What a rare treat. To pull out a smoke, drybox it and cut and light it, knowing all the time that I can actually attribute this to the right person. And I was glad to get it. I saw my friend Greg at THE herf in Ohio over the summer and offered him some cigar or other and in return, he told me to pick one out of his herfidor. I selected the one cigar I could not get, did not buy on release, and had precious little more time to ever have a CHANCE to smoke it, the Por Larranaga regional edition from Germany released some 7-8 years ago. He did not wince, although I imagine inside he regretted NOT saying "Choose any cigar in my box except the regional PL Lonsdale."
I know herf etiquette, however, and I know he would not give me free rein if he did not MEAN to take free rein. So I took it. I was glad to get it. I am a big fan of the factory size, of the brand, and in this one case, a fan of the release. I am not won over by regional releases by any means. But honestly, I have not had many at all, and the other I loved was the Punch Superfino. An exquisite cigar.
But back to the smoke at hand. I had poured a half a Maredsous the other day with another cigar, and still had the remains in the fridge. I had removed the cap in such a way as to guarantee a good seal should I use it again, and I did. The beer retained much of it's original character and carbonation. A little of both was undoubtedly lost with the half bottle's air space over a few days, but the beer was still very tasty. The cigar featured a draw that was superb and a flavor of nutty cream with some leathery spice. It had wonderful burning qualities and stayed lit the entire time I had to smoke, and gave NO trouble with an even burn throughout. It was a perfect candidate for smoke-sipping. I would give it a firm draw about every 5 draws and then just barely sip the smoke for the other draws, which offered very subtle and quite sublime flavor. Hints of everything from cherry to cotton candy and lemon and cane sugar and dirt and hay, very similar to the Fundadores I have recently smoked in the dizzying array of flavors offered once, never to return. Not a bad thing at all, but there is a feeling of loss, certainly, when you get something great and immediately try to grasp at it again to help give it a name, and its gone.
The cigar burned for over an hour to the point where it was photographed again, (and granted, I HAD pushed the bands UP in anticipation of smoking this one to an inch, but once I saw that Downton Abbey was about to start, the remaining inch or so I intended to smoke was left to the devils and angels to fight over. I love me some Downton Abbey, and this episode was crushing to me, spoiler alert, but Lady Sybil is no more. That fine bit of crumpet is now free to take on another role where she may prove to be even hotter. She died after giving birth to a little girl.
The cigar was just a treat to smoke, and I am glad that the only one I had on hand was absolutely perfect in every way. The cigar itself, from the standpoint of personality, however, I won't give elevated marks to. It was a really good smoke, but nothing so special as to demand a higher price and limited availability. As I have said many times here, Havana smokes seem to be losing that special edge they once had. The smokes seem to all taste the same to me, and have been for a decade or more. This cigar was outstanding, but it needed to be. I have been smoking so many standard-line havanas lately, and the taste is just appalling. The draws are bad, the filler, lackluster, the combination, just awful. People lamented during the beginning stages of the limited and regional special cigars, why Havana was attempting such a thing when their regular line-up of cigars was still so poorly quality-controlled. What they have basically said to the consumer is, "YES, you can still get an excellent cigar out of Cuba. The trouble is, now you have to pay extra for it." There was a time when just the word Havana, Cuba on the box meant you were in for something special. Those days are gone. This was a really fine cigar. But my last 5-6 were just weak and actually made me a little bit angry.
My apologies to Greg in NC for wasting an inch or more of this fantastic cigar. I will not get another one, and this one was certainly a real treat. Your generosity is boundless. I would score it highly just on the fact that I finally got a good smoke out of my collection. But that is letting my last 5-6 cigars color my impressions of THIS smoke. So before I score it, let me say one thing unequivically. This cigar was PERFECTLY rolled and the blend seemed to be quite well done. I wish they were all like this. Still great, but the score does not reflect the special nature of the release. Too many of the points are being awarded on the sheer perfection of the construction....87 points
Well from time to time, letting a cigar dry out for awhile is NOT the best idea. I tend to like em better a bit dry, but I should have cut and tested this one before I let it dry for a week in a desktop humidor. I saved it for this weekend's smokal activities. After I tested it on Friday night, I decided I could only hope to let it sponge up some moisture for a day, and put it into an ice chest for 24 hours. I pulled it out on Saturday night and it was still a bit of a stovepipe, but what are you gonna do? I was looking forward to the smoke, I have been smoking my worst cigars lately it seems. I had to ice ax arrest my fall down the glacier. So I poured a half a Maredsous ale and headed outside to try the evening air.
The cigar was of course, way too airy on the draw, but it was lit now, and I wasn't going to put it off any longer anyway. It was tough to pinpoint as many great flavors as I had the last time out on this smoke, but in the cigar's defense, it was not as bad as the Montecristo Edmundo I had on Friday night as a consolation for the BHK52 not working out. THAT cigar was terrible, too tight to enjoy any flavors outside of the standard "tight cigar taste". With this BHK52, there were light, sweet and cedary tastes, with a little cocoa, but on the whole, this cigar was going to have to tighten up a bit for me to get anything great out of it. And in time, it did. I kept pushing the band up, which for me is always a good sign. For a $30 cigar, these are WAY short. So if its GOOD, you have to push that band WAY up there. And I did...twice. As the cigar burned and tightened up slightly, the flavors became more round and sweet and candied, and I mean that in a good way, not overly sweet, more of the white russian-type flavor I had tasted when the first one got smoked last year. I can't give this one a high score per se, but it was one of those cigars I have had lately, where I feel kind of bad that I have to even say things like this, but it was good enough to be a welcome breath of fresh air in a dearth of good smokes lately.
To hear people tell it, I need to be smoking the FRESH cigars out of Cuba these days, they say they are great. But I don't really HAVE any, so aged ones it is. Oh the humanity, lol.
I got a call from my mother regarding the death of my Uncle Edgar over the weekend. My family is so scattered and so far from Louisiana that its not possible that they make all the funerals that arise from a LARGE family as our favorite aunts and uncles get older. But I am not SO FAR away that I can't take time off work if I have it to spare and get down there are rep the family. My uncle Edgar prided himself in being a great host. And a great singer, too, but let's just cover the hosting. If our relatives from up north came down, they may have stayed with other relatives, but he made sure to always throw a HUGE crawfish boil or some other event for them so that they knew they were down the bayou for sure. And then we would take the 40 minute drive over there, too and bask in the glory of the yankee relatives we loved so much. It as always quite the bash. He always had a giant smile on the giant face on the top of his giant body. He had a comical face and a comical demeanor. He was a really great guy. But like many big guys, his heart gave out in the end. Not to mention he didn't miss many good cajun meals. He as not a FAT man, he was just a BIG man. So I got up at 2 am and drove 7 hours to go and extend my condolences to his family. His wife was my dad's sister. My dad's been gone a LONG time now, but that's another story. I saw many of my relatives that I normally do not see unless someone dies. And sadly, we get together every couple of years now. So as I drove back home, I figured Pontchatoula, LA was as far north as I dared drive and still expect to be able to find a shrimp po-boy. It's north of Lake Pontchartrain, and almost to Mississippi. I exited the interstate and drove through a few red lights and finally came upon "BOOTSY's Gas & Deli." Never been there, but any deli in that town ought to have po-boys. As luck would have it, they had 6 kinds. And that's all it takes to assure me at LEAST a shrimp po-boy, and MAYBE an oyster po-boy. I COULD eat two, but I knew I would save one for work tomorrow. I tore open the double-wrapped delicacy on crusty french bread and I swear, as soon as the cruise control was set, I man-handled that thing. It did not make the state line. A ten inch fried shrimp po-boy, gone in 20 miles....while driving. And as they sang in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, "There's ALWAYS Tomorrow.".............
Well I can edit this post now, just finished the last bite and I am sure glad I saved this one for last. Even warmed over it was spectacular. I should have picked up that sack of oysters when I was down there. And now I KNOW I am going to pick up a sack over the Mardi Gras weekend that I will be down.
After a BAD run of cigars over the past 4-5 entries, I HAD to change the narrative around here. I had been given a Ramon Allones Petit Corona by a great friend at the world's greatest herf up in Ohio in the summer of 2012.
The cigar looked great, and it was a mareva, to me the perfect smoke. I used to think the way the industry men down in Cuba do, that it was the CORONA (or the lonsdale), but increasingly for me, its the PETIT corona, the common name for the size known as a mareva in the rolling gallery. its just a perfect draw and smoking duration. I tend to get quite bored with a cigar around halfway to begin with. I like the combination of attributes in the mareva for that very reason. If I DO get bored halfway, at least I am not pitching away half a churchill. But in general, a mareva allows me to smoke 2/3 of the stick before I get bored, or it gets hot, or the TV show I want to watch comes on.
The Ramon Allones Petit Corona is DARK and oily, with a slight box press and just begging to be lit. the band slides easily up and down for a half-inch in either direction, telling me this cigar has been around awhile. And after checking into my suite at the Asylum, I was informed that I DID NOT get this at the Shack, but it was sent to me by Scott last year, thanks so much Scott. I had forgotten for a moment.
It lit quickly and to make sure I did not have any issues, I cut it quite severely. I cut the slightest snip off of the Duke I smoked the other day, and while I doubt the poor draw was owing to the CUT, I was not taking any chances. I got a lightly firm draw and proceeded downstairs with a LARGE, frosty white russian I had just shaken up. I did not make it in the Jimmy Buffet machine, it was packed in a box. But it was odd for me to even MAKE such a drink. I have more liquor in my house than my lifestyle would suggest. I did not waste any time as a younger man pouring liquor down my gullet. I would often show up for church on Sunday mornings and I would have alcohol aspirating into the air through my pores. A bit hypocritical if you ask me. But that was a difficult time in my life. Nowadays, I have liquor on hand in case someone drops by or I have a party, neither of which has happened for 10 years. But from time to time in this blog, I DO like to have a drink with a smoke like most people DO. And as luck would have it, I had the makings of this on hand after my summer trip to the Smokies.
Where the hell was I?? Ah, yes, a cigar. The cigar looked great, and the initial draws as I walked down the stairs to get my lawn chair were great. This was going to be a front porch special. The back yard where the pond is is a perfect smoking spot but for RALPH. Ralph is like any other dog, he needs love and gets little. I come home from work and give him a treat and scratch under his head and go upstairs. He is not my dog. So when I come down to smoke a cigar, he expects me to devote my time to scratching him and paying attention to him. Luckily he is NOT a retriever. I ask him where his ball is, and he goes and finds it and gets in his house to chew on it. He does NOT fetch, nor does he want to play in any way when it comes to his ball. So the poor sucker, when I have had enough play and want to smoke and relax, I ask him where his ball is and he is off to find it and chew on it until it dawns on him 30 minutes later that he has been tricked. Then its a few pats on the head and some love and I can do the same thing all over again. But tonight I just want to smoke the cigar and observe the change from 68 degrees to 38 degrees in a matter of hours. Outside it is warm and moist. Hard times ahead tonight. Those two air masses will NOT get along.
The cigar is perfect. It draws well, tastes superb. I get traces of black cherry, honey, smoke, spice and herbs. NOT unlike a Small Club Corona, but rounder and a little more interesting. The mouth feel of the smoke is great, too, nice and moist with a cool, minty nature to it. It burns in a very well-behaved fashion, and when it ashes it continues to burn right along without difficulty. Around halfway I issue it an ultimatum, continue on in the same manner and I am done, change and become more interesting and I will smoke it to the band. And as if to answer me directly, it goes out and I have to scrape the ash from the end and re-light it and when I do, I am greeted by a flavor of teacakes and almond cookies, with a buttery character that I am not sure I have ever tasted in such a context. I have used the term buttery several times here, but in such close relation to this shortbread-type teacake flavor, its impressive. Grandma's Teacakes, the ones she would bring around in a pillowcase, lol. (inside joke for many). All in all a great little smoke. Wish I had 3-4 boxes on hand instead of a one-off.
This used to be a great cigar. Let's establish at the outset that I am no fan of Edicion Limitada havana cigars. I like it even less when people lie to themselves and say "this cigar is going to be great in 5 years." Well OK, maybe not 'LIE to themselves', but remain hopeful against near-overwhelming evidence that they should abandon hope. To me that is the very story of the edicion limitadas. ONE DAY these cigars are going to be great. They HAVE to be. They're limited editions. They have a "special wrapper". Anything that looks this rumpled and mottled and costs way too much extra money HAS to be good at SOME point. Doesn't it? Sure it does.
I did enjoy the H. Upmann Magnum 48. They were good from day one and seem good even now. But these DUKES, I have no idea why they have made ME act like the rest of you. Those who know me KNOW I am not like the rest of you. I am the odd one. The belligerent one. The troll, the kook. I have to be different. I DO NOT LIKE EL cigars. I think they are a rip off. And yet here we are. Man I LOVED this cigar when it came out. And it looks like I should have smoked through all my boxes back then. Stocking up was a great idea. Saving them for a time when they would get even better was a flawed strategy. I see that now. And one day on this blog, I hope to eat my words.
To start with the cigar was cracked at the foot. I guess I dropped it one day. In fact I know I did. That's why I did not send it off to a friend in that condition. I simply replaced it with a perfect one and sent it on. But as with most cigars, I imagined this little cigar with the broken foot might improve once it burned past the damage. Maybe I should have even cut a half inch off the foot before lighting it. But it drew poorly throughout most of the smoking and tasted about as bleh as it could. Whereas my bad Montecristo No.1 from the other day had 4-5 great puffs out of an otherwise dismal smoke, this cigar was never good, not even once. I need to remind the reader here that I DO tend to smoke the misfits first, and that can lead to a lot of disappointments if smoke after smoke is messed up by cracks, holes, dowel bunches, and other forms of poor construction. I guess its a miracle I ever get a GOOD smoke. And it is for that reason that lately I have been intending to grab a great smoke right off the bat, throw economy and caution to the wind and just grab something duty-bound to be memorable. But these ugly ducklings work their way to the front of the line. I WANTED a BHK52, but the box they were in was buried at the bottom of an ice chest that was at the bottom of a stack of ice chests. I HAD a full box right on top, but I wanted the one that was open, for obvious reasons. I was going to smoke an Esplendido, but the box THEY were in was too hard to find. So I went to the dry-box to see what was in there, and the Duke was just sitting there waiting. So I cut it, poured a half of a bomber of Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale and went downstairs to smoke a cigar by the pond. I am not going to bore you with an actual review, the cigar sucked. But it just kills me that these were once one of the best cigars I owned. Now they are just blah. MAYBE they will come back again with enough time in the cooler. But isn't that JUST what they ALL say?
Nothing is more pathetic than the statistics for a blog that has good content but an unmotivated author. I had weeks and weeks of no one visiting. Why should they? To re-read old posts? Hardly. People want me to smoke something. I whine when its too hot and I whine when its too cold. Something had to give. And in the end it was New Year's Eve. And in terms of the title "a new cigar", I have been smoking havana cigars since 1994 and have never had a Montecristo No.1.
I don't go out on New Year's Eve anymore. When I was a kid in New Orleans, I always went out with friends. When I was in the service, I think we just hung out together and got drunk in the dorm. But it was in my post-military years in college in the bible belt that I had to stop going out. I am no advocate for drinking and driving, certainly, but in Mississippi, they DARE you to go out and have fun. They set up 3-5 road blocks in a given city and they just wait for you. Never mind that most of the people they claim you are a threat to are in bed or at home. But again, I don't advocate drunk driving. But like any poor old mutt dog, you beat me enough times and I am going to cower in the presence of your mighty power. So the cigar and a shot of Rare Breed had to be consumed with two pairs of sweatpants on the bottom and a long sleeve shirt and hoodie coverup on top, with a watch cap on the head. I selected a nice light stick to keep the possibility of a plugged smoke at bay, and I cut it and lit it quite easily.
I passed on a BHK52, a Montecristo Sublime and a Montecristo Especiale before settling on this cigar, and I instantly regretted it. One thing I love about a typical Montecristo is the outpouring of powdery cocoa flavor and light and sweet spice. None of that was waiting for me. Out of the entire 2/3 of the stick, I might have gotten 5 good, tasty puffs. The rest were not even hay-like. They were just bland. I love havana cigars, but I really HATE Habanos and their total lack of consistency in ANYTHING. The only consistent factor is their total lack of control.
They can make a box of cigars totally uniform in all appearances, but can't make 25 cigars taste alike. Not even close. It leads to what I call the Habanos rule. Every box of cigars will contain on average, 5 stellar cigars, 12 cigars that are passable but totally unremarkable, and 8 cigars that are totally crap. Its a real shame. I expect another 3-4 bad ones in this box, as it was a box of ten. I will try again soon and see if the whole box is shot or not.
