Cigar of the Year 2010, part 2: The Top Three

Someone asked me at Burns about two weeks ago if I had a "Top 10" list of cigars for 2010. The funny thing is a year ago, they would not have asked that because there were very few employees or regulars who paid attention to cigar blogs very much at all. If I can't take credit for much else, I will take credit for getting the Burns crew to pay more attention to "Cigar New Media." The store manager, Matt, said he could probably guess what my top cigars of the year would be...and wouldn't you know, he got the "Cigar of the Year" winner on the first guess...

TIKI BAR ONLINE CIGAR OF THE YEAR 2010:

Guillermo Leon Signature by La Aurora

I was gifted one the Belicoso vitola by Mike of Leaf and Ale in Knoxville; it was one of the samples he sent to me after attending the IPCPR show in August. I was immediately struck by the interesting and unique flavors of this stogie, but it only scored a 9.5/10 when I reviewed it as a dual review with Keith back in October.

Subsequently, I ordered a 5-pack of the Gran Corona from Buckhead Cigars in Atlanta (they were running a Twitter special) and fell in love with the cigar as I worked my way through it. When they finally showed up at Burns in November, I tried out the Corona a few times as well, but the bottom line is that the Gran Corona, to me, shows the best balance of flavor, body, and length of smoking time. I have smoked 8 or 9 of this vitola as well as 3 or 4 of various others and I cannot get over how tasty this cigar really is.

In another "Twitter Cigar" campaign earlier this year, I was one of a couple people encouraging Guillermo, Jose Blanco and whoever else makes these decisions to try this cigar out in a lancero size. I have not heard much lately, but will be very happy to see them come out sometime in 2011 if that decision is made. Word is that Guillermo and the La Aurora folks went through over 50 blends before coming down to this final released blend...it was definitely time well-spent.

Runners-Up:

CAO La Traviata, Animado: La Traviata was introduced in 2009, but they held back the best vitolas--Animado (a Gran Corona) and Favorito (a Belicoso)--for early 2010. I was so impressed with the LT Animado that I bought a box and a half (splitting that half box with Keith) and have smoked probably 15 to 20 of them...and I haven't opened that full box yet at all. I love this cigar's flavor. I love this cigar's price. I beg the new proprietors of the CAO brand to not change anything about this stogie.

Casa Fernandez Aganorsa Leaf: If this cigar had come out earlier in the year, I probably would have gone through a box of them already, too. I think I first saw this in October and I have smoked at least 3 of them since (I would have fired up more, but reviewing cigars sometimes necessitates that you don't get to smoke what you want to every day). I hope they can maintain the quality and availability of these sticks long-term, because there is simply nothing wrong with them...and everything right. I would have to definitely put these on the short list for box purchases during 2011.

Cigar Review: Torano Single Region, Serie Jalapa

Robusto, 5" x 52 ring gauge / approx. $6.50

Midway through 2010, Torano announced that they would be taking back distribution of their cigars, revamping their company name, logo, and look, and re-focusing their cigar-making efforts. One of the first releases from the re-energized Torano Family Cigar Company was the Single Region Serie Jalapa, a cigar composed completely of tobacco from the Jalapa region of Nicaragua and meant to show off the characteristics of that area's leaf. I received this tasting sample at Uptown's Smoke Shop's Fall Cigar Extravaganza. This review is of my very first Single Region Jalapa.

The appearance was a bit underwhelming. To be honest, the main "Single Region" band is simplistic to the point of looking like a temporary band that companies use many times for pre-release cigars. The wrapper leaf was a dark caramel color with some darker mottling as well as some medium-to-large veins that were fairly prominent under the fingertips. There was more oil to the touch than to the eye. Lifting the cigar to my nose, I got a grassy hay and faint manure smell on the wrapper and a mix of leather, manure, and natural tobacco on the foot. My Xikar XI took off the barest portion possible of the cap and left a clean, easy draw. I got earth and cocoa notes mostly on the prelight draw, along with a chemical flavor I was not fond of.

The first few puffs gave up mostly cedar notes along with black pepper on the finish and on the retrohale. Through the first 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch, I can honestly say the burn line was ugly and ragged, but at least it was evenly ragged with no need to touch it up so far. As the first third progressed, I continued to get quite a bit of cedar and pepper, but also some underlying earthiness. So far, I was finding the taste experience more appealing than I had expected.

As the second third started, I noticed that the burn line had ended up evening out very well, the ash had grown to just over an inch (after which it dropped into my lap), and I was starting to get a bit of cocoa sweetness from the Single Region. That sweetness increased through the segment as the cedar became more of an afterthought and the pepper a more subtle, low-level burn.

The last third was more earthy with a steadily increasing cayenne pepper burn that added interest to an already surprisingly complex cigar. Why surprisingly? Two reasons. First, a cigar made up of tobacco from a single region is going to be more prone to one-dimensional flavor than something using tobaccos from several regions of the same country...or several countries...that is why blenders usually pick and choose these different tobaccos. Torano's blenders have done a great job delivering a delightful, complex, medium-bodied cigar containing only Jalapa leaf. Second, I had in some ways given up on Torano. While I have long loved the original Exodus 1959, I cannot say I have been a big fan of any of their other cigars previous or subsequent to it. I mean no disrespect to Charlie Torano or any of the other people involved in the company...I just have not found many of their blends that "do it" for me. This Single Region gave me renewed hope that they will produce new offerings that will be more to my liking. The one thing I would like to see is the banding and packing kicked up a notch; otherwise, I fear these sticks may get lost in the crowd of other cigars in the local tobacconist's humidor. I do look forward to what I presume will be more "Single Region" releases as well as trying the Master and other new blends that will be filling out the Torano portfolio in the coming years.

Body: 6/10

Strength: 7/10

Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 1.5/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 4/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 8.5/10

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.

Cigar Review: San Lotano Habano Torpedo

Torpedo, 6.5" x 52 ring gauge / $7.99

First off I'd like to apologize for the even worse than normal photography. I normally use the sun as an extra amount of light but when it has come time to take the photographs there hasn't been any sun. Hopefully we will get back to the great Southern California weather. Now on to the cigar. Today's cigar is the San Lotano Habano Torpedo. This is one of A.J. Fernandez's latest releases, and his first B&M only release. He came out with three different blends a Connecticut, Maduro and today's cigar the Habano. Each blend comes in four different sizes a robusto, toro, Churchill and today's cigar the torpedo. This cigar is made up of Dominican, Honduran & Nicaraguan fillers with a Honduran binder all covered in a Brazilian habano wrapper. I have smoked at least 3 of this size and at least one sample from all of the other sizes in this blend.

Giving the cigar a good once over I'm impressed at the overall look of the cigar. The band is very colorful with the second band letting you know which blend it is. The wrapper is a beautiful mahogany color with lots of oils and some amount of tooth. The wrapper had some veins to it but they didn't detract from the looks of it. When I gave the cigar a squeeze I wasn't able to detect any soft spots and noted that the cigar was fairly firmly packed. Putting my nose to the wrapper I was able to get the slight aroma of barnyard, and a more intense aroma of barnyard and hay from the foot. Clipping the cigar and taking a cold draw on it I got a very good draw and the taste of leather.

Lighting this cigar up the first thing that hits me is the spice on the retrohale. It isn't painful but it is definitely there. On the tongue I detect the flavors of leather and cream. The draw on this cigar is great and produces a large volume of smoke. One thing I've noticed is the toro and robusto seem to have less draw issues while the Churchill and torpedo tend to be a little more inconsistent in that area. Progressing through the first third the spice also started my tongue tingling. I was also getting the flavors of earth and leather with a slight sweetness on the finish. The ash was very white with only a few specs of black in it and needed to be tapped off at 1.25". The burn was slightly uneven although it didn't require a touch up. The cigar was at the lower end of full strength at this point.

Moving on into the second third didn't see much change in the flavors. The prominent flavors of leather spice, cream, earth with a molasses sweet finish were consistent through this third. The draw continuted to be almost perfect producing large volumes of smoke. The burn almost evened itself out. The cigar continue to be at the bottom end of full on the strength scale and definitely full bodied as well.

The final third saw this cigar finish strong. While the flavors didn't change the cigar was very enjoyable. The one thing I noticed by the beginning of the final third was it felt as though my tongue felt like it was coated. It wasn't gross or unpleasant just an interesting sensation. The burn did become slightly uneven, but it didn't require me to break out a lighter as it didn't get that bad.

I can definitely say this cigar is one of my favorite new releases this year. With a lot of flavor, near perfect construction and reasonable price you can't go wrong. I will say that I prefer the toro size more but when I went in to purchase this review stick all he had out was this size. I think this cigar deserves a box purchase when I can come up with the funds and the room to store it. I would caution the newer smokers when smoking this. While it doesn't have a huge nicotine kick it is still fairly strong so if you wanted to try it make sure you had a full stomach and a nice place to sit.

Body: 8/10

Strength: 8/10

Complexity: 6/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 5/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 9.5/10

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.

Cigar Review: Sencillo

Robusto, 5.25" x 50 ring gauge / MSRP $6.95

According to the founder of God of Fire Cigars, Keith Park, the Sencillo line was inspired by a love of simple pleasures--a time to relax, light up a cigar and live in the moment. He worked with Christian Eiroa of Camacho to create this "everyday" cigar that would be "full of flavor, yet accessible." This is a Honduran puro, using primarily Jamastran Habano for filler, binder and wrapper with some Piloto Cubano "added to the filler to balance out the flavor." This review stick is the second robusto I have smoked from this line, both of which I purchased from a friend.

I have to admit to being surprised by the MSRP of this cigar. Made by the same folks who gave us the God of Fire and adorned with an elegant, minimalist band, I expected something very expensive. Instead we have a medium-priced cigar that looks pricey on first glance. Looking more closely at the wrapper, it was a milk chocolate brown with some lighter areas around the veins; it had a somewhat leathery appearance with a bit of tooth and a little oil to the touch. The aroma from the wrapper was earthy and leathery; I got more earth and some cocoa on the foot. The cap was easily and cleanly cut by my Xikar VX and I was rewarded with a clean, open draw with flavors of earth and cocoa powder.

After lighting, I got a large amount of smoke through the cigar and noticed mostly earthy notes, but with some underlying cocoa sweetness and a nice peppery burn on the retrohale. Through the rest of the first third and flavors stayed fairly consistent with the opening--quite earthy, with some cocoa and autumn spice notes at the periphery of the senses and some spice burn mostly on the finish. The draw was excellent and the burn line was very straight.

The second third had a little more of the autumn spice touches--cinnamon and nutmeg--with a continuation of the underlying earthiness. The pepper spice was mostly gone and the retrohale had more of a roasted nut note to it. There was an edginess to the smoke, as well, that was indicative of its medium-to-full body. The construction remained superb.

As the last third got started I detected a bit of cayenne pepper on the lips although the major flavor note was still earthiness. The cayenne stayed at a consistent low level through the end and helped the Sencillo to end on an interesting note. This cigar reminded me a lot of Padron's regular line--that's a compliment, by the way--it was flavorful, medium-to-full in body and had a similar flavor profile, although Padron tends to lean more toward coffee and cocoa notes throughout in my experience. The Sencillo had great construction and I ended up liking it quite a bit. I could easily see this cigar becoming a frequent placeholder in my humidor because of its pleasing flavor and reasonable pricetag. It may be a bit strong for newer cigar smokers, but it should have enough complexity for more experienced smokers to enjoy as an everyday smoke.

Body: 7/10

Strength: 7/10

Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 4/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 9/10

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.

Cigar of the Year 2010, part 1: The Contenders

In naming my own personal Cigar of the Year, I decided to first list all cigars that scored a perfect 10 out of 10 possible points in my reviews this year, then decide which cigars on that list were..."10-er." Or something like that. The bottom line is that these cigars were the ones that impressed me the most in 2010. Looking back they all either came out in late 2009 or 2010, and these were the ones that either kept me coming back for more...or wishing I had the money to do so!

I'm doing this list in 2 parts: Today I will list 7 of my top 10...the ones that didn't crack the top 3. This Friday, December 31, I will conclude the Tiki Bar postings for 2010 by announcing the 3 cigars that earned my money continuously this past year...and will continue to do so for years to come if the quality is kept high. In no particular order, the 7 that became numbers 3 through 10 are:

1. Cubao Maduro by EO Cigars: a great smoke that I enjoyed several times. If the new distribution deal with Rocky Patel does have the expected effect of lowering the price on the EO lines, I will be very, very happy!
2. Air Bender by La Flor Dominicana: probably one of La Flor's most important releases in several years, I was immediately impressed by how well the Air Bender worked in a variety of vitolas, even the 6 x 60 that squashes the flavor out of so many blends. I think the Corona ended up being may favorite, though.
3. Double Press by La Flor Dominicana: I had a heck of a time finding these when they came out (fall 2009), so Keith sent me one early in 2010. I loved this stick from puff one. I got Burns to carry them and have had the pleasure of smoking several more since that first one. I had heard that it was to be a limited release, but was later told it would be a regular.
4. L'esprit de la Verite, 2008, by Tatuaje: When I saw the price tag on this stick, I had to take a step back. I am "budget-conscious" about my cigars (alright...I can be cheap), and $16+ a stick for the robusto seemed a bit steep. Then I tasted it. Worth every penny, in my opinion. I know others don't feel the same way, but these are remarkable.
5. Oro by Viaje: I finally got the opportunity to smoke all the way through the Viaje lineup in 2010, and found that the Oro is the one that really stands out for me. While the 50/50 is a little gimmicky and the constant special releases are sometimes most notable for their price tags, the Oro is a solid, upper-medium-priced cigar that I thoroughly enjoyed.
6. Aganorsa Leaf by Casa Fernandez: The funny name and total lack of buzz about this one made me wonder if it was worth even buying...boy, am I glad I did! This reasonably-priced cigar has a ton of flavor and would be a "box-worthy" stick if I were to use that term. 
7. Anarchy by Tatuaje: When a major player produces a cigar exclusive to one retailer, it always is tempting to wonder if it's just a throwaway blend that was sent their way. With the Anarchy, though, I was blown away by how extremely good it was. I wish I could buy a box and I hope this is not a "one and done" cigar...that would be a huge shame.

So...any guesses as to what is number 1 on this list? Or even the other in the top 3? Someone who knows me (or at least my smoking habits) pretty well guessed it about a week ago. If you've paid attention on Twitter, you've probably seen me light up a ton of the Tiki Bar Cigar of the Year. Tune in this Friday to see what won the year for me.

In the meantime, what is on your list? Have you tried any or all of the ones on my list? If so, what did you think?

Merry Christmas

To all our readers...and even to those who just happened to stumble upon the site and see this post...Keith and I would like to say "Merry Christmas from the Tiki Bar Online." We hope you have a great time opening presents, being with family and friends, and feasting. In taking time to thank God for the blessings he has bestowed upon us, we encourage you also to say a prayer for those less fortunate this holiday season and for the armed forces of this great nation who cannot be with their families.

Cigar Extra: J. Fuego Origen Originals

Originals, approx $12 for a 5-pack

I have already let it be known that I believe the Origen is a great cigar. Jesus Fuego did all of us a huge favor by releasing this blend in the "Originals" size, though...a 5-pack of small hand-rolled cigars that is a Fuego family specialty. They long considered this mini-torpedo to be the best tool to evaluate their tobaccos and blends. These little sticks are fairly rough and bumpy, but the aroma of sweet tobacco and chocolate when you break open the pack is enough to make you not care at all how they look. The Originals require no cutting (unless the initial draw is tight, which happened on at least two of the 5-pack I smoked); I got a nice tobacco flavor with an undercurrent of cocoa powder on the cold draw.

The Origen Original is full-flavored right from the start--sweetness on the tongue, a little pepper on the nose, and some bitterness on the finish. Along the way I got notes of cocoa and coffee along with the rich tobacco flavor. I really think J. Fuego might be onto something with this size. It is perfect for a lunch break smoke, giving enough flavor to really satisfy in a short time. Even Pete Johnson told me this was one of his favorites and that he wished he had thought of the packaging first. I would love to see other Fuego blends in this size as well; maybe Xikar could even be talked into doing the HC Series in an "Originals" size. In my mind, it's a no-brainer.

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.

Cigar Review: EloGio Serie Habano

Corona Extra, 6" x 42 ring gauge / approx. $6.50

EloGio Cigars are made in Nicaragua and are blended by Pereda Robaina, grandson of the Cuban tobacco legend, Alejandro Robaina. The Serie Habano uses all Nicaraguan tobacco from Conega and Jalapa as well as a small farm near Somoto. I first heard of these on a recent trip to Uptown's Smoke Shop in Nashville. I bought one and was gifted another by a friend, Allen, from the Nashville Cigar Club. This review is based on those two sticks.

The EloGio is a statement in classy simplicity. A fairly simple band that is multi-color but definitely not ornate and no secondary band...in fact, no indication of what line this cigar belonged to (they have another line, the Serie LSV, which has a darker wrapper leaf). The wrapper is between a medium-brown and the golden "shade" color--almost a caramel color. There were a few visible veins but nothing all that big to the touch. The aroma from the wrapper was reminiscent of honey and roasted nuts; I got more compost and manure notes on the foot. The prelight draw was a just a bit tight; I noted a mild sweetness of natural tobacco and some nuttiness and just a bit of spice on the cold draw.

One of the primary flavor components upon lighting was roasted nuts. The first time I smoked one of these my wife kept getting a "peanut butter" note in the second-hand smoke--these are one of the nuttiest smokes I can remember (the debate raged a couple weeks ago at Burns, though, whether it was creamy or chunky peanut butter that one person was tasting). There was also a decent amount of pepper spice, both on the palate and on the retrohale (one person I know would call this "burny"). Throughout the first third I got that roasted nut flavor predominantly; there was also a little leather and a bit of sweetness.

There was still plenty of nuttiness through the second third, while the sweetness resolved into a more definite caramel flavor--an almost burnt caramel. There were some wood notes as well...oak, I believe. The draw was very good and the burn line was even enough, though not nearly straight since a minor tunnel issue that had occurred early in the first third.

The last third was more-or-less a continuation of the second with a bit of body-building. What started out as a strictly medium-bodied cigar built to the medium-to-full level by the end. Overall , this was a very full-flavored smoke that I would say is accessible to almost anyone because it is never overwhelming in terms of body or strength. Right not this cigar is fairly hard to find, but if you see it, you should definitely give it a try. A friend recently told mg a very specific, somewhat technical term to apply to a cigar like this: Yummy!

Body: 7/10

Strength: 6/10

Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 1.5/2

Flavor: 4.5/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 9/10

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.

Cigar Review: E.P. Carillo Edición Limitada 2010

Toro, 6" x 54 ring gauge / $14.99

This cigar is Ernesto's newest release. After smoking the Core Line and really enjoying it I was very much looking forward to trying this year's Limitada release. This cigar is made up of a Nicaraguan binder, Dominican filler, and a Brazilian Habano wrapper. This cigar is billed as a full strength cigar. I smoked three of these cigars, including this one, for this review.

This cigar is very visually appealing. The color of the band contrasts nice to the greyish brown wrapper. It seems as though Ernesto is sticking with the same top band on all of his cigars with the second band being different, if it has one, to let you know what it is. The cap was a good looking triple cap. The wrapper was slightly lumpy to the touch but there weren't any soft spots. The wrapper also felt fairly oily to the touch. When I put my nose to the wrapper I got definite notes of barnyard, with notes of raisins coming from the foot. Once I clipped it and took a cold draw on it I was able to detect a spice on the back of my throat with some sweetness on the tongue.

As soon as I lit the cigar up the first thing that hit me was an intense spice on the tongue and on the retrohale. As I continued smoking it I was able to feel the spice going down my throat. Suffice it to say I was enjoying the cigar at the moment. The flavors of earth, cinnamon, herbal spice, wood, and maple all came through in the first third. The draw was pretty much perfect and produced a large volume of smoke. The ash was almost pure white and held on for about 1.25" before it needed to be tapped off. In spite of the rain and wind that was occurring at the time I smoked this cigar the burn was pretty much perfect. Throughout most of the first third the cigar was at the bottom end of full strength, but towards the end it went into the upper end of medium.

Progressing into the second third didn't see much change in the flavors. The spice was there and it almost seemed to vary from draw to draw how intense it was. Another observation is that it felt like my tongue was coated with something. I can't exactly describe it, but it wasn't an unpleasant experience. The construction continued to be pretty much perfect and didn't seem to be effected by the weather at the time. While this isn't the most complex cigar I've had I can definitely say that I was enjoying it.

The cigar continued on strong until the end. The flavors of earth, maple, cinnamon, wood, and spice were still there although the spice did continue to vary and built back up all the way to the end. By the end it was definitely a full strength cigar. This cigar is definitely a lot stronger than the Core Line.

To sum up my experience smoking this cigar; it was very enjoyable, had lots of flavors, had perfect construction and was full strength. The only downside in my opinion is the price. At $15 I expect a little more complexity out of a cigar. That isn't to say that I won't be buying it again, because I will, only that it is a little over priced in my opinion. I wouldn't suggest this cigar to the new smoker or one who doesn't like strong cigars, that is unless you'd like to have some fun with them. Only problem is you'll be wasting a $15 cigar because they probably won't be able to finish it. From what I've been enjoying recently from EPC I'm very much looking forward to what the future brings for this company.

Body: 7/10

Strength: 8/10

Complexity: 6/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 4.5/5

Value: .5/1

Total: 9/10

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.

Cigar Review: Kristoff Sumatra

Robusto, 5.5" x 54 ring gauge / approx. $9

The newest entry in the Kristoff line is the Sumatra, which I first saw at Uptown's Smoke Shop's Fall Cigar Extravaganza...and it is also where I received this cigar, as one of the vendor samples. The company's website describes this as a "medium-bodied cigar with velvety floral notes, spice, cinnamon and a smooth, sweet finish." It is composed of Cuban-seed Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers, a Brazilian binder, and an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The rather large robusto I smoked for this review was the first cigar of this blend I had smoked.

First the good: I like the band. Using red, gold and white, the design is distinctive and attractive. The seams are virtually undetectable and the pigtail on the cap is tight and tidy. The jury is still out on the appearance of the wrapper leaf, though. The mottling pattern made the cigar look like it had varicose veins. I cannot decide if it looks like modern art or is just unattractive...or both. I got notes of manure and cedar when I held the wrapper to my nose; from the foot I got earth and whiffs of chocolate. The wrapper leaf was smooth and somewhat oily and the cigar felt solidly packed. My Xikar XI cutter rended the Kristoff Sumatra pigtail-less, leaving a clean, free draw that had notes of wood and pepper spice.

I took my time and used my Xikar EX soft-flame to ignite the foot of this cigar. On the first few puffs, I got more of the cedar I had picked up prelight as well as a little chili pepper and a note of cinnamon. Although the draw did not seem plugged or even tight, I did not get a great deal of smoke through the cigar during the first third. The flavors of cedar continued to be out in front and there was a bit of a sweet citrus note as well.

After tapping ash I noticed that the ash for the filler was nearly as white as that of the wrapper leaf--something I cannot recall seeing very often. I still got mostly cedar and a citrusy tang through the second third, although I also got a bit of that floral overtone that Kristoff's website mentioned. This could have been the power of suggestion, though, and serves a reminder why it is sometimes better not to look at a manufacturer's website before smoking their cigar.

The flavor profile had not changed much as the last third started--the only difference of note was the introduction of some chili pepper spice. In the end, I enjoyed the Kristoff Sumatra but still felt it did not quite meet up to what I was expecting. The flavors were good, although not outstanding...it just seemed to me to lack the complexity of other similarly-priced cigars. It was a nice medium-bodied smoke that I might try again at some point, but I found it hard to get too enthusiastic about it. Still, I would recommend fans of Sumatra leaf to try this cigar, as well as those who appreciate Kristoff's other cigars...your experience may differ from mine.

Body: 6/10

Strength: 6/10

Complexity: 6/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 3.5/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 8.5/10

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.

The Tiki Bar Perfect 10s of 2010

Year-end wrap-up time...2010 has been great for the Tiki Bar Online. We published well over 100 full cigar reviews between myself and Keith, along with a bunch of "Cigar Extra" short, unrated reviews. We wrote about distillery and brewery tours, drank some premium spirits, talked movies, music, news, and even a little politics. We met famous cigar personalities and interviewed some of them, got sponsored by a B&M and a major manufacturer. Along the way our traffic has increased 10-fold or more from where it was last December at this time. In all the hustling we did in the past twelve months, it was easy to forget some of the great cigars that burnt their way to ashes in our ashtrays during that time. I was surprised by a few of the ones I ended up rating a 10 out of 10. I was also surprised by some that I did not give that rating.

I'll be taking the time the week after Christmas to list my top 10 smokes of 2010 and name my "Cigar of the Year" (because Cigar Aficionado can't have all the fun!). Today I am reviewing the cigars that I rated with 10/10 when I smoked and reviewed them this year...along the way I may have a few notes about them.

Perfect 10s

Fuente Anejo #46 - This was my first Anejo and after smoking the Shark, is still by far my favorite size.

Cubao Maduro

LFD Air Bender

CAO Sopranos, Associate

LFD Salomon - I have only been able to afford to smoke 2 of these, but they are absolutely out of this world...I discovered one more in my humi last week (I forgot about it!) so I'll have to break it out for a special occasion.

Cain F, Robusto

Perdomo Habano Corojo

Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary, Maduro

Davidoff Maduro C

Perdomo ESV 1991 Maduro - So sorry this one is out of production, but I've got about 10 left!

LFD Double Press - So glad this one is a regular production stick...and reasonably priced, too.

Aurora 100 Anos - Two words: Crack Stick!

L'esprit de la Verite 2008 (Tatuaje) - Great first entry in this series from Pete Johnson...wish I could afford a trunk full of them.

Viaje Oro

Casa Fernandez Aganorsa Leaf - The first Casa Fernandez I truly fell in love with. Great cigar, great price.

Tatuaje Anarchy - I was dubious about the whole "one store only" thing, but this cigar absolutely rocks.

Honorable Mentions:

Guillermo Leon Signature - I reviewed the Belicoso and gave it a 9.5/10. After that I smoked through a 5-pack of the Gran Corona, along with several Coronas...in either of those sizes, it undoubtedly would have been given a 10

La Aurora 107, Corona - With all the hullabaloo about the Lancero 107..the "Twitter Cigar"...the Corona tends to get overlooked a lot, but if you do overlook it, it's your loss.

Tatuaje Petite Cazadores - My new favorite small cigar...great smoke for those times when you have half and hour or less

CAO La Traviata Animado and Ninfa - Because I had reviewed the LT in 2009 (and it got a 10) I did not do a full review of the new sizes, but either of these would have easily earned a 10. I did end up buying a box and a half of Animados and went through at least 3 tins of the Ninfa before the year was out.

Room 101, 213 vitola - I did not smoke the 213 until late 2010, and while I did not give it a 10, it has earned a regular spot in my humidor...love the way the spice builds in this cigar!

While compiling this list, I was shocked at how many "10"s I had awarded...I'm thinking I need to be tougher on sticks in 2011. :)  Maybe not, though...all these cigars listed above hit a certain place for me, at least on that day that I smoked the review stick. Some of them I came back to time and time again. Some I have not had the chance to revisit yet, either because of price, availability, or just time to smoke them (reviewing cigars means you don't always get to smoke what you want to smoke...tough job, I know).

Next Monday, the feature article here on the Tiki Bar will be my 10 favorite cigars of 2010, in no particular order. Most of them will come from the list of cigars that earned 10 out of 10 points above...most, but not all, which I guess could be surprising. What happened was that a few cigars that did not score 10 initially because favorites of mine later or in some other vitola.

If you have any comment or observation about the above list or what cigars really rocked your world in 2010, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Cigar Extra: E.P. Carrillo

Regalias Real, 5.625" x 46 ring gauge / $6.90, Burns

My first E.P. Carrillo "Core Line" was unfortunately the Golosos, a 6.25" x 60 ring gauge monster. While it may appeal to some, I found it to be typical of many large ring gauge sticks in that it lacked flavor and complexity. So when I had the opportunity, I picked up this Corona Gorda-sized Regalias Real. The price is great, although the wrapper looked rough with quite a bit of stretching in places as well as a chunk or two of leaf missing and patches applied. Hopefully this is not typical of the sticks that get through Quality Control. The Ecuadorian wrapper had notes of tobacco and honey while the Nicaraguan and Dominican interior blend exuded chocolate and earthy notes at the foot.

The prelight draw was very good and had a sweet, natural tobacco flavor. On initial puffs I got tobacco and cedar notes along with a touch of black pepper. I apparently got the stick the apprentice roller did--shortly after lighting it started to canoe and I found a big void when I tapped ash. Flavor was still good, though, and it went well--if not spectacularly--with my Rhum Barbancourt.

In the second third I started noticing that the EPC Core is not all that dissimilar to the La Aurora 107--medium-to-full in body with a very nice full flavor. I started getting hints of dried fruit and semi-sweet chocolate, the construction issues all seemed to be in the past, and the Barbancourt was even pairing better with the cigar. I may need to put these on the schedule for a full "revisit" review sometime next year.

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.

2010: A Year of Change in Cigars

As we get to the end of another year (another decade, too) I found myself thinking about all that has happened in the cigar industry in the last year. Tons of new cigars, outrageous taxes at all levels, legislative battles, etc. The thing that has struck me, though, is how much major change there has been in the cigar industry in the last twelve months.

One of the biggest stories of change was with CAO Cigars, whose parent company (Scandinavian Tobacco) decided to merge with the parent company of General Cigar (Swedish Match). After months of speculation, it was announced in October that CAO would be folding its Nashville headquarters and moving operations to Virginia with the rest of the General family. This prompted company president, and son of the company's founder, Tim Ozgener, to announce his leaving of the company, and he was pretty much followed by everyone else in the company's management. Not only has CAO left Music City, but they have lost everyone that made them different and special. What will happen as the CAO cigar lines are merged into all the other General Cigar lines? Who knows. I hope for the best...or at least the preservation of my favorite CAO lines: La Traviata, Gold Vintage, MX2, and Brazilia.

The cigar industry was stunned in early November by the announcement that Sam Leccia was leaving the Oliva Cigar Company. Sam was a pioneer in the "personality-driven" cigar brand trend, pushing NUb and Cain strongly with his image and personal presence. This one seems strange to me; what will Sam be doing now that he has left the umbrella of a fairly large company? At this writing, no one seems to know. What will become of NUb and Cain now that Sam will not be pushing them anymore? In the short term they are being folded in the "Studio Tobak" project by Oliva, but I wonder if people will still buy these sticks without a "Rock Star" to sell them.

In a time of an uncertain future for sales and consumption of tobacco products in this country, it is easy to see why people are "taking the money and running" by allowing (even inviting) mergers and buyouts. People have to make plans to secure their future and this is one way. Still, it is sad to see some of the small-company charm leave when companies like Camacho or CAO are taken over.  Personality-driven cigar companies seemed to be all the rage for the last few years, but I wonder if the days of the "rock star" figureheads are falling away, too. Something to think about during the next twelve months, I guess.

I will leave you with a happier "change" topic...that of the re-invention of the La Aurora brand (Re-discover La Aurora). I have to admit that the La Aurora brand always scared me. As a fairly new smoker, my exposure to them was the metal-tubed Preferidos, costing upwards of $20 a stick out in California (and this was before SCHIP). Because of the high prices of these sticks, I had smoked very few La Aurora products before this year, mostly just those handed out at the Big Smoke. This year has seen La Aurora and Miami Cigar & Company at large do an "Extreme Makeover, Cigar Brand Edition." First the 107, celebrating La Aurora's 107 years in business, debuted to great reviews...and it sold for far less than the 100 Anos. Then the Guillermo Leon Signature and La Aurora Corojo lines debuted at IPCPR. The late summer and fall saw extensions of the 107 into Corona and Lancero vitolas, and the larger Miami Cigar & Company was not resting on its laurels, either...we saw new Nestor Miranda Collection releases, 1989, Dominicano and Art Deco, along with expansions of the Tatiana brand and they sneaked La Sirena in just before the end of the year, too. Do I love ever single one of these cigars? No, but I at least "like" all that I have tried...and I haven't had a chance to try all of them. Along with a Twitter presence that cannot be beat in the industry, this new lineup has transformed La Aurora/Miami Cigar into one of my favorite overall brands in the past 12 months...and judging by their sales, they are one of your favorites, too!

This has been a work of opinion, mixing known history with unknowable future speculation. If you agree or disagree, or just want to talk about what you have seen in the cigar industry this year, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Second Opinion: La Gloria Cubana Serie N

JSB, 5.5" x 54 ring gauge / $6.35 MSRP

The Serie N was created to be a "sister brand" to the well-received Serie R which debuted in 1999. This full-bodied stick was developed by Team La Gloria Cubana "to provide tenured smokers with a flavorul powerhouse of a cigar, one worthy of its pedigree." It features a blend of Nicaraguan tobaccos for the filler (hence the "N") and a curiously dark Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper leaf. General Cigar once again was very gracious in providing multiple samples for this review, so I say "Thank You" to them for the 4 I smoked while working on this evaluation. Keith previously reviewed this cigar from an IPCPR sample, so this is considered a "Second Opinion."

The wrapper leaf on this cigar is so very dark and evenly colored that my first reaction was "Is it dyed?" Sadly, the answer that made itself fairly self-evident through my stained fingers and lips over the course of 4 smokes was..."Of course!" From what I have learned from people in the industry, it is nearly, if not completely, impossible to achieve perfectly evenly colored, almost black tobacco through natural means. There was a lighter-colored "N" on the body of the stick, too, although I could not tell if it was from covering that shape while dying or if it was a separate bit of leaf applied. I lean toward the second bit of leaf theory. The wrapper felt a little oily but did not display much sheen. All the sticks I smoked for this review were fairly densely-packed and most of the time that denoted a snug draw. Giving the cigar a good sniff, I got strong licorice and raisin aromas from the wrapper, along with earth and more licorice on the foot. I got a clean cut from my Xikar VX, but the draw was nonetheless a bit tight; I employed a Draw Poker before lighting to alleviate that problem. The cold draw had notes of leather and licorice.

Lighting the Serie N was a chore; even with a triple flame torch it did not want to fully combust. I initially got more of that licorice/anise flavor on the tongue along with cedar and black pepper on the retrohale. It started off as medium-to-full in body. The first third had a good flavor filled with notes of anise and dried fruit along with a just a little woodiness. The retrohale continued to have a little pepper to it, but gradually became more nutty. The draw turned out to be pretty good after having used the Draw Poker on it. The ash held on for over an inch before being forced to drop off so it would not do so unexpectedly in my lap.

The draw tightened up a bit in the second third and I started getting some sour notes that were not overwhelming, but also were not welcome. I had noticed in previous samples that the sourness increased as the draw tightened so I attempted to open it back up again. Once that was accomplished the flavor opened up as well, allowing more leather and earth to come through the licorice and sour flavors.

By the last third the licorice notes had become very minor after leading the way most of the cigar. Instead the flavor was more of cedar and earth along with a little dried fruit sweetness. I found it hard to make a final determination on this cigar; two of the four I smoked (including this review stick) had good flavors and were quite enjoyable. The other two had very tight draws with a flavor I did not enjoy--so much so that I discarded one of them halfway through. The secret, I think, is in keeping an open draw. At normal humidity these seem to swell completely closed, so I have to recommend dry-boxing these for a day or two before smoking or keeping a draw poker device handy. The full-bodied nature of this cigar will keep it out of the hands of unexperienced smokers, but I am not sure there is enough flavor to interest really seasoned smokers. Two things keep bothering me about this one: first, why was the wrapper dyed? I know...it makes it look darker and perhaps more impressive, but today's cigar enthusiast is not likely to be drawn in by that. Second, why does this "Serie N" (for Nicaragua, remember) have an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper? Since most of the flavor comes from the wrapper, would not a Nicaraguan wrapper make more sense for the Serie N? For what it is, though, I liked this cigar, especially after I figured out what seemed to be causing the draw problems. I also like the price point and ultimately have to recommend giving it a try.

Body: 8/10

Strength: 7/10

Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 1.5/2

Construction: 1.5/2

Flavor: 4/5

Value: 1/2

Total: 8/10

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.

My Top New Cigars of 2010

It is that time of year again when all of us cigar bloggers come out with our top cigars of the years lists. Since my palate has been a little messed up from being sick this past weekend I thought it was a good time for me to put up my top new cigars for 2010. There have been so many great cigars released this year I didn't want to put them in an ordered list. I'm only going to include cigars I've written a review on and that were released in 2010. Here they are in no particular order:

La Flor Dominicana LG Diez Lancero 2010: If you know me I'm a LFD nut. So I was very excited to try this cigar. I think this cigar showcases the farming, blending and rolling capabilities that Litto and his team has to produce this great stick.

Guillermo Leon Signature Corona Gorda: I'm going to cheat slightly with this one, it's my post so deal with it. While I reviewed the Gran Toro size my favorite size of this blend is the Corona Gorda. I didn't get a chance to try that size until after the review was published. This cigar is very tasty, well constructed, and reasonably priced. Guillermo and his team has a hit on their hand with this one.

E.P. Carillo Core Line Regalias Real: With Ernesto's third release from his new company I'm very much looking forward to what they will be releasing in the future. This is another one of the flavorful reasonably priced cigars released this year, albeit one of the best in my opinion.

La Aurora 107 Corona & Lancero: While all of the previous ones are a specific size I don't think I can pick which size between either of these that I like best. It all just depends on which size I have the time for and feel like smoking. With it's rich full flavor profile it is pretty much an anytime of the day smoke for me.

Davidoff Puro D' Oro Deliciosos: Having a Davidoff on any list like this is a surprise to me. I up until now haven't really cared for Davidoff's. This cigar changed all that for me. It is a genuine departure for Davidoff in terms of flavor profile and strength. Too bad they are a little on the pricey side or I'd be smoking them more often.

Tatuaje Anarchy: I really didn't know what to expect with this cigar. I didn't even think I'd get the change to try one as it is an exclusive to a store in Florida. Luckily I was sent one for review and I was very pleasantly surprised. I hope that this is more than a one time shot.

AVO LE10: While this is Dave's review I would give it the same score. Another cigar that was a surprise for me. This cigar packs a lot of flavor and strength. Some irritating construction issues aside I have to keep myself from smoking my dwindling supply.

Now for a few honorable mentions, not because they aren't good, just because I haven't been able to get a review up for them. These cigars are: San Lotano Habano, E.P. Carillo Edicion Limitada 2010, and Zino Embassy Edition 2010. Look for reviews on these cigars to be up in the next few weeks.

Let me know in the comments whether you think I'm nuts or if you agree with me. You can also let me know what your list might look like.

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.

Second Opinion: La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Obelisco

5" x 44 to 57 ring gauge / MSRP ~$9

One of General Cigar's new major releases this fall was the extension of the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos series, Artesanos de Obelisco. It consists of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler, a Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The shape was inspired by the "Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration" in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and it ships in a half-moon shaped box that is as unique as the shape of the cigar itself. Keith reviewed an IPCPR show sample of this stick previously; for this "Second Opinion" review, General Cigar graciously provided multiple review samples and I thank them for that. I smoked a total of 4 sticks while evaluating this cigar.

Like I said before, the shape of this cigar is unique and very interesting. The tapered torpedo head gave way to a box-pressed pyramid shape that grew in ring-gauge all the way to the foot. I enjoy the artistry that went into developing this cigar, putting such a unusual shape into regular production, even if it is just one size. The wrapper was a medium-brown with a fairly oily touch and just a little mottling. I got an aroma of earth and wood on the wrapper; on the foot the scent was strongly earthy with manure. After cutting with a Xikar XI, the draw was good and unobstructed; I got prelight flavors of natural tobacco and dried fruit. One of the biggest challenges I discovered with these is lighting them evenly--the foot is large and square, making a perfectly even toasting difficult. This time I used a triple flame torch for the bulk of the job, then a single-flame to touch up underlit spots.

After lighting, I encountered a med-bodied smoke with notes of cedar and just a bit of sweetness on the tongue, and a chili pepper spiciness on the retrohale. The first third continued much in taht same way except that the spiciness diminished a bit after a few minutes. The first two of these I smoked had pretty bad draw and burn problems; I decided to wait a while on the third and fourth samples, to give them more time to adjust to my humidor. In regard to construction, the results were pretty dramatic--for the better! I got an easy draw and a very even burn line.

With the decreasing ring gauge, the second third smoked down quicker than the first, but unfortunately, I did not find the flavor as pleasing. There was more natural tobacco flavor as well as a sour, almost citrus, flavor.

The last third was more or less a continuation of the second--good flavor without being spectacular or really all that interesting. Which leaves me somewhat disappointed; this was supposed to be a superior cigar made by some of the best blenders available, but it seemed unbalanced to me, with much more flavor and character early on that slowly disappeared as the cigar went on. It is almost as if it were blended to the needs of the largest ring gauge of the stick instead of being made to provide interesting flavor the whole way. Obviously, I am no blending or rolling expert, so I cannot state that as fact...it is merely what I observed. It was medium-to-full in body, making it too full-bodied for most novices, and there was a bit of nicotine kick at the end. I have to emphasize that I did not "hate" this cigar...I just did not love it. It was good, especially at the beginning, without being outstanding. I wish its flavor profile could be as unique and special as the shape they came up with for the cigar.

Body: 7/10

Strength: 8/10

Complexity: 6/10

AFP Scale:

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 3.5/5

Value: .5/1

Total: 8/10

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.

Room 101 Event with Matt Booth (and a word from the ATL Tweet-Up)

Last Thursday, Burns Tobacconist (@burnstobacco99 on Twitter) welcomed Matt Booth (@Room101Cigars), creator of the Room 101 brand to Chattanooga for the last big event of the year. Matt rolled in to the Burns East location with local Camacho rep, Zev, about 4:00 and for the next 5 hours or so, the store got progressively busier as people hung out to hear what the jewelry-designer-turned-cigar-personality had to say. I did not get the opportunity for a real interview this time around, but I did get plenty of time to talk with Matt and listen in on his conversations with others.

Interesting tidbits from the evening...

Matt is working on the follow-up to the LTD Conjura Edition and a couple other projects in the 101 cigar line. We will probably see the fruits of those endeavors around the time of next year's IPCPR show, but as with anything in this business, that would be highly subject to change.

Booth was an occasional cigar smoker before becoming involved with Camacho to work on the extension of his Room 101 brand. Around that same time he crossed paths with some others in the cigar industry, including CAO's Jon Huber who had some jewelry made. By the time Camacho came knocking at his door, he was feeling like "the universe was trying to tell me something."

Exclusive photo: Booth smoking his first infused cigar

Because he is new to the business, he is constantly learning new things about tobacco and the art and science of cigars. As part of that continuous thirst for knowledge, he expressed an interest in trying an Acid. Burns manager, Matt Allen, broke out a Blondie and Booth lit it up.

He consumed an enormous amount of caffeine. Early in the evening, Booth took it upon himself to make a run for the bar at Chattanooga Billiards Club and bring back about 6 or 8 Red Bulls for anyone who wanted one. Later people were dispatched for a Starbucks run where he got a coffee with extra shots of espresso. I relay this information only for those shop owners who need to keep Matt up and running for future events...having Red Bull and coffee on hand would not be a bad idea.

@cigarwes / @BurnsDowntown with @Room101Cigars

Booth is a big fan of George Orwell. The "Room 101" name is a reference to a room where "dastardly deeds" were perpetrated in 1984. 

The room was brought to a deafening silence when one guy said to another, "Maybe if I stuck my tongue in your mouth." Out of context this was pretty funny, but it was just the answer to the question, "Are you contagious?"

The party continued at the Avo Lounge in the downtown location of CBC/Burns Tobacconist (@BurnsDowntown) where the atmosphere was more laid back after the business was taken care of at the big store.

To see more pictures from the event, click HERE to see the gallery on my Facebook page.

The Thursday night event with Matt Booth was just the start of a long cigar weekend for me. After smoking about 5 or 6 cigars that night, I took Friday off from smoking altogether, and came roaring back Saturday when I attended the 2010 Atlanta Cigar Tweet-Up at Buckhead Cigar Lounge (@buckheadcigar)...I ended up with either 7 or 8 stogies from the time I left home that morning to the time I got back. The event was attended mostly by other bloggers as well as some industry reps and company heads and some other "cigar geeks" who are prolific Twitterers. It was great getting to meet, in person, for the first time @cigarsthomas, @thecigarfeed, @chiefhava, @mango2kw, @crashnash, @brianhewitt, @LCDCcigars, @CigarLaw, @TimD_4C, @big_belicoso, @buckheadcigar, and anyone else I may not have properly credited here. It was also great to see @jcruz, @primermundo and @eddieor again, as well as a couple members of the "Chattanooga Cigar Mafia" who made the trip, @burnsdowntown (aka @cigarwes) and @erin2064. I took no pictures or notes at the event so I did not have enough copy for a full article on the event, but I did want to say "Thank You" again to Big Mike at Buckhead, Jerry for having to being in Atlanta for work, and everyone else who got the ball rolling to make this event happen. There is talk about doing this on a regular basis, perhaps in Atlanta, but other locations were discussed as well. If that happens, we are all counting on Jerry Cruz to come up with t-shirts and name badges for everyone in attendance!

Cigar Extra: Guillermo Leon Signature

Gran Corona, 6" x 47 ring gauge / $7.60, Buckhead Cigars

The Guillermo Leon Signature has quickly become one of my favorite cigars; it brings a ton of flavor to the party, courtesy of its blend of Dominican, Brazilian, Nicaraguan and Peruvian filler; Cameroon and Dominican binders; and Ecuadorian Habano Vuelta Arriba wrapper. I decided to revisit the GL today and pair it with some Rhum Barbancourt 8 year sipping rum. The cigar had a nice aroma of molasses on the body and some autumn spice on the foot. The rum had a heavy sugary aroma that bordered on honey.

Initial draws on the GL produced tons of smoke with a light cedar flavor and a nice faintly sweet orange peel flavor that the Peruvian leaf brings. Soon a pleasant spiciness opens as well. The run provided a very nice addition to this, enhancing some of the sweet aspects, while the cigar seemed to round out the rum through their interactions. Honestly, this combination tastes like it was made for each other.

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.

Accessory Review: Xikar VX

VX Metal V-Cut, MSRP $49.99

For many years I longed for a good v-cutter. I would have loved to have one of those multi-opening, counter-top models you find in many cigars stores, but at $400 or more, I knew that was not going to happen soon. I had thought about the $10-15 plastic cutters you sometimes see in the stores, but the couple of people I knew who tried them were very unimpressed. So I just told myself to be satisfied with what I had...and what I had was not bad at all! I am a dedicated Xikar fan and have been for several years. Between my MTX Multi-tool with its fantastic folding cigar scissors and my XI1 with its unconventional shape and action and a blade that had not failed me yet, it was not like I was suffering in the cigar cutting department. When I heard that Xikar was coming out with a V-Cutter, though, I knew I would have to have one, no matter the price.

Showing what the VX can do.

The reason I would instantly feel that way is the experience I have had with Xikar's phenomenal quality and the fact that they have a lifetime warranty, covering everything except theft and loss. If Kurt Van Keppel and the rest of the crew at Xikar were looking to get lifelong fans by offering such a warranty, well let's just say it worked for me...and I have passed on my enthusiasm to any other cigar smoker I can as well. I wasted no time when the VX showed up at Burns; I was in-store the entire afternoon for the Pete Johnson event on October 13, and the very first cigar I cut with this VX was The Face. Perfect cut, perfect draw.

Over the next few weeks, I used the VX on nearly every cigar I smoked, ring gauges as large as 56 and as small as 46 (I just was not comfortable risking destroying a lancero by trying it on anything smaller than that). I even used it to great effect on a torpedo that was having a consistently tight draw after the initial cut; with nothing to lose, I re-cut using the VX and was completely successful. It salvaged an almost plugged cigar! The magic of the VX is the inverted V blade. Most hand-held V-cutters have a blade that comes to a point which is the first part to enter the head of the cigar when you cut. This causes it to puncture before slicing, which all-too-often results in mangled tobacco. The inverted V of the VX results in only a slicing motion, from the outside inward.

There were a couple minor things I was less enthusiastic about. First, almost every Xikar accessory comes with (or you can order for free on their website) a sheath of some type. The VX did not have one at the time I bought it. At this writing, you are able to order one, however my cutter already suffered a couple dings in the last month and a half. I guess it adds character, though. Second, although the action had worked impeccably when cutting cigars using a very quick cut, when I moved the blade slowly (no cigar) it felt like metal on metal and did not move smoothly. I inquired about this and was told that because of the tolerances needed for this cutter, they used stainless steel on brash bushings. It provides the best cut and product longevity, but does give a slight scraping sensation when you close the cutter slowly. Like I said, minor things, one of which may already be solved and the other that is rendered irrelevant by the lifetime warranty I am so enthusiastic about...after all, if the cutter truly malfunctions or breaks, I can return it to any Xikar dealer and get a new one. You just have to love that.

Would I recommend this cutter? Yes! Very enthusiastically! In fact, I did recommend it to another shopper at Burns a couple weeks after I bought mine and he bought himself one.

Cigar Review: La Aurora Corojo

Belicoso, 6.25" x 52 ring gauge / approx. $7

The La Aurora Corojo was practically an under-the-radar cigar this year. It debuted at the August IPCPR show, but 2 months later most of the people at my local B&M had not even heard of it. I received my sample while on vacation in California; Amar at Maxamar Ultimate Cigars handed it to me and I believe they were already stocked on the shelves there at that time. This stogie is named for its Ecuadoria Corojo wrapper leaf; it uses Ecuadorian Sumatra for the binder and a blend of Dominican Cubano (65%), Dominican Olor (20%) and Nicaraguan Habano 2000 (15%) for the filler.

The wrapper leaf was a bit of a study in contrasts: on one hand it was smooth, oily and evenly colored; on the other hand, there were several rather large veins that really broke up the elegance. The primary band appears to be identical to the "regular" La Aurora line--red and white with gold foil and embossing; "Corojo" is added with a small secondary band. Putting the cigar to my nose, the aroma from the wrapper was sweet with natural tobacco and honey; on the foot I got some chocolate and a bit of mint. Prelight draw was excellent; I got a faint note of fruit, maybe cherry, along with natural tobacco and earth flavors. None of these flavors was very bold or distinctive, though--everything was very subdued.

Upon lighting I immediately noted that flavor of Corojo--a little cedar, a little pepper spice, a bit of autumn spice. Underneath that, I detected notes of earth and leather. I amounted to a very nice opening for this cigar. The spiciness picked up a bit before the first third was through. It was strange, though--although spice was probably the most noticeable flavor by this time, it was not particularly hot or overwhelming, even on the retrohale.

The spice did continue to build as the second third started, though. It was a slow-burning, cayenne pepper spice that started on the tongue and graduated to the nostrils. So far the body had remained in the medium area and the finish was short--except for the lingering spice.

By the start of the last third, pepper spice was far-and-away the dominant flavor after a long buildup that seemed to be the opposite of the stereotypical Don Pepin Garcia-blended cigar (so many of which start with a blast of pepper only to mellow out later). I still got some cedar and autumn spice in there, too, though, preventing this from being a rather one-note stick. Overall, this was a very enjoyable smoke--a gradual building of pepper spice without an overwhelming amount of body or strength, allowing the flavors to come through very clearly. It reminded me in some ways of the Room 101 corona (213 vitola), but a more enjoyable flavor overall. Fans of spicy tobacco should definitely give this a try--and do not give up on it if the spice does not manifest itself right away (other vitolas may introduce the spice earlier). Newbies should not be scared away, though, as there is not a lot of nicotine kick to this cigar. I know I will be enjoying this one on a regular basis...at least, I will if my regular B&M ever gets them! Thanks again to Amar for providing me with this one and thanks to all those at La Aurora and Miami Cigar for producing so many quality smokes this year--and at great prices, too!

Body: 6/10

Strength: 5/10

Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 1.5/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 4.5/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 9/10

Let us know what you think. Agree. Disagree. Join the conversation and make your thoughts known. The Comments section is open and ready for business.