Past Newsletters
Vol. 8 No. 1
Featured Cigar Dimensions
| Brand Name | Shape | Size |
| A. La Tradicion Cabinet Series | Churchill | 7 x 50 |
| B. Mayorga Maduro | Robusto | 4 ¾ x 50 |
| C. Montero by Davidoff - Maduro | Toro | 6 x 50 |
| D. Premium Dominicana #50 | Corona Extra | 6 ¾ x 48 |
| E. Purofino Piramide Gold | Piramide | 6.5 x 26/54 |
Featured Cigars
La Tradicion Cabinet Series Churchill
Nicholas Perdomo Jr., president of Nick's Cigar Company, is a third generation cigar-maker. His grandfather was in the business in Cuba, and his father, Nick Sr. has worked in the cigar industry in both Cuba and the United States. Nick Jr. was born in the United States shortly after his family fled from Cuba after the revolution in 1961. Nick Sr. worked for numerous cigar companies and in other industries until the early 1970s when the family moved to Miami and Nick Sr. returned to the cigar industry full time. Originally all of Nick’s cigars were made in Florida, but due to the high labor cost, most of the cigar rolling is now done in their own family run factory in Nicaragua under the watchful eye of Nick's father, Senor Perdomo.
The red Rosado wrappers featured in the La Tradicion line, which Perdomo reports some consumers find reminiscent of cigars produced in Cuba decades ago, are harvested from very near the tops of tobacco plants grown in Ecuador. These are leaves which get more sun and which contain a relatively high content of sugar and starch, thus imparting an oily sheen to he surface of the cigar and a flavorful, even born to the smoking experience. The line was later extended again to include 4-yr. Aged Ecuadorian maduro wrappers as well. The La Tradicion Cabinet Series is a medium-to-full bodied line available in Natural, Rosado, and Maduro wrappers. You’re gonna want more of this one!
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Dominican/Honduran/Nicaraguan Piloto Cubano
Wrapper: Ecuadorian-Rosado
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 7
Panel Rating: 95
Notes from the Panel:
We first featured the La Tradicion line in 1998 and received more reorders for the torpedo version of this line than any cigar we’d ever featured! Get ready for a delightful experience as the Churchill is every bit as good. Again we found it to be an exceptionally well-crafted cigar. Like the torpedo, it begins mild, and builds steadily in strength as you smoke. Look for a pleasant distinct cedar aroma and plenty of smoke volume. We found that the sweet mouthwatering flavor of the Nicaraguan tobacco really asserts itself in this cigar. You should get plenty of cedar and some spiciness and a touch of sweetness we’d attribute to the Ecuadorian Rosado wrapper. Overall, a fantastic cigar. Rich, packed with flavor, and medium-bodied. This line is easily, one of the lines we’ve had the pleasure of rating. Consider pairing it with your favorite single malt scotch, a pinot noir or full-bodied Merlot.
Prepare yourself for a treat. The Mayorga Cigar line was created by Master blender, Carlos Mayorga when he and his brother, Martin, founded the relatively small Cigar manufacturing company less than five years ago. The Nicaraguan-born brothers oversee operations at the plantation which is located in Esteli, in the famed Jalapa Valley just fours hours north of Nicaragua’s capitol, Managua. The plantation employs 60 rollers and manufactures only 300,000 cigars per month.
The cigar line was introduced to the United States 5 years ago when it was one of only 12 cigars offered for sale at each of the five Grand Havana Rooms, one of the more highly exclusive cigar clubs in the country. Extended aging in Spanish cedar-lined rooms provides a perfect balance of flavor and consistency in this complex cigar line. The Sumatran Seed Indonesian wrapper gives this line a unique slightly sweet spiciness.
Binder: Nicaraguan Piloto Cubano
Filler: Nicaraguan Ligero & Seca
Wrapper: Costa Rican Broadleaf - Maduro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 8
Panel Rating: 92
Notes from the Panel:
This cigar’s dark, rich, oily wrapper commands your attention immediately. We found it to be expertly rolled, quite firm with no soft spots. Note a near-perfect draw and extended, consistent white ash demonstrating that no young tobacco was used to produce this cigar. It was definitely properly aged. We found it to be a very relaxing smoke with overtones of complex spiciness and a hint of sweetness on the tongue. It’s a full-to-medium-bodied smoke with a creamy, rich body. Consider this cigar before dinner with either your favorite single malt scotch or brandy.
Introduced in 1995, the Montero cigar line, manufactured by Davidoff of Geneva, is rolled from a blend of long filler Dominican binder and filler tobaccos a Connecticut-seed wrapper from Ecuador.
All Davidoff cigars maintain well-defined standards of quality and excellence. The tobaccos that are used in the different blends have been cultivated in accordance with the most ancient traditions, in the richest soils and ideal climatic conditions of carefully selected fields. The choicest leaves from various harvests undergo four years of aging, which imparts to Davidoff cigars their rich aroma and consistently smooth taste. All Davidoff cigars are handmade in the Dominican Republic, where for over five centuries this art has been passed on from generation to generation.
Binder: Dominican Olor
Filler: Dominican Seca & Ligero
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Piloto Cubano – Maduro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 6
Panel Rating: 88
Notes from the Panel:
Immediately note a slightly oily rustic wrapper that we found very inviting. It should come as no surprise that the Montero samples we evaluated were all well constructed considering they are manufactured by Davidoff. We found it to have a light herbal character to it and a creamy finish. It builds as you get into it to a pleasant slightly sweet, rich tobacco tastes. Overall, we enjoyed the taste very much. Very well made. Try this one with Ron Anejo’s Pampero Anivesario Rum.
Premium Dominicana #50 Corona Extra
An all-consuming passion for cigars is the unsurpassed characteristic of Carlos Fuente, Sr. and Carlos Fuente, Jr., Chairman and President, respectively, of the Dominican Republic based Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia., manufacturers of internationally renowned Arturo Fuente handmade cigars, the Fuente Fuente Opus X brand as well as the Premium Dominicana line featured this month.
The Premium Dominicana line, one of the Fuente Family’s newest editions, has received high marks from Cigar Aficionado, Smoke Magazine and numerous other industry publications. It is handmade in Santiago, Dominican Republic and in addition to the corona extra featured this month, is available in a corona, churchill, double corona, lonsdale, robusto and toro. For more information about the Fuente family of cigars, visit their web site which does not currently contain information on the Premium Dominicana line at www.cigarfamily.com.
Binder: Dominican Cubano Olor
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano
Wrapper: Ecuador – CO Claro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 7
Panel Rating: 91
Notes from the Panel:
The construction of the entire Premium Dominicana line is exactly what we would expect to see from the Fuente factory. Immediately look for rich, silky, light coffee colored wrapper with very fine veins. We found the flavor to be mellow and creamy, offering tones of cedar and coffee bean that build as you get into the cigar. We found it to burn evenly and offer and effortless draw. Note a slightly sweet flavor and some cedar and classic Dominican spiciness coming through. Overall, full rich clean tobacco taste, not overpowering. A great morning or early afternoon smoke. Try smoking it with an American Wheat Ale like Sierra Nevada Wheat.
The Purofino Gold Label line is manufactured entirely by hand in the mountainous heart of Spanish Honduras' lush Jamastram Valley, and represents a tradition of more than two decades of experience in the art of creating the finest, premium quality cigars possible. While being made in the hands of Honduran Master Cigar Makers, the blend is brought together from a complex spectrum of individually selected tobaccos from select growing regions in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Ecuador, where their Sumatran-seed wrappers are produced. Much of the tobacco used in both lines is grown on Purofino’s plantations located in the Jalapa Valley in Nicaragua. Tobacco obtained from Costa Rica, Mexico and Ecuador are also cured and processed at the Jalapa Valley plantation.
Purofino’s Gold Label line is a rich, complex five-tobacco blend of Nicaraguan Habano (Cuban Havana seed) long filler, combined with select leaves of the finest sweet Morron tobaccos, from San Andreas, Mexico, which is then wrapped in a premium, Sumatran Capa Rosada, grown in the tropical valleys of southern Ecuador.
Binder: Mexican Morron
Filler: Mexican Morron & Nicaraguan Ligero
Wrapper: Sumatra-Seed Ecuadorian-Claro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10): 7
Panel Rating: 93
Notes from the Panel:
Wow! We loved this cigar! Immediately note a densely packed, very aesthetically pleasing cigar. It’s beautifully shaped, smooth and constructed of well-chosen wrapper leaf. Look for an excellent draw and an even burn with a long gray-white ash indicative of proper aging. We found this medium-bodied smoke very satisfying, offering a rich, full flavor with warm roasted nutty tones evident. Overall, an expertly constructed, well balanced, complex and very smooth smoke. When we asked Purofino what to pair it with, they suggested either a dry Martini, a good Cognac or fine Armagnac.
Tobacco Bits
SMOKING IS DANGEROUS - When Columbus returned to Europe, he brought many varied new gifts to the court of Ferdinand and Isabella, among which were tobacco leaves. One of Columbus's crew, Rodrigo de Xerez, had brought a supply of the leaf back with him for his personal use. Upon lighting up one of these primitive smokes in public, Xerez was thrown in jail for three years for suspicion of being in league with the devil!
BAND LEADER - During the mid-eighteenth century, the Russian Empress Catherine II imported her supply of cigars from Holland decorated with a silk band to prevent the cigars from staining her hands while smoking. This gave Dutchman Gustave Bock, a cigar manufacturer of the era, the idea to wrap a paper band with his logo around his cigars to distinguish his stogies from his competitors'. Soon everyone was doing it, and the cigar band was born.
HERE FIDEL, TRY THIS ONE - Fidel Casto was so fond of his country's cigars in his early years as Cuba’s dictator, U.S. covert operatives considered killing him with a exploding cigar. Today, Fidel says he no longer smokes cigars, in an effort to be a better role model for the youth of Cuba. Or perhaps, he's just protecting himself.
Ask Murl
Dear Murl,
I’m kinda new to the whole cigar experience and have heard some terms being tossed around that I don’t really get. Like what’s the foot of the cigar. Or the tooth? Can you give me a run down on the basic components of a cigar ole sport? Thanks buddy! Got to tell you, your column is the first part of the newsletter that I read each month. Take it easy.
Brent James
Anaheim, CA
Yo Brent Baby!
Am I blushing or what? Hell, you couldn’t tell through all this fur if I was! Point is, thanks mucho for the kind words. Something to be said for speaking your mind I guess. So you want to know about the anatomy of a stogie, eh? I always loved my anatomy class. Mostly because I was sittin’ next to this cute little French Poodle that had an entirely intriguing anatomy herself. Didn’t learn much about the frog we gutted, except that the smell of formaldehyde and deceased amphibians combined makes me wanna yak. Cigar anatomy. Right! Let me lay some lingo on ya brother. We’ll do this real professional like with a list and all. If you’ve got any other questions after meandering through my well-organized thoughts, find some other pooch to do your homework for ya!
Woof!
Murl.
Barrel: The main body or shank of the cigar.
Binder: A strip of high quality 5th grade tobacco leaf that is wrapped around the filler leaf. The binder's thickness gives it its fuse-like ability to carry the coal the length of the cigar.
Cap: The small flag of wrapper leaf that the roller lays down and seals to the head of the cigar with a vegetable gum based glue.
Filler: The rolled up inner core of high quality 2nd and 3rd grade leaves in a cigar also referred to as the "bunch".
Foot: The end of the cigar that you light.
Head: The end of the cigar that you put into your mouth.
Shoulder: The area where the head of the cigar meets the barrel.
Tooth: The natural occurrence of the almost-microscopic array of sandy bumps on the surface of some tobacco leaves.
Wrapper: The outer leaf of high quality, first grade tobacco which is wound around the binder of the cigar. It is chosen for its perfect complexion, elasticity, silky texture and delicate veins.
For Members Only
Give Your Friends FREE Beer, Wine, Cheese, Chocolate,
Cigars & Flowers!
Through our Customer Appreciation Program
Your name has real value to your friends, co-workers, and family members! Every time a friend, family member, or anyone else you know joins any one of our clubs, [or gives a gift] for 3 months or longer, we'll give them 50% off of their first month, but only when they mention your name. And we'll also give you 50% off your next month too which can either be applied towards your current membership or you can try one of our other Clubs out! (We can add one more month to your order at 50% off for prepaid memberships!)
The Fine Print: Members giving gift memberships do not qualify for referral credits and you can't give yourself a gift to qualify! This Program is mutually exclusive of any other promotions.
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. La Tradicion Cabinet Series Churchill | 25 | $95.50 | $24 |
| B. Mayorga Robusto - Maduro | 20 | $56.50 | $19 |
| C. Montero by Davidoff Toro - Maduro | 20 | $60.50 | $20 |
| D. Premium Dominicana # 50 Corona Extra | 25 | $87.50 | $23 |
| E. Purofino Piramide Gold | 20 | $78.50 | $25 |
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.
Membership Q & A
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A: Please call us prior to the 10 th of the month to
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may require a $4.00 re-shipping charge.
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and don’t stay a member for the entire term committed?
A: Not a problem. Although we want to do everything we can
to keep you as a member, we will allow you to cancel your subscription
early, however, you will be responsible to pay for the item which
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