Featured Cigars

November 2006

Featured Cigar	Shape	Size	Strength	Country	Panel Rating
5 Vegas Series 'A' Maduro Archetype	Toro	6 x 50	6.5	Honduras	91
Bahia Gold Churchill	Churchill	7 x 48	8.5	Nicaragua	93
Fonseca Habana Seleccion	Robusto	5 x 48	8.0	Dominican	92
Nestor Vintage Reserve Maduro	Torpedo	5 x 54	6.0	Honduras	94
Perdomo Estate Seleccion Vintage Monstro	Toro Grande	6.5 x 60	7.0	Nicaragua	94

5 Vegas Series 'A' Maduro Archetype Toro

The 5 Vegas brand (read "cinco vegas") is one of our favorite top shelf premiums. Consistently superior construction and blends, the man behind the brand is Cuban born Henry "Kiki" Berger, a legend in Esteli, Nicaragua and one of those unique personalities that always seems to be liked by everyone. In a recent Cigar Aficionado tasting, 5 Vegas was recognized as the best, non-Cuban cigar, scoring an outstanding '90'. The Series 'A' line up features sizes and shapes whose names all begin with, you guessed it, the letter A. The Apocalypse, Atomic, Alpha, Anomaly, Apostle, Archetype, and Artisan are all great smokes that leave you thinking, "if these are just the A's, there's a whole lot of alphabet left to look forward to!" Our panel was particularly taken by the Archetype Maduro; encased by a cedar wrap that protects an oily Costa Rican wrapper, it's a box pressed beauty worth admiring. A three nation long leaf filler blend of four year aged tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras delivers notes of robust, medium-to-full-bodied flavors, including subtle spices and coffee-like notes, with a highly distinctive charred smokiness on the palate. The finish is long lived and features a light blend of sweetness of spice. Try it with a slightly smoky Wee Heavy style beer, such as the version produced by the Belhaven Brewing Company.

Bahia Gold Churchill

Tony Borhani, Owner and Proprietor of Bahia Cigars, is considered by many to be one of the cigar industry's most influential leaders. His famed brand was originally manufactured in the Costa Rican Tabacalera Tambor factory under the supervision of Don Douglas and Tony himself, from their inception in 1997, with production later migrating to Nicaragua in 2001. The Bahia Gold is their flagship cigar. This is a well aged cigar—let's review: the filler is comprised of four to five year aged Dominican Ligero, Seco and Viso leaves; the binder is four year aged Dominican leaf, and the wrapper is a four year aged Ecuadorian sun grown, Sumatran-seed leaf. So, four years or more of aging on every leaf in this cigar might seem enough, but after rolling, they're laid down for another full year to mature! Expect firm spiciness in this full-bodied cigar, balanced by earthy flavors in the finish. Note the firm white ash, a clear sign of not only age, but properly aged tobaccos. While this cigar is already older than most kids starting their scholastic careers, it will keep in your humidor for years to come. Enjoy with a full tawny port or XO Cognac.

Fonseca Habana Selección Robusto

Fonseca was originally made in Cuba, and is still made there to this day, but has also been hand-rolled by Manuel Quesada & co. in the Dominican Republic since the 60s. It only stands to reason that given its Cuban heritage, Manuel would roll out a masterpiece to commemorate its rich history. Over a three year period, Manuel literally hand picked each wrapper and binder in order to ensure the perfect color, texture and treatment of every leaf. The filler leaves have all undergone a five or more year aging process, ensuring robust but never rambunctious flavors. After peeling away the white wrapping paper (is it Christmas already?), take a minute to admire the Colorado-toned wrapper, a Nicaraguan-grown, Habana Criollo harvested way back in 1998! The combination of this leaf, and the Cuban-seed Nicaraguan binder and Cuban-seed Seco & Ligero Dominican fillers ensures that this Cuban tribute will be rewarding. Expect the Habana Selección to open with an overture of cinnamon-like flavors, followed by a soothing, mellow creaminess, rich earthiness, and a rich roasty smokiness. Look for a toasty sweetness in the finish. A consistent evolution of flavors continues to emerge as you make your way through this cigar, marked by notes of leather, and a lightly cedary undertone. This is no early morning cigar, but it will stand up nicely against a double espresso—a testament to its rich, robust flavor profile.

Nestor Vintage Reserve Maduro Torpedo

Two guesses who makes this cigar… You all said Nestor Plasencia, right? Excellent work class—now for the final exam: what could make this 93 rated cigar (per Cigar Aficionado's Insider) even better? Well, check out the reorder prices on this baby, that's what. Folks, this is a ridiculous deal, and we checked, it's not a typo; we repeat, it is not a typo. Once you smoke this cigar, you won't believe how undervalued it is. Our distributor has one heck of a time keeping these beautiful, hard box-pressed, chocolaty goodies in stock. This cigar line offers a rich and robust taste with a wonderful aroma and exquisite construction. Rolled with Cuban-seed Nicaraguan and Honduran long leaf filler, Cameroon binder and a nearly oscuro Honduran maduro wrapper, this cool burning cigar is so tasty, you'll have to fight to urge to start chomping on it. Expect a medium-to-full-bodied smoking experience with deeply woody notes, cedar and even a touch of what seems to be pine, along with coffee-like notes that round out the finish. Just a couple possible pairings to go along with this versatile smoke: a moderately peppery 100% Blue Agave Tequila or a bold imperial stout (such as Stoudt's Fat Dog).

Perdomo Estate Seleccion Vintage Monstro Toro Grande

This really is a monster of a cigar, but don't fear this gentle giant. With over five years of age on the triple fermented long leaf filler leaves, and an additional fourteen months of box aging, these beasts have had time to calm down. Just a heads up, you might need to choke up on this cigar, it's a bit unbalanced in the hand, due to the swelling at the foot, but the fact that it resembles a cornucopia made of tobacco means we're willing to overlook the slight unwieldiness of it (and hey, it's Thanksgiving, so what could be better than a cigar cornucopia, huh?) All kidding aside, the Estate Seleccion is one of the finest cigar brands on the global market today. A Nicaraguan puro (meaning that all the tobaccos used come from the same country), the natural rosado wrapper on this cigar imparts subtle spiciness that grows as the barrel narrows during the course of the smoke. Woodsy, roasty flavors evolve mid way through the stick, with a slightly herbal-like undercurrent running throughout the whole cigar. Give yourself a good hour plus to work through this unique treat. Our panel members sampled this one alongside blended Scotch.