Evidently, people like my cigar reviews.
Over the weekend, Jesse Nachtigal, editor of CigarJack, asked me to become one of his regular reviewers over at CigarJack, one of the Web’s leading cigar blogs. In addition to reading my reviews here, you’ll be able to check them out there.
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| Booyah. The Montecristo White Rothchilde |
When I’m back home in New York, I make it a point to stop by at my old cigar shop, JR Cigar on 5th Avenue. They always have great deals and, well, who wouldn’t want to hang out in a cool, comfortable humidor…err, store?
Now, usually I like a nice, cheap stick. But as my trip to New York last month was — to say the least — stressful, I wanted to treat myself. So I picked up a couple of Montecristo White Rothchildes (6.1 x 52).
Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to smoke them in New York, so I enjoyed them in my favorite smoking chair back in Chicago.
The Montecristo White is a good-looking cigar. It has a Connecticut shade wrapper from Ecuador, a Nicaraguan binder and is filled with a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco. But when I think of a Montecristo, it’s all about the look.
I mean, look at it:
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| The Montecristo White Rothchilde |
But, living up to its name, the Montecristo White is a smooth smoke. It smells a bit like cedar, but when I inhaled it, my nostrils stung a bit. This cigar has a bit of a kick at first, but when it’s lit, it’s mild enough for smokers of any level. It has a toasty flavor and would make a wonderful breakfast cigar, paired up with a strong cup of Intelligentsia coffee.
As for construction, the cigars were well made, and both of them burned evenly. (I had a nice column of ash going, too!)
Then there’s the cost. One of these babies will run you about $10, so I wouldn’t — probably ever — make this my regular smoke. But it may be a good thing to have around for small celebrations, bar mitzvahs, Web 2.0 site launch parties, etc.
My ongoing search for a tasty everyday (read: affordable) cigar hasn’t gone too well. (It seems I have a taste for cigars that generally cost $5-$6 a pop.)
Last October, Mollie’s dad, a fellow cigar fan, gave me an Occidental Reserve cigar, and I was impressed. It was light, almost buttery, but it had soul. Not only was this an extremely tasty cigar; It burned well, smelled good and had a good feel.
I recently picked up a couple of OR robusto cigars to give them another try, and I was once again very impressed. The Occidental Reserve robusto has a complex, creamy taste that’s almost like a high-end Davidoff Special R. (This should be no surprise, as Davidoff’s Hendrik Kelner produces it.) . The cigar itself was solidly constructed, burned evenly (it didn’t go out once!) and was a pleasure to smoke.
And then there’s the cost. These babies will only run you $2.50 or so. I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a good daily smoke, but it holds its own against more expensive cigars.
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| The Occidental Reserve Robusto |
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| Mmm. Tasty. |
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| The Rocky Patel 1999 Vintage Connecticut |
This is the first of what I hope will be a regular feature on DanielHonigman.com: a Cigar of the Week post. I love a good cigar, so it generally made sense to me to start blogging about them.
The first cigar up (please disregard the camera phone photo–I’ll have regular photos up in the future) is the Rocky Patel 1999 Vintage Connecticut. I picked up a Torpedo (think of a cigar that’s actually shaped like a torpedo) and lit up after a rib dinner at Gibson’s Steakhouse in Chicago.
(For you aficionados, the cigar has a blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobacco with a Connecticut wrapper, and all of the tobaccos were aged for seven years.)
There are a couple of great things about this cigar. First, it tastes wonderful. It’s extremely smooth and a bit nutty. I also thought it had a slightly minty aftertaste, which I enjoyed, so I gave it to Mollie to try out, and she agreed.
The ash was almost white (but you can’t see that from the photo, really) and it burned evenly all around.
All in all, this is definitely one of the better sticks I’ve smoked, and it would be perfect for cigar beginners, but it’s also complex enough for seasoned smokers. Enjoy!