Cigar Review: Padron 1926 40th Anniversary

Padron 40th

After suffering a sprain of my left foot last night I decided to drown my  pain in the Padron 1926 Serie, 40th Anniversary Natural cigar. The Padron 40th Anniversary Torpedo is part of the exclusive Padron 1926 line and is even more rare, with only 16,000 released every year. Cigar Aficionado made the Padron 40th Anniversary Torpedo the “Cigar of the Year” for 2004 and claims it, “may be the best cigar Padron has ever made.”

Cigar: Padron 1926 Serie 40th Anniversary
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 6.75 x 54 (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Nicaragua “Natural”
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Appearance & Construction (19/20): There are two sides to this box pressed cigar. On the top and bottom the cigar is silky smooth with a few oil showing on the natural wrapper. The sides of the box press reveal a different look, one that is quite toothy with many bumps and ridges. The label features the classic look Padron 1926 Serie, with a secondary band denoting “40 Years”. The cigar has a nice weight, no soft spots, and a perfect pre-light draw.

Flavor & Notes (29/30): The prelight draw reveals notes of earth and a touch of chocolate. As we continue smoking the first third, notes of cocoa and coffee develop both of which are extremely pleasing to the palette. The second third continues to be a journey of rich cocoa and pleasing spices that are incredibly pleasing to the palette that is quickly making this one of the best cigars I have ever smoked. As we reach the final third of our journey cocoa remains with some coffee and leather notes.

Burn/Ash/Draw (24/25): The ash is medium gray in color and it reveals little magnesium pimples as well which is very common for a Padron cigar. The draw can be described with just one word, “Fantastic”. The thing that prevents this section from being perfect is the wavy burn line which I did not expect for a cigar in the price range despite it being box pressed.

Overall (22/25): The price of this smoke brings down the rating some but despite the number this is one of the best cigars I ever smoked. It is easy to see how it once won cigar of the year. While too pricey to be an every day smoke, this cigar deserves to be in your repertoire for special occasions.

Rating: 94
Price: $25.00 a stick at Cigars Direct

Cigar Review: Los Blancos Criollo

Los Blancos Criollo

Three days, three cigar reviews. I am in the midst of setting a new record for myself. Today’s smoke has been sitting in my humidor a few months and to be honest I did not want to smoke it for fear of liking it for reasons I rather not go into. However, I kept an open mind to review this cigar but I felt I needed to put a little disclaimer.

Cigar: Los Blancos Criollo
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 6.5 x 52 (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Habano Criollo (Honduras)
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Nicaragua

Appearance & Construction (18/20): One thing I really like about the Los Blancos smoke is the great bands and how they contrast on the cigar. A nice touch is the double band, for some reason I really like the visual of a foot band. The cigar itself has some traces of oils as well as what looks like crystals on the wrapper. There is however an over abundance of veins on the wrapper.

Flavor & Notes (24/30): I cut the cigar with double blade cutter and the pre-light draw was that of a well defined oak. The first third of the cigar offers notes of spices and wood. As we approach the 2nd third of the smoke the wood is definitely an oak that would definitely pair well with a lot of single malt scotches. However after that the cigar mellowed out and did not offer much flavor. Despite being billed as a full bodied smoke this cigar never got over medium bodied for me.

Burn/Ash/Draw (24/25): This cigar has one of the stronger ashes I have seen. It held for a solid 3″ before I had to ash. It would of held longer but I did not feel like having to clean up if it failed. The draw is perfect for a torpedo and the burn a little crooked but nothing to be concerned about.

Overall (18/25): I think I might have to head back to the ultra premiums after this smoke as it did nothing for me. It actually left me disappointed that I chose it as my nightcap smoke. To sum it up, a one dimensional smoke!

Rating: 84
Price: 6.50

Cigar Review: Kinky Friedman Texas Jewboy

Kinky Friedman Texas Jewboy

In honor of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah I decided to smoke a cigar  Little Jewford (He’s Jewish & drives a Ford) over at Kinky Friedman Cigars sent to me as a Mitzvah. (An act of kindness).  There are so many things about this cigar that have provided a great deal of pleasure for me since a local B&M regular named Junior pointed them out to me. Just the name itself makes me laugh and the jokes are endless. It has even allowed me to create a little shtick for the review that would make Jackie Mason proud. Oy!

The Skinny:

Cigar: Kinky Friedman Texas Jewboy
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: 6 x 56 (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Costa Rica
Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua

Pre-Smoke: Today I used a Xikar Cigar Scissor on this smoke since I wanted to circumcise the tip with moyel like precision. (The jokes are endless here folks!). So after the bris was completed I went through the normal ritual. The cigar is exquisitely rolled, with very few veins. The prelight draw was a little tougher then I would have liked but it was acceptable and it offered notes of nutmeg and cinnamon. At the foot the cigar offered notes of nutmeg and pepper. As I moved on from my pre-smoke ritual to the next phase I wondered if the Texas Jewboy was kosher or not and if so, does Kinky come out with a cigar with a different wrapper to make it Kosher for Passover in the early spring.

Smoke: From the first light the notes of coffee are noticeable above all else, with notes of nutmeg joining in to end the first third of the cigar. As we approached the second third of this cigar the notes of coffee were joined by some cinnamon and the occasional black licorice. As our cigar reached its conclusion the coffee notes remained but were joined by leather which made the cigar transition from a mild cigar to that of a mild to medium strength cigar. This cigar produced a lot of smoke due to it’s 56 gauge ring size, so make sure you are in a well ventilated area before lighting this one up. The ash was a medium gray and was flaky at times.

Overall: For a cigar that started as a gimmick and a prop for my sense of humor  it turned out to be a pretty good cigar. The only thing that bothers me is the price. At 10.00 a stick it is a lot of gelt (Yiddish for money) to be handing over for a cigar. At that price point there are other cigars I rather smoke, but it was nice to have Kinky over for the holiday and he won’t be a stranger to my humidor.

Rating: 88
Price: $10.00

To all my Jewish readers allow me to wish you Shana Tova. May you enjoy health, weath and success in the new year.

Cigar Review: George A. Rico aka G.A.R.

G.A.R. by George A. Rico

A few weeks ago I was at a herf with some acquaintances at the Montecristo Room in Harrison, NY and to be honest I can’t remember if I bought this cigar there or if it was gifted to me from a brother of the leaf.  Over on Cigar Live there is a cult following of George A. Rico products and to be honest with you before becoming a member there back in the summer I never heard of him.

I had this cigar sitting in my humidor back home, which brings me to the question Matt asked from Cigar Bar:

“I have a request: Would you consider posting some pictures of your humidor(s)? As often as you smoke, I’d love to see where you’re storing them.”

Well while I do not have my camera with me I will put pictures of my humidors on the website in the Pictures section by the end of next week. My humidors are nothing exciting though. I have 2 boxes that hold about 100 cigars each. One is a Diamond Crown humidor the other is your generic humidor that can be found at any brick & mortar. My current cigar collection is near 175 cigars.

Anyway, on to the review….

The Skinny:

Cigar: G.A.R. by George A. Rico
Origin: Honduras
Size: 6 x 54 (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Filler: Honduras

Pre-Smoke: This box pressed cigar borrows a page from Rocky Patel’s Edge line by placing the band at the foot of the cigar, however the G.A.R. version is much classier and vibrant. The bright white band pulls your eyes to the cigar and it helps offset the beautiful wrapper.

The cigar had plenty of veins but the one thing that struck me as being odd is how much darker one side of the cigar was then the other. It makes me wonder if it was shipped in a box with a cedar sheet separator or perhaps how it was store prior to my possession. The cigar has some veins that were much more noticeable at the cap of the cigar which was not rolled that great. If you look at the picture you can see a slight gap on the wrapper as it nears the cap.

The foot of the cigar had a sweetness to it combined with woody notes, while on the wrapper I picked up a very faint note of caramel. I had to sniff the wrapper numerous times before I was able to identify it as it was that faint. On the pre-light draw there were notes of wood and earth.

Smoke: Despite toasting my cigar I had a hard time getting this one started, but one I did the ash was a very clean white color similar to the band on the foot. This full bodied smoke started off very bitter with notes of earth and pepper, but very quickly made the transition into a creamy, buttery note joined by wood and earth. The cigar once the transition was complete remained consistent all the way through and was very enjoyable to the finish.

Overall: Due to the start of the cigar, I plan to keep my remaining G.A.R. cigars aging for a while before I smoke them. I feel some of the tobacco needs to age a little and meld better to avoid the start my previous G.A.R. cigars have had. The start and the imperfection at the cap are just enough to prevent this cigar from breaking the 90 rating barrier.

Rating: 89
Price: $9.00

Cigar Review: La Aroma De Cuba Edicion Especial

One reason why I personally almost never order from online is because I like walking into a brick & mortar and being recognized by the owner or workers. Yesterday was a perfect example of this when I walked into the Cigar Vault in Brooklyn, NY. The owner, Joe saw me walk in and before you knew it he came over to me and said, “Barry, how have you been we got some new editions in the humidor this week let me show you”. You do not get that from shopping online. As we were completing my purchases he also informed me, “Barry I know how much you love the Opus X, those are coming in next week. It appears this is the Christmas shipment, and after that who knows because of all the flooding they had down there”. Its stores that go the extra mile to keep you informed that keep me coming back.

Today’s cigar was one of the new sticks that came in and I picked up a few most of which were for myself, and some to give my BOTLs over at cigarlive.com. So on a typical fall morning, with overcast skies, and the sea a color of steel I dove right into this one straight from the store.

Cigar: La Aroma De Cuba Edicion Especial
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 5.5 x 52 (No. 5)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-Smoke: This cigar is blended by Jose Pepin Garcia and is handcrafted in small batch fashion by a group of master rollers. The wrapper of this cigar has a beautiful color to it although it has some veins that stand out. The wrapper appears a little brittle, but it has a nice amount of oils showing as well. The scent of the wrapper was cedar and the foot offered notes of spices and wood. The pre-light draw was perfect and it too was woody.  I was pretty stoked because this did not seem like a typical Pepin smoke.

Smoke: Upon lighting the cigar up, I was happy to see this cigar did not have the signature pepper blast that Pepin cigars seem to have. To be honest I am getting rather tired of a lot of the Pepin blends being similar. The first third of the cigar offered heavy wood with some cinnamon notes that became stronger as I reached the 2nd third. In the final third, the wood which remained dominant throughout was joined by some earth and leather.

Overall: This medium to full bodied smoke was totally different then the regular La Aroma De Cuba which was very welcomed by this reviewer in fact the only thing similar was the band. The finish was woody with some spices that lasted long after the smoke that left me very content. It also managed to rekindle my interest in Pepin cigars. If you see this cigar on the shelf I suggest you pick up a handful, as you will not be disappointed.

Rating: 92
Price: $8.50

Ed. Note: I forgot to take a picture as I was smoking the cigar, and the photo is compliments of the Ashton Website… When I smoke another one this week I will replace the photo.

Cigar Review: Padilla Miami

I was first introduced to a Padilla cigar from The World According to Stew who sent me one for a joint review we did on his site a while ago. It was a good cigar, but none of my local B&Ms carried Padilla. That is until now. As I walked into Barrister Cigars the other day I was informed there was some new stuff in the humidor so I picked up a handful and I am glad I did.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Padilla Miami
Origin: Miami
Size: 6.25  x 52 (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo Cuban Seed
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-Smoke: This is one beautiful cigar. Exquisitely hand crafted with minimal veins. The scent of the wrapper was that of some faint spices while the foot offered notes of nuts. What got me on this cigar was the pre-light draw which was both buttery and nutty. A very unusual combination that works well.

Smoke: If you want to see a cigar that burns really well, this is the cigar to smoke. The burn line was clean and crisp all the way to the end. The body was medium, and the draw on this torpedo was perfect. The 1st and 2nd third of this cigar was identical for me, which was a slight pepper, nuts and well defined buttery notes. The final 3rd of the smoke, the buttery notes moved to the background while the pepper became the dominant note.

Overall: The first time I smoked this cigar I was very impressed, but I said to myself I can’t smoke these too often. The buttery notes were so rich, and so well defined that I could see it becomming annoying. I guess my initial thoughts were a little off as I have smoked this cigar often since my first. This is one unique cigar!

Rating: 91
Price: $9.00

Review: Arturo Fuente Anejo #77 (The Shark)

One would expect July to bring heat and humidity to NYC, but not last night. I broke from my normal routine and after dinner I headed to my spot to smoke. It was a beatiful 72 degrees, with a soft breeze. The ocean seemed higher then normal, I guess the tide at night is different then in the morning. So with the sounds of the waves crashing on shore a mere 90 yards away…

The Skinny:

Cigar: Aturo Fuente Anejo #77
Origin: Domincan Republic
Size: Shark, 5 3/4″ x 56
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

Pre-Light: The anejo wrappers are aged in oak barrels used for aging Cognac for 5 years, which results in a darker than normal maduro wrapper. The cigar is box pressed to the label, and beyond that is a normal belicoso. I was surprised to feel the foot of the cigar wasn’t packed as tight as it could of been, but the rest of the cigar was nice and firm. The wrapper itself smelled a little of chocolate and there was a indescribable sweetness to it. At the foot I was able to pick up notes of cognac and a slight pepper. The pepper as usual made me sneeze like crazy. The prelight draw was sweet with hints of cognac. How I wish I had some with me for this smoke!

Smoke: So with a sailboat crossing the horizon and the setting sun creating a post card effect in the skies, I clipped the cigar with a straight cutter, and lit this baby up. For the first few drags I found the cigar leaf to be salty. I liken it to a margarita, but over time the first 1/4 inch it faded away. The initial third of the cigar was chocolate and a undefined taste. The second third the undefined taste was defined. Cognac. It amazed me that the taste was so defined. It made me crave the glass of cognac even more. As the cigar reached it final third The cognac was joined by some earthy notes.The cigar had no burn issues, and held its ash pretty well.

Overall: I could not put this cigar down. If I had a roach clip with me, I would of smoked it til there was nothing left. I actually had a slight buzz from the cigar an it was the perfect nightcap to a beautiful day. The notes were chocolate, cognac, pepper and earth. If you remember I was disappointed from the robusto, but not at all by the shark

My Local Price: $14.00
Rating: 94 (Out of 100)

Cigar Review: Nub Cameroon

At first glance the Nub looks like something my grandfather would have in his mouth all day. The cigar comes in 3 variations (Nicaraguan Natural, Connecticut Natural, and Nicaraguan Cameroon) and four different sizes (ranging from 3.7″ to 4″). The cigar I smoked was the Nicaraguan Cameroon 464 (4″ x 64 ring), which usually is to thick of a ring gauge for me, but being it was a torpedo I had no problem with its girth. The cigar was nicely constructed with little to no oils visible on the wrapper but had a nice spongy feel to it from being properly maintained in a humidor.

I was informed by the salesperson that the idea behind this cigar was that every cigar has a sweet spot and that every cigar in this line was the sweet spot. All the excess tobacco not inside the sweet spot was trimmed away and not used in any way for the cigar. A great idea if you ask me even though the size was quite funny looking. In fact until I tried it I thought the cigar was pretty much a novelty.

It wasn’t until I decided to write this review that I found out the cigar is made by the Oliva Family, whom I must admit I am not a huge fan of their product. But with the help of one of their sales reps named Sam Leccia who worked with Jose Oliva they realized that this was a complex and hearty smoke that they had created. And the success isn’t new for Mr. Leccia who was also the partner of an award winning Vodka.

The wrapper of the Cameroon Nicaraguan 464 is grown in Cameroon, Africa and due to the size of the cigar I thought it would smoke very hot. In fact I thought it would be too hot to enjoy. But the cigar proved that one can not judge based upon looks. A rich wonderful taste enveloped my palate. The hints of cedar and a glorious coffee taste remained for the 1 hour it took to smoke this beauty. So far this is the best cigar I have smoked in 2008, and quite possibly it will fall into my top 10 of all time.

Cost (At point of purchase): $4.75
Rating: 89/100