews in the past month or so, I found that I had only wholeheartedly recommended one film in the month of March. Without giving too much away, I only have one film in the month of April that I could put my “stamp of approval--go buy this movie now” seal on. That movie is 2009’s Zombieland.

I have to admit that I’m not a huge Zombie fan. I could take or leave the original George Romero zombie films (Night of the Living Dead, Day of the Dead, etc.), but found a lot to enjoy in the humor-driven horror of Return of the Living Dead in the 1980s. I thought 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later were great horror films, if not technically zombie films (they probably still belong to the same general genre) and thoroughly enjoyed Shaun of the Dead, one of the funniest films to escape Great Britain since the days of Monty Python. So, I was not exactly bursting at the seams to see Zombieland...until I heard that it was kind of an American take on Shaun of the Dead. And it is...in spades.

By saying it’s an “American take” on the British film, I do not mean an adaptation--they share no storyline similarities at all. What it turns out to be is how all-American stereotypes deal with the end of civilization through zombie takeover. It is fun, innovative and smart. There is a guest appearance by one of Hollywood’s greatest funny-men, whom I shall not reveal here, and a spectacular ending in an amusement park...let me just leave it at this: zombie clown. I’ll say no more.

The film was shot in and around Atlanta, Georgia, so much of the scenery looks like home to me here two hours north of the ATL. Great movie...I will be buying this one sometime soon and I look forward to a sequel if they decide they can do one as good as the first.

Cigar Review: Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary, Maduro

Robusto, 5" x 54 ring gauge, approx. $7

This cigar is part of Perdomo's 10th Anniversary triumvirate: the Reserve 10th Anniversary is available in Connecticut and Criollo wrappers in addition to today's Maduro. The Reserve 10th is a natural progression of their Reserve line which debuted in 1998. The 2008 version is handmade in Esteli, Nicaragua, and features all Nicaraguan tobaccos.

This cigar practically knocked me over with aroma when I freed it from its cellophane. It was a rich, chocolatey aroma that was extremely pleasant. The wrapper had some barnyard aroma, too, but the foot was that rich chocolate and coffee aroma. The wrapper was fairly oily, but rather rough to the touch due to its toothiness and medium-to-large veins; the dark color hit these attributes well, though, unless you closely scrutinzed it. The cold draw was very good--there was just a bit of resistance and it would probably be "just right." The prelight flavors were of coffee and dark chocolate and it left a spicy tingle on my lips.

On initial light, this cigar was rich and full with flavors of coffee and cocoa. It had a very nice amount of sweetness from the maduro leaf, too. Dark, strong coffee ended up dominating the first third, with bitter cocoa powder and maduro sweetness rounding out the flavors nicely. A peppery spice gradually grew throughout as well, contributing a nice mouth burn. The body started off at the low end of the full range and started to build from there. The burn line canoed slightly in the middle of the first third, but had corrected itself before the second third got underway.

When I removed the enormous band, I once again had a chunk of wrapper come off with it, signaling that I would need to be cautious with this one during the second third. Shortly into it, the pepper spice went away fairly quickly, but the coffee flavor got more intense--almost an espresso expression of the bean.

The coffee continued in the last third and was joined by a nuttiness and a return of black pepper. All along the way there was just enough sweetness to balance out the bitter flavors, making for an overall wonderful cigar. The hole left by the overglued band cause no unraveling or burn issues; the construction was otherwise excellent, requiring no touch-ups along the way. I found the Reserve 10th Maduro to be a truly great cigar that should satisfy the maduro fanatics out there. For myself, I enjoyed this more than any maduro in quite a long time. This would be excellent at any price point, but at Perdomo's rates, it's a steal.

Body: 9/10

Strength: 7/10

Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale:

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 5/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 10/10

Cigar Review: Illusione

888, 6.75" x 48 ring gauge, $8.85

I first visited Dion Giolito's Illusione line of cigars in late summer last year when I reviewed the MJ12. I enjoyed it enough to give it a 9.5/10. The only problem I had with it was the $12 price tag which puts it out of reach as a "daily smoker." The 888 beats that price by about $3, putting it in the middle-to-upper-end of my price comfort zone. Like all Illusione cigars, this stick is a Nicaraguan puro. Also like all Illusione sticks, Giolito could not be satisfied with a regular vitola name (Churchill, in this instance) and provided us a cigar with a story: In Hebrew numerology, the letters forming the name of Jesus adds up to 888. In a tribute to his faith, Giolito calls this cigar "Necessary and Sufficient" and says this describes the cigar's taste and balance as well as his Lord and Savior. Time to find out if this cigar is truly a spiritual experience.

The wrapper was medium-brown with some darker mottling. The leaf was smooth, oily and slightly velvety to the touch and there were no large veins to speak of. The aroma from the wrapper was muted tobacco and barnyard--muted because of the lack of a cello sheath. The aroma from the foot was stronger barnyard with just a touch of sweet cocoa mixed in. My Xikar MTX scissors made a clean cut on the cap and revealed a flawless draw. Prelight there were flavors of sweet tobacco, wood and chili pepper, as well as just a touch of cocoa.

Initial puffs had a lot of cedar as well as a pronounced spiciness on the retrohale. The sweetness of tobacco and bitterness of cocoa powder was there but very much underneath the other flavors. The abundance of cedar flavors continued through the first third along with a considerable amount of pepper spice. Every now and then some other flavors would creep in, too--a little autumn spice, a little cocoa, a little coffee. It made for a very interesting and complex beginning to the 888. The burn line was very even and the draw was great. To this point, the body was medium-to-full, but edging toward being completely full-bodied.

The cedar toned down a bit during the second third and so did the spice. Rising to take their place were notes of earth and coffee, along with more cocoa, which imparted both bitter and sweet components.

The cedar flavor came back in the last third and there was a continuation of the coffee and cocoa, but they were diminished from the second third. All in all, the 888 was very good but I did not find it as flavorful as the MJ12. For whatever reason, this vitola just did not work as well for me. I did like enough, though, to feel that it completely justifies the price. It may not be the best stick in the Illusione line, but I can definitely recommend it to any cigar enthusiast.

Body: 8/10

Strength: 7/10

Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale:

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 4/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 9/10

Cigar Review: Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary, Champagne

Robusto, 5" x 54 ring gauge, approx. $6

The Champagne is the latest version of the Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary line of cigars. It debuted in 2009 and has Nicaraguan filler and binder along with a Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf. Add to that the fact that Perdomo chose to adorn this stick in an orange cellophane sheath and you have one of the most unique-looking sticks on any store's shelves. I am not sure what orange cellophane has to do with champagne or Connecticut Shade tobacco, but it definitely does look cool.

Out of the cello, the wrapper is not one of the finest I have ever seen--it is somewhat mottled and discolored in places, has a few larger-then-normal veins and the cap line is very distinct as the cap is a couple shades darker. The aroma, though, is very nice: from the body I got a little hay and barnyard; from the foot there were rich barnyard, coffee and cocoa aromas. The feel was velvety smooth with a bit of oiliness. After clipping the end, the cold draw was excellent and I got prelight flavors of hay and honey along with a fairly intense burning tingle on the lips.

Initial puffs featured some sweet spice as well as almond and hay flavors. Those flavors did not last long, though, as the first third turned out to be mostly about wood--cedar, to be exact. I heard someone mention that a certain cigar was like chewing on a pencil (didn't we all do that when we were kids--well, if you were a kid before the time of mechanical pencils, anyway) and this one fit that description very well. Not that I mind a little cedar flavor in a cigar, but this one seemed to have nothing but that at this stage. The extra-large band required early removal, but it also took a large chunk of wrapper with it, thanks to the excessive glue used.

The second third started off with a huge canoe that got worse rather than working to fix itself. Fortunately, the flavor was better--the cedar overload backed off a bit, giving way to some earthiness and a hint of pepper.

The cigar burned straight through the hole in the wrapper, which is always a good thing. In my opinion, if a cigar's band rips a hole in the wrapper, that's bad...but if said rip does not affect the actual burn characteristics of the cigar, that's actually a sign of excellent construction and materials. There were no further construction issues. The flavors in the last segment consisted of roasted nuts and earth with a mellow woodiness underneath. Overall, this cigar was not what I had expected and it was a bit of a disappointment. While not bad when you consider the entire stick, the initial strong cedar flavor was overpowering and allowed no other flavors to make themselves known until later in the stick. Surprisingly for a Connecticut Shade wrapper, this was a strictly medium-bodied smoke that may appeal to some, but just did not have enough complexity or interest for me to revisit anytime soon.

Body: 5/10

Strength: 4/10

Complexity: 4/10

AFP Scale:

Prelight: 1.5/2

Construction: 1.5/2

Flavor: 3.5/5

Value: .5/1

Total: 7/10

Book Recommendation: Firestarter

Firestarter by Stephen King

Times are tough, money is tight. If you are not experiencing that phenomenon yourself, well...congratulations, you’ve avoided what most people in the world are having to deal with. My family and I have had to curtail spending, though, and I decided to help out by cutting down on my book-buying budget this year. That means fewer new purchases of books, substituting used books into the equation, I’m sure, but also re-reading some of the books in my vast library. In deciding what to re-read, I elected to take a new look at a few books by Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I originally called them “Lesser Works” but that designation doesn’t exactly fit, so I have changed it to “B-Books,” sort of like B-Movies--these aren’t the cream of the crop of these authors, but they are still well-written and entertaining. Maybe they were well-received at the time, but have not stood up to the test of time as well as others from the same era. I picked out five from each author and will present them here on the Tiki Bar in the order I read them, starting today with Firestarter.

This is the story of government experimentation that causes genetic mutations, resulting in the birth of Charlie McGee (a girl, full name Charlene) who has various psychic powers, chief among them the power to harness ambient energy and turn it into heat and fire. The story starts out with Charlie and her father, Andrew, on the run from government agents from “The Shop,” a secret ops division, who want to capture them and study their abilities.

This absolutely does fit the description of entertaining but not terribly profound. It shows King’s hippie-leanings and deep mistrust of a government he is convinced is run by right-wingers. There is a huge amount of potential in this story and in these characters--so much so that I could see the makings of a sequel forming in my mind as I read (but not the sequel that eventually was made in 2002). I would be interested in seeing King re-visit the main character at some point and see where she ended up after the end of the story, but at a distance of some 30 years, I doubt it will happen. Obviously, if you’re a Stephen King fan, you’ve probably already read this. If you are becoming a King fan, you will have to read this to absorb the complete oeuvre of his writings. If you are a casual reader with an occasional interest in King, there are many other books that would be a much better starting place and if you never got around to reading this one, you should not feel that you have missed out on something special

Movie Recommendation: The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker (2009)

Best Picture? Really!?! I watched this film about four weeks ago (from the time I wrote this review) and, honestly, it did not stick with me enough to write a detailed synopsis. Guy in Iraq war gets adrenaline high off defusing Improvised Explosive Devices. And this won 6 Oscars?

The acting was fine, although I could not remember that Evangeline Lilly made an appearance until I looked it up on IMDB. The directing was fine--any time James Cameron’s ego gets deflated is a good thing, having it done by his ex-wife is priceless. The story and dialog was fine, but were there any memorable lines in this film? I can’t remember an equivalent to “Say hello to my little friend” or “I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse” or even “I’m king of the world!” for pete’s sake.

Like I said, it was a “fine” movie and I enjoyed it while I watched, but it really had no lasting impact on me and I can’t see why people adore it so much. In a time when Hollywood likes pushing leftist propaganda crap in our faces (especially about the Iraq war), this one was mildly laudatory of the military. That still does not make it Best Picture material in my opinion.

News & Views

Welcome to the inaugural edition of "News & Views"--what I hope becomes a weekly feature here on the Tiki Bar. In this space, I will be presenting a few interesting links to stories I found of interest around the web this week. Topics will be as far-ranging as conversation in a smoke-filled room always is...

Hewlett-Packard showed that they just don't get what made the Apple iPad sell over half a million units in less than a week when they revealed additional information about their upcoming Slate: It amounts to an underpowered netbook (redundant, I know) without a keyboard.

The world's cattle were let off the hook this week when it was discovered that they are not causing global warming by farting, after all.


Speaking of global warming, if you're in need of a good laugh, you really owe it to yourself to check out the trailer for Birdemic: Shock and Terror. The review and commentary surrounding the trailer is pretty good, too.


A federal judge declared that the dripping red wax sealing the bottles of Maker's Mark is exclusively the property of that company. Lift a glass in honor of a fine, fine bourbon.


In cigar news, Tabacalera Perdomo announced more price drops after last year's round went so well. Thank you, again, Mr. Perdomo.


The Stogie Guys looked at the Tatuaje Verocu Tubo this week and weren't completely impressed. Mike at Stogie Review took an in-depth look at the Thompson Black Label and came away more pleased than one can imagine. And Barry at A Cigar Smoker seemed pretty pleased by the Panacea Red Label, which I  have got to get my hands on one of these days.


*In the "credit where credit is due" department, I will openly declare that the idea for this feature is not original but was borrowed from The Stogie Guys and their "Friday Sampler" format. The major difference being that The Stogie Guys are a cigars-only blog whereas the Tiki Bar is a general-male-interest-but-cigar-centric blog, so my topics will be a little more varied.

 

Cigar Review: Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary, Criollo

Epicure, 6" x 54 ring gauge, $6.30
Perdomo's website describes this cigar as "a decade in the making" and states that this is the "next generation" of the company's "original La Tradicion Perdomo Reserve line." The Reserve 10th Anniversary debuted in 2008 and features Nicaraguan filler and binder. It is available in Connecticut shade (called "Champagne") and Maduro wrappers, as well as today's Criollo-wrapped version.

This is a good-looking and good-feeling stick. While there is some mottling, the color is still pleasing to the eye and there are no large veins. The wrapper is velvety and quite oily to the touch. The aroma from the body is subdued barnyard and a little bit of leather; from the foot I smelled some cocoa along with a stronger barnyard component. The prelight draw was excellent and featured flavors of cocoa and coffee with a little spicy tingle on the lips.

Initial puffs gave up flavors of cedar and almonds, along with a little black pepper. The rest of the first third was predominantly flavored by cedar and black pepper, with some subtle coffee and roasted nut flavors underneath and in the retrohale.

The second third had a steady undercurrent of spice and the cedar muted somewhat, to be replaced by coffee and leather. There was a perfectly straight burnline in spite of a steady breeze and the draw was perfect as well.

There was no change of note in the flavors in the last third, but overall this was a good, flavorful smoke. It was medium-to-full bodied the entire way with just enough complexity to remain interesting. I would also consider this a bargain at less than $7 per stick. At the event where I purchased this and the other two Perdomo cigars that were recently reviewed, the rep made a point of telling us that none of the cigars he had for sale was over $9.50. To smokers on a budget, like me, that means that I will simply make a point of buying more Perdomos. I've already started that process and hopefully I will be featuring reviews for the Patriarch Corojo, Reserve 10th Anniversary Champagne, Habano Connecticut, and Habano Corojo in the coming months.

Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 6/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10

Cigar Review: Gurkha Evil

Toro, 6" x 50 ring gauge, $7.35
I smoked and reviewed Gurkha's Evil last September. What I had my hands on at that time was a pre-release sample from the IPCPR show but I enjoyed it enough to give it a 9/10. Now that the Evil has been in production for a while, I thought it would be a good time to revisit and re-review it. This cigar features Nicaraguan filler, a Dominican binder and a Brazilian wrapper. K. Hansotia, the owner of Gurkha, claims that this is a "strong" cigar, but the pre-release sample was just "strong for a Gurkha." It will be interesting to see if that assessment, or anything else I took away from that previous stick, changes.

The wrapper was fairly dark brown with some almost-black mottling. There were no obvious flaws or extra-large veins apparent. The aroma from the wrapper was mildly of cocoa with some hay and barnyard scents in there, too. The foot had more chocolate and a touch of coffee. The prelight draw was excellent and featured nice coffee and cocoa flavors as well as a spicy tingle on the lips.

The initial puffs of the Evil gave up a decent amount of pepper spice, along with a rich, sweet tobacco taste and hints of black coffee. The first third was mostly dominated by the flavors of coffee and earth, along with a spicy finish. Black pepper was particularly strong on the retrohale. The ash held on for over an inch and the burn line was was very even. The body seemed pretty full this early into the stick, especially compared with what I remember from the earlier version I had smoked. Toward the end of the first third I started to get little hints of cocoa powder as well.

The second third saw a steady progression to a more earthy/leathery flavor profile. The coffee fell off dramatically as did the spice and there were few, if any, hints of cocoa. The draw continued to be great. The body was in the low end of the full range and the finish was long.

In the end, the Evil--dare I say it--"creamed out" to some extent. The flavors turned to more cedar with just a little return of pepper spice, but overall the flavors became somewhat muted and uninteresting. For two-thirds this cigar was interesting and complex, though, and I give Gurkha credit for coming up with a cigar that actually fits into the full-bodied range--though only barely. Maybe it was this particular vitola, but I did not find this sample to be nearly as good as the previous Evil I had. It is good, however, to see Gurkha breaking away from their stereotype and producing a cigar that practically fits in the "bargain" category.

Body: 8/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 6/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 7.5/10

Cigar Review: Perdomo Grand Cru Corojo

Robusto, 5" x 50 ring gauge, $6.30
Perdomo released the Grand Cru in mid-2009 and says that is represents the "best of the best" from the 2004 crop of the company's farms. These cigars are created from Cuban-seed (Semilla Habano) tobacco, grown in Nicaragua, from filler to binder to wrapper. This newest Perdomo offering has received much fanfare and many positive reviews, so I have been anxious to get my hands on them for months. The Grand Cru is available in both Corojo and Maduro wrappers; today I will be looking at the Corojo and I hope to get my hands on a Maduro soon.

The wrapper was light brown with some darker mottling. The veins were more to be seen rather than felt, making for a smooth surface that was rather oily. The wrapper had an alfalfa aroma with some barnyard/manure thrown in. The foot had a chocolate aroma along with a touch of coffee. The band is somewhat understated, but with a lot of verbiage--just from a design standpoint, this is really not an attractive band. The cold draw was excellent and there were flavors of pepper spice, semisweet chocolate, some hay and caramel--not unlike what you might get from a mild cigar.

After lighting, initial puffs definitely had a creamy coffee aspect, with some black pepper hitting the back of the throat. The first third of the Grand Cru was a study in contrast: smooth, creamy smoke with a harshness in the throat; mild, creamy coffee with a strong pepper component. It basically felt like a collision of milder cigar characteristics with fuller-bodied cigar traits--not unlike the Lot 23, but fuller.

The second third is where this stick started getting more interesting and the comparison to the Lot 23 ceased. The spice reduced to almost nothing, but so did the creamy, smooth, mild cigar aspects. There was a nuttiness and earthiness along with a stronger, black coffee flavor and a muted sweetness that was not quite dried fruit, but was not too far from that, either.

In the last third, the spice ramped up again, but was more of a chili pepper this time. The body ramped up, too, becoming more medium-to-full, bordering on low full-bodied status. The earthiness was still there along with some essence of clove. In conclusion, this was a very fine cigar that had plenty of complexity and a steadily increasing body and strength all the way to the end. The construction was absolutely perfect: a razor-straight burn line and fantastic draw. Because of the nuanced way it starts out, it is probably a cigar you want to have as your first of the day; otherwise, you may not get much from it until halfway through. I would definitely recommend it to try, especially at the bargain price they are asking.

Body: 8/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10