Monday evening I came across a Partagas 1845 Robusto in a box buried in one of the coolerdors. I forget what I was on the hunt for, but as soon as I saw that I had to smoke it. I’ve had a few of the 1845 line in various sizes, and I really like this particular take on the robusto format, 5½ x 49 is a very cool size to me for some reason. They use this size in the regular “yellow box” line as well, and I’m pretty sure I’ve had the Limited Reserve in that same size. The wrapper is Ecuadoran Habano Viso, the binder is Connecticut Habano and the fillers are Dominican & Nicaraguan Ligero & Seco, and there’s some aging in rum barrels that goes on too. It’s a darned good tasting cigar. I’m looking forward to the upcoming release of the 1845 Extra Fuerte (see Coop’s piece on this at www.cigar-coop.com/) featuring higher primings (and therefor stronger and more flavorful) of the same tobaccos used in the 1845. I also seem to recall something about an Oscuro coming out, but I’ll have to do some more digging. Partagas has always been a preferred line for me, there seems to be a little something for everyone in the portfolio.
Tuesday I tried a new (to me) cigar that is a house blend for Best Cigar Prices called the Star Insignia Robolo by Alec Bradley. This is a box pressed robusto with a nice dark wrapper from the Jalapa region, a Sumatra binder and fillers from Honduras, Nicaragua, and secret tobaccos. Despite a slightly uneven burn this is a very nice smoke. It’s unlike any other Alec Bradley cigar I’ve smoked. It has a flavor I can only characterize as steak cooked on a mesquite fire. There’s a smokey meatiness that stands out to me. It was a nice surprise and I liked it quite a bit. Sure, I had to touch up the burn a few times and the draw was a tad snug, but it tasted really good. Best Cigar Prices sent me samples of this and I appreciate it as I might have passed it by otherwise. Worth the time to try something this unique, I think, as they aren’t cheap, but they aren’t unfairly high priced either. Interesting side note about Best CigarPrices: I remember years ago, in the early days of the World Wide Web, we got our cigar specials via the FujiPub E-mail listserve. Before they were called Best Cigar Prices, they were New Global Marketing, and would include a lengthy test list of their specials, easily several pages long. So they’ve been around a long time, they aren’t just some new outfit. They are located in the north east part of PA, I need to take a drive up there one of these days, I understand they have a lounge.
Tonight I grabbed one of the last Cain F 550s I had floating around, and smoked it on my walk. This is a powerhouse cigar, all ligero from Esteli, Condega and Jalapa in Nicaragua. The wrapper is also Nicaraguan and really tasty. The Cain line is a favorite of mine, but it took me a while to really appreciate the bold flavors. I really believe some age smooths these out a lot. As I said before, this is one lone that the maduro is my least favorite in the bunch. In the Cain F line, the tubed lancero is the cream of the crop, but this 5¾ x 50 was really quite good. It seems more like a 46 ring for some reason, perhaps it’s that it’s a little longer than a robusto, yet not as long as a toro. It’s among my favorites whatever the size. I’ll have to track down some more (as if I need more cigars…).
I’ve changed one of the videos in my left hand sidebar because Tommy Zman of Famous Smoke Shop released a new video this week regarding the FDA and CRA and the importance of fighting for our rights as users of a legal product. Here is is again, in case you’ve missed it (even though it’s right there on the side bar!).
httpv://youtu.be/1uAEfPX__u4
Life will be really difficult for us as smokers, but it’ll be even worse for all of the people who feed their families by working in the cigar industry. At the risk of sounding like a broken record (a bit of a dated cliché, when is someone going to update it to the digital age?), not only are jobs at stake in the US, but in Central America and the Caribbean, where it will be economically devastating and those countries will look to the US for financial support. Nobody wins, except for the fun police who aren’t happy if they see someone enjoying themselves in a way that they don’t approve of. Support Cigar Rights of America and write to your elected officials. FDA regulation of premium cigars is unnecessary and oppressive.
That’s enough out of me, until the next time,
CigarCraig
