Stillwell Star Aromatic No. 1 and English No. 27 Cigars

I wanted to get through all four of the new Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star cigars, but stuff came up and I didn’t have time to get the other two in.  I will smoke the Bayou No. 32 and Navy No. 1056 this week and write about them in a separate post. Stretches things out a little anyway. I picked up one each of these at the launch event at Low Country Pipe and Cigars last week in South Carolina, long drive for four cigars! The company was good though! As I mentioned in last weeks post, I didn’t want to smoke any of them there in a room full of various aromas, choosing the solitude of my enclosed porch. As is my way, I arranged them numerically, doing otherwise would be an abomination. So I started out with the Aromatic No. 1. Zev Kaminetsky, the local broker and an old friend, told me at the event that this was his favorite (or the only one he’d tried, I can’t remember), and it was reminiscent of another cigar that used pipe tobaccos in the blend. I knew what cigars he was referring to, but I can’t agree. While the Aromatic No. 1 was heavily and distinctly “pipey”, it wasn’t spicy like the other one. My dentist when I was a kid smoked a pipe, he was old school, you walked into his office, he was a one man show, he put his pipe down, cleaned your teeth, filled your cavities, lit his pipe and wrote up you bill at his desk. Those were the days. This reminded me of the Captain Black he used to smoke in his office. Of course, the tobaccos in this blend are the same that’s used in Captain Black, Black Cavendish, Golden Virginia and Burly pipe tobaccos as well as Nicaraguan in the filler, with an Ecuador Habano oscuro wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés binder (from the wrapper leaves used on the Sin Compromiso). I wasn’t a fan, although it either grew on me, mellowed, or I got used to it. Starting out with this one caused me some concern.

Yesterday afternoon, after giving the chicken habitat a thorough cleaning out, and then showering so as not to compromise my senses, olfactory and otherwise, I delved into the next Stillwell numerically, the English No 27.  This one is a blend of Turkish and Burly pipe tobaccos, as well as Latakia from Cyprus, again with Nicaraguan in the filler, and the same wrapper and binder combination. I’d probably benefit by sticky my schnoz in some of these tobaccos to better understand what I’m tasting, because I’m rather ignorant in the ways of the pipe. This one was much more cigar-like, even third party observers when polled, commented that the room note was “cigar”, as opposed to “pipe” the night before. I found it on the woody side, with some occasional mellow sweet spice. It was pretty good, and allayed my fears from the No. 1. I suppose I was expecting more flavor from the Latakia, based solely on reputation. I am looking forward to smoking the final two, especially the next in line, the Bayou No. 32, as I actually have smoked Perique in a cigar blend. I’m not sure what to expect from the Navy.  I’ll know in a few days. 

Just a quick gripe.  Have you ever avoided something for personal reasons? Then someone, probably not even knowingly, gives you something from that entity? Perhaps it’s something that you don’t even know is from that entity, and you consume it. when you find out where it’s from, do you feel a little betrayed? Duped? I’ve kinda, sorta had this happen twice in two different ways with the same entity this week. I’ll probably just let it slide, but you know, the same way that some people stop doing business with some people for personal reasons, other people might stop doing business with those people for the same reasons, and those people have to realize that. Lots of ambiguity and between the lines stuff here, I know, I’m wishy washy about displaying my politics here. I will come out and say that I think that I think that Privada/ LCA is bad for the cigar industry with their childish branding, and I think their “hacking” thing was a publicity stunt. Also, implicating cigar media and retailers is childish. If you hate your website, it’s yours to change, bud. 

That’s more than enough from me today, until the next time, 

CigarCraig