JULY2000

5" x 50

Rated‘90’ by Cigar Aficionado, you’d think this delicious and highquality handmade could be found in almost any cigar shop.   The fact is that Don Juan is a boutique brand that is gettingincreasingly hard to find.   Rolledwith a Cuban seed binder from Havana,

Long-fillerleaf from the Dominican Republic, silky smooth Connecticut-shadewrapper, and from the hands of master torcedores, Don Juan is adiamond in the rough, and the Robusto is the perfect way to samplethis fine brand.  

Binder: Dominican Piloto Cubano
Filler:   DominicanRepublic Piloto Cubano   
Wrapper:   ConnecticutShade – Claro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   6
Panel Rating:   93  

Notesfrom the Panel :  

Immediatelynote an inviting silky, cream-colored Connecticut Shade wrapper withvery 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 cedarwoodiness.   You’ll notethat 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?   Considerpairing this one with your favorite Pilsner..  

5" x 50

Theold English company of Alfred Dunhill can claim a long associationwith fine cigars.   It wasto Dunhill that the Menedez y Garcia company first took their infantMontecristo brand in 1935.   Therewere house brands like Don Candido and Don Alfredo.   The 1980s saw the brief creation of Dunhill's own brand ofHanvanas, sporting a red band bearing the company's elongated"d" logo on sizes like the Cabinetta, and Malecon.    

TodayDunhill's accolade is reserved for two lines:   one from the Dominican Republic - The Aged Cigar - which can befound throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East; andthe other from the Canary Islands.   Our panel favored the Dominican Aged Dunhills and that’s whatyou’ll have a chance to sample this month.   They’re rolled using tobacco from one specific crop only, andas a result they are always consistent and dependable.  Not to beconfused with the Canary Islands Dunhills or the new Honduran Dunhills,these super-premium smokes are mild-to-medium bodied in flavor. Dunhill is one of the most respected names in the industry.   They produce a cigar that is always well constructed andconsistently good.   Weknow you’ll enjoy this smoke!    

Thereare twelve sizes of Aged Cigars each made from Dominican fillers andwrapped in U.S. Connecticut leaf.   Aged for a minimum of three months before they are distributed,these cigars look good dressed with their blue bands and are well madeand blended.   Uniquely, avintage is declared for this brand, based on the idea that itstobaccos are taken from a single year's harvest.

Binder: Dominica Republic
Filler:   Brazilian/DominicanSeca    
Wrapper:   U.S.A.Connecticut Shade   –Claro 
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   4.5
Panel Rating:   94

Notesfrom the Panel :  

Again, another expertly craftedfine looking cigar.   Notethe lovely, silky smooth Connecticut shade wrapper.   Very few veins.   Itoffered an even and slow burn and distinctive, medium to full, but inno way heavy smoke, with a delicate aroma.   This is an outstanding mild cigar that will please bothexperienced palates and those new to smoking.   We loved the aroma.   Verypleasant.   Look for a creamy texture and hint of toastedness coupledwith some woody notes.   Youshould get some classic Dominican spiciness in the flavor as well.   We found the finish non-lingering, dry and woody.   Overall, a solid earthy tobacco taste with a very clean burn.   We loved it and you will too!   It would pair nicely with the Merlot of your choice.  

7" x 48

Createdby actor George Hamilton, the Hamilton House line is all long fill andhand rolled in the Tabacalera Tamboril factory in the DominicanRepublic.  Don’t make the mistake of dismissing this smokewithout trying it just because you’ve never seen a movie you likedwith George in it!   Unlikehis somewhat less than inspiring performances in such blockbusters as“Love at First Bite” and “8 heads in a duffle bag”, Georgeeither knows a fair amount about producing a fine cigar or more thanlikely, simply hired someone who does!   In either case, we think you’ll really be impressed withthe Hamilton House double corona featured this month.   Here’s a little ditty we took from the inside of the boxfrom George…  

“In1865, Luther Rice Hubbard, my great grandfather on my mother's side, atobacco planter from one of the registered First Families of Virginia,ventured from Virginia through Kentucky, finally to arrive inBrooklyn, New York, on the heels of the great American Civil War.   It was clear to Hubbard that if opportunities existed, they layin the North, where the new captains of industry were located.   Foreseeing that tobacco could be his future, and undaunted bytime, distance or cost, he founded the Hubbard Rehandling TobaccoCompany and brokered the only crops that had remained unscorched bythe armies.   With thepseudonym, "Brooks of Brooklyn," he traveled tirelessly on aquest to create the premium cigar.   Successful, soon his cigars were being given as prized gifts bythe victors to the vanquished - from hospitalized soldiers toreturning generals. Over 130 years later we are pleased to continuehis commitment to quality…uncompromised by price, geography or thehigh level of skill that represents this fine cigar.”

Binder: Dominican RepublicOlor
Filler:   DominicanRepublic Piloto Cubano 
Wrapper:   IndonesianSumatra – Colorado
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   8
Panel Rating:   89  

Notesfrom the Panel :  

You’llstart by taking note of a rustic, rich Sumatran wrapper that looksfull and tasty.   This is awell made cigar.   We foundno soft spots on the samples reviewed and a consistently medium drawand fairly slow, even burn.   Theabundant, balance flavor in the Hamilton House blend added up to realsatisfaction.   It’srobust, spicy and quite complex.   Certainly on the medium to full side of body.   We noted a slight woodiness as well.   The finish is long and full and a bit earthy.   Overall, an authoritative, but not overwhelming and verysatisfying smoke.   You canenjoy its restrained power without enduring any rough edges.   We’d recommend pairing it with a malty Bock or Red Ale.  

5.5" x52

Success in today'shype-saturated premium cigar market goes beyond selling a few boxes.   Short-term prosperity is all around us, riding on the tails ofa solidifying trend.   Buthow does a young company become known, not as a trend follower, but asa standard-bearer--a maker of truly fine cigars?   Owners of the Indian Tabac Cigar Company, Rocky Patel and PhilZanghi have obviously given these questions great consideration.   In an astonishingly short period of time, Indian cigars havegained great cachet in the premium market and show no signs of fadingfrom view anytime soon.  

IndianTabac is one of the hottest and genuinely fine cigar brands to emergeon the cigar scene in the past five years.   Enjoying high accolades and praise unanimously from the cigarcritics at Cigar Aficionado, SMOKE magazine and elsewhere, IndianTabac offers a characteristically strong, full-bodied and powerhousesmoke across the board.    

The Indian Classic Linetobacco is aged for two years prior to rolling and the cigars are agedanother 6 months after being rolled.   It’s offered in both an Ecuadorian grown Sumatran wrapper anda Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper.   Our panel favored the stout maduro so that’s what you’llget to try this month!    

Binder:Nicaraguan Piloto Cubano 
Filler: Nicaraguan & Costa Rican Ligero/ Honduran Seco
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf – Maduro 
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   8
Panel Rating:   94  

Notesfrom the Panel :  

Immediately note anaesthetically pleasing and inviting Connecticut Broadleaf madurowrapper in this well constructed cigar.   It has a nice feel in your hand, firm, but not too tight.   We found it to offer a flawless draw and an even burn.   The ash was consistent and firm indicative of proper aging.   We picked up definite strong cedar tones in this coolsmoking, leathery full-bodied cigar.   The aroma was pleasant, woody, slightly sweet, and we found theaftertaste to be very full and lingering.   Overall, a fantastic, complex, very well balanced smoke.   Consider pairing it up with either your favorite Single MaltScotch or Brandy.  

6.25" x 54

Theproprietor of one of the world’s largest cigars factories, NestorPlasencia’s road to success has been anything but smooth sailing.   Like most Cuban exiles of the mid 1960s era, Nestor hassharp, bitter memories of the island’s post-Revolution period.   The Plasencia family had two large fincas dedicated to growingwrapper leaf in Cuba when, on October 3, 1962, at 6 am, they wereconfiscated 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.    The Plasencia factories produce a number of varied cigar brandsincluding, but not limited to V Centennial, Thomas Hinds, La Finca,Mocha, and La Maya.    

Thebrand good enough to carry the family name on its band was justrecently made available to the United States just 2 and a half yearsago.   The brand is handmade in the Nicaraguan town of Esteli with a blend of two premiumtobaccos.   The line’s binders and fillers are grown from Cuban seed atthe Plasencia Esteli plantation, while the Ecuadorian wrapper ispurchased just after harvest to be aged and fermented under Nestor’scare at the Esteli factory.    

Binder:   Nicaragua Piloto Cubano
Filler:   Nicaragua Seca
Wrapper:   Ecuadorian GrownCT Shade
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   5.5
Panel Rating: 94     

Notesfrom the Panel :  

Wereally loved this smoke!   It’swell-constructed, smooth, offers and easy draw and it burnedfantastically.   This cigaris packed with flavor and offers plenty of quite pleasingly aromaticsmoke volume.   Note a nutty and woody character with, again, some floralnotes evident.   Overall, amedium-bodied, rich, very flavorful smoke.   We smoked it with a small batch bourbon and had no complaintswhat so ever about the entire experience.

Tobacco Bits
 

ELREY DEL MRS. PROUTY - Cigar manufacturingin the U.S. has taken a few leaps forward in the past ten years, andthe end products are certainly a far cry from this country's firstattempts at publicly available cigars.   According to the Tobacco Record, the first commercial cigarmade in America was made by a Mrs. Prouty of South Windsor,Connecticut, in 1801.   Shestarted experimenting with cigars in 1799 and placed them on themarket once she felt she had the technique down pat.   No work on what they tasted like, however. 

ALITTLE TART - Because of the rise in thecigar's popularity, some manufacturers are pushing out cigars a littlebefore their time.   Hereare some telltale signs of a cigar that just wasn't ready.   If the cigar you're smoking gives you cotton mouth,chest-ripping heartburn or a harsh, bitter stinging on the tongue, thetobacco may not have been fermented long enough.   Unfortunately, there is not a perfect method for finding outthis evil smoke until you light it. 

DATINGGAME, PART 1 - Cigars of Cubanmanufacture are marked with a two-part system of codes to indicate thefactory of origin and date of manufacture.   Factory codes are:  

BM-BrionesMonoto (formerly Romeo y Julieta)
EL-El Laguito (the Cohiba factory)
FGP-Francisco Perez German (formerly Partagas)
FR-Fernando Roig (formerly La Corona)
JM-Jose Marti (formerly H. Upmann)
HM-Heroes del Moncado (formerly El Rey del Mundo) 

DATINGGAME, PART 2 - The second part of thecode that indicates the date of manufacture on the bottom of a box ofHavanas can be deciphered with the code: 

NI V E L A C U S O
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 

Dateof manufacture is determined by a four-letter code in which the firsttwo letters refer to the month of manufacture and the remaining twoletters refer to the year.   Forexample, the letters OSSL would be decoded as 09/95, or September1995.