Partagas Short

I had another one of these diminutive and yet well-known cigars a few weeks ago.

To cut a long story, well, short, it was on the fuller side of medium body to start out with, just pure leather. As usual, the little beast made me feel like I was gnawing on the edges of an luxurious mahogany and leather sofa. No doubt you've tried this if you've been to one of those turn of the century gentleman's clubs... it tastes like you are chewing on the unbridled power of patriarchy, capital, and the industrial revolution from above. This is expensive leather, with a certain elegance and complexity to it... which is no more than a smug expression veiling the threat of violence beneath. White pepper and a cedar kick round out the finish.

Half way through there is a slight lightening of mood as a new - admittedly very slight - hint of sweetness emerges. Cinnamon and caramel on the back of the cedar zing; the deal sweetens ever so slightly if you play along and work at its rhythm. It doesn't last though... you were the one being played, the brooding power beneath is slowly unleashed in all of its full-bodied glory and crushes the life out of your tastebuds, leaving you parched and weak. You are left flailing in a meaty earthiness with leathery smoke so thick you can chew on it.

It's pretty damn hard to masticate on an expensive leather sofa.

Smoke Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Suffice to say that these are the cigars for the silly season! I accidentally put one too many in there, the stress of moving house, but it is the ERDM Choix Supreme a beautiful summer afternoon cigar so you should cope - the next batch will be smaller though! (and i also forgot partagas shorts for the auckland boys).

If there is a highlight for this batch it would be the power of ageing - I have hung on to the ERDM CS, RASS, Monte no.4 from '08-'09 for as long as i can so that i could release them as they start to reach the height of their powers. They are all from good boxes with oily wrappers etc so ageing nicely. Magnificent. 

• El Rey Del Mundo - Demi Tasse: you should have tried one of these litl'uns by now. any thoughts?

• Partagas Short: powerful little partagas - beware you will need a large volume of alcohol to accompany this young leathery beast from May 2010 box.

• Montecristo No.4: from late 2009 box so coming of age now. Full of cocoa. Yum.

• Ramon Allones - Specially Selected: Matt and someone else told me they really enjoyed these recently, brilliant whisky cigar from a MAR08 box.

• El Rey del Mundo - Choix Supreme: OCT 09 beauties, i must stress again that they are quite mild and really need a clean palate to be enjoyed.

• Nub 464 Cameroon: that is 4" by 64 ring gauge. it may look small but it is packed full of tobacco - your non-cuban of the batch. Try to make it do a handstand on the ash and get a photo of it with yourself handstanding in the background. 

• Partagas 8-9-8 Barnizado: Classic of the habano world. A monumental cigar. These are slightly stronger than your average churchill, i have not tried one yet, from a 2011 box i think - let's see what they're like fresh...

 Enjoy your christmas hols...!

El Titan de Bronze- Redemption

Padron puffing

I was in Miami during the peak of summer this year which welcomed Candice and I with electrical storms, high humidity, sun, sand and surf... all in a usual 24 hour theme. While we were there, we checked into Little Havana - a place where as observed, no white tourist man is to be seen. Cubans however are everywhere. And with a whole lot of Cuban people come a whole lot of cigar factories. These range from the big boss Padron that appears to be the daddy factory right down to some little gems that have about 5-10 rollers at their benches working on their specific type of cigar. After finding that the Padron factory was closed for the week as they were all at a national convention in Vegas, determined to get a few of their sticks I picked up 2x Padron 1926 Serie no. 6 (or 9 -not sure which) from a little local supplier. I'll post again on some other local cigars I got too which were extremely good but for now, the time has come for these exquisite oily sheened up, square box pressed, behave yourself sticks.

The most lightest pre-draw was not to be mistaken with the assumption of a mild cigar. Greeted with a powerful rich and dark roasted, all spice flavour left that mouth lined with velvety thick leather. However, not a harsh or hot and burnt taste was present as the spice evolved into a good powerhouse full bodied 2nd third. Ash was rippled with a defined white colour that matched the thick blooms of pure white smoke. Time for a little tawny. Half way through I found it to further its flavour with some added cool mint which didn't hang around for long and soon went back into a big badass tu meke tobacco flavour. Last legs were fantastic yet it wasn't a - smoke till it burns your lips cigar and in saying that, I'm not ashamed to say that if I had, I may have been dominated by it's 45min-1hr session of tobacco punches.

Hadley joined me to compare notes with the other Padron as well as, as we can see here, he ponders what his first post to the site might look like... just a guess. Well done on the 14th day of Movember.

A new permanent heretic considered the complex flavours and was impressed with the cigars impeccable construction giving it a 9/10.

Heretics Tramp

Floating the idea now for a national Heretics get-together. In Feb or March or even April. Go for a few days tramping somewhere. Greg has generously suggested we base ourselves at his brother Bryan's place that he built especially for smoking (large house incl. spa) in Invercargill and go to Stewart Island or Fiordland or somewhere nearby. Scott has his wedding at very end of Feb (so he could honeymoon with us ;-) - don't know of any other great obstacles.

Let me know your thoughts and I can set something up....

Cigar Hero of the Month: Miguel Angel Jimenez

An epic warmup from the Spanish Maestro, who performs stunning feats of elasticity without ever removing the cigar. This man is a Legend.

Oct-Nov Batch - Close... but Yes to a Cigar

The Wellington boys just got these but our post office early closing time kept delaying my sending of the Auckland cigars. But they're finally in the post and hopefully will be with Sam to celebrate a WC victory. Not too keen to have a "Close... but no Cigar" scenario!! [Later Edit: And we did win, in the end, by one little point]. Enjoy.

• El Rey del Mundo - Demi Tasse: one of my first ever boxes of cigars was a box of these from 1990. Here's a repeat purchase not quite as aged ('09!) but you will recognise the flavour profile of the Choix Supremes with a touch of citrus and light hay. Pleasant and mild and the smallest proper hand-rolled cigar format available. Will match your "Half Cup" of whatever.

• San Cristobal del Habano - El Principe: the old timers will recognise this, a better box than last time though, lovely oily wrappers and well constructed. A medley of classic cuban flavours, relatively mild, in a half-corona vitola that will only last 30-45mn.

• Bolivar Petit Corona: your whisky cigar of the batch - 45mn of one of the spiciest cubans there is. Still less than a year old so not yet dark and brooding, but lots of peppers and a bit of hay and earth.

• Hoyo de Monterrey - Le Hoyo des Dieux: Sam's favourite, light medium rich woodiness personified, a very port cigar, set aside just over an hour for this corona grande.

• San Luis Rey - Serie A: you may have tasted one of these Corona Gordas last year. They are from a stellar Nov. 08 box that is ageing gracefully. Nice medium-bodied and rich woody flavour - another port cigar. Lovely to look at as well.

The Non-Cuban Batch

Thanks to Senor Hindrik's trip to the U.S. we have acquired some non-cuban cigars. As you will find out, they have quite different flavour profiles. Different terroirs, shall we say.

I chose these as they are the brands that have been getting Yankee stogie smokers excited for the past few years - pretty damn expensive as a result. As the store i ordered them from didn't have enough singles in stock, you won't quite all have all of the following list but doubles of some and none of others (in rough order of size):

• Arturo Fuente Hemingway - Short Story: the cigar tapered at both ends that many of you have already tasted. Starts out sweet before turning to mint and pepper. Dominican tobacco but with a Cameroon wrapper. 
• Ashton Virgin Sun Grown - Tres Mystique: i tried this with Scott recently, very pleasant smooth caramel allspice sweetness to start, full bodied, but just after half way gets quite peppery. Dominican filler with aged wrapper leaf from Ecuador.
• Ilusione Epernay - Le Elegance: long skinny cigar, nicaraguan "puro" (all tobacco from the one country), meant to be mild, spicy tea-like but i haven't tasted it yet. Also meant to be a good match for champagne but i sincerely doubt it. 
• Nub Cameroon - 464: getting into the serious sizes now, this very short but very fat (464= 4"& 64 ring gauge - enormous!!) doesn't look like much but will take well over an hour to smoke. Cameroon wrapper, nicaraguan tobacco, pleasant smooth spice and medium body from memory. This one can do a handstand on its ash - time for a photo comp!!
• Arturo Fuente Anejo - #48: this one is a big boy dressed up in cedar and red ribbon, dominican but the wrapper has been aged 6 months in cognac barrels.
• Liga Privada T52 - Corona Doble: huge cigar but all i could find of this brand. Tobaccos come from all over the place - wrapper from Connecticut (US), filler from DomRep, Nic, Honduras and binder from Brazil. You'll have to get together and share this one.

Non-cuban cigars are generally aimed at the U.S. market (where you can't buy cubans at least officially) and so the general marketing trends aim for Strength, Size, Sweetness, Dark wrappers, Fancy boxes and gimmicks that change every year. The ones above are all pretty expensive so have really good construction (like the expensive cubans). They like to mix and match tobaccos from all over which makes for some interesting cigars; in general each tobacco is quite recognisable and the filler most often from nicaragua, honduras or dom rep. The one thing that sets cuban tobacco apart, excluding its radically different flavour of course, is its complexity of flavour once well aged. Non-cubans are known for many things but complexity is not one of them. 

One last note: they are so different from cubans that it is best to store separately (eg in a ziplock bag) to avoid cross-contamination of flavour. They are also generally better stored and smoked at higher humidity i.e. 70%.

a Supremely well-Chosen cigar

This one will give your pinkies a rise.

Last Sunday afternoon, i was taken... by The Mood.

I had just gone all out following the cooking muse and satisfying the very specific desires of my stomach, and successfully so, i am pleased to say... when i thought i might follow this up with another perfect conjunction of the mind's eye meeting the taste buds' soul to the heart's content. Cigar time.

Following up a tangy mustard dish ... il n'y a que Maille qui m'aille!... required some kind of zesty puro. A Diplomaticos #4 might do if i still had one... but then again it was a bit small for such a nice day and a bit too dry a smoke... i wanted something soft and creamy as well ... Finally, i settled on a El Rey del Mundo Choix Supreme, with some hope and plenty of fear and trembling. Hope - as the first singles we had almost 2 years ago were delicious; fear - as the last time i had one from this new box of 2009 vintage it had "gone to sleep", tasting dull and sickly.        

This was one of those rare occasions where the stars align. The wrapper had a lovely sheen, and a light shade of colorado. I had long been suspicious of this as my stellar '07 singles had a much lighter, thinner wrapper, and the sickly smoke episode made me question whether the '09s darker wrapper leaf was taking away from the quirky Choix Supreme blend of filler. Oh Me of Little Faith. Straight from the get go i was greeted by the tangy citrus that i had often pined for, but never encountered in any cigar since that first one almost two years ago. To my even greater astonishment, it was preceded on the palate by a buttery mouthfeel that i had wished for that very afternoon, but never experienced in a Choix Supreme. I think that this is the contribution of the nicely oiled up wrapper leaf .This was a midwinter's afternoon dream come true.

The smoke flowed freely, but not loosely, from this perfectly constructed beast, and every mouthful was a layer of buttery silkiness with a hint of sauted mushroom, followed by a powerful cedar kick unleashing the tang of citrus - zest, flesh and aroma of a well-ripened lemon - finished off with an edge of white pepper. Simply divine. It did not change all of the way through, and i was glad of it.

My cigar experience of the year so far. If you haven't smoked yours yet, wait for a time when these sorts of flavours appeal... it is not strong, so perhaps after lunch on a sunny afternoon... and for heaven's sake, don't spoil it by eating a vindaloo beforehand, or by smoking it with a peaty whisky, or a red grape based drink. Get something light and pinky-raising made from white grape like a dessert wine, muscat, or martini bianco. You won't regret it.

Salad Sunday Stretches...

It was a fine winters Sunday noon today with the rays beaming through the woods onto our deck. This was the invitation to cheat any cold feelings by taking the table outside and enjoy a salad. Candice suggested a cigar and I didn't contest. Opening the humidor this Montecristo Especial no.2 jumped out and ran towards the tuna garden salad.A light pleasant smell of fine cedar (no doubt influenced by the humidor) and a perfect pre-lit draw with similar tastes to the smell. Once burning, it had a really soft wood with some kind of lingering nut (the taste of the skin on an almond).

This soft wood complemented the flavours of the salad and not overpowering. Great match with the feta cheese and avocado.

Even the ash resembled a flawless pack with delicate and fine looking burnt tobacco leaf.

The flavour maintained the same the whole way through and maybe only gearing up slightly in the last third with some passive kick to assist with the peppercorn I bit as a finished my meal.

Overall, this is a top cigar shared with the beautiful model pictured. The experience left me with one final impression... The healthy cigar that demanded a send off stretch.

Little pennies and big smokes go along way in Vegas

One night in Vegas was a house on fire with this Diamond Crown Maximus. Unlike my skill on the slot machine, it was a rich, dark, smooth and velvety taste with loads of patience while I tossed $20 away over 2 hours. (purchased from a great smoke house cafe in Caesar's Palace called Casa Fuente).

read me a daytime story...

Here's a recent news story about a reader in a cigar factory. Foxy lady in purple.

Cigar Genesis Doco

There are three parts to this very old 30mn doco, and apart from the elevator music, it's a nice summary of how cigars are made in Cuba.

[Also see the "How Cigar Tobacco is Cultivated" link on the left under Interesting Links.]

Smoking Cuban Cigars in Communist States

PART I: CHINA

ZACH

AC/DC review of Cohiba Secretos & Montecristo Especiales no.2

Found an easy way to shorten otherwise lengthy cigar reviews... not quite 2min in the end (less than 2min per cigar though that's a good hit rate!).

Winter Batch

I just realised I forgot to do this but anyways here are the cigars you have... the theme is small, high quality cigars to keep everyone happy over the cold months

• Saint Luis Rey Puritos: tiny and tasty for the coffee break
• Trinidad Reyes: trusty and true, luxury small and meaty cigars that don't disappoint (see for example a recent review by Matt)
• Cohiba Secretos: Much like the Reyes, but even more expensive, 5 year aged tobacco, maduro, from a box dated Nov'08.
• Partagas Shorts: recent arrival, a half corona Partagas classic, and a top quality box to boot. Dated Nov.2010 these are very young with a lovely wrapper and great potential. Leathery beasts balanced out with aromatic woods. Ports, sherries any kind of fortified wines will do.
• El Rey del Mundo - Choix Supreme: the medium-bodied robusto makes a comeback after those great ones we had a year or so ago. The interesting thing about this blend - the citrus flavours. These Oct.09s weren't ready to smoke 6 months ago but hopefully they are coming around now. 

A temporary farewell to Zach who is off to China but took some cigars with him. Good way to avoid homesickness.

We are running low on cigar stocks so remember to let me know if you're going overseas - particularly Australia, Switzerland, or the U.S. - so that we can get you to pick a box or 2 with your duty free allowance...ta!

the Trinidad

After a hard morning's mountain bike ride I was more than eager to sit down and sample something, anything. Goodness me I have looked forward to this day! I got out my book (Neal Cassady's letters), a glass of el cheapo port and... "the Trinidad". What a way to while away a Sunday afternoon... As the grand heresiarch had pre-supposed, my liking for this one was well founded. A beautiful sweet tobacco smell of the un-burnt leaf... smooth on the initial draw with delicate fruity overtones. Happily got through 2/3rds of it without noticing much of a difference (my poor ability to detect nuances perhaps? Or the burning of my nasal cavity?) but certainly detected something new after that point. What? Goodness me I'm not sure... the idea of a soft mulch came to mind most readily I suppose... still a faint air of sweetness, hunkered down beneath an earthen and mossy front.

It did not get too extreme towards the end either, (the port had kicked in by now) and finished off well. Would I do it again? Oh you bet your ass mister!!

First Top Secret Cigar Mule Mission is a Success

Joel responded to my earlier plea for help by sending Candice on the first cigar mule mission. This time it was to Australia. I got an order posted to the address she was visiting and the fake bottom in her suitcase did the rest - although being an innocent-looking young lady probably helped  (jokes).

Nah seriously, if you are going to the U.S., Switzerland or Australia, or some tax haven (bahamas?) somewhere, let me know, and i might get you to bring back some cigars for the club. That way we can use the duty free allowance of 50 cigars per traveller to keep our costs down... as our national tobacco duty will only keep going up while they try and starve people of their addictive ciggies.

[A mate of mine at the healthy Ministry (yes even the Grand Heresiarch has his moles behind enemy lines) said they looked at separating out cigars from cigarettes in light of the differing health outcomes but it was a bit complicated and they basically couldn't be bothered. As there are no cigar lobbyists in this country there is no political will to sort it out... ]

Chain Smoking in the Castro Clan

Bolivar Gold Medal - TKO

Time to celebrate my baby boy's first blood nose, displaced front tooth, and swollen upper lip. Enough blood to get the ref to stop the fight and declare a TKO. No it wasn't me... he tripped and hit the concrete floor head first at Mitre 10 Mega whilst clutching a rock in his hands. Cunning plan to get dad to shell out for a $6 cuddly tiger.

Fat lip, bloody t-shirt, Van Damme victimised look

Anyways, i light it up in time to watch the first exchanges of a Crusaders - Waratahs game in which many deaths from many disasters are being avenged. My condolences to the 'Tahs. This dark, thick, oily wrappered Gold Medal gets straight into its stride with screeds of honey, cinnamon, and light earth. There is a touch of light peachiness. Smooth, smooth, smooth, with perhaps just a hint of capsicum round the edges. The slight earthiness is the only Bolivar hallmark present. Very much on the light side of medium body. I was expecting much heavier. There is no spice at all, even on the retrohale.

It quickly gets peachier and peachier... almost as peachy as Fruean's 360 pirouette intercept try. The honey sweet stonefruit reminds me of a Ramon Allones but approaches peach schnapps intensity. My only complaint is that there is not much depth, richness, or complexity of flavour. All the hallmarks of a young cigar. You can suck on it with the same greed as an all blacks prop eyeing up Al Baxter before scrumdown, without fear of reprisals.

The draw is almost too loose... smoke is flowing as freely as a Carter SBW Fruean backline. The wrapper leaf is doing a lot of the work flavourwise. I'm not sure if the blend has the required richness to grow with age... maybe. Capsicum and wood come in a bit in the last third, by which point it's almost a welcome relief.

Overall this was a very pleasant, easygoing, enjoyable cigar, that keeps on giving. Did I mention the peach? Remarkably smooth, without any great depth or intrigue. Early days but with uncertain potential I would smoke them now. No drinks required, but if you do indulge, it might pay to make it crisp to offset the sweetness (e.g. champagne or martini).

Batch de Abril-Mayo - Ageing considerations

 Welcome to Hadley who has joined us courtesy of Joel. Another one for the whisky fan club i gather!

• La Gloria Cubana Puritos x2
• Fonseca Cadetes or Hoyo de Monterrey du Maire: well known, i don't think the KDTs will do any better with age so sent the last few out now. Like the rest of 'em you will have to work on the draw...
• Por Larranaga Montecarlo: Another coffee cigar - quite mild - hoping these have lost some of the metallic tones by now. March '09 box.
• Montecristo no.4: Back to the classics... from newish Nov '09 box. Will be interested to hear how these are doing.  
• Ramon Allones Specially Selected: Great cigar last time out - how are they smoking now? ('08 box) Impressions follow.
• Bolivar Gold Medal: gold wrapper is one of its kind amongst cubans. Aug 09 box. Impressive appearance but will it be matched by good smoking at such a young age?

Bryan and the Partagas Serie D no.4

As usual you'll need to turn up the volume and the brightness to be able to see/hear my poor videos.

45mn - 1hr + smoke.
Vitola/Size: Robusto
Length 12.4cm Ring gauge 50.
Strength: Medium-bodied
Drink match: Port, Sherry, whisky at the end maybe...
Box date: April 2010

The Serie D no.4 is generally one of the fuller bodied cigars of this brand and exhibits all the typical Partagas profile - a balance between leather, cedar and rose woods, fragrance of wine berry, some light pepper, and a touch of honey and vanilla. This very young cigar is unusually approachable - almost too much so - and one would hope that with time it will develop into something bigger and bolder. Unlikely but possible. A very low maintenance example of the SD4 that is closer to the mild flavour of the Serie P no. 2. Enjoy it now.

February - March batch

First, I would like to welcome uncle Bryan (Greg's brother) to the club. Nau mai, haere mai ki te Hikari Hereteki o Aotearoa. As you can see above, Bryan is a warm and trustworthy gentleman who will make a great Heretic (he can also draw smoke with one ear and blow smoke-rings out the other - a talent reserved for audiologists).

As to this batch, apart from Bryan who has a special starters cocktail, these are the cigars you will receive.

• 2 La Gloria Cubana Puritos (cellophaned)
• Vegueros Seoanes: I have heard better things from many of you about these, and have shared a good one meself with Scott. Luck of the draw (ha ha).
• Ramon Allones Small Club Corona: these are fruity and smoking well now (box date May 2010 so very young).
• Trinidad Reyes - no need for introductions anymore, but this is a newer 09? box
• Montecristo Especial no.2: a special cigar and expensive to boot. Very mild, very rich, have it after a light meal, no strong drinks, and you'll see it is a gem. 
• Partagas Serie D no.4: this is pure Partagas flavour, robusto-style. Medium-Full body. This one is very young (Apr.'10) and I haven't tasted any of this box yet so you'll have to let me know!

Enjoy!

Chainsaws and Vegueros - Christmas in the Wild

 

Back before Christmas, Scott and myself Went Bush to go and find some christmas trees. Well ok, maybe that was just an excuse to go ape$hit with his chainsaw and scare some old ladies. The trick is to find the ones (pine trees not old ladies) that the Rangers haven't already cut down. We did get one in the end after getting sweaty traipsing round the hillside in hot humid weather.

Seeing as it was a heretics outing involving oily machinery, I took along a Vegueros Seoanes with a nice wrapper. As has been noted these have a leafy grassy green flavour to them with a hint of Unleaded 95 on the nose and a touch of 2-stroke motor oil on the arse. It was well suited to the occasion and more surprisingly was a smooth, palatable, and well-constructed cigar. You still have to be in the mood for the flavour profile on offer - fortunately for us, the chainsaw was revvin', the grannies a-screamin', and the 2 stroke smoke mingling with our own. Sweet harmony to the senses. Yeeahaarrr!

Byron's Eloge du Cigare

The Island by Lord Byron XIX.

But here the herald of the self-same mouth [60]
Came breathing o’er the aromatic south,
Not like a “bed of violets” on the gale,
But such as wafts its cloud o’er grog or ale,
Borne from a short frail pipe, which yet had blown
Its gentle odours over either zone,
And, puffed where’er winds rise or waters roll,
Had wafted smoke from Portsmouth to the Pole,
Opposed its vapour as the lightning dashed,
And reeked, ‘midst mountain-billows, unabashed,
To AEolus a constant sacrifice,
Through every change of all the varying skies.
And what was he who bore it?–I may err,
But deem him sailor or philosopher.

Sublime Tobacco! which from East to West
Cheers the tar’s labour or the Turkman’s rest;
Which on the Moslem’s ottoman divides
His hours, and rivals opium and his brides;
Magnificent in Stamboul, but less grand,
Though not less loved, in Wapping or the Strand;
Divine in hookas, glorious in a pipe,
When tipped with amber, mellow, rich, and ripe;
Like other charmers, wooing the caress,
More dazzlingly when daring in full dress;
Yet thy true lovers more admire by far
Thy naked beauties–Give me a cigar!

Heresy at the Home of Cricket

Yes my good man Scott kindly took me along to see some test cricket courtesy of free tickets he got from someone. I had forgotten how relaxing it can be to wile away the hours... bodies strewn on the green grass beneath a blue sky... men in white occasionally stirring in the middle... small crowd milling about as if on a mass cannabis prescription. Monday cricket at the Basin.

Perfect for large cigar smoking in fact. A little bit of smuggled port to top it off and 'all is for the best in the best of worlds'.

The toes come in handy for holding those big Punch Double Coronas as you lie on the grass verges at the cricket.

As you can see we shared a Punch DC, and like many of the big cubans it shines by virtue of its mildness and balance. Predominant cedar with a touch of wood. All the way through... no surprises. Perfect in the context. Well matched by a port. Must've taken at least one wicket to get through - on a flat pitch, with sturdy no-nonsense Pakistani test batsmen, and no real strike bowlers, that's a looong time. Long live summer.

Tasting some birthday Punch

Four and a half heretics, some good wine and a punch double corona


You get the cool guy.....


The " wooah I'm seeing double corona rainbows" guy.....


And the "what's he doing" guy.

But after 50something years of it you get the.....


Say no more, it's my Birthday guy.