Cool Ghrit!! Great pics. I would love to tour a growing operation. "Sidelight on fillers. Lower grade cigars are often filled with compacted sweeping and chopped stems left after the leaf is de-veined. Usually a pretty bitter smoke. " Yep. Most of your factory made cheapies are made from sweepings. I'm not talking here about Swisher Sweets! "Going to include pipe smoking with the cigars as a pleasant way to end the day?" Sure thing. I smoked a pipe for awhile. Enjoyed it too. Might buy another one and start again.
Here are a few good links. I started out buying a lot of cigars from Thompson. They have great deals on samplers. It is a great way to try out a lot of different brands. But now I prefer to buy singles and Arnolds has the best selection of singles I have found on the net. Cigar Aficianado has a great rating system and reviews. http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/Home/ http://www.thompsoncigar.com http://www.arnoldstobacco.com/ http://puffingcigars.com/
Here are my three favorite smokes. The one was chosen by Cigar Aficianado magazine as the cigar of the year for 2008 I have found that I prefer the darker, bolder, full flavored ones. I guess it is my German heritage, I like dark beer, strong wine, and now dark, strong cigars. From keeping a journal and rating them I have noticed that I tend to favor the Honduran grown ones. The two brands that I have found that I like the most are C.A.O., and Rocky Patel. CASA MAGNA ROBUSTO (rated cigar of the year 2008) Manuel Quesada has been making cigars since 1974. His original cigars were mild bodied, most of them a blend of Dominican filler and binder tobaccos cloaked with light Connecticut-seed wrappers. His latest endeavors are bolder, more vibrant smokes. The Casa Magna is his greatest innovation. He joined forces with Nicaragua’s largest grower of cigar tobacco, Nestor Plasencia, and created this blend in Plasencia’s Segovia Cigar factory. The line of five cigars saw first light in the summer at an industry trade show and the entire brand was initially reviewed in the August 26 Cigar Insider. Standing above the other sizes was the robusto, a stubby cigar with a bold heart of Cuban-seed tobacco, all of it grown in two very different regions of Nicaragua: tobacco from Estelí (the area where most Nicaraguan cigars are produced) tends to be strong, while that grown in Jalapa, to the north, is typically more balanced and elegant. Together they combine to create a full-flavored cigar, full of rich coffee notes and balanced by a cedary sweetness with a hint of raisins. Best of all is the price: at only $5.25. The word "Colorado" in the brand name refers to the dark, slightly reddish hue of the wrapper, and is a hint that Quesada will expand this line to more styles. It will be hard to improve upon this. MADE BY: Segovia Cigars (Nestor Plasencia) FACTORY LOCATION: Nicaragua WRAPPER: Nicaragua BINDER: Nicaragua FILLER: Nicaragua PRICE: $5.25 RING GAUGE: 52 LENGTH: 5 1/2" RATING: 93 Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Maduro Toro Country: Honduras Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras Binder: Nicaragua Wrapper: Costa Rica Price: $9.90 Near black with severely box-pressed edges and a firm draw. Flavors are predominantly bright and woody with cedary notes and a short finish. Made By: El Paraiso Cigar Factory Distributed By: Rocky Patel Premium CIgars C.A.O. Brazilia Gol! Country: Honduras Filler: Nicaragua Binder: Nicaragua Wrapper: Brazil Price: $6.60 A dark robusto with an uneven head. It burns evenly, forming a very white ash and draws well. The cigar starts out strong and peppery mellowing to a woody smoke with some wine notes. Made By: C.A.O. Fabrica de Tabacos Distributed By: C.A.O. International Inc. .
Pardon me while I slip into a robe and turn on some Dean Martin. I REALLY like the CAO Brazilia, has to be one of, if not the best cigar I have ever smoked. Very full and robust. Most of the cigars that I have smoked have been the lighter color, milder cigars, but now that I have tried the dark robust cigars it is like getting a new toy for Christmas. I prefer a longer lasting cigar, such as the Churchill. One that will last thirty to forty five minutes while I enjoy my drink and a fire in the fire pit. I have also been know to smoke two back to back, but I would NOT recommend it for those who are not used to smoking cigars. The first time I did it I found myself sick at my stomach, but then again two cigars, half a bottle of Jack and two bottles of Saki will do that to you. I am going to have to order a sampler pack after I finish my CAOs. They are fantastic. Very smooth. I smoked one Monday night. It has to be one of the best stress relievers I have found. Jack Daniels, Diet Coke and CAO. Good combination. I am not prejudiced though, I do like Punch, Romeo & Julieta, and others. I look forward to starting a diary of my own like MM has complete with saved bands.
We can do that. In addition to being my ex BIL, we are still pretty good friends. I can count on him, about as high a rating as I can give.
The latest issue of Cigar Aficionado magazine has just come out with its annual top 25 cigars for 2009. I tried to get the top ten last year. I was only able to come up with some of them, as there are always a Cuban or two on the list. Not available in the U.S. due to decades old embargo on trade with Cuba. Last year the Casa Magna Colorado was chosen as cigar of the year. It was the second cheapest cigar in the testing. So much for judging one by price. Just like wines, it depends on your taste. Price doesn’t guarantee quality. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /> It’s the most challenging of tests facing any cigar—making it onto Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 list. It’s hard enough for a cigar to rise to the top of any one of our ratings, but to make it here requires consistent performance. A cigar must excel in not only one taste test, but in several. And the competition gets stiffer each time. It’s an exhaustive search. We begin by scouring a year’s worth of blind tastings from Cigar Aficionado magazine and Cigar Insider, our twice-monthly newsletter on cigars. We rate more than 700 cigars annually, and this year we looked at all the cigars that scored a minimum of 90 points, outstanding on our 100-point scale. We eliminated duplicates among brands, choosing the best of each, then sent our tasting coordinator out to buy new samples of the chosen cigars. Just as in the original tests, the coordinator stripped each cigar of its identifying cigar band and gave each cigar a new code known only to him (and he is not one of the tasters). The cigars were then smoked by a panel of senior tasters from the magazine, each with a minimum of 12 years experience in cigar tastings. The cigars were rated on their appearance, smoking characteristics, flavor and overall impression, and those scores were averaged for each cigar. At the conclusion of that round, the best of the cigars were rebanded once again with a new code and resmoked by the panel to ensure their consistent quality, and to find the very best. This final tasting consisted of 14 cigars, all of them wonderful, none of them mediocre. At the end, we had our cigar of the year, a smoke that was clear in our tasters’ minds as the very best of a series of rigorous and exhaustive tests, a cigar that we found absolutely brilliant. The top ten for 2009 are: #10) Partagas Serie P No. 2 Tubo MADE BY: Habanos S.A. FACTORY LOCATION: Cuba WRAPPER: Cuba BINDER: Cuba FILLER: Cuba DIMENSIONS: 6 1/8” by 52-ring gauge PRICE: L 16.20 ( British pounds) RATING: 92 ( out of 100 as per Cigar Aficionado Magazine) Partagas has a long history for making rich and wonderful cigars, but the pirámide, more popularly called a torpedo, has never been a mainstay shape for the brand. Most Partagas figurados have been machine made, although we once saw a box of handmade Partagas torpedos from the early 1960s sold in a Christie’s auction in London. However, it wasn’t until late 2000 that the marque made a pirámide commercially available with the launch of the Partagas Edición Limitada Pirámide. It took another five years for it to become a core shape. Made at the Partagas factory in Havana, the smoke has always delivered the benchmark rich, earthy, almost funky character that the facility is known for. The Partagas Serie P No. 2 was our favorite Cuban figurado in 2009. In its hip black-and-red tube, it’s a great cigar to have in your pocket for one of those spontaneous moments that call for a big and juicy Habanos. #9) Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Torpedo MADE BY: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. FACTORY LOCATION: Dominican Republic WRAPPER: Ecuador BINDER: Dominican Republic FILLER: Dom. Rep. DIMENSIONS: 6 1/2” by 55-ring gauge PRICE: $11.25 RATING: 92 ( out of 100 as per Cigar Aficionado Magazine) Ashton Virgin Sun Grown cigars are the original powerhouse cigar. Made by Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. for Ashton Distributors Inc., the brand’s hallmark is its dark, Sumatra-seed wrappers grown under the perpetually cloudy skies in Ecuador at the foothills of the Andes by one of the legendary names in the tobacco business, the Oliva Tobacco Co. of Tampa, Florida. Ashton VSGs, as they are known, consistently take some of the highest scores in Cigar Aficionado magazine and Cigar Insider newsletter. The Ashton VSG Torpedo is a hefty figurado that stood out in a Cigar Insider vertical brand tasting in April 2009. (The average score for the 10-size brand was an exceptional 90.1 points.) The Torpedo is not as strong as we remembered, but brims with sweet cedar and nutmeg flavors, with a creamy texture. Always dependable, always flavorful. #8) Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Maduro Torpedo MADE BY: El Paraiso Factory FACTORY LOCATION: Honduras WRAPPER: Costa Rica BINDER: Nicaragua FILLER: Honduras. DIMENSIONS: 5” by 54-ring gauge PRICE: $10.50 RATING: 92 ( out of 100 as per Cigar Aficionado Magazine) ( This is one of my all time favorites. I was pleased to see it make the top ten list!) Rocky Patel continues to improve the quality of the many cigars that bear his name, and the Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Maduro Torpedo is a fine example. The thick cigar features a nontraditional wrapper leaf grown in Costa Rica around a core of Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos, giving the cigar an earthy, leathery flavor with hints of coffee. Wrapper tobacco is key to Patel, who sells a wide variety of cigars. He begins with a wrapper style and builds his blend around it, making adjustments to the binder, then the filler. “I’ve spent a lot of time at the factory,” says Patel. “I don’t make a blend and give it to 10 people—I trust my palate and I know what I’m looking for.” Rocky Patel has had several cigars in our Top 25 list, but this is the first time that one of his cigars has appeared in our Top 10. #7) Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic MADE BY: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. FACTORY LOCATION: Dominican Republic WRAPPER: Cameroon BINDER: Dom. Rep. FILLER: Dom. Rep. DIMENSIONS: 7” by 48-ring gauge PRICE: $8.10 RATING: 92 ( out of 100 as per Cigar Aficionado Magazine) The 1980s were lean years for the cigar industry in the United States, and for lovers of figurados, or shaped cigars, the situation was even more bleak. The perfecto, a classic shape with tapers on both ends of the cigar, had gone away. It was the 1983 revival of the Arturo Fuente Hemingway series of cigars that brought them back. Carlos Fuente Sr. found old cigar molds in an Ybor City, Florida, warehouse, brought them to Fuente’s factory in the Dominican Republic and taught his master roller how to make the intricately shaped smoke. Even those completely ignorant about the difficulty of making a cigar by hand will recognize that the Hemingway Classic has a supermodel’s curves. The sublime balance of ultra-thin and toothy Cameroon wrapper pairs exquisitely with Fuente’s filler and binder blend, resulting in a complex smoke smacking of orange peel, cedar and coffee. If you’ve never smoked an Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic, you’re missing out on one of the cigar world’s premier smoking experiences. #6) 601 Box Press Maduro Toro MADE BY: My Father Cigars Inc. FACTORY LOCATION: Nicaragua WRAPPER: Nicaragua BINDER: Nicaragua FILLER: Nicaragua DIMENSIONS: 6 1/4” by 54-ring gauge PRICE: $9.30 RATING: 93 (out of 100 as per Cigar Aficionado Magazine) ( I have some of these. They are nice, but I personally don’t favor the Nicaraguan fillers. My favorite is the Honduran.) This is the first time a 601 cigar has appeared on our Top 25 list. The brand comes from United Tobacco, a small company founded in 2003 by old friends Erik Espinosa and Eddie Ortega. The two came to the cigar industry by different routes: Espinosa became enamored with cigars while delivering them via UPS in Miami; Ortega married (and later divorced) a cigarmaker’s daughter. In August 2003 they formed their own cigar company, and after an unsuccessful start they found their way by having cigars made for them by José “Pepin” Garcia. While their brands remain small in quantity they have scored very well in Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider blind tastings, starting with scores in the high 80s and now with scores in the 90s. The 601 Box Press Maduro Toro is beautiful, with Garcia’s trademark triple-seam cap construction. It’s a smoke that has heavy, chewy, complex flavors loaded with notes of dark-roasted coffee, nuts and sweet cocoa. In short, the 601 Box Press Maduro Toro is both gorgeous and delicious. #5) Oliva Serie V Liga Especial Belicoso MADE BY: Tabacalera Oliva Cigar S.A. FACTORY LOCATION: Nicaragua WRAPPER: Nicaragua BINDER: Nicaragua FILLER: Nicaragua DIMENSIONS: 5” by 54-ring gauge PRICE: $5.90 RATING: 93 (out of 100 as per Cigar Aficionado Magazine) Oliva Cigar Co., not to be confused with Oliva Tobacco Co., makes its headquarters in Miami, Florida, and rolls its cigars in Nicaragua. The company was little known in the cigar business only a few years ago, but through persistence, patience and consistently putting out a quality product the Olivas have risen to the forefront of cigar production. Originally known for making bargain brands, the company now has cigars for the most sophisticated palates. This is the fifth year one of its cigars has made our Top 25 list. The Serie V Liga Especial Belicoso features superb construction, powerful, full-bodied flavors of meat and nuts and a balancing sweetness. The cigar is also very reasonably priced, selling for less than $6—the second most affordable cigar on the Top 25 list and the best bargain in our Top 10. #4) Diamond Crown Maximus Double Corona No. 1 MADE BY: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. FACTORY LOCATION: Dominican Republic WRAPPER: Ecuador BINDER: Dom. Rep. FILLER: Dom. Rep. DIMENSIONS: 8” by 50-ring gauge PRICE: $17.50 RATING: 93 ( out of 100 as per Cigar Aficionado Magazine) The largest cigar on our Top 25 list comes from the Newman and Fuente families, two of the most storied cigar families in the entire business. Diamond Crown is a new version of one of the J.C. Newman Co.’s cigar brands from the mid-1990s. The original was made with golden-brown Connecticut-shade wrappers that had undergone extra fermentation, and was exceptionally mild. The creation of the Maximus version in June 2003 recognized the trend for fuller-bodied cigars and added an exciting spicy element to the Diamond Crown brand, with a bold and oily Ecuadoran Sumatra seed wrappers that are dark and alluring. The Double Corona No. 1 is a rich, sweet cigar with plenty of cedar on the palate and a finish with notes of espresso beans. #3) My Father No. 1 MADE BY: My Father Cigars Inc. FACTORY LOCATION: Nicaragua WRAPPER: Ecuador BINDER: Nicaragua FILLER: Nicaragua DIMENSIONS: 5 1/4” by 52-ring gauge PRICE: $10.00 RATING: 94 (out of 100 as per Cigar Aficionado Magazine) José “Pepin” Garcia has taken the premium cigar world by storm. Once an acclaimed cigar roller in Havana, Garcia immigrated to the United States in 2003 and set up shop in a tiny fabrica in Miami’s famed Little Havana, making cigars of remarkable quality, teeming with flavor. The first cigar of his to achieve fame was Tatuaje, which he makes for Pete Johnson. Soon his own cigars began to scoop up industry accolades. Garcia’s son Jaime, a talented blender in his own right, secretly went to work in Nicaragua on a new cigar blend, which he intended to hide from his father. Pepin learned that Jaime was preparing something new without the jefe’s permission. “I found out, and asked Jaime for three cigars,” said Pepin. Jaime handed them over. Pepin smoked them that night. The next day, he was moved when his son told him that he intended to name the brand “My Father.” The cigars feature Nicaraguan tobacco that the Garcias grew themselves and a Habano seed wrapper from Ecuador from the maestros at Tampa, Florida’s, Oliva Tobacco Co. The combination creates a stunning amount of rich flavor: the cigar is meaty, with leather and coffee bean flavors. The Garcia’s company now bears the name “My Father Cigars”—it’s a fitting tribute passed from son to father, and back again. #2) Cohiba Siglo V Tubo MADE BY: Habanos S.A. FACTORY LOCATION: Cuba WRAPPER: Cuba BINDER: Cuba FILLER: Cuba DIMENSIONS: 6 3/4” by 43-ring gauge PRICE: L 25.00 ( British pounds) RATING: 94 ( out of 100 as per Cigar Aficionado Magazine) The Siglo line of Cohiba has been around for more than 16 years, and Linea 1492—the official name for the group of five—is one of the prestigious brand’s most successful names among true Habanos aficionados. Unofficially, the cigar line was started to replace the famous Davidoff Chateau series that was discontinued in 1991 along with the rest of the Swiss-based cigar merchant’s range. Production has been confined almost exclusively to the rolling rooms of the Partagas factory across the street from Havana’s capitol building. The Siglo V—called dalias in the rolling rooms—is the longest of the five smokes, identical in size to the ever-popular Partagas 8-9-8. However, the cigar delivers a richer and more refined character because of the special handling given to the tobacco for all Cohiba cigars. The filler and wrapper leaves are selected from the best plantations in Pinar del Río and then processed in a more precise way. The main point is that some of the filler tobacco undergoes a small, special fermentation process while it is held in Havana after being shipped in bales from tobacco warehouses in the provinces. The late Avelino Lara, who ran the Cohiba factory when the Siglo quintet was launched, called it “the special of the special for Cohiba.” The Siglo V Tubo was the best Cohiba and best Cuban cigar we reviewed in 2009. And the numero uno!! #1) Padron Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro MADE BY: Padron Cigars Inc. FACTORY LOCATION: Nicaragua WRAPPER: Nicaragua BINDER: Nicaragua FILLER: Nicaragua DIMENSIONS: 6” by 52-ring gauge PRICE: $25.00 RATING: 95 (out of 100 as per Cigar Aficionado Magazine) The Padrón Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro first reached cigar shops on September 8, the 45th anniversary of the creation of Padrón Cigars Inc. by José Orlando Padrón. The 83-year-old Cuban émigré is the embodiment of the American dream, having come to the United States in the early 1960s with nothing more than a few hundred dollars, a solid work ethic and the burning desire to make cigars that tasted as good as the ones he smoked as a young man in Cuba. The image of a hammer on this special release commemorates a most precious gift given to him by a friend when he was virtually penniless—the tool allowed him to eke out a living as a carpenter, money he saved to form a small cigar company. The cigar smokers of the world owe that benefactor a great debt, for the Padrón family continues to give us one brilliant cigar after another. No company has dominated our ratings in the way Padrón Cigars has. This is the third time it has been named Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of the Year, an honor that has only existed for six years. The No. 45 is stronger than typical Padróns and is an intense smoke jammed with rich, hearty, coffee notes and a heady amount of spices. The Padróns are tobacco hoarders, keeping stocks of tobacco for years, and this cigar is made with some of their oldest leaves. Company president Jorge Padrón says the leaves inside are as old as 10 years.
Ok E.L. you gotta help me sample these this year. I plan on ordering a few of them. I have the Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve. I want to try the Ashton Virgin Sun Grown, I have smoked Rocky Patel Sun Grown and really like the flavor. I'll try and get a couple of the Padron's and bring them with me next time I come to see you.
Met many many people who thougt that Cigar smoking was safe cause you wern't suppose to inhale the smoke . Funny thing though every honest cigar smoke I ever met told me that after ahile you're gonna wind up inhaling them like a Cig , same goes for the pipe smokers too eventually . No such thing as safe smoking boys but feel free to kid yourselves .
No one ever said it was safe. No tobacco product is safe. Anyone who can inhale cigar smoke is more of a man than me. Maybe the cheapie swisher sweets or some other factory wannabe's but not a full bodied hand rolled. We could use that instead of waterboarding. Make em inhale the smoke off a Churchhill Maduro!!!! Makes my eyes water just thinking about it!
AS MM said, no tobacco product is safe, but cigars ARE safer than cigarettes. I have been smoking cigars for years, on and off. For one as MM also said they are not addictive like cigarettes, and I NEVER inhale while smoking a cigar.
I like the AF's and LGC's, have a decently stocked humidor. but don't indulge much. I always have a dip a cope unless I'm asleep.
Not too many stogie fans here I guess. Let's broaden the catagory a bit. E.L. mentioned Single Barrel Jack Daniels. I haven't tried that yet. I recently found Crown Royal Reserve. I never cared much for regular Crown but the reserve is good stuff. My all time favorite Bourbon is Wild Turkey Rare Breed. It is from a single barrel. The card attached to each bottle tells the story. During the tours the master blender would explain how they blended from different barrels and added water to get a consistant proof. Invariably someone would ask to sample some "pure" bourbon. They decided to market the new brand of pure, uncut, single barrel bourbon. A very smooth drink.
Laphroaig, Islay single malt Scotch wiskey, aged ten years. I never thought I'd like scotch since all of the cheap wiskey I had over the years. Not until a friend of mine had a drink with me, and gave me some Jameson's single malt. What a difference, I never had alcohol that was that smooth before. Since then, I've perfected my tastes a little bit, perferring scotch to Irish wiskey. (Yeah, I know, what's the difference?)
They say Scotch is an aquired taste. I haven't aquired it yet. I know people who do that swear off all other whiskeys. I prefer bourbon but am open to trying anything. I'll order one next time I'm at a bar.
Scotch IS an acquired taste. Nothing beats a good one, and nothing is worse than a bad one. (Old Ancestor comes to mind on the lower end of the scale. Don't ask, I don't remember the details all that well.)
My buddy that got me into smoking cigars has been doing his damndest to try and get me to acquire the taste for scotch. My feeling is that if I have to acquire a taste for it, then it was not that good in the first place.
