FEATURED CIGARS

Bucanero Salsa Torpedo

The Salsa by Bucanero is a truly attractive cigar and since its release in 2003, these big, bold smokes have earned quite the reputation. These powerful stogies are handmade in Esteli, Nicaragua using a Nicaraguan-grown wrapper, Dominican binder and a combination of choice long-leaf fillers from both Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The result of this bi-national synergy is a very full-bodied smoke that you’ll want to enjoy only after you’ve got a meal in your stomach. Not that they wouldn’t taste just as great before food, it’s just that these puppies are quite strong, so take heed and grab yourself a bite to eat first. Notice the very oily Habano criollo maduro wrapper and its slightly reddish tint. And yes, as you’ve likely noticed, these sturdy smokes are box-pressed. At the heart of the brilliant reputation held by this cigar is their huge body, and very flavorful tobacco that is strong yet tremendously smooth—a difficult combination to nail—but nailed it they did! This one will pair nicely with your firmer, drier tawny ports, or a full-bodied Cognac.

Castle Hall Churchill

It’s sad to think about all the great Cuban cigar brands went the way of the dinosaur after Castro’s regime stepped in to nationalize the industry. Extinction befell many a solid smoke, including the venerable Castle Hall brand. But, thanks to the Toraño family and some “creative genetics” a-la-Jurassic Park-style, these gentle giants have been brought back to roam the Earth once again! Though keep an eye on them—they’ve been enhanced, and are now good enough to take over the world this time around! We just love seeing these old Cuban brands restored to their former glory. Notice the exquisitely embossed and vibrantly-colored label—the sort of which we have come to expect on anything bearing K. Hansotia’s name (and yes, he too was in on this one folks—hot damn!) Between the original brand, the Toraño family and good ol’ K’s masterful blending, this is a memorable revival indeed. We found the blend medium-bodied with bold, heady flavors that run from sweet clove-like notes and leathery earthiness. Its thick, patiently aged Grade A Honduran wrapper burns slow and cool. Look for creamy notes to soothe the palate while flourishes of roasted nuts linger after each satisfying puff. A great match to an Irish Stout or Imperial Porter.

Est. 1844 by Camacho Churchill

The Established 1844 Churchill we’ve selected for you is one of those smokes that took us by surprise. Having a look at the label, we thought—who makes this and why isn’t their name on it? Are they not proud enough of this cigar? In fact, of the many samples we have at our disposal for review, we actually skipped over these guys for a few months. It wasn’t until we heard from one of our panel members who came in and recognized this as a brand he knew and loved that we found out for ourselves how consistent, flavorful, and well-made this cigar is. We knew it looked good, with its beautifully soft, supple maduro wrapper—that’s a rich Habano-seed leaf don’t cha know. But the kicker is that sample after sample, they smoked like a dream too! We found out that this one is made by Camacho—and with a repertoire like Camacho Corojo, SLR and Baccarat, the folks at Camacho certainly know a thing or two about making good cigars. The Eiroa family in Honduras should certainly be proud of this light-to-medium-bodied smoke that is crafted of slightly spicy Nicaraguan and Honduran long-leaf tobaccos. A great cigar to complement your Pale Ale of choice.

Leon Jimenes Connecticut Robusto

Guillermo Leon Herbert's family has been cultivating tobacco for six generations. His grandfather, Don Edwardo Leon Jimenes, founded the country’s oldest cigar factory, La Aurora Cigars, located on the outskirts of Santiago, Dominican Republic, with little more than a dream. The Leon family began farming tobacco in the late 1880s, and in 1903 Don Edwardo began producing a traditional Dominican cigar—smooth, sweet, and mild—for sale to the public. Fernando Leon, Guillermo's father, is the master tabacqueriros who developed the Leon Jimenes line in the 1970s. We found the construction of this cigar perfect and the taste utterly satisfying. Note an unassuming, elegant cigar that burns slow and even. Look for a very mild, almost creamy tobacco taste and a very smooth smoking experience with a few herbal notes. For those looking for a quick and mild smoke for the morning or early afternoon, this is your thing. This cigar presents an exquisite aroma and is one of the best-balanced smokes we’ve had in a long time. Notice the delicate interplay between gentle tobacco spiciness and mellow, woody highlights. Overall, this superior blend of mild tobaccos is sure to impress. It would pair up nicely with a medium-bodied ale, bourbon, or blended scotch.

Upmann 160th Anniversary #1 Corona

Well, by coincidence, we have a second cigar this month with the year 1844 printed on it. Only this time, we actually know what that 1844 means—it is the year that H. Upmann cigars was founded, which means that this cigar, celebrating the company’s 160th anniversary, was created with an astonishing amount of know-how. This much is evident even before the first satisfying draw. Notice the expert construction on this award-winning smoke. It was created in La Romana, Dominican Republic by the ablest of rollers using a unique blend of spicy Brazilian and mellow Dominican long fillers. This well-aged blend was developed so that this cigar would present the flavors characteristic in Havana’s legendary brands. Just like those Cuban classics, this too is rich, hearty and robust while smoking smooth and clean. The wrapper is genuine Cameroon and looks just right as it shows off its Colorado Maduro coloring that is typical of such African leaves. We found this trouble free smoke to be full of rich tobacco flavors and some herbaceous, cedary notes in the finish. We really enjoyed this one with dark rum, neat.

Get In On Some Great Beers!

Hey y’all—we’re always recommending beer styles for our premium smokes—and some of you might have started to wonder, “what is an Imperial Porter exactly?” or, “where can I try a Double India Pale Ale or a solid Barley-Wine?” Well folks, we have the answers to these very important questions—and they can be found each month—in your very own mail box! Turns out we have a number of microbrewed beer clubs that feature anything from Wheat beers made in Kansas to Bohemian-style pilsners crafted in Croatia! Our flagship series of clubs, our Beer of the Month Clubs are a surefire way to get your hands on some great brews that will complement your monthly cigar shipments. Check us out at www.beermonthclub.com and have a look at the variety of beers and clubs we offer. We have testimonial after testimonial from satisfied cigar club subscribers who have found that joining our beer clubs not only expanded their cultural knowledge about various beer styles and the countries that brew them, it also satisfied their palates and enhanced their cigar smoking experiences month after month. Come check us out and see for yourself the joy of truly great craft-brewed beer. Cheers!

ASK MURL

Hey Murl,

I’m another newbie to the club, so I was wondering, what is meant by the term Corojo? I know it refers to the wrapper leaf, but can you provide a more detailed explanation for me good buddy? Thanks big dawg!

Rich Polatchek
Paramus, NJ

Yo Little Richard!

I’d have done more to mess around with your last name, but I really don’t know how to pronounce the sucker… so you’ve escaped the wry wit of the Murl dog (or dawg if you like, and you do). So right on to the answer to your question then—and an appropriately-timed question it is—as we’ve featured quite a few Corojo smokes in the past few months. Corojo (pronounced: kawr-oh-ho) is the name given to a specific variety of tobacco plant that was originally developed in the Vuelta Abajo Valley in Cuba. It is named after the El Corojo Vega plantation that first grew it. Their unique combination of soil mineral content, irrigation, drainage, and exposure allowed this temperamental, delicate plant to thrive. Most attempts to relocate the seeds to other tobacco growing regions either in Cuba or other Caribbean nations continue to be met with failure—it tends to survive only when planted in the valley of its origin. Within the last 5 or 6 years, however, there have been two growers, both in a valley in Bonao, Dominican Republic, who have been able to harvest successful crops of the Corojo variety. It seems that the characteristics of this valley duplicate those of the original Cuban plantation. The wrappers cultivated from this plant are often, but not always, designated as "rosado" shade, which is a very rare, reddish tint. The leaf's thin, oily texture, along with its small thin veins, make it the ultimate choice for a wrapper leaf—often used only for the highest rated Cuban brands. Its rarity and finicky growing nature—not to mention phenomenal contributions to cigar flavor—have made it exceptionally sought after. So relish it baby—it’s rare, vintage material, much like myself…

Woof!
Murl

Give Your Friends FREE Beer, Wine, Cheese, Chocolate, Cigars & Flowers!

Through our Customer Appreciation Program:

Your name is worth cold hard cash to your friends, co-workers and family members! Every time a friend, family member, or anyone else you know joins any one of our clubs, [or gives a gift] for 3 months or longer, we'll give them 50% off of their first month, but only when they mention your name. And we'll also give you 50% off your next month too which can either be applied towards your current membership or you can try one of our other Clubs out! (We can add one more month to your order sat 50% off for prepaid memberships!)

The Fine Print: Members giving gift memberships do not qualify for referral credits and you can't give yourself a gift to qualify! This Program is mutually exclusive of any other promotions.

For Members Only

Original & Super Grab Bags!

That's right babies, help us put a little bit of our humidor into your humidor at insanely cheap prices! We've got some extra smokes that need a caring home to take them in so check it out! Choose between:

Discounted Box Re-Orders!

Members can take advantage of our volume purchasing and re-order their favorite cigars in box quantities at just over our wholesale costs. Re-order any selection featured in the box quantities listed below or order them in convenient 5 paks! Other cigar shapes and sizes not actually featured, but from a featured brand line may also be re-ordered. Call for pricing.

Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery and add $7.95 for S&H for your first box and $3.00 for each additional box or grab bag. S&H for 5-packs is $4.95 and $1.50 for each additional 5-pak. All reorders are sent Priority mail unless otherwise requested. CA residents please add 7.75 % Sales Tax. S&H for International re-orders must be calculated on an individual basis. Prices are subject to change.