AUGUST2000

7.5" x 50

Originally anexclusively Cuban brand, Bauza was first rolled in 1868.  Echoesof pre-revolution Havana are still to be found on Bauza boxes today,however, the smokes themselves are in fact hand rolled by the ArturoFuente factory in the Dominican Republic.  Introduced in 1980,the Bauza line is very highly rated, consistently in the upper 80’sto low 90’s in Cigar Aficionado.    

We really love thiscigar.   It’s rolled with Dominican and Nicaraguan long fillertobaccos, a rich Mexican binder and oily Cameroon wrapper.   Its rich character delivers a pleasant, mild to medium-bodiedsmoking experience.    

The cigars are well puttogether by hand, but you might want to note that the Presidente isactually produced with short filler tobacco and not to be compared tothe rest.   The line isavailable in nine sizes, eight of which are packaged in elegant woodencedar boxes.  

Binder:Mexican Piloto Cubano
Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan Piloto Cubano Olor 
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Cameroon – Colorado 
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   7
Panel Rating:   95  

Notesfrom the Panel:  

Immediately note anextremely well constructed cigar that is a beautiful thing to behold.   It’s not so bad to just hold either, packed generously withwell-fermented tobacco.   Wefound it medium-bodied and offering a complex flavor profileconsisting of a heady sweetness and distinct woody and spicy tones.   You should pick up a definite sweetness on the lips and tongue.   The aftertaste hints to cocoa bean and more spice.   Overall, we loved this smoke.   It burns well and tastes great!    Try pairing it up with a roasted Irish Stout like Murphys orGuinness.  

6.5" x 43

TheCanaria D'Oro line is crafted by hand in Santiago, Dominican Republic.   The entire line offers a deep, full flavored smoke, largelyattributed to the wrappers selected from the darkest, richest leavesgrown in the rich San Andres farmlands of Mexico.   If you don’t already know it, Mexican wrapper tobacco is usedin numerous Dominican, Nicaraguan and Honduran-produced cigar linesand is considered to be some of the best wrapper leaf in the world.   You’re about to see why firsthand this month as we featureone of the more consistently full-flavored, yet mellow cigar lineswe’ve had the pleasure to evaluate.  

Crafted by hand inlimited quantities for a limited market of cigar smokers who preferthem to other premium cigars, Canaria D’Oro cigars are made in theDominican Republic. The cigars are made in seven sizes ranging fromthe beefy Supremo to a Baby measuring 4 1/8" x 36 ring gauge.   Although all unique, they share the same quality of being bothcomplex, full-flavored cigars, that offer a mellow, non overpoweringsmoke which is truly a pleasurable experience.    

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 littleDominican cigar line.   We very much enjoyed each Canaria D’Oro cigar sampled andfound the Lonsdale to be one of our favorites.   Immediately note a nice oily sheen on this very appealingwrapper.   Look for anexcellent draw on this well made cigar.   We found it to offer a spicy, slightly sweet and creamy finishon a cedary note.   The Mexican tobaccos dominate the blend which works verywell.   Lots of aroma.   Overall, a great little, medium-bodied, flavorful smoke.   Consider pairing this one with a small batch bourbon or yourfavorite cognac.  

8.5" x 52

Proprietorof one of the world’s largest cigar factories, Nestor Plasencia’sroad to success has been anything but smooth sailing.   Like most Cuban exiles of the mid 1960s era, Nestor has sharp,bitter memories of the island’s post-Revolution period.   The Plasencia family had two large fincas dedicated togrowing wrapper leaf in Cuba when, on October 3, 1962, at 6 am, theywere confiscated by the Castro government.   It took nearly three years to get permission to leave thecountry, and when they finally did, they were allowed to take only afew dollars and two changes of clothes.   When the family arrived in Nicaragua, they had nothing exceptthe reputation of Sixto Plasencia, Nestor’s father, to rely upon.   After rebuilding the business over a decade, the Sandinistasexpropriated their properties in 1979, of which included 1,000 acresof prime agricultural land. 

The1980s put a stop to the Nicaraguan tobacco and cigar industriesbecause there was blue mold in the fields, the U.S. imposed an embargoon the Sandinistas and the government was expropriating everythingthey could get their hands on anyway, so Nestor, rebuilt his businessonce more, this time based in Honduras.    

Now,the 50-year-old Plasencia owns cigar operations that span twocountries, with more than 4,500 employees producing 33 million premiumhand-rolled cigars a year, all rolled from Cuban-seed tobacco.    One of Plasencia’s operations includes the El Paraisofactory, a small warehouse near the Nicaraguan border which was openedin 1994 to attract local workers that could not be persuaded to makethe 12 mile trip to another nearby factory in Danli.   The El Paraiso factory is home to 70 employees, all of whichare either bunchers or rollers that work in one large room. 

TheEl Paraiso line, aptly named “The Paradise”, tobaccos are grown infour different nations, giving each cigar a unique character of itsown.   We’ve featured theGiant because we just couldn’t get enough of this good thang!   We found it full-bodied, rich and packed with flavor and knowthat you’ll appreciate the years of experience behind theirproduction. 

Binder:Mexican Piloto Cubano 
Filler: Dominican Seco & Jamaican Ligero
Wrapper: Mexican Broadleaf – Maduro 
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   8
Panel Rating:   89  

Notesfrom the Panel:  

Wefound the El Paraiso to be an expertly constructed, very flavorfulcigar.   Look for a nearperfect draw in this rich, oily, full-bodied experience.   Note a spicy, rich aroma that follows a nutty, slightly spicyflavor.   A fine long whiteash indicates the tobacco to be aged properly.   This cigar would be a perfect end to a big, garlic-saturatedItalian dinner.   Considerpairing this smoke with a full-bodied, dry, roasted Stout.    

6" x54

Cockfighting is a sport in the Philippines that captures the complexspirit of the native Filipino like no other.   And as the cigars distributed by the Splendid Seed TobaccoCompany are all hand rolled in Manila, they found it appropriate toname this month’s featured cigar after the sport.    The Fighting Cock brand features a sun-grown Javan wrapperimported from Indonesia, while its wrappers and binders areconstructed 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, heldannually in the world's largest cockpit, Araneta Coliseum in QuezonCity, Metro Manila.   Thecigars are packed in 25-count blonde Narra boxes that are sanded andvarnished to a vanilla-like glow. These boxes are individuallyhandcrafted and finished in Pampanga province, some 100 km fromManila.   The cigars arewrapped in the famous Filipino Ikat cloth and each textile wasdesigned and hand-woven exclusively for Fighting Cock.    

Binder:   Philippines Isabela Superior Fina 
Filler:   PhilippinesIsabela Superior Fina
Wrapper: Indonesia/Java - Colorado Claro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   6
Panel Rating:   91  

Notesfrom the Panel:  

6" x 50

Cultivatedand owned by the same group responsible for producing the Dunhill,Royal Jamaica and Montecruz brands, MiCubano is a solid NicaraguanPuro that comes to the table with a full body and tons of big boldflavor.   The brand is oneof few that can boast of being made entirely of Cuban-seed tobacco.Hand-rolled from Nicaraguan long-filler and binder, it delivers on arich, uninhibited, full-bodied taste.  The dark and oily wrapperprovides an exceptionally flavorful smoke with a sweet, fruitycharacter. 

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  

Notesfrom the Panel:  

Ourpanel’s comments echoed those printed in SMOKE Magazine:   "The Micubano received rave reviews...A majority of ourpanel'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 werejust some of the favorable flavors this smoke brought to ourpanelists' palettes, proving the MiCubano is clearly a cigar with awinning blend of tobacco. If you get a batch with a good roll, you'vegot a damn fine cigar on your hands. Recommended.

Tobacco Bits
 

CIGARROS EX MACHINA – In the 1920’s the Por Larranaga factory introduced a machinethat could roll cigars at a rate that far surpassed even the mostskilled rollers.   Rollerswere immediately threatened by these new machines and orchestrated aboycott of machine-made products.   The rolling machines were quickly removed from the factoriesuntil after World War II.   Americancompanies used rolling machines in several factories, particularly inTampa, where Cuban leaf was rolled in the production of “Clear”llavanas. 

SMOKING IS DANGEROUS – When Columbus returned to Europe, he brought many varied new giftsto the court of Ferdinand and Isabella, among which was tobaccoleaves.   One ofColumbus’s crew, Rodrigo de Xerez, had brought a supply of the leafback with him for his personal use.   Upon lighting up one of these primitive smokes in public, Xerezwas thrown in jail for three years for suspicion of being in leaguewith the devil. 

BAND LEADER – During the mid-eighteenth century, the Russian Empress CatherineII imported her supply of cigars from Holland decorated with a silkband to prevent the cigars from staining her hands while smoking.   This gave Dutchman Gustave Bock, a cigar manufacturer of theera, the idea to wrap a paper band with his logo around his cigars todistinguish his stogies from his competitors’.   Soon everyone was doing it, and the cigar band was born. 

A GENERAL SMOKE – General Ulyssess Simpson Grant was a prodigious cigar smoker,smoking between 20 and 25 cigars a day.  After each victoriousbattle during the Civil War, well-wishers rewarded Grant with gifts ofthousands of cigars.  Following the capture of Fort Donelson in1862, the general received 11,000 cigars.  After the Battle ofAppomatox, Grant received over 3,000 cigars.