Featured Cigars

June 2007

Featured Cigar	Shape	Size	Strength	Country	Panel Rating
Oliva Serie G Toro	Toro	6 x 50	8.0	Nicaragua	93
Rocky Patel Sun Grown Torpedo	Torpedo	6.25 x 52	9.0	Honduras	94
Pryme Limited Edition Gold 200-X	Toro	6.1 x 50	8.0	Nicaragua	91
Quintero Maduro Robusto	Robusto	5 x 54	8.5	Honduras	92
Est. 1844 by Camacho Churchill	Churchill	7 x 48	5.5	Honduras	89

Oliva Serie G Toro

As the second largest grower of tobacco in Nicaragua, the Oliva family's generations of experience in the industry has served them well. They grow some of the finest crops in the world and are known for using the most skilled rollers and blenders in the country to create legendary cigars. With a firm, leathery African-Cameroon wrapper, the well constructed Serie G is a good-looking stick. Nicaraguan Habano long-fillers are blended to produce a flavor rich in character with hints of coffee, nuts and wood. The aftertaste is both peppery and sweet. Our panel found the cigar smoked smooth and creamy down to the nub. The Serie G received a stellar "91" rating from Cigar Insider and ranked 11th on Cigar Aficionado's "Best Cigars of the Year" list. As one of our panelists summed it up: "Overall, a satisfying, fuller-bodied cigar worthy of its makers." Wine of the Month Club members can enjoy the Serie G with this month's Devon Vineyard Merlot. Or choose a favorite full-bodied red of equal stature.

Rocky Patel Sun Grown Torpedo

For fans of Rocky Patel's Vintage lines, the Sun Grown is its fuller-bodied big brother sure to be appreciated by established and budding cigar aficionados alike. The rich blend of Honduran & Nicaraguan tobaccos—aged seven years—definitely wakes up the palate. Its dark, sultry Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper delivers a sweet element you'll savor to the last puff. Expect a smoke that starts with a bang and has a long, full-bodied finish. Our panel found Sun Grown to be a complex cigar, clean on the palate with a nice spicy flavor to it and a sweet finish .The medium-to-full-bodied Sun Grown burns well. We smoked it 'till we felt the burn on our lips and there were no harsh or sour notes, reminding us of the elegance found in the old Cubans. Sun Grown earned a solid "90" rating from Cigar Insider and has been named one of the top 50 cigars in the world. A cigar this serious calls for a full tawny port or VSOP cognac to match its prowess.

Pryme Limited Edition Gold 200-X Toro

Only 1500 boxes of the Pryme Limited Edition Gold brand were produced and they've earned a reputation as some of the most exclusive cigars in the marketplace. We're featuring our favorite size from this 4-size brand: the 200-X.The exquisite label speaks to the pride its maker, Alex Bradley, takes in this beauty. Note the beautiful and subtly colorful ring at the head, the gold satin ribbon at the foot and the decorative sleeve between the two. The reason his Pryme Limited Edition Gold cigars are scarce is because their wrapper is. Bradley uses a dark Ecuadorian grown leaf, the Corona leaf. The top leaf of the tobacco plant, typically it doesn't qualify as wrapper because it takes such a beating from the elements. For that same reason, the 10% of the leaf that's usable is hearty and full-flavored. Complemented by a Mexican binder, the Pryme's unusually sturdy wrapper allows for extensive blending underneath—fillers from four countries: Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The tobaccos are selected and reselected based on quality, then fermented and even re-fermented. They're then aged and settled, a process that allows a lot of the harshness and ammonia to escape, leaving pure tobacco flavor. The medium-to-full-bodied Pryme burns slowly and evenly producing a tremendous volume of smoke with great mouthfeel and a long finish. Panel members found the Pryme loaded with rich earthy flavors including spicy, toasty notes and nuances of white pepper.Try with XO Cognac.

Quintero Maduro Robusto

Quintero is the Honduran made version of the famous old Quintero brand from Cuba. Quintero means "tobacco farmers," in honor of those responsible for the tobaccos in this blend. Maduro means "ripe" in Spanish and the Quintero Maduro is everything you always fantasized about—sexy, sultry, smoking! With a dark, rich oily Indonesian wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and long-filler combination of Honduran and Nicaraguan leaves, this well constructed, box-pressed smoke is medium-to-full-bodied. Panel members found the draw loose—not a bad thing; it actually tempered some of the cigar's strength. As you progress, there are creamy notes. Throughout the smoke, the Quintero carries an earthy flavor. By earthly we mean it smells more like fresh cut grass than a mud pie in a sandbox. (Our members may not be familiar with that smell because it's produced by inferior medium- and full-bodied cigars.) The aftertaste is both peppery and sweet, thanks to the superb quality, expertly fermented, dark maduro wrapper. Rated "91" by Cigar Insider, the Quintero is a fuller-bodied cigar with balanced complexity. Pair with a similarly earthy saison-style ale or French biere de garde.

Established 1844 by Camacho Churchill

The Established 1844 Churchill we've selected for you is a smoke that took us by surprise. Looking at the label, we thought—who makes this? Why isn't their name on it? Are they not proud 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 a new panel member who 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 brown-hued, soft, supple chestnut brown maduro wrapper. You can see it's aged—hold it up to the light and roll it to reveal micro-crystals on the wrapper that sparkle a bit like stars.

For you hopheads out there (folks who like their beers VERY hoppy), the unlighted stick gives strong aromatic notes akin to resinous cascade hops, with a slightly spicy edge. It implies a spicy cigar. The smoke opens with a spike in intensity but it's quite mild once you get into it a bit. As the tobaccos begin to warm up and burn evenly, the nearly bitter opening bite mellows and the draw— a bit on the thin side—fattens up. For a Churchill, this is a pretty quick-burning smoke, so plan accordingly—about 45 minutes total burn time. At the start, look for a moderate earthiness, with a rather woody finish and a lemon-like, herbal note. Over time, expect a flavor expansion, including a leathery interlacing with toasty, lightly sweet coffee-like notes developing in the 2nd half. Oh Boy! This one is a smoker—you can practically sky-write with this puppy! Pair with a lighter-bodied iced coffee, preferably lightly sweetened, or a Helles Lager. Either will accentuate some of the latent, sweeter notes that develop late in this cigar.