Monday Files, April 30, 2012

I’m late with today’s blog post. I can blame it on the fact that my internet went out because somebody from the county was working on the roads and cut a wire somewhere. It’s true, but I would not have been on time even if that hadn’t happened. At the time I am writing this missive, it’s 2.5 hours later than I usually like to post a new daily article and the biggest reason I’m writing now is that I have run out of other work to do because I can’t receive any e-mail. So...as soon as the web can be accessed again, I should be able to make this available to you. I have 4 things for you today...

FOUR ROSES & FOUR KICKS
So the first of four things today is about 2 “Four” things...today could quickly turn into a numerology exercise...

I recently received an email from a marketing firm asking if I'd like to sample some fine Bourbon and Scotch. I can hear a lot of people saying "Duh!" as they read that last sentence. Today I'm taking a look at the first of what they sent me...and I realized that I had already featured it as a Spirit Review a while back. I don't like to repeat myself in full reviews and I enjoyed Four Roses Single Barrel enough that I don't feel the need to back down from anything I said previously. It's just a great whiskey and that's all the is to it. I decided to approach this as a pairing instead...a couple of my favorite things: the aforementioned Bourbon and a Four Kicks Robusto by Crowned Heads, which I named my 2011 Cigar of the Year.

I am still surprised and delighted that a whiskey by Four Roses has a floral aroma to it...did they name the brand after that despite what the legend states? I guess that's possible but the official story is romantic and unique in the annals of whiskey lore, so I'll let it stand. I drink my Bourbon neat almost always and this was no exception. A single sip brought flavors of honey, vanilla, and sweet corn to my tongue, followed by a burning tingling that crept along my palate.

The Four Kicks fires up with an initial pepper burst in the sinuses and a wonderful sweet molasses taste on the palate. Together the two Fours are definitely a winning combination...sweetness and fire running throughout both, the natural ingredients of tobacco, corn, rye and barley.

I have been known to say that almost any cigar will go with almost any Bourbon and I have found that to be, for the most part, true. Four Roses Single Barrel is one of those that can easily pair with many cigars in the mild to medium all the way to full bodied range. If you're a Bourbon fan and haven't tried it, pick up a bottle and find out what you've been missing.

FOUR KICKS SELECCIÓN NO. 5
Last Friday, Crowned Heads released the long-awaited size extension of the Four Kicks brand. I went to Nashville with Wes, manager of Burns Downtown, and we got to hang out a bit at CH headquarters before the event. Jon and Mike showed us their typical hospitality, especially after we broke out the Chattanooga Whiskey for sampling. Jon also slipped me the pictured iPhone 4 case that he had MimeoCase engrave for him. Very slick.

The event at UPtown’s was also a benefit for Operation Stand Down, an organization that helps returning and homeless vets re-integrate into normal life. They raised some money, UPtown’s sold a bunch of boxes of the new “Lonsdale-esque” Selección No 5 (I got one of them...review to follow in a few weeks) and everybody seemed to have a great time. With the newly re-constituted Van Halen in town some were afraid the event would be sparsely attended, but for the true lovers of the leaf, Huber, Conder and Partridge (Scott, that is...manager of UPtowns) held sway (but really...how many people want to see Roth and Eddie these days? It just makes me think of how bad they look now compared to how “alive” they were 30 years ago).

I won’t say anything more about the actual cigar at the moment except that the box I opened hit me with a massive amount of cedar aroma and the first two cigars from it were more cedary than anything else. I smoked another from Burns Friday morning; the box had been sitting open for a while and it didn’t have the same cedar sledge hammer effect. I’m leaving the top of my box (inside the humidor) for a few days to let it air out a bit. Hopefully that will take care of it and let the cigar shine...from that one Burns-bought stick, I think this size works really well.

TWEETUP NEWS
Still looking to sell the last few $40 Tweetup tickets. I know some people are holding out until closer to the event to make sure they can go, but this is turning into nothing short of awesome, folks, so just plan on being there.

We have currently gotten “Yes” responses from about 25 companies who will be providing cigars for the multi-packs and are awaiting word from about 15 to 20 others. As soon as we reach "critical mass" with sponsors (sometime in May, I think) I'll be posting a list of all the great companies that are providing cigars.

Buy your tickets HERE.

ROOM 101 SAN ANDREAS GIVEAWAY...

And finally, the news you’ve all been waiting for (at least the 40+ folks who entered this contest...they’ve been waiting for this!)...the winner of the 5-pack of Room 101 San Andres, sizes selected by Matt Booth....

Twitter Name: @Cigar2, Mr. Andy Klueber!

Congratulations, Andy! And thanks to Matt for providing the cigars and to everyone who participated in the giveaway.

Cigar Extra: La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004

Salomon, 7.5" x 58 ring gauge / approx. $20
At the recent La Aurora event at Burns, I lucked into a slightly damaged Puro Vintage 2004 sample for free. Some schmuck had apparently picked it up and pinched it, taking a small chunk of wrapper off. Not enough to cause it to be unsmokeable in the least, but with a $20 cigar, any cosmetic flaw is unacceptable, so...the rep gave it to me. So I have the opportunity to see if I would actually pay so much for one of these. This 2004 Puro Vintage is shorter and smaller of ring gauge than the 2003 version. I asked Guillermo Leon about that and he said that it was because two things: first, cost...these are about $5 a stick cheaper; second, many people were intimidated by the size and time commitment that the 2003 entailed...it's hard to find 2 hours plus to smoke a behemoth like that.

So this Puro Vintage 2004 had a nice look with an oily wrapper and a more modern La Aurora band. It had a nice sweet aroma to the band with an earthiness to the foot. The draw was very easy and the cold flavors were very sweet, almost berry-like. I lit this one up on a stormy-looking afternoon...wind was blowing and rain was threatening, but nothing too bad was happening yet. I paired it with my last drops of Prichard Fine Rum. The cigar lit easily and greeted me with earth and natural tobacco notes, along with mild pepper spice and roasted nuts on the nose. Shortly into the first third, the burn was getting wonky (but it was windy, so that could be part of it) and I got a nice citrusy zing in the flavor. Very interesting...and very different from what I had experienced with the 2003.

The Puro Vintage 2004 continued on with a nice mix of earth and leather flavor notes along with a hint of molasses sweetness and pepper spice. I liked it, but couldn't help but feel like the 2003 version was more enjoyable, at least to me. Make no mistake...this is a very good cigar, but I felt like it fell just short of utter greatness, which is something I would have to have in a stogie with this kind of price tag. It did go well with the rum, although I tend to think that this medium-to-full bodied stick would go equally well with a nice bourbon as well.

Cigar Review: La Aurora Escogidoes Maduro

Robusto, 5" x 50 ring gauge / approx. $6.25
Some rare cigars cost an arm and a leg to acquire...some just require you to know someone, go somewhere, or buy something else. Such is the case, for the most part, with the Escogidos line from La Aurora. This was originally made as a "factory cigar"...although I'll be honest in saying that I saw none when I visited the factory last year.  You could also acquire them from a rep that had them. And it's still possible to buy them from one online retailer who shall remain nameless here. I received 10 of them--half a box--when I purchased a box of other La Aurora product at the February event when Guillermo Leon visited Burns. I've smoked a couple and I thought I'd give the line a little "review love." I couldn't find much info about these online...and since they are not a regular line, it's easy to understand why...but from what I could gather they probably use Dominican leaf for filler and binder and a Brazilian Mata Fina for the wrapper.

The online retailer that sells these lists the "Wrapper Color" as "Maduro"...which sort of goes to the level of knowledge of the company and, sadly, their clientele. Let's go through this again: Maduro does not mean "dark" (that's Oscuro) or "strong" (that's Fuerte)...it means "Ripe" and is a reference to a longer, hotter fermentation process that brings out more sweetness in tobacco. Maduro on a label is no guarantee of strength, although some are stronger...honestly, many of the best Maduros are medium-bodied. Classroom time over...back to the review. You might expect a factory-only/event-only cigar to have a cheap band, but La Aurora did not made a substandard appearance choice here. It is classy and as rich-looking as just about anything you'll see on the shelves in the sub-$10 price range. The wrapper leaf had some larger veins, but the milk chocolate coloration was mostly even and it was oily to the touch. On the body, I got a rich chocolatey aroma with a little earthiness mixed in; the foot had a stronger earth and dark roast coffee. After a clean cut, I got a good, even draw that had notes of sweetened cocoa, wood, earth and anise.

I found the Escogidos Maduro a little difficult to get lit and once it was there it did not produce a great amount of smoke. Initially, I got a mixture of semi-sweet and very bitter flavors...a little cocoa and espresso...along with a slightly sour citrus note. There was a very minor note of pepper spice on the retrohale along with some cedar and more cocoa powder. The draw was a bit tight to begin, but opened up better as the first third burned through. Along the way, I got a strong earthiness up front with a balancing sweet cocoa flavor and more cedar. The sour citrus notes went away before the first third was over. 

Construction proved to be very good overall; after the tight draw at the beginning, it opened up to acceptable, although still just a bit snug. The ash held on tightly for over half an inch and the burn line was very even.

In the last third, the Escogidos Maduro did not exhibit a great deal of complexity...it was mainly earthy with some sweetness. But it was still very good. Why has this cigar not been produced for sale in shops everywhere? Hard to say. I guess the company needs to have something a little exclusive that you can't just get everywhere...and this is a nice choice...a cigar that is very good, making you feel like you did not just get a bundle stick thrown in as an "extra" when you buy a box at an event. The flavor throughout was very pleasant without every overwhelming the palate in any way. The medium body makes it accessible to just about any level of smoker and I definitely look forward to the rest of them I have...and to getting more at some date in the future.

Body: 6/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 6/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10

Cigar Review: Tatuaje Cojonu 2012 Reserva

Toro-ish, 6" x 52 ring gauge / $14.99, Maxamar's

Today I'll be covering one of Pete Johnson's latest release in the Cojonu line, the Cojonu 2012 Reserva.  They come packed in a book like box with 10 of these cigars with a Sumatra wrapper and 10 with this wrapper.  The box is very nice looking and is well made.  The cigars come bundled in wax paper as well.  The cigar is comprised of Nicaraguan filler and binder, with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.  It looks like a maduro, but I can't find any information supporting that idea.  This cigar was the fourth one of these I smoked.

The wrapper on this sample was a medium brown in color with some darker mottling to it.  There were some medium and fine veins and a good amount of oils as well.  There wasn't as much tooth as I'm used to seeing on CT Broadleaf wrappers though.  The box press was well done, but the edges were still pretty rounded.  When I gave the cigar a squeeze I got a slight amount of give without any soft spots.  The wrapper gave off the aroma of chocolate and cedar with barnyard coming from the foot.  After clipping and taking a cold draw on it I got notes of cocoa powder and cedar with and ok draw.

The cigar started off with notes of sweet caramel, leather, earth and a red pepper spice.  After taking a few more puffs on it the spice was also very noticeable on the retrohale.  Getting a little farther into the cigar brought notes of chocolate and coffee.  The draw opened up pretty nicely but the burn was a little wavy.  I would classify this cigar at the upper end of medium in regards to strength and body. 

As I moved on into the second third the spice went into the background with the flavors in the forefront of chocolate, leather, earth, cinnamon and wood.  I did get a slight creaminess on the finish as well. 

The final third didn't see a whole lot of change other than the spice and strength ramped up a bit.  The draw continued to be perfect and the burn while slightly wavy didn't require any touchups.  I still wouldn't classify this cigar out of the upper end of medium range.  This example didn't seem as full flavored and full of strength as the other samples I have tried.

Overall this was quite an enjoyable cigar.  Although I think the price is a few dollars too high.  If you like Tatuaje brown labels or the Reserva line you definitely need to give this one a try.  For the rest of you, while this example was medium, the other ones I've tried were at the bottom end of full in strength so take that into consideration if you are sensitive to strong cigars.


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

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 8.5/10

Cigar Review & Giveaway: Room 101 San Andres

213 (Corona), 5.5” x 44 ring gauge / $5.80, Burns
Red flags were going off for me in three very specific areas for this cigar: filler, binder and wrapper. Would this be a stogie I would like at all? “Why so doubtful about it?” you ask...well, simply put, I’m on record as not being a big fan of any of the components that were used in this cigar’s creation...but as I’ve found out over the years, it’s not always as simple as saying, “I don’t like Honduran tobacco” or “I don’t like Mexican wrappers.” Looking a little more critically at this particular blend, the guts (binder and filler) are a mix of Corojo and Criollo leaves from the Camacho farms in Honduras; and while I’m not generally a big fan of “Honduran-heavy” blends, Camacho seems to be one of those companies that does not have a big problem getting exceedingly tasty leaf out of Honduras. The wrapper is a Turrent-family Mexican San Andres Seco leaf; again I’ve never been a huge fan of a lot of the Mexican wrappers used, but there are notable exceptions (like the Padron 1964 Maduro wrapper...yes, it’s every bit Mexican...or the Tatuaje Face or Ortega Serie D). Still...I’m not wild about Honduran...not loco for Mexican...and went into this particular cigar with no real faith that it would be all that good. Sound harsh? I’m trying to be honest...and honestly, this stick really surprised me.

The Fu on the band of this one was brown (a very good match to the wrapper color) with gold. Understated, but attractive. Since the Connecticut has basically the same banding look and these are both described as part of the Room 101 “Core Lines” I am wondering if the original 101 will be revamped at some point with similar packaging. Maybe not, but it makes sense. The wrapper was a milk chocolate brown color with very little in the way of oily sheen, but there definitely was an oily feel when I touched the wrapper. I noticed that it was not perfectly round...a little lopsided in the roll with a little bulge in one spot. The wrapper had an earthy aroma with a touch of black coffee to it; the foot was just plain earthy with a rich, fresh manure note. The cold draw was very good and had a mixture of natural tobacco and hay flavors with just a touch of sweetness.

After firing up the 101 San Andres, I got notes of cocoa powder, coffee bean and natural tobacco on the palate, along with a searing spicy pepper burn on the retrohale. Someone at last weeks Room 101 event said that this was not supposed to be a spicy cigar, but in this particular size, it definitely is...especially if you are a retrohaler. The spiciness died down before the first third was done, but in the several of these that I smoked, it never fully went away...it just stayed at a nice level. The mix of Honduran and Mexican leaf was giving me flavors of cedar, earth, coffee and cocoa...really, all the best things you can expect from these two countries of origin without any of the more negative aspects I have come to expect.

There was not a huge amount of flavor change in the second third of the Room 101 San Andres, but it did continue to display a very nice flavor profile that I liked a lot. This particular stick was doing pretty well in the construction department, with a few minor touchups needed to keep it burning evenly, but nothing in the way of draw problems. I say “this particular stick” because I’ve had two others that have had issues: another 213 that had several voids at one spot in the bunch, making it hard to keep the fire going; and a Papi Chulo that went out on my within two minutes of lighting it up...then went out again four minutes later...then showed one of the largest voids I’ve ever seen in a cigar. I wish this were the extent of is, but a couple other people at last week’s event noticed some similar problems on various sizes. I’m not ready to say this is a big problem, but I will suggest to the manufacturer that they keep an eye out for these issues as it might be a bigger problem than is really acceptable.

The great flavors continued on into the last third of this cigar and I would have to judge that Mr. Booth and the Camacho crew have definitely succeeded in creating what is the most flavorful of the core Room 101 lines. I got more coffee and cocoa powder, with just enough sweetness to round out the profile. The body is medium to medium-plus and the strength never got beyond the midpoint, so this one would be easy for all but the newest of smokers to enjoy. This does point out that although I’ve been known to call Honduran leaf “boring” and Mexican wrappers “bitter” they do not always have to be. The best Honduran and Mexican leaf can produce some really fantastic smokes.

Body: 7/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 5/10

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

CIGAR GIVEAWAY

Matt Booth selected this 5-pack himself. He may have even sat down and rolled them himself while he was in Honduras. It's even possible it personally draw tested each and every one of them. Okay...those last two items were not true...but I asked if he wanted to do a giveaway of this new blend and he enthusiastically said, "Booya!!!!" I wasn't sure what that meant at the time, but after he gave me the 5-pack I'm talking about, it became more clear.

We will do this in the traditional way...leave a comment below and you will be entered into the fray. (If you post using the "Anonymous" method, make sure to leave your name in the message so we know who to contact if you win.)

If you want another chance at the feeding frenzy, put out a message on Twitter spreading the word about the giveaway. Make sure to mention @Room101Cigars and @dmjones1009 in the Tweet. If you can't think of something more original, you can use this:

Win a @Room101Cigars San Andres 5-pack at the Tiki Bar Online! http://tinyurl.com/878cngg @dmjones1009

I'm going to leave this contest open through midnight Eastern Time on Saturday, April 28, 2012 and will reveal the winner in the day or two after.

The Monday Files, April 23, 2012

Late Happy Earth Day to everyone. I hope you celebrated Earth Day as I did...firing up a nice cigar (or two or three) and watching a tire fire in your driveway, along with letting your car idle for hours on end and cranking the home A/C down to 50 even though it’s cold and windy outside. Y’know, expanding your carbon footprint to make up for all the tree-huggin’, bleeding heart, hippie wanna-bes out there. Here are a few things I wanted to draw your attention to...

ROMACRAFT JOINS THE TWEET-UP LINE-UP
No...I simply cannot let a week go by without word of the Chattanooga Tweet-Up, happening Friday and Saturday, August 24 and 25. But wait...that’s not all the story when it comes to dates. We have just confirmed that for those able to come into town a day early, there will be a special Thursday night Tweet-Up Weekend Kickoff event at Burns East. Skip Martin (you may remember him as @ChiefHava from Twitter) will be on hand to help introduce his blends to the world of cigar B&Ms beyond his own virtual B&M, Hava Cigar. Word is that Burns Tobacconist will be the first B&M in the country to host the full line of Skip’s cigars from RoMa Craft: CroMagnon, Intemperance, and CroMagnon Acquitaine (due out right around the time of the event). Also expected to make an appearance is the 7.5 x 56 CroMagnon “Slobber Knocker,” a vitola that Skip says will be event-only.

Thursday night is normally “member night” at Burns and features a buffet dinner. Those who are already members know all about this; for those coming in for the Tweet-Up, we are working on a way to include you in the dinner portion at this point for a nominal charge...maybe even just a “minimum purchase and dinner’s included” type of thing. The bottom line, though, is this...if you haven’t made your travel arrangements for Chattanooga yet, you may want to make plans to get there for Thursday evening. Buy your tickets HERE.

CHATTANOOGA WHISKEY FUNDRAISER
Speaking of recurring themes, this is the third week in a row that my Monday article has had some mention of the Chattanooga Whiskey Company. First things first...I picked up my first bottle of 1816 Reserve last week and, guess what? It. Is. Great. Drinking it apart from any interview or party--in the comfort of my own home, or porch, whatever--it was even better than I had noticed before. Retail price in Chattanooga turned out to be about $25, which was better than I had expected, too. Bottom line: whiskey fans must try this out.

I picked up the bottle on the way to Burns Wednesday for the Room 101 event (more on that below) and soon after I got home, I noticed a link to THIS SITE in my Facebook news feed. Here’s the deal: Joe and Tim from Chattanooga Whiskey Company are trying to start a grass-roots effort to bring distilling back to the city, something that hasn’t been allowed in about 100 years. They need money for this effort, though, so they started up a KickStarter campaign to raise $10,000. The rewards for contributing at different levels are pretty awesome including the opportunity to have your name etched into a wall of American White Oak on the wall of the distillery once it is built. I’m proud to say my name will be among those listed (about 70 so far), and I’d love to see some other Tiki Bar readers’ names up there, too. To get your name up there all you have to give is $10; if you are a whiskey fan (or whiskey geek, for that matter), please consider giving to this cause.

PARTY TIME IN ROOM 101
Matt Booth is a character...who else can show up in Chattanooga and get a rep from another company to show up just to hang out...and another brand owner showing up as well? Okay...there might be some others, but I just wanted to point out how well-loved Mr. Booth is in the industry...and how legendary his penchant for fairly non-destructive fun is.

Wednesday night Matt debuted the Room 101 San Andres at Burns Tobacconist (maybe not technically the “debut” of the line, but the debut at this shop...and it was on the week that the cigars shipped). This new cigar is a relatively inexpensive addition to the Room 101 core lines (which include the original 101 and the Connecticut until now) and I will be posting a full review tomorrow. I’ll also say “Thank You” right now to Matt Booth who generously provided a 5-pack of 101 San Andres for a giveaway in conjunction with tomorrow’s review.

Seems that on the way from Nashville to Chattanooga, Mr. Booth and the brand rep made a stop at a little shop in the middle of the freeway:



About 10:00 we had a load of fireworks in a cigar shop where open flames are common. Brave? Maybe. Stupid? Probably.

The following video shows some of the show before the cops showed up. The video is dark, so you can’t see who was doing what...and that’s probably for the best...protecting the less-than-innocent, and all...

Cigar Extra: Ortega Serie D

No. 12, 5" x 52 ring gauge / approx. $7.50
Okay, so first thing that popped into my head when I heard Eddie Ortega was doing a new brand was "Why?...he already owns a brand." I've since been given a couple theories...and they make sense, so I'll just leave it be. The second thing was "Mexican wrapper? Shoot!" If you've been reading these pages long you'll know my aversion to most Mexican wrapper leaves...almost like Keith's aversion to Cameroon wrapper. There are definitely great examples of either of our least favorite wrapper leaves, but so many examples are just...meh. I had to hold back, though, and wait to give these a try as they are made by My Father Cigars and are issuing forth from the mind of Eddie, who has been behind some of my favorite cigars (601 Red and Cubao Maduro come immediately to mind). Eddie did generous send me a sampler pack of these...I gave some to retailer friends who hadn't had a chance to try them yet, and smoked about three myself. The filler and binder are all Nicaraguan from Esteli and Jalapa; the wrapper is a Mexican Maduro from the San Andres Valley.

Beautiful and oily to the eye and to the touch, with an aroma like chocolate...and yes, as Keith mentioned in his review a few weeks ago, the band is quite Christmasy. Thanks for putting that in my mind, Keith...now I expect a line of ornaments to show up around November. The Serie D opened up very earthy and with a rich bitterness of dark roast coffee and baker's cocoa, though it was mostly balanced well by a chocolatey sweetness. I say mostly because this vitola did not seem quite as well balanced in this department as a couple of the others I had tried. It is amazing how a small size difference can affect what is essentially the same blend.

The Ortega Serie D was very good overall in this size. It had a nice blend of earth, pepper spice, cocoa powder and sweetness, all of which increased and decreased in intensity several times. While it definitely had the flavor of a Mexican wrapper, it wasn't dominated by bitter notes like many of them are. I would compare it favorably to a Padron 1964 Maduro...only at a little over the price. Very nice, indeed.

RoMa Craft Tobac Intemperance BA XXI Envy Contest Winner

Sorry for the delay announcing the winner. And the winner of the 5 pack of Intemperance BA XXI Envy is:

Sticks of MN

Please send your mailing address to tikibaronline@mac.com ASAP.

Congrats!

Also since the other guy didn't respond in a week I'm going to draw another winner for the Intemperance EC XVIII Faith 5 pack. The new winner is:

Paul Tyler

Please send your mailing address to the above email address ASAP.

I want to thank RoMa Craft Tobac again for the generosity and also a big thanks to all that participated!

Cigar Review: Viaje Late Harvest

Corona Gorda, 6" x 48 ring gauge / $9.30, Burns
After the last couple Viaje cigars I smoked, I declared myself "over the hype." It's not that the cigars are not good. More often than not, they are at least good...in the case of the VOR I had last year, great would be appropriate. The problem is too many seemed to be going toward the "how hard can we smack you in the head with a 2x4" area in the strength category. Except for well-defined times (you know when they are) smoking a cigar shouldn't be about a challenge...it should be about relaxing and enjoying life. With that attitude, my patience for very strong cigars is pretty short. Give me something great tasting regardless of strength or fullness of body...I'd much rather have a flavor explosion in a mild or medium smoke than a fairly flavorless strong cigar. I digress...so I ignored the Late Harvest when they came out because I was. Pretty much "over" Viaje. Months later, it seems like I'm not the only one because there were still Late Harvest from the original batch sitting on the shelf. I decided to pop for one and see what all the fuss was a out. I know a few friends that really loved these, after all...maybe this one justified the hype machine. As is fairly normal with Viaje, these are said to be Nicaraguan puros. In a somewhat familiar story, the Late Harvest borrows a concept from the wine industry, allowing the leaves to remain on the plant a bit longer so they have more...well, grapes left on the vine longer get more sugar content. Tobacco leaves get thicker and maybe oilier so they would be stronger in elasticity as well as flavor. This review is based on my first experience with this blend.

The appearance is nice...normal for Viaje, but nothing super special, either. The band is the regular Oro design with a bit more art denoting the Late Harvest in words and graphics. The wrapper leaf had a slightly oily, velvety touch, a relatively dark brown color with a touch of patchy mottling that was darker, and a few veins that would qualify as medium to large. The pigtail cap was extraordinarily tight and overall build quality looked great. Putting nose to wrapper, I got an intense aroma of earth with a bit of a chocolatey overtone; the foot was an intense dark chocolate aroma. The prelight draw was excellent and had a great mix of earth, cedar and cocoa powder flavor.

It was clear from the early going that this was going to be a potent cigar. The smoke was full bodied and spicy, rich in cedar flavor on the palate and roasted nuts on the retrohale. A few minutes in, I noticed a thick molasses sweetness coming through as well, although more of an accenting note than anything else. I was not sure what to think of the Late Harvest by the end of the first third. It was plenty strong and definitely full bodied, but it presented a fairly unique and unusual flavor profile, with dark fruit, cinnamon, earth, molasses and cedar all seemingly mixed together. Sometimes this mixture worked and other times it made me scratch my head and wonder what was going on.

As I burned through the second third, though, the Late Harvest started coming into clearer focus. It was very leathery with a good amount of earth and spice, but not much else at this point. The flavors just seemed to have become a little more deadened and more like the Viaje stuff I've been avoiding for the past 6 or 8 months. It reminded me somewhat of the last Skull and Bones I had, but not quite as strong. Construction was superb, with a great draw, flawless burn line and strong ash that held on for up to an inch.

That same flavor profile continued into the last third and left me more than a little disappointed. This cigar started with great promise to be unique and complex, but ended being little more than a slightly less strong version of some of the other stuff Viaje has been producing in the last couple years. Maybe it just comes down to the fact that I am not a fan of the "Viaje flavor profile" and that's fine...my lack of buying them will be made up for by the ones who love them. I will say that it is interesting that over the last year sales of the brand have seemed to erode dramatically, with cigars that used to sell out overnight sitting on the shelves for months now. Maybe the market for this kind of limited release mania is drying up? Strength and body will make this a cigar that newbies should just avoid; Viaje fans will find a home here, though.

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

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

Cigar Review: Sosa Underground Delphic

Perfecto, 5.5" x 41 ring gauge / $6.5 MSRP

This is the last in the series on the Sosa cigars. Today I'll be doing a full review on the Sosa Cigars Underground. You can see Dave's short review here. To me it was slightly odd looking with the two different colored wrappers that were unevenly applied. Mine were also slightly squished too. The main wrapper was a medium dark brown while the one of the ends was a lighter greyish brown in color. It was fairly lumpy and had one huge jagged vein going pretty much the entire length of the cigar. The wrapper was fairly oily and there was some tooth to it. When I gave it a squeeze I couldn't find any soft spots and it was fairly firm to the tough. Putting my nose to the wrapper I noted the aroma of barnyard, with some hay and barnyard coming from the closed foot. I clipped both ends and took a cold draw on it and I got notes of leather and wood with a tight draw.

It took some doing to get this thing burning completely. The draw started off very tight as well. I got notes of leather, cedar, cream and a black pepper spice. The draw did open up very nicely after it got to the straight part of the cigar. I started to get a good amount of spice on the retrohale at this point. The flavors of earth and coffee, with a slightly sweet finish, started to come through as well. The burn was ok, but started to canoe. The very white ash held on for about half an inch before needing to be tapped off. I would classify this cigar as medium-full at this point.

The second third really didn't see much change in the flavor of the cigar, with the exception of a green herbal spice note starting to come through. The spice did tone down quite a bit as I moved into the second third. The ash was a little flaky and tended to get all over the table with the slight wind blowing at that time.

The final third was pretty much the same as the second third other than the burn pretty much evened itself out. I would still classify it in the medium-full range.

Overall this was a good cigar. It is something that I'd pick up to have from time to time, but I'd probably try the robusto size to see how it worked. I will say that this was the Sosa cigar I enjoyed the most. If this sounded like something you'd enjoy I'd suggest picking one up to try if you find one, especially at the very reasonable price.

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

AFP Scale
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8/10

Cigar Review: Room 101 OSOK

 Filero, 4.5" x 52 max ring gauge (perfecto) / $8.40, Burns Tobacconist
There are so many places I could start with this cigar review. One possibility is to talk about the mid-80s. Yes, going back 25 years or so...not many people at the time made Perfecto cigars because they had to be shaped by hand and there just were not many rollers with enough skill to accomplish mass production. Carlos Fuente Jr. is credited with changing that when he found some very old molds and revived the shape with the Hemingway line. Adoption of this new Perfecto shape was slow, but it seems like today everyone is making something in a Perfecto...I've even found very cheap bundle-type Salomones. The best rollers for the best companies, though, typify these cigars: La Flor Dominicana Salomones, La Aurora Puro Vintage and now Camacho with the Room 101 LTD OSOK.

The other place to start would be with the founding of the Room 101 cigar brand itself, when Matt Booth first hooked up with Edgar Hoill, a masterful photographer whose work has been showcased on nearly all Room 101 Cigars marketing since. Edgar's nickname is OSOK, which is derived from the sniper's mantra: One Shot One Kill. Edgar likes to display that deadly precision wherever he points his camera lens.

The first Room 101 LTD was the Conjura, which turned out to be less limited than expected, with a second release in 2011. The second was the Namakubi, which has had one release so far, but while Matt Booth told me could be made again...IF the correct tobacco was available. This third in the LTD series is scheduled for a release of 10,000 cigars in each of 3 sizes...a total of 30,000 sticks, available in boxes of 10. I'm borrowing factual information on these numbers and the blend tobacco from Cigar Coop; you can read his review HERE. The filler for the OSOK is Corojo and Piloto Ligero from Honduras and the Dominican Republic. The binder is Honduran Corojo Seco. The wrapper is another example of Ecuadorian Habano, which seems to be a very popular choice in the last year or so. I had an early version of the OSOK last August at the Chattanooga Tweet-Up and I'll tell you right now...this is NOT the same cigar. While I didn't get a chance to truly evaluate that one, I remember it as a light colored wrapper with a rather mild flavor and body. This review is based on the first sampling of this vitola and blend. If all goes well, I will be adding a postscript based on a second size of this blend.

Is Matt Booth an Oakland Raiders fan? I ask because silver and black is so often prominent in his packaging. Before we get there, though, there's the issue of the outer packaging. How can I describe the outer wrapper except as a "do-rag for a cigar"? Unrolled, the art is something you might expect in a Dia de Los Muertos celebration, paying tribute to Edgar's Hispanic roots. Peel off the do-rag and you'll find a tissue paper wrapper...peel off that and you find the cigar with the black and silver band I mentioned earlier. It is cool and classy looking. The wrapper leaf was as dark as some Maduros, and one of the darkest Habano Ecuadors I can remember seeing. It had a fair amount of oiliness to the touch and to the eye and just a few medium sized veins in evidence. The aroma from the wrapper was earthy and leathery. As with most Perfectos, there is no reason to mention an aroma from the foot as it is too diminutive to generate much of one. The cold draw was better than is typical with a Perfecto and had a nice cedar up front along with an earthy quality I seemed to remember from the Namakubi.

Lighting was easy with a single flame torch. In the early going, I got mostly a smoky earthiness on the palate along with some cedar and pepper spice on the nose. The spice died down pretty quickly and I noticed one side of the OSOK starting to tunnel...an unfortunately common occurrence in a Perfecto. One touch up was all it took to get it back in order, though, so that's not bad. As I got past the bulge at the foot, the flavors got a little duller. There was earth and wood still, but muted and somewhat non-distinct.

One friend told me, "I made the mistake of smoking one on an empty stomach...it's the strongest thing Matt's made." I didn't find that to be true so far, but it was in the medium to full body range. The strength issue may be down more to what vitola you smoke...I did to catch what size my friend had. Another friend remarked, "it's by far the best thing Room 101 has released." I wasn't finding that to be the case, either...at least not for me. Everyone has their own tastes in cigars, but by the end of the second third, I was finding that the Namakubi is a favorable blend for my palate. Not that this was bad...just not as good.

Flavors picked up in the final third...I got more cedar and a bit more spice to go with the earthier aspects. To tell the truth I had almost written this off as another good-not-great Honduran-heavy cigar until now, but the influence of the Corojo seemed to become more prevalent, lending some extra interest to the proceedings. Construction was superb, with that early touch up being all that was needed to keep the burn line even. The draw was nothing short of perfect the entire time. Perfectos are usually a little more expensive than Parejo shaped cigars and this was no exception, but the price still was not exorbitant. The medium to full body might keep newer smokers away, but the strength level of this short smoke was not too much. Definitely a worthy addition to the Room 101 family and for me, the second best cigar to wear the name after Namakubi. Pick up some OSOK while you can...there is no telling how long they will last or if they will be produced again.

Body: 7/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 7/10

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

Chattanooga Whiskey Launch Party...and more...

I hope you were able to tune in for my exclusive, extended interview with Joe Ledbetter of Chattanooga Whiskey last Monday; if not, clear your schedule and click HERE. Last Friday, April 13, was the official launch party for the brand, held at Lindsay Street Hall in Downtown Chattanooga. Billed as "The First Taste" and "History Continues" it was a great party attended by upwards of 800 people, including area restaurant and bar owners, area movers and shakers, and the general public.

As promised, most of these folks were getting their first taste of the new 1816 Reserve (I was fortunate enough to have about a week's head start in that regard). The folks behind the brand also spiced things up with some Chattanooga Whiskey-based cocktails, including the Chattanooga Cherry which went over very well. From what I can tell, this is basically a Tequila Sunrise, using orange juice and grenadine, but substituting whiskey for tequila. While I normally drink my whiskey as God intended it (neat), I enjoyed the Chattanooga Cherry as well.

Burns Tobacconist was in attendance with their mobile cigar lounge and as Matt said at one point: "It's just really great to see people drinking and smoking." This is not about excess, though...more about people relaxing and being able to enjoy themselves.

According to reports, Chattanooga Whiskey will be available today (April 16) in the Chattanooga area as well as Nashville and Memphis. So all you Tennessee readers...get out there and buy some! For the rest of the country, the wait shouldn't be too long. From what I could gather, plans are afoot to bring this to a national audience of whiskey enthusiasts, with states added fairly quickly in the coming months. And if you still can't get it in your area...come to Chattanooga on August 24 and 25 for the Tweet-Up. Chattanooga Whiskey is part of the event and we will do our best to make sure that one of our nearby stores has plenty on hand so you can take a bottle home with you.

I've posted some pictures from the event on my Facebook page.

CIGAR BOSS UPDATE

For all of you who have an iPhone or Android handset, it's time to upgrade to the latest version of the Cigar Boss app. I downloaded the new version the other day and am very impressed with the increase in speed and responsiveness in the app and definitely see how I could end up using it more often. Sonny Westmoreland sent out this Press Release on Friday:

Cigar Boss Releases Android, iOS 3.0

Orlando, Florida – April 13th, 2012:  Cigar Boss, Inc. announced today that its highly popular iOS application, Cigar Boss, is now available for Android devices on the Google Play Marketplace. The company also released version 3.0 of its iOS software. This will be the first Cigar Boss release for Android and the company’s 3rd release for iOS (2.0 was released 11/21/11). The Android application will be priced the same as its iOS counterpart, with a free (& fully-functional) ad-supported version and a Pro version for $2.99 (no ads).
“We’re very excited to finally release Cigar Boss for Android. When we first started Cigar Boss, we didn’t think there would be a very high demand for the Android version, but boy were we wrong!” said Sonny Westmoreland Jr., Cigar Boss’s President. “While the first release for Android won’t have all the features as our new iOS 3.0 version, it will still be the most comprehensive cigar app available for Android and something we know will bewelcomed in the Android community.”

Cigar Boss is a mobile application that provides information and reviews on thousands of cigars along with a host of other tools. The app lets the user keep track of cigars in their humidor, take notes on the cigars they smoke, stay up-to-date with the industry’s best blogs and helps the user discover new cigars and local cigar shops. “We want to be a all-inclusive information source for the consumer on the go. Cigar Boss is packed with over 20 features that are simple enough to engage the novice and advanced enough to impress the connoisseur.”

Cigar Boss Version 3.0 for iOS is also available today as a free upgrade on the iOS App Store. The 3.0 release includes over 17 new features and functions that promise to further enhance the application. Some of the new features include the Cigar Boss Community, the ability to add a cigar that isn’t currently in the database, a wish list, and adding photos and Twitter handles to your tweets.

“The great part about app development is that you never have a final product. We’ve already started working on Android 2.0 and iOS 4.0 with full iPad support. We’re in this for the long haul, and we truly hope to revolutionize the way that consumers interact with cigars.”

Cigar Boss announced in early March that it’s user base had surged past 20,000 active users and that the company will attend the annual IPCPR trade show in Orlando this year to promote its preferred store program.

For more information regarding Cigar Boss, Sonny Westmoreland Jr. can be reached at sonny@cigarbossapp.com or twitter via @Cigar_Boss_App

PETITION THE WHITE HOUSE

If you have not yet heard, there is a petition drive going on in the cigar community. Here's the text on the White House's website:

we petition the obama administration to:

Not Allow The FDA To Regulate Premium Cigars

Dear Mr. President:

The FDA is considering the creation of regulations for the premium cigar industry. These regulations will jeopardize over 85,000 American jobs, destroy America’s “mom & pop” premium cigar retailers & manufacturers, and risk over 250,000 jobs in Latin American that produce cigars, impacting the economic/political stability in the region.

We hope you will stand up for small businesses that dot Main Street America & recognize that premium cigars are enjoyed by adults, are not addictive and therefore do not conform to the Congressional intent of the Family Smoking Prevention & Tobacco Control Act.

Tell the FDA to leave our premium cigars alone. With this nation's more pressing issues, harming my simple ability to enjoy a cigar should not be a priority of the government.

As of this writing there are just over 10,000 signatures with almost 15,000 more required before May 11, 2012, to reach the goal of even being considered. If you have not already signed, please click HERE and do so now. If you have signed already, encourage all your friends and family (whether they smoke cigars or not) to do so. This is not just a matter of "smokers' rights" but a matter of not destroying small businesses and, even more importantly, not allowing our freedoms we enjoy in this country to be further eroded.

262 "Shift Your Paradigm" Winners

It's time to announce more Tiki Bar contest winners, this time the lucky 3 winners of the "Shift Your Paradigm" Contest sponsored by Clint and Mike from 262 Cigars. Thank you to all who participated and especially for those of your who signed up for the 262 Underground team. The winners are...(drum roll please)...

Jake Payne (@Swervature)

Jeremy Hensley (@Stogiejdog)

Michael Consatine

262 Cigars will be taking care of mailing out the prize packs in the very near future. Congratulations!

A LITTLE NEWS...

While we're here and talking about 262 Cigars, I figured this would be a good time to post the press release that Mike Justice sent out the other day:

THE ROAD TO COME

The dust has yet to settle on the Manifesto Tour, and we are looking ahead to the release of a new cigar line later this year. This year will also bring a facelift to the Paradigm and Ideology lines. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on all the happenings.

We have a full year of new cigars, new sizes, new events and more!

But as for now, please visit a 262 retailer near you to enjoy one of our 3 existing lines, Paradigm, Ideology, and Manifesto…the makings of a Revolution!

We are glad to see the Revolution keep rolling! And we're happy to play even a small part in getting more smokers interested in their products, whether it be through our reviews, contests like we just wrapped up...or the Chattanooga Tweet-Up in August, where 262 Cigars will be one of our sponsors (will I let a week go by without mentioning the Tweet-Up in some blog post? No...not gonna happen!). If you are on Twitter, I highly encourage you to follow @262Cigars and @SmokeTheRev.

Cigar Extra: Sosa Underground

Delphic (perfecto), 5.5" x 41 ring gauge / MSRP $6.50
Reading the marketing materials, I was struck by the question, "What makes a cigar hip?" (Or hep, or cool, or snazzy, or dope...I guess it all depends on when you grew up.) judging from the Sosa Underground and other "hip" cigars of the day, I guess tattoo art is a big thing. The packaging for the Underground features art my Miami inker, Jay Barranco, and I guess it's also fitting that the cigars were actually made in Miami as well. They are Nicaraguan puros with a Habano varietal wrapper and production is limite, but the price is still very reasonable. As with other recent Sosa products, this was sent by the company free of charge; I did review a different size a while back, and that one I paid for myself.

In looking over this Perfecto, I found the head and foot to be not all that attractive...almost like they had been smashed flat. I suppose that could have happened in transit. The aroma from the wrapper was earthy and leathery. Due to the closed foot, the cold draw was just a little tight, but I got very earthy notes prelight. After lighting, the Underground displayed tons of earthy and leathery flavors, but really not much more. Not that it was bad at all...just a bit one-dimensional during the first third.

As the Underground continued to burn, I picked up on a bit of spice and overall it was a medium to full bodied stick, missing out on the true "full bodied" experience that the marketing materials claim. I liked the cigar, but still felt like it didn't deliver a great deal of complexity. It does carry a very good price tag, though, so it is daunting to give it a try if they show up in your local shop.

RoMa Craft Tobac Intemperance EC XVIII Faith Contest Winner

And the winner of the 5 Pack of Intemperance EC cigars is:

Kbenham

Congratulations! Please send us your mailing address and we will get it to Skip.

Thank you to all of those that participated! Remember we still have another one going on for the BA cigar here.

Cigar Review: 60 by Sosa

660 s, 6" x 60 ring gauge / MSRP $7.00
The current series of taking a look at the lineup of cigars from Sosa leads us today to the 60 by Sosa. I have to admit right up front...I was not looking forward to this one. Despite having smoked a few large ring cigars recently that I actually liked, I maintain my position that big flavor most often comes in small ring gauges and that large ring gauge sticks tend to deaden most flavors. I like being proven wrong, though, so I shall light up this monster and give it a try. The 60 is available in 4 lengths: 4, 5, 6 and 7 inches...all at 60 ring gauge (imagine that). These are made in Honduras and feature an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, but I couldn't find any company-issued information on filler and binder makeup. As with the other Sosa offerings of late, this was provided by the company that makes them; I would like to pause and thank them for letting me sample the cigars they are producing.

DAVE SAID:

The photos on the sell sheet show a fairly dark wrappered cigar with a nice oily sheen. What I got was a couple shades darker than a Connecticut Shade leaf...similar to some Cameroon leaves really. It wasn't all that oily, but nothing really to complain about either. It had a few medium veins but when I looked closer, I could see an intricate latticework of tiny, delicate veins. Lifting cigar to nose, I got a nice hay note with a touch of molasses on the wrapper, and a rich earthiness with chocolate on the foot. My Xikar Xi cutter managed to almost destroy the cap, even though I have used it daily and not had similar problems with other cigars...and, yes, the cigar had been properly humidified for at least two weeks before I decided to smoke it. An inauspicious start to say the least. The draw was good, though, and I noticed a nice sweetness along with the almost overwhelming flavor of natural tobacco.

The 60 by Sosa actually lit pretty easily with a single flame torch...something you don't experience often in a cigar this size. My first impression: not bad! It's always hard to know what to expect, but I have gotten to a point of not expecting much from a large ring cigar...usually I'm not wrong. So far, while not bowling me over, this was definitely "not bad." The problem was that by the end of the first third, it still was nothing more than "not bad." I got some earthiness, a little pepper spice on the tongue, a touch of sweetness, a hint of roasted nuts on the retrohale. But as I've come to expect, the overall flavor profile seemed muted and somewhat indistinct.

Besides the severely cracked head, which required continuous care to keep from further damage, the construction on the 60 was very good, with an even burn line, great draw, and ash that held on for an inch or more before I tapped off. The flavor continued in the "good, not great" arena, with a pervasive natural tobacco taste, underscored by hints of earthiness and spice.

I ended up laying the 60 down with about a half inch smokable still...between the cracked head that was really starting to give me fits and the fact that it just wasn't to my liking, I decided to cut my losses. Unfortunately, this stogie didn't make me second guess my reluctance to smoke large ring gauge smokes; if anything it just reinforced that they tend to have muted flavors. Nothing new to report flavor wise in the last third...just more of the same tobacco, earth and spice...all in somewhat muted form. Saying that, though, I have to acknowledge that there is a large market for these cigars. The cigar buying public just loves the 60 ring gauges for some reason. If you fall into that category, by all means pick this one up and try it...you might just find it more than "good." The price is good so there's really nothing to lose by trying it.

Body: 6/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 4/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 3/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 7.5/10

KEITH SAID:

I agree with Dave that the 60 ring gauge wasn't something I was looking forward to. I used to like quite a few cigars with that ring gauge, but I have noticed that more and more recently I haven't been going for those. The wrapper on my sample was what I would call peanut brown. There were some green spots similar to what is sometimes seen on Connecticut shade wrappers. There were mostly some fine, with a couple medium sized veins throughout the wrapper. It was slightly oily as well. When I gave the cigar a squeeze I did find one small soft spot near the foot, with there being a slight amount of give throughout. The cap on my cigar was busted when I got it and it made it difficult to get a clean cut with my MTX. From the wrapper I got notes of hay with barnyard coming from the foot. When I took a cold draw on it I got notes of sweet hay with a good draw.


The cigar started off with a little bit of spice on top of some hay and earth with a little bit of marine (like the taste of the beach) thrown in. That last flavor is one that I don't think I've ever experienced in a cigar before. After taking a few more puffs I did start to get a creaminess on the finish but some sourness started to come though. The draw was pretty good, but the smoke was thin. Even though there was spice present I would still classify this cigar in the mild range.

The second third saw the spice almost go away completely. The flavors I could get were of earth, hay, leather and shrimp. Yes I got that same family of flavor still, and no I didn't have a seafood dinner before smoking this cigar. The sourness was still present and the busted cap started to give me some fits.

The final third didn't really see any change. The flavors that were present were very muted and I wasn't getting much from them. The burn did start to canoe a little bit but not bad enough that it needed correction.

Overall this cigar just wasn't my thing. The cigars flavors weren't very intense and what I could taste didn't really do a whole lot for me. However like Dave said, you need to make your own judgement on this cigar by smoking it yourself.

Body: 4/10
Strength: 4/10
Complexity: 4/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 2.5/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 6/10

Cigar Review RoMa Craft Tobac Intemperance BA XXI Envy

Short Perfecto, 5" x 50 ring gauge / MSRP $6.50

Today I will be reviewing the other half of the Intemperance line. If you want to read the first one go here. This is the same sized cigar as the Faith but with an Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper. Again I smoked one of each of the other sizes before smoking this cigar for review.

The wrapper on this cigar is a nice medium dark brown in color with a lot of oils to it. The wrapper also has some darker mottling to it as well as some medium veins. That may sound a lot like the wrapper on their other line, the CroMagnon, however both the color and texture are slightly different and it is pretty easy to tell them apart side by side. One other thing to note, that while the wrapper may look like it, it is in fact not a maduro leaf. As with the rest of the Intemperance line the binder and filler is sticking out of the bottom of the cigar. When I gave this cigar a squeeze I got a slight amount of give without any soft spots. Putting my nose to the wrapper I get notes of cedar and barnyard, with leather and hay from the foot. After I clipped it and took a cold draw on it I tasted a molasses type sweetness along with some cocoa powder.

Lighting up the cigar I noted the flavors of leather and cedar with a sweet finish. After taking a few puffs and getting the wrapper burning the spice comes on pretty strong. Taking a few more puffs I get the flavors of cola, cinnamon, chocolate and earth coming through. I would put this cigar in the medium-full range right off the bat. The draw was great and it produced a large volume of smoke. The burn was slightly off, but nothing that needed correcting.

Moving on into the second third the spice started to be less intense with as slight amount of creaminess coming through on the finish. The flavors changed slightly to leather, earth, and cola with a slight amount of molasses sweetness thrown in. The cigar stayed pretty firmly in the medium full range throughout this third even if the spice did tone down. The draw continued to be perfect and the burn almost evened itself out.

The final third saw the the sweetness drop off completely with the spice ramping back up. As far as the flavors of the final third I got some herbal spice notes, with the main flavors being earth, leather and wood. I did get a slight nicotine hit from it, but nothing too strong.

Overall this was an excellent cigar. It had plenty of flavor with just enough change to keep me interested and enough strength to make it enjoyable. I do think that most smokers out there could pick this up and enjoy it as there wasn't too much nicotine hit. With the very approachable price point it shouldn't be out of most smokers reach as well. Hit up Hava Cigar Shop if you're interested in purchasing some. However if you like to win some of these see the end of this post!

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

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10

CONTEST!

RoMa Craft Tobac has again generously offered to send a 5 pack of this cigar to one of our readers. How do you enter? Just leave a comment on the blog between now and 11:59pm (EST) on 4/17. Good luck!

Cigar Review: Sosa Classic

Governors (Toro), 6" x 50 ring gauge / approx. $6
Continuing our look at the Sosa Cigar line from Antillian, today we turn our attention to the Sosa Classic. These are handmade at the Tabacalera A. Fuente #4 Factory in the Dominican Republic under the watchful eye of Juan B. Sosa. They feature "Central American" (rather generic) and Dominican filler, a Honduran binder, and an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. They are also available in a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro and all tobacco is add a minimum of 3 years. As with the other smokes in this look at Sosa, the company sent this to me and this review will be based on one sample.

I like the look of the Sosa Classic. The band is rich-looking and the color of the wrapper is smooth, helping to distract me from the fairly large veins in evidence. There was plenty of oil to the touch and a rich earthy, leathery aroma coming from the wrapper. More pungent earthiness was coming off the foot. When clipping the head, the wrapper cracked fairly badly, despite a very sharp blade that has not cause previous problems and keeping the cigar in a well-humidified place for two weeks or more before smoking. Sumatran wrapper is a delicate thing, so this may not be a cigar to turn to on a cold and dry day. The prelight draw was very good and I got a rich hay, tobacco and leather flavor.

The Sosa Classic lit easily with a single flame torch and I started getting flavors of leather and rich earth, along with a cedary finish. As I continued on I started getting a little spice on the tip of my tongue when I would take a draw, and I noticed that the retrohale was nutty, with very little spice. At this point, I just found myself wanting a little sweetness to round out and balance the flavor profile a bit better. As the first third burned through, I got a bit of a sour citrus flavor added to what I mentioned before, but little else. I liked it so far, but couldn't say I really loved it.


Despite the crack on the head, I was able to get a good draw on this cigar and it produced plenty of smoke. The ash was very solid and the burn line stayed as even as needed. The flavor in the second third was pretty much a continuation of the first, but a sweetness did creep in so it was actually getting better as it went.

In the end, I enjoyed the Sosa Classic Sumatra, but I fell short of loving it. The flavors did not change much near the end, but the crack in the head did start to become a nuisance. The flavors that were there I enjoyed, but nothing really stood out to me proclaiming, "You must smoke these all the time!" To be fair, though, there are only a handful of cigars a year that accomplish that...and plenty of very good sticks that I'll pick up when I see them, but won't seek out. This falls in that second category. After seeing the difference between the Connecticut and Maduro versions of the Family Selection, I am particularly interested in getting the Maduro of the Classic so I can see if that fairs differently. This stogie had a medium to medium-plus body and not a lot of nicotine strength, so it should be easy enough for all but the newest of smokers to enjoy.

Body: 7/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 6/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10

Tennessee Spirits: Chattanooga Whiskey Company

We have a special installment of the Tennessee Spirits series today, a look at a brand new company, Chattanooga Whiskey Company. I got to spend some time this past weekend with Joe Ledbetter, one of the founders of the new company, talking whiskey history and Chattanooga's place in that history. We got time to put some of the conversation on camera Saturday morning and he brought along some of his 1816 Reserve and 1816 Cask whiskies to sample during the video.

It's not often one of my interview videos goes longer than 10 to 15 minutes...I just feel like that's a comfortable length of time for someone to sit and watch. We ended up shooting over 35 minutes for this, so I cut it into two sections.

In Part 1, Joe talks a lot about the history of whiskey in Chattanooga and the origins of his company.

In Part 2, we tried both types of whiskey, talked about what we were tasting and  Joe told me a bit about their distribution plans...so those outside the Volunteer State will be able to get a taste soon!

The thing that surprised me the most is that 100 years ago Chattanooga had 30+ distilleries...today we have exactly 0 (legal distilleries, anyway). As an editorial comment: it is time for the Hamilton County lawmakers to change this and bring back a piece of a history that all of us hear in southeastern Tennessee should be proud of.

Chattanooga Whiskey Company will be hosting a launch party this Friday, April 13, and the whiskey will be on local store shelves the following Monday, April 16. Having sampled both, I can definitely recommend either variety: I liked the 1816 Reserve a lot and loved the 1816 Cask. As mentioned in the video, Chattanooga Whiskey is a sponsor of the Chattanooga Tweet-Up in August; so if you have trouble finding it for sale where you live, make sure you show up for the Tweet-Up so you can give it a try...and then run out to one of our local shops and buy a bottle to take home!

Links You Should Check Out:
Chattanooga Whiskey Company
The Pre-Prohibition Collector's Resource Site
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Cigar Extra: Berger & Argenti Entubar

Corona Macho, 4.625" x 48 ring gauge / $8.25, Silo Cigars
Since I won a box of Entubar cigars in a raffle a little over a year ago, I've smoked quite a few of them. I enjoy the regular Entubar, but having smoked a lot of Double Coronas, I wondered how they were in a smaller ring gauge. I finally got my hands on one during a recent trip to Knoxville. The Corona Macho is an interesting size...length of a Petite Corona, ring gauge of a Corona Gorda...the only problem I could really see with it was the price, which at jut over $8 seems a little much for this size cigar. That's just the way it is with these cigars, though...the double bunching required to get the plug of Ligero sticking out of the foot is labor intensive. Filler and binder are Nicaraguan and the wrapper is an Ecuadorian "Desflorado" Connecticut-seed leaf.

Rich, earthy aromas wafted off the wrapper and foot. The band was so larger on this that it obviously would not stay on long once the cigar got burning. The wrapper leaf was smooth and oily.  As usual on these, the cold draw was very easy; it had a rich earthy flavor. Once lit, the Entubar hit me with a mix of earth and leather on the palate and a sharp hit of pepper spice to the nose. It was as I expected: everything I like about this blend concentrated because of the smaller ring gauge.

As the Entubar burned on, I noted that it was much spicier than the vitola I had become so used to smoking...and this was a good thing as far as I was concerned. There was a mild molasses sweetness to balance the earthier aspects, too, and overall I have to say this was the best I can ever remember this blend performing. Easy to say that in the future, this will be my go to size for this cigar.

Cigar Review: Sosa Family Selection, Maduro

Robusto, 5" x 50 ring gauge / MSRP $5.40
For the background of the Sosa Family Selection, check out our review of the Connecticut wrapped one from the other day. Today I will be taking a look at the same cigar line in the Maduro variety. Again, there is no word on where filler and binder come from, but the cigar is made in Honduras and uses a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. Looking at the rather light coloration of the wrapper leaf, it might be a good time to remind you that "Maduro" does not mean strong (that would be "fuerte") or dark (that word is "Oscuro")...it means "ripe." It does not describe a color, but a fermentation process that is longer and hotter than used with most leaves, resulting in a sweeter final product...and often one that is rather dark, but not necessarily.

DAVE SAID:

The Sosa Family Selection Maduro had a color that was a shade or two lighter than milk chocolate. It was quite even in color and the leaf showed some medium to large veins. The banding is pretty much the same as on the Connecticut, even down to the secondary band that just doesn't look very nice. It would be okay for a bundled cigar, but. Just has a cheap look here. The construction appeared to be good except for the head, which was a bit lopsided...it almost resembled a Gumby head with one edge of the Parejo shaped sticking out a bit. The aroma of the wrapper leaf was a nice rich earth with a bit of chocolate; I got notes of wood and earth on the foot. I cut the head with my Xikar Xi and got a very easy draw with a dry cocoa powder flavor.

Lighting up I got a big wave of anise, cocoa powder, earth and wood (both cedar and maple) flavors. There was a bit of roasted nut and pepper spice on the retrohale, too. This was surprising as this was more flavor in the first few minutes than the Connecticut variety had in its entire length. Midway through the first third, I picked up on some of the sour and bitter coffee notes I experienced through much of the Conny, but they were not off putting here...the Maduro wrapper provided enough sweetness for a good balance.

There was not a big amount of flavor change, but as the Sosa Family Selection Maduro headed into the second third, it still did exhibit big flavor...and good flavor, too. Primarily I got unsweetened cocoa, earth and cedar, but there were dark coffee notes and a very nice sweetness as well. Construction was proving to be very good, with a great draw, very even burn line and fairly strong ash...it flaked a bit, but not so much that it was a real problem.

I really enjoyed this cigar all the way to the nub. In the final third the coffee notes were the most dominant, bolstered by an earthy base and a pepper spice on the finish. The body of the Sosa Family Selection Maduro was medium to full pretty much the entire way but it did not display a large dose of nicotine strength, so it should be an accessible smoke to all but the newest of cigar enthusiasts. It is hard to believe this has the same filler and binder core as the Connecticut variation, but it does show how well one wrapper can complement a blend while another just does nothing for it. I found this a truly enjoyable cigar and the price was excellent 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

KEITH SAID:

The wrapper on my sample was a medium reddish brown in color with some darker mottling to it as well. There were also some pretty major veins to it too. The wrapper also exhibited a good amount oils. The cigar was slightly squishy to the touch and I didn't find any soft spots. Putting my nose to the wrapper I got the aroma of barnyard and cedar with wet hay coming from the foot. After I clipped it with my Xikar MTX and took a cold draw on it I tasted notes of cinnamon and chocolate.

Lighting up the cigar brought a pretty intense taste of cocoa, coffee and earth along with a floral scent from the smoke. After taking a few more puffs the spice started ramping up a bit. The draw was pretty much prefect and it produced a large volume of smoke. I would classify this cigar at the upper end of medium range with regards to strength and body. Towards the end of the first third I tasted hints of cinnamon and a slight harsh bitterness. It wasn't overwhelming though. The burn started to run a bit but I decided to let it go and see what happens. The ash on my sample was pretty flaky unlike the CT cigar.

The second third saw the spice tone down a bit as well as the harshness going away. I didn't get much flavor change, with the prominent ones being earth, cocoa, leather with a hint of cinnamon on the finish. I did experience a little of the sweetness Dave mentioned, it represented itself as sort of a molasses flavor. The burn did almost even out without any correction from me.

The final third was really more of the same as the second third. I did get a slight nicotine hit from it and my tongue was tingling pretty good from the spice.

Overall it was an ok cigar. There wasn't anything bad, and the flavors that I noted were ones I normally like, but it just didn't do it for me. I don't know if it was the cigar or just me. I do agree with Dave in that it would be approachable my almost all smokers. It is really interesting to see what changing the wrapper does to the cigar.

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

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8/10

Cigar Review: RoMa Craft Tobac Intemperance EC XVIII Faith

Short Perfecto, 5" x 50 ring gauge / MSRP $6.50

The newly formed partnership between Michael Rosales and Skip Martin, RoMa Craft Tobac (@RoMaCraft), has just released their first cigar. It is called the Intemperance. The name evokes a desire to fight against the modern day temperance movement against tobacco. This cigar comes in two wrappers with each having four sizes. The one I will be reviewing today is the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapped cigar, and I will cover the Brazilian Arapiraca one next week. Other than where the wrapper comes from they are being very quiet about the other tobacco's included in these cigars. I would guess there is some Nicaraguan tobacco in there but I don't know what else. I smoked one of each other size before I smoked this cigar for review.

The wrapper on this sample was a deep golden tan. There was a lot of oils to the wrapper, so much so that my fingers were liberally coated almost as soon as I took it out of the cellophane. It is definitely not something I used to seeing in a Connecticut wrapped cigar. There were some medium and fine veins and a couple small gathers as well. The piece of tobacco wrapped around the foot was slightly darker in color. One slightly different departure from most cigars on the market is that all of these cigars have about an eighth of an inch of the binder and filler peeking out from the end of the wrapper. When I gave this cigar a squeeze I didn't detect any soft spots with a slight amount of give. Putting my nose to the wrapper I got hay and barnyard with a nuttiness coming from the foot. When I clipped the cigar and took a cold draw I got notes of hay and nuts with a good draw.

The cigar started off with notes of hay and earth. After taking a couple puffs I started to get a good amount of red pepper spice especially on the retrohale. A nice butteriness, almost like I could actually taste butter, came through after a little ways into the cigar. This is something that I can't remember getting as intensely out of a cigar before. The draw was good, although not as free as the other samples I tried. I would guess that this has to do with the shape of the cigar, not any construction issue. The ash was slightly flaky and needed to be tapped off frequently. I did get a slight grassiness, normal to a CT cigar, towards the end of the first third. The cigar was firmly in the medium bodied range.

As I moved into the second third the spice toned itself down a bit but was still present. The flavors I could get were of cinnamon, earth, leather and wood, with that butteriness still present. The draw and burn continued to be good.

The final third of the cigar was very similar to the second third. This wasn't a bad thing because I was enjoying this cigar. I did get some notes of cola and cream from time to time. The cigar finished off medium bodied.

Overall I would consider this an excellent cigar. This isn't something that I normally say about a CT wrapped cigar. Another departure for me is that I felt satisfied when I finished this cigar. I didn't feel the immediate need to light something up with some more oomph like I normally do with at CT wrapped cigar. I will say I did enjoy the Industry and Virtue sizes more than this one, but that was a personal preference. I also think that this might just be my new favorite CT cigar and will go great with a cup of coffee in the morning when I'm able to do that. I would suggest that you give this cigar a try, especially since the price point is very reasonable and only those used to smoking only the mildest cigars would have an issue with it. All of the ordering information can be found here: http://www.havacigarshop.com/.

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

CONTEST!

RoMa Craft Tobac has generously offered to send a 5 pack of this cigar to one of our readers. How do you enter? Just leave a comment on the blog between now and midnight (EST) on 4/11. Good luck!