Featured Cigars

April 2008

Featured Cigar	Shape	Size	Strength	Country	Panel Rating
Fonseca Vintage Robusto	Robusto	5.0 x 50	8.0	Dominican	90
Gurkha Black Puro Churchill	Churchill	7.5 x 52	9.0	Honduras	91
Perdomo 'Lot 23' Belicoso Maduro	Torpedo	5.7 x 54	5.5	Nicaragua	89
Romeo y Julieta Cedro Deluxe	Corona	5.5 x 44	7.0	Dominican	91
T. Mercedes Perfecto #1 Maduro	Perfecto	6.0 x 54	7.0	Dominican	88

Fonseca Vintage Robusto

Enjoy this fine Cuban brand, legally! OK, OK, so calling this a "Cuban brand" may be a tad misleading, but technically, it's the truth—and our lawyers will support us on this—we checked it out. Here's the skinny. Fonseca was originally made in Cuba, and still is (making it a Cuban brand, no?) but for years it has also been hand-rolled by Manolo Quesada in the Dominican Republic. Quesada's great-great grandfather started brokering tobacco leaf in Cuba in the 1880s and, four generations later, Manufactures de Tobacos S. A. (MATASA) produces some of the finest cigars in the world: Fonseca, Romeo and Julieta, Licenciados, Sosa, Casa Blanca, and Jose Benito, among them. From the mid-1880s until 1960, Quesada's great-grandfather, grandfather, father and several generations of uncles brokered tobacco out of Havana and sold it around the world. In the 1930s, one uncle started to buy and resell Dominican tobacco, creating a permanent family foothold on the island of Hispaniola.

By the time Castro came to power, Sobrinos de A. Gonzales (the company founded by Quesada's great-great-grandfather) and Constantino Gonzales (founded by a great-uncle) were the largest tobacco brokers in the world. In April 1960, Quesada's family was forced out of business by the Castro government. So while these cigars are still being made in Cuba, the family that created them has been making them in the Dominican Republic for nearly 50 years now. The Fonseca Vintage Robusto we've sent you consists of Dominican long-filler tobaccos that are aged five years in Tercio bales. Tercio aging is an old-world process (Cuba being the "old world") of packing tobacco in palm bark bales instead of the usual burlap bales. Needless to say Tercio aging is very time consuming and expensive, but this aging process allows the tobacco to retain more of its natural flavor and aroma. Combine this tobacco with a flawless Connecticut-seed, Ecuadorian grown wrapper, and you have an exquisite stick that's mild and smooth with light cedar notes. It opens up on the palate with straightforward natural tobacco flavor and a rich creaminess that's unusual for a Dominican. Grab yourself a good port. We suggest a fitting Portuguese port coincidentally carrying the same name as our cigar here, Fonseca Port.

Gurkha Black Puro Churchill

The Gurkha cigar line is one of the company's more affordable cigars. We wish we could offer members something from their HMR (His Majesty's Reserve) line. At $15,000 a box—the world's most expensive production cigar—you'll understand why we don't. HMRs are that expensive because they're enhanced with Louis XIII cognac which sells for about $1,500 a bottle. Obviously, our Gurkha offering isn't in the same league price-wise but the Gurkha Black does benefit from the same standards for quality and flavor. This hand-made Dominican puro consists of tobacco grown in the fertile Cibao Valley and is graced by a luscious, chewy, 5-year-old jet-black maduro wrapper that glistens with oil. When you unwrap the Black Puro, the aroma of pure tobacco—not to mention cognac—is pervasive. The stick's construction is perfect. Expect a rich burst of mocha to start followed by toasty, coffee bean flavors (with a hint of chocolate) that culminates in a pleasantly light finish. The burn is even, the ash firm and the slow-burning cigar produces thick clouds of velvety smoke. This medium- to full-bodied beast is an after dinner smoke—preferably after a big steak dinner. Enjoy it with your best cognac even if it's not Louis XIII.

Lot 23' Belicoso Maduro Torpedo

We can't talk about the maduro-wrapped version of Lot 23 without first talking about the traditional Perdomo Lot 23. The brand refers to a field of special tobaccos cultivated in 2000 when Nick Perdomo planted an experimental crop on a virgin field in Nicaragua which he dubbed Lot 23. This field produced a very small crop of tobaccos. Six years later they were carefully blended to create a unique Nicaraguan puro. On the traditional Lot 23, the wrapper is a Connecticut-seed leaf. Innovator and master blender that he is, Perdomo selected a beautiful Broadleaf Maduro—glistening with oils and toothy in texture to wrap the special tobaccos of Lot 23. We were impressed by the draw—especially through such a small opening, which speaks volumes about the construction of the Lot 23. You're in for a super-smooth, medium-bodied smoking experience brimming with enjoyable hints of espresso, chocolate and nuts. The reasonable price makes Lot 23 among the finest, everyday super-premiums on the market. This cigar is bold enough to go up against a double espresso, yet sweet enough to complement a robust porter. Enjoy!

Romeo y Julieta Cedro Deluxe Corona

Packaging doesn't always reflect the quality of a cigar but in the case of the Cedros Deluxe #2, you won't be disappointed. The quality of the smoke is reflected in the luxurious packaging with its thin cedar sleeve and its extra gold band at the foot. The legendary Romeo y Julieta brand lives up to its Cuban heritage. A Cameroon wrapper cloaks a blend of Dominican and Honduran long-fillers in this medium-bodied stogie. This bold blend promotes a robust and smooth smoking experience full of deep, rich flavors and that pleasant aroma that is so characteristic of Romeo Y Julieta smokes. Its exceptional construction is noteworthy and makes for an even, effortless draw. Overall, we found this cigar to be consistently well made. It is rolled with ample tobacco yet burns perfectly. Consistent with the rest of the Dominican Romeo y Julieta line, both the taste and the aroma of this complex blend are smooth and creamy. Look for earthy tones and a somewhat sweet herbal quality. This is a great evening smoke. Pair it with Oban or Lagavulin or your favorite single malt scotch.

T. Mercedes Perfecto #1 Maduro

T. Mercedes hails from the Dominican Republic. The blend is composed of a combination of Piloto Cubano Dominican long-fillers grown in the Cibao Valley, a region renowned for growing the country's finest and most flavorful tobaccos. Cloaked in a dark, toothy Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper, this mild- to medium-bodied stogie is handcrafted into its impressive perfecto shape. The stick burns well. We found it toasty, woody and smooth—no harsh spots at all—with surprising body and a touch of fullness. Look for peppery, spicy flavors that morph into a wonderful buttery flavor halfway through. (The wrapper has lot do with that.) Panelists concur this smoke is a great value—better than many more expensive Perfectos we've tried. A stout or robust porter makes a great pairing for this cigar.