Cigar Label Art

Have you ever thought to yourself that the labels on cigars were works of art, but wished they weren't so small to hang on your wall?  Well, now you can have one large enough to show off in your home or office.

Brad Casanova, a fellow Brother of the Leaf from Asheville, NC,  is also a wood carver.  Some of his wood carvings are of beautiful cigar labels, and he does a mighty fine job of it.  If you're looking for a way to adorn your wall with some Tobacciana, then check out Brad's work.  Although he doesn't update his blog anymore, you can view his work here: http://casanovacigarcarvings.blogspot.com/     To contact him, find him on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bradcasanova

Are you "Loyal"?

With IPCPR 2011 just around the corner, you knew that cigar companies would start releasing new information about upcoming products.  One such product is the Toraño Family Cigar Company's newest brand: "Loyal".  Here's their release:

 

(Miami, FL) June 20, 2011: Toraño Family Cigar Company is proud to announce the launch of the family’s newest brand: Loyal, which will be hitting the shelves this July. The Toraño family will unveil its newest creation at the upcoming 2011 IPCPR in Las Vegas.
"Carlos Toraño Sr. has always maintained that anyone who enjoys a cigar deserves to smoke a great Toraño blend at an affordable price. For decades, Carlos and his son, Charlie, have remained loyal to this philosophy of providing outstanding value to cigar lovers. Loyal provides value, quality, consistency, and most importantly, an abundance of flavor."

“Our new brand Loyal is dedicated to my father’s long standing commitment to provide exceptional quality cigars without breaking the bank. To him cigars were never a far reaching luxury, but one of life’s simple pleasures”, said Charlie Toraño president, Toraño Family Cigars.  Loyal will be available in a 5x56 Robusto, a 6 1/8 x52 Torpedo, a 7x47 Churchill, and a 6x60 BFC, all with an MSRP between $4.95-$5.50.

Displayed in attractive 21 count boxes, the Loyal blend features fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, combined with a Nicaraguan binder and dressed in an oily Ecuadorian Sumatra seed wrapper. Loyal is a solid, medium bodied smoke, that intrigues the palate with a spicy, peppery start and then transitions to a variety of rich flavours with notes of coffee and brown sugar.

The announcement of Loyal comes on the heels of recent exciting news from the Toraño Family Cigar Co.  In the past 30 days Toraño announced distribution agreements with Graycliff and the Sam Leccia Cigar Co.  The Toraño’s see no slowing down till the IPCPR in Las Vegas as they are putting the final touches on yet another brand which will be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

A leader in the cigar industry, Toraño Family Cigar Company is a four generation company currently based in Miami, FL. It enjoys a rich heritage and history in tobacco growing and manufacturing. For more information: www.torano.com. Please also follow Toraño on Face book: Toraño A family Cigar Company or on Twitter: @TORANOFAMCIGARS.

Cuestión of the day

Spirits: a natural compliment for any cigar.  But beyond that, the spirit has the ability to bond people together, to help one cast their worries aside, or to make a great tasting drink. With today being the first day of summer, I thought I'd present a popular summer spirit: tequila!

I first happened upon Cuestión Tequila a few months back here in Nashville.  A friend of mine owns a couple of Mexican restaurants and they carry Cuestión Tequila.  What first intrigued me was the bottle, which is in the shape of an upside down question mark (interogacion inicial).  Then upon closer observation, I discovered the name was "Cuestión".  I thought I'd give it a shot and see how this "premium" tequila fared.

A neat shot of  Añejo offered up an oaky, sweet smell with a smooth taste of oak, caramel and hint of citrus. The shot was by far the smoothest tequila I've ever had, probably the smoothest spirit.  I then tried the Blanco in a margarita and it not only blended well, but made for the best margarita I've ever tasted.  I wanted to know more and found out that the distribution company was a local company.  I was able to network with the president, Jason Fandrich and we got a chance to meet up at a local restaurant to hang and so I could learn more about Cuestión Tequila.

Jason is the sort of people's person who gets things done.  He's an instant friend, and very knowledgeable about this market.  After the initial introductions, he taught me about the process and smoothness of the tequila.  Most tequila is produced from immature agave plants since most companies try to hurry up and produce as many bottles as possible. As a result, they distill multiple times to try to smooth their product.   Cuestión comes from decade old Blue Weber Agave plants from Jalisco, Mexico that are only distilled once.  The end result is the smoothest tequila possible.  For the Blanco, that is pretty much the end of the story.  But for the Añejo and the Reposado, the trip isn't over.  Remember, this is Tennessee- home of Jack Daniel's.  The fire-cured American Oak whiskey barrels from Lynchburg are used to finish aging the raw spirit.  The Reposado will age 6 months in the barrels while the Añejo will stay for 18 months.  

Fandrich took all 3 flavors to San Francisco World Spirits Competition in March earlier this year.  The Blanco took home the 2011 Gold Medal, while the other two took home the Bronze Medal in their respective categories.  Cuestión even took home a Silver Medal for packaging.  4 medals with 3 products at your first showing is pretty impressive.

 Cuestión Tequila is a spirit I highly recommend.  As the company is still in it's infancy, Cuestión Tequila may be hard to come by in your area.  Visit their website to learn more and definitely ask your local spots about it.

http://www.cuestionspirits.com

Oliva Serie G Cameroon Robusto

I decided to review an Oliva cigar, a brand I've not tried before but have heard good things about.  I ended up going with a Robusto since we were having rain come through my area and I didn't want a particularly long smoke.  I was at the wine store a little earlier and the worker there had just received a shipment of Petra Santa Chardonnay he was fond of and recommended, so I bought a bottle to try while I smoked the Oliva.  The wine was alright, but would have preferred a Kendall-Jackson.  Anyway, on to the cigar.

 
First impressions of this African-Cameroon wrapped Robusto were pleasant.  Having a neat cap, and wrapped well to the foot,  this firm well-packed stick had a slight sweet aroma and taste and was slightly oily.  When lit, the Cuban-Seed Nicaraguan binder and filler burned with little trouble and the first draw came with ease.  Immediate was the sweet impression I first experienced earlier coupled with a vanilla-like creaminess and a hint of spice.

Entering into the 2nd third, I experienced leather and more spice.  The smoke was a bit lacking at times yet the cigar still smooth, even with retrohale. I could get about an inch and a half of ash before it would fall, a constant throughout the evening.  However, I did have to relight not once but twice. 

Into the final third, the leather and spice remained, but I did pick up a hint of coffee.  As I got closer to the head, the cigar became drier and I did get a bit of a burned taste.  On the positive side, the cigar never got too hot like some cigars at the very end.

My final prognosis is that this is a good cigar, which remained mild and smooth as evidenced by the creamy, vanilla and leather taste, with some hints of spice and coffee.  The downside was my having to relight the cigar twice and on a few occasions, I had to puff a few times to produce smoke and ended up with a bit of a bitter, burned taste at the end.  I do believe that the windy evening from the bad weather contributed to a less than ideal experience and contributed to what I believe could have been a better score.  Overall, the cigar was a good smoke and I give it an 82.  I'd like to try this again in the future and see what happens in a better setting.

Antique Romeo y Julieta Cuban Humidor

So I was searching for cigar memorabilia online and happened to come across this unique ornate antique 1900 humidor from Romeo y Julieta on Ebay.  This Cuban humidor is a really nice piece that stands about 20" tall with two curved wooden exterior doors, and one large curved glass interior door. I believe the price to be very reasonable at $3500 considering I've seen small mid- 20th century desktop humidors from Romeo y Julieta (pre-revolution and before the company moved to La Romana, D.R.) in similar condition priced around $500.  So, if you are looking for that unique "Father's Day" gift for a special someone who enjoys cigars, antiques, and history, then may I suggest this item.

Padron 2000 Maduro

Let me start my first review with the Padron 2000 Maduro Robusto.  A Nicaraguan both in origin and wrapping, this dark cigar with several veins has a simple band leading to a decent cap allowing for a clean cut.  Looking at the foot, it could have been packed a bit better, but it didn't affect its performance.  The aroma was earthy and I paired it with a Woodchuck Cider.

When I lit it up,  I received a good amount of smoke easily with my first few draws although it was an uneven burn at the beginning.  I compensated and the cigar burned evenly the rest of the night.  My initial tastes were a little spice and woodiness with coffee notes.  My retrohale had a bit of a sting, but was only for a moment and was able to get more coffee from the cigar.  As I was leaving the 1st third, my cigar with about 3/4" of ash fell.  It continued to fall at that length rather consistently throughout the entire cigar.

As I entered into the 2nd third of the cigar, it made my palette a little dry which made the coffee and pepper more pronounced with a hint of cocoa.  It became more bold, but not overpowering.  The burn remained steady, as did the smoke.

The final third of the cigar and the finish was merely a continuation of the 2nd third, although it did get more dry at the end.  Consider it a period at the end of a statement.  You are finished.  By this time, it has been about an hour and a half since I first lit.

In conclusion, I feel this is a solid cigar in taste, aroma, and time -despite the initial lighting problem.  It has flavor I enjoyed (especially for people such as my wife and brother who love their coffee) and nice aroma.  The cigar burns continually without needing a new light halfway through, and it's mildness makes it something that you can enjoy anytime of the day.  Couple the cigar's attributes with it's price point and you have a cigar that does quite well.  I give it an 88. 

Find me on Facebook!

So I have just signed up for Facebook and if you'd like to befriend me, you can find me here:
http://facebook.com/TheAshevilleSmokingRoom .  Let's be friends!

First post!

So here is the first post of my new cigar blogspot.  The purpose behind this blog is to review cigars and cigar related items.  I have been fortunate to travel all over and experience life abroad.  Now that I have slowed down in my travels, I have decided to focus on something that gives me pleasure and share this experience with others who may find it educational.

The name of the blog is "The Asheville Smoking Room".  The name is a pun on the word "ash", but because of my family ties to the Biltmore in Asheville, NC and the smoking room therein, I thought the name fitting.

I thank you for visiting my blog.  Please feel free to comment.  If you would like to contact me, then please email me :
ashevillecigar @ gmail.com