Past Newsletters
Vol. 8 No. 4
Member of the Month
Steve Carson Slaps Some Ink with a Stogie
This
month’s Member of the Month, Steve Carson, is long overdue! He’s been
printing our newsletter for damn near 7 years now and been a loyal
member for almost that long! We hesitated at first...Some kind of
a conflict of interest debate ensued... but after Steve sent us the
note below with his smiling pearly whites getting ready to fire up
the Cohiba Esplendido featured last month, we caved and gave him the
honor!
Always image conscious, Steve wanted us to make sure we pointed out the many spiffy printing tools and pens in his "pocket protector". Not only is he one helluva tan muther, he’s a genuinely nice guy too! He likes his smokes like he likes his women... firm, petite and sometimes sweet! Congrats Steve and thanks for printing this stuff at the risk of slight embarrassment. We know if must have been difficult to have to look at your mug for half a day while this job ran!
"Okay you guys...
I’ve been sitting here smoking this Montero Robusto you sent out this month looking at this Scotty Musgrave guy and his pals all dressed up like senior citizens and I figured it was high time that I was your member of the month! I mean how many years do I have to be a member for crying out loud? I’ve printed every newsletter you’ve ever sent out, read each and every one of them 14 times, printed 70% of them as "RUSH" jobs just because I like you guys and never thought of being on the front page myself. So now I’m asking... What’s it gonna take man!?"
Steve Carson
Dana Point, CA
SUBMIT YOURSELF OR YOUR GROUP PHOTO FOR CONSIDERATION! And if you're selected, we'll send you a variety pack of 25 hand rolled smokes from past selections! Get your submissions in now before everyone else does or you gotta wait 3 months to see your pretty mug adorning the front page! Send your photos and letter to: Cigar of the Month Club Attn: Member of the Month, PO Box 1627, Lake Forest, CA 92609 or email your photo and letter to customerservice@cigarmonthclub.com
Featured Cigar Dimensions
| Brand Name: | Shape | Size | Strength | Country | Panel |
| Rating | |||||
| A. Cifuentes by Partagas Fancy Tails | Toro | 6.75 x 42 | 5.5 | Jamaican | 92 |
| B. Cupido Negro | Toro | 5.5 x 52 | 5 | Nicaraguan | 94 |
| C. Don Tomas Cameroon #3 | Perfecto | 6 x 48 | 7 | Honduran | 93 |
| D. Isla Del Sol | Torpedo | 6.5 x 54 | 5 | Nicaraguan | 89 |
| E. Hoja Cubana Yellow Band | Churchill | 7 x 50 | 8 | Costa Rica | 90 |
Featured Cigars
Cifuentes Fancy Tail by Partagas
Long before Fidel Castro came into power in Cuba, Partagas cigars were crafted by hand in Havana under the direction of Ramon Cifuentes and his father. The last of the great cigar-makers to leave Cuba in the early 1960s, Ramon Cifuentes eventually discovered the ideal place to manufacture the Partagas line, Santiago, Dominican Republic. The Cifuentes Fancy Tail is an extraordinary cigar. Rolled with care by Ramon Cifuentes in Jamaica, these rich, complex smokes are made from a unique blend of three Cuban-seed tobaccos, Cameroon binders and the finest Connecticut shade wrappers. Limited to 150,000 cigars and aged for 2 full years before boxing, the brand has been rated "90" by Cigar Aficionado and "Superior" by Rudman´s.
If you like a good Partagas, you’re gonna love Cifuentes! These rich, complex smokes are packed with flavor and expertly constructed. Immediately look for a slightly oily Connecticut Shade wrapper. It’s rolled with just the right amount of tobacco. We found it to burn evenly and offer an easy draw. The Fancy tail is smooth and easy to smoke. We picked up traces of cocoa bean and a slight spiciness. Consider pairing it up with a full-bodied India Pale Ale.
If starting small and having modest goals is the definition of a boutique brand, then Cupido Cigars certainly fits the bill. Cupido debuted in 1996, with but a single shape in its line, a Churchill. Cupido expanded slowly, with two additional sizes made in limited runs: a box-pressed robusto and the "Torpito," a mini-torpedo (4.5 x 54). The unique aspect of the Cupido line is that each size has its own blend and corresponding flavor profile. "We don't take a Churchill and cut it down to make a robusto. Cupido just recently added another member to its unique line, the Toro Negro (5.5 x 52) and we’ve been dying to bring it to you for the last 6 months! It’s the company’s first maduro and was very highly rated by our panel across the board.
Immediately note a very dark, rich and inviting double maduro wrapper with very few veins. We found the Toro Negro to burn evenly and cool. The draw was perfect on all 5 samples evaluated. Our panel found it quite smooth and satisfying. Very aromatic. The flavor is full and rich, yet not overpowering. Overall, a real treat to smoke. Our favorite cigar rated this month. Pair it up with a strong cup of Java or a roasted porter.
Don Tomas Cameroon Collection Perfecto
Don Tomas cigars are justly famous for their medium-to-full-bodied taste and silky construction. Havana-seed tobaccos are gathered from four nations, eventually ending as the top-quality cigars which are so well known to smokers worldwide. The limited edition Cameroon Collection series from Don Tomas is a full step above the already highly rated regular line. Genuine sun-grown Cameroon wrappers are world renowned for the unique, rich spicy flavor they provide. A difficult and costly size to make, and rolled only by the most seasoned of the factory’s torcedores, the magnificent Perfecto #3 is well worth the effort. Rolled with a blend of Dominican, Brazilian and Mexican long leaves, and topped off with a sun grown Cameroon wrapper from West Africa, these rich, spicy beauties practically melt in your mouth. Aged for over four years, expect a rich tobacco taste.
Look for a very well constructed, handsome perfecto offering a gorgeous Cameroon wrapper. We found the # 3 to provide ample smoke volume, a great draw, and a fair amount of complex tobaccos tastes. Once you get into it a bit, some spiciness comes through and the body moves to a more medium-bodied smoke. Notes hints of leather, coffee and some cedar characteristics. We smoked it with a full bodied merlot and were quite satisfied with the entire experience.
Founded by Jeff White in 1997, the Isla Del Sol Cigar Company offers a truly boutique cigar line. Unlike many new entrants to the market that have not survived the leveling off of the market, Isla Del Sol continues to thrive and we suspect it’s because their cigars are produced by Tabacelera Perdomo in Esteli, Nicaragua. The line is hand rolled in Nicaragua using a Cuban Seed Ecuadorian Olor binder and a 3 country (Dominican-Honduran-Nicaraguan) filler. Jeff has chosen and Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper to finish the job. The line is offered in 4 standard sizes as well as 3 shaped sizes: a belicoso, pyramid and torpedo. Our panel is partial to the shaped smokes in this line and you’ll have a chance to check out the Torpedo this month.
We found the wrapper on this little Nicaraguan gem to be a beautiful light maduro-rosado color. This is a well-made cigar. It offered an easy draw and burned very cool. Note a hint of spice and some floral sweetness indicative of Nicaraguan tobacco in this medium-bodied smoke. There’s also a bit of earthiness in the flavor. Overall, a very satisfying cigar. Consider pairing it with an Imperial Stout.
Hoja Cubana Yellow Band-Maduro Churchill
Rolled in the Tabacalera Tambor factory in Costa Rica, home of Tony Borhani´s Bahia, we’re confident you’ll find the Hoja Yellow Band Churchill featured this month an exceptionally well made and full flavored cigar. Its filler tobaccos are Cuban seed Dominican and Nicaraguan, the binder Dominican, and the dark oily maduro wrapper, Ecuadorian. The line was introduced in 1995 and within four years it became one of the most desirable cigars in the U.S.
You can’t help but notice the handsome dark, oily wrapper on this Churchill. We found the draw easy and plenty of smoke volume. Some panel members noted that it started off strong and spicy right out of the shoot.
We found it full-bodied, yet simple and smooth. There’s a simple, rich, roasted character to it that we found very pleasing. Overall, exceptionally well made and very satisfying. We smoked our samples with a non-blended Cabo Wabo Anejo margarita and weren’t disappointed.
Tobacco Bits
HIGH PLAINS SMOKER - The Man With No Name (the character played by Clint Eastwood) was rarely seen drifting across the high plains without a cigar clenched between his teeth. In the numerous Sergio Leone Westerns starring Eastwood, our hero smoked toscani, dry-cured Italian smokes, not cheroots.
HEAT WAVES - The higher the temperature is allowed to rise while fermenting in the burros, the darker the color of the resulting leaf. The darkest of leaves used in cigar manufacturing, maduro and oscuro leaves, are allowed to ferment until the resulting temperature can exceed well over 165F. Generally, bulks of wrapper leaves are maintained between 90F and 120F. The process of fermentation, temperature monitoring, and restacking usually continues for up to sixty days. Maduro leaves, however, can ferment in excess of six months.
DEVELOPING TASTES - The secondary fermentation process that takes place while the leaves are stacked in giant burros is where tobaccos develop a more refined flavor and character. Due to the size of the stack, air cannot circulate between the leaves. Heat naturally builds up inside, releasing moisture, saps that would contribute to a bitter taste if they weren't fermented out, and ammonias that naturally occur within the plant. The color of the leaves darkens and sugars develop, which account for some cigars' natural sweetness, and all traces of acidity and sourness mellow out. The temperature is closely monitored by the workers. If it rises to more than 160F, the burro is unpacked, rotated, and re-stacked.
HARVEST TIME - During the cosecha, or harvest, tobacco leaves are picked two or three leaves at a time from the ground up. This way, the oldest leaves are picked first, allowing the younger leaves to grow and develop. A maximum of seven days elapses between each harvest, except in periods of rain, when the length between each gathering of leaves is extended to allow the leaves to dry out before picking.
For Members Only
Original & Super Grab Bags!
That's right babies, help us put a little bit of our humidor into your humidor at insanely cheap prices! We've got some extra smokes that need a caring home to take them in so check it out! Choose between:
The Original Grab Bag at $39.95 fro an assortment of 20 Original Club smokes...OR
The Super Grab Bag at $59.95 fro an assortment of 20 Select Series Smokes!
* Plus S&H
Discounted Box Re-orders!
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! You can place your order on our web site at: www.cigarmonthclub.com or simply call us at 800-625-8238! 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. Cifuentes Fancy Tails Toro by Partagas | 25 | $67.50 | $19 |
| B. Cupido Toro Negro - Double Maduro | 24 | $110.50 | $28 |
| C. Don Tomas Cameroon Selection #3 Perfecto | 25 | $92.50 | $24 |
| D. Isla Del Sol Torpedo | 25 | $75.50 | $20 |
| E. Hoja Yellow Band - Maduro Churchill | 25 | $75.50 | $20 |
Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery and add $7.95 for S&H for your first box and $3.00 for each additional box or grab bag. S&H for 5-paks is $4.95 and $1.50 for each additional 5-pak. All reorders are sent Priority mail unless otherwise requested. CA residents please add 7.75% Sales Tax. S&H for International re-orders must be calculated on an individual basis. Prices are subject to change.
