Wednesday February 15th 5:00 -8:00 PM

This will be our 2nd event ever!  Come out and join us as there will be specials on all Drew Estate and Joya De Nicaragua products including: Undercrown, Acid, MUWAT, Antano Dark Corojo, Cabinetta just to name a few.

There will be a buy 4 get 1 free and of course Drew Estate always hooks it up with cool freebies with box purchases, hats, cutters, cigars etc.

Feel free to stay a while as we will do a beer sampling for purchasing customers.  If you’d like to bring something to add to the beer sampling, please do, just let me know. Also please bring something to snack on if you like.

Our Rep’s Corner guest today is Phil Kanaby from Alec Bradley.  He’s a cool guy, and for those of you who don’t know him, here’s a brief background…

Phil worked at a store in Houston called Stogies, and was manager for 3 years, and was fortunate enough to get a call from George Sosa from Alec Bradley in January of this year. This is his first venture as a cigar rep.  You can say he is a fresh young rookie in the Texas cigar industry.  Phil’s smoking career started out stealing Short Stories (Arturo Fuente) from his old man when he was a teenager, that’s how he got his start smoking.

Phil, what cigar’s would you like to talk about with us today?

American Classic Blend is Alec Bradley’s newest cigar released May 20th of this year. it features a Honduran Connecticut  Shade wrapper, Nicaraguan binder & filler.  This cigar is very  a very smooth medium bodied cigar, in the classic American tradition.  This cigar is also one of the few Alec Bradley cigars made in Nicaragua.  The price point is from 3.95-5.50.  This is going to be one of the best cigars in the market at this price point.  Be on the look out for the American Classic Blend at Cigar Pointe very soon

We’ve been seeing another resurgence in the Tempus Maduro as of late.  It’s a Tempus with a San Andreas Mexican maduro wrapper, it’s a nice  medium bodied maduro with tons of flavor and a touch of sweetness.

We just released the Alec Bradley Family blend GS 57 (6×60) this was in honor of our national sales director, Geroge Sosa.  The Family Blend is the highest rated cigar of 2010 in Cigar Aficionado, this is a  perfect every day smoke and medium bodied.

Is there anything new we can be expecting this year?

Some exciting surprises at the July IPCPR show.  Stay tuned…. a limited release ultra premium full bodied cigar expected some time in the Fall.

What is your favorite drink/drinks to pair with cigars?

Scotch with cigars no question. Don’t really vary much.  My “go to” Scotch is Laphroaig 10 year, I’ll take that all day  with a Prensado Grand Toro. Another one of my favorite is Ardbeg Uigeadail.   After all that, there is nothing like a cold Shiner Bock in the Texas heat with a Tempus Maduro.

What are your desert island cigars?

That would have to be the AB Tempus Magistri Maduro.

Okay, and now your favorite cigars outside of Carlos Toraño?

Ashton VSG Sourcer, Padron 1926 No. 1 Maduro, Illusione Epernay Le Ferme and 601 Blue Label great maduro great price.

New to Cigar Pointe today is…

Viaje WLP Liga Fifty – Fifty

AKA – American Kick Ass Hybrid

These cigars are produced at the Camacho factory in Danli, Honduras.

AKA Hybrid –  the term “Hybrid” is used because it is a hybrid wrapper that is grown only by the Eiroa family, on a special farm of their’s in the Jamastran Valley.  It came be to be through the cross-breeding of different plants.  The name given to our wrapper is Generoso,  and it is only being used by AKA.

Sizes:

ABS - 6 x 44

DNA - 5 1/2 x 50

SOS - 6 1/2 x 54

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Padilla La Terraza Capa Habano – $4.13

Padilla La Terraza Capa Maduro – $4.13

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E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut:

Vitola: Gran Via
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 49
Wrapper Color: Natural
Body: Mild to Medium

Vitola: Divinos
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper Color: Natural
Body: Mild to Medium

Vitola: Stellas
Length: 5 1/8″
Ring Gauge: 42
Wrapper Color: Natural
Body: Mild to Medium

Vitola: Brillantes
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper Color: Natural
Body: Mild to Medium

E.P. Carrillo Elencos Series

Vitola: Acto Mayor
Length: 6 1/4″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper Color: Natural
Body: Medium to Full

Vitola: Elites
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper Color: Natural
Body: Medium to Full

Vitola: Don Rubino
Length: 5 1/4″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper Color: Natural
Body: Medium to Full

Wrapper: Nicaraguan

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Price: $9.36

Vitola: 4 1/4 x 54

Drink: Coca-Cola 

Appearance & Construction:  The wrapper is oily, dark, rich, and smooth to the touch.  Absolutely no veins, splotches, patches, or sun spots.  This is a beautiful looking cigar.  The draw is a little tight for my liking, and you have to work a little bit to get a satisfactory amount of smoke.  The burn so far is very even, and slow.  However, the temperature of the cigar is a little higher than I’d prefer, but maybe I’m smoking too fast, trying to get that “right” amount of smoke.  The ash is solid for the most part (will stay on until you reach the band), but not that pure white ash that I love so much.  It’s a grey to dark grey color, and has rings of cracks throughout.

Pre-Light: Draw is great, awesome aroma coming off this stick.  The draw on the pre-light is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted in a cigar.  Believe it or not, it tastes like pine cones.  Don’t ask how I know how those taste, but honestly, the flavor is incredible.  It’s almost unfortunate that I have to light this stogie up, because I’m enjoying it so much as it is.

Flavor & Notes:  Complexity is immediately apparent.  Tons of cedar, pine, leather, and spices

First Third – This is going to be a difficult review as I’m tasting things in this cigar that I’ve never tasted before.  Just like in the pre-light, there is a robust pine taste along with cedar, leather, peat, and two or three other things that will have you scratching your head.  Through the nose you will taste a heavy peppery, pine, taste, but not overwhelming to your palette.

Second Third – Still very spicy at this point.  The pine taste is still apparent, but is now masked by many other things.  A peppery taste, similar to a jalapeño has also been added to the mix.  At this point I’m enjoying the overall flavor a lot more than the first third.  The retrohale is still quite spicy, but has smoothed out to the point where it will be enjoyable for most people.

Final Third – The fullness of the flavor has picked up significantly.  The spiciness has come back with a vengeance, and it seems to be dominating all of the other flavors.  It has turned almost mono-tone with pepper and pine flavor.  Still interesting and different, but it’s apparent that it’s starting to sizzle out.

Body: Starts off full bodied.  Through the nose the body is felt quite a bit more, but it’s not incredibly harsh.  Very spicy, but not in a way that’s going to make your eyes water.  In the final third, the body kicks up about 3 notches.  I don’t think it’s going to be too much for anyone to handle, but it packs a punch.

Overall Smoking Experience:  With all the hype going around with this cigar I really thought it was going to be a big gimmick.  The band screams gimmick.  The ads scream gimmick.  Fortunately, the cigar isn’t a gimmick.  It’s a solid smoke, that most full-bodied smokers will enjoy.  It offers unique flavors that won’t be found in many other cigars.  Definitely worth a try while they are still available.

Matt’s Rating: 8.0

Buy Again: I would but they won’t be available.  

Chooch Rating: 3/5 due to people barging over micro-batching and what I consider to be a gimmicky ad campaign.

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Viaje Skull and Bones – MOAB

Viaje Skull and Bones – WMD

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Wrapper: Dominican

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican

Price: $17.60

Vitola: 6 3/4 x 52

Drink: Coca-Cola

Appearance & Construction: This cigar has a dark rich color and oily wrapper.  It’s rough to the touch, has tiny veins, is slightly patchy, and little bumpy.  This Litto is filled to perfection.  The draw offers a little resistance and what every cigar should aspire to be in my opinion.  Tons of smoke on each draw.  Not a lot of smoke coming off the foot while the cigar is just sitting.    Won’t go out if left to sit for a while.  The ash is pretty decent.  It’s mainly white with lines of black and grey, and is fairly solid.  Will stay attached for at least the first third.  Assuming you are careful, and don’t purposefully knock it off.  Will smoke cool all the way through the end of the smoke.  One of the best constructed cigars I’ve ever smoked.

Pre-Light: Perfect draw, great chocolate flavors complimented by natural rich tobacco

Flavor & Notes: Immediately I’m getting a strong chocolate flavor that is extremely smooth yet contains hints of different spices.

First Third – Classic full bodied La Flor Dominicana taste, similar to the La Flor Salamon if you’ve had the privilege of smoking it.  Very oily taste with a spicy pepper taste.  Not black pepper, but peppers of some sort, green peppers or chilies?

Second Third – Chocolate has become more apparent, and the spice still persists.  The combination of the two, creates a spicy chocolate flavor, leaving an interesting, complex, and delicious finish.

Final Third -  Same flavors persist.  They have have smoothed out slightly.  Through the nose, at this point, is much more enjoyable as it’s not quite as harsh.

Body: Medium-full as it starts out.  Again, body is always relative to the person smoking it.  The full body peppery taste is fully felt through the nose.  It’s quite robust and will be one of the more full bodied cigars that you’ve smoked (again, just through the nose).

Overall Smoking Experience:  This is my third one, and they have all been great.  Not just great, amazing.  Any cigar that can be consistently amazing is quite a feat in my book.  I don’t know that I would consider this cigar very complex, but it’s the same delicious flavors that remain constant through the entire smoke (which is what I’ve experienced with a lot of high quality La Flor cigars).  I can’t recommend this cigar highly enough.  There are still some available and I strongly urge you to pick up a couple while you still can.  Recommended for anyone who likes a full bodied smoke.  Honestly one of the finest cigars I’ve ever smoked.

Matt’s Rating: 9.6

Buy Again: I will be picking up a few more to keep for a rainy day.  

Chooch Rating: 1/5

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Wrapper: Nicaragua

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler:Nicaragua

Price: $9.75

Vitola: 5 3/8 x 52 Belicoso

Drink: Coca-Cola

Appearance & Construction:  Wrapper is smooth to the touch.  It’s splotchy, not terribly veiny, and has a few sun spots.  Construction leaves something to be desired.  The draw is ok, on the tighter side if anything.  I wouldn’t say there is a lot of smoke on each draw, but all-in-all  it’s still satisfactory.  My main problem is the burn.  This bastard is tunneling like a mole on crystal meth.  After ashing for the first time, the burn seems to be evening out, and the cigar is becoming more hassle-free overall.  I never evened it out with a lighter, and seems to have fixed the problem on it’s own.  To it’s credit, the cigar is ending while still burning cool, which I find to be rare.

Pre-Light: Nice draw.  Really not getting any flavor notes except for a mild natural tobacco flavor.  No apparent aroma either.

Flavor & Notes: Very mild natural tobacco taste right off the bat.  I’m not getting a whole lot of flavor so far, but to be fair I just lit it.

First Third – Cinnamon, Nutmeg, allspice.  Dried bananas chips with cracked pepper through the nose.  Strange, I know… but it’s really interesting.  Really nothing too complex, but it’s a nice blend.

Second Third – Pepper is starting to dominate, complimented by a lot of nutmeg.  Through the nose mainly pepper now.

Final Third – Pepper is just about all I taste right now.  There is a hint of leather that keeps the overall profile from being monotone.  The flavor change is pleasant as it starts off mild, building up to something much stronger.  It seems to be smoothing out as it comes to a finish, pepper is smoldering out, and smooth leather is starting to come to the front of the flavors.  It’s a nice relaxing end to this cigar.  Honestly, the last third was by far the best part of this cigar as the flavors become more concentrated.

Body: Starts off as a very smooth medium.  Through the nose the body is felt more, but even then it’s medium at it’s strongest.  Body begins to build after you reach the half way mark, and the pepper taste kicks it up a notch to medium-full.  Approaching the end, blowing the smoke through your nose is quite spicy.  Hefty pepper flavors.

Overall Smoking Experience:  Let me start by saying that this cigar has been hyped to me by quite a number of people.  I’ve always heard it’s the best of the Curivari line (I’ll let you be the judge of that).  As with just about anything, inflated expectations aren’t normally a good thing, and for me this cigar started off rather drab, with nothing exciting or unique.  After smoking through half the cigar everything changed.  I started enjoying it a lot more, and with the burn issue fixed, I was no longer fussing with it.  There are few flavors in this cigar that are unique (many of them unique to the Curivari line in general).  I do have to say that I’ve never tasted a banana flavor in a cigar, so I have to give it extra points for that (granted that it’s only a hint of).  Do withhold judgement until you are at least half way in.  That seems to be the sweet spot.

Matt’s Rating: 7.3, but I strongly encourage you to try one for yourself.  I’ve heard a ton of great reviews on this cigar and maybe I got an “off” one or it’s just not my cup of tea.  Go get yourself one and prove me wrong.

Buy Again: I will definitely be giving this a second shot.  Next time with lower expectations, which I assume will help.    

Chooch Rating: 0/5

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