Merry Christmas from Nice Tight Ash
Santa was gracious enough to join me again this year for a special Christmas video. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did making it.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Drew Estates Liga Privada T52 Flying Pig
One of the most interesting cigars I’ve ever received at IPCPR was the Liga Privada No. 9 Flying Pig from Drew Estates. It was this short, fat, almost jet black perfecto that was hard as a rock. My friend Tom and I both got samples and I put mine away to try later. Tom lit his up almost immediately and, to be honest, we weren’t expecting much as it was hard as a rock. After a few puffs, Tom almost fell over. Tom raved and raved about how good the cigar was. Later, I tried mine and I totally agree. The burn and flavor were fantastic. You can see my review here. The other Liga Privada line is the T52 ,which uses stalk cut sungrown habano leaf as its wrapper, is actually my preferred Liga. The T52 line just has more of the flavors I enjoy in a cigar, so when I heard that they were releasing a Flying Pig in the T52, I knew I had to have it. I was able to finally acquire some from Buckhead Cigars at a great price. So, how does this Flying Pig compare to the No. 9? It the cigar worth all the commotion? Watch the video and find out.
Illusione HL Maduro
Illusione is easily one of my favorite cigar brands out there in today’s market. Dion Giolito, owner of Illusione cigars, makes some of the best smokes money can buy. Lately, I’ve really been hooked on the 888 (churchill) and any size in the Eperney. When Dion gave me this HL maduro, I was floored. I love the HL and now there is a maduro version? Whoa. Well, I decided I would save it for a special occasion until I was able to get my hand on one more sample at Don Juan’s (which I mistakenly call Dos Jefe’s, a cigar bar in New Orleans, in the video) in Metairie, LA. Finally, the urge was too much and I had to smoke it. Below is an explanation on how Dion came to call his lancero the HL, Holy Lance:
~HL~ The Holy Lance
My Lancero , the lance. Get it? Constantine was the first Christian Emperor to lead Rome. It was fabled that he had possession of the very spear that punctured the side of Jesus while on the cross. He was said to carry this relic into battle and, it was said that it helped him win his many battles. It is an artisan blend and, the mildest of all my cigars.
So, how did it smoke? Did it live up to my own self induced hype? Watch the video and find out.
Casa Fernandez Arsenio
Today I’m reviewing the Arsenio from Casa Fernandez. This cigar is blended by the Master Blender Arsenio Ramos and is cloaked in a Nicaraguan Maduro leaf.
Name: Arsenio
Company: Casa Fernandez
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: ~$7.00/stick
Comes in: Box of 10
Vitola: 5 1/4″ x 54 Robusto Grande
According to my inputs at Your Cigar Ratings I give the Casa Fernandez Arsenio an 85.
2010 Oliva Serie V Maduro Torpedo
This time of year is my favorite for many reason, but one reason is the release of the 2010 Serie V maduros from Oliva. The Serie V is on my all time favorite smokes and a special maduro version just gets my heart racing! I still have samples from each year just sitting and aging for that right time to smoke them. This year, Oliva decided to throw their fans a curve ball and use a San Andres maduro wrapper from Mexico instead of the normal Connecticut Broadleaf maduro. Was this a good idea or a colossal mistake? Watch the video and find out.
Torano Master robusto
After reading the descriptions of the two new releases this year by Torano Family Cigars, the Master really piqued my interest. In collaboration with master roller, Felipe Sosa, Torano released this cigar which received much adulation from my fellow cigar reviewers. Also, recently, I reviewed the Single Region Jalapa which I wasn’t too enthralled by. I thought the taste was pretty good, but a little one dimensional which made me get bored with it. Would the Master be the same? Watch the video and find out.
Oliva Connecticut Reserve Double Toro
This week I’m reviewing a cigar from a line of cigar which I haven’t really found to my liking. Its from a cigar manufacture that makes one of my all time favorite cigars, Serie V, which is Oliva Cigars. When Oliva released the new Connecticut line, I wasn’t blown away by it like many other were. Later, the double toro size was added and Craig at my local B&M, The Cigar Shop in Biloxi, MS, suggested I give the new size a try. Did this new size finally show me the characteristics of the blend I prefer or did it just fizzle out? Watch the video and find out.
Tatuaje Anarchy
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! There are a number of things I’m thankful for, but one that I’ll share with you is being able to try the new Tatuaje Anarchy. This Limited Edition cigar is only available at Smoke Inn and will be available for pre-order at midnight on Black Friday (November 26, 2010).
Name: Anarchy
Company: Tatuaje
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $149.85 per box
Comes in: Box of 15
Vitola: 6 1/8″ x 48-52 Figurado
Final Thoughts
No bones about it, the Tatuaje Anarchy is one hell of a cigar. Full-bodied, full-flavored and reasonably priced for a limited edition cigar. Not to mention the unique presentation which features a delicate figurado shape and a pigtail cap that wraps around the head like a cinnamon bun. Despite a tight draw on the cigar I smoked during the recording of this review the cigar produced ample amounts of smoke that delivered a well balanced flavor profile. The Anarchy started of an aggressive blast of black pepper that significantly mellowed by the midpoint of the cigar. Other flavors I was able to pick up included wood, hay, earth and cocoa.
Often times when a Limited Edition cigar is introduced to the market it’s met with a tremendous amount of attention. In this case the attention is well deserved. If you taste in cigars is in line with mine then I would highly suggest seeking out a fiver of these, if not a box.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Berger & Argenti Mooch
With the weather getting colder I’m starting to look for even more coronas to add to my smoking rotation. I’ll sit out in the cold in just about any conditions to enjoy a cigar, but sometimes conditions only allow for a short smoke. So a couple weeks ago I found the Mooch “Minnie”, from Berger & Argenti, in a local shop and though I’d give it a try.
Name: Mooch
Company: Berger & Argenti
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown Connecticut seed
Binder: Jalapa, Nicaragua
Filler: Esteli, Nicaragua
Price: $3.99
Comes in: Box of 30
Vitola: Minnie (4 3/4″ x 42 Corona)
Final Thoughts
I think the Berger & Argenti Mooch is everything I could ask for in a budget friendly cigar. This stick was mild but full of flavor. The cigar started off with a nice blast of baking spice that quickly mellowed to reveal a mix of flavors that kept my taste buds interested. The predominant flavor was a hearty light roasted coffee and dry woodiness. The spice was present throughout the entire cigar, but was much less intense from the initial quarter inch. The draw was perfect and yielded a creamy smoke. All in all this was a well balanced cigar did not disappoint me. I find the best pairing for this cigar is a cup of coffee, which works nicely since I think the Mooch is a perfect morning cigar.
The Mooch gets my full recommendation. This stick will work nicely for those that enjoy mild cigars, but still provides enough flavor to satisfy the taste buds of smokers like me.
As always I’d like to hear your thoughts.
Rocky Patel NRA Valedor Toro
This week I’m doing a review on a cigar that didn’t get a lot of fanfare at this years IPCPR when it was introduced. That cigar is the Rocky Patel NRA Valedor. This is supposed to be the official cigar of the NRA. I was excited to try this cigar as I’m a lifetime member of the NRA and I enjoy most Rocky Patel cigars. I couldn’t find much information on the cigar before the review, but I did find the blend information:
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran
MSPR: $7.50
I smoked the sample I got from the show several weeks ago and my local Tinder Box finally got some in. My buddy, Shawn, was gracious enough to pick me up some. I was curious to see how the released cigars compared to the show sample. How did the cigar hold up? Was it a shot heard around the world or a misfire? Watch the video and find out.
