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Craig and Kip are back this week for Episode 2 of Half Ashed. This week, we take a look at some vintage 1998 Montecristo Especial No. 1 (Laguito#1) as the Cigar of the Week. News updates from La Palina, Sam Leccia, IPCPR, and an interesting bit of potential legislation in Tennessee. Plus, a tour of the recently renovated Arturo Fuente Tampa operations and a discussion of some neat “happy accidents” in what we’ve been smoking this week. Be sure to also check out this month’s giveaway, as well as the ongoing Cigarmy promotion for new and renewing members of the Cigar Rights of America. So, give us a listen and check out our thoughts on the Montecristo Especial and all these other topics!
Next week, the Cigar of the Week segment will feature the Cuenca 5 Anniversary, which I reviewed here in depth. So, be sure you tune in for that, as well. We will continue with the recorded shows weekly, and our next live show will be coming March 8th with full audience participation during the broadcast. You can find the video of this week’s episode over on our YouTube channel, or through the embed below. Audio is available for download both below and free of charge through the iTunes store, or simply point your mobile device apps to: http://halfashed.com/feed/podcast . As always, if you have any questions, comments, compliments…or even insults…you can get in touch with us by email at: [email protected] or [email protected].
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So…let’s get on with it! The cigars I received from Craig are about 7.5″ long, and by my measure somewhere around a 38-40 ring. They have a small twist, or pigtail, atop the cap. The wrapper has an inherently smooth surface, but an overall rumpled appearance (presumably from the nice, lengthy rest period to settle and constrict). It telegraphs every bump and crevice beneath, and is a light to medium brown. This first one I’m smoking for today’s Epilogue is remarkably light in weight. It has a faint wrapper aroma of a warm tobacco barn. At the foot, the aroma is similar but slightly sweeter and more potent than the wrap. After clipping, the unlit draw really catches me offguard. It’s considerably sweeter than I expected. Honestly, I don’t know what I was expecting…but the sweetness was a surprise. It provides a fair amount of cedar as well; I’m not sure if that’s from the blend, the age, the tobacco, or storage conditions….but I like it. At first light I’m caught by yet another surprise. I suppose I imagined a cigar with nearly 15 years of time at rest would be much more sedate than I find this. This stick jumped into the fire with both feet in terms of flavor.
I get a good deal of zing through the nose, although it’s certainly not uncomfortable; just letting me know it’s there. The background flavor palette for that “zing” is toasty with a small amount of black pepper in the first few minutes. It doesn’t take long for the nasal tingle to dissipate, though. Within the first inch it has faded quite a bit, and has been replaced with a pleasant coffee, or mocha flavor that seems ever-so-slightly salty or astringent – more feeling than flavor. Those of you who follow my reviews will know that’s a great place for me to be.
Going into the final portion of the Montecristo Especial No. 1, I find it a little stronger than I had earlier noted. I would still place it squarely in the medium range of the strength spectrum – but full in flavor. It takes on more of a leathery character during this final stage of the smoking for me, but still with that overarching dry cocoa that I have enjoyed throughout. The astringency (for lack of a better word) I mention above is more of a perceived dryness to the mouth while smoking, rather than a comment on the flavor characteristics of the cigar. I find some increase in this dryness toward the end, which I don’t regard in a negative light; I only mention it in passing. Overall, I truly enjoyed this cigar. I can clearly see why Craig is such a fan. The flavors are bold and clean, and this one smoked like a dream. They’re not exactly easy to get hold of….but given the opportunity one day I could see myself investing in these in the future for sure.
A couple weeks ago, I published a 
So, moving on to the review…..the first thing I’m struck by when I removed the 5 Anniversary from its cellophane is the wrapper. It is a nice, even chocolate-brown color – but what I actually noticed first was the feel. It is very supple; not oily in the sense that there is a sheen to it, but quite smooth to the touch. From all appearances, it is expertly crafted. The pressing is sharper near the foot, with a slight fade as you move backward near the head of the cigar. There are moderate veins, which are visible but restrained from the press. The aroma from the wrapper is somewhat faint, but that from the foot is very bold – hay, raisins, and figs all come to mind. This is quite appealing to me. I literally had a salivary reaction to the aroma from the foot of this cigar. It’s not uncommon to hear someone say a cigar is “mouth-watering.” It is rare (for me anyway) to have one literally cause that physiological reaction.
I clipped about a quarter-inch from the head of both 5 Anniversary’s I smoked for this review, which gave me about a 3/8″ opening. This seems to be optimal, providing a near-perfect draw for me. Some mild resistance, but completely free. The prelight draw was surprisingly sweet – even with the aroma from the foot. The sweetness is reminiscent of plums, but a bit “brighter” to use pipe tobacco terminology. In my strangely convoluted way of thinking, it has the flavor quality of plum, and the pitch of cherries. In any event, it’s very pleasant…but I’m too anxious to fire it up to dwell any more on it. Cigars are for smoking, right?
Progressing into the second inch of smoking, the 5 Anniversary has mellowed a bit. The strength at this point is on the fuller end of the medium range to me. The flavors continue to be fantastically entertaining. I find the balance in strength to flavor just as impressive as the range of flavors themselves. I think the Cuencas’ did their homework when bringing AJF and others into the process of creating the blend. If you took the time to read the press release, you know that they brought some of their patrons into the mix by having them act as testers for the blend. They have invested the time into working with customers to develop their own personal palates and tastes in cigars, and are now reaping the benefit of having them contribute to making a better cigar. I love this idea. Who better to help design a product you sell than your customers?
In the final portion of the 5 Anniversary, the strength has picked up a bit. It is definitely full-bodied at this point, but very manageable and never overbearing. I’m still loving the toasty quality of the flavors. The sweetness, coupled with a toasty charred-oak flavor, has presented itself front and center, and the spice has moved a little rearward in terms of boldness. As has been the case throughout both the cigars I’ve smoked for this review, I’m really – REALLY – impressed. Oftentimes, a cigar shop that wants to release a housebrand or line of cigars with their name on it will make the mistake of simply finding a manufacturer with an availability of inexpensive tobacco, throw together a decent (at best) blend, and go with it. Clearly, this isn’t the case for this cigar. The tobacco is obviously of good quality, the blending is well thought-out, and the construction is impeccable. For my tastes, the 5 Anniversary is an absolute winner, and falls dead-center into my wheelhouse of preferred flavor (to quote the great Dale Roush). If you have the chance, I wouldn’t hesitate in the least to recommend giving it a try. For my money, this is entirely worthy of a box purchase. In fact, this has turned out to be one of my very favorite cigars from the past 12 months. I have never been to the Cuenca store on any of my trips to South Florida, but I foresee a stop the next time I’m down…
I was down in South Florida a few weeks ago, and while at a cigar shop I met Emiliano, a rep for Cipriano Cigars. As he was leaving, he passed me a petit torpedo to try. I just got around to firing it up this week, and found it very interesting. They do have a website, although it is essentially a placeholder with some contact information. So, I don’t have much information to go on beyond that brief chat with Emiliano. Based on the conversation I had with him, I believe that the company has a history in the Northeastern U.S., and is currently expanding into new markets (such as Florida). He told me the cigars are Nicaraguan puros, manufactured in Esteli, with a Jalapa/Esteli filler blend and featuring a habano wrapper. I’ll abstain from a full review since I have not yet been able to find a retailer from whom to buy a couple more to try; however, here are some initial notes on it. By my handy-dandy cigar ring gauge guide, I found it to be about a 54 ring, and 4.75″ long. Prelight, both the aroma and flavor were a very faint hay. With the addition of fire, it produced a good amount of smoke, and moderate spice over a predominant nuttiness. The cigar burned well, and the flavors remained consistent throughout – with a slight increase in the spice as I neared the end of the cigar. I could not locate the MSRP on any of their cigars, so I’m afraid I can’t offer much information on pricing. I also have not yet located a retailer – so I am in a holding pattern on this line pending more information. If you find them in your local shop let me know. I’d be interested in buying a few more to try. I’m sure most fans of Jalapa tobacco and medium strength cigars would enjoy the Cipriano. The construction was very good, and the flavor quite pleasant. Definitely worth investigating should the opportunity arise.
On the same trip, I bought a couple of other cigars at Charmed Leaf with which I was unfamiliar. They are from DUJO, a company I’d never heard of – so, of course I had to buy a couple to try in the name of science, right? The cigars are Dominican puros, with a “super secret blend of the finest tobacco available. Made in extremely small quantities and available ONLY at Charmedleaf” (per the Charmed Leaf website). DUJO also has a website, but like Cipriano above it doesn’t yet furnish many details about the cigars themselves, although I do know that they sell at Charmed Leaf for $8.75 per stick. Again, holding to only a brief synopsis of the cigar: The DUJO comes in one vitola, which is 5.5″ X 52. Mine had a slightly oily sheen to the wrapper, which made it quite smooth to the touch. The unlit aroma was faint on the wrapper; slightly less so at the foot with a bit of sweetness that reminded me of allspice. Both of mine delivered an outstanding draw – firm, but free. The flavors ranged from nutty to citrus to a sweet spice (akin but not identical to the allspice aroma before lighting). At times, the sweetness was accompanied by a savory “twang” that was reminiscent of some contraband cigars I might have had in the past. If you are into Dominican tobacco with the slightest touch of spice you should give these a try. I wouldn’t hesitate to keep a few around.
Finally, thanks to Ana at Cuenca Cigars, I had the chance to try the new Cuenca 5 Anniversary cigar. I published the
West Palm Beach, Florida – In a continuing effort to create limited runs of premium cigars blended by the industry’s top manufacturers, 
I received today’s featured cigar with an order of cigars I placed with 
Aside from the PA wrapper, one of the things that interests me most on the first glance is the sharp press on this cigar. In fact, it is commonly referred to as the Tempio “Extreme Box Press.” Luis uses a closely guarded method of pressing cigars into such a sharp shape; a method he says requires up to three weeks to perform. Whatever he’s doing, it works – I have had the pleasure of smoking a few different cigars from LTC produced in this fashion and I am consistently amazed at the draw he is able to preserve in such a press. The color of the wrapper is fairly uniform, reminiscent of well-oiled leather, with some slight mottling. At the risk of carrying the leather analogy too far, I’d use it in describing the feel of the wrapper as well. There is no discernible sheen to it, yet it feels very supple. The veins in the leaf are readily visible, but very smooth from the intense press. On both the wrapper and foot, I get very little in terms of prelight aroma. There is just the faint sweetness of tobacco. The flavor of the cold draw is also very sedate, and retains a bit of the sweetness noted in the aroma. Remarkably, the freedom of draw is still dead-on, even with the extreme press.
Entering the midsection of the smoke, I find that cedar frequently popping its head up for a puff or two, but the predominant flavors to me are still quite toasty – that of a sweet charred oak in my mind. I’m reminded of the aroma you’d find emanating from an old whisky barrel. If you enjoy smoked meats or a smoldering hardwood fire, you’re bound to find something you love in the Tempio. The burn during this portion of the cigar still has a bit of a roaming nature, but is still well within normalcy. I mention this merely in passing – it never becomes bothersome, nor distracting…and I have been known to fidget obsessively with the burnline of a cigar on many occasions. I have noticed that the press will loosen slightly as the burn approaches it. However, it retains much of the squared profile up until the last minute before combustion. As for potency, I’m finding the Tempio to be quite centered within the medium range. It never builds into what I would call full-strength by today’s standard – yet you’ll certainly not forget that you’re smoking a cigar. Going into the final stretch with the Tempio, I find an occasional sweet citrus flavor that is a very pleasant surprise. It’s fleeting, but makes for a nice diversion. The toasty flavors continue to build and develop, and have become quite “dark” by this point. This citrus, in addition to the sporadic cedar that creeps onto the palate, really stand out and create a nice backdrop for the leathery, charred wood in the profile foundation. The contrast truly makes them pop. The burn has corrected into the sharp, well-behaved line I was familiar with in the first two of these I smoked.
I found the Tempio to be a welcome addition to the market, and my repertoire. I do wish it were more widely distributed, and I am sure it will become so in the coming days. The dark, toasted nature of the flavors presented appeal to me greatly, and the lighter flavors that make occasional appearances throughout form a perfect substrate to really showcase them. Personally, I find this to be a great asset to a cigar. The flavors are very complementary, and make for such an enjoyable experience all around. This is definitely a cigar worthy of investing a carefree afternoon. Given greater availability, I would not hesitate to keep some squirreled away in my humidor for just such an occasion.