“Smoked Up” No.42

Posted by Shawn

October 29, 2013

The fall is upon us here in the deep south. The days are more enjoyable and the nights are way more comfortable for sleeping with the windows open. That means the evenings are getting way better for cigar smoking out under the carport. The work week has been one of the worst I’ve had all year. The “big wigs” came in and threw my next two plus work weeks in a whirlpool. Owell, I still have my job, so I’mÂ not complaining too much.

I grabbed a handful of new cigars from a local Tinder Box as well as went to a Quesada Oktoberfest event held at The Cigar Shop Biloxi. The Cigar Shops’s Oktoberfest event was a good success. They had four or so types of German Sausage, kraut, onions, etc… Plenty of ice cold bottled Oktoberfest beers (Shiner, Sam Adams & Leinenkugel). I like the Shiner and Sam Adams, but the LeinenkugelÂ I didn’t particularly care for. They also gave deals on Oktoberfest cigars and had some swag to give away with box purchases. I had plenty of beer, food & cigars. And yes, the Oktoberfest beers do pair well with the Quesada Oktoberfest cigars. Overall, the weekend was pretty good. Good weather, cigars, food, beer, friends etc… Although I did christen my new laptop with ash…. I knew it wouldn’t take long!!

I also got a sneak peek at the Viaje Full Moon cigars. They looked like a good smoke, but I will have wait till they are on the shelves to try. From what I was told, the price point on them will be estimatedÂ around the $8.50 price range. For a LE Viaje, that is a pretty good deal as many of the LE Viajes go for $10+. But I have seen a few sources online that sayÂ it will be more around $11+. Â They also had the WLP Stuffed Turkey cigars and another similarly packaged Skull & Bones (with glow in the dark bands). I am not sure how many of the Viaje LEs I will get this season. Although I have had good luck in aging the LE Viajes in the past, I am not sure if I want to do it again this time. But only time and my mood will tell when it comes to purchase time.

Cigar Views

Ezra Zion Eminence*: A totally new smoke for me that I really enjoyed! Pretty much every Ezra Zion cigar I come across is a good smoke. Then the next blend they come out with seems to top the previous. This cigar is far from being a beauty queen, as the wrapper is not as smooth as other cigars I’ve came across. There were a few soft spots that did effect the burn some. But, it didn’t affect the smoke. Had a great drawÂ that helped open up the cigar to its full potential. Produced thick billowing clouds of smoke. From that smoke came a fairly strong peppery flavor with some charred oak as well. Look for a full review of this cigar coming up in the next few weeks.

Regius Corona: This cigar has been on the market for a little bit of time, but I had no luck finding any until last week. There on the shelf at the Tinder Box was a box of coronas and robustos. I being a small ring gauge cigar follower decided upon the corona. The corona had a milkshake thick draw, good burn and no construction issues. The thicker draw was possibly due to being fresh from the B&M humidor with a slightly high RH%. Sweet creamy coffee notes throughout the cigar that got a little stronger as the cigar ended. A tad bit of a faint black pepperÂ note showed up periodically in the smoke as well.Â I paired it with some Sailor Jerry’s Rum and Pineapple soda. The cigar was a nice medium body smoke that matched the lighter drink pairing I chose. Overall, a nice smoke to have around in the humidor.

Quesada Oktoberfest Krone: I extremely enjoyed the original release of the Oktoberfest. Especially the Bavarian, mainly because I found a half box at a shop on vacation once on sale and snagged them up. It mind boggled me why they were still on the shelf months after their release. The Krone has a deep and dark earthy – leatheryÂ core with hints of black pepper, yet still maintained a creaminess to it. On the long finish sat a slight vegetal taste that was fairly interesting. I paired the Krone with a Sam Adams Oktoberfest, which is one of my favorite Oktoberfest beers. I haven’t made a definite decision on which size I like more of the Oktoberfest, I really like them all. They each have many similarities, yet subtle differences to make each size different. The one thing IÂ didn’t like about the Krone was that it was too short of a smoke for me. I enjoyed it on a nice & cool day and wanted more of it when I was done. I hope they decide to make this cigar in a LanceroÂ or Lonsdale size next year.

Quesada Oktoberfest Bavarian: I got on an Oktoberfest kick this week. The Krone, I wanted to try just due to the size. The Bavarian, I had at The Cigar Shop’s “Oktoberfest Event” and paired it with a Shiner & LeinenkugelÂ Oktoberfest. Although, the Leinenkugel did nothing for the smoke, the Shiner paired well.Â The Shiner seemed toÂ smoothen the smoke some and made it a tad bit more creamier. There was a nice caramel and vanilla hints here and there, but never overpowered the smoke.Â Don’t get me wrong, this cigar is no slouch and packs a decent punch. I think I prefer the Bavarian over the Krone, but still want to try the Uber. Although, the 65Â ring gauge will be hard to deal with; but willing to try.

L’Atelier Imports Surrogates Animal Cracker: This new 6×60 cigar, from L’Atelier Imports, comes after the much acclaimed previous Surrogates lines. I smoked a handful of the Tramp Stamp and Crystal Ballers and enjoyed them. The main thing I don’t care for about the Animal Cracker is the 60 ring gauge. This cigar had a cool, slightly dry smoke and chalky chocolate type of smoke. Also there was an abundance of nice leathery and oaky flavors that I liked a decent amount.Â A bit of a dry chalky chocolate flavor also mingled on my palate with the other flavors.Â Coming from My Father Cigars, there also is a fair amount of spice and pepper as well. This is not my favorite of the Surrogates line, but it was aÂ decent smoke. I didn’t hate the cigar, but I will grab a different Surrogates line next time.Â It is nice to enjoy a larger cigar on the cool fall nights; just not a 60rg.

Epicurean Gonzo Vintage 2007Â Perfecto*: Being a box pressed perfecto with aÂ closed foot, this cigar had an extremely tight draw at the start. I could barely draw any smoke from it. Eventually, after a bit more toasting of the foot, I got a better draw.Â The burn got a good bit off camber and needed some help getting back online.Â Had a dark cocoa and woody flavor with a hint of a light spice. The finish was fairly tangy and I really didn’t care for the aftertaste.Â This cigar didn’t reallyÂ do much for me. The flavors were ok, just not something I would smokeÂ on a regular basis.Â The flavors weren’t as strong as I would have liked. That is the same with the Toro I had smoked a few months ago. Â I would like to pair this smoke with a light cup of coffee, I think it would make a decent morning smoke.