I'm not sure what he's on......Cigars: Smokes to remember

[El Presidente]

I'm not sure what he's on...... but I want some 

 

 

 

Cigars: Smokes to remember

 

 

Shanker Gangadhar

New Delhi,ISSUE DATE: Nov 6, 2023 | UPDATED: Oct 27, 2023 23:50 IST

Choice is often experience masquerading as knowledge. In the world of luxury, however, it is knowledge that sets the connoisseur apart from the enthusiast; a relevant rule while umpiring fine cigars and wine. Judging cigars require more knowledge, experience and discernment than tasting wine, and even here the subjective smoker often gets it wrong. Hence, apologies beforehand while making this merit list of stogies, for their fragrant world is larger than Putin’s ego and mysterious like the vales of Narnia. The Siglio of course is the Sultan of Smokes; the Siglio II, launched to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus landing in the New World is 129 mm by 42 gauge of sheer, grassy, smoking pleasure. Created by Habanos’s “blend masters”, it seduces all three senses of sight, touch and taste. The well-balanced and complex medium-bodied smoke that offers notes of cedar, leather, and subtle sweetness makes the Siglio II a luxury product meant for special occasions. All great cigars need not be the most expensive—the affordable Nub Sumatra is a complex Gordito vitola with a smooth molasses and honey finish—though the best ones are still Cuban with the other Republics of Tobacco fighting the good fight. The totally hand crafted VegaFina Classic Piramides from the Dominican Republic is one such example. It is produced at the Tabacalera de Garc­a, the world’s largest premium cigar factory and has a wrapper combination of Dominican, Colombian, and Honduran long-fillers with an Indonesian binder.

Romeo Y Julieta Churchill: Literature and cigars have a symbiotic relationship. No one gets the cigar for guessing where the Romeo y Julieta got its name. In the 1940s, when Winston Churchill visited the factory, a cigar was named in his honour. Not recommended for rookie cigaristas (it’s as strong as the British hero’s will power) because of its spicy flavor, the 7 inches by 47 ring gauge big boy is recognisable by its distinctive velvety oily sheen of its brown wrapper. Consistency and firmness are impeccable, making the draw not too tight, giving off clean white smoke and forming grey ash. The flavours of nutmeg, black pepper, cedar, pine, leather appear as the draw continues with the taste of earth running as a constant vein. The Nicaraguan Churchillian version, the Padron 1926 Series No. 1 Maduro is extra strong and full-bodied which may not be to the taste of the Habanos aficionados. There is the non-Cuban Davidoff Winston Churchill The Traveller rolled with leaves from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Nicaragua—a spicy, earthy, creamy smoking experience with a salted caramel finish. The accompanying Boveda pack is a relief for travellers.

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Ramon Allones: Ramon Allones, a Spanish immigrant to Cuba was the first cigar maker to realise that good packaging is half the battle won, and great packaging is total victory. Cigar box art is a mini genre in itself—Ram³n Allones was the first cigar company to embellish their boxes with colored lithographs, and pack them in the now popular “8-9-8” style they claim to have invented. The Specially Selected cigars from 2014 are intense and elegant at the same time, layered with earth, coffee and marzipan flavours combining with the piquancy of citrus which shows there is more to this medium to full cigar than its splendid polished box.

 

 

 

Trinidad Reyes: Like everything else, cigars change to suit the times. The Trinidad Reyes, a 110mm by a 40-ring gauge, creamy and light Vitola is not for the self-indulgent cigarista who likes to relax with a Churchill or an Edmundo after a long day. It is the modern smoke for the modern man on the go. This hand rolled petit corona is an aesthetic delight from its smooth Cuban leaf wrapper to its trademark gold band with a triple T logo. The medium-bodied pig tailed stogie gives off lyrically balanced notes of cedar, roasted coffee and earth. The expected Cuban black licorice taste appears at the first third mark. The cigar’s taste acquires more complexity towards the end when notes of peppery coffee appear: a fit metaphor for a good finish.

‘The Monte Cristo Media Corona: Like Edmund Dantès, this 90mm by a 44-ring gauge smoke is an illusion, handsome and deceptive. The half an hour it takes to finish one seems considerably longer—not great for some marriages but perfect for a good cigar. Media corona translates to “Half Corona”; like the blighted Count, it is a polite smoke considering its provenance. Sometime in 1907, an English cigar importer thought it was unchivalrous to make his wife wait at the theatre while he smoked the last of his Corona sized cigar. He cut it into two and voila, the media corona was born, or so goes the story. The MC Media Corona is an intense smoke, woody, dry and also sweet which comes in a natural brown wrapper with red touches. According to the tobacco high priests at Cigar Aficionado, the cigar, “enrobed in a veiny, wrinkled wrapper, this small corona offers a salty, nutty smoke fortified with notes of coffee bean and earthy underpinnings. It tastes better than it looks.”

Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo de R­o Seco: Cuban cigars have become not just pricier but also fatter. The Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo de R­o Seco can vouch for this. The 5 1/2” by 56 ring gauge smoke is the thickest regular-production cigar produced in Cuba. The Le Hoyo series began putting on weight in 2014 with the launch of the 54 ring guage Le Hoyo de San Juan. The advantage: there is more to smoke and hence more of Cuba to relish. Short cigars with a bigger ring gauge is the smoke de jour, just like the Le Hoyo de R­o Seco, which is also called a Aromosos for its Robusto Extras format. Considering that the factory is situated along the banks of the river that runs through San Juan y Mart­nez, the fertility of its flavours that expand into nuanced expressions of cinnamon, nutmeg, and oak and caramel is easily explained. Party trivia: All Hoyo de Monterrey Habanos vitolas are “con”–completely hand crafted with a long filler by top Cuban toledores.

[Nevrknow]

Chat gpt wrote it for him didn't it?

Seems like he stole words from 100 reviews and put them in a blender and this is the result.

Sure am glad my " Siglio ll's" are the sultan of smokes. 😎🤦🏼😂

I am a far cry from a word smith. But damn. Reading that made my eyes hurt.

And wth is a toledore? I miss something somewhere?

 

😂

 

[Lamboinee]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

, it seduces all three senses of sight, touch and taste.

All THREE of my senses?!?! What about my Spidey sense? 

[Chibearsv]

I’ve made a mistake apparently of not expecting black licorice in my Cuban cigars.  I learn something new everyday 😁

[DaBoot]

I’ll take a Reyes as a petite corona, but pass on the licorice and pepper….

[Chibearsv]

20 hours ago, DaBoot said:

I’ll take a Reyes as a petite corona, but pass on the licorice and pepper….

But then you'd miss the fit metaphor for a good finish. And you don't want to miss that, obviously. Any connoisseur knows this. You're better than that. 

[Fireball]

That is a lot. 

[Ford2112]

Did he really call a RyJ Churchill "consistent"?

[rcarlson]

This has to be AI.  

[Hoepssa]

Does than mean RA 898 is the first ever 898 packaging Lonsdale vitola in the market?