Gift Review – Dan’s Mystery Cigar

Another in our ongoing series of occasional reviews of cigars given to us as gifts. Featured this time is an unbanded ‘mystery’ cigar, given to me by my friend Dan at 10-7ha back in January.

Vitola: Gran Corona perhaps
Origin: unknown
Length: pretty close to 6 inches
Ring Gauge: about 47
Filler: unknown
Binder: unknown
Wrapper: unknown
Strength: mild-to-medium
MSRP: unknown

While at herf 21, and enjoying our new-found friends in the neighboring cigar club to the south, Daniel handed me this cigar – sans band. In his other hand, cupped tightly, was the unclothed cigar’s band, which he proceeded to give to my fellow Cohiba Club co-founder, John; careful to shield it from my curious eyes. Dan’s instructions were simple; smoke the cigar before obtaining the band from it’s keeper. His instructions to John were equally as simple; keep this band safe until such time when its identity may be revealed.

I finally smoked this cigar last Friday (the 15th). No, I haven’t obtained the band yet, or even asked John for it, but instead thought I’d post this review first and then append later with the cigar’s name.

Following Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) I sat down to rate this cigar while enjoying a glass of pale ale. Also present were fellow club members Pat and Joe.



The first thing I noticed was the subtle, yet handsome, box-pressed shape (despite the round foot seen in my last photo) and the delicate looking, medium-brown wrapper. There were rather light veins and a somewhat oily sheen. The head displayed what appeared to be a triple cap, but as you can see in the 2nd photo, it had a jagged edge which made it’s exact configuration difficult to ascertain.

To my great satisfaction, this slender beauty drew perfectly and produced tons of sweet, easy smoke. About the only complaint I had, performance-wise, was the ash falling on me, but I do tend to push how long I can let it hang on. As for the burn, it did go out mid-way, but that also may have been a case of operator error as I probably was talking too much and not ‘tending my fire’ so to speak. Incidentally, this relight did seem to cause the strength to ramp up temporarily, before resuming it’s previously gentle pace.

Initial flavors consisted of aromatic cedar with a hint of cinamon. Once that mellowed, it became more akin to leather with a slight coating of caramel. From there it slowly grew in peppery warmth – mildly; never getting hot, harsh, or overly spicy.

My rating for [this cigar soon to be revealed] is 91.
Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 14 pts (93% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 23 pts (92% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 23 pts (92% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 31 pts (89% of the points possible)

Check back here in a week or so to learn the true identity of the ‘mystery’ cigar and thanks Dan! I really enjoyed it.

© 2009 The Cohiba Club - All rights reserved.


--Update 26may09--
Just learned it was a G.A.R. Corona Gorda!
From Dan himself:

"I purchased this cigar in Las Vegas during last years Big Smoke at a cigar shop not to far from the strip. It has a nice walk-in humidor. I was in the spending mood (duh) so I wanted to drop some cash on cigars I had never tried before. I tried the GAR that day and was pleasantly surprised. I cannot recall the price per stick but I'll guess $6.00. It was later that year that I ordered a box on-line and they were gone in a flash. Let's just say, I gambled and won."
Dan (10-7 Club, Big Boss)

Thanks again Dan!

Cigar Review - Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic Maduro

by club co-founder John

Another in our ongoing series of reviews of cigars given to us by the good folks at Cigars Direct. Featured this time is the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic Maduro, given to us back in November of 2008.

Vitola: Figurado

Origin: Dominican Republic

Length: 7 inches

Ring Gauge: 48

Filler: Dom. Rep.

Binder: Dom. Rep.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro

Strength: Medium

Price: $399.95 (box of 25)

Produced by Tabaclera A. Fuente y Cia., it features a dark, rich looking CBM wrapper and a skillfully executed figurado shape.

Following Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) I sat down to rate this cigar while enjoying a glass of Jameson y “un cafecito Cubano” on the deck after a steak dinner with my brother Mark (I guess any cigar might have gotten a good rating that night!). Mark had an AF Hemingway Short Story.

It was nicely constructed, long figurado with a dark, oily wrapper without blemishes or soft spots. It drew a little tight at first but loosened up quickly, providing generous amounts of substantial thick, creamy smoke. The ash remained light colored and held up moderately well (although it did manage to drop off early into the dregs of my coffee once!).

The flavor was an interesting blend of stronger earthy flavors mixed with sweet undertones. It had a sweet, dark chocolate start, remained smooth and creamy, and then turned & gave some vanilla flavors at the halfway point. It stayed really flavorful until the last third. Just before it spent itself, I actually got a bacon flavor…go figure. Maybe it was the Jameson!

It was fun trying this cigar alongside by brother’s Hemingway Short Story, one of my favorite short smokes, and realizing the Classic Maduro was even more to my liking with its more complex flavors and long smooth smoke. I’ll be getting some more of these!

.

My rating for the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic Maduro is 93.

Here's the points breakdown:

I. Appearance & Construction: 14 pts (93% of the points possible)

II. Flavor: 23 pts (92% of the points possible)

III. Smoking Characteristics: 22 pts (88% of the points possible)

IV. Overall Impression: 34 pts (97% of the points possible)

Thanks to Cigars Direct for the opportunity to review this cigar.

© 2009 The Cohiba Club - All rights reserved.

Herf 24 - Urban Campfire

May 3rd, 2009 - Lynnwood, WA

In attendance were Fernand, Robert, Pat, Joe, Bruce, Patrick, and Bob. As usual, we gathered to enjoy a good cigar and give our opinion on it by holding a 'group tasting' following dinner.

The seven of us dined on Bruce’s succulent pulled pork sandwiches, caesar salad, and asparagus before retiring to his back deck to conduct the cigar tasting and continue the evening’s relaxation and camaraderie.

Our selection for this Herf was the Pinar Del Río Habano Sun-Grown Double-Corona. A relatively new brand to the market, it’s made by Abe Flores and Juan Rodriguez at Tabacos Don Leoncio, S.A. in the Dominican Republic. This double-corona measures 6 1/4 inches long by a 54 ring guage. The Churchill size was our Cigar of the Week back on April 6th and received a “must try” recommendation from Cigar Press magazine.

Following Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) we began the tasting while comfortably seated around Bruce’s natural gas-fed outdoor firepit.

Upon prelight examination, some minor blemishes were noticed. A couple cigars had cracks in the wrappers, one had a wrapper leaf which appeared to be coming loose, one had a pronounced lump under it’s cap, and yet another had a hole in the wrapper. We found this observation to be definitely out of the norm and somewhat disconcerting.

The roll quality in general seemed well-crafted with regard to firmness and uniformity, but a couple of the sticks drew too tightly. Unfortunately, the performance issues didn’t end there. A few had significant irregularities of burn during the evening.

Everyone commented on what a pleasurable flavor profile it started out with; woody & spicy at first, which quickly had us forgetting about the external defects. Once we were all past the first inch, the cigars settled into a rather mild, more subdued flavor profile. As we got further along, we found ourselves somewhat unimpressed. For some of us, the flavors fell a tad short of what we thought would materialize.

In the end, the superficial anomalies, the performance problems, and the mediocre flavors left us questioning if we’d be returning to this brand soon. The length of the cigars left unfinished in the ashtrays summed-up the impressions reflected in the scoring.

After throwing out the highest and lowest, then averaging the remaining scores, The Cohiba Club's official rating for the Pinar Del Río Habano Sun-Grown Double-Corona is 83.

Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 13 pts (87% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 21 pts (84% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 20 pts (80% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 29 pts (83% of the points possible)

All in all, a mildly enjoyable cigar that we’re just not quite ready to recommend yet. Still, a great herf indeed. Bruce was a fine host and everyone enjoyed our special guest, Bob (Fernand's Father-in-Law).

Thanks to JnJ Cigars in Shoreline for giving us such a good discount on these sticks!

See you at the next herf, June 7th.

Photo credit to club co-founder Robert.

© 2009 The Cohiba Club All rights reserved.