It’s been a both an excellent and a horrible couple of cigar weeks for yours truly. As clock ticked away the final days and hours of 2008, I lit up some truly excellent cigars. I also spent around a week’s worth of time sans stogie as wrestled with a sinus infection, and now a chest cold. So when I could smoke, the holidays were great. When I couldn’t, I found Nyquil to be a passable stand-in for Jägermeister. And yes, this means I don’t have a review again this week.

Fortunately for me, and hopefully for you, I came across a fascinating newspaper article called For 2009, a To-Do List for Wine. As I read through it, a couple of things occurred to me. One, I really don’t know all that much about wine. And two, a list like this would be even better if it was about cigars. A cigar to do list would be a very interesting list indeed. And what better person than yours truly to create such a list? (Don’t answer that, it was purely rhetorical.)

So here’s the list your your smoking entertainment:

Herf. With Gusto. Don’t let this year pass you buy without planning (or at least attending) a big get-together centered around the enjoyment of fine cigars. Arrange a box pass for added fun. Bring a lot of cigars and trade, or just give ‘em away. Herf virgins (Herfgin? Nevermind.) might be be surprised at how much fun they can be. Veterans eagerly await the next gathering. Oh yeah- don’t forget to smoke a ridiculous amount of cigars.

Visit a new shop and smoke a new smoke. Most people have a trusted local tobacconist, and that’s a good thing. But one time when you’re feeling adventurous, drive a few extra miles to that other shop you haven’t visited, buy a smoke you can’t get at your favorite B&M, sit down and socialize.

Cut your favorite every which-way but loose. You’ve got your favorite smoke, and your trusty cutter. Set that cutter down for a while, and experiment with some other cuts. The majority of people use some sort of guillotine, why not see what it’s like to burn your favorite with a V-cut, a punch or even a cigar knife? You might actually find that a different cut makes your favorite even better. And if not, now you know.

Burn something rare, old or irreplaceable. My recent adventure with tobacco beetles made me rethink my smoking habits. I had a number of special cigars hanging around waiting for some unspecified special occasion to be enjoyed. That occasion never seemed to arrive. Or if it did, I forgot to smoke the designated cigar. How tragic would it be to hold onto that special cigar only to have it savored instead by beetles? Or age so much that the flavor begins to diminish? In between malady episodes, I made a point to smoke some of those special stogies, and loved it.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t hold onto some top-notch smokes for special occasions, just that you should consider having a few more special occasions this year. Besides, given enough time, any cigar will become rare, old or irreplaceable.

Revisit an old friend. If you’ve been smoking a while, you’ve probably gone through several “favorite” cigars as your tastes have matured and changed. Just for kicks, pick up one of those old favorite smokes you haven’t smoked in a while, and see how it treats you.

If you haven’t been smoking quite as long, or just haven’t had all that many favorites, take a walk on the wild side. Light up that first cigar you ever smoked again. If you’re lucky, it was a Fuente or a Macanudo. Otherwise, take heart, Swishers probably come in more flavors now than they did when you started! (What’s a list like this without a dare and a little danger?)

Confront that menace. One thing I hear over and over again is that tastes change with time. I believe it. I’ve experienced it myself. And that’s why it’s worth lighting up a cigar you didn’t like last year, because there’s a chance you will this year.  Especially if your favorite smoke has changed recently, or you’ve really gotten into a different leaf.

Write a cigar review. If you’ve never taken notes on a cigar as you smoke it, try it out. Jot down thoughts on the flavors, the burn, the smoke and anything else that comes to mind. Heck, give it a rating, if you feel so inclined. You might find that you appreciate your cigar differently (dare I say more?) when you’re that focused on it.

Smoke one infused cigar. Or one real one, if you’re all about the flavored smokes. Sure you like it on your side of the tracks, but short adventure to the other side could actually be fun. If not, it will make you appreciate your smokes that much more. (And really, the Java isn’t that bad in moderation.)

Justify at least one purchase with the impending S-CHIP. It’s coming. We all know it. We just don’t know how badly it’s going to hurt when it arrives. For that reason, every cigar smoker should buy some stogies they badly want before S-CHIP rains on our parade. What makes this even easier is that at least one shop out there is running an S-CHIP clearance sale.

Get on the Stogie Review Fan Forum. Yeah, you knew a list like this was going to be a little self serving sooner or later. But if you think these ideas are interesting, I guarantee you’ll find even better in the forum!

Well, what do you think- Did I leave anything out? What would you add to this to do list for 2009?

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As you may know, a couple of weeks ago I came down with a nasty cold and had to take a little hiatus from Stogie Review and cigars in general. While sick, I got an email from Keith asking if we smoked cigars while we were ill.

Shortly after receiving the email I ran an informal poll on twitter asking the same question. I don’t remember the exact turnout, but it was pretty close.

Now for the formal poll.

Do you smoke cigars while sick?

• Yes
• No

View Results

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I want to preface this review the same way I did in the video. These Lx2 were gifted to me by Jon Huber of CAO Cigars. Jon was nice enough to send me a few Lx2’s to try after having a conversation on Twitter about how they can be hard to find and how I’ve had mixed results from the two that I had tracked down (one was from IPCPR and the other from my brother but I don’t know which was which). So thats it, thats the story of how I got these Lx2’s.

I don’t like reinventing the wheel so you can find all the details of the Lx2 over at Cigar Jack (who is on Twitter too). I just smoke and record.

In the video I let you in on a new iPhone/iPod Touch app that has come in handy when I’m out and about enjoying a cigar and need to jot down a few notes. It comes in handy for cigars, wine, beer, whiskey, coffee, tea and other vices.

Until next week…Long Ashes

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Not having an article in mind to write about this weekend, I decided to put together a short ashes video in its place. This video features the old stand by of many people, the Padron Londres Maduro.

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I was checking my email and came across an interesting press release from J.C. Newman Cigar Co. It seems that they have been recently profiled on CNN. The video runs less than three minutes and shows how the company is doing their best to keep their employees working during these tough economic times.

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Due to the holidays and lots of running around, I wasn;t able to set aside the time required to do a full blown review this week. Instead I opted to go with a Short Ashes review of a cigar that was featured in the past. The cigar of choice was the CAO Italia.

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Today, I’m doing a cigar that is a bit of an anomaly.

Being born out of the result of a hurricane in 1998 that devastated the plantations of Chateu de la Fuente. The result of that hurricane made for a shortage of Opus X wrappers for the 2000 year. Carlos Fuente Jr. made the brilliant decision to go with a different wrapper, an aged Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro. The original release was constructed using the Opus X filler and binder, and finished off with a 7 year old CBM wrapper (8 months of which occurred in congac barrels). Voila! The Fuente Añejo was born.

The Añejo is released twice a year, in the summer (for fathers day) and in the winter (for X-mas). And because of Fuente’s brilliant marketing, they become so hard to find any other time of the year. You can run across them on some online dealers but you will be paying a premium for them. The Vitola I am smoking today, the No. 77, or the Shark, as it is better known, is the toughest to find because it is only released once a year (for X-mas) as opposed to the other vitolas getting released at fathers day as well. Easily reaching a $35 price tag at most online retailers. It might surprise some of you that the MSRP for this cigar is in fact $9.25! We here in Atlanta evidently lucked out because 4 b&ms in the area all received sharks in their yearly shipment. There is a Santa Clause!

…On to the review!!!

Arturo Fuente Añejo Reserva Xtra Viejo

Cigar Stats:

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro (Aged 5 years, 8 months in Cognac Barrels.
Binder: secret
Filler: secret
Size: No. 77 (pyramid) “The Shark” (5.8″ x 54)
Price: MSRP-$9.25, I paid - $11.60, Cigar.com - $34.95
Location: Office
Drinking: Sweet Tea

Appearance:

The Shark is one of the coolest looking sticks on the market. It’s super dark maduro wrapper combined with the red satin foot band along with the Fuente Añejo band makes for a striking visual contrast. The vitola, a Pyramid, that is box pressed at the foot and a torpedo at the head is an impressive sight, and gives the cigar an intimidating presence.
The cigar is tightly and evenly packed, but has a slight spring to it. The cigar is moderately veiny, but all are smooth to the touch, and because of the darkness of the wrapper they are hard to distinguish. This is truly a beautiful cigar to behold.

First Impressions:

The aroma of the wrapper is a musty syrupy one, with hints of cinnamon. The foot gives you a nice strong whiff of cognac, an oaky syrupy smell. The cold draw is free and tastes of pure cognac… its like sticking your nose into a snifter and taking a deep breath! The cigar was a little tough to light, but with a healthy dose of butane it proved to be no match. The first puff is all wood… and through the sinuses you get the cognac once again. The finish is nice, heavy and savory, with only a hint of spice on the sides of the tongue.

1/3 (40min):

The woodiness has subsided a bit and is allowing a nice fruity character to come through. The cognac flavor still is dominant, particularly when retrohaled. Each puff is almost like taking a sip of ‘yac. There are some buttery undertones, and the smoke on the tongue is getting slightly sweeter. The finish is still quite heavy, but turning slightly dry about half way through the 1/3. Little to no spice is prevalent. The burn is a bit interesting. Its quite wavy, but with a bit of patience and turning it seems to correct itself.

2/3 (1:15):

Starting into the 2/3, the cigar is pretty consistent as far as flavors go. A nice mixture of fruit and oak, and of course the cognac. There are some occasional hints of cinnamon, and chocolate, which add a nice dimension to the smoke. It has a heavy and smooth character, definitely full bodied. There is a little spice lingering on the finish around the edges of the tongue, but its so fleeting you almost miss it. The burn is still fairly wavy, and requires regular attention, but I’ve not had to hit it with the lighter yet. The ash is fairly strong, holding on for around 1.5″ each time, tho when the stick’s burn corrects itself, the ash from the wrapper tends to flower off, but is only a minor nuisance. The strength of the Añejo is not too pronounced to this point. I feel only a slight buzz, but it could be because this is the first stick I have had today.

Last Bit (2hr):

The flavors are now leaning more into the typical maduro realm. I pick up a bit more chocolate, and occasional pops of coffee. The woodiness is still there, but the fruit has given way to the maduro flavors. The ever present cognac is still found when retrohaling, but is not as in your face as it was in previous thirds. The burn stayed right on par with the rest of the stick, so did the ash. I did get some sap near the end of the smoke, but a quick clip took care of that. The body picked up slightly, but I chalk that up to the cigar heating up, as well as the squishyness of the stick after the band cam off.

Final Thoughts:

The first time I had this stick, I was absolutely blown away. The complexity of the flavor, and the fullness of the smoke make for a fantastic cigar. This time is a little different, and I think I know why. The first Añejo I had was gifted to me at a herf, and had a bit of age on it. It was marked as being an ‘06. It didn’t have quite the cognac kick this one had, and felt more rounded. I’m not saying this is a bad stick…in fact… quite the opposite.
The stick I smoked for this review was brand spanking new from the 2008 X-mas release. It had ample amounts of flavor, and came off much like an infused cigar with the cognac flavors permeating every puff. The box press of the shark I feel was the culprit of the wavy burn, but it really didn’t affect the smoking experience. The heart of this fine stick is the oaky, fruity, cognac flavor that makes for a truly unique experience. Based on my experience with “aged” Añejos, It is a completely different journey when these bad boys have a couple years on them. I think brand new… this stick is good… not great. If you are a lover of the “Yac” then you’ll love this stick. This stick is truly like having a glass of XO with a fine cigar. If, you aren’t that into alcohol, or cognac aromas and flavors, this stick, straight out of the box, may be a bit much for you. But factoring in its tremendous aging potential, and unique flavor characteristics, I have to recommend you get one anyway.

Now you may be saying…”why should I pay $35 for a stick that I have to wait to really enjoy?”

Well, first off, you would be foolish to pay $35 for these, (particularly if they are from a recent batch). I realize that a lot of places will not get Añejos, and most people’s best option is an online dealer. But If you look hard enough, you can find them for their proper price. Are they worth $11.60 (what I paid)? Absolutely! Even if you pick up a couple and are not all that impressed with it… save one, let it mingle with the rest of your sticks, and in a few months you will be rewarded. And who says you have to wait?… Many of you will enjoy this right out of the box! But personally I prefer them with some age.
The Añejo has become one of my favorites cigars of the year. Its complexity, and unique flavor are something I look forward to, and savor each and every time I light one up.

Liked it: Yes… but with a year or so under their belt reveals a much more balanced and rewarding smoke.
Buy it again: Yes… but I’ll be patient and hunt down the properly priced sticks.
Recommend it: ABSOLUTELY…be sure to get an extra one with the intention of aging!

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Recently a number of people have asked me about El Primer Mundo cigars. They’ve wondered if cigar company is still around. Cigar shops that carry El Primer Mundo cigars have been running pretty low on stock as of late and for a while, Sean Williams, the owner and a regular of numerous B&M’s in the Atlanta area had been pretty scarce. I had noticed all of this too and I was a little concerned that the tough economic times had claimed a casualty in the cigar world.

But then I started bumping into Sean in the shops again. Possibly even more often than ever. And at once shop I asked him what was up. El Primer Mundo, of course, is still very much alive. Sean had had his hands full with a new addition to his family and wasn’t able to make the usual rounds for a while. And fans of his cigars will be happy to know that a lot of new stock is on its way to cigar shops everywhere.

All of this speculation and intrigue (read: cigar geekery) about the fate of this boutique brand reminded me. I’ve been planning on formally reviewing the Criollo Maduro ever since I wrote up my thoughts on the Rosado Oscuro over a year ago. And with the fresh influx of new smokes on their way to the shops, the timing is perfect for that review. Let’s check it out!

Cigar Stats:
Size: 6 1/2 x 54
Wrapper: Havana Seed Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Honduran and Nicaraguan
Smoking Time: 2 1/4 hours
Beverage: Water
Price: ~$6.50

The Pre-Smoke
Like the majority of the El Primer Mundo cigars I’ve seen, the torpedo is box pressed, which is a little unusual for a torpedo or pyramid, and makes this cigar pretty striking. Pair that unusual shape with the dark, smooth, oily wrapper and the red band and you have a nice looking cigar. As I inspected the sticks, I found them be free of any major imperfection. (One did have superficial scratch in the wrapper that almost looked like a patch.) To the touch, the cigars were a little softer than most, but consistent, and in keeping with what you would expect from a box pressed stick.

I should note that I also smoked a few robusto-sized cigars for purposes of comparison (and because I had some) and I did find some superficial holes in the wrapper of one of them.

The scent of the wrapper was a sweet, honey-like compost. After clipping and re-clipping the cigars to get the right draw (the torpedoed end is a little tight if clipped too lean), I got coffee, chocolate and a bit of mint in the cold taste.

The Burn
One consistent aspect of the Criollo Maduro that I really enjoyed was the easy draw. The torpedo really gives you control over that. Clip it lean and you have a tighter draw. Clip it a bit deeper and it loosens up considerably. That should be the case with all torpedo cigars, but I’ve found it often isn’t. I prefer a looser draw in my smokes, and clipped it to my preference.

Other aspects of the burn did leave a bit to be desired. The cigars generally started burning evenly, but by the second third strayed enough that the occasional touch up was required. And sometime around the transition between the second and final third, a relight is likely. After that, the ash did get a little flaky. Fortunately, these flaw are mostly cosmetic, relatively minor, and don’t seem to have much of an impact on the over all smoking experience.

The Flavor
The cigar began with a blast of dark chocolate and coffee. As the first third progressed I got quite a bit of black coffee, bitter chocolate and some nuts. Toward the end of the first third, I got a bit of syrupy sweetness that in one cigar tasted a lot like vanilla. The chocolate became less bitter and more creamy as well.

The second third was similar to the beginning of the first third, bragging of some rich chocolate and coffee. Only this time there was a notable amount of pepper. As this third progressed, the flavor was a continually revolving selection of coffee, pepper and chocolate with the occasional bit of nuttiness and a touch of cedar. Nearing the end of this third, the cigar tasted very much like a rich brownie. (I had to mention this after noting the Rosado Oscuro reminded me of Honey Nut Cheerios.)

The final third was all about the pepper. The coffee and chocolate flavors were still there, but took a back seat. Interestingly, one cigar was significantly sweeter and creamier than the other.

The Price
One of the big selling points of Primer Mundo smokes is their price. In speaking with Sean over the past year, one of things he told me he was acutely aware of was the price. He wanted to produce quality smokes for budget-friendly price. I don’t remember exactly what I paid for these torpedos, but I believe it was in the neighborhood of $6.50 or possibly a little less. Whatever it was exactly, I found it pretty reasonable.

The Verdict
I remember smoking a Criollo Maduro last year and being intrigued with a chilly pepper spiciness I got out of the cigar. Having returned to the cigars after quite some time, I was a little disappointed not to taste that flavor again. That’s probably a good thing though. Like the chili pepper-flavored beer I sampled at a brew festival, it’s probably a flavor that would inspire love and loathing in equal measure. It could just be that I had eaten Thai or Indian food earlier that day.

Chili pepper disappointment aside, I really enjoyed the cigar. After I finished one, I was tempted to light up another, which is why I smoked several robustos in addition to the torpedoes for this review. I told myself it was for comparison purposes, but really, I just wanted more. And the cosmetic burn issues really didn’t bother me too much.

While writing up this review, I thought it would smoke another robusto and try out a few drink pairing options. It came as no surprise that it went well with coffee. But it was absolutely great with a glass of sipping-quality 12 year old Zaya rum. Give that combo a shot, it’s a match made in heaven.

Liked It: Yes
Buy It Again: Yes
Recommend It: Yes

Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.

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If you have been into cigars for more than a couple of days, I’m sure you are familiar with the term Premium Cigar. This term gets thrown around alot in the industry and I thought it would be great to talk about it a little bit and see if everyone could help me refine my definition.

Just like I did with the article on Boutique cigars, I posted a daily discussion topic on the Stogie Review Fan Forums asking how everyone would define the term Premium Cigar. There were several interesting responses that were thought provoking.

Ratters

Actually I’ve always accepted that term loosely as ad speak to mean any cigar that’s pretty hand rolled with long filler. For me though it would be any reliably good boxed/bundled cigar. I would consider the Tornano 1959 Gold to be a premium cigar, though it’s only three or four bucks a stick by the box. I also consider the Obsidian a premium cigar even though it can be had for less than two bucks a pop on cbid. Free Cuba, not so much.

Mountchuck

Anything above a bundled smoke, and under $10 a stick. At $10 you hit super premium, and and at the $18 mark or so, you hit ultra premium.

The common denominator here seems to be focused on price, although Ratters makes it apparent that some of the more affordable smokes would also be considered premium cigars in his mind. I agree with this way of thinking and tend to look at it in a similar light.

I have no problems calling the Flor de Oliva Gold and Corojo premium cigars when they both come in at under $2.00 each if purchased by the bundle. The same goes for the Perdomo Fresco and Lot 23. But if price isn’t that big of a factor in my mind, what is the difference between a Tatuaje Serie P and a Dutch Masters?

Matt

I always thought of a premium cigar as hand rolled with long filler, also anything that does not fall into the bargain category. I see “top shelf” or “super premium” as the ones that cost more than id like to spend. Im hesitant to dismiss all bundled smokes since there are always exceptions to any rule, while most would fall in the bargain category, there are some id put up there with premium smokes. I left out prices since you can have a fairly large price range for the same cigar line depending on size, take the opus x, you can pick up one of the smaller sizes for 8-12 bucks while some of the more rare larger sizes can go over 100 bucks, so you could put them in many categories just depending on size.

In Matt’s definition, he makes mention of Hand Rolled and Long Filler. I think this is also a great way to define a premium cigar, although there are a handful of affordable mixed filler cigars that I would also consider premium. The first example that comes to mind is the previously mentioned Tatuaje Serie P. Another example would be the Ashton Benchmade. Both cigars are quality products but come with mixed filler.

MSUTbone

A hand-rolledcigar that goes above average in construction, draw and taste. That covers several price points obviously, but i have had $5 cigars that fared better in these categories than some higher priced sticks i have tried.

MSUTbone has a definition that is practically the same as mine. A premium cigar can cost very little and be made of mixed filler or long filler, but it needs to have been created by hand for me to feel as though it is a premium product.

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Welcome to The Great Torpedo Edicion of Top 10 Cigars for 2008. In case you’ve been kidnapped by elves or in-laws and missed it, be sure to checkout Walt’s Top 10 and Brian’s Top 10. I was actually surprised that my list actually shares 3 cigars that are on Walt’s list. Really thought Brian and I would have more cigars in common but that just goes to show how far off in la la land Brian is.

I apologize for those of you stuck in your office whose corporate firewall won’t allow you to watch videos online but you actually have to watch the video to get my Top 10 list. So either download a friendly version for offline viewing, download the podcast from your iPhone/iTouch or wait till you get home and light up a cigar while you watch.

Video runs about 25 minutes so I spent about 2 minutes on each cigar. I wanted to use the Stogie Review Way Back Machine but the video explains why I couldn’t. Also please note that the Oliva Series V in the video isn’t the maduro…still it makes the list. I must have gotten myself all confused when getting the sticks out of my humidor. My bad peeps, the V Maduro only comes in a Torpedo shape.

Have a safe and enjoyable New Year. Regardless of whether 2008 was a good year or bad year for you, cheers to 2009 being better for all of us. Much love…long ashes.

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