Toraño Loyal BFC

We've had a bit of a weird winter here in Tennessee this year with days reaching into the mid 60s and mild temps overnight around 50. As a result,  I decided to enjoy an unseasonably warm evening on my deck and try out the Toraño Loyal. I ended up auditioning the BFC,  something else a little different for me during this peculiar season.

Upon my initial inspection, the cigar had a few small to medium veins, but nothing unsightly. It was firm, but not hard and had an overall nice oily sheen on it's milk chocolate Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. I detected some earthy notes and a bit of spice prior to lighting.  Once lit, I noticed the same in the first few draws as well. About midway through the first 3rd, I also picked up on some hay and cedar notes.

With plenty of smoke, I headed into the second 3rd of my smoke. The sweetness tapered off and revealed a bit more cedar and spice which was accompanied by leather. At this stage is when the cigar became fuller making it a solid medium bodied cigar. The ash held on for from between 1/2" to 3/4" pretty consistently.

Finishing up the cigar, I found that the preceding leather and cedar notes of the second 3rd falling away, introducing a nice cocoa taste. Additionally, I also detected the occasional coffee notes as I got into the back half of the final 3rd.  The smoke remained voluminous and the cigar never needed a touch up and kept an even burn throughout. 

The Loyal is a great smoke and at a very reasonable price. The Toraño family remains loyal to their customers in this regard, and as a result, customers remain loyal to the brand. I give this smoke an 89.

Valentine's Day

As you are well aware, Valentine's Day is around the corner.  A week from today, we will celebrate the day whereby we show our romantic affection towards our loved ones.  For some, there will be gifts of chocolate, flowers, or jewelry.  But what about men?  Or those women who enjoy cigars and want something different besides the traditional fare?  Sometimes, it can be a daunting task to decide upon something to give someone.  As a result, I have decided to compile a short list to help my Brothers and Sisters of the Leaf should they need help dropping a hint or two.

A gift with great importance is a humidor.  Needing a place to properly store one's cigars is paramount.  It is also easy to run out of room, thereby necessitating in another, or maybe a larger, humidor.  Depending on your budget, you may decide to have a custom, handmade humidor made (such as Waxing Moon Humidors or Christian Baeck Humidors ) or you may prefer to visit your local tobacconist, who carries a nice selection of humidors, all depending on your valentine's needs and preferences.

How about accessories?  Does that special someone have a dependable cutter or lighter?  Have they lost theirs?  Or maybe would they want one in a special design?  Xikar is a brand that does all the above.  They make great cutters and punches in a variety of formats, as well as designs.  And the same can be said for their lighters, which come in everything from a single to a triple torch and with many shapes and sizes to choose from.  Furthermore, if someone wants a Mayan design (it is 2012 after all), or maybe a Drew Estate Liga Privada No. 9, Xikar makes both and many more.  If you want something that looks great but also has great quality and dependability, then Xikar is the way to go.  These are also available from your local tobacconist.

Finally, something every cigar smoker loves...cigars!  Maybe you're not a smoker, and you're afraid to pick some up for fear of buying something that is not their style, or isn't to their taste.  I say don't worry.  This is where your local tobacconist comes into play again.  The staff there may know your loved one well if they've been there for a while, but if not, don't worry.  Just take a look at what they currently keep at the house.  Letting the staff know the current selection, and maybe even their favorite drinks when smoking, will help them help you better.  They may also offer suggestions based upon their tastes to introduce them to a new brand or new line by a favorite manufacturer.

I hope that I've been able to help with these suggestions.  And I hope that you have a great Dia del Amor y la Amistad!

Rocky Patel 1961 Toro Natural

I guess it was time I finally got around to reviewing something by Rocky Patel.  There's been no real reason that has kept me from reviewing one of his cigars, it's just that sometimes you get busy and in the humidor world, it's first in/last out unless you're looking for something specific.

So this time, I dug up a Rocky Patel 1961.  Named after the year of Rocky's birth, the 1961 is a beautiful, well rolled, Nicaraguan cigar with a Honduran binder.  The chocolate Ecuadorian Habano wrapper has rather small veins and a nice oily sheen.  The initial aroma was that of earthiness and sweet tobacco.

Lighting the stick was a breeze creating nice, voluminous smoke.  The draw was great throughout, as was the burn, needing no touch-ups.  In the 1st third, I detected earth, hay and sweet tobacco notes.  Heading into the 2nd third, the cigar became more woodsy with the occasional cedar flavor.

Heading into the last third, coffee came to the forefront, mixed with some cream and pepper as well.  The stick was solid, and the ash held on for around one and a half to two inches.

The 1961 is definitely a medium-to-full bodied cigar.  However, not being overly complex helps makes it pretty well balanced.  It is something that I would definitely recommend, and maybe would pair it with a bourbon or whiskey.  I think I'll try that next time. 

If I could go off on a tangent real quick, I would suggest to Rocky  to create a special blend that would be for brick and mortar stores only.  You make great quality products, but there's a lack of enthusiasm in the shops when anyone can buy the same cigars for cheaper online.  20 million a year is a great deal of cigars, but maybe it could be more with more loyalty on both sides of the counter?  Just an idea.

Anyway, as I stated earlier, the 1961 is a great cigar that I would definitely recommend.  I give it a rating of 90.

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!

Gran Habano Connecticut #1 Imperiales

I had the pleasure of trying a Gran Habano Connecticut #1 Imperiales not too long ago.  The Imperiales is a 6 x 60 size, which is a bit larger than I typically smoke.  This cigar, with its Nicaraguan fillers and binders and it's Ecuadorian wrapper, has an overall good look and firmness.  However, there was a slight blemish in the middle which you can see in the first photo.  This was the first from a newly opened box, so I believe it came from the factory where someone overlooked this one.  The veins were noticeably present with a bit of a dry feeling, yet there was a slight oily sheen to the stick.

Initially, I detected hay and a woodsy aroma.  Upon lighting, I tasted a bit of sweetness in the tobacco as well as the hay.  There's a bit of creaminess that slowly develops, but it never builds to anything too powerful. The smoke is plentiful and the burn seems to remain pretty even and consistent.

Entering into the 2nd third, the creaminess continues with the sweet tobacco falling off, and the hay settling down for a bit.  Spice notes seem to pop up but it does not become too strong, and it blends pretty well with the cream.  The ash seems to remain steady of around an inch before falling.

Entering into the final third, notes of cedar become present with less cream and spice.  The smoke and burn have remained constant the entire time.  The finish ended with no heat at the nub

The Connecticut #1 is definitely a mild - light medium cigar.  It doesn't require multiple lights, it's not too complex, and it's not too bold with spice.  I would say that this would be a great introductory cigar to a newbie, or something you might want on a hot afternoon working in the yard, especially for the price.  I give this an 85.

Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro

The other day, I was going through my cigars to find something different than what I had been smoking lately.  I came across a Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro Toro that I picked up about a year ago and thought I'd give it a shot.  I was heading to a club which is cigar friendly and decided to do a review of it there.  So I grabbed my camera and put in some new batteries, and headed downtown.  

When I got to the club I ordered a Crown on the rocks and took out my camera.  Wouldn't you know it, the "fresh" batteries I just put in the camera were dead.  Fortunately my phone has a built in camera, although the flash is a little harsh when used, but it'll do.

The Nicaraguan grown leaves from Cuban seeds made for a nice looking stick.  The chocolate wrapper had few veins, none of which were too large.  It's aroma was that of sweet tobacco and fresh cut hay.  The foot was neatly packed which worked well with the cigar being lit only once.

 

Upon lighting, my initial notes were that of the tobacco and hay that I encountered earlier with its aroma.  There was plenty of smoke with each draw without working hard for it.  As it burned, I noticed it was burning a bit uneven, as you can see below.  The ash held on well, falling about an inch to an inch and a half.

Entering into the 2nd third, the flavors changed a bit. I tasted leather, and a bit of coffee.  The smoke was still plentiful, but the burn still went uneven after a touch up.  Near the end of the 2nd third, I got more of a creamy flavor while the leather notes dissipated.

Into the final third, the creaminess remained strong, the coffee notes returned, and spice made itself known.  I felt this was the best of the entire cigar.  The smoke was still plentiful and the flavors were well balanced. And it paired well with the Crown.

Despite having a couple of minor burn issues with the cigar, the cigar was a good cigar.  It produced proper smoke, had pleasing aromas, and had nice flavors.  For an inexpensive cigar, I'd say it'll definitely be worth picking some up.  I'm rating this as an 88.

2011 Top Cigars

As the year 2011 comes to an end, I wanted to take some time to post the top three scoring cigars I've reviewed this year.  I've enjoyed smoking several different ones by different manufacturers, but wanted to highlight those I felt were outstanding.  Not all were released this year, but were my first time for smoking them.

I also want to highlight a few cigars that I enjoyed smoking but didn't have enough time set aside to review. I would like to suggest to you to keep your eye on them and give them a shot if possible.  I will probably finally review these over the next few months. And these honorable mentions are (in no specific order):

Room 101 Namakubi
Drew Estate Undercrown
Savinelli Liga Especial
Tatuaje Fausto
Zino Z-Class 500R

Now for the distillation of all the goodness I've experienced over the past year into the top 3 positions are:

#3 (tie) with a score of 93 -
Toraño Exodus 1959 50 Year and Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Serie No. 13

#2 with a score of 94 -
Macanudo Cru Royale

and with a score of 95, the #1 cigar of 2011 is:
The Crowned Heads Four Kicks!

Congrats to the crew at Crowned Heads for an incredible first year with your introductory line, Four Kicks!

I will be bringing in the new year with a Four Kicks tonight, what about you?


I'd like to thank all of you for reading and following me on this journey of enjoying cigars and the occasional spirit.  2012 looks to be an even better year with new cigars waiting to be tried and reviewed.  See you next year!