Herf #4 - Finally, The Cuban Dinner

August 26th, 2007 - Woodway, WA
In attendance were Fernand, Robert, Pat, John, Aaron, Eric, and Dave.
The cuban pork dinner served by John, our host, was very tasty. Mojitos flowed and John & Rebeca's back deck glowed in the warmth of a picturesque Puget Sound sunset.
As usual, we were there to enjoy a good cigar and give our opinion on it by holding a 'group tasting' following dinner.
The selection for this Herf was an Arturo Fuente "Short Story" from their Hemingway line. It's a beautiful little perfecto measuring 4 1/2 inches long with a taper from 46 to 49. It's the little brother to the "Best Seller", Cigar of the Week back on July 16th which received a 93 from Cigar Aficionado's expert tasting panel. Our cigar, the Short Story, had previously received a 91 from CA.
Following Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) we began the tastng.
We did enjoy it, just not quite to the level that the pros did.
After averaging our scores, the Cohiba Club's official rating for the A.Fuente Hemingway Short Story is 88. Very good indeed.
Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 15 pts (100% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 22 pts (88% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 22 pts (88% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 29 pts (83% of the points possible)
The perfection of the Appearance & Construction was clearly expressed in our scoring. The Flavor and Smoking Characteristics of this Dominican cigar also fared quite well.
John capped off the evening with chocolates and espresso. Each of us in turn remarked how a more perfect evening would be hard to come by.

Herf #3 - Cancelled

Just too many summertime activities going on. One by one, the attendee list grew shorter and shorter.
Have no fear, John is on track to prepare his Cuban pork for us on September 2nd for Herf #4.
The failed turnout does not stop of us from enjoying the cigar of choice that was selected for Herf 3 because, while we dream of John's cooking, a few of us are trying to arrange a re-Herf sometime this month. This version is more informal, meaning that it does not include a meal, and instead we would just sit down for a smoke and a drink.
The one we were supposed to have smoked last Sunday is the Soprano's Edition robusto by CAO, that was featured as Cigar of the Week, back on May 14th. A few of us have had ours already and so far it's scoring quite well, in the upper 80's. It's a sweet, dark, rich cigar with pleasant flavors. The remaining four or five of us yet to smoke it may do so at the re-Herf or individually as our schedules permit.
I'll post an update here later as more scores roll in and we have enough of them to average into an official club rating.

--Update: 7/24/07
We now have four scores to average, from Fernand, Joe, Robert, and Pat. This cigar scores very high in the Appearance and Construction category. Also pretty high in the Flavor and Smoking Characteristics categories too. Overall Impression was very good to excellent!
A good herf choice indeed. The Cohiba Club's official rating for the CAO Soprano's Edition robusto "Associate" is an 87.

Herf #2 - Muckleshoot Delivered, But The Tubos Fell Short

May 6th, 2007 - Auburn, WA
In attendance were Fernand, Robert, Joe, Pat, and Rob.
The steaks were cheap & tasty, the drinks reasonably priced, and the cigar lounge was comfy and lined with sports screens displaying baseball games, poker tournaments, and Nascar races.
In addition to an opportunity to hang with friends, we were there to enjoy a good cigar and give our opinion on it by holding a 'group tasting' following dinner. We dined at the Muckleshoot Casino's Kookabura's restaurant before moving into their Cabana lounge to light-up and order some after-dinner cocktails.
The selection for this Herf was a Romeo Y Juliet Numero Dos Tubos, a belicoso measuring 6 1/8 by 52. It was Cigar of the Week back on March 19th and received an 89 from Cigar Aficionado's expert tasting panel.
To assign a rating of our own for it, we followed Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression).
When the night was through, however, the five of us just weren't as impressed with it as the pros were.
After averaging our scores, the Cohiba Club's official rating for the Romeo Y Juliet 'Numero Dos Tubos' is 71.
Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 12 pts (80% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 15 pts (only 61% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 20 pts (82% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 24 pts (68% of the points possible)
The Appearance, Construction, and Smoking Characteristics of this Dominican cigar fared pretty well, however, a sour bitterness on the palette was too much for most of us which was reflected in our low scoring in the Flavor and Overall Impression categories.
Fortunately, the camaraderie of good friends was enough to overcome this minor setback. It was a very enjoyable evening and everyone is looking forward to the next meeting at John's house for Cuban-style BBQ, mojitos, and another premium cigar to try.

Next Time You're in Vegas (Part 2)

You must stop in here!

As was mentioned last week, the 'Casa' cigars are for sale exclusively at Casa Fuente in Las Vegas (no Internet or phone orders). The first theme store for a cigar brand, Casa Fuente stocks only Arturo Fuente-made cigars, including several shapes that were not previously sold. It opened in the spring of 2005, located inside Caesars Forum Shops' three-story, $139-million expansion.
The store's overall design evokes the sensation of lounging about in old Havana. As Michael Frey explains, "We wanted the store to hearken back to the Fuente Family's Cuban roots, while also representing the pride of their adopted country, the Dominican Republic."
To perpetuate the tropical state of mind, the sounds of Cuban jazz continuously wafts through the store. The red-and-black-pillared bar is almost an exact replica of Havana's famed Bar Floridita. While the floor tiles also have an old Cuban feel, they were handmade in the Dominican Republic.
The store's humidor, neatly tucked away in the back, is separated into two distinct parts. First is the paradise (a gated area akin to those found in Cognac distilleries where the rarest of the rare Cognacs are protected). Here one can peak in on the coveted Fuente Fuente Opus X, the Forbidden X, other rarities like these, and the exclusive house cigar, Casa Fuente, from which a portion of all of the sales are donated to Fuente's altruistic effort, The Cigar Family Charitable Foundation.

The remainder of the humidor is an open area where anyone can readily access the merchandise.

The Fuente family opted not to be financial partners in the venture. The store is a straightforward licensing deal, structured as a partnership between the Frey Brothers and Robert Levin, of Holt's Cigar Co., who pay an annual royalty fee again to the Fuente family's Foundation.

The Fuentes gain nothing more out of this venture than donations towards their philanthropic pursuits, a tribute to their family's heritage, and a presence to increase brand awareness - which they are confident will directly translate into sales for all Fuente retailers.
Casa Fuente (Las Vegas)
http://www.cigarfamily.com/

702.731.5051

Credit to: smokeshopmag.com

Click here to see pics from our visit there last fall.

Next Time You're in Vegas (Part 1)

Pick up some of these cigars for me!

Cigar name: Casa Fuente cigars

aka: "Casa's"

Wrapper: Cameroon

Binder: unknown

Filler: Casa Fuente blend (tweaked Opus X blend)

Released: 2005

Quantity: limited to Casa Fuente

The Casa Fuente cigars are sold only at the Casa Fuente store (a joint venture of Robert Levin from Holts and the Fuentes), located in the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.The blend originally started out as an Opus X blend, but was changed somewhat from that initial profile. It boasts a Cameroon wrapper grown from the original Cameroon seeds planted by Rick Meerapfel.

Credit to Vitolas.net

(click on image to enlarge)

Take it from the Robb Report:
Best Of The Best 2006: Extraordinarily Exclusive

Richard Carleton Hacker

06/01/2006
Smoking the Casa Fuente is as enjoyable as visiting the cigar’s namesake boutique and lounge, which the Fuente family opened in 2005 at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The contents of the Cameroon leaf–wrapped blend remain a secret, but the cigar has a familiar mellow taste and peppery undercurrent that suggest the tobaccos likely come from the same Château de la Fuente farm as the leaf used in the highly acclaimed OpusX.

“We have people who fly into Las Vegas and come directly here with a shopping list of the sizes they want,” says Casa Fuente manager Michael Fayerverger. “Then, very often, they’ll get right back on the plane without ever stopping at a casino.”

After tasting the cigar, few of our panelists would dare question the value of such a trip.

--Robb Report

In case you're wondering, yes, I have smoked one. That's why I'm longing for more!

In Part 2, next week, I'll focus on the store itself.

Photo: Herf #1

Charter members John and Robert at the club's inagural meeting (18 feb 07). Click on photo to enlarge.