Cigar Review: Asthon Estate Sun Grown (ESG)

20 Year Salute, 6.75" x 49 ring gauge / approx. $24

To celebrate 20 years of the pursuit of cigar excellence, Ashton turned to Carlos Fuente, Jr., to blend a special cigar using a sungrown leaf from Chateau de la Fuente...one that is used on no other cigar. One vitola has been released each year, starting with the 20-year salute. From what I can determine, the ESG is a Dominican puro. I have seen these on the shelves, but the combination of a very high price tag and the fact that I have just never been a huge fan of Ashton's regular line or the VSG (Virgin Sun Grown) has caused me to steer away. I bought this sample as part of a premium sampler and it will be the first experience I have had with this blend.

Taking the cigar out of its cello sheath, I was struck by the ornate band--large, multi-color, glossy pictures along with embossed and foiled angels and crowns. This is a little over-the-top to me. Nice, but verging on trying too hard to impress. The wrapper leaf felt slightly oily and velvety under my fingers and I noted a medium-brown color with a bit of darker mottling and a few larger veins. Bringing the cigar to my nose, I got a light mix of cedar and natural tobacco along with a little spice; on the foot I got a more herbal/spicy note along with some barnyard/earthy aromas. After clipping the cap with a Xikar Xi I got a cold draw that was a little tight, but very flavorful--earth, hay, wood and pepper spice all had a little influence.

After lighting up, I got a smoke that was creamy and smooth with subtle flavors of earth, leather and natural tobacco. On the retrohale I got just a little pepper burn and a bit of roasted nuttiness. When the first third really got going, I got a good mix of cedar and natural tobacco while the earthiness played a more supporting role along with a little pepper spice and occasional hints of cinnamon.

At the start of the second third, the draw went from slightly snug to bordering on unsmokeable, so I brought out the draw poker to assist. Some will say, "This is a handmade product and you're just going to get a bad stick or two in any particular box." I say "Hogwash!" At a price of over $20 a stick there is just no excuse for any stick to have bad construction attributes. The flavor was very good, but there were not major changes in ti. I wish I could say that one corrective measure solved the draw issue, but that would be lying.

When the final third started, I did start to get some real change in flavor. The body, which had been fairly mild-to-medium so far, ramped up quickly to a medium-to-full status. I started to get a lot more pepper spice on the palate along with a more subtle floral note. The draw finally got better as well; the burn line had been nothing short of perfection throughout. By the end of the ESG, I was really enjoying it, but I could not shake the feeling that a cigar of this pedigree and price tage should be spectacular from first puff to last, and for me--it just was not. I am sure there are people who thoroughly enjoy this cigar and I am happy that I finally got a chance to try it, but I can't say I would happily plop down $20+ to smoke another one. As always, though...your experience may be different from mine, so I encourage you to try this one at least once. If you already have tried it, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Body: 7/10

Strength: 7/10

Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 1.5/2

Flavor: 3.5/5

Value: .5/1

Total: 7.5/10

Spirit Review: Buffalo Trace White Dog

375 ML bottle/ $12.99 at Total Wine

I was browsing around Total Wine this weekend and came across the Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1 and it caught my eye. It helped that it costs a lot less than the Hudson Bay ($33.49) whiskey. I've heard a couple other people talk about it on Twitter and heard mixed reviews. So I decided to review it here for you.

White dog is what the whiskey is called right after it comes off the still. This is a completely un-aged whiskey. This is basically moonshine. This is also what whiskey used to be a couple hundred years ago. That is, according to the back of the bottle, the inspiration for the release of this whiskey. It allows whiskey aficionados to taste what frontier whiskey was like. I also think they've probably been asked multiple times by us whiskey aficionados what it tastes like coming off the still. The mash is made up of corn, rye and malted barley. I can't find what the percentages are though. It is also pretty strong at 125 proof (62.5% ABV).

Pouring it into a glass you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between it and vodka. Although this is a little bit thicker and has longer legs. However as soon as you put it to your nose you'd be able to tell. The first aroma that I get is bread and yeast. It is overwhelming to the nose and can be smelled without putting your nose into the glass. Once I put my nose into the glass I get a slight amount of rye spice with a sweetness at the end. It reminds me exactly of what the distilling room in a distillery smells like, definitely a good smell. Once I take a sip I am able to taste a fairly strong spice on the tip of the tongue with a sweetness on the outside of the tongue. I can feel the whiskey coat my throat as it goes down. It was a pleasant sensation. Taking another sip of it I am able to taste orange, lemon and bread. Not the combination you'd expect, but what I can pick up. There is a slight amount of alcohol burn but not as much as you'd expect at 125 proof.

I decided to light up a Cain Daytona 646 after getting my impressions of the whiskey. It was a very complimentary pairing. With the slight spiciness of both of them enhancing it on each other. Neither of them over powered the other and they were well balanced. I would recommend this cigar to pair with this whiskey.

I was definitely surprised at how much I enjoyed this whiskey. I've had a couple other brands of moonshine before and none of them compared to this. While this isn't something that I'd drink on a regular basis, it would be something I'd drink occasionally or bring out at a gathering of whiskey lovers as something new and different to try.

Agree, disagree or just need to speak up? Leave a comment below...

Cigar Review: Esteban Carreras 5150

Torpedo, 6" x 52 ring gauge / approx. $6

The Esteban Carreras cigar company introduced a couple cigars with interesting names in 2010. The first is this 5150--this number is "the section of the California Welfare and Institutions Code which allows a qualified officer to involuntarily confine a person deemed to have a mental disorder that makes them a danger to him or her self." In other words, an "involuntary psychiatric hold." It was also the name of the first Van Halen album with Sammy Hagar, for what it's worth. This cigar is made of Nicaraguan filler along with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper.

The appearance was nice with a smoothly colored wrapper with no large veins or flaws. The hue was like a burnt caramel and set off the black and gold foot band nicely. Use of a foot band often brings Rocky Patel Edge comparisons and I even kind of got that vibe a few times at a recent Esteban Carreras event where "The Edge" was mentioned a few times while I was standing within earshot. The cigar seemed fairly densely packed and had an almost velvety feel to it. Sniffing the wrapper, I got grassy and earthy aromas; on the foot I got a stronger earth with a little cocoa and coffee mix. The cold draw was just a bit tight but the flavors were nice--sweet chocolate along with an underlying earthiness.

You might think I'm crazy (drum rimshot, please), but I swear I tasted maple syrup while lighting this one up. That went away pretty quickly and initial puffs on the lit 5150 yielded earth and cocoa powder flavors along with a retrohale that was redolent with roasted nuts. The draw was just not good right from the start, and I found that the head was very firmly packed. I was able to open it up with a draw poker but the pressure also broke the very thin Sumatra wrapper near the head. I realized that this might cause problems as I smoked on. Through the rest of the first third I continued to get some earth and cocoa, along with a bit of hay.

The draw closed back up before the second third started and I had to take the more drastic measure of re-cutting. This did seem to fix the draw issue, while making the stick all the more prone to unraveling. Flavors in the second third were still led by a distinct earthiness but there was also a woodiness to it, more oak than anything else, I think. Surprisingly, the 5150 did not threaten to unravel as I thought it would.

As I moved into the last third, I got a bitter flavor that that was like a combination of weak coffee and bell peppers--well, something vegetal anyway. I have to admit I was not really enjoying this stogie all that much at this point. In the end, the 5150 was a well-made cigar with a flavor profile that I just was not crazy about (sorry, couldn't resist the crazy jokes). I might try it again at some point to see if I feel differently about it or if maybe a different batch of cigars would perform better. At medium in body and strength it would be a good stick for novices, especially if it fell in line with their flavor preferences.

Body: 6/10

Strength: 5/10

Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 1.5/2

Flavor: 3/5

Value: .5/1

Total: 7/10

Agree, disagree or just want to add something? Leave a comment below...

Blogger's Paradise, part 3

It's a week after the fact as I write this and the experience has taken on an almost dreamlike quality, but here is what happened on that famous Saturday in the Dominican Republic...at least as I saw it...

THE CAMERA KING & "FAST" FOOD

The Doc and Mario

It's no secret that we had a lot of cameras recording the events of our tour in the DR. Some of us have come to think of it as "Fat White Guys with DSRLs." But no one matches the camera whiz-dom of Mario Takeyama from Cigar Explorer with his multiple camera bodies and lenses...and his video capabilities. I think Mario actually packed a whole extra suitcase just with his equipment so he would be ready for any situation...and it's a good thing.

After a long hour of riding down to Puerta Plata (an hour in Dominican time is closer to an hour and a half to two hours for the rest of us), Mario set about unloading his camera, tripod, and some fancy tripod head gear that made video capabilities better on a DSLR. This took about half an hour. Then he told us that he wanted to interview each of us for a video montage he wanted to put together. Doc was up first...and I'm sure he still regrets it. As Doc explained to us, on his podcast he works from carefully written show notes and the capability of multiple takes; here he had to be "on" all the time and know just what to say off the cuff. And he had to got to be the guinea pig and Mario dialed in the lighting and video settings (and avoided flying volleyballs). In the end, I think Doc was in front of the camera another half hour. Then the others got their turn...and people got bored and started "performing" for the camera. Flying french fries, tackles, beer commercials...we saw it all. Some things will find their way to Mario's video channel...others have been promised to only see light as part of the "unrated" DVD cut. I guess we should all be thankful that the video of Jerry Cruz sitting on the can Tweeting will not be shown to the general public.

Barry "You Talkin' To Me?" Stein

In the midst of all this, Barry Stein (acigarsmoker.com) found himself surrounded by women and soon the rumor was floating around that he was getting married. Married? What? No one believed it, even after Jose Blanco started shooting off Tweets to that effect. Guillermo Leon joined us for lunch and soon asked Barry, "Do you want to get married?" Then he was on the phone to get a justice of the peace down to the beach. While we waited for his arrival, we ordered lunch. Despite "Fast Food" being written on the side of the building, we waited over an hour for the meal. Food came out and Jerry Cruz was immediately recognized and called a "Dirty Bastard" by a Canadian tourist...actually, he claimed that Jerry was eating his lobster. Guillermo defused the situation by asking the man, "Do you smoke cigars? You should." Soon enough the man was smoking a Preferido and drinking a Presidente across the table from me.

Guillermo Leon & Jose Blanco in the same place at the same time!

Some of us posited that the marriage would not have taken place at all if the food had not taken so long, but the food was forever in arriving and the justice of the peace was not. Soon we witnessed the wedding that some people dream of...a beautiful beach with swaying palm trees and just close friends and family in attendance. But did we really see what we thought we had seen? Despite all the hoopla, it turns out we had all been punk'd on the beach. And we were enlisted to spread the word back to our friends in the States, making the practical joke take on proportions that were truly phenomenal. For all you eligible bachelorettes out there crying over the fact that Barry Stein was off the market...well, put your hankies away and stop your sobbing because ACigarSmoker is still legally quite single.

Jerry Cruz: "Can't a guy Tweet on the can in peace?"

KARAOKE WITH THE BIG CAT

After leaving our impromptu wedding ceremony, we went back to the heart of Santiago for a dinner party at Guillermo Leon's house. The spacious back yard was laid out with several tables, tiki torches (just because of the Tiki Bar's presence? we'll never know!), and a projector and screen. Yes, we were going to be compelled to do karaoke for the Big Cat. Except that almost every other blogger took the "I don't want to add more bad singing to the mix" approach and chickened out. For the record, those who chose to participate in the noise pollution were yours truly ("Yesterday" and "Bad Moon Rising"), Barry Stein ("New York, New York"), and Mario Takeyama ("I Just Called To Say 'I Love You'"). A few others sang Spanish-language songs, including the karaoke hostess, one of the consumer guests on the trip, and Guillermo himself.  Jose Blanco said this was the first time he had participated. I can't forget Jose in the karaoke run-down, though...he did several Sinatra songs and...boy, can that man sing!

Dinner was a traditional Dominican dish called Sancocho. As Guillermo explained it to me, this dish had chicken, beef and pork in seven different cuts. It was accompanied by a crispy bread made from cassava, from which we also get tapioca. Traditionally, they eat this dish at times of celebration or on "cold days." I asked what cold was to them...Guillermo answered, "60." I think most DR residents might be a little out of their element smoking cigars with me when it's 40 or lower outside.

Before leaving we were each given gift bags containing personalized boxes of cigars, t-shirts, and a bottle of the wonderful Ron Barceló that we had been imbibing all weekend. At the end of a bizarre and eventful day, we headed back to Camp David. Some of us had a very early shuttle ride to the airport in the morning.

Later this week, I'll wrap up this series with a few final thoughts, some more pictures and (if time permits) a short video of some of what we saw and experienced.

Cigar Extra: Viaje Exclusivo, Robusto

Robusto, 5" x 50 ring gauge / approx. $9.50

From what I could find out online, the Exclusivo was first spotted as a hand-out at events after originally being made for Viaje president, Andre Farkas. A Robusto with a tight little pigtail was sold in jars of 35 for a while before another batch of Robustos (sans pigtails) was released. They are, like many Viaje products, Nicaraguan puros, this time featuring an aged Criollo wrapper. The wrapper had a nice cedar and spice aroma while I got a very little whiff of cocoa on the foot. There were a couple dings, but such is life for a naked cigar as it travels the country.

The cold draw had that nice, distinctively Viaje flavor--I swear it tasted very much like an Oro or Platino--lots of cedar and natural tobacco. The flavor in the early going was much like other Viajes, too, but with much more body. The easiest way for me to describe it would be like this: similar in flavor to an Oro, with the body of the first half of the 50/50 Black.

The Exclusivo provied to be a very enjoyable cigar with mostly just the flavor of very fine natural tobacco, probably owing to the aged wrapper. There were also notes of leather, cedar and pepper spice quite often and occasional hints of coffee and cocoa powder. In other words, a superior Nicaraguan smoke. I paired it with Barbancourt rum and that pairing was not as successful; even though it is less sweet than most mixing rums, it was still too sweet for this cigar. A bourbon probably would have suited it better. Thanks to Matt from Burns Tobacconist for gifting me this cigar.

Agree, disagree or have something to add? Leave a comment below!

Blogger's Paradise, part 2

Doc and Tom Ufer getting their game faces on for the day

Thursday ended up a fairly late night, so Friday morning came all too soon. Breakfast was a nicely appointed affair...a buffet laid out by the Camp David Ranch staff. After food and several cups of coffee, it was time to get on the road

LA AURORA FACTORY TOUR

We got the royal tour of the La Aurora factory, led by Jose Blanco. Along the way we saw the room where many of our favorite cigars are brought to life from varying blends of tobacco, and saw how hard all the people work. I thought it must be amusing, or maybe just annoying, for all of them to see a group of gringo--and three Asians--wandering through their workspace snapping pictures by the hundreds and looking around in wonder at what for them is everyday life and the way they earn a living and feed their kids.

Mt. Ashmore in Jose Blanco's office

Jose then took several hours walking us through one of his famous blending seminars, starting off with one cigar that had 5 different sections of wrapper leaf so we could see how the different wrappers affect the overall flavor. We were made to guess what each leaf was and were all embarrassed about how few we got right. I ended up getting two of the five correct, which was pretty good as I don't know that anyone else got more than that. We then moved on to smoking four cigars we had to rate on a variety of factors, then guess what wrapper was used on them. It turned out that all four were Cameroon wrappers with apparently differing levels of age and possibly different blends. I asked Jose what the difference was and he said, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Lunch was brought in and we were again treated to a great feast including beef and fish as well as this fantastic sweet fried plantain dish. Guillermo Leon joined us for lunch.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a tobacco field to take some pictures, although we were limited in how much we could do because the heavy rains had turned the soil to mud. On the plus side, the mix of clouds and sun made for some spectacular, dramatic shots. We ended that short visit by posing for "Skip-mocking" pictures including a group shot where we all flipped him the bird.

Then it was back to Camp David and a time for rest--or maybe more smoking--before dinner.

These people work hard for our past-time.

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS

We went to Nestor Miranda's favorite Santiago restaurant, Nanno's, for dinner and were treated to more fine cigars, Brazilian-style steak (among other dishes) and live music. After dinner the bloggers ended up all heading back to Camp David even though one or two had intended to go out on the town. We gathered out on the patio overlooking Santiago and the Cibao Valley began to reflect on what we had learned that day. One topic making headlines recently is the way the IPCPR has thought about changing its attitude toward one specific sector of the cigar press--the bloggers.

There are some who feel we do not add any value to the cigar industry. I believe those people are a mix of industry insiders, manufacturers, and retailers, as well as just some general naysayers. There are others who feel that cigar blogging has done nothing but help the cigar community. As I looked around the table, it was hard to think that it was anything but the latter...I was conversing, imbibing, and herfing with a group of diverse people from around this great country of ours. Our backgrounds, experiences, politics, and accents could not have been more different, but we joined over the love of cigars and the desire to share our love and experiences with others. This was the very essence of "cigar community" and we spread this kind of experience to people all the time.

After a few hours of discussion, one person referred to the infighting that had occurred, but to me there was not so much "fighting" as a healthy debate that needed to be aired. At this point, the specific issues are not really appropriate to be spread around in a public forum, but I'll just say that I saw merit to both sides of the argument. In the end, I would have to say I sided with the majority of those out there that night...not because they outnumbered the others, but because they ended up bringing up too many good points.

Jose Blanco & Mario from Cigar Adventures

This debate will probably continue for a lot longer...maybe years, but this is the way it should be done...around a table, with give and take offered, smoking fine cigars and sipping on great libations. In my opinion, that's a better approach than leaks, rumors, and sending messages through the filter of certain people, no matter who those people are and their ultimate agenda. 

Cigars in the packaging room

Some tasty-looking sticks destined for Europe...for now.

The Blending Seminar Especial

Lovely to see the plants in the fields.

Blogger's Paradise, part 1

Barry Stein photographing Santiago at night

I will never forget the day I got the call...well, actually it was an e-mail telling me to make a call, but that doesn't matter now. On the other end of the phone line was Barry Stein from ACigarSmoker.com telling me, "Congratulations, you were one of the bloggers chosen for this year's trip to the Dominican Republic." The way the trip would go down was something like this: La Aurora was paying for 10 or so bloggers to come down, tour the factory, see the tobacco fields and participate in a few other activities. Last year's trip apparently was pretty "standard and by-the-book" and there was no reason to think this would be anything other. Somewhere along the line we must have fallen down the rabbit hole...but I'll tell the story from the start.

IN FLIGHT

Classy rooms at Camp David Resort

After braving the insanity of Atlanta traffic, a quick trip through security, and about an hour waiting at the gate, I made it to flight 1309 to Miami. I upgraded to first class and for once had plenty of legroom, even in a window seat. About midway through the flight I looked east out my window and realized I was looking at the Atlantic Ocean, a sight I haven't seen in more than 15 years...and never from the air. I'm loving the new iPad...movies, music and typing all in a small package I can actually open up on an airplane...honestly, I could probably use this in coach. I do kind of wish I could have taken an earlier flight and be hanging out smoking with some of the others right now, but I just couldn't handle the 3 am wakeup time it would have required.

I spotted David Diaz--the Doc from Stogie Fresh--first at Miami International Airport. He was sitting against a pillar with his bags and I realized after a few seconds that he was busy recharging his iPad at the local power outlet. I plugged in my phone, which had been mostly drained by constant tweeting since leaving home, and we struck up a conversation about websites, my work (what I do that actually pays the bills), what the Doc is up to with his software and web offerings. Before long Charlie Minato from The Cigar Feed arrived and soon after that the remainder of the group showed up..they had been the for several hours already and had gone out to a local cigar shop.

The entire group together consisted of Doc, Charlie, Jerry Cruz and Brian Hewitt (both from Stogie Review), Barry Stein, Tom Ufer (Cigar Examiner), Mario (Cigar Explorer), Ben Lee (Nice Tight Ash), Jason Wood (Miami Cigar & Company) and one of Jason's customers that had won a contest.

On the right, our host for the weekend, Guillermo Leon

The leg of the journey from Miami to Santiago proved interesting...in a bad way. Not only was the group broken up into different places on the plane, but I ended up sitting next to a small child whose mother seemed at a loss to control. The girl would not sit still before the plane took off, and after the seatbelt sign went off, there were times I seriously thought about inflicting harm on her. A flying elbow may have solved the problem, but it also might have just ended up with a screaming child and an angry mother. Sometimes you just have to keep it all inside.

Flying over the Atlantic is an interesting experience. I never knew water could be so clear...absolutely beautiful.

Next stop, Santiago, Dominican Republic, a short bus trip to Camp David and maybe I'll finally get to smoke a cigar on this tropical adventure...

CAMP DAVID RANCH

Just one of the many great meals we ate in the D.R.

After a wild ride through seemingly every back street Santiago had to offer, we climbed a rough, winding mountain road to reach our lodging at Camp David Ranch. The rooms were fantastic, offering plenty of space and all the amenities you would expect in a first-rate hotel...except Internet connectivity.

Try as I might I could not get a connection in either the room or the lounge or the patio overlooking the Cibao Valley. So for the first time in many years, I was completely cut off from the world at large--my family, my business contacts, my Twitter followers (the tragedy!)--and I wasn't sure how to take it. I'll admit that it was nice in a way to be cut off a bit from the conveniences of home, but it was disconcerting, too. Those with global phones did not suffer the same fate...as long as they had the means to spring for the international roaming plans.

The Doc is about to give his thoughts on this cigar and libation pair-up!

After getting our stuff packed away (or at least thrown on the bed), we had a nice reception with Guillermo Leon on the patio, and a feast shortly afterwards. As had been promised, we had all the rum and wine we could drink and all the cigars we could smoke. What a change from the states...you can smoke while you eat...you can smoke in you're room...this is the good life.

Dinner featured beef, a traditional flatbread, and salad among other niceties. Before long we were back on the deck, 2000+ feet above the sparkling blanket of lights that is Santiago at night.

Alas, with a 8:30 breakfast and 9:30 bus ride ahead, it was time to call it a day by 1:00.

Coming tomorrow, Blogger's Paradise Part 2: The La Aurora Factory tour, Jose Blanco's tasting seminar, and Friday Night Fights...

Cigar Extra: Paul Garmirian Symphony 20

Connoisseur, 6" x 52 ring gauge / MSRP $17

I decided to pick one of these cigars up this passed weekend with I visited my regular cigar shop. I knew Dave had done a review (here) so I decided to put my two cents in on this cigar. This was at least my third sample of this cigar I smoked.

Unlike Dave's mine was pretty much perfect on pre-light. There weren't any issues with the wrapper, it was even in color with some veins and a medium amount of oils. My sample felt quite firm to the touch and there were no soft spots. When I put my nose to the wrapper I got notes of barnyard and curry, with the same from the foot. From the cold draw I could taste bitter chocolate.

My cigar started off with a bang. A very intense wasabi spice on the retrohale and lots of flavors of leather, earth and cream on the tongue. The draw was pretty much perfect and it produced a large volume of smoke. The burn was slightly off, but corrected itself without any extra flame.

For me the flavors of this cigar didn't change that much. I don't know if it was my palate, or this sample. That isn't to say I didn't enjoy it, I did, but not as much as I remember I did with the other ones.

By the second third the spice had toned down a bit, but never went away. It stayed this way until the end of the cigar. When I finished with the cigar and got up, I had to steady myself a bit as the strength snuck up on me.

One big negative, in my opinion, is when I went to take off the top band, there was too much glue on it and it ripped the wrapper in two places. It really frustrates me when cigars do this, especially on one I paid $17 for. I will say this didn't happen on the other samples.

I do think I would buy these again, but not that often because of the price. The owner of my regular shop told me the last time I was there that he would be getting two new sizes in this blend. I'm looking forward to giving them a try.

Agree, disagree or have something add? Leave a comment below.

Cigar Review: Berger & Argenti Entubar Quad Maduro

Double Corona, 7.625" x 54 ring gauge / MSRP $11.99

I waited patiently for these "Quad Maduro versions of the Entubar to show up in my local store--well, maybe not that patiently. I finally got a chance to try them when I received a surprise package in the mail from Al Argenti. He graciously provided the 2 samples I smoked for this review. The Quad Maduro construction method is the same as used in the regular Entubar--all leaves rolled into tubes before bunching, with the ligero bunched independently in the middle. The Quad refers to "cuadrado"--the box press. The fillers are "all Cuban-seed Nicaraguan (viso and ligero) and Dominican (seco)," the binder is Nicaraguan, and the maduro wrapper is "Jalapa Valley-grown...aged eight years in seasoned oak barrels."

The appearance of these cigar is definitely unique--the "fuse" and warning label are shared by no other cigars by no other companies that I know of. The box-press on this sample was fairly sharp on the bottom edge, but more rounded off on the top. The wrapper leaf was oily, mottled and moderately veiny. It exuded rich barnyard aroma of fresh earth and manure, while the foot had even stronger notes of earth and chocolate. Feeling along the length, I detected no hard or soft spots. The cold draw was as open as you might expect from the special construction; the flavor was a fantastic mix of earth and cocoa powder.

Extra time is required to fully light the entire foot, not just the fuse, of an Entubar, by my Xikar Executive single-flame torch proved up to the task. Initial puffs on the Quad Maduro were full of sweet chocolate and earth flavors, along with a mix of coffee and black pepper on the retrohale. The first third had a wonderful smoothness and was medium-to-full in body. The ash held on for over an inch before I had to top off and the burn line was close to straight, which is not bad for a maduro.

The maduro sweetness increased in the second third and there was more coffee in the retrohale while the pepper faded to nothing. The draw continued to be absolutely perfect while the burn line took just one minor touch-up.

Dark roast coffee continued to increase until it became the dominant flavor in the last third. To me this was about as perfect as a maduro gets--earthy and chocolatey to begin with flavors that change over time, while never getting away from the sweetness that a good maduro leaf brings. While this size was larger than I normally prefer, it was still very near cigar perfection and makes me anticipate smaller ring gauge versions that much more. Cigar enthusiasts should seek this stogie out and try it, especially if you like maduro wrappers. Novices should not be too scared of it because it does not pack much of a nicotine punch. Folks, we have our first 10/10 rating for the year on the Tiki Bar...and that means the first cigar that will be put into contention for Cigar of the Year status come December. I hope to smoke a lot more of these between now and then to see how I feel about it over that time.

Body: 7/10

Strength: 6/10

Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 5/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 10/10

Agree, disagree or just want to comment? Well..go ahead...

Cigar Review: Berger & Argenti Entubar

Note: I had hoped to feature the first in a series of articles covering my recent trip to the Dominican Republic today, but I was not able to complete anything by the deadline for posting, so some of this week's content had to be juggled a bit. 


Double Corona, 7.625" x 54 ring gauge / approx. $10

Last November Al Argenti related the story of this cigar to me. His brother, Michael, apparently burst into Al's room around 2 a.m. talking--perhaps rambling--about a new concept he had. Michael, with a bit of mad genius inside him, envisioned a cigar that bunched the ligero by itself, then bunched the rest of the filler around that first bunch; all the leaves would use the Cuban entubo method of rolling each leaf into a tube before bunching, ensuring a great draw. The would leave a plug of the ligero bunch sticking out to demonstrate what they did. The fillers used are Dominican and Nicaraguan; the stick uses a Nicaraguan binder and an Ecuadorian Connecticut desflorado wrapper. That night I spoke to Al about these cigars, I also won a whole box of them in the shop's raffle; I smoked about 3 or 4 before this review stick...and another couple since.

The Entubar had a slightly oily, somewhat leathery appearance, with veins that were medium to large in size and a little toothiness on close inspection. It all is put together well, with flat seams and minimal leaf-stretching. The cold draw was perfect and had flavors of natural tobacco and leather. The cigar was fairly firm along the entire length, denoting a well-packed stogie. Putting cigar to nose, I got a faint barnyard aroma from the wrapper and a bit of earth and chocolate on the foot. In case you did not read the whole warming label, it tells you to toast the entire foot when you light, not just the little "fuse" sticking out. The draw was so good when lit, that smoke poured freely from the clipped head as I was toasting the foot...before I even took a puff.

The first puffs had rich natural tobacco flavor as well as lesser notes of earth and leather. On the retrohale, I got an earthiness along with roasted nuts and chili pepper spice. Despite having a well-defined ligero inner bunch, the Entubar never struck me as all that powerful. The first third was a mix of earth and leather mostly in a medium-to-full bodied smoke. After a peppery beginning the retrohale settled down to a dull burn after about an inch.

In the second third, the Entubar continued to exhibit flavors of earth and natural tobacco, but these were joined by a cedar note that soon became dominant. Construction proved to be excellent, with a fantastic draw and a very straight burn line, free of any need for corrective measures so far.

There was not a lot of change in the final third, but the flavors maintained an essence of superb quality natural tobacco, so drastic change was not really missed. I enjoyed the Entubar, although I do wonder how much better it might be in a smaller ring gauge where the wrapper's flavor would be more in evidence. The strangest thing with this cigar was how little strength the relatively large percentage of ligero imparts. At the end of the smoke I had no nicotine buzz at all and the body had remained in that medium-to-full section the entire time. This would not be a bad cigar for a relative newcomer to smoking who wants to step up from mild smokes; the flavor is solid enough that many experienced smokers will enjoy it as well.

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

Agree, disagree or just have something to say? Leave a comment...

Cigar Extra: Viaje Holiday Blend

Torpedo, 5" x 54 ring gauge / $9.95, Burns

Well, we finally made it...the end of a long, cold winter...one of the coldest on record here in the mid-South. As you read this I will be in the taking a short trip to the Dominican Republic touring tobacco fields and cigar factories...and probably wishing for cooler weather! As this is actually being written, though, it was closer to the heart of the winter and states to the north of me were getting hit by yet another big storm. In my own 'hood, it was mid-50s on the thermometer and pleasant as I took this Viaje Holiday Blend out. From what I could find, this is a Nicaraguan puro with a Criollo 98 wrapper leaf. The cigar was fairly dark and mottled, offsetting the silver and green band nicely. I got aromas of earth and mulling spices on the body and more earth along with chocolate on the foot. The prelight draw was a rich mix of cocoa powder, natural tobacco, spice and cedar.

When I lit the Holiday Blend, I immediately got a sharp red pepper burn along with more underlying flavors of cedar and earth...and just a touch of sweet cocoa. After feeling a bit let down by some other Viaje special releases, I have to admit to being skeptical of this cigar, but I was enjoying it from the first puff.

As the first third continued, the cedar died down a bit, but I started getting an almost clove-like spice note to go with the red pepper that was still very much in evidence. After that the cigar showed more earthiness while the spice gradually died down. Overall, I think this may be my favorite of the limited release Viajes I have had so far. While it was pretty strong, it had plenty of flavor throughout as well.

Agree, disagree, or have something to add? Leave a comment below...

Road Trip!!!

Actually, it's not so much a road trip this time around as a 3 hour drive, followed by a 2-hour plane flight, followed by sitting around an airport for an hour or two, followed by another 2-hour plane flight before reaching our destination...but the concept's the same. Last year around this time, Miami Cigar & Company and La Aurora invited about 10 bloggers down to the Dominican Republic for a weekend trip to see the factory and fields among other things. This year I was blessed to be invited.

The way I understand it, they are looking for exposure and press-time, so they are paying for people to visit with the hope that they will write about the experience...or shoot still photos...or shoot video...or all of the above. So during the next couple weeks, I'm sure you will hear about this trip from a number of angles...Jerry's "semi-pro" videos on Stogie Review, Doc's podcast on Stogie Fresh, Charlie's take at The Cigar Feed, and Barry's words and pictures at A Cigar Smoker (as well as an article he is writing for a print publication).

So what is there left for me to do? Sit back and enjoy, of course! And read all those other articles!!!

Actually, I'll be filing at least 2 reports from the DR trip here on the Tiki Bar, if all goes as planned. The first one should be posting on Monday, March 21--the day after I get back from the trip--and the second one on Friday, March 25. I am taking my good camera along and hope to shoot tons of photos and I hope that quite a few of them turn out good enough to share. I'm taking a cheap video camera (not even close to "semi-pro") and we'll see how that footage turns out...I may end up showing off some of it as "behind the scenes" while the real video pros do their thing.

I am writing this the day before leaving, so I am filled with anticipation for this trip. It's the first time I've been out of the country in over a decade and the first time I've been anywhere besides Canada and Mexico...I actually had to get a passport so I could go on this trip! This will be my first time in a cigar factory or tobacco field, so maybe I'll be able to bring some fresh eyes to the experience. All I know right now is that I'm chomping at the bit to get outta here today and get going down to the DR. Check back on Monday to see how it went...

Cigar Review: Viaje White Label Project Candela

Robusto, 5" x 50 ring gauge / approx. $9.50, Burns

Andre Farkas likes keeping smokers on their toes and those who report on his cigars in the dark, it seems. The White Label Project (WLP) has been in the works for some time and is rumored to be based off the Summerfest blend, but the first cigar we actually got to see from the WLP in the wild is the St. Patrick's Day Candela. These are rumored to have a Nicaraguan filler and binder, but you know how rumors are...there was no rumor that I could find that stated where the green wrapper came from. I also have to remark that the candela green wrapper was remarkably hard to photograph well. Against the white background for the picture to the left, the cigar looks more like a Connecticut Shade poorly lit than a candela. The second picture with this review was a little more successful. I added a third photo as well...actually just the first photo again, with the green pumped up to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It's unnatural looking, but fun, so I thought I'd throw it in there.

What can you say about a candela...IT'S GREEN! Celebrating St. Patrick's Day, the Incredible Hulk and Kermit the Frog all at once, this Viaje is a very light green. There were a couple softer spots, but the leaf had a nice oily feel to it and the aroma was much better than I had expected--earth on the body and an even stronger, richer earthiness on the foot. The prelight draw was very good. While I expected a mild, somewhat grassy flavor on the cold draw, I got more of an earthiness with a bit of chocolate and only a hint of the grassiness that candelas usually bring. Honestly, if I were blindfolded I would not have been able to pick this out as a candela.

After lighting I did get a fairly mild, grassy-tasting smoke through the mouth, but the retrohale was wickedly, nostril-scorching pepper. After a few puffs I started getting more of a pepper spice sensation on the back of the tongue, too. I was not sure what to expect from this cigar, but so far I was impressed by the flavor dichotomy of the earthiness and spice of the Nicaraguan filler and binder versus the light, hay-like grassiness from the wrapper. Another interesting thing I noticed is that while the wrapper was green to celebrate Irish Catholics, the lit tip of the cigar burned a bright orange, seemingly in tribute to the Protestants of the Emerald Isle.

By the second third the WLP Candela was a solidly medium-bodied cigar with a very earthy base and a grassy finish. Construction had proven great so far with the ash building to more than an inch before tap-off and a very even burn line.

The last third was more of the same with the addition of a little cedar. It was interesting how every few puffs there would be a very grassy influence to remind me I was smoking a green stogie. This was easily the best candela I have ever had...although I have to admit that I have not had a huge number of them, either. I have not experienced the Illusione candelas that everyone has been raving about; I haven't had the Graycliff candela that Keith loved so much; I did have the Thompson Iguana, though, and it still ranks as "worst cigar ever" for me. With that in mind, I hope that Viaje decides to add the candela as a regular release at some point, even if it were somewhat limited. It would make a nice addition to the line-up and a nice change from what I normally smoke. These are mild enough that most novices should find them accessible, but interesting enough that most long-term smokers will enjoy them. If you have had bad experiences with candelas in the past, I encourage you to pick up one of these (or one of the other "new breed" of candelas) and see if they can change your mind.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Body: 5/10

Strength: 5/10

Complexity: 7/10

Everyman's Scale

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 4/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 9/10

Agree, disagree or just have something to add to the conversation? Leave a comment below!

Beer Review: Stone Old Guardian Belgo

22 ounce bottle/ $6.49 at Total Wine

I'm enjoyed doing the beer review last week so I decided to do another one this week.

This week I'm reviewing the Stone Old Guardian Belgo Barley Wine. This is a what they call an Odd Year Release. I've wondered myself, and been asked the question, what is a barley wine? Well it is pretty simple, a barley wine is just a very strong type of ale, usually between 8%-12% ABV and a specific gravity of as high as 1.120. Basically it is just a full bodied, full flavored, high alcohol content beer. This happens to be one of my favorite styles of beer and I will try any one I can find.

Getting down to this example. The difference between their regular Old Guardian is the use of Belgian yeast. I haven't seen this odd year release before, but that doesn't mean a whole lot since I really haven't gotten interested in craft beers except in the past couple years. If you've never read the back of a Stone beer bottle you definitely have to. They are very entertaining as they print was seems like a novel on the back of every beer bottle. This one tells the story of one of the brew-master's visit to Belgium and his lamentation of how little they know about and enjoy craft beers. Some of they are much more entertaining. This was the second bottle of this beer I've tried.


One thing to make you aware of this beer comes in at 12% ABV. So it is definitely something that you'll want to either have some time to enjoy it or someone to share it with. Pouring this beer into a glass you can definitely tell it is thick. It produces almost no head, provided that that you pour it on the side of the glass. The color is a reddish hazy amber. When I put my nose to the glass I get notes of malt, hops, and citrus. After taking a sip of this beer I'm surprised at how complex it is. The first taste is a bit of sweetness , followed by citrus, then a hops bite, all finished by molasses note. One thing I also note is how heavy this feels in the mouth. The carbonation level didn't seem to high, but that seems to be normal with these higher alcohol content beers. The cloudiness also seemed to clear up as I let it sit. I did enjoy this beer, but not as much as some of the other barley wines I've tried. I think that is was just a little too smooth, I like a little more bite in my beer.

I did decide to smoke another cigar after getting the tastes from this beer. I chose to light up a CAO La Traviata Maduro. While it was a good pairing, it wasn't as enjoyable as the pairing from last week.

I can recommend this beer to anyone who likes these fuller and heavier beers. With the low price of this limited release it won't break the bank if you don't particularly care for it. Also if you are ever in the Escondido, CA area I would highly recommend visiting the brewery for a tour. You can read about my experience here.

Agree, disagree or just need to speak up? Leave a comment below...

Cigar Review: Esteban Carreras Habano Natural

Torpedo, 6.75" x 54 ring gauge / approx. $9

This cigar was one of the sticks in my grab bag when I renewed by CBC/Burns membership in 2010. Having not had it before (at least not that I remembered) I decided to save it for a "first impressions" type of review--basically just to see if I would ever want to buy it again. To tell the truth, that is the biggest reason I started keeping this journal of the cigars I smoked online...so I would have handy access to what I had thought about dozens--hundreds, maybe--of cigars that I had smoked. Journal turned into blog...it remained fun to do, so here I am still doing it. This Habano Natural is a Nicaraguan puro with a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper and the cigar is available in 6 sizes with either this natural wrapper or a maduro leaf (I have recently acquired a sample of that version and will be putting it up for review in the not-too-distant future).

The appearance was nice--although not what I would call exactly breathtaking--right out of the cellophane; the leaf glistened a bit with oils and there were a few larger veins, although they were more seen than felt. I felt the band was a little old-fashioned, but ornate and fairly classy. Feeling along the stick there was a firm spot near the foot and a couple softer spots in the middle and near the band. It was hard to say how that would affect things. Lifting the cigar to my nose, I got a sweetly earthy scent on the body and a richer chocolate aroma on teh foot. I used a Xikar Xi cutter to chop off the pointy head of this cigar and got a free draw; flavors prelight were earthy with a bit of cocoa powder and spice--in other words, pretty much what you might expect from a Nicaraguan puro.

Immediately after lighting I got flavors of earth, natural tobacco and pepper spice on the tongue while there were roasted nuts and black pepper on the retrohale. The first third turned out to be pretty much the same as the initial puffs, minus the pepper. Although not the most complex flavor I have had, I was enjoying it quite a bit at this point.

In the second third, there really was not much charge to report. The flavor maintained its earthiness and natural tobacco. The draw tightened up a bit, but to be fair, it was raining outside, so high humidity could have been the problem. The burn line remained straight and true.

In the last third there was a little flavor change but it was pretty subtle--I still got earthiness but there were occasional hints of cocoa powder and coffee in there as well. This was a good cigar but lacked depth and complexity. It was medium-to-full in body throughout and the flavor changes that occurred were very small. Fortunately the flavor that was there was good, but not great. To me, it just got a little dull and one-dimensional toward the end. Maybe in a smaller ring gauge or shorter size that does not smoke as long, it would not hit me like that. I also feel it would benefit from being less expensive for the experience that it delivers.

Body: 7/10

Strength: 6/10

Complexity: 4/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 3.5/5

Value: .5/1

Total: 8/10

Agree, disagree or have something to add? Leave a comment below...

Book: Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book 4

Frankenstein, Book 4: Lost Souls by Dean Koontz

I love Dean Koontz's books and have for 23 years or more at this point. I've read virtually everything that has come out since the late '80s and quite a few of his novels that came out before that time. He is, in my mind, one of the pre-eminent writers of our day. I say all that because I want the rest of what I have to say to be in balance. When Koontz started his reinterpretation of the Frankenstein story several years ago, it was greeted with high expectations and most fulfilled them. Book 1, co-authored with Kevin J. Anderson in 2004, was spectacular; Book 2, co-authored with Ed Gorman in 2005, was a fantastic continuation of the tale. Then something happened. Dean decided that while the books were good, he had discovered that he just could not work well in a "co-author" environment, so he decided to work on Book 3 alone. Then he decided that because of Hurricane Katrina's destruction of the real New Orleans, he would delay the release of Book 3 a bit so as not to add (fictional) insult to (real) injury. This delay was extended until mid-2009 and the resulting book was a far-less-than-satisfactory conclusion to the tale that had started off with such promise. Soon on the heels of Book 3's release, Koontz announced that he would soon begin work on a new trilogy using the same characters and in 2010, Book 4--Lost Souls--was released in hardcover (with paperback being released in November, I believe).

I delayed purchasing the new novel until it was out in paperback for two reasons. First, as I expressed above, Book 3 was so disappointing that I was not even sure I would start this new trilogy at all...author-loyalty won out eventually. Second, I have the first three book in paperback (the first two were paperback originals) and if I wanted to have them all match up fairly well on the bookshelf, this latest one should be in paperback as well. Silly notion, but that's just me.

"This is a book review," you say, "talk about the book! Was it worth reading?" Yeah...that.... It took me about 200 pages to get to the point where I really felt invested in the story and wanted to finish the book. While Koontz toned down the Jocko character just a bit, he introduced some new characters that seem to have no point so far, and he spent far too much time--in my opinion--skipping from storyline to storyline, making it a bit difficult to keep all of them fresh in the mind. By halfway through the book, though, things started to gel a bit more and I felt like I wanted to see where this was going. That means, of course, that the first half of the book was more-or-less wasted space...slow-moving exposition. The novel ended well, though, so I have higher hopes for the rest of this story.

Here's the real tragedy with this story, as I see it. Koontz has a bad habit of leaving characters in multi-novel stories to wither on the vine. In 1998, he introduced Christopher Snow in Fear Nothing and continued Snow's story in 1999's Seize the Night. He promised to conclude that trilogy in 2000, but we have heard nothing in 12 years. In 2003, Odd Thomas was introduced in his eponymous novel, followed by sequels in 2005, 2006, and 2008. That last novel, Odd Hours, told what appeared to be the first half of a story and left us on the edge of our seats to find out what happens next. At the time of its publication, Koontz declared that he has seen where the series is going and there will be 6 (or maybe 7) Odd Thomas book in all. But since 2008, he has published 6 other novels (and I'm not including the books he authored that are said to be by his late dog, Trixie), including 2 Frankenstein novels and another coming soon...but no word on when the next Odd Thomas installment will hit. Instead of making good on his promise to complete the story of his best character ever, Koontz has been all over the place with quality and subject matter. So, to bring things all back around to where I started...I do love Dean Koontz's writing, but I wish he would get back on track with the Odd Thomas books and not let him become another Chris Snow.

Agree, disagree or have something to add? Leave a comment below...

Cigar Extra: CAO Escaparate Costa Rica

Corona Gorda, 6.5" x 50 ring gauge / approx $10

Today is a companion piece to last Saturday's "Cigar Extra," featuring another cigar from CAO's Escaparate Collection: the Costa Rica. Currently it is available in various sizes still from Corona Cigar Company. This stogied features aged Nicaraguan filler from Esteli, Jalapa and Condega; an Ecuadorian binder; and a maduro Costa Rican wrapper leaf. It had a nice, soft-cornered box-press to it and a rich, earthy aroma. The wrapper leaf felt oily and velvety under my fingers and was distinctly darker in color as you moved from head to foot.

The prelight draw was mildly earthy and sweet with touches of honey. The mix of tobacco for this stick created an interesting flavor profile right from the start--the underlying earthiness I would attribute mostly to the Nicaraguan filler, while the creamy smoothness and slight sweetness I would assume is the Ecuadorian or Costa Rican leaf--or both--or maybe I'm just way off base...who knows? In any case, the blend had a very nice balance to it.

The draw on this particular sample had an issue that took a few corrections, but overall the flavor was very nice. The CAO Escaparate Costa Rica is a flavorful medium-bodied cigar that smokes easily in the morning or afternoon, especially with some coffee, tea, or cola. If you on the hunt for strength, this is the wrong cigar to light up; for me, this was a great way to spend a mid-afternoon smoke break.

Agree, disagree or have something add? Leave a comment below.