Past Newsletters - December 2009

Featured Cigar	Shape	Size	Strength	Country	Panel Rating
De Grisogono Torpedo	Torpedo	6.0 x 52	5.0	Dominican	91
Gran Habano 3 Siglos Robusto	Robusto	5.0 x 52	9.0	Honduran	89
K Hansotia Sherpa Toro	Toro	6.0 x 50	7.0	Nicaraguan	88
Nica Libre Exclusivo Robusto  Grande	Robusto Grande	5.5 x 50	7.5	Nicaraguan	90
Tabak Especial by Drew Estate Café Con Leche Belicoso	Belicoso	5.5 x 54	7.0	Nicaraguan	91

De Grisogono Torpedo

The de Grisogono brand is an ultra-premium cigar made strictly for the European market by high-end cigar master, Felipe Gregorio. Our panel feels he deserves more attention from the wider consumer audience than he has received—which is why this is the third of his stogies we've featured recently. Felipe Gregoriomakes some solid blends that continually get better—Felipe Power, Pelo de Oro, and the Petrus Reposado. His cigars are highly popular in Europe despite outrageous retail prices of $12 or more each where his blends rival Davidoff and the best Cuba has to offer.

To create this handmade, Felipe chose some of the Dominican Republic's finest Cuban-seed tobaccos, cultivated in the famed Cibao Valley. After an extensive aging process, his choice, hand-selected tobaccos are wrapped in a true, top-grade Connecticut Shade wrapper. The result is a mild-bodied, but sophisticated bouquet of creamy, cedary flavors culminating in a crisp, elegant finish. Here’s your chance to experience a rare treat from Felipe Gregorio, one that Europeans have been enjoying for years. Consider complementing it with a red Bordeaux or Burgundy.

Gran Habano 3 Siglos Robusto

Over the years, Guillermo Rico has been a grower, a leaf broker and such an accomplished catador (cigar taster) that, reportedly, he can discern five different leaves in a single blend. Born to a family of tobacco growers in Cubita, Columbia, he and his son George own GR Tabacaleras Unidas and the Gran Habano line of cigars. In 1966, they established their Danli, Honduras factory, La Perla Hondureña, initially producing cigars for Alec Bradley and other top labels. Given their experience and knowledge, inevitably, they started their own brands. They now also have farms in Columbia, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Not surprisingly, the Ricos take great pride in both their process and products. They select the best Habano and Corojo seeds. Then they use the traditional entubar method of rolling—a method that assures each leaf burns at the same rate—and one long given up by most manufacturers as too labor intensive. Each leaf is rolled into tubes as the filler leaves are assembled, providing consistent paths for the smoke and air to travel straight though the filler. They invariably finish all their cigars with triple caps before draw testing them for quality control.

The substantial Siglos received a sterling 91 point rating when it was unveiled in 2006. Its filler contains three types of ligero from three different countries—Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Columbia. The binder is a Nicaraguan Habano leaf and the wrapper, a deliciously oily Nicaraguan Corojo Shade Grown. As is typical of Cuban style cigars, the flattened cap is almost as level as the foot. The draw is easy. Look for a musty earthiness initially followed by leathery, sweet cherry-like nuances. At the end of the cigar, the flavor is at its height: peppery and spicy with a powerful finish. Our panel suggests allotting a good 90 minutes to smoke this granddaddy. Trust there's enough complexity and idiosyncrasy in this powerful smoke to keep your palate interested throughout. Enjoy it with small batch bourbon such as Maker's Mark or Knob Creek.

K Hansotia Sherpa Toro

Kaizad Hansotia is known as the master blender behind the Gurkha brand. In addition to being known for his mastery of fine tobacco blending, he’s know for his creativity in developing attractive packaging for his cigars. One other claim to fame—he makes the most expensive cigar in the world: His Majesty's Reserve. This cigar retails for an astonishing $14,995 per box of 20. That's $750 smackers a stick! The reason it's that expensive? Well, in our opinion, there's no real reason for a cigar to be that expensive, but their rationale is the fact that they infuse an entire bottle of Louis XIII cognac into each batch! Needless to say, club members won’t be seeing a $750 stogie. Instead we’re bringing you a great cigar from the same maker that you can afford to enjoy daily!

The K. Hansotia Sherpa Toro is a great smoke without the Ferrari price tag. Actually the Sherpa is a collaboration with Carlos Torano—the genius behind the award-winning Exodus 1959. The meticulous construction and superior tobaccos that comprise the new Sherpa brand attest to its quality. Draped in a warm, chocolate, lightly-veined, perfectly oiled, Brazilian wrapper, the pre-light aroma is wonderful. The Sherpa blend consists of select long-leaf Cuban-seed Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. Densely packed and slow burning, the medium-bodied Sherpa is a smooth, toasty cigar. After an easy light, look for a creamy, buttery texture and medley of subtle flavors including cedar, nuts and a hint of spice—all infused with grassy notes. A hoppy Pale Ale or robust Porter will go well with your Sherpa.

Nica Libre Exclusivo Robusto Grande

In these recessionary times, we’re bringing you an elegant experience at a reasonable—if not pauper’s—price so this one may be at the top of your reorder list. Padron fans, Oliva fans and Rocky Patel fans, in particular, are going to like this less expensive alternative which has many of the same flavors. Hand-crafted in Nicaragua, the Nica Libre is a box-pressed beauty that’s an amazing everyday value. Inside the thick and toothy, chocolate brown San Andres Maduro wrapper from Mexico is a select blend of aged, black, Cuban-seed long-fillers, secured with a Habano binder. A sharply box-pressed frame helps deliver the smoke in a dense, concentrated format optimizing the bold blends nicely while keeping the smoke cool and refined. The construction here is noteworthy – densely packed, with a crisp, slow burn and an ideal draw. The Nicaraguan long-fillers create a nice white ash that holds strong for almost two inches. Expect a classic Maduro experience: rich, hearty, and silky smooth. During a slow burn, this medium bodied stogie delivers deep notes of coffee and earth and finishes with a bold, somewhat peppery, aftertaste that lingers long on the palate. Look for a hint of dark chocolate, too, in a flavor profile that almost migrates to the full-bodied realm. The Libre is an all around winner, head to foot, snip to nub. Pair it with a fruit brandy such as Applejack or Calvados.

Tabak Especial by Drew Estate Café Con Leche Belicoso

Those of you who think you don’t like infused cigars are going to be in for a big surprise when you try the limited production Tabak Especial Café con Leche. The key to this great stogie is that it utilizes not one but two premium wrappers. Together, they deliver a wealth of aromas and nuanced flavors and create a complex, satisfying medium-bodied smoke. Both the foot and head of the cigar are wrapped with a dark Connecticut Broadleaf maduro, while the center of the cigar utilizes a silky, shade-grown Connecticut leaf. Drew Estate is known for beautiful bands and this stick wears two of them well. The pre-light aromas of strong cocoa and coffee are inviting. Note its incredible construction—no soft spots, no unwrapping.

The light body of the Tabak Especial is infused with hints of chocolate, spice and light creamy coffee. It’s packed fully and loosely with medium-colored filler tobacco. Panelists found the Café con Leche lit up quickly and easily. Not surprisingly, the flavor profile is very sweet. You are immediately jettisoned into a whirlwind of dark chocolate, mixed with rich, espresso-like coffee. The Especial produces volumes of very dark, thick smoke that smells so good one panelist predicted, “Even non-smokers are going to be drawn to it!”  Look for the cigar to become increasingly sweet after the first few puffs but with a sweetness that won’t overpower. The burn is perfect—all the way through. The Tabak never had to be touched up. As you get to the lighter shaded body of the stick, the taste evens out—still sweet but increasingly well balanced and smooth. Towards the nub of the smoke, the chocolate-espresso bean taste increases in strength as does a pure tobacco taste making for a memorable finish. To describe this cigar as complex is an understatement. We think even those who think they don’t like infused cigars are in for a pleasant—and delicious—surprise. Try it with cognac and soda over ice (2-oz. liquor, 5-oz. soda ought to do it).