Past Newsletters - March 2010

Featured Cigar	Shape	Size	Strength	Country	Panel Rating
Arganese Connecticut Robusto	Robusto	5.0 x 50	5.5	Dominican	89
Dominican Estates Lonsdale	Corona Grande	6.5 x 46	5.0	Dominican	88
Graycliff G2 Presidente	Churchill	7.0 x 48	6.0	Nicaraguan	91
Montecristo Media Noche Edmundo	Toro Grande	5.0 x 55	9.0	Dominican	93
Oliveros XL Double Corojo	Figurado	6.0 x 55	8.0	Dominican	90

Arganese Connecticut Robusto

Made from a tasty vintage blend of Dominican long-fillers, a rarely seen Indonesian binder and a beautiful Ecuadorian grown Connecticut shade wrapper, the Arganese Connecticut Robusto is a mild cigar chock full of crisp, nutty flavor. Note how well constructed this cigar is— the cap flows nicely with the rest of the cigar, there are minimal veins and no evident hard or soft spots. Not surprisingly, the draw is good and the burn dead even with no touch ups needed. The wrapper brings a creamy element which complements the blend’s crisp, toasty nuances nicely. Look for notes of wood, lighter notes of leather, mild floral hints and a finish of cream and pepper. This is a good cigar for beginners and great morning cigar for novices and aficionados alike. Enjoy it with a cup of java and the Sunday paper.

Dominican Estates EMS Lonsdale

Dominican Estates Lonsdale is a mild-to-medium bodied handmade from the MATASA factory (as in Manufactura de Tobacos S.A.), home of Manuel Quesada. He’s the famed creator of the 95-rated Casa Magna, time-honored Fonseca blends and other renowned brands. Seasoned veterans of the tobacco industry, the Quesada family entered the business in Cuba as leaf brokers for everything from cigarette tobacco to cigars, becoming one of the major exporters of Cuban tobacco. They also had a presence in the Dominican Republic where they had been trading tobacco for years. In 1960 they were forced into exile, and capitalized on their relationships in the Dominican Republic by transferring their entire business there. Soon, they expanded to cigar manufacturing and today they're well known the world over for their premium offerings and uncompromising commitment to consistency in construction and flavor. Dominican Estates consists of the same, patiently aged Dominican tobaccos as his finer blends and comes in three unique varieties, the English Market Selection (EMS), natural, and maduro, each with a slightly darker wrapper. We’re bringing you the English Market Selection (EMS) which utilizes a seamless Connecticut wrapper and dishes out a smooth, crisp flavor that’s mellow yet enjoyable. Pair this one with your favorite single malt or, if wine is your preference, an oaky chardonnay.

Graycliff G2 Presidente Churchill

Founded by Graycliff Resort owner, Enrico Garzaroli, the Graycliff Cigar Company has achieved fame worldwide for high-end, handcrafted cigars produced in the lush tropical setting of the prestigious Bahamian resort by the same name. The site of the Graycliff Resort was originally a church built in 1666, one of Nassau's first structures and certainly most prominent. Known as the "Pride of the Bahamas," this historic site later served as a fort before becoming home to the 5-star resort it is today. Winston Churchill, Aristotle Onassis, Paul Newman, King Constantine and the Beatles are among the many who have visited over the years.

An enthusiastic cigar aficionado, Garzaroli dreamed of producing truly top-shelf cigars to complement the fine wine and cuisine in his first class restaurants. He partnered with Cuban cigar legend Avelino Lara to create Graycliff Cigar Company. Lara was responsible for Castro's personal smokes and then the Cohiba line. Graycliffs—initially offered as an amenity for guests at the hotel—are handmade in a small area behind the renowned Nassau resort. With an unyielding devotion to superior quality and consistency, Lara oversees the production of each cigar. Only a few hundred are rolled each day, and they're known for exceptional body and flavor without being overly harsh. Because of their focus on quality, they have thrived in spite of entering the premium cigar business in 1998 at the end of the cigar boom. Demand has mushroomed so much that Graycliff has expanded their manufacturing operations to Nicaragua, exporting their exacting standards as well.

Consistently ranked among the finest cigars in the world, Graycliff is among the most prestigious—and expensive—brands on the market today, out of the reach of many of us. Happily, the new G2 has a significantly ‘lighter’ price tag but represents the same standards for quality and care. Note the silky-smooth  Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut wrapper with its oily sheen. It cloaks an exquisitely aged blend of long-fillers from Costa Rica, Nicaragua and the Philippines. Expect nuances of nuts and toast, a pleasant touch of leather and some sweet elements complemented by a unique doughy aroma—spicy but subtle. As it burns, its richness becomes even more evident and the stogie builds from mild to medium in body toward the nub. Complex but sophisticated and well-balanced, the G2 is Graycliff’s ultimate anytime cigar. Panelists complimented its crisp, clean finish with a hint of pepper on the aftertaste. Try it with a smoky single malt scotch—Laphroaig and Lagavulin, for instance.

Montecristo Media Noche Edmundo Robusto Grande

Montecristo stands for quality, flavor, and consistency among both cigar aficionados and the top manufacturers in the world. Not surprisingly, it has become one of the most recognized brands worldwide. From its humble beginnings in the early 20th century through today, the brand has exploded into a variety of line extensions in both Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

"Noche" means "night" in Spanish and Media Noche, one of the more recent releases from Montecristo, is dark. Very dark. The Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper may not be the oiliest leaf on the planet, but roll it between your fingertips and you can feel its soft, silky texture. Packed solidly under the wrapper is a well-aged mixture of hand-selected long-fillers from Nicaragua, Peru and Dominican Republic. Settle in with this full-bodied stogie on a chilly March night and a veritable chimney will fill your palate with thick, chewy smoke that leaves billowy clouds overhead. The burn, somewhat slow, creates a dark grey ash that's strong and a bit flaky. The smoke is leathery in character with toasty notes. A hint of cedar sneaks in just before a sweet, long aftertaste takes center stage. Rich and cool down to the nub, the Media Noche finishes with such a bang suddenly you’re in the full-bodied realm. A full tawny port or V.S.O.P cognac are the only way to match this stogie's prowess.

Oliveros XL Double Corojo Toro Grande

Double the Corojo, double the fun. The XL Double Corojo from Oliveros (aka Oliveros XL for Men) is a complex, slow-burning cigar. It showcases a gorgeous Corojo wrapper. Inside, a perfectly aged blend of Corojo tobaccos is combined with a healthy dose of Nicaraguan ligero. Slow-burning, this fat, oily big boy starts on the mild-to-medium side but gradually builds in strength to become a medium- to-full-bodied smoke. Panelists found it to be surprisingly cool-burning. Look for an array of woody, nutty flavors, a hint of coffee and an unusually smooth, long finish. Leave this one in the humidor for a few months and you’ll be rewarded with an even richer, more complex cigar. Perfect after a full meal with an XO brandy.