Featured Cigars

August 2007

Featured Cigar	Shape	Size	Strength	Country	Panel Rating
CAO Black Limited Edition Frontier	Churchill	7 x 50	7.5	Honduras	93
Cienfuegos Piramide	Pyramid	6.75 x 64	9.0	Honduras	92
Ovation Cameroon Baron	Robusto	5.1 x 54	7.5	Honduras	92
Padilla Limitado Achilles	Toro	6 x 50	8.5	Nicaragua	93
Torano Signature Toro	Toro	6 x 50	8.0	Honduras	91

CAO Black Ltd. Edition Frontier Churchill

No, the "Black" in "CAO Black" wasn't chosen to mourn the demise of HBO's "The Sopranos" this season although we're wagering CAO International, Inc. will miss what's been called the greatest show in television history as much as we will. CAO's cigars were featured in the T.V. show beginning in 2001. In fact, the honor inspired a CAO line called "The Sopranos" with sticks titled "Associate," "Soldier" and "Boss". CAO Black has been around a while—in 2005 it received a perfect 10 out of 10 rating from Cigar Buyer Magazine—but available at so few retailers it has always been a rare find. Founded in 1973 by Cano A. Ozgener, CAO pulled out all the stops for this exclusive small-batch limited edition. Many say it's the crown jewel of one of Honduras' top manufactures of premium cigars.

Talk about a presentation that's first class! Each cigar is individually draped in cedar with a red, gold and black ring and a black band at the foot. Equally stunning in its construction, the CAO Black features a Connecticut-Ecuador wrapper, a Habano-seed Nicaraguan binder and a blend of aged top-tier tobaccos from Nicaragua, Honduras and Mexico. The medium-bodied smoke offers such an abundance of complex flavors, there's something for everyone: nuttiness, earthiness, hints of leather and cinnamon, creamy spice flavors and a subtle hint of vanilla. Booming out big, creamy smoke rings, it burns perfectly. After the first third, the Black mellows nicely while maintaining its smooth, woodsy flavor. The finish is incredibly clean, leaving only a slight, lingering and pleasing peppery taste on the palate. The CAO Black definitely warrants your finest single malt scotch so break out the Lagavulin or Oban and set aside a good hour to enjoy this one.

Cienfuegos Piramide

Cienfuegos is by far the best value the boutique Puros Indios Cigar Company has ever introduced. They're made under the supervision of Rolando Reyes Sr., the man who created two of the most popular and highly-rated Honduran cigars made today, the Puros Indios and the Cuba Aliados. Reyes—who has owned and operated hand-rolling factories in Havana, the Dominican Republic, Miami and New Jersey, as well as in Honduras—is a living legend in the world of premium cigars.

Cienfuegos means "100 Fires" and the moniker is fitting—the cigar is ablaze with hearty, robust flavors. Cultivated in 1999, the Ecuadorian-grown Habana 2000 wrapper boasts some serious age. It cloaks a robust blend of Dominican long-leaf fillers and a Nicaraguan binder. The combination yields a full-flavored smoke with roasted coffee and cocoa flavors and finishes with spicy, peppery notes. The aroma is luxurious. Though well-balanced and smooth, this stick has so much character, it's best appreciated by the experienced smoker. Consider pairing it with a 10-year or older vintage dark rum, lightly chilled.

Ovation Cameroon Baron Robusto

Alec Bradley, one of the preeminent up-and-coming cigar makers, has established a strong portfolio of brands. His latest, the Ovation line, takes the blends and company's reputation to a new level. It's an expansion of his instant-hit Trilogy series—the series is a step up in strength from Trilogy and offers a bolder, heartier and richer blend of premium, aged tobaccos. This month we've selected the wide-bodied Cameroon Baron for your enjoyment and appreciation!

Note the silky, sultry Cameroon wrapper on this solidly constructed beauty. It begs to be lit—so light it we did (a tough job but someone's got to do it!) We found the burn to be nice and even, producing booming clouds of cool smoke and an attractive silver-white ash. Mild spicy notes prevailed along with that delicious, slightly sweet Cameroon flavor. The finish smacked of nuts and wood. Overall, this is a complex, rich tasting medium-bodied cigar—offering plenty of everything you'd want! Consider pairing it up with a full-bodied dry roasted Stout.

Padilla Limitado Achilles Toro

We're pleased to bring you another limited edition—the small-batch Padilla Achilles. Made in the factory of Don "Pepin" Garcia in 2006, only 60,000 were produced. Members are no doubt familiar with Don "Pepin," the maker of Tatuaje and other Padilla lines including the Padilla Miami and Padilla 1932. Padilla Achilles is a full-bodied cigar crafted with a café-colored Corojo wrapper and densely packed with Cuban-seed tobaccos from the fertile soils of Nicaragua. This choice, dark brown leaf is smooth as silk and super leathery in appearance. The smoke is characterized by a burst of creamy flavors, followed by more intense cedary flavors. A spicy aftertaste—with just a hint of pepper—mellows halfway through when sweet cedar coats the palate, draw after draw. Try with an oak-heavy XO cognac.

Torano Signature Toro

Producing Dominican, Honduran and Ecuadorian lines, Carlos Toraño has long been a well-respected name in the tobacco industry. Toranos are made of the finest Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, Mexican and Honduran binders, as well as aged Connecticut seed wrappers, hand-crafted under the supervision of Cuban tobacco masters. Each cigar represents four generations of family tradition that began in 1916, shortly after Don Santiago Toraño arrived in Cuba from his native Spain. In the mid 1960's, his son Carlos made a significant contribution to the industry when he introduced the concept of growing Cuban seed tobacco plants ("Piloto Cubano" seed) to the Dominican Republic.

The Signature Selection is a medium-to-full-bodied Dominican beauty, rolled with a Sun-Grown Brazilian Maduro wrapper. Close your eyes, take a whiff and you're transported to your favorite coffee shop or European café. Panelists found no soft spots in this even, slow burning, expertly crafted cigar. Both the binder and filler are Piloto Cubano. Together with the toothy wrapper, they make for a rich, robust flavor—roasted coffee and cocoa with hints of leather and spice. The finish is sweet and woody and leaves no harsh aftertaste on the palate. Complement your Signature Selection with Bailey's, Kahlua or your favorite coffee liquor.