SEPTEMBER 2000

6" x 37/52

Handmade in Manila, the Philippines, the Double Happiness brand debuted in 1995.   Our panel is of the belief that there are only a few Philippine cigars worth smoking including the Double Happiness line and the Fighting Cock stogies featured last month.   The Philippines are gaining a reputation as one of the most reliable and high quality makers of premium cigars. An interesting and exotic blend, the Double Happiness cigars have a smooth, mild taste with an incredibly easy draw. Offering an intriguing blend of Isabela Superior Fina from the Philippines, the Double Happiness provides a full, very distinct and pronounced taste that will please many regular smokers but may overwhelm the more casual cigar lover. The Nirvana (6" x 52) sports a Connecticut shade wrapper and a Philippine binder and filler. Each is box-pressed in the traditional Cuban style, and each band is an attractive and unique replica of original Philippine art. SMOKE magazine rated Double Happiness very highly, saying "buy these in bulk - Recommended."

Binder:   Philippines Isabela Superior Fina
Filler:   Philippines Isabela Superior Fina
Wrapper: Brazilian - Claro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   4   
Panel Rating: 88

Notes from the Panel:

Immediately note an oily, smooth wrapper with some veins evident in the samples we received.   We found the Nirvana to draw exceptionally easy and to offer a cool, even burn.   Note a solid, very likeable and simple taste. It’s clean and not overpowering.   Double Happiness offers a mild smoke.   We picked up hints of nuttiness and some definite earthy tones.   Look for a mild, pleasant finish.   Overall, a solid, very well constructed little smoke worthy of a test-drive if you’ve never smoked Philippine tobacco.   Consider pairing it up with your favorite Pale Ale.

7.5" x 50

The Garo Cigar Company introduced its first line, the Blue line, when founder Garo Bouldoukian began down a path that would fulfill life-long dream.   Garo desired simply to create a cigar of such quality that a seasoned smoker would remark upon trying it for the first time, “That’s a Great cigar!”. 

Residing in the Dominican Republic certainly expedited the long process involved in bringing a product to the market and Garo has unquestionably produced a winner.   Recipient of high praise in Smoke, Smokeshop Magazine, The Robb Report, Wine & Dine Magazine and Milton encouraged the company to supplement its original line with two others, Garo Verde and Garo Maduro in 1997.   All of Garo’s lines are handcrafted under the watchful eyes of a fifth generation master blender in Santiago, in the Cibao Valley of the Dominican Republic.   Garo later introduced a maduro line as well.   For more information about the Garo Habano Cigar Company, call 1-800-995-GARO or visit their web site at http://www.garohabano.com. 

Binder: Dominican Olor
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano
Wrapper:   Indonesian-CO Maduro
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   6.5
Panel Rating:   91 

Notes from the Panel:  

We found Garo’s Verde line to be slightly fuller bodied than their Blue line and less than the maduro line.   The draw on the Churchill is nearly perfect, offering billows of smoke.   Note a rustic Colorado maduro wrapper encasing this cool burning cigar.   Look for a mellow smoke with a flavor profile comprised of cocoa beans, a creamy-nuttiness, and a hint of cedar.   Look for a wonderful, pleasant aroma, mellow, yet packed with flavor.   We found the finish lingered with rich cedar tones.   Overall, a complex blend of tobacco tastes constructed very well.   Try pairing this one with either a dark ale or cognac.

7" x 50

The new site is adjacent to El Credito's existing factory in the Villa Gonzalez free trade zone near Santiago. The 32,000-square-foot space is being utilized as a combination tobacco warehouse and cigar school. Presently, tobacco is stored and rollers are trained in the original Dominican plant, which is 31,000 square feet. Moving the tobacco next door allowed Carrillo to increase the number of cigar makers at the older plant to 300 from 180.

La Gloria is rolled from complex blend of Brazilian, Ecuadorian, Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos.   Rated as high as 93 by the Cigar Aficionado magazine, the brand has a solid reputation and has been reviewed as “bursting with strong, rich tobacco aromas and flavors”, and “has an even draw and a straightforward, spicy character”.    We loved the maduro Churchill and know that you will as well!    

Binder: Ecuadorian Piloto Cubano
Filler: Brazilian, Dominican, & Nicaraguan   
Wrapper: U.S.A. Connecticut Broadleaf – Maduro 
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   6
Panel Rating:   93  

Notes from the Panel:

This is a consistently well-made cigar.  We found the construction impeccable.  Nice oily brownish-black appealing wrapper.  Rolled firmly with plenty of tobacco, yet still offering a pleasing draw and plenty of smoke volume.  Note a trace of cedar in this earthy somewhat sweet cigar.  Look for big full rich spicy flavors and a smooth well rounded tobacco taste.  We found the finish to offer a slightly sweet non-lingering to be pleasantly non-lingering.  Overall, a great cigar.  The flavor remained full and smooth from start to finish.  We loved it.  Consider pairing it with your favorite roasted Porter. 

6.25" x 52

Prepare yourself for a treat.   The Liberty Cigar line was created by Master blender, Carlos Fuentes when he and his brother, Martin, founded the relatively small Cigar manufacturing company less than five years ago.   The Dominican-born brothers oversee operations at the plantation which is located in Santiago, Dominican Republic, which employs 30 rollers and manufactures just 125,000 cigars per month.    

The line is offered in 8 shapes and sizes, but our panel gravitated towards the impeccably constructed Torpedo that you’ll have a chance to sample this month. Extended aging in Spanish cedar-lined rooms provides a perfect balance of flavor and consistency in this complex cigar line.    

Binder: Dominican Olor
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano
Wrapper: Indonesian - Colorado
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   7
Panel Rating:   89 

Notes from the Panel:    

6" x 42

As it’s been quite some time since we’ve featured a U.S. manufactured brand, we wanted to be sure that we did, it was one that is more than worthy of your attention.   The Miyares Cigar Company is producing an exceptional product that surpasses many efforts made in more traditional cigar producing countries.   The entire product line is manufactured in their Miami-based factory, located in the heart of Little Havana.    

Each cigar is crafted from a unique and premium blend of choice Cuban seed tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Indonesian and Mexico, meticulously hand-rolled by their staff of Cuban Master Rollers and aged in Spanish Cedar in traditional Cuban fashion.   These medium-to-full-bodied cigars are custom made to provide an exceptionally rich flavor and aroma to satisfy even the most discriminating connoisseur.   The Miyares robusto in this particular blend received a huge 4.4 rating from SMOKE magazine: "This is clearly one of the best in the review.   Its wonderful, nutty flavor stays with you to the very end. Well done!"  Enjoy!

Binder: Mexican Olor
Filler:   Dominican Republic & Indonesian Ligero    
Wrapper:   Sumatran – CO Maduro 
Strength (Mild 1, Full 10):   6
Panel Rating:   92  

Notes from the Panel: 

Immediately note a beautiful, slightly reddish brown Sumatran wrapper.   We found it rolled with just the right amount of tobacco and offering a delightful pre-smoke aroma.   You’ll find the draw easy from the start, and a smooth, even burn.   Look for a creamy start in this mild to medium-bodied smoke.   We picked up hints of nuts, coffee and several thought it built to just a trace of vanilla.   The aftertaste is rich and complex.   Overall, a fully satisfying, rich and complex smoke.   Consider pairing this one with an Oban single malt scotch or Knob Creek bourbon.

Tobacco Bits
 

SIR WINSTON'S SMOKES - It is no secret that Sir Winston Churchill was an avid smoker so much so that the Romeo y Juileta factory developed and named a cigar size after him, a size that is among the most popular of all sizes in today's market.   It is said that he smoked over 300,000 cigars in his lifetime.   After a German bombing raid on London during World War II, Alfred Dunhill, proprietor of the store where Churchill kept his beloved smokes, phoned the prime minister to assure him that his cigars were safe. 

ALMOST READY - Completed cigars are bundled in groups of fifty and stored for a few weeks to allow the flavors of the various tobaccos to intermingle.   Bundles are then given to a sorter, who separates the cigars based on color, using a chart that has anywhere from 89 to 92 different shades of brown.   Sorted cigars are then banded and boxed by hand.   Sometimes, as in the case of vintage cigars, the bundles are stored in himidified rooms for extended periods of time, anywhere from three months to three years. 

WRAP IT UP - The bunch is left in the mold for about 30 minutes, during which time it is rotated a quarter turn, so lines where the two halves of the mold meet do not create a ridge in the bunch.   After the bunch is taken out, the roller places the bunch on the wrapper leaf, which is quickly and precisely trimmed with the chaveta - the roller's knife.   The bunch is then rolled from the foot to the head, and the cap for the cigar is secured with vegetable dressing from the tragycanth plant-the resin is odorless, tasteless, and dries quickly.   The roller then trims the cigar to the correct length with a tuck cutter.