MAY 2000

5" x 50

5 Vegas has received favorable ratings in both Smoke and Cigar Aficionado ranging in the upper 80’s and low 90’s.   The line is rolled with a combination of Indonesian Olor binder, Dominican Piloto Cubano filler and Indonesian Sumatran wrapper tobaccos.  

Binder: Indonesian Olor 
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano   
Wrapper:   Indonesian Sumatran - CO 
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   5
Panel Rating:   89

Notes from the Panel:  

Immediately not solid construction on this well crafted tobacco-packed smoke.   It’s ruddy Sumatran wrapper begs you to light it.   We found it medium bodied and packed with flavor.   Look for earthy tones as well as a hint of coffee bean.   Overall, a strong herbal character dominates and some spices become evident as you get into the cigar a bit. We think you’re gonna really like it!

6" x 43

The Don Danilo line is rolled in Villa Gonzalez in Santiago, Dominican Republic and offered in two blends.   The three-tobacco blend produced from aged Cuban-seed and Dominican long filler tobacco and binder was received so well when we featured it several months ago, that we decided to introduce you to the brand's Reserva line, another Dominican blend featuring a tasty double maduro Dominican wrapper.   Each cigar produced undergoes a twelve-point quality control inspection that stems from tobacco selection through the final packaging process.   The Don Danilo Reserva line is also only available n 4 shapes & sizes and our panel favored the Corona featured this month.   This line has been highly rated in Smoke Magazine, Wine & Dine, and Cigar Lovers. 

Binder:    Dominican Olor
Filler:      Dominican Piloto Cubano
Wrapper: Dominican Broadleaf - Maduro
Strength: (Mild 1, Full 10): 7
Panel Rating: 90  

Notes from the Panel:  

6" x 50

The Mivida Cigar line is handmade by the Tabacalera Don Rafael factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic.   The line features select Dominican filler and binder leaves that hail from the same tobacco fields which have historically yielded leaf for select grower General Tobacco and Davidoff cigars as well as the Don Antonio Pellegrino Churchill featured last month. The Mivida line features an earthy Indonesian Sumatran EMS wrapper and a tasty medium-bodied blend of Dominican and Honduran tobaccos.   We looked at 3 sizes and unanimously decided that we couldn’t decide between the robusto and the Toro so we opted for the longer of the two and will let you be the judge!     

Binder: Nicaraguan Olor
Filler:   Dominican/Honduran Piloto Cubano    
Wrapper:   Indonesian Sumatran – EMS
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   5
Panel Rating: 88

Notes from the Panel:

Note a dark EMS Indonesian wrapper with some veins present.   Not an exceptionally oily wrapper.   We found the construction to be solid with a medium fill, easy draw and even burn.   You’ll get good smoke volume out of this toro and want to look for a nutty and herbal flavor.   We also picked up some cedar tones in this relatively mild Dominican.   Look for a smooth finish.   This cigar was well aged.   Overall, a great mild blend that would pair nicely with anything you could possibly toss on the Barbeque!   Consider pairing it the roasted maltiness of an Irish Stout like Guinness or Murphy’s.

4 3/8" x 46/52

The Purofino DOM line is manufactured entirely by hand in the mountainous heart of Spanish Honduras' lush Jamastram Valley.   Purofino has recently introduced its new flagship cigar line, the DOM series which we know you’re going to really like.   The DOM line is a select blend of three fifth cut ligero leaves from the Jalapa Valley in Nicaragua and the San Victor valley in the Dominican Republic, and one seco leaf from each region.   The cigar uses a Pennsylvania Broadleaf binder which really ads to it’s strength and is wrapped in a 3 yr. aged, naturally fermented Connecticut Broadleaf Double Maduro wrapper.   The DOM Petite Belicoso featured this month received ratings as high as any we’ve ever featured and we know you’re going to really enjoy it.  

Binder: Mexican Morron 
Filler: Mexican Morron & Nicaraguan Ligero 
Wrapper:   3-yr. Aged Sumatra-Seed Ecuadorian-Maduro 
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   7
Panel Rating:   96  

Notes from the Panel:

Wow!  Grab your bootstraps and hang on!  This is one of the better smokes we’ve every rated.  Another superbly constructed smoke.  Great draw.  Lots of smoke.  First off, be sure and savor the shaggy foot of this cigar when you light it.  Don’t burn it off, yet enjoy the first few puffs of this one.  It’s the most expensive tobacco in the cigar and defines this smoke’s taste.  Look for big taste in this power-packed little beauty.  We found its taste to be a complex blend of spiciness and earthiness with definite overtones of coffee and chocolate evident.  Overall, a fully satisfying experience.  You’ll want more.  Pair it up with a tawny port, your favorite single malt scotch or rum. 

5" x 50

The Puros Indios Cigar Company is, without a doubt, a family affair.   Rolando Reyes, Sr., the living legend behind the Puros Indios brand, has been a master cigar maker for over 60 years.   He has owned and operated hand-rolling factories in Havana, the Dominican Republic, Miami, New Jersey, as well as in Honduras.   Over the past six decades, his vast experience has included jobs in every phase of cigar making including purchasing and processing tobacco, quality control, production supervision, and shipping and handling. You could say Don Rolando knows a bit about tobacco.   As a matter of fact, Reyes is rare among many of today's cigar company owners and factory managers, in that he can actually roll cigars as well! 

Don Rolando was born in Cuba and at 14, began a career in the cigar business.   His 30 years of experience in the Cuban cigar industry included working at H.Upmann, Partagas, Romeo y Julieta, as well as other major cigar factories.   His own Havana factory was producing over 6 million premium cigars before it was confiscated by the Castro government in the early 60's.   Reyes has a rather basic philosophy with respect to his business:   "Our goal is that every cigar we make be a perfect cigar in its appearance, the way it burns, and in flavor - A true Work of Art." 

The Puros Indios brand is rolled at the Reye’s plantation in Danli, Honduras.   The line has received high praise from numerous trade publications, rating from the high 80’s to mid 90’s in Cigar Aficionado.   The line as a whole offers a very full, rich cigar smoking experience and is available in a myriad of sizes.   Our panel enjoyed all of the Puros Indios samples received and was hard pressed to choose just one to feature this month.   The vast experience and family tradition truly emerges in these superb cigars.   We know you’ll enjoy it.    

Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Dominican, Brazilian, Jamaican & Nicaraguan
Wrapper: Ecuador – CO Claro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   7
Panel Rating:   91

Notes from the Panel:  

Tobacco Bits
 

BEFORE N.O.W. - In 1961, the El Laguito factory opened a cigar-rolling school exclusively for women, the first of its kind anywhere.   Before that time there were only a handful of women rollers because factory owners felt that women did not have the hand strength to properly roll the various cigar shapes.   It was also thought that women's presence in the factory would distract the men.   Today, many of the most skilled rollers in factories around the world are women. 

SNAP, CRACKLE, POP!   - There is an old myth that rolling a cigar between your fingers and listening to the crackle of the wrapper is the best way to determine if it has been properly stored.   This is actually the best way to destroy a cigar.   All cigar wrappers crackle, regardless of whether they have been properly humidified or not.   Though drier cigars will crackle louder than properly humidified smokes, if you're hell-bent on manhandling a cigar before selecting it, pinch it ever so lightly down near the foot instead of rolling it.   If it is in good condition, the   cigar will give slightly and spring back into place. 

A CUT ABOVE - How a cigar will smoke depends heavily on airflow through its body.   The best way to regulate airflow in the cigar is to cut before smoking.   Cigar piercers are elegant, but the aperture is frequently too small for smoke to pass through smoothly.   A plug or bullseye cutter is a better option, but don't force the plug cutter too far into the cigar.   A catseye, or V-cutter, works well, but not on tapered-head figurados.   The guillotine is the favored method, and a twin-bladed cutter is your best option.   Just don't use your teeth. 

TO LIGHT OR RELIGHT - If, for some reason, your cigar has gone out, don't just relight and start puffing away-your palate could be in for a shock.   Tars present in the cigar upon relighting will make the smoke taste charred or stale.   Instead, knock off all of the gray-white ash on the end of the cigar before placing the flame under it.   When the heat from the flame causes the end to ignite into a bright yellow flame, blow through the cigar briskly for a few seconds.   This will burn off the tars that build up in the cigar while smoking, and the cigar will smoke like it was freshly lit.