Christmas with JFK

H Upmann is one of the oldest cuban marcas going all the way back to its creation in the 1840s by a German banker of the same name. It is also famous for its association with JFK.

A year after the failed CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion, which attempted to topple the post-dictatorial cuban revolution of Fidel, Che et al., the U.S. declared the start of the now 50 year-old embargo on Cuba.

But first, JFK put a little order in for something special, as his press aide Pierre Salinger tells us.

JFK, he said, called him into his office and said he needed 'some help' to find 'a lot of cigars'. He wanted '1,000 Petit Upmanns' and needed them by 'tomorrow morning'.

'The next morning, I walked into my White House office at about 8am, and the direct line from the President's office was already ringing. He asked me to come in immediately.

'How did you do Pierre?' he asked, as I walked through the door. 'Very well,' I answered. In fact, I'd gotten 1,200 cigars. Kennedy smiled, and opened up his desk.

'He took out a long paper which he immediately signed. It was the decree banning all Cuban products from the United States. Cuban cigars were now illegal in our country.'

My guess is that he didn't live long enough to smoke all of those cigars. There could be a morale here about storing up riches but i'll stick to cigars - smoke'em while you still can.

Another footnote is that every time you smoke a habano, you are supposedly taking part in the "subversive offensive of Sino-Soviet communism with which the government of Cuba is publicly aligned" - the 1962 justification of this ongoing embargo.

Anyway, for the record these Petit Upmanns were 108mm*31rg - very civilised - similar to the little Arturo Fuentes in this batch... We have the more opulent H Upmann Magnum 46, a corona gorda that has consistently performed for the marca over the past few years. It delivers all of the medium-bodied woody richness that characterises the brand...

Ye batch (minus a variable cigar or 2):

• Arturo Fuente Cubanitos: like the exquisitos but slightly bigger and with a cameroon wrapper not a maduro one. Does the trick for a short coffee break. 
• San Cristobal El Principe: cedary with a touch of fruit ... drink accordingly (port, sherry etc... not Coruba rum - well at least not until you've ashed your cigar into it and it comes into its own - eh Matt!!)
• Cuaba Exclusivos: distinctly tapered figurado shape, mild after lunch habano from a 2008 box. Start it off with a relatively clean palate for full enjoyment.  
• H Upmann Magnum 46: from memory the rich variety of woods will compliment all sorts. This is a young box so might have an added creamy sweet touch.
• Perdomo 20th Anniversary Maduro: as reviewed on Scott or Matt's iphone in front of Matt's house a few months ago ... huge, smooth, decadent, chocolatey (yes chocolate not just cocoa)... great all-nicaraguan dessert cigar. In fact probably the most enjoyable nicaraguan puro i've had. Or maybe it was just the company ;-)   

Cuba...

... a random atmospheric video that attempts to capture the mood of the place. The early titles are corny but the imagery is great.

Be prepared for any situation this summer

Rafael Gonzalez Perlas - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

You've got to watch out for these Short Stubby fellas

The pearl in the name would suggest delicate finery, and the lovely colorado maduro shade of wrapper with a nice oily sheen on it might fool you into believing that but... the short stout stubby format is perhaps a better indicator of what's to come.

This is another youthful lil' fella with a Napoleon-style short-man syndrome a la Partagas Short. It will sit you down and shut you up, hopefully with a smile on your face. 

Light it up, take a puff, and as my son would say... "wasssupafamanga!"

It powers into its work instantly, with plenty of cedar, a bit of meaty leather, and a noticeable coffee flavour - the aroma of freshly ground beans or strong espresso. The last cigar i remember with this type of coffee was one of Joel's Cohiba Siglo Is on the shore of lake Wakatipu. The back of the cedar develops a touch of drying pepper. This Perla is clearly of the same lineage as its elder brother the Corona Extra - not as much meat and mushrooms, but these are still present in the background. Plenty of tannins that build up at the end.

Some drink matches for this ... one of those cigars that seems to cope well even with black coffee (very well actually!). A thick caramely malt like Dalmore cigar malt (Greg's mate Harry brought that along to our last heretics trip), or a decently sherried one like an Aberlour might do ... at a stretch its meatiness might enhance a Talisker 10. I'd love to try it with a milky kahlua dessert cocktail...

... Another cigar doco

This doco has the added merit of lasting about as long as your average cigar... so light up and enjoy!

Sept-Oct Windproof batch

Always a bit windy at this time of year, so i kept em small and numerous. Zahn, go and see Samwise for your hit. Michael, it's in the post should be there monday.

• CAO MX2: the last of these and my question would be - do you want more or not?

• Rafael Gonzalez Perlas: 'bout to put up a review, suffice to say this small fella packs a meaty punch and goes beautifully with coffee. This cigar was only introduced last year. Love it.

• San Cristobal El Principe: an old friend but from a March 2011 box. It has a fruitiness to it that, to me, screams !port!

• Liga Privada - Unico Serie - Papas Fritas: see review, 40min of sweet, meaty bliss, but make sure it's pulled out of a humi at 70% and not too far below or it will fail you.

• Liga Undercrown Corona !Viva!: San Andres (mexican) wrapper, mix of Brazilian mata fina and Nicaraguan filler. Meaty, cocoa and little bit of pepper?, but only medium-bodied and will work with pretty much anything. 

• Some of you get Cuaba Exclusivos:A more recent marca (est. 1990s) made up of only perfecto (curvy) vitolas and often criticised for its poor construction. This is a carefully selected box from 2008 so ready to smoke now. On the milder side and yet complex and satisfying - you'll see what i mean. Needs a light drink, and definitely not coffee. Excellent after-lunch cigar. I really loved the small rg of the end you stick in your mouth, for some reason, just so comfortable. Won't improve as mild and 5 years old so smoke it now!!!

•  Some of you get Scott's big Bandido Loco Mexican Fiesta Cigar: his parents brought this back from Mexico and it is not a cigar to be taken too seriously. Good if you're doing something incompatible with cigar appreciation like beer drinking round the bbq. Every now and again you get a !!!salsa explosion!!! in your mouth for a fleeting moment, which disappears quickly only to jump out on you again like a chilli-eating bandito, when you least expect it. 

Timbo Unchains the Liga Privada Papas Fritas

This is how Tim summarised his time spent here, free from his work in the Highlands

cigarro comico

Follow the Flame

Nick aka the Great Dane or now the Flame carrying our cigar lighter down the beach

Had a wee gathering to celebrate getting offered a job the other night, went down to a cosy hole in the dunes with the lads with a boom box, some cigars, and a fire pot that only the Dragon-Kissed can carry without getting burnt. Good stuff

Greg and Scott reviewing by citronella twilight

This is from a few months ago, just found it on my camera, turn up your screen brightness and your volume ... a Partagas serie D no.4 and a Juan Lopez no.1 receive passing mention...

Scott's a Dad...

... and he's earned a cigar as well, it's a little boy called Owen.

we got a fire going on the beach and had some of his wedding Bolivars to celebrate, two nights ago.

Introduction of self

Seriously pleased to be a part of this group guys - thanks for the invite S.F. As a brief introduction I'm a photographer, web geek, and musician from Albany, NZ who enjoys poker, shisha, ninjas, downhill, and the better things of life (like cigars).

Looking forward to batch number one!

July-August batch is out

They say they're rolled on the thighs of virgins, but she assures us, it's not true.

Come and get it!

No new cigars in this one... have to get all these non-cubans smoked as most of 'em are good now but don't tend to age well... but never fear my law-enforcing brother in law is coming over in a few weeks with a couple of new cuban boxes.

However... plenty of Good cigars. And one new member for the Tamaki Makaurau branch in Zahn - Welcome Zahn ! (feel free to introduce yourself!).

• CAO Mx2: 2 maduro wrappers, outer from connecticut USA, inner from Brazil, all very tasty and goes magnificently with coffee. Easy to gobble your way through in half an hour - yum. 


• Romeo y Julieta Petit Corona: un habano para todos. Hint of dark cherry, coffee grinds, classic RyJ and more of a port (or very light liquor?) match. 2012 box.


• Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve - Corojo: Nicaraguan and Honduran filler and binder with a Honduran corojo wrapper. Mild-medium, sweet, velvety and buttery smoke, good on its own (maybe after coffee), eminently satisfying cigar.

Rafael Gonzalez Corona Extra: ... otro habano para usted, senor? intriguing mix of cream, leather, meat, mushrooms and pepper etc. with evolving flavours throughout, another good port cigar, as per last year's review. Has it changed since then? You be the judge (and let us know!). 2009 box so could well be peaking now. 

• Liga Undercrown - Corona ¡­­Viva!: San Andres (mexican) wrapper, mix of Brazilian mata fina and Nicaraguan filler. Meaty, cocoa and little bit of pepper?, but only medium-bodied and will work with pretty much anything. 

Enjoy!

Heretic Commune

Sam and Joel moving house

Apparently, the cigar heresy has intensified to such an extent that some of our members are choosing to move in together, and create intentional communities of ascetic devotion to the fermented tobacco leaf.

So if you too fancy the lifestyle, head to West auckland (where else?), and "turn on, tune in, and drop out" in the first ever Heretics commune.

I'm sure Joel and Sam can fill us in on further on their purpose and principles.

The Neighbours

The renaissance of port

[from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10899775]

It can be a struggle to match wine with robust cheeses, strong dark chocolate or heavily infused coffee desserts. The delicate balance of most table wines, white or red, are overwhelmed by strident flavours that leave no room for compromise.

Fortunately, there is a reliable fallback position: port. With powerful primary fruit, reasonably strident alcohol levels and a warm lubricating viscosity, this ancient fortified wine is also a pleasant digestif and can be served, lightly chilled, as an aperitif.

Port is enjoying something of a renaissance and is no longer seen as unfashionable and belonging only in the dark mahogany recesses of old "Men Only" clubs.

Portugal, in particular the northern Douro Valley, is regarded as the spiritual home of this unique wine that is usually layered with warm sweet Christmas cake type flavours and should be gently sipped rather than quaffed.

One of Portugal's great ports is Quinta da Romaneira, which dates back to Roman times when vines were cultivated. Records exist of wines being produced in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1872, auction house Christie's auctioned ports from Romaneira, the first of its kind to be sold in this way.

Romaniera's managing director, Christian Seely, is committed to making wines that are world-class and get the recognition he feels they deserve - and not just for fortified wines.

"Our challenge has been, and remains, to find ways to vinify unfortified wines from the Douro that can take their rightful place among the great wines of the world, alongside the other great classic regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy or the Rhone Valley."

In the meantime, he will continue producing the highest quality port wine possible - vintage ports, unfiltered LBVs (late-bottled vintage) and 10-year-old and 40-year-old tawnies.

Nothing beats a glass of port in front of a roaring fire in the middle of winter.