Featured Cigars

November 2007

Featured Cigar	Shape	Size	Strength	Country	Panel Rating
Bolivar '05 Lonsdale	Lonsdale	6.5 x 45	8.0	Dominican	91
Oliveros El Padrino	Churchill	6 x 60	6.5	Dominican	90
REO Robusto	Robusto	5 x 52	7.0	Honduras	91
RP Olde World Reserve Toro Corojo	Toro	6.5 x 52	7.0	Honduras	92
Vintage Reserva Toro	Toro	6 x 50	6.0	Dominican	89

Bolivar '05 Lonsdale

Bolivar is one of the biggest and oldest names in cigars. Behind the name is a rich history dating back to 1901 when the original stogie was created to pay homage to one of South America's greatest liberators, Simon Bolivar. The Bolivar '05 Lonsdale isn't a copy of its Cuban namesake but it's a smoke that would no doubt make his momma proud!

Hand-rolled in the Dominican Republic, the brand new blend (2005) was crafted by the legendary cigar maker Daniel Nunez to recapture the original 1901 full-bodied Cuban one. Nunez used a wide range of tobacco leaves with results that have received accolades from industry experts. The Bolivar consists of fillers from Nicaragua and Honduras, held together with a Connecticut grown Havana Medio Tiempo binder. This binder is similar to the wrapper used on the full-bodied and world-renowned Partagas Black Label. Then Nunez added a Honduran grown San Augustine Ligero wrapper which contributes to its spiciness. Panelists found the draw easy, the burn slow and steady. The ash is firm and medium to dark grey. This is a complex smoke with woody, toasty and cocoa flavors throughout. The result is relaxing, robust cigar that's smooth with a slight sweetness on the finish. Although full-bodied and full-flavored, this bold, authoritative stogie doesn't overwhelm—especially if you enjoy it over several hours. International Wine of the Month Club members can pair the '05 with this month's Tierra del Sol Cabernet or choose a favorite full-bodied red of equal stature. Viva Bolivar!

Oliveros El Padrino Churchill

Dark as night and seemingly covered with oils, the El Padrino from Oliveros may look intimidating to novice smokers but trust us, this puppy is enchanting! Part of its allure is its mesmerizing triple-fermented Brazilian maduro wrapper. (It gets darker with each fermentation.) The filler is a blend of well-aged Cuban-seed Dominican tobaccos—Piloto Cubano—combined with some rare Italian tobacco. Toothy to the touch and heavy in the hand, this complex, medium-bodied black beauty is packed solid head-to-toe and offers layers of rich flavor. The draw is easy, the ash dark gray to black in color and the burn even throughout, unusual for a cigar of this ring size. Eureka! This complex, medium-bodied treat tastes like tobacco but look for hints of chocolate early on and a touch of sweetness on the finish. Try it with your favorite after-dinner liqueur such as Frangelico, Benedictine or B&B.

REO Robusto

Premium cigar distributor, United Tobacco, decided to create and distribute its own line of cigars: EO Premium Brands. Two of the three lines, Reo and Vibe are handcrafted at Rocky Patel's Indian Tabac factory in Honduras where United worked with Patel's master blender Jose Fuego to create these new cigars. This month we're pleased to bring you the REO Robusto which has been a top seller since its 2005 release.
The exquisite band on this cigar is fitting. With a light box-press, it's a beautifully crafted cigar. No surprise with Rocky at the helm. The cigar's dark Costa Rican/Sumatra wrapper, aged 5 years, is an evenly colored chocolate brown, smooth with minimal veins and a somewhat oily feel, This cigar has sex appeal. As one panelist said, "Looking at the Reo Robusto you get the feeling you are in for quite the ride once you put a flame to it." We weren't disappointed. The cigar lit easily and burned evenly with a firm gray ash. The blend is a mixture of aged Honduran and Nicaraguan long-fillers. The taste is complex—ranging from sweet nuts to mild, mellow maduro flavors, to chocolate with hints of spice halfway through and culminating in a dry, floral finish. Definitely not one-dimensional, the medium to full-bodied REO is a joy to smoke. Because it's so complex your favorite bourbon or dark rum will do it justice.

Rocky Patel Olde Worlde Reserve Toro Corojo

We'll cut right to the chase. Rocky Patel's Olde World are the best and most sophisticated cigars in his arsenal. As club members know, he's well known for making some of the best stogies today including his Vintage and Edge lines, all of which have received 90+ ratings from Cigar Aficionado Magazine. Olde World is his most expensive creation to date. With it he succeeds in capturing the classic full flavor of cigars from a bygone era-- that distinctive Cuban mellowness so elusive to non-Cuban cigar makers. Patel uses an unusual blend of tobaccos with this smoke, including a mixture of aged tobaccos from Honduras and India that together generate a pleasant sweetness. Available in both Corojo and Maduro wrappers we're featuring the Corojo. This medium-to-full-bodied cigar is a full flavored smoke. Its extra fermented wrapper rounds out the nuances of the many competing notes on the palate. Light up and you're assaulted with rich black pepper and earthy flavors. Just an inch or so into the smoke, it mellows into creamy, leathery notes and finishes with hints of cocoa and more—but softer--spicy notes. Panelists found that each time, the Olde World smoked the same—buttery smooth, with a great draw and a superior burn. Deep in flavor and, as is true of the Cubans of old, quite mellow. Consider smoking this one with a hoppy India Pale Ale.

Vintage Reserva Toro

This cigar's presentation may be ordinary but the smoke is not. Handmade in the Dominican Republic by Felipe Gregorio, Vintage Reserva is a gem .Gregorio is the high-end cigar-maker behind Centenario, Power, Pelo de Oro and Petrus. His master blenders have scored another winner with this stick. It features an ultra-fine blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos—aged at least 3 years—wrapped with a dark Connecticut shade wrapper. The medium-bodied stogie is an enjoyable slow-burning smoke. Expect a mild and cedar-edged start that grows in intensity by mid-smoke. The draw is effortless The earthy, spicy notes that develop are balanced by the rich flavors of nuts and cocoa. Vintage Reserva is one of those smokes that gets better and better as you make your way through it. Our preference on this one is to savor it solo but an oaky chardonnay would complement it well.