NOVEMBER 2000

7" x 52

Binder: Dominican Cubano Olor
Filler: Dominican Ligero
Wrapper: Brazilian – Maduro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   6
Panel Rating:   94 

Notes from the Panel:  

Immediately note a rich, dark, moderately veiny Brazilian maduro wrapper that begs you to light it.   Our samples were expertly rolled. No soft spots and just the right amount of firmness.   On a side note, the tobacco in this cigar simply smells good!   Look for a moderately slow burn.   Note significant smoke volume.   We picked up toasty cocoa and big, good tobacco flavor!   The Brazilian maduro wrapper lends a slightly sweet quality to this smoke.   Look for a long, pleasant finish on the tongue.   Overall, very satisfying taste and construction.   Consider pairing it with a thick, oatmeal stout.  

5.5" x 52

Tony Borhani, Founder of Bahia cigars, takes his business as seriously as you possibly can.   Because of Tony's personal quest for depth of knowledge, he set off on a three-year exploration around Central and South America meeting growers, rollers, and master blenders, studying their methods and styles, allowing him to expand his horizons on cigar making and appreciation. Tony combines his knowledge of traditional production techniques with new ideas and secret methods that extend the art of processing, curing, aging and rolling the aromatic leaf.   He has dedicated his life to the creation of the finest selection of cigars from around the world and heightening the pleasure and satisfaction of cigar smoking. Tobacco used for all Bahia cigars is grown at the best plantations in Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Ecuador and processed under the control, supervision and methods of Tony Borhani and Don Douglas.  

The Bahia Maduro line featured this month is a real treat.   Rolled with the finest Connecticut Shade broadleaf wrapper which marries perfectly with an all Dominican filler and binder, this cigar has earned the highest reviews everywhere it’s rated.   Current production of this blend does not exceed 300,000 cigars a year. This is another one we just know you’re gonna love!  

Binder: Dominican Olor
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano Seca & Ligero
Wrapper:   Connecticut Broadleaf - Maduro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   8
Panel Rating:   95 

Notes from the Panel:

Start of by admiring this dark, slightly oily maduro wrapper.    We found the panchos to be rolled exceptionally well, living up to the Bahia name. A substantial robusto in the hand.   Look for an even burn and easy draw. You’re in for a full bodied experience.   We picked up strong earthy tones and some cedar in this robust cigar.   Each panel member smoked this gem either to the band or the nub! Overall, it may not be a Cuban, but in our book, it comes close to that Habanos satisfaction we all crave.   Pair it up with a tawny port or peaty single malt scotch.  

6.25" x 54

The line featured this month was reborn almost a century after it was first produced.   Sergio Cuevas and Doug Wood have created a cigar in which commitment, quality, and flavor are the sole concerns. Using closely guarded techniques to age and blend the tobaccos, these men have produced a cigar that is worthy of the name, the Pearl of Habana .   The entire line has been rated between 88 and 91 in Cigar Aficionado and well deserving of such praise in our opinion.   What a month!   We hope you’re as excited about this month’s section as we are!    

Binder: Indonesian Olor
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano
Wrapper: Indonesian - Colorado
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   6.5
Panel Rating:   92 

Notes from the Panel:    

This is a solidly constructed torpedo.   We found it substantial in the hand and offering excellent construction.   La Perla’s torpedo has an easy draw and consistent burn.   We really liked the smoke volume and aroma.   Note a sweet woodiness with perhaps some hints of pepper.   A fairly complex flavor profile.   It certainly picked up body as you got into the smoke.   Overall, a solid smoke.   Great taste and construction.   Consider pairing it with a well-aged Cabernet.  

5.5" x 44

The brand's early success was directly due to the efforts of Rodriquez Fernandez.   “Pepin," as he was known, was originally manager of the Cabanas factory in Havana, but unhappy at its imminent takeover by American Tobacco, he resigned in 1903 to branch out on his own.   Using his savings, he bought a little-known factory which, since 1875, had made cigars called Romeo y Julieta solely for the Cuban domestic market.   But he had bigger ideas, and encouraging his employees by distributing 30 percent of profits to heads of department, he traveled the world promoting the brand.   Within two years, with his 1,400 workers, he had to move to a larger factory. 

The Dominican Republic-produced Romeo y Julieta cigars are produced with both Connecticut shade and Colorado Maduro Cameroon wrappers.   Both types are very highly rated in several publications ranging from the high 80’s to mid 90’s in Cigar Aficionado. Enjoy!

Binder: Dominican Republic Olor
Filler:   Dominican Republic Seca    
Wrapper:   Cameroon – CO Maduro 
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   5
Panel Rating:   91  

Notes from the Panel:

We found the Cedros Delux # 2 to be consistently well made.   Immediately note a toothy, oily, rich Cameroon wrapper.   We found it rolled with ample tobacco and yet it burned perfectly with an effortless draw.   Consistent with the rest of the Dominican R y J line, we found the blend complex, offering earthy tone and the somewhat sweet herbal quality that we’ve grown quite fond of in this line.   Overall, very well made, relatively mild and full of flavor!   Pair it up with a full bodied merlot.  

6.5" x 52

The Tamboril Sumatran line is hand rolled in none other than Tamboril, Dominicana Republica where the Tamboril Cigar Co. also oversees production of their own cedar boxes.   Tamboril was formed in 1995 when president Anthony Markofsky stumbled across an empty warehouse in Tamboril begging to be transformed into a cigar manufacturing factory in one of the more renowned Dominican cigar manufacturing cities.   It was easy for the company to acquire quality rollers as there were so many in the city already that were commuting 2 or 3 hours to work in other remote factories.  

The Sumatran cigars featured this month received the highest rating in the Tobacco Times Reviews since its inaugural volume.   Enjoy!    

Binder:   Dominican Olor 
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano
Wrapper: Indonesian Sumatran – CO Maduro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   6
Panel Rating:   88  

Notes from the Panel:

Immediately note the inviting, rich Colorado Maduro wrapper encasing this handsome cigar.   Note an easy draw and even burn.   A solid ash indicated proper aging. We found the aroma to be somewhat sweet, offering the scent of cocoa.   Note big, rich and somewhat spicy herbal tones in this medium-to-full-bodied cigar.   We also picked up on some nutty characteristics and a trace of cedar.   Look for a woody, dry finish.   Overall, a complex, rich and full flavored, well-rounded smoke.   Consider pairing it with a Single Malt Scotch.  

Tobacco Bits
 

AGING CIGARS - The wrapper leaf is thought to have the most effect on how well a cigar will age.   Studies that use cigars with the same tobacco blends but with different shades of wrappers have shown that darker, oily wrappers have better aging potential than lighter- colored wrappers.   However, as with wine, age will improve a fine wine or a quality cigar, but a bad wine or a bad cigar cannot be saved by aging. 

GET YOUR LEAVES IN A BUNCH - When presented with the tobacco for rolling, the first thing a torcedor will do is take the right amount of filler leaf and create a bunch.   These bunches are not twisted or folded over like a book, because this will result in an unevenly burning cigar.   Rather, the leaves are stacked one on top of another and scrunched together like an accordion.   This ensures an even burn and an even distribution of the right leaves in the blend.   Then the binder is wrapped around the cinched bundle and placed in a wooden mold that will shape the cigar to the correct size. 

AGE IS THE HALLMARK OF MATURITY - Once the secondary fermentation process is complete, bales of tobacco leaves are wrapped in palm leaves for storage and aging.  (Sometimes, shade-grown leaves are stored in palm fronds, while sun-grown leaves are stored and aged in barrels.   This practice is most common in Cuba.)   The aging process can last anywhere from one to three years, depending on the leaf and the desired effect.   In the past, it was not uncommon for bales to be stored in the aging room of various factories for ten years, but demand for cigars now makes it impossible to store bales for a decade.