Back from Hiatus

Hello All!

I'm back, first my apologies for my 6 month long hiatus, a series of life's obstacles took my time away from this blog ranging from daily life priorities to doctor's orders. A lot of change has happened at my day job, leaving me exhausted and concentrating on daily priorities, coupled with a busy summer with family and traveling, before I knew it I was 3 months away from my blog, but lastly a forced extended hiatus from my doctor (indirectly), had me away for another 3 months. My bill of health is fine now, but 3 months ago I had finally had come upon a cross road where my doctor was concerned about a few things with my health, namely, cholesterol and weight. Bottom line get cholesterol level back to normal or it's time for meds to keep things in check. I was given 3 months to make a change, the plan.... eat better, exercise, and lose 15 lbs. Well I'm proud to say I met those goals, after 90 days of a more disciplined lifestyle with food and running I did meet my goal of 15lb. lost and the healthier food choices dropped me back to the normal range of cholesterol, during this time I also swore off the cigars for that time period.

Now that all of the above is done, I'm back and will be posting reviews again, with a renewed energy for this blog, so hopefully I haven't forgotten how to do any of this and will pick up right where I left off... In the coming days I will have a new review posted. Stay Tuned....

Regards,

Cigar Novicionado

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Bill would expand Calif. smoking ban at work

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Bill-would-expand-Calif-smoking-ban-at-work-1330844.php


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CRA ACTION ALERT for California Cigar Smokers!

California Public Hearing For Statewide Smoking Ban Proposal

CRA Action Alert for California Cigar Smokers!

Sign the Petition!

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Island Prince Momona Cigar

Island Prince Momona: 50 Ring, 5 3/4 inch

This is a review that has been a long time coming of the Island Prince Momona Cigar, by the Kauai Cigar Company, hailing from it's locale as self described in their name.  I received this cigar from a friend who was on the islands for my work's annual wining and dining of clients.  I was very interested to hear that during their hosted event, they had a cigar catered event on one of the evenings, and part of the goodies I was able to snag from the left over booty from the trip was 3 cigars that was quickly stuffed into a plastic bag and brought back by my company's marketing department.  One of the manager's knowing I was a cigar novicionado, offered some of these intriguing sticks to me, I happily accepted them with a deep curiosity and intrigued by the notion and novelty of cigars from Hawaii!

To accurately describe some of the history of this cigar, here is a description as found on their website. "These Kauai cigars are the result of growing, curing, fermenting, aging, and hand rolling some of the finest tobacco in the world. Our cigars contain premium, all natural, Sun Grown Kauai Filler Tobacco, and contain no synthetic additives for flavor."  " Our Kauai tobacco is wrapped in a dark Habano leaf grown in Nicaragua. It is a full bodied smoke and is filled with deep complex flavors."  "Momona means Sweet and Fat in Hawaiian." *

Before I begin, I have to share that as excited I was to receive these Hawaiian beauties, I was a little dismayed in the condition I received them, not that they were crushed, or torn up, but as a cigar enthusiast, I was horrified to see that they were in a plastic bag amongst other token marketing items.  Visions of these cigars being quickly thrown into a bag during the late night clean up of the event , and then to travel back to the mainland being crushed and tossed around in high altitude in the carry on bag in an airplane cabin sent shivers down my spine.   As I was handed these sticks they felt odd, already I'm thinking what a pity, whatever potential goodness I was hoping to light up with may have been left behind on the sandy shores of Kauai.  The cigars looked to be in good shape, however obviously due to the high and dry exposure during flight., they felt very firm like Puili-Hawaiian Rhythm Sticks.   I can't blame the handlers who graciously gave me these sticks as they were not cigar guys, not knowing any better the finer points of the care of cigars during travel. So with this these cigars I decided to let them sit in my humidor for a long while, in hopes to recondition them back to life. Well it took nearly 11 months for me to feel comfortable taking this one out of the box, unfortunately after this review it may be awhile for a follow up review, inadvertently I let the other two Island Prince's go during a party where I had mistakenly left it out in the open box for friends to select from, oh well, "shaka" braddahs!

The Pre-Light:  As foretold this cigar has been in my humidor for almost a year, nearly at the bottom and having pulled it for this review it felt like any of my cigars with the nominal give that was not too little or too much.  This cigar is a dark habano leaf from Cuban seed pedigree, with the help or collaboration from the Oliva Cigar Family, I could regurgitate the whole history of this however it can be found and better told from their website or other forums.  

My first whiff of the cigar and I was little confused, one of the disadvantages of having a plethora of cigars sharing the same humidor space, it can cause some essence rub off from some of the other cigars it lays next to, unfortunately I had unwrapped this cigar because of the very state I received it feeling like sticks, I felt it better if I let it breathe openly unwrapped in my humidor.  As best as I could I tried to lay them next to similar habano leafed "braddahs".   During the whiff, I did feel I caught a hint of an amonia airiness about it, but not much, it could be my senses being thrown of from some of the neighboring characteristics that the Island Prince may have picked up from being next to other cigars.  However getting passed this initial hint I found a very rich sweet tobacco aroma, this lived up to thr "Momona" monickered for this cigar.   The construction was nicely done, however another side note....  I found the foot of this cigar to be squared off as if it were box pressed, however the rest of the cigar was not like this. I could not recall if this was the way I received it, or if this is the way the cigar was meant to be.  

My gut and thinking was that this was not meant to be and this "press" was sustained during transit from Kauai to the Mainland.  As for the rest of the cigar, it was nicely capped, the leaf was veined but not patterned in a way that sent a red flag.  there were no blemishes on the leaf and the cigar felt packed full of tobacco.  I liked the eye catching red and gold band giving it a regal King Kamehameha feel about it. 

The light of the cigar was quick and uneventful, the light began evenly which bode well for this journey and as I settled for this smoke, I thought... I wish I were on some beach or scenic vista in Hawaii for this review... and then came my Hawaiian greeting.

Five minutes after the light as I let it get started, I found this cigar to do something different from my usual encounters, this cigar greeted me with an ALOHA!  The only way I could have had a better greeting is if I had gotten "lei'd", but sorry no pretty girls in grass skirts and bikinis with a warm Hawaiian smile.  A blast of cedar sufficed though, I wouldn't call it a a volcanic spice or sweetness, but just a mini tsunami of cedar.  This is the first time in awhile since I've experienced this much of a cedar tone to start, which is a welcomed change.  Normally I would see this type of a warm greeting only as early at the half mark or most cigars to me end on this type of note as it warms up. The draw was good and the smoke very smokey white, the ash held strong and I dropped ash 3-4 times during the smoke.   The burn was even for the most part, no correction needed during the smoke and I considered this a slow burner, where I didn't have to pay a lot of attention to it, the good draw encouraged a nice even pace.  

 Into the middle third of the cigar I noticed the cedar greeting become less pronounced and took more of a leathery creamy tone, maybe even on the sweet side.  I didn't find any tones of nuts, but was wondering if I would eventually encounter macadamia nuts or coconuts, (nope didn't find any of these tones)- LOL! About this time I believe I felt the nicotine hit, a nice gentle buzz nothing too strong, kinda like a balmy pacific breeze slowly lulling you to relaxation. I would definitely consider this smoke somewhere from a mild-medium to medium smoke. This smooth cigar I definitely enjoyed till it's end, however unlike it's Big Kahuna greeting, this ended with a fond gentle Aloha as the tone ended with that creamy tone, as if to say... ..Just like the song, "Aloha Oe"

"Farewell to you, farewell to you

The charming one who dwells in the shaded bowers

One fond embrace,

'Ere I depart

Until we meet again" **

 

 

On this note you can likely tell what my assessment of the Island Prince Momona is, princely! Let me first say I was pleasantly surprised by this cigar, I thought I was picking something up that was more a novelty with the romance of Cuban tobacco seed grown on the organic soils of the Hawaiian islands. What a great concept and why not... the soils are rich enough and the ambient environmental conditions good enough, it should be given a shot and tried!   I think Island Prince is onto something, I think as more people try their cigars they will be pleasantly surprised like myself, this is no "ABC Store" stock smoke for the tourist, the creators of Island Prince know what they are doing.   For my novicionados, throw on a Hawaiian shirt, grab a mai tai and definitely give the smoke a try. For aficionados, for the novelty of it, give it a try at least you'll look good wearing Hawaiian style braddah!

Aloha and Good Ashes my Friends!


Cigar Novicionado


References:

* http://www.kauaicigar.com/our_cigars.html
** http://www.huapala.org/Aloha/Aloha_Oe.html

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Cigar Novicionado: Cu Avana Connecticut Toro

Cu Avana Connecticut Toro

Wrapper: Connecticut Natural

Filler:  Dominican Republic

Size: 6x50 Toro

 Today is my second review of the year and I decided to switchback to the lighter side for this review, as my readers may know by now I favor the darker shade maduros, but as always like to mix it up and try new and different cigars.   For this review I looked in my humidor and looked for the lightest shade cigar I could find, in doing so I picked one from my friends at Cigars Direct, a very eye catching blue gold leafed band that grabbed my attention.  I had not heard of Cu Avana but have seen it here in there in various cigar catalogs.   On a San Diego morning while the rest of the nation has been getting hammered with a winter blast, it was a fine day for a winter smoke,  70 degrees, slightly cloudy, but sunny and even the birds were chirping on my front porch enjoying the Southern California warmth.

This Cu Avana is a Dominican Republic cigar from Manuel Quesada, the owner of Fonseca Cigars.  I read that the long filler of this cigar is from Cibao Valley region of the Dominican Republic.  On first look, this cigar is nicely crafted, the wrapper a nice even shade of natural Connecticut leaf, some veinage noticeable, but nothing that seemed it would cause any issues.  There was one slight blemish very visible under the label, it looked like a nick or a burr, and I’m not sure how it got there, or if this is just one of those ones that escaped quality control.   A whiff of the stick and was greeted with a mild tobacco aroma that you might expect.  The feel was about perfect, not too hard or soft and even throughout, this had been sitting in my humidor for several months now.  I liked the blue and gold leafed band which symbolized tobacco leaf, the navy sky blue was eye catching. A friend of mine who leans to the mild – medium bodied cigar range actually smoked this cigar a couple weeks ago and he liked it.

The cut and lighting of this Cu Avana was uneventful, I came away with a good clean cut from my Xikar, (the double lined cap end was done very nicely)  and my Ronson Jetlite Ligther got me going in no time.  As I like to do with all my cigars, I wait at least 5 minutes for the cigar to warm up before trying to detect anything.   In this case in the first 5-7 minutes I found that this cigar leaned to an earthy woodsy leathery feel, an early hint of smoothness and maybe spice.   I found the smoke produced was a very puffy white smoke, the burn was fairly even and the draw non-problematic.  The first ash drop occurred around 15 minutes into the cigar and found the ash to be whitish gray and flaky, but not loose and not overly compacted. The tone of the cigar was at this point more of a smooth leathery creamy mild tobacco, a hint of a woodsy nature, and I want to say spicy but not hot spicy, but maybe more of a tanginess… like a citrus like note.  Shortly after this at around 20 minutes I noticed the Cu Avana move more towards a creamy smooth leather tone, but with a definite note of a coffee expression mixed in.   During this smoke I paired with my favorite morning coffee, however I know my liquid pairing was not influencing what I was getting, it was more from the cigar.  Getting into the middle zone of this cigar was nice, from here on out is where I like to really notice and enjoy a cigar, at this point "Cu" was not disappointing. 

After about 40 minutes with this cigar and heading to the final stretch. This cigar had a more tobacco tone with a woodsy almost cedar note. The last third of the cigar for me is always the most enjoyable as it gets warmer and the flavors are more drawn out and can get interesting at times.  Even though this cigar is claimed as a Mild- Medium smoke, I think it leaned definitely more towards Medium, as I got up form my chair I felt the nicotine buzz.  This smoke was not a wild or complex ride, but it had interesting tones that spoke out, ranging  from a smooth, creamy leather, woodsy citrus with a hint of cedar and coffee expressions.  So does this Cu Avana have me "cooing" for more.... ? This was a great morning smoke and I definitely would try this one again and offer out to my friends who lean in the mild-medium bodied direction. Also I will definitely remember this for a break from my maduros, this is one I would not hesitate to pick up. So yes.... more more, another time...  

Smoke Well my Friends,

Cigar Novicionado

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Cigar Rights of America: Progress in the State of Washington - Let's Send a Message to Olympia

Progress in the State of Washington - Let's Send a Message to Olympia






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Cigar Novicionado : Rocky Patel Olde Worlde Reserve Maduro

Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Maduro 

Wrapper: Costa Rican Maduro

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Blend - Nicaragua, Panama, and Honduras

So after a too long of a hiatus, here I am again… To start my first review of the year I wanted it to be something a little special, something I‘ve been waiting and drooling to try from my humidor.  Thanks to my friends at CigarsDirect.com I received something that was elegantly eye-catching, as my usual taste leans to maduro and full bodied smokes, immediately the Rocky Patel Olde Worlde Reserve Maduro caught my fancy, how could I avoid it, a box pressed shaped cigar, very dark, rich, and oily looking branded and banded with the Rocky Patel name, how can I miss with a name like Olde Worlde Reserve….?!  On a day off on a fine San Diego afternoon I picked up my lighter, cutter, notepad and pen and headed out to the sanctuary of my front porch to start my  2011 cigar review.

The Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Maduro Toro has a Costa Rican Maduro wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and a blend of filler from Nicaragua, Panama, and Honduras, the stick I received was a a 6.5 x 52 Toro.   The RP vanilla colored band and unique brown paper “cork” like wrapper at the foot presents itself elegantly and with class.  The construction does not disappoint, this cigar is a box-pressed cigar, and the wrapper’s deep dark brown maduro color teased of richness and oily-ness, as if promising a deeply rich smoke. The cigar had a rich aroma, but nothing that I could tell or describe that would stand out other than your basic tobacco aroma.  I had this cigar in my humidor for a couple months now and the feel and construction was fine, not too hard or soft, I love the feel of a box-pressed although have not had many of them.  The snip of the cap and the light up was uneventful.   These days I try not too pay too much attention to the flavors coming out the first 5-10 minutes, I really feel a cigar needs time to warm up and depending on how neat and clean I light up a cigar I don’t want any just lit first impressions influence my experience, so these days I try to light up my cigar as quickly as possible and get it going without trying to sort it out right way.

The First Third:  after about 10 minutes I began my experience with this cigar, OWR is a very smoky and slow burn, although the draw was good.  Immediately I detected earthy and woodsy tones, but nothing overpowering, this start went well with my dark coffee.

The 2^nd Third:  It took awhile to get this stage, the taste of the cigar was still as reported in the first third, but a bit creamier and smoother, nothing outright spicy and sharp, other than the cedar and woodsy tones, in this regard the OWR was consistent.  Near the end of the 2^nd third, I thought I detected hints of espresso, however it could have been my dark coffee as well, or perhaps my pairing with the coffee helped bring out the dark espresso tone.  This cigar was richly smoky and produced a very even white gray ash.   My ash dropped 3-4 times, although It was very neatly held together, had I been more gentle I probably could have tapped the ash off 2-3 times during this smoke.

The Final Third:  This smoke was much the same the rest of the way, as with all my smokes, or I should the way I smoke, if I am enjoying the smoke I usually take it as far down as I can go, because of this as the end nears and the cigar gets warmer, the flavors to me get more intensified, this is where I like to try and sort out what I have been tasting during the ride. 

My final assessment is that for me this was an enjoyable cigar, smooth and consistent, but for a maduro it was not one of the more complex cigars I’ve tried.  As for strength, during the smoke I felt it was more a medium full bodied cigar, but as I finished and got up from my chair, I felt the leanings of perhaps a full bodied smoke, but overall it did not seem that way.   Who is this cigar for…?  For my novicionados a definite try if venturing towards a maduro or a more full bodied  cigar, for the aficionado or experienced cigar guy who likes maduros I think they would expect more, unless they like non complex and smoother cigars.   In my book, I liked this cigar and would light it up again, however I believe the possible pricey nature of this smoke I would make it a second choice if I could find a more favorite smoke, or if this was on a deal that day at the shop.  As always the Rocky Patel brand did not disappoint, I have yet to find one I totally disliked, but did this blow my socks off…?  Not quite this time around, but maybe on a different day, again this gives me the excuse to re-explore this cigar later this year for second review when the chance comes.

Long Ashes my Friends,

Cigar Novicionado

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Five Questions to Ask Before You Buy a Cigar
 by: Vernon Coper

If you’re new to the world of premium cigars, welcome to a place where long-leaf tobaccos rule and humidors are standard equipment. Americans consume more cigars than any other country, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom. In fact, those three countries together purchased three-quarters of all cigars last year.

Cigars are a matter of preference, but there are some questions you should ask to help ensure you’re getting your money’s worth for your premium cigar.

1. How can I tell if a cigar is fresh?

A fresh, handmade cigar starts with high-quality ingredients. And once it’s rolled, the cigar needs to be stored properly while in transit. If it was stored correctly, it should have a rich, oily sheen. If it doesn’t – and the wrapper appears dull – it may still be a good smoke, but the appearance is a good place to start your evaluation.

The best way to test for freshness is to pinch the cigar between your index finger and thumb. A fresh cigar will be firm and it will spring back after you pinch it. If it does not spring back – or it feels too spongy in some spots – it’s not the freshest cigar you can get.

2. Is it handmade or hand-rolled?

Premium cigars can be either handmade or hand-rolled. Hand-rolled cigars feature high-quality wrappers and long filler, but they can be machine-bunched and then rolled by hand. (Bunching is the combination of up to four types of filler tobacco that are blended to create the cigar and then held together by a binder.) A handmade cigar is made by hand every step of the way, also using high-quality wrapper and long filler. Because there’s no machine involved in handmade cigars, it can be created with a more delicate wrapper.

3. Is it a good cigar or a great cigar?

When you’re selecting your cigars, you want the best cigar you can afford. There are five categories by which you should judge cigars. Once you know what you like, you’ll know how to evaluate future purchases.

Appearance: Look at the cigar’s appearance. Does the wrapper have a consistent color? Is it wrapped uniformly? Is the wrapper oily and does it have sheen?

Draw: When you light the cigar, how easy is it to draw smoke through it? If it is almost too easy, then it’s “hot.” If it’s really difficult to draw any smoke through, it may be “plugged.” This means there’s something blocking the passage, like a stray stem. Try rolling the cigar to unplug it.

Rate of burn: Once it’s lit, does the cigar burn too slowly, too quickly or unevenly?

Construction: The way a cigar is assembled will affect the way it smokes. It can be rolled too loose or too tight. You want the wrapper and filler to burn evenly. Sometimes the wrapper will start unwrapping while you’re smoking it. If this happens at the head of the cigar, moisten it with your tongue and try to glue it down. If the unraveling occurs at the lit end – or can’t be glued down with moisture – throw the cigar away. Smoking a cigar without the wrapper can be messy.

Taste: How does the cigar taste? It might be described as smooth, light, strong, powerful or even bitter. Ask yourself when the taste presented itself? Was it about halfway through the smoke or three-quarters of the way into it? Maybe you were able to enjoy the taste for most of the cigar – or maybe it started out with a good taste, but ended on a bitter note.

Finish: What is the flavor left in your mouth after you finish the cigar? A light cigar will have light finish, but those with strong filler will leave a distinct finish.

4. How will I store it?

Cigars not stored in a humidor stay fresh for only about a week. Tubos (wood, metal or glass tubes) will protect them from damage, but they will not keep them fresh. Plan to take the cigar out of the tube and put it in the humidor.

Should the cigars stay in the cellophane wrapper?

Cellophane wrappers around a cigar are designed to keep the cigar’s wrapper safe from damage. Why keep something natural like a tobacco leaf wrapped in a chemical plastic? Once you’ve got the cigars safely home, unwrap them and store them in a humidor where they can breathe and age. Humidors keep the environment a comfortable 65 percent to 70 percent humidity and the temperature hovering between 63 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

On the other hand, if you’re not planning to smoke them at home – and the cigar will be traveling with you – keep the cellophane wrapper on to keep it safe.

Consider these five important factors before purchasing your next cigar, and you’re bound to get even more enjoyment out of one of life’s finest luxuries.

About The Author Vernon Coper is a freelance writer who writes about luxury items such :http://www.famous-smoke.com/ The author invites you to visit: http://www.famous-smoke.com

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/men/article_385.shtml

CRA Article: Count Your Blessings.... While We Can....

CRA Article: Count Our Blessings While We Can Cigar Smokers...


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Cigars Direct December 2010 Pack - Dominican Cigars

This month, hand mades from the Dominican Republic....

H. Upmann 1844; Montecristo M&G; Romeo Y Julieta 1875 Reserva Real; Montecristo Vintage 1999; Romeo Y Julieta Medalla de Oro 1875 

Thank You CigarsDirect.com !

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I Shall Return

To my Readers:

I have to first  apologize for the long hiatus, it's been awhile since my last blog post.  After my vacation months back I found myself in a writer's rut so I decided to take a hiatus from the blog and figure out how I wanted to continue my little project, re-charge, and find some inspiration.  Well... I'm back typing away.  I have a few new ideas I want to try with my blog, and hopefully can soon try them.  You will see the usual reviews and pictures I enjoy doing, but we may try some new things with video blogging and guest reviewers.  So with this, please keep an eye on the blog as I shall return soon.

Cigar Novicionado

Cigars Direct - November 2010 Pack Padilla Sampler

Padilla Sampler

Padilla Hybrid; Padilla Cazadores; Padilla Series '68 Corojo; Padilla Dominus; Padilla Miami  

Thanks CigarsDirect.com !

Cigars Direct - October 2010 Pack Hand Made Cigars from Nicaragua

More Hand Made Cigars from Nicaragua

Perdomo Reserve Champagne 10th Anniversary, Connecticut by Rocky Patel,Gurkha Empire V, 5 Vegas Gold, Virtue Man O'War

Thank You CigarsDirect.com !


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Cigars Direct - September 2010 Pack - Cigars Hand Made from Nicaragua

Cigars Hand Made from Nicaragua

Indian Tabac Maduro; Intenso; Ruination Man O' War; Padilla Miami; Cain

Thanks CigarsDirect.com !

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Cigars Direct - August 2010 Pack - Hand Made Cigars from Dominican Republic

Hand Made Cigars from Dominican Republic


Cu Avana, Casa Magna, Cubano Limited Fonsaca, Casa Magna Colorado, Quesada

Thank You CigarsDirect.com !


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