Past Newsletters
Vol. 7 No. 8
Featured Cigar Dimensions
| Brand Name: | Shape | Size |
| A. Canaria D'Oro Supremo | Double Corona | 7 x 45 |
| B. La Gloria Cubana - Maduro | Churchill | 7 x 50 |
| C. Macanudo Cabinet Vintage 1993 #4 | Rothchild | 4.5 x 47 |
| D. Micubano | Toro | 6 x 50 |
| E. Fighting Cock Chuck | Torpedo | 6 x 54 |
Featured Cigars
Canaria D’Oro Supremo Doulb eCorona
The Canaria D'Oro line is crafted by hand in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The entire line offers a deep, full flavored smoke, largely attributed to rich wrappers used which are selected from the darkest, richest leaves grown in the rich San Andres farmlands of Mexico. If you don’t already know it, Mexican wrapper tobacco is used in numerous Dominican, Nicaraguan and Honduran-produced cigar lines and is considered to be some of the best wrapper leaf in the world. You’re about to see why firsthand this month as we feature one of the more consistently full-flavored, yet mellow cigar lines we’ve had the pleasure to evaluate.
Crafted by hand in limited quantities for a limited market of cigar smokers who prefer them to other premium cigars, Canaria D’Oro cigars are made in the Dominican Republic. The cigars are made in seven sizes ranging from the Supremo featured this month to a Baby measuring 4 1/8" x 36 ring gauge.
There is a considerable difference between the Colorado-Claro colored Supremo and the line’s Maduro Rothchild. Although all unique, they share the same quality of being both complex, full-flavored cigars, that offer a mellow, non overpowering smoke which is truly a pleasurable experience. We’re exceptionally pleased with our ability to pull this month’s selection together for you and know that you won’t be disappointed.
Binder: Dominican Olor
Filler: Dominican & Mexican Piloto Cubano
Wrapper: Mexican - Colorado Claro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 6
Panel Rating: 89
Notes from the Panel:
This is a solid little Dominican cigar line. We very much enjoyed each Canaria D’Oro cigar sampled and found the Supremo to be one of our favorites. Immediately note a nice oily sheen on this very appealing wrapper. Look for an excellent draw on this well made cigar. We found it to offer a spicy, slightly sweet and creaminess the finished on a cedary note. The Mexican tobaccos dominate the blend which works very well. Lots of aroma. Overall, a great little, medium-bodied, flavorful smoke. Consider pairing this one with a small batch bourbon or your favorite cognac.
La Gloria Cubana Maduro Churchill
La Gloria Cubana is a medium-bodied brand of absolutely exquisite quality made both in the El Credito factory in Miami, Florida (primarily for local sale only) and in a new facility in Villa Gonzalez, Dominican Republic. Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, the owner of El Credito Cigars, moved primary production to the Dominican Republic in 1997. The move effectively quintupled the company's 1996 production within two years and significantly reduced its steady growth of back orders.
The new site is adjacent to El Credito's existing factory in the Villa Gonzalez free trade zone near Santiago. The 32,000-square-foot space is being utilized as a combination tobacco warehouse and cigar school. Presently, tobacco is stored and rollers are trained in the original Dominican plant, which is 31,000 square feet. Moving the tobacco next door allowed Carrillo to increase the number of cigar makers at the older plant to 300 from 180.
La Gloria is rolled from complex blend of Brazilian, Ecuadorian, Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos. Rated as high as 93 by the Cigar Aficionado magazine, the brand has a solid reputation and has been reviewed as “bursting with strong, rich tobacco aromas and flavors”, and “has an even draw and a straightforward, spicy character”. We loved the maduro Churchill and know that you will as well!
Binder: Ecuadorian Piloto Cubano
Filler: Brazilian, Dominican, & Nicaraguan
Wrapper: U.S.A. Connecticut Broadleaf – Maduro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 6
Panel Rating: 93
Notes from the Panel:
This is a consistently well-made cigar. We found the construction impeccable. Nice oily brownish-black appealing wrapper. Rolled firmly with plenty of tobacco, yet still offering a pleasing draw and plenty of smoke volume. Note a trace of cedar in this earthy somewhat sweet cigar. Look for big full rich spicy flavors and a smooth well rounded tobacco taste. We found the finish to offer a slightly sweet non-lingering to be pleasantly non-lingering. Overall, a great cigar. The flavor remained full and smooth from start to finish. We loved it. Consider pairing it with your favorite roasted Porter.
Macanudo Cabinet Vintage 1993 #4 Rothchild
The meaning of "macanudo" in Spanish is "best of the best," or "first-rate." This definition is appropriate for the General Cigar line of the same name. The Macanudo Vintage Cabinet Selection line goes quite a bit beyond the brands normally high standards. The cigar makers at Macanudo look for the very best tobacco for the Vintage Cabinet line. In the world of Macanudo cigars, a vintage year comes along only when a harvest yields small quantities of filler, binder and wrapper leaves whose qualities are superior. Those quantities, which total less than one in one thousand leaves, are then set aside for a given year's Macanudo Vintage Cabinet Selection.
The cigar makers' standards are so high that the Macanudo Vintage Cabinet line has only been produced four times; 1979, 1984, 1988 and 1993. General produced approximately 50,000 cigars of the 1979 vintage; 125,000 cigars of the 1984 vintage; 400,000 cigars of the 1988 vintage; slightly over 1 million cigars of 1993 vintage.
The filler is from the Dominican Republic and Mexico. The binder is San Andreas Valley, Mexico tobacco chosen for tensile strength, flavor, and long, slow, even burning characteristics. The wrapper is a Connecticut Shade, grown from Havana-seed in the sandy, fertile soil of the Connecticut River Valley; the wrapper is from the 1993 tobacco crop. Cifuentes y Cia, Ltd. in Jamaica manufactures the Macanudo Vintage Cabinet Selection. The Macanudo Cabinet Vintage Series comes very highly rated and the # 4 featured this month generally retails at $10.50 a stick! Enjoy!
Binder: Mexican Olor
Filler: Dominican Republic & Mexico Seco & Ligero
Wrapper: Connecticut – CO Maduro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 4.5
Panel Rating: 96
Notes from the Panel:
We found the # 4 to be very well constructed with nice double caps and no significant flaws in the natural wrapper leaves. Each had adequate density for their size and felt good in the hand. Expectations were for a trouble-free smoke and that's what was delivered. Look for an even burn throughout the smoke, yielding a solid, light gray conical ash. The draw was near perfect, resulting in a cool smoke throughout. The entire smoke was just as it should be; neat, clean, and maintenance free. Note a very pleasing flavor with hints of cinnamon and spice. Flavors and aromas emerged that were reminiscent of creamed coffee and white oak. The flavor and balance was impeccable. Overall, this is an excellent cigar. Generally, many cigars become very objectionable once they burn down below an inch or so. This one actually got more flavorful, with the full sweetness coming out more. Smoke it with a full tawny Port.
Cultivated and owned by the same group responsible for producing the Dunhill, Royal Jamaica and Montecruz brands, MiCubano is a solid Nicaraguan Puro that comes to the table with a full body and tons of big bold flavor. The brand is one of few that can boast of being made entirely of Cuban-seed tobacco. Hand-rolled from Nicaraguan long-filler and binder, it delivers on a rich, uninhibited, full-bodied taste. The dark and oily wrapper provides an exceptionally flavorful smoke with a sweet, fruity character.
Binder: Nicaraguan Piloto Cubano
Filler: Nicaraguan Piloto Cubano Olor
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Piloto Cubano – Colorado Maduro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 7.5
Panel Rating: 91
Notes from the Panel:
Our panel’s comments echoed those printed in SMOKE Magazine: "The Micubano received adamant reviews...A majority of our panel's sentiments spoke of the MiCubano's lively, full-bodied flavor, which a few mistakenly identified as being Cuban in origin. Spices, nuts, chocolate, and cinnamon, with a predominant earthy texture were just some of the favorable flavors this smoke brought to our panelists' palettes, proving the MiCubano is clearly a cigar with a winning blend of tobacco. If you get a batch with a good roll, you've got a damn fine cigar on your hands. Recommended.
The Fighting Cock Chuck Torpedo
Cock fighting is a sport in The Philippines that captures the complex spirit of the native Filipino like no other. And as the cigars distributed by the Splendid Seed Tobacco Company are all hand rolled in Manila, they found it appropriate to name this month’s featured cigar after the sport. The Fighting Cock brand features a sun-grown Javan wrapper imported from Indonesia, while its wrappers and binders are constructed from Philippines Isabela Superior Fina tobacco. Each cigar in the line is named for an actual champion rooster: Texas Red (square); Sidewinder (pyramid); Smokin' Lulu (perfecto); Rooster Arturo (robusto); Chuck (Torpedo) and C.O.D. (churchill): each vanquished a total of 7 rival cocks during the Super Derby, held annually in the world's largest cockpit, Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila. The cigars are packed in 25-count blonde Narra boxes that are sanded and varnished to a vanilla-like glow. These boxes are individually handcrafted and finished in Pampanga province, some 100 km from Manila. The cigars are wrapped in the famous Filipino Ikat cloth and each textile was designed and hand-woven exclusively for Fighting Cock.
Binder: Philippines Isabela Superior Fina
Filler: Philippines Isabela Superior Fina
Wrapper: Indonesia/Java - Colorado Claro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 6
Panel Rating: 91
This very well constructed cigar was wrapped to just the right firmness and offered a nearly perfect draw. We found the Chuck to have a wonderful, medium-to-full-bodied, complex tobacco taste. It was obviously properly aged. Look for a complex aroma with some strong spicy and cedar notes. Its well-balanced flavor was slightly fuller-bodied than the other cigars featured in this line. Look for a mild finish with no harsh aftertaste whatsoever. Consider pairing this one with a fine single malt scotch or brandy.
Ask Murl
Dear Murl,
I’ve never seen a roller make a cigar, but I can image how the process works. I was kicking back with some of the guys from my Naked Wake Boarding Club the other day and, being the aeronautical engineer that I am, started wondering just how they get the wrapper leaf to stay in place when it’s placed around the filler tobacco. Obviously the guy doesn’t lick it like you’re rolling your own smokes? Or does he?! Enlighten me o great Habana Hound. Thanks!
Mike Meekins
Santa Rosa, CA
Yo Meekins!
Before I answer your question, I’ve just gotta know if there is any coincidence to the fact that you were contemplating how a cigar is made when you were sitting around with your aerospace pals naked. You did say you were naked, right? That’s cool man. Are there any girls in the naked wake board club?
Ya know, just before I lit a cigar, I used to fantasize about the legends of supple Latin virgins rolling that same smoke on their thighs in small, hot, humid grass hut somewhere in the Jalapa Valley. Indulge me. This doesn’t get too pornographic. In my fantasy, Isabella (I gave her a name), either didn’t need to moisten the cigar ‘cause she was sweatin’ pretty good, or she moistened it every so gently with her mouth before handing it too me. Are you with me? Got an image going? Well wipe that image from your brainpan, man ‘cause the reality of the matter is that some wiry old man with long fingernails, a funny little dirty straw hat and a cigar that’s been chewed for several days hanging out of his mouth most likely rolled most of the cigars that you and I have enjoyed over the years. He’s not licking them, as you eluded. And, thank God, he ain’t rolling them on his thighs either.
After the tobacco bunch is left in the mold for about 30 minutes, its taken out and the roller places the bunch on the wrapper leaf, It is then quickly and precisely trimmed with the chaveta, the roller's knife. The bunch is then rolled from the foot to the head, and the cap for the cigar is secured with vegetable resin from the tragycanth plant-the resin is odorless, tasteless, and dries quickly. The roller then trims the cigar to the correct length with a tuck cutter. So worry not, naked space boy ‘cause you’re not swapping spit with any rollers when you light up!
Woof!
Murl.
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