Month: March 2008

Categories
Cigar of the Week

Cigar of the Week: CAO Vision Prana/Catalyst

(Note: This review originally appeared on CigarJack.)

CAO Vision Prana cigar

Brand: CAO
Line: Vision
Vitola: Prana (Torpedo 6.25 x 52), Catalyst (Robusto 5 x 50)
Origin: Dominican
Wrapper: Domincan
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Brazilian
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium
Box Price: $320 (Box of 20)

I’m always for lighting up a much-hyped cigar. And few have been hyped more than the CAO Vision, Cigar Aficionado‘s #9-ranked cigar of 2007.

In the cigar blogosphere, CAO seems to have a reputation for flexing more marketing muscle than other companies. For the Vision, perhaps it’s justified.

It’s CAO’s first Dominican-made cigar, and it comes in some rather innovative packaging: a high-tech humidor complete with a built-in hygrometer, a digital display and neon blue LED lights. It’s an impressive-looking thingamajig, and the cigars are equally impressive.

The Vision has a veiny, four-year-old Dominican Corojo wrapper, an earthy, leathery scent, along with a good prelight draw. Both the Prana and Catalyst vitolas continued to draw extremely well as I smoked them down. They continued to taste earthy, but they smoothed out towards the middle, as hints of cream and roasted peanuts were added to the mix, probably from the aged wrapper. At the end, the Vision got a tad spicy, which I also enjoyed.

Verdict: The burns on these were even, but slow, so I smoked the Prana for almost two hours, and the Catalyst for about 80 minutes. The Vision is extremely consistent through these two vitolas — I didn’t try the Epiphany (Toro, 6 x 50) — but I think you’ll find it’s a pleasant cigar overall. With a price tag of $12-$16, it’s a good medium-bodied, special-occasion smoke.

Similar cigars: The Graycliff Crystal, which I’ll hopefully have a chance to review soon!

Categories
Chicago

Tidbit of the Day: Mike Royko = God

I’ve just started reading a compilation of famed Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko‘s columns, One More Time: The Best of Mike Royko.

For the last couple of years, I’ve had this tepid curiosity with Royko. I received a fellowship named for him when I was a graduate j-student at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern U from ’06-’07. When I was awarded the thing, I read his book, Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago, and was floored. His prose is effortless, and he always seems to turn the right word or phrase.

Anyway, I’ll probably post an interesting excerpt or two. Here’s one from March 15, 1966 — an apology for saying that the Irish drink a lot of beer. Keep in mind that Royko wasn’t racist, but he could turn on anyone. And he did:

So I will do as the many callers demanded: I will apologize. I will retract. I will admit my error.

First, the part about beer-drinking.

The Irish do not have a great capacity for beer. I’m sorry I suggested they did.

There. That should make a satisfactory retraction and apology. But just to be safe, I’ll make it stronger.

The Irish, in fact, have a very limited capacity for beer.

Germans, for instance, can consume far more impressive quantities of the suds than the Irish and still be on their feet singing university songs.

(I realize that this may get the Germans angry at me, but I’ll apologize to them later.)

Then there are the Poles. They are capable of far greater feats of beer-drinking when they put their minds to it. There are still Division Street bars that tap a full barrel every time another customer walks in.

Even the Italians might drink more beer than the Irish if they didn’t prefer Chianti.

…and so on. I’ll keep you posted on my Royko exploits!

Categories
Cigar of the Week

Cigar of the Week: Bobalu Wedge

(Note: This review originally appeared on CigarJack.)

Bobalu Wedge

Brand: Bobalu Cigar Company
Line: Wedge
Vitola: Belicoso 6.5 x 50
Origin: United States
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Dominican
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium
Box Price: $105.00 (Box of 25)

Continuing on my recent string of independent and boutique cigar companies, the Bobalu Cigar Co. is a great story. Based in Austin, Texas, it’s a cigar shop that features about a dozen of its own lines, ranging from spicy Ecuadorian cigars to smoother Dominican stogies.

Bobalu seems to pride itself on the skill of its rollers, which are available for events. Most of the time, you can even watch them roll cigars at work on the Live RollerCam. Company manager John Haddad sent me out a few of his cigars to try, and the first one is the maduro Wedge.

Pre-smoke, you’ll notice the Wedge’s interesting shape. There’s something to be said about a cigar that naturally looks like it should hang, gangster-style, out of your mouth. You’ll find it smells nutty, mainly, with hints of chocolate.

The Wedge starts out spicy, but once it smoothed out, I found it was smooth and creamy, with a nutty aftertaste. It was so fragrant and tasty, I smoked it all the way to the nub. (The cigar’s shape helped me out with that one as well, but when Mollie, my girlfriend, comments on the cigar I happen to be smoking, that’s a good thing.)

Bobalu’s rollers did a good job with this one too. After a jagged burn to start, the Wedge corrected itself after about 3/4 of an inch, and I didn’t have to touch it up at all.

Verdict: If you like supporting local rollers, there’s nothing better than going with someone in the good ol’ U.S. of A. I really enjoyed this one, and I look forward to Bobalu’s other cigars.

Similar cigars: A stunt double for La Flor Dominican Double Ligero Maduro Chisel shape-wise, but it tastes like the Camacho SLR Maduro.