Emilio Draig K

Emilio, the new kid with serious clout on the boutique block, recently released the limited Draig K.  And I'm sure you've noticed the buzz about this company and it's latest offering all over the web. So, with this kind of excitement, I decided to pop over to a local cigar shop to pick it up and tried it out in the Toro.  (Now, there was a notice from Emilio that unfortunately the cigars were a little damp from when they were shipped and that the cigars should be given 3-4 days to dry out a bit.  I dry boxed mine for 2 days before trying it because I wanted to review it before #CHAtweetup2012.)  I ended up pairing this with Chivas Regal 12 year Scotch.


Behind the pink dragon on the band (homage to Gary Griffith's Welsh heritage), the Draig K has a beautiful, slightly oily dark Colombian wrapper showing virtually no veins.  There didn't seem to be any issues with the wrapper or cap, but it was a bit springy from probably not drying it a little more.  I picked up notes of hay and probably the sweetest tobacco scent I've ever had.  I toasted the foot with relative ease and had a good amount of smoke as a result.

Into the first third and I found a woody taste, like oak, as well as earthy notes.  I even found just a hint of chocolate as a treat.  However, I quickly found that I had a bit of a burn issue from the thick wrapper that was still a bit more moist than is ideal, but as I said, that was my fault for not giving it another day or so to dry as was suggested. Nothing that a quick touch up wouldn't fix.

Entering into the middle third, I got a nutty flavor and also discovered what I would consider a berry taste.
More like a blueberry than blackberry or raspberry.  It almost felt like breakfast...but with scotch instead of O.J. 

Rounding out the cigar in the final third, oak returned with hints of leather, graham and chocolate.  Nothing was ever harsh as this seemed to be really well-balanced.  It was even milder than I thought it would be, but still on the medium/full side of things. It had a great draw throughout, and despite the touch-ups (which was more my fault for not wanting to wait another couple of days), this was a great cigar and something I would recommend.  I give this Emilio offering a 91.

National Rum Day 2012

If you've been following this blog for a while, I'm sure you probably remember my post last year which briefly mentioning that August the 16th has been dubbed "National Rum Day".  Last year was the first year I had heard of such a monster and thought I'd make mention of it just because it involves my favorite spirit: rum.  Also, I thought I'd mention it as a way to segue into Bacardi's newest spiced rum offering, the OAKHEART, which would be a review I did shortly afterwards. 

But that was then, and this is now.  It seems that there has been more credence given to this pseudo-recognized day by the press, and maybe it is slowly catching on with mainstream culture after all (thanks to inclusions in Forbes and the Washington Post to name but a few).  But why give any spirit it's own day?  Why would it merit such recognition?

The honest answer would be, it doesn't.  This is just a marketing ploy by the companies to get you to by their product on this day and that is all.  It's all about making money, right?

Maybe. 

But  maybe it does deserve such merit.  After all, traveling by ship between the old world and the new was long and arduous.  Fresh drinking water was difficult to come by out on the seas.  Stored in casks, clean water eventually developed algae and became slimy thereby making it undrinkable and sickening. A solution was needed, and after Britain's conquest of Jamaica in 1655, rum became a viable option as part of a sailor's rations while out on the seas.  And for the better part of two centuries, it became regulation in the Royal Navy.

So maybe we should, after all, pay homage to the drink that helped those sailing ships across the Atlantic, affording countless millions the opportunity to start new lives and help found a new country.  I can't think of no better reason to have a nationally recognized day than that.

Herederos de Robaina

Emilio Cigars recently reached an agreement with American Caribbean Tobacco to distribute Herederos de Robaina in the US.  Manufactured in Esteli, Nicaragua, this boutique line utilizes the classic blending methods from the Godfather of Cuban Tobacco, Alejandro Robaina.  There will be four sizes: Robusto, Toro, Torpedo, and Churchill in both 10 and 20 count boxes.  One can expect exact pricing and product information in September.

 For this review, I smoked the Robusto and paired it with some Eagle Rare single barrel bourbon.  The cigar was chocolate-y brown, but had only the slightest bit of a sheen.  Rolling the cigar between my fingers, I noticed that the veins were small and the stick had a bit of a spring when gently squeezed.  I smelled hay and some earthy notes on the wrapper and a faint manure and cocoa smell at the foot.  After clipping, the stick had a nice cold draw with a bit of sweet tobacco on my lips.

I toasted the foot and smoke billowed upwards as I smelled sweet tobacco in the air.  I also noted some creaminess with a bit of  barnyard and tobacco in the 1st third of the cigar.  It kind of reminded me of childhood while visiting extended family.  My uncles had barns and livestock while their neighbors raised tobacco. The smells would commingle in the breeze and those experiences became a part of my childhood. Now, those smells take me back to a more innocent and curious time.

As I reached the 2nd third, things became richer with spice and pepper.  It was a solid change without being overpowering. The draw had been excellent and the burn continued to be pretty even.  The ash was firm and held together well until I tapped it off at around an inch and a half.  It was at this time that I needed to relight.

As the middle third transitioned into the last, the flavors regressed to a more mellow profile.  Sweetness and a hint of cocoa rounded out the diminished spice from the previous segment. The draw remained excellent throughout and the smoke plentiful.  The burn stayed fairly even and I only needed a minor relight. Well constructed and flavorful, I'll gladly add this medium bodied cigar to my humidor. Herederos de Robaina was definitely a great addition to Emilio's portfolio and is another reason why Emilio has become a stand out in the boutique arena.  They are well worth watching grow over the next year.  I give this little gem a score of 90.
 

Room 101 San Andres Pre-Release

I had the opportunity to try out the Room 101 San Andres back in March with every intention of blogging about it.  I gave it a thumbs up on my Facebook and Twitter profiles, but never actually wrote out a proper review. I became rather busy in the the Spring and early Summer and overlooked this cigar.  I've enjoyed hearing feedback from people thanking me for my different tasting notes, so I thought it wise to dig up my photos and notes and write one now that I've had more free time to do so.

The San Andres had a nice milk chocolate Mexican wrapper with a bit of an oily sheen.  The construction seemed to be solid but it did have a slightly larger vein then I would have liked to had.  The binder was a Honduran Corojo with Honduran and Dominican, Corojo and Criollo fillers.  Prior to lighting, I noticed the foot had a sweet smell of tobacco and hay.

The stick lit easily and smoke was prevalent upon my first few draws.  I noticed some cedar and spice with pepper being the predominant  flavor.  The spice and pepper tapered as I progressed into the next third.  In the 2nd third, the cigar became a little creamy with a surprising leathery note that hit right in the middle of the stick.  By the time I got to the end of the middle third, the leather presence had left with the cream and spiciness remaining.

Into the final stretch, the spice and pepper was joined by a bit of earthiness and hints of cocoa and coffee.  The burn was a bit of an issue and required touching up due to a poor burn.  But all-in-all, this medium bodied cigar had a really nice flavor profile and I would recommend it to someone else looking for something new to try. After all, "It's Boofy Baby".  I give this cigar an 89.

CAO Concert

Early 2012 is when I first heard about a new line called "Concert".  Rick Rodriguez, the man behind the idea and blend, wanted to pay homage to CAO's legacy and to the city CAO called home for so long: "Music City"  Nashville, TN.  Rodriguez shared with me the ideas and early concepts behind the line and I thought it was a very respectable and honorable thing to do now that CAO is part of General and no longer based in Nashville.

Fast forward a few months and I was able to reconnect with CAO and Rodriguez for CMA Fest, the annual Country Music festival held where Country artists perform for fans at various venues around town.  CAO was a sponsor of the festival and used the event as an opportunity to quietly start branding the new line with live music while building up to the actual release at IPCPR today.  It was here that Rodriguez bestowed upon me my first "Concert", pre-release and fresh from the factory.  We shared a couple, and I took one home to review properly for the blog.  So let's start, shall we?

The "Concert" uses four different Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers unique only to "Concert".  It is bound with a Connecticut Broadleaf and wrapped with a beautiful chocolate-y Ecuadoran Habano Rosado.  The wrapper has a nice oily sheen, and a nice spring when pressed.  I detected earthy notes with sweet tobacco and a hint of spice in the pre-light aroma.  Toasting the foot was easy and the draw one of the best I've had in a long time.

The opening number featured flavors of hay and then a burst of pepper.  There was plenty of smoke and the stick had a great draw.  Finishing up the 1st third, the pepper started giving way to some spice flavors.

In the 2nd third, the pepper had subsided and gave way to a creamy spice taste with a bit of graham cracker.  There even seemed to be a bit of a honey in my retrohale.  The burn has stayed pretty even and the smoke still plentiful, all the while remaining cool.

The ash held on extremely well, as you can see.  On this 5 1/2" cigar, I had an almost 3" ash.  

In the last third, the intensity picked up again with a mix of spice and pepper to round out the cigar.  The burn remained even and the cigar never needed to be relit.  The draw remained constant throughout and provided a great finish to this cigar.

The "Concert" is very smooth, rich and definitely a full-medium bodied cigar.  The construction was great, and so was the experience of smoking this gem.  All of the "Concerts" I smoked were very consistent and enjoyable. Rodriguez wanted to create a "harmony" with the 4 distinct fillers, and I think he did a great job.  There will be four sizes released: AMP (5 1/2" x  46) SOLO (5 1/2" x  50) ROADIE (5 1/2" x  54) and the STAGE (5 1/2" x  60).  All things considered, he has raised the bar for the company, and for others who are releasing new products this year.  I give the "Concert" a 94.

Now to discuss the band, and the box. I think the CAO team has come up with a great concept since Nashville is known as "Music City".  I love the guitars with "f" holes and the guitar pick on the band.  And the box as a guitar amplifier is a great idea!  However, the box is more like the no longer made VOX AC50 amplifier with it's white chicken head knobs rather than the Marshall amplifier that Cigar Aficionado stated in their article on the "Concert". (Sorry, that's the musician in me coming out).  I know that there will be contests, and "swag" offered at events, so there will definitely be a great deal of fun surrounding the promotion of this release.  Look for a September release and a tour stop near you later this year and into next.

UPDATE: (Sept 16, 2012)  After having a few of the Concerts now that they have been officially released, I would like to say that the flavor profile is almost identical to what I had before.  The graham cracker is a little lighter than I remember, but that's about it and see no reason to deviate from the 94 rating I gave them earlier.  Congrats guys!