An Evening With Everyone’s Buddy, Hamlet Jaime Paredes…

[CanuckSARTech]

For further pictures, please check out my blog post here: http://lights-sirens-and-cigars.com/2016/01/25/an-evening-with-everyones-buddy-hamlet-jaime-paredes/

And fingers crossed that the photos I post here will be oriented correctly!!! LOL.

So, just over a week ago, Saturday, January 16th, I was able to meet up with everyone’s “buddy, mang”, Hamlet Jaime Paredes. Since emigrating from Cuba to the U.S. last January, he’s been working with Rocky Patel, and the two have now released the “Tabaquero” line of cigars, which were Hamlet’s baby under his palate- and blending-prowess. This particular meet-up with Hamlet was part of his touring program for the brand, and we met up at Wild Bill’s Tobacco, in Lansing, MI, and I was even able to meet up with good brother Alex / “HabanoHam”, from the Friends Of Habanos online cigar forum, a wicked guy I’ve had the chance to do a few trades with over the years.

And while there, right off the get-go, I was able to partake in one of the “Tabaquero” Toro cigars, a 6″ by 52-ring-gauge dark and oily beast. I enjoyed mine with a Sprite, and started at 5:25 pm…

Upon my arrival, Hamlet had organized a cherished seat right beside him to my pleasure and surprise, as he had received my message prior to me leaving of me attending this event; so, he wanted to have the chance for us both to catch up, and I got a big smile and hug from him when I got there. Even the Rocky Patel rep, Nick Mitchell, greeted me upon my arrival, thankful for all of the support and kind words that Hamlet had passed along from myself and many other BOTL’s with regards to this new venture of Hamlet’s. As Nick stated, the support Hamlet has got for this, especially from the various Canadian brothers, was nothing short of awe inspiring – “one of you guys are damn near at every event he comes up here to do!” Nick was also a huge help in sorting through the plethora of new stuff with Hamlet’s “Tabaquero” line – something I much appreciated!

Hamlet – and no surprise there, for those of us who know him from his Cuban rolling days – put on a cigar-rolling clinic. As a former master roller and house roller from the Romeo y Julieta / Briones Montoto factory in Cuba, as well as the “man behind the counter” while at the Partagas LCDH, Hamlet is a well-known personality from in Havana. As much as Habanos S.A. is against the “cult of personality” that people such as Hamlet embodies, many believe that Hamlet was as much a great spokesman for Cuban cigars as the late gents Alejandro Robaina or Enrique Mons. And for Hamlet to be so, at such a young age, and to have such talent in his hands, is truly a wonder to behold.

Therefore, he easily held the crowd in awe while at Wild Bill’s Tobacco. He put on a clinic while rolling a 3-foot-plus long “culebras” cigar, and was adept at answering the myriad of questions from various American cigar enthusiasts there that have perhaps never had a chance to delve into Cuban habanos cigars, much less had the chance to talk one-on-one with a Cuban master roller. Besides the culebras being rolled, he even rolled one of his classic “flying pig” cigars that he used to roll for custom rolls back in the day, and Brian Shaeena, the store manager, delighted in showing off the giant culebras…

The time was well spent. Hamlet talked about his 21-plus-years rolling. The talked about the “chaveta” / blade that he had there for rolling was the same blade he started with (“all kinds of rollers cut their fingers and hands all the time, mang – why sharpen it? It’s already sharp enough for what you need to do – I’ve never sharpened mine, and it’s worked great for 21 years!”)

Speaking of years, Hamlet said that (on that particular date) he was just four days shy of being out of Cuba for one full year – and upon me asking him if he missed it, I got a resounding, “No mang!” (Granted – he did elaborate later – he DID in fact miss his two boys from his previous marriage, but he was waiting for his U.S. green card so that he could travel back to visit them unimpeded.) But he said he’s been too busy with the release of “Tabaquero” to be homesick. That, and he said, he has a beautiful Cuban wife at home to cook for him – so he doesn’t even need to miss Cuban food, LOL!

Hamlet especially talked about the work that went into his “Tabaquero” line with Rocky Patel. With “Tabaquero” specifically, Hamlet and Nick discussed the fact that it took 124 blends, 124 attempts to get things juuuuuusssst right, and in the end…the production blend is the very first blend that they came up with. Basically, they hit a home run to start, they took 123 attempts to destroy it and make it better, but in the end it was a champion to start with. At Tavicusa, Rocky Patel’s cigar factory in Nicaragua, Nick stated that all of Hamlet’s “Tabaquero” line are made by the same team of 85 people, that these are fully hand-made Nicaraguan puros.

Speaking of his cigar…

It was wonderful. Frankly – it was surprising for me (slightly). While I admire what Hamlet can do with tobacco, and while I’ve heard good things about this line from many people, Rocky Patel cigars are just not my cuppa tea – I’ve had the 10th Anniversary ones, and a handful of the dozen-or-so other lines he does. But this “Tabaquero” blend is VERY un-Rocky-Patel-esque. Honestly, it reminded me very much of a Padron Serie 1926 or 1964 maduro – another Nicaraguan puro blend. And even then, at certain other points with dark fruity hints, it had essences of Ramon Allones, a very flavourful Habanos marca that’s a favourite of mine.

This stick finished at 7:02 pm, an hour-and-a-half-plus stick that was definitely flavourful and satisfying, scoring an easy 90 points fresh (disregarding the cracked head, which did so right after I cut it, no doubt due to dry humidity conditions in the region). Point reductions were mostly for youth and a slightly tight draw that didn’t want to budge for the first half or so. Hits of damp and dark leather, dark fruits (black cherries and blackberries?), a rich walnut nuttiness with heavy damp cedar tones – it was lovely. And with a bright white ash that held on well, and light but voluminous smoke, it was a wonderful experience for all the senses. The smoke wasn’t creamy and viscous in the mouthfeel – something I do look for and cherish in nice Cuban sticks – but the colour and volume made it interesting. Even the smoking environment in the shop – usually I can’t stand being in an area like that, with non-Cuban cigar smoke lingering in the air; for whatever reason, it just gets to me. But, the overall experience really surprised me for a non-Cuban stick; I didn’t have that reaction at all with these “Tabaquero” sticks being smoked. Again, reminding me of a lighter or slightly different Padron Serie line sticks – but at the added wonder of being 2/3’s of the cost or less compared to those. For a bold and wonderfully packaged Nicaraguan, these really do seem like a hit out of the park for Hamlet and Rocky.

Therefore, I rightly ponied up for a few goodies…

Another box of Salamones (I had previously ordered a box in the fall, but haven’t been able to touch those yet), some Robustos and Corona Gordas, and even some “Balas” (bullets in Spanish), the closest he’s able to do to his old Flying Pigs. Further reviews on these other sticks will be coming this spring, once I lay them down for a short while.

And, for those of you who have been asking yourselves this whole time, "Tabaquero" means cigar roller in Spanish. Hamlet elaborated that "torcedor" is also correct, and also means cigar roller - and that is the term more frequently used by the outside world, "torcedor". But he elaborated that "tabaquero" is more of a term that the workers use to refer to each other with - that a "torcedor" is someone just starting, more or less, but "tabaquero" is someone with many years of experience, someone more advanced. That "torcedor" means SOLELY cigar roller, but that "tabaquero" colloquially means someone with anything and everything to do with cigar rolling. So, someone who can't just roll cigars, but one who knows and understands the full process, who can blend, who can grade and assess leaf, and who is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades master.

Very suiting.

Cheers all.

[CanuckSARTech]

Any mods - feel free to correct my screwed up photo alignment issues. Sorry.

[Puros Y Vino]

Any mods - feel free to correct my screwed up photo alignment issues. Sorry.

Fixed. Knucklehead.

[Nrengle]

Reading this gives me hope that my Robusto I picked up will be better when I visit in a couple months. I had one that was rather new and was a bit meh, probably due to being young. And I do get what you mean about the mouth feel of the smoke itself. Something I find lacking in a lot of the non-Cuban brands, but not all.

[Mr.T]

Great write up and photos, thanks!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[skalls]

I wholeheartedly agree that this is a very un-rocky like blend. Most of RP line ì am not a fan of. I enjoy 10 but really dig this one. The pc is so flavorful. But I prefer the Salamones, big cigar, big flavor and great value for the burn time (2ish hours)

[TypicalSituation]

I need give one of these a whirl. I've stayed away from NC but that berry walnut description has me wanting to try one...

[riazp]

Fantastic write up Keith. I cant wait to try his line of cigars.

[LLC]

Great write up and pics Keith. I look forward to catching up with him sometime soon.

[El Presidente]

Thaks Keith! Great writeup

[Orion21]

I have my box of robustos waiting for a march smoking date. Looking forward to trying my first.

[Bartolomeo]

Thanks for sharing!!

[Optic101]

Great write up !

[maxcjs0101]

Nice pictures.

Though i've not tried any of his customs (or any Cuban customs), i'd like to try this if i have the chance.

[Fuzz]

Keith, did you ask Hamlet when he'll be adding panetelas to the Tabaquero line?

[Habana Mike]

Nice Keith! Thanks for the write-up.

I've enjoyed the couple of times I've been able to catch up with Jaime since he's come state-side though will miss seeing him at the Partagas shop.

Tabaquero is an interesting blend for sure, particularly surprising for me what he's done with the San Andres wrapper and the Brazilian binder adds some nice notes.

[anacostiakat]

Good pics and write-up!

Thanks!

[ebhead]

Great stuff, Keith. Hopefully Hamlet will be able to make a trip north of the border soon.

e

[wabashcr]

Thanks for sharing. I'm always happy to hear stories of Hamlet doing so well in this new venture. I picked up some Salomones, and have only had a chance to try one, but it was pretty good. Nothing ground breaking, but when you consider the circumstances, how quickly he was able to come up with it, I have a lot of hope for what he'll be able to do once he can actually spend time in Nicaragua blending and working more closely with the leaf.

Wish they'd schedule Hamlet for an appearance in my neck of the woods. Would love the opportunity to experience this.

[irratebass]

Thanks for sharing Keith. I haven't had any of his sticks, but just with all the hoopla over him I am curious. I sure do not like that band...it's not about the band I get that, but man it looks like a hot sauce bottle.

Again not to be a black cloud on this awesome thread, just my opinion. I am still curious to try one though....cheers.

[CanuckSARTech]

Keith, did you ask Hamlet when he'll be adding panetelas to the Tabaquero line?

I did kinda hit him on that. Said, "how the eff can you call yourself a Master Roller if you won't do lanceros or panetelas - mang?!?!?!" LOL. He was graceful in telling me off. LOL.

Great stuff, Keith. Hopefully Hamlet will be able to make a trip north of the border soon.

e

We talked about that. He's waiting on his green card to be processed. Once he has that, he can come up here to visit (fingers crossed for the next MegaHerf!!!!), he can go down to Nicaragua to work on blending directly (rather than them flying stuff to him in Florida), and most importantly, he'll be able to go back to Cuba (relatively unimpeded) to visit family again.

Thanks for sharing Keith. I haven't had any of his sticks, but just with all the hoopla over him I am curious. I sure do not like that band...it's not about the band I get that, but man it looks like a hot sauce bottle.

Again not to be a black cloud on this awesome thread, just my opinion. I am still curious to try one though....cheers.

It was something that I talked about with Nick, the Rocky Patel regional rep. He said the overall response has been positive. It was something that Hamlet and his family (especially his Dad) put some time and thought into. But apparently, the guys on Halfwheel torched it, said it was ugly, etc. I guess Hamlet was like "why are they so bothered by my choice for the band????"

Personally, as much as it screams Christmas to me with the colour choices, I do like it. The overall designs and shapes work well. And, quite frankly, they stand out on the shelves in a B&M's humidor compared to other stuff. Unique is good, especially as it relates to him getting the word out, and making a further mark for himself.

[luv2fly]

Great to see such a wonderful success story! Congrats Hamlet!

[irratebass]

I did kinda hit him on that. Said, "how the eff can you call yourself a Master Roller if you won't do lanceros or panetelas - mang?!?!?!" LOL. He was graceful in telling me off. LOL.

We talked about that. He's waiting on his green card to be processed. Once he has that, he can come up here to visit (fingers crossed for the next MegaHerf!!!!), he can go down to Nicaragua to work on blending directly (rather than them flying stuff to him in Florida), and most importantly, he'll be able to go back to Cuba (relatively unimpeded) to visit family again.

It was something that I talked about with Nick, the Rocky Patel regional rep. He said the overall response has been positive. It was something that Hamlet and his family (especially his Dad) put some time and thought into. But apparently, the guys on Halfwheel torched it, said it was ugly, etc. I guess Hamlet was like "why are they so bothered by my choice for the band????"

Personally, as much as it screams Christmas to me with the colour choices, I do like it. The overall designs and shapes work well. And, quite frankly, they stand out on the shelves in a B&M's humidor compared to other stuff. Unique is good, especially as it relates to him getting the word out, and making a further mark for himself.

You make a valid point about being different and standing out in a shop......maybe they look better in person where you can actually see the fine detail and everything.

[luv2fly]

I think they look fine. I don't personally care what the band looks like although I know it can have an effect marketing wise. To me it would catch my eye and I think that is key. Its about grabbing the attention of the customer. I do like the Opus X band. Just something about it gets me.

Look forward to trying one of his cigars!