Up for review this week is the Arganese Chairman Double Wrap, which was very generously provided to us by our good friend Jesse from the Cigar Jack News and Reviews Blog. Not too long ago I received an email from Jesse asking if we would like to review a few of the Arganese cigars as he had a few extra samples he wanted to send our way. Without hesitation I said yes and had cigars in hand just a few days later.
This particular stick weighs in at 7.00 inches long with a 50 ring gauge and is only available in one size. The cigar comes draped in a Brazilian Maduro Wrapper as well as a Connecticut Shade to produce a two toned, or barber pole affect. The filler and binder are both made of up tobacco from the Dominican Republic and the price point per box is in the $180.00 range.
During my pre light inspection I found the wrapper to be very attractive. The light colored Connecticut Shade leaf had a light sheen while the Brazilian Maduro Leaf had a nice rich and oily appearance. When handled the cigar felt firm with only a few soft spots throughout. Once clipped I found the pre light draw to be free while producing a mild sweet flavor.
After a quick toast and light I had the cigar lit and burning fairly well. As with my previous smoke, the cigar seemed to burn a little finicky from the start but smoothed out and burned well after a few minutes of puffing. The draw remained free but did not produce the copious amount of smoke that I prefer, this was most likely due to the finicky burn to start. The body was in the Medium range while the finish was smooth.
The base flavors initially are a little confusing. At first the smoke has a spicy and woody flavor then fades and becomes a rich cocoa flavor as the smoke is expelled. The reason I found it confusing was due to the two completely different flavor profiles that I experienced over a short period of time. I expected the two wrappers leaves to create a unique mixed flavor that would be much different than what I was experiencing.
As I smoked deeper into the cigar I reached the two thirds mark. At this point the cigar was changing quite a bit in good way. The burn stopped being finicky and was burning very nicely at this point. The amount of smoke picked up drastically and the flavor was blending and becoming what I was expecting from this cigar. The base flavor remained Woody with Spicy notes but blended with the Rich Cocoa flavor to become a unique and enjoyable blend. The finish was now creamy as well as smooth while the Body was in the medium to full range.
As this cigar came to a close the base flavor remained a combination of Wood, Spice, Cocoa and Coffee flavors with a smooth and rich finish. The Body rounded out at Medium to Full and complimented all of the other aspects of the cigar very well. The draw remained free and continued to produced a good volume of thick smoke that filled the room with a rich and pleasing aroma.
Overall I think that this was a very good cigar after a few minutes of smoking to allow it to settle out. I think my problem initially was probably due to not allowing the cigar enough time to acclimate to my preferred RH and could be easily resolved by letting it rest in the humidor for a few weeks. The price point is a little high for my liking but I will be definitely be picking up a few more to keep in my humidor for a later date.
Walt great review man and thanks for review my request.
p.s You don’t have AC in your house? lol
Lou,
No AC in that room, at least not yet anyway.
That is the room I started to remodel an got side tracked a bunch of times, about the only purpose it serves right now is a temporary smoking lounge.
Walt – I haven’t watched the video yet but was this the first barber pole cigar you’ve smoked?
I think I know why you couldn’t get that cigar to smoke good in the beginning….you were sweating so much that the cigar got soaked. In the beginning of the video, looked like you were crying. Great video!
Great review Walt! I’m glad you enjoyed the cigar.
You can also get a Black and Tan using Guinness and Harp Lager(which is made by Guinness). You do have to do the mixing yourself though…When you get this at a pub they actually layer the 2. The Harp Lager is on the bottom and the way they pour it the Guinness is layered on top. So it looks much like the barber pole effect. It is very good.
Jason,
Thanks for the tip. I like both Guiness and Harp so I’ll have to give that try sometime.
Carlos,
Yeah, it was pretty hot in that room last night. We had high humidity and warm temps. Combine that with the heat that my lights throw off and it turns that room into a sauna.
If I had the time I would have recorded outside where it was much better. Maybe after I get my jungle mowed I’ll try setting up outside for the next review.
Another great review Walt. I know what you mean about the humdity in the area. Hopefully we catch a break soon so I can get a smoke in on my porch.
Great review Walt. I also like the addition of the timeline on the pictures.
For those that truly want to see what this cigar can offer follow the advice to keep it in your humidor to marry the flavors. If you can’t wait, you will still enjoy the smoke. Having tried the cigars both ways, I can only say that patience will reward you even more as the smoke is that much better.
Thx to Gene Arganese for providing the samples. It was tough to let them age. Good luck.
another great review…