Hamlet "Shaggy" A Masterpiece

[Sandman]

Jesus, that sounds awesome!!! Thanks for a review that literally has me drooling. Hope I get to Cuba very soon, and get to meet the man.

[greenpimp]

Man you are killing me Rob. Just killing me.

One day, I hope. Great review.

[Colt45]

Sounds fantastic, and looks stunning! It's a bit hard to tell by the photos exactly, but what is the

approximate size?

And I guess Al must be all but done with the FOH humidor tutorial, seeing as how he has time to hang

around on the deck

[yossie]

I'm really jealous with trevor who can smoke it:-)

[El Presidente]

» Sounds fantastic, and looks stunning! It's a bit hard to tell by the photos

» exactly, but what is the

» approximate size?

Picture a 50 ring guage Dalia :-)

[Hugomarink]

Wow, sounds incredible! How do we find out more about these cigars and the man who makes them? I assume they are only available in Cuba, correct? How do these compare to a TABOADA?

[Hugomarink]

» Wow, sounds incredible! How do we find out more about these cigars and the

» man who makes them? I assume they are only available in Cuba, correct? How

» do these compare to a TABOADA?

Never mind. I just saw Prez's other thread about Hamlet. Very interesting.

[skindiver]

» » Wow, sounds incredible! How do we find out more about these cigars and

» the

» » man who makes them? I assume they are only available in Cuba, correct?

» How

» » do these compare to a TABOADA?

»

»

» Never mind. I just saw Prez's other thread about Hamlet. Very interesting.

While Taboada gets lots of press since he comes closest to US borders in Mexico, Hamlet gets little press here. That's a good thing in my view. Here is a guy that taught himself English and is working on Mandarin Chinese now. A guy who is a level 9 torcedor in Cuba that would make you laugh until you cried.

How do his cigars compare?

There is no comparison. No disrespect meant to Sr Toboada.

[Hugomarink]

» While Taboada gets lots of press since he comes closest to US borders in

» Mexico, Hamlet gets little press here. That's a good thing in my view.

» Here is a guy that taught himself English and is working on Mandarin

» Chinese now. A guy who is a level 9 torcedor in Cuba that would make you

» laugh until you cried.

»

» How do his cigars compare?

»

» There is no comparison. No disrespect meant to Sr Toboada.

Yet another reason to get my ass down to Havana. :-)

[GP012]

Rob, does Alain have a website? I couldn't find anything on Google other than this lovely chap:

Who doesn't quite fit the bill.

[CIGARHead]

[El Presidente]

» Rob, does Alain have a website? I couldn't find anything on Google other

» than this lovely chap:

»

No website. Alain works on being commissioned for a project. Placing his work on the web runs the risk of copies being made on unique one off designs commissioned by clients who have spent thier hard earned.

[SmokinAl]

Gday guys,

I should make it quite plain. I'm not here at FOH to solicit work (spend your money on the cigars rather than the humidor). I'm a cigar smoker with a passion for our mutual topic and I just so happen to make humidors as well.

What Rob says is quite right. I've been getting business via word of mouth for the last 15 years or so. Work continues to trickle through, enough to keep me out of trouble. None of it's local either, it all comes from the USA, Europe and to a lesser extent Asia. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that some of you are already my clients (let me know).

When I'm dealing with someone who wants a humidor,I'm reluctant to show them any photos as people tend to say "I want that one". Rather, I'll ask a bunch of questions like:

*how many cigars a day do you smoke?

*have you any cigars in storage and how many?

*are you interested in Dominican, or Honduran cigars?

*Which room will you put the humidor in & can I have photographs of the room.

Those 5 questions will decide 50% of the job. The rest I work out with the client as we go. Stuff like secret compartments, carving faces of the owners children onto the lid, hide the humidor in a piece of furniture (such as a Chippendale Style Table). All good fun!

I'm fairly old school when it comes to this sort of thing and I work the same way as my Grandfather did: take an expression of interest from a gentleman; respectufully submit a design for his consideration and then spend the time to make it so we can both take pride in it.

I have never mass produced. I hope I never will. I have produced prototypes of complicated pieces which have been promptly destroyed after the final work is done, otherwise, I have never knowingly repeated a design. (The pictures of the spice cabinet humidor I posted a week or two back is just such a prototype).

Colt, as to the tutorial, it's coming along nicely, complete with photos, splinters and just to prove it can be done with a minimum of tools, I'm going to build the whole thing with less than 10 hand tools, stuff you probably have in the garden shed.

Anyway, back to bench for me now. Before Colt highlights my slackness again! :-P

Cheers,

Al.

[56Tweed]

Sounds great!

[skindiver]

I only got a few Hamlet custom rolled cigars from him in February. I'm definitely going to phone ahead and get some of those shaggys in June.

In the Carolinas shagging is a dance, very similar to the old 50's "jitterbug" . In England and Australia it has another, more fun connotation.

My Aussie friends always enjoy seeing the local signs advertising free shagging lessons every Thursday night at 8pm at the Elks' Lodge.

Maybe Ken would benefit from that as well?

[El Presidente]

» My Aussie friends always enjoy seeing the local signs advertising free

» shagging lessons every Thursday night at 8pm at the Elks' Lodge.

» Maybe Ken would benefit from that as well?

It would be beneficial if it incorporated a "revision" lesson.

[Ginseng]

Wonderful!

Wilkey

[El Presidente]

Alain de Masson popped over yesterday afternoon for a catch up. For those that do not know Alain, he is perhaps the premier humidor artisan in the world, creating 2-3 humidors a year, all by traditional woodworking methods, each unique and pieces of art. The commissioned humidors reside with fastidious owners from New York to London.

It was a beautiful afternoon on Czar deck and I thought it appropriate to share a Hamlet Custom “Shaggy”, a bottle of Flor de Pingus and a few glasses of Santiago rum. Great company, great cigars, great wine and great rum!

The Hamlet cigars are three weeks of age and I have broken the 30 day rule for cigar rest after transit. These cigars have no right to be anything else but good cigars at best.

The visual appearance is stellar. Construction immaculate. Aroma at cold stunning….decadently rich and you take in the aroma as you take in a fine perfume from the nape of a woman’s neck. The wrapper has a feel of satin and the combined experience is nothing short of sensual.

I clipped the perfect cap to find a draw which would please a God. The resistance is akin to drawing through sheets of silk. The pre light draw reveals Veulta Abajo field of pure tobacco and lightly toasted bread.

I don’t believe either one of us has ever spent so much time reveling in the hypnotic feel and aroma of a cigar prior to lighting. This was pure foreplay of the highest order and so fulfilling that it almost seemed barbaric to light the shaggy foot. Yet we did.

I believe Alains first three words were….”wow”…”wow”….and……”wow”. The cigar took easily and sensually to flame. Pure seductive medium body, minimal spice, just a richness and lushness that lilted between the finest milk coffee, fresh baked shortbread and exotic Arabian spices. I could only marvel at the blends perfection. I know that Hamlet uses predominantly the finest hand selected seco and volado in the opening of these with minimal Ligero….and it shows. There is a density to the smoke that you can cut with a knife. The density translates to the palate…viscous…washing over the tongue like a wave over sand. The blend intent is to lull you into a serene state where the seco and volado have the opportunity to reveal their finest qualities. The Arabian spice stays on the outskirts and it is the small proportion of Ligero quietly playing second fiddle knowing that its time will come.

Complexity is a term often used and sometimes overused. I am as guilty as any. It is only when you smoke a cigar such as this that you admonish yourself. Well into the first third and there comes along some caramelized brown sugar which plays off against the shortbread, milk coffee, toast and exotic spices. What differentiates this cigar is sheer depth and clarity of the flavours all wrapped in the density of the finest confectionary.

Into the final third and Hamlets trademark appears. The Arabian spice which so patiently waited in the background now comes thundering to the fore reminiscent of the famous “Charge of the Light Brigade.” This gem is now nothing short of full bodied. The Ligero has been let loose as the seco and volado fade into the background. It is now all unsweetened licorice, black pepper and dark melancholy. The flavour has nothing to do with bitterness as there is none….simply a pure brutal assault on the senses which dares you to come and play. I an enamored with this cigar. I sup at its decadence and debauchery until the heat of the nub permits me no more.

Over the years I have enjoyed many of Hamlets fine cigars and yet what he produced for us this year has reached a completely new dimension.

This is the fifth of these cigars I have smoked over the past two weeks both in Havana and here at home. Each has been identical…each a classic and to me some of the best cigars I have ever smoked. I can only guess what magic mother time will cast over these pearls.

96

[SmokinAl]

Thank you Rob for your restraint but it's just gotta be told.

The picture below was taken when I was trying to re-light the last 1/4" of a 50 RG Cigar (cheap bastard that I am) with a 3 jet lighter and set my top lip aflame!

»

This was one heck of a fine smoke and, frankly, worth the pain!

Thank you again Rob for your hospitality and kind offer of employment as trainee orange boy for the Cuban Girls Junior Surf Association. I think I may have finally found my true calling.