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Cigar of the Week

Cigar of the Week: TESA Cabinet 312 Torpedo

TESA Cabinet 312 Torpedo

Brand: TESA Cigars
Line: Cabinet 312
Vitola: Torpedo; 6 x 54
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Criollo ’98 Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium-to-full
Strength: Medium
Price: About $10-$13

As I said in my recent review of the Liga Privada T-52, I’ve recently been hanging out more at TESA Cigars over on Chicago’s Near West Side.

After only a few visits, it’s already one of my new favorite shops.

When I first went to TESA, I knew the place carried its own boutique line of cigars. Little did I know how good they were. All of TESA’s cigars are blended by store owner Chris Kelly, and the sticks are made at TESA’s factory in Nicaragua.

The TESA Cabinet 312, which is named after the original 312 Chicago area code, has an oily, slightly veiny wrapper. It has a pre-light scent that’s cedary and woody, but also a touch spicy and sweet, and with a good draw.

Once lit, a couple of the sticks I tried, including one at the shop, started to canoe up the side for about 1/2 an inch, but the burn corrected itself quickly. The burn line on the 312 was very dark, and for the most part, it was quite even.

The draw on the cigar, which was quite firm and with no soft spots, tightened up a bit, and as a result, the 312 produced very stringy smoke. (Note: This didn’t happen with all of the Cabinet 312 cigars I tried.)

The 312’s woodiness continued as I smoked the cigar down, and it picked up a bit more spice and tanginess, with a hint of mocha, along the way.

Verdict: The TESA Cabinet 312 is an enjoyable, not overly complex stick. There were a couple of small issues I didn’t experience with TESA’s other cigar lines, and I experienced them with a few of the 312s. Of the TESA cigars I’ve tried so far, this is my least favorite, not because I dislike the 312, but because I like the others so much more.

TESA makes good cigars, and seems to be well on its way to single-handedly restoring Chicago to its proper place as the cigar capital of the midwest, smoking ban and all.

I’ll get some of the other TESA cigars reviewed soon. Promise.

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Cigar of the Week

Cigar of the Week: Drew Estate Liga Privada T-52

Brand: Drew Estate
Line: Liga Privada
Vitola: Toro; 6 x 52
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: American Habano
Binder: Brazilian
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Dominican
Body: Full
Strength: Full
Price: About $10-$13

I’ve recently been hanging out more at TESA Cigars in Chicago, and the folks there carry their own sticks and Drew Estate exclusively. So, after some prodding from #cigarchat participant Ron Hollatz at a recent Drew Estate event at the store, I picked up a couple of the new Drew Estate Liga Privada T-52 sticks to try.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Liga Privada T-52 is its smooth, shiny wrapper. It’s quite dark and has an oily sheen on it. The T-52’s pre-light flavor has hints of hay, pepper and a touch of sweetness reminiscent of cocoa, and it has a good pre-light draw. The T-52 is definitely a well-made stick.

Once lit, the T-52 produced a mostly peppery flavor, with hints of cocoa, a sweet scent and a thick plume of smoke. As the cigar progressed through the middle third, it got leathery, and towards the end, it became a bit spicier. It burned evenly, and had solid, mostly white ash.

Verdict: I wasn’t sure what to expect after I tried the Liga Privada T-9 not too long ago. (A review for that will come soon.) The Drew Estate Liga Privada T-52 is an enjoyable, full-bodied cigar with a lot of flavor that won’t smack you in the face. It’s a bit pricier than other Drew Estate offerings, at $10+, but it’s definitely worth a try; you may even end up making it a regular part of your cigar rotation.

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Cigar of the Week

Cigar of the Week: Gurkha Micro Batch Liga VH-7

Gurkha Micro Batch Liga VH-7
Gurkha Micro Batch Liga VH-7

Brand: Gurkha Cigars
Line: Micro Batch
Vitola: Liga VH-7 (Toro; 6 x 50)
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Jamastran Habano
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Dominican
Body: Medium-to-full
Strength: Medium

Cigar stores are a great place to hang out and pick up a stick or two, but when you’re buying in bulk, it’s difficult to resist the allure — and the price — of internet retailers. They’ll get great deals many brick-and-mortar shops just don’t.

When I saw a freebie deal on Cigars International for the Micro Batch sticks, I decided to take a shot with the Gurkha Micro Batch Liga VH-7.

The VH-7 is a box-pressed cigar, and is made with a slightly veiny — but mostly smooth — Jamastran Habano wrapper from 2003. According to the site, only 45,000 of these cigars were made.

I typically switch between cutters and punches, depending on the cigar’s vitola and my mood, but I used a punch for this particular stick and I got a great pre-light draw that was extraordinarily leathery.

Once lit, the cigar was earthy and leathery, and its Habano wrapper was quite tangy and tasty. The sweet, caramel taste of my drink, a Bass Pale Ale, brought out the flavors of the stick.

The cigar was maintained properly in my humidor, but I noticed that about a third of the way in, it started canoeing a bit up one side. This evened out after about an inch, though. Otherwise, the Liga VH-7’s burn was even and the burn line was thin.

As the cigar progressed, it got more even more leathery, a hint of nuts, which I enjoyed at first, but then it only got more leathery from there.

Verdict: I found the Gurkha Micro Batch Liga VH-7 too one-dimensional. There was too much leather, which overpowered everything else: the nuts, the earthiness — everything. It tastes good, and there’s some heft to it, mbut if you’re looking for something more complex, you may want to look elsewhere.

(NOTE: This review was originally posted on CigarJack.)

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Cigar of the Week

Cigar of the Week: Casa Fuente Pyramid #2 (Arturo Fuente)

Casa Fuente belicoso cigar

Brand: Arturo Fuente
Line: Casa Fuente
Vitola: Pyramid #2 (Torpedo – 6.38 x 52)
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium

Viva Las Vegas.

I recently took my second trip to Sin City to moderate a panel at CES2009, but before I left, I stopped over at Casa Fuente to try its exclusive Casa Fuente cigar. (Well, there was that, and Pete Rose was signing autographs across the way.)

The Casa Fuente has a sweet-smelling Cameroon wrapper that’s exceptionally smooth, and my sticks had good prelight draws and no soft sports. The Casa Fuente — like most Fuente cigars I’ve enjoyed — is superbly rolled, so the cigars’ caps were superb.

I found the flavor in the first half to be leathery with a sweet, vanilla finish. The second half is leathery and sweet, but it gets a touch peppery.

As far as burn, the Casa Fuente burned a bit unevenly at first, but it evened out about an inch and a half in. It produced solid, light gray ash.

Verdict: Love this Cameroon wrapper on this one, and you will too. It’s a good, consistent smoke.

As far as the proper drink to enjoy this with, I was at the Casa Fuente store around 11am, so I didn’t have a spirit with the cigar the first time around; I just had a couple of Fat Tires. My suggestion is to pair this with something fairly mild so you can savor this consistent, delicious smoke.

At $18-$28 a stick, however, you’d better save this for a special occasion. Weddings, bar mitzvahs — or if you win some money at the blackjack tables.

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Cigar of the Week

Cigar of the Week: Gurkha Signature Red 1887 Rothchild

Gurkha Signature 1887 Red Rothchild

Brand: Gurkha Cigars
Line: Signature 1887
Vitola: Red Rothchild (Toro); 6 x 55
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Indian, Peruvian
Body: Mild-to-medium
Strength: Medium

I’ve been on a bit of a Gurkha kick lately. Sue me. Things could be much worse.

Anyway, I’ll just get right into the review. The Gurkha Signature Red 1887 and its maduro brother, the Gurkha Signature Black 1887, seem to be tough sticks to find, but I grabbed a couple of the Red at a recent herf, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The Signature 1887 has a good prelight draw and has a slightly sweet, nutty scent. The Connecticut Shade wrapper was smooth and silky without any rough patches or big veins. The cigar, which just looks like it would be spongy, was consistent and firm.

Burn wasn’t an issue with this stick at all, as the Gurkha Signature Red 1887 produced a solid stack of dark-gray ash. However, about a third of the way in, the draw got a bit tight, and the cigar was tough to smoke just until it hit its sweet spot.

I’m happy the draw opened back up. It was, as they say, luxurious. It was toasty and nutty, with hints of sweetness and had a touch of spice on the finish.

Verdict: I think the Gurkha Signature Red 1887 may be one of my new favorites. At $8 a stick, it isn’t a regular smoke, but if you’re one to splurge on a box occasionally, you may want to check this one out.

(Note: This review originally appeared on CigarJack.)

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Cigar of the Week

Cigar of the Week: Gurkha Black Dragon Imperial Presidente

Gurkha Black Dragon Imperial Presidente

Brand: Gurkha Cigars
Line: Black Dragon
Vitola: Imperial Presidente (Double Corona; 7 x 56)
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Nicaraguan, Peruvian
Body: Medium-to-full
Strength: Medium

Gurkha hosted an event a couple of months ago at a local store, so I decided to splurge a bit. What cigar did I pick up? The Black Dragon, of course.

I’m sure you know all about Gurkha’s initial foray with the stick — cough, $115K for 100 cigars — but the company released the not-as-exclusive version of the Black Dragon last year with much fanfare, especially on CigarJack. I figured it was finally time to try it.

What was the occasion, you may ask? I made my own chili — Daniel’s Texas-style New York Chili — for the first time. Ever. This called for a celebration.

The Gurkha Black Dragon is an impressive-looking stogie. The wrapper is pretty smooth, with only a few veins, and slightly oily. It had a good pre-light draw, and a slightly earthy pre-light scent and flavor.

Like Brian Hewitt over at Stogie Review, I experienced some very good, even burns on my Black Dragons, and the cigars produced white, flaky ash. And like Brian, I found the first third — or in my case, half — of the stick to have sweet, creamy flavors with a smooth finish. I also tasted some lingering notes of earth and leather. The flavors intensified more in the second half.

Verdict: The Gurkha Black Dragon Imperial Presidente is a good stick for $7-$8 and a decent cigar for $9-$10. If you can get it for that price range, then it’s worth a try. If not, see if you can get a deal for it online.

(Note: This review originally appeared on CigarJack.)

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Cigar of the Week

Cigar of the Week: Alec Bradley Trilogy Authentic Corojo torpedo

Alec Bradley Trilogy Authentic Corojo cigar

Brand: Alec Bradley
Line: Trilogy Authentic Corojo
Vitola: Torpedo (6 1/8 x 52)
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Costa Rican
Binder: Honduran, Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican, Mexican
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium
Box Price: $81.95/box of 20

(This is the second of three reviews for Alec Bradley’s Trilogy line of cigars: the Native Cameroon, the Authentic Corojo and the Exotic Maduro.)

Last week, I reviewed the Alec Bradley Trilogy Native Cameroon, and I was impressed, but not blown away. I figured I’d wait a little bit before I reviewed this one.

The Alec Bradley Trilogy Authentic Corojo has a stellar prelight scent: cocoa with hints of hay and leather. The several sticks I tried had good draws, and — call me crazy — but do you know when a cigar just feels good in your hand? This one did. There were a couple of veins in the wrapper, but the Corojo is pretty smooth.

About an inch in, I got walloped by even more cocoa and leather, and about halfway in I got even more spice. Not too peppery, but a steady, subtle spice. It was good.

The Corojo produces nearly white ash, but it’s quite flaky. However, I didn’t experience any of the burn issues Brian at Stogie Review had almost a year ago.

Verdict: Exceptional cigar for the price. I’d smoke this one again, for sure, and you should give it a try.

(Note: This review originally appeared on CigarJack.)

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Cigar of the Week

Cigar of the Week: Alec Bradley Trilogy Native Cameroon Robusto

Alec Bradley Trilogy Native Cameroon cigar

Brand: Alec Bradley
Line: Trilogy Native Cameroon
Vitola: Robusto (5 x 50)
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Nicaraguan, Italian
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium
Box Price: $72.00 (box of 20)

(This is the first of three reviews for Alec Bradley’s Trilogy line of cigars: the Native Cameroon, the Corojo and the Exotic Maduro.)

I don’t smoke too many sticks with Cameroon binders. The last one, I think, was the CAO Cameroon

So, to say the least, I was excited when I received the Alec Bradley Native Cameroon in the mail from Chris Manso over at A.B.

Not too much information is available on the Alec Bradley site, but the folks at Keepers of the Flame wrote in 2006 that the cigars in the Trilogy line used to be tri-pressed, and thus were shaped like triangles. Pretty cool, huh?

Anyway, the Native Cameroon has a good prelight draw, along with a leathery, woody taste and scent with hints of spice. It also has an attractive, fairly toothy wrapper.

About an inch into the cigar, I was hit with an earthy taste, and the spiciness dialed up a touch, enough for it to linger a bit on the finish, but this spice went away about an inch or so.

The stick had a good, even burn and produced solid, very light gray ash.

Verdict: Smooth and uncomplicated, but for a Cameroon, it’s not quite what I expected. Alec Bradley cigars are generally good bangs for the buck, and this Native Cameroon is decent, but to be honest, it’s not the best Cameroon I’ve smoked, and it won’t be the best one you’ll smoke either. I did enjoy it enough to think about buying a couple to let sit in my humidor. At $3 apiece, it’s a modest investment.

(Note: This review originally appeared on CigarJack.)