Big Star Cigar

On the last evening of #CHAtweetup2012, David Jones of The Tiki Bar Online and I talked about several things.  One of which was his suggestion for me to write a series about local smoke shops in the Nashville area.  It was an idea I had been toying with anyway because a new shop had opened a few months previously not far from where I live, and my friend Scott Partridge of Uptown's Smoke Shop, was about to open his own shop as well.  So with two new premium cigar shops in the area opening a few months apart, the timing seemed appropriate.

Fast forward to last week when I took the time to visit Big Star Cigar, and my first shop in this series.  There was a small party where I saw several friends that came out to support Scott, and business partner/co-owner Tony Benken, in their new endeavor.  The humidor was well stocked with the traditional heavy weights, as well as some great boutique cigars such as Emilio, Elogio, and Crowned Heads.  There are two lounge areas, as well as a bar with chairs for those who need space to work. With Scott's cigar insider/business knowledge, Tony's passion, and being located in an area that was missing a place of this caliber, I believe Big Star Cigar is going to have a prosperous future and look forward to many events there.  Their press release follows.

Big Star Cigar Lounge Opens in Mt. Juliet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mt. Juliet, TN – Wilson County’s first full-service cigar and pipe store has opened in Mt. Juliet. Big Star Cigar Lounge is an upscale establishment that specializes in premium hand-rolled cigars, with an emphasis on boutique and hard-to-find cigars. Big Star’s walk-in humidor is the envy of many and features a selection of 

over 30 brands of high-end hand-rolled cigars. The store also offers a wide selection of premium briar pipes as well as cigar and pipe accessories including humidors, cutters, lighters and more.  With flat-screen TV’s in two lounge areas, comfortable seating, Wi-Fi, and exceptional service, Big Star provides an unparalleled experience for every visitor. 

The founders of Big Star Cigar Lounge are two music industry veterans who share a passion for cigars.  Scott Partridge moved to Nashville as a musician and traveled the road with such acts as Vern Gosdin before falling into a career in the cigar world as the General Manager of UPtown’s Smoke Shop in Nashville from 2007 through July of 2012. Tony Benken moved to Nashville after college and spent 20 years working as a record label executive with many of the top country music superstars before making his passion for cigars the path for the future.  Big Star Cigar Lounge is the realization of both of their dreams and their opportunity to share their passion with fellow cigar lovers--in Middle Tennessee and beyond! “I live in Mt. Juliet and love this community” says Partridge. “I have known that there was a huge demand for this type of business in Wilson County.”  Benken adds, "Big Star Cigar Lounge is a dream come true for me.  I've wanted to run my own business for over 20 years now, and when Scott and I started talking about opening our own shop, it just seemed like the perfect time and perfect business partner."

Big Star Cigar Lounge is located at 3384 North Mt. Juliet Road, Suite 1100 in Faulkner Landing, and is open Monday – Friday from 10:00AM to 8:00PM; Saturdays from 10:00AM – 7:00PM and Sundays from Noon – 6:00 PM. The phone number is 615-288-4084.

###

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! 

International Port Day

The Center for Wine Origins has declared Friday, January 27th, 2012 to be the inaugural International Port Day.  And fortunately for those in the Nashville area, we were graced with the presence of Robert Bower from Taylor Fladgate this past Wednesday at the 1808 Grille as a lead into this inaugural day.

Port wine is a fortified wine traditionally from the Douro Valley in Northern Portugal and derives its name from the seaport city of Porto (which is at the mouth of the Douro River).  It is fortified because an aguardente is added to stop fermentation, leaving sugar in the wine while boosting alcohol content.  Because of the sugar, port is typically served as a dessert wine.  It also pairs well with cigars as an after dinner treat.

The tasting at 1808 on Wednesday was divided into a "Ruby" room, and a "Tawny" room.  For those who don't know, "Tawny" wines are aged in wooden barrels, where "Ruby" wines are aged in bottles.  Generally speaking, "Tawny" wines are a bit sweeter starting at 10 years and becomes less sweet, yet opening up more as it progresses to the 40 year.  They also have a distinct "nuttiness" from their aging in the wooden barrels.  From high to low, my preference runs 20 year, 40 year, 30 year and then 10 year.  Since "Ruby" wines are not altered by long exposure to air through the wood casks like it's "Tawny" sibling, it manages to keep its primary flavors and the aromas of fruit remain intense.  It keeps its youthful ruby-red color with strong plum, blackberry, currant, etc on the nose.  My favorites are Vintage 2000, Vintage 2009, LBV 2005, Bin 27 and the Terra Bella (Organic).  The Vargellis was the only one I didn't try, but look forward to it one day. 

If you've not tried port, I definitely recommend it.  It is something that I am sure you will enjoy and want to learn more.  If you want to get your start today, you can start with an inexpensive Tawny (Taylor 10 year), or  Ruby (Fonseca Bin 27) and build up from there.  But I can't think of a better way to celebrate the inaugural International Port Day!