Past Newsletters
Vol. 7 No. 3
Featured Cigar Dimensions
| Brand Name: | Shape | Size |
| A. Cuba Aliados Toro Deluxe Maduro | Toro | 6 x 52 |
| B. Don Antonio Pellegrino | Churchill | 7 x 50 |
| C. Don Juan Robusto | Robusto | 5 x 50 |
| D. Leon Jimenes Rothchild | Rothchild | 4 ½ x 50 |
| E. Puros Indios Rothchild | Rothchild | 5 x 50 |
Featured Cigars
The Cuba Aliados line is Honduran-made and produced by the JR Cigar Company. JR Cigar is a leading distributor and retailer of premium cigars. Its retail operations (which account for more than half of revenues) include six specialty cigar stores, three discount outlet stores (all in North Carolina), and a direct-mail catalog. JR is largely owned by the founding Rothman family and known for the flamboyant and outspoken personality of owner Lew Rothman and his highly entertaining catalogue editorials. (Note article this month on Rothman publicly exposing anti-tobacco crusader Congressman Henry Waxman as a cheap hypocrite who doesn’t pay his bills on time!) The Cuba Aliados brand is one of the better produced by JR in our panel’s opinion. We found each sample featured to be extremely well-constructed and packed with flavor. You’re in for a full-bodied experience! Enjoy!
Binder: Dominican/Honduran Olor
Filler: Dominican/Honduran Piloto Cubano Seco
Wrapper: Ecuadorian - Maduro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 8
Panel Rating: 92
Notes from the Panel:
We found Cuba Aliados’ Toro Deluxe to an expertly constructed, very flavorful cigar. Look for a near perfect draw in this rich, oily, full-bodied experience. Note a spicy, rich aroma that follows a nutty, slightly spicy flavor. A fine long white ash indicates the tobacco to be aged properly. We smoke this one all the way down as far as humanly possible without inhaling the entire butt! Overall, tons of smoke, big flavor and completely satisfying. You should also note the re-order box pricing on this cigar is a cheap as you’ll find it anywhere, even directly through JR! Consider pairing this smoke with a full-bodied, dry, roasted Stout.
Don Antonio Pellegrino Churchill
The Don Antonio Pellegrino Reserva Preciada line is handmade in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The line features select Dominican filler and binder leaves that hail from the same tobacco field which have historically yielded leaf for select grower General Tobacco and Davidoff cigars. All Don Antonio Pellegrino cigars feature either U.S.-grown Connecticut Shade or Sumatran-seed Indonesian Colorado Maduro wrappers, Dominican binders and a carefully formulated blend of Piloto Cubano and Olor tobacco. Our panel evaluated several sizes in both wrappers and came up unanimously in favor of the Sumatran Churchill and we know you’re going to enjoy it as well.
Binder: Dominican Republic Olor
Filler: Dominican Republic Piloto Cubano
Wrapper: Sumatran-seed Ecuadorian – CO Maduro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 6
Panel Rating: 90
Notes from the Panel:
Look for a nice golden colored, relatively smooth wrapper with very few veins. This cigar offered an effortless draw and was rolled firmly. We found it to be a medium-approaching full-bodied cigar, with notes of coffee bean, nuts and spice. Halfway through though, its flavor heads more towards woody. Very rich. Overall, a very well made, smooth smoke offering a very tasty blend of tobacco. Consider pairing it with a very light single malt scotch or your favorite Pilsner.
Rated ‘90’ by Cigar Aficionado, you’d think this delicious and high quality handmade could be found in almost any cigar shop. The fact is that Don Juan is a boutique brand that is getting increasingly hard to find. Rolled with a Cuban seed binder from Havana,
Long-filler leaf from the Dominican Republic, silky smooth Connecticut-shade wrapper, and from the hands of master torcedores, Don Juan is a diamond in the rough, and the Robusto is the perfect way to sample this fine brand.
Binder: Dominican Piloto Cubano
Filler: Dominican Republic Piloto Cubano
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade – Claro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 6
Panel Rating: 93
Notes from the Panel:
Immediately note an inviting silky, cream-colored Connecticut Shade wrapper with very few veins begging you to light it. The Don Juan Robusto burned evenly and offered an easy draw. We found the cigar’s flavor to be predominately a cedar woodiness. You’ll note that it’s mild to medium bodied. You might also pick up hints of toast and nuts as well. Look for a definite woody finish in this tasty treat. Overall, well made and great taste. What more do you want? Consider pairing this one with your favorite Pilsner.
Guillermo Leon Herbert's family has been cultivating tobacco for six generations. His grandfather, Don Edwardo Leon Jimenes, founded La Aurora Cigars, located on the outskirts of Santiago, Dominican Republic with little more than a dream. The Leon family began farming tobacco in the late 1880s, and in 1903 Don Edwardo began producing a traditional Dominican cigar -- smooth, sweet, and mild -- for public consumption. Over ninety years later, La Aurora is a giant in the Dominican Republic, producing both the La Aurora and Leon Jimenes lines of cigars, their brew, Presidente (which commands 98% of the Dominican beer market and may be found in select U.S. markets), and their line of machine-made petite cigars. Fernando Leon, Guillermo's father and the master tabacqueriros who developed the Leon Jimenes line in the 1970s, came out of retirement to help his son with their two, new exotic cigars, the Leon Jimenes Torpedo and the Leon Jimenes Crystal, (a perfecto lonsdale in a glass tube). Our panel sampled 4 shapes in the brand and favored the Rothchild which you’ll have a chance to sample this month.
Binder: Dominican Olor
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade - Claro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 5
Panel Rating: 93
Notes from the Panel:
A very well made Dominican cigar that offers a problem-free smoking. We found the construction is perfect and the taste satisfying. Note an unassuming, elegant cigar that burns slow and even. Look for a very mild, almost creamy tobacco taste and a very smooth smoking experience. For those looking for a quick and mild smoke for the morning or early afternoon. Overall, perfectly balanced construction and a superior blend of mild tobaccos. A great mild quick smoke for the morning or early afternoon. It would pair up nicely with a medium-bodied ale, bourbon or blended scotch.
The Puros Indios Cigar Company is, without a doubt, a family affair. Rolando Reyes, Sr., the living legend behind the Puros Indios brand, has been a master cigar maker for over 60 years. He has owned and operated hand-rolling factories in Havana, the Dominican Republic, Miami, New Jersey, as well as in Honduras. Over the past six decades, his vast experience has included jobs in every phase of cigar making including purchasing and processing tobacco, quality control, production supervision, and shipping and handling. You could say Don Rolando knows a bit about tobacco. Born in Cuba, at the age of 14, Rolando began a career in the cigar business. His 30 years of experience in the Cuban cigar industry included working at H.Upmann, Partagas, Romeo y Julieta, as well as other major cigar factories. His own Havana factory was producing over 6 million premium cigars before it was confiscated by the Castro government in the early 60's. Reyes has a rather basic philosophy with respect to his business: "Our goal is that every cigar we make be a perfect cigar in its appearance, the way it burns, and in flavor - A true Work of Art."
The Puros Indios brand is rolled at the Reye’s plantation in Danli, Honduras. The line has received high praise from numerous trade publications, rating from the high 80’s to mid 90’s in Cigar Aficionado. The line as a whole offers a very full, rich cigar smoking experience and is available in a myriad of sizes. Our panel enjoyed all of the Puros Indios samples received and was hard pressed to choose just one to feature this month. The vast experience and family tradition truly emerges in these superb cigars. We know you’ll enjoy them. For more information about the Puros Indios Cigar Company, call 800-992-4427.
Binder: Ecuadorian Olor
Filler: Dominican, Brazilian, Jamaican & Nicaraguan
Wrapper: Ecuadorian - Claro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 7
Panel Rating: 94
We really like these smokes! This cigar is very well crafted, offering an effortless draw, plenty of smoke, and a cool, even burn. Note for an invitingly oily wrapper. Look for a full-flavored smoke loaded with sweet earthy flavors including cocoa, coffee bean and some leathery notes also evident. We found the Rothchild to be rich and full bodied and a bit more spicy than the other Puros Indios cigars sampled. You might also pick up slight coffee flavors and a long, heavenly earthy finish. Take your time to enjoy this full-bodied, complex smoke and pair it up with a Sauvignon Blanc or your preferred Cognac.
Tobacco Crusader Waxman 'Outed' As Closet Smoker
This little ditty was printed in the Trenton Courier-Ledger and reproduced
Verbatim for ya! Good stuff...
SELMA, NC (AP): Lew Rothman, flamboyant president of the popular J.R. Cigar mail order tobacco house, today announced that Congressman Henry Waxman (D,CA) has been a steady customer for years.
"He usually buys a box of cigars about once a month," Rothman said in a telephone interview yesterday. "But he's a real cheapskate. Always buys the ten-dollar-a-box factory seconds, the real stinkeroos. And he never pays on time."
Waxman, as chair of the House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment, had conducted a highly publicized campaign against the tobacco industry last year, which included televised grilling of industry executives. Thomas Bliley (R,PA), a pipe smoker, replaced Waxman as chairman of the committee in the current Congress.
Rothman says that he made the announcement now because "I've had it with that dried-out little creep. He owes me six hundred dollars in unpaid bills, and wants me to write it off. Called me at my home about it. At eleven at night. Woke up LaVonda [Rothman's wife] and the kids."
Rothman stated that Waxman "...said to make [the unpaid balance] a campaign contribution. Like I'd give a nickel to see that humorless little goniff re-elected. I'll send a bushel of Avo pyramids to whoever beats him."
Rothman continued, "I tried to be nice to that little hypocrite, because he is a customer and a Congressman. I even sat still while he put on that monkey trial in Washington. But this is too much. The nerve of the guy!"
Reliable sources at other mail-order cigar retailers confirmed that Waxman had been "a regular buyer, if not a particularly desirable one." Congressman Bliley declined to make a statement for the record, but was overheard to say, "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy."
Congressman Waxman could not be reached for comment.
Ask Murl
Dear Murl,
Is there an appropriate time to stop smoking your cigar? Do you smoke yours down to the nub or leave an inch or so? What’s the etiquette, you mighty fine canine?
Tim Hayes
Irvine, CA
Yo Timmy!
Your name sounds familiar. Are you a baseball player? Rock Star? Or just an average working Joe trying to live up to your mamma’s demanding expectations. No matter. I liked your name, so your question gets answered this month. What can I say, we don’t have a Bingo Master to assist with the selection process, so I have to devise my own methods.
Personally, I like to smoke my favorites until my whiskers begin to singe. One evening, I even tried to find my old College roach clip to savor an exceptional Monte Cristo. I like to enjoy the entire experience of a cigar and note the changes as it picks up speed and builds in flavor at the end of the smoke. But hey, that’s me, a somewhat compulsive pooch that also chews furniture to the bone as well. According to Zino Davidoff, " A smoker of delicacy does not prolong it." There are those who say once the cigar has burned down more than halfway, it is done. Others will smoke a cigar down to the width of your finger. Some cigars definitely lend themselves to being smoked to the nub and others really ought to be extinguished immediately after they’re lit! Like many subjects that revolve around the pastime of smoking, it’s quite subjective and you should keep it burnin’ until you ain’t enjoying it any more. When you do finally put it down, don’t tamp or snuff it out. Simply set it down and let it burn itself out. Hope that sheds some light on it, Timski.
Woof!
Murl.
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Discounted Box Re-orders!
5 Paks Now Available!
Cigar of the Month Society members can take advantage of our volume purchasing and re-order their favorite cigars in box quantities at just over our wholesale costs. Re-order any selection featured in box quantities of 25 cigars or order them in convenient 5 paks! Other cigar shapes and sizes not actually featured, but from a featured brand line may also be re-ordered. Call for pricing.
| Featured Cigar | Box Qty | Box Cost | 5 Pak |
| Cost | |||
| A. Cuba Aliados Toro Deluxe Maduro | 25 | $95.50 | $23 |
| B. Don Antonio Pellegrino | 25 | $110.50 | $27 |
| C. Don Juan Robusto | 20 | $64.50 | $19 |
| D. Leon Jimenes Rothchild | 25 | $105.50 | $25 |
| E. Puros Indios Rothchild | 25 | $87.50 | $21 |
Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery and add $6.95 for S&H for your first box and $2.00 for each additional box. S&H for 5-paks is $4.95 and $1.00 for each additional 5-pak. S&H for International re-orders must be calculated on an individual basis. Prices are subject to change.
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