I’m switching things up and am going to start publishing my Week in Smoke on my Monday spot. With so much going on I like to devote as much of the weekend to family time (although as I type this I’m at W.Curtis Draper watching football). So my Thursday spot will now be my review spot on Monday will be Week in Smoke. Most don’t care either way but I’ve received a few questions about when my next review will be. In that same line of questioning I’ve been asked what I’m reviewing next and/or how I decide what to review. Well, to be honest. I don’t know what I’m reviewing next. I smoke a fair amount during the week, taking notes and after consulting the Stogie Review Cigar Index look to see what we haven’t reviewed or haven’t reviewed in awhile and go from there. I think most of us here at Stogie Review don’t know what we are reviewing until a few days before. Like I said during my October 15th appearance on Kiss My Ash Radio…you never know what we are up to.
Brickhouse by JC Newman – With so many appearances in the Week in Smoke series and amount of praise I give the Brickhouse I’ll have to sit down and do a proper review of it. Its definitely one of my favorite cigars to reach for and keep in my humidor. Its an easy and relaxing smoke. Not intimidating for the new cigar smoker but complex enough to be enjoyed by the seasoned experienced crowd as well. Well balanced and consistent from cigar to cigar with a attractive price tag.
Benji Majestuoso Partagas – The Master Series is such a special cigar. After the Partagas 150, probably one of the best cigars ever made by General Cigar and probably in any discussion for best cigar of all time. In fact I was surprised none of us mentioned it in the last episode of Your Questions, My Answers when talking about Hall of Fame worthy cigars. This is actually a Toro sized version of the Master that was made exclusively for W.Curtis Draper and the Benji Menendez event a few weeks back and its pretty close flavor wise to the original with a bit more floral notes.
Tatuaje Wolfman (Monster Series) – Who doesn’t love Hello Kitty? She’s a fixture in my house with Gracie and my wife. Maybe Pete should do a Hello Kitty cigar to appeal to the female demographic? Pete is pretty popular in Japan…it could work. And before anyone says anything about marketing tobacco to kids using Hello Kitty; first I’m joking and second, if they can make Hello Kitty adult toys why not a cigar? Just saying…As for the Wolfman, probably the most flavorful of the Monster Series to date with a lot of strength behind it. Much better than last year’s Face and a world of difference from The Drac. I’ve only smoked two and I think its pretty close to competing with The Frank for best of the Moster Series.
Undercrown by Drew Estate – The Undercrown was one of my favorite cigars coming out of IPCPR. I was sad when I ran out of all my samples from the show and had to wait till they were released earlier this month. The first I smoked after their release was a bit disappointing. I was worried that these would be one of those cases of the show samples being stellar but then actually sucking when released. After letting them rest a week and it was the bliss I remembered. Maybe it was a bad stick, maybe they just needed time to rest after being packaged. Still one of my favorites this year. I’m sure a full review will be forthcoming. Hopefully none of the other yahoos on here beat me to it.
Toraño Loyal – I keep going back and forth about the Toraño Loyal. Sometimes I really enjoy it and at other times, I’m unimpressed. Sometimes I find the “wow” factor and other times, I’m left looking for more. I can’t place my finger on it. Is this a cigar that stands out or is part of that endless list of “okay” and “pretty good” cigars. A nice smooth chocolate flavor and like Brian Hewitt mentioned in his Week in Smoke, a muddy woody flavor that I wish was a bit smoother and cleaner. Inconsistent from smoke to smoke is how I can best describe the Loyal. I still think The Master is the crown jewel in the Toraño Family lineup.
Camacho Corojo – I took a little flack in my review of the CAO OSA Sol when I said that Camacho Cigars has become a non-factor since being acquired by Davidoff. I guess I meant in the context of new releases. When hanging out at W.Curtis Draper and I assume its the same elsewhere, but the most popular question you hear being asked is, whats new? In that context, you have to admit, Camacho has been pretty quiet unless you count Room101 but I look at Room101 as a separate brand. Now the Camacho Corojo is still a gem but with so many options out there, the Corojo and for the most part, the Camacho brand is overlooked on the shelf.
Tortuga Edicion Limitada 2011 – I’ll admit. I know absolutely nothing about this cigar. I’ve never heard of the Tortuga brand let alone have any information on this Edicion Limitada. I did what I said above. I walked into W.Curtis Draper and said “whats new?” George Brightman showed me the Tortuga Edicion Limitada 2011 and said it was new so I gave it a shot. I had very low expectations but upon lighting it and after that first puff, I was intrigued. First, the Edicion Limitada band is played out. I know you see it on a lot of other brands but can’t we come up with something unique? Second, I was impressed with this cigar. Flawless construction with a complex, balanced flavor profile thats reminiscent of something out of the Davidoff stables. I liked it and can’t wait to try more.
AVO 85th – Since its release in March the AVO 85th has been a steady companion and a great cigar out of the box. Fast forward six months and its sublime. I love the unique woodsy profile. I can only imagine how stunningly beautiful this cigar will taste in another six months. Hefty price tag at $20 a piece but well worth it. No complaints as you get every penny worth.
Week in Smoke Summary:
Best Cigar of The Week – Benji Majestuoso Partagas
Worst Cigar of The Week – Toraño Loyal
Surprise Cigar of The Week – Tortuga Edicion Limitada 2011
Nice selection. Not too bad a week when the worst one is “okay” or “pretty good”. I would love to have a monopoly on that “Edicion Limitada” secondary band!
You wouldn’t need a monopoly. If you got a nickel for every brand that uses it you’d be in the 1%. 😉
The Great Torpedo, your AVO The 85th Birthday’s Anniversary cigar is less than 70 bucks for 5 pack at the Cheap Cigars website. I Love the Tajuate Wolfman-Monster Series too man……I will be joined S & S Team ASAP…
I agree about the Wolfman, I’ve only had one but It thought it was well worthy of the hype in this case. Really tasty smoke, I’m gonna be on the lookout for a 10-count now.
AVO 85th, huh? Man, if you think a $20 cigar is worth it, then it must be something special. Is it better than other sticks in that crazy-expensive range, like the My Father LE, Tatuaje La Verite, Padron 40th/80th/45/46/85th?
According to Tcigar above you can find the AVO 85th a lot more affordable online.
Jerry,
Nice week in smoke and a nice week for your Ravens, assuming you’re a fan. Hell of a game.
Nick – Sadly I’m a fan of the Washington Football team (sorry I can’t bring myself to actually type their racist name). I wish I was a Ravens fan. I’d be a lot happier on Sundays. I am an Orioles fan. When I was growing up there wasn’t a football team in Baltimore or a baseball team in DC so…
Buffalo Bills all the way, bitch! 😉
maybe the Brickhouse i smoked was just unusual, but the one i smoked was all pepper and nothing but pepper. i know others have raved about this line, but i didn’t find balance at all. in fact, i puked after i smoked mine because it was too heavy and i wasn’t prepared for that.
I should start indicating what size I smoked. Size is important in the Brickhouse line. Outside of the Robusto size, its a subpar cigar. So make sure you’re smoking the Robusto size and you should be good to go.
TGT – Totally agree with your comments on the Brickhouse flavor and balance changing with the format.
I had a couple of the robusto’s and found them to be an excellent value-priced smoke (nice balance of earth, wood, dash of pepper, and a touch of herbal notes). Tried to pick up a box of the robusto’s at my local B&M during an event they were having but were out by the time I got there late at night. They gave me a break on box of toros and threw in a couple of different cigars (which was pretty cool of them).
I should have done my homework though… The toro is a different enough smoking experience that I kind of regret the box purchase. The toro does not have the same great flavor as the robusto (or atleast the flavor tastes a bit watered down and I feel the smoke is strangly not as thick).
In the end, size does matter!
Surprised you took flak for that comment about Camacho- I agree with your previous statement and your clarification 100% as I pass them over every day at my B&M. Wish I couldve found a Wolfman locally but I rarely shop for cigars online and when I learned my shop wouldn’t be getting them it was too late.
Might follow Tcigar to the SnS club so I dont get left out!
Nice week. Couldn’t agree more about the Benji’s. It is probably why I decided to hold on to so many of the originals.
I have to agree about Camacho. The corojo is for sure a classic but what the hell? Room 101 doesn’t count and the Liberty while great, doesn’t either. Pick it up Camacho!
Gents,
I really appreciate the candor on the topic of the Camacho brand. In regard to “us” being a non-factor, I firmly disagree, but understand how some could come to such a conclusion. Please allow me to add my two cents…
The recent acquisition was tough for all of us, along with constant changes in top management and the integration of the three companies this past January. And… yes, it did slow things down for a while. However, the brand (Camacho) continues to grow and prosper out in the market. Why? You guys mentioned it earlier, products such as the Corojo are classics! Do we need to add more Camacho branded product to the portfolio? Maybe. But, instead of having to reinvent the wheel year after year and constantly test our elasticity, we focus on what we do well, what we can supply and what we can keep consistent. We focus on the core of our business and making sure that we deliver our flagship products at the highest level of quality and keeping them at reasonable price.
We are not a boutique brand anymore and have not been for many years, even before the merge with Davidoff. But, what keeps us engaged in the market and allows us to continue to be a player is our focus on the core, the products that constitute our DNA and make us unique.
Would a brand like Davidoff also be considered to be a “non-factor” because of their number of new releases? How about Fuente or Padron? When companies or brands, such as us and the ones just mentioned, reach a certain level of maturity does innovation just stop or does it take on in a different light? (think Room101!)
Innovation or “new products” should come about organically and should not be developed to just shove out in the market. They should fill a void or vacuum in the marketplace, sometimes a void that you’ve created or invented yourself (think iPod). You can repeatedly throw shit at the walls and hope that it sticks, but is that really a strategy for long term success and longevity of a brand?
It is always great to command peoples attention, and new products help do that; however, you cannot command all the attention, all the time. Sometimes, it’s good to be missed and revisited.
In terms of risk, if a new product release goes bad or loses steam, what do these “other” companies have to fall back on? It is extremely important to bring excitement and keep things fresh, but that varies based on the overall strategy of the brand and manufacturer. If your aim is to stay “boutique” and constantly create new “limited edition” products that have short shelf life, you better be prepared to defend that position once the spark or interest fizzles. New products are not what is going to keep your brand relevant for decades. I think there are a number of manufacturers who are a prime example of this and now have over-extended portfolio as a result! Over-extended brand portfolio leads to loss of focus and additional stress on the whole business.
To sum it all up, expect to see quite a bit of “new stuff”, but understand that the goal for us and our house of brands is always to continue to make high quality products that are mainstays out in the marketplace. We strongly believe in keeping things interesting and now that the dust has begun to settle, expect to see much more from the new Davidoff of Geneva family and it’s house of brands, 2012 is going to be an exciting year!
Cheers,
Dylan Austin
Head of Marketing
Camacho Cigars/The Griffin’s/Room101/Electronic Media (US Brands)
Davidoff of Geneva
I used to be a huge fan of Camacho. I’ve got probably a minimum of 40 empty boxes and about ten more in the process of being smoked. But since the price increases, the Room 101 stuff (style over substance), and the fact that they haven’t done an event here (SF Bay Area) that I’ve seen in the past few years I haven’t purchased any of their stuff in well over a year. My local cigar shop has an event at least once a month and it gets me thinking about their brands, yet they don’t even carry Camacho as the brand doesn’t seem to really care about this area. That said, the Corojo is still a great cigar, as is the Triple Maduro. I even used a TM band as my wifes wedding ring when we got married last year. Hoping better things for 2012 myself.
Great WIR Jerry. 🙂