I don’t know if it’s the change of seasons or what, but I’ve been having some cigar troubles lately. I had some cigars that should have been great, but were underwhelming to me. This is frustrating, because I only have a limited amount of time each day to enjoy a cigar, so It annoys me when I get a dud. It could be that I’ve been munching on licorice for the last week or two, as my boys both gave me some nice black licorice for Father’s Day.
I had to test my palate, so I went to a cigar I’ve smoked several of recently and really enjoyed. The Six-Zero line is a proprietary brand from Best Cigar Prices made by Boutique Blends in The Dominican Republic. The Robolo is a 4½” x 60, and Best Cigar Prices had a whole range of “house blends” in this size. Oddly, I find the size rather appealing. This is also a very inexpensive cigar, coming in around $3 each or less. I love the San Andrés wrapper on this cigar and it burns perfectly. This was the first really satisfying cigar I’ve smoked in a few days, the whole experience, from burn to the flavor, was very good. I’ve only smoked this size in the line, but I like it a lot. This confirmed to me that my palate isn’t that far off.
Monday evening I selected a Tattoo Caballero, the new line from Tatuaje. I picked up a few of these last week and they are in the $5 range, making this a budget line in the brand. These are made by Pepin Garcia, not in the My Father factory, but his TACUBA factory in Esteli. It’s got a pretty Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers. It starts with a nice dose of pepper, as you might expect. Mine had a bit of a crooked burn which required some touch ups, but was a very nice smoke. I judge it to be medium bodied. I’ll be interested to see how this smoked after a longer rest in the humidor.
Another cigar I picked up last week was the Surrogates Bone Crusher. I had a really good experience with its sibling the Skull Breaker, so I wanted to give this chunky 5¼”x 55 robusto a try. Maybe my palate is fatigued a little, because it seems like I’m finding the stronger cigars more fulfilling. This is a strong cigar, but well balanced. It was loaded with dark flavors, no doubt attributed to the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. I’m sure this has a slightly different blend than the Skull Breaker, but I found it to be very entertaining. I was wishing it was a longer cigar by the time I was finished, and maybe left a half inch nub in the ashtray. If you like strong cigars, this line is worth a look. I’ve been quite impressed with everything from the L’Atelier line that I’ve smoked, which is admittedly few.
Editorial
I listen to a lot of cigar podcasts, and I recently ran across a very entertaining bunch this week. First, give The Cigar Authority a listen, the latest episode features Victor Vitale, whom I had the good fortune to spend some time with last week. Of course, Dave and Mr. Jonathan are friends too, and I’ve been entertained by their brand of entertainment for some time. I even had the pleasure to be a guest on the show once. Next up was Kiss My Ash Radio, hosted by another major retailer, Abe of Smoke Inn. This week’s installment featured several short vignettes with Matt Booth of Room 101 reciting poetry. I laughed out loud at each one. Last, but not least, and on a serious note, The Stogie Geeks this week featured by buddy Will Cooper interviewing Glynn Loope, the executive director of Cigar Rights of America about the pending FDA regulation. I’ve heard Glynn on several other shows, but this one concentrated on the issue at hand for a good hour or more, and was very in depth. Give this a listen as I found it very educational. Broken record time, support the CRA, make sure you follow the links on their site and comment on the FDA site following their recommendations. It’s quite important that we convince the FDA to leave hand made, premium cigars alone. There have been some positives in the last few days, such as an extension of the comment period and The White House’s Office of Management and Budget acknowledging that there would be a major economic impact if the FDA has their way. Educate yourselves and make your voice heard, or this glorious industry will cease to exist as we know it.
I almost forgot, my son spent the last two days making a cigar box guitar out of a La Gloria Cubana Retro Especiale box.
Nice job! I sounds pretty good too
That’s all for now, until the next time,
Cigar Craig
Thanks for the list of the other cigar podcasts. It’s always fun to listen to some new ones. Another couple I enjoy listening to is Half Ashed and BlowinSmoke. Thanks again for letting me smoke vicariously through your adventures!
Joel, I’ve been listening to BlowinSmoke since its inception, as a matter of fact, I was on a few episodes early on. I’ve known Rob since about ’99, I’ve slept on his couch a few times. Little known fact, Rob makes a mean chocolate chip pancake!
I’m glad to hear that you palate is not out of whack. That would be tragic !!!
I am a big-time fan of the Tatuaje line of cigars and to hear that the Tattoo sells for such a low price surprises me. I would have expected it to sell for much more money considering that it is the “namesake” for the company. I suspect that the cigar doesn’t have the same flavor profile that some of the more expensive ones have, but I’ve been smoking the Havana VI for about a year now and they are consistent … flavorful. All in all a good smoke for the money.
Thanks a lot for guiding me to the Stogie Geeks blog. The discussion with Glynn Loope was extremely informative. I remain concerned about the situation, in spite of the steps that are being categorized as positive. I am a former Compliance Officer with the FDA (I’m NOT bragging) and I know how these things go. I encourage all of your readers to remain on top of the issue. If the comment period is extended, as reported, and if you have second thoughts about your comments, you CAN go back into the comment that you posted with the FDA and amend/edit/add to it. It’s something that you should not take lightly or do on a whim, but it is possible, particularly if you discover holes in your original statement.
Sorry to get on the soapbox, but I feel very strongly about this subject.
Dan, thank you for your unique perspective on the FDA issue. Your insight into the comment process is invaluable, and it’s the first I’ve heard this. I hope everyone reads your comment, and takes heed. Thanks!
Gonna have to try the Skull Crusher-the Crystal Ball and the Tramp Stamp are awesome. Love the cigar box guitar!