Kip Fisher - Co-Founder, Author at Half Ashed

Cigar Review: San Lotano Oval Robusto

November 12, 2011 By Kip Fisher

For our review this week, we’re smoking the San Lotano Oval, by A.J. Fernandez. My local B&M just got these in, and since the Oval has been such a huge hit for AJF, I thought I’d give it a try and see what all the hubbub is about. It is available in 6 vitolas, and I selected the robusto (5.5″ X 54 ring) for the review. In the Tampa area, the robusto retails for $8.50-8.75 for singles. According to the company website, the Oval has a Habano 2000 wrapper, aged a minimum of 4 years, Nicaraguan binder, and an “AJ Fernandez Secret Filler” composed of both Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos. It comes in a unique ovoid cross-section, which to me looks like a semi-square press. Think of a cigar that has been square pressed along one axis, rather than two.

Upon removing the cellophane, my specimen is very solid; there are no voids or overly dense areas to be found. The wrapper feels and appears very oily and smooth. Mine appears to have been jumbled around a little bit during transit, as there are a couple of dings on the cigar, one of which has left a small (1/8″) tear in the wrapper leaf. Hopefully, the binder will hold true and not allow extra air into the stick that might interfere with the smoking. Before lighting, the foot gives a pleasing scent of hay and maybe a slight hint of cedar, while the wrapper provides the faint aroma of a tobacco barn. Mild, but pleasant. The prelight draw delivers very little in terms of flavor, but the near perfect construction is evident in what I’ll call a “Goldilocks draw.” Not too loose, not too tight. Just right.

It’s a cool day here in Florida (63°), which lends itself to getting pure, clean flavor from a cigar. The Oval takes the light very well, and toasts evenly with little effort. The initial puffs produce a slightly vegetal, woody spice. The spice here is slightly cedarlike, and produces a noticeable but tolerable tingle in the nose upon retrohale. There are some “bright” notes of citrus as well – more a lemon/lime sensation, rather than the sweetness of orange or tangerine. Not an explicit flavor, just something that brings these flavors to mind. The smoke in this early portion of the cigar is quite mouthwatering, which I understand to mean the pH is lower than that present in the mouth. The burn in the first inch has a slight wander, but not too bad. The hole in the wrapper mentioned above is thusfar a nonissue, and produces no problem with the draw or light.

Into the second inch of the Oval, the spice has mellowed considerably. I have a cup of plain, black coffee as accompaniment today, and the pairing is actually very complementary. The flavors play together quite well. The burn has continued to have a small bit of scalloping around the edges, but I am impressed with how adept the cigar is at self-correcting. There are now some nice, darker flavors of cocoa or espresso. These are very clean, however, in that they dissipate quickly from the palate.

In the 2″-3″ portion of the cigar, the taste has gotten a more creamy feel in the mouth, with little of the spice that was prevalent earlier. The coffee remains, and even a more tea-like flavor as well. Most cigars will respond well to a slow cadence, and the Oval is no exception. Slowly smoking this cigar will reward you with wonderful bursts of flavor – cocoa, coffee, nuts, mild cedar can all be picked out. I was not especially careful with the ash, but it impressively held on to about 2.5″. The texture of the ash itself is also noteworthy – it has a very fine, dimpled grain to it. Toward the end of this phase of the smoke, and into the final stretch, the tingle I experience in Nicaraguan tobacco returned. However, it was never harsh nor acrid. It was well balanced with the other tobaccos and remained flavorful and comfortable, presumably held in check by the addition of Honduran tobaccos in the filler. The sheen from the oils in the wrapper is remarkable at this point, and appears to almost be fleeing the heat of the ember. The cigar produces copious amounts of smoke in this section, as well. That’s not as important to me as it is to some folks, but it was very pronounced here. The coffee flavors remain dominant and up front throughout. It is worth mentioning that I never had to relight this cigar, nor even touch it up. Every time even a mild variance occurred, it quickly corrected itself and I was on my happy way. Within the final few puffs, it did become slightly astringent, but this dissipated with a slight purge.

The San Lotano Oval is indeed a big hit for AJ Fernandez, and after smoking this one I can see why. It was a great cigar all around. The flavors were bold and pleasurable, and while they varied throughout the smoke, the profile was very consistent and harmonious. The burn and construction were flawless and provided a worry free smoking experience. It is bold enough that you know you’re smoking a cigar, but approachable enough for even the neophyte cigar smoker. While not inexpensive, the pricing is definitely in line with the experience provided – I have certainly paid the same for much lesser cigars. Overall, I am very impressed with the San Lotano Oval, and would highly recommend it to anyone. According to my rating system-in-progress below, it scores a 92. A great cigar.

Flavor (1st third): 9

Flavor (2nd third): 9

Flavor (3rd third): 9

Burn: 10

Prelight aroma/draw: 9

Draw: 9

Construction: 10

Value: 8.5

Cigar Review: La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Poderoso

November 1, 2011 By Kip Fisher

For this week’s review, we’re going to have a look at the La Flor Dominicana Air Bender. The selected vitola for the review is the Poderoso, roughly a corona at 5-1/2″ and a 42 ring. The Air Bender is produced in the Dominican Republic in seven different sizes, with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and Dominican Filler/Binder. In the Tampa area, it retails for about $6 per single, and about $5.50 per stick by the box. I have previously enjoyed this blend in LFD’s Chisel vitola, and thought I would give the Poderoso a try since I believe the corona to be one of the very best sizes to judge a blend.

The first thing I notice when removing this cigar from its cellophane is its outstanding construction. It is tightly wrapped, with a beautifully applied cap that displays no visible wrinkles, tears, or defects of any kind. In fact, it is incredibly smooth. The pack feels uniform throughout the cigar, with no noticeably dense areas nor voids of any kind. Before lighting, the scent of the wrapper and foot are similar, and remind me of what I call “dark” flavors of figs or even oatmeal. The unlit draw delivers very traditional tobacco or hay flavors, and is comfortable and open. The cigar toasts easily and takes to fire readily and evenly.

During the first inch of this stick, I took the time to examine the wrapper more closely. There were a number of moderately sized veins, and some tooth to the leaf. The “teeth,” or nodules, were very lowlying, however; almost seen as much as felt. This early, I found the smoke to be somewhat drying, causing me to reach for a drink frequently. I initially opted to enjoy the Air Bender with coffee, but quickly abandoned that idea and switched to a simple glass of ice water. The coffee was not interfering with the cigar – quite the opposite. The cigar overpowered the coffee. Rather than deal with wishy-washy coffee, and to escape the alkalinity of the smoke, I just went ahead and made the switch to water. The prominent flavors at this point remained similar to the prelight perceptions, especially with the oats. There is also a pleasant but noticeable nutty aftertaste, akin to almonds.

From the one- to two-inch mark, the cigar seemed to produce considerably more smoke than earlier. The drying effect of the smoke on the palate persisted, but was not problematic. The ice water kept that in check. A bit of peppery flavor crept in at this point. I would more quickly associate this flavor with white rather than black pepper – similar taste without the bite. It was very pleasant to me, one who appreciates a bit of it but will often shy away from reputed “spice bombs,” because I do retrohale a fair amount and don’t enjoy too much burn in the nose. The pepper here is entirely enjoyable, however. I have to note the burn at this point. It has been absolutely impeccable. I did have to perform one minor touchup, but overall it shows the quality of the bunch and roll to be top notch. What impressed me most was the level field of ash when I did dunk the end. No penciling or tunneling at all. The ember was laser-level.

After two inches, and onward into the final portion of the smoke, I did detect some spice through the nose to accompany the pepper noted earlier. Still, the burn was moderate and definitely worthwhile when the pleasant, warming flavors and near perfect construction are taken into consideration. By this point, I began to notice a couple of new flavors presenting front and center. Pure, basic tobacco taste, which I find quite agreeable and satisfying came through boldly but certainly not in a harsh way. There was also a welcome return from the notes of leather I noticed earlier before and at first light. In the final stretch, the burn on retrohale disappeared entirely, although the flavor of pepper remained. In the last few puffs from the cigar, the taste remained basically unchanged, although a bit of cedar was noticeable. I did have to perform one more slight touchup to the wrapper, but I am still overwhelmingly impressed with the burn on this stick.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this cigar. The flavors are bold and pleasing, yet never brash. The construction, at least on this one, was absolutely faultless. This flawless build is very attractive to me. It affords the smoker the opportunity to simply enjoy the cigar without having to worry or fret about it. One can focus on the more important aspects of relaxing and taking pleasure in the smoke. The Air Bender holds a special niche in that it has enough body and flavor to appeal to those wizened old denizens of dark, smoky cigar shops without being too imposing to the neophyte just breaking into the pastime. If you haven’t already, I would definitely recommend you give it a try. At the per stick box price of $5.50, I also think it is a great value.

As I mentioned a couple of reviews ago, I’m still working out the whole numerical rating system, and I’m not a big fan of attempting to assign objective values to something so subjective as taste. Nonetheless, for whatever it may be worth, I am doing so below. Hopefully, this system will take shape into something usable as time goes by and I iron out the details. For now, I’ll just average out the following ratings, with construction and flavor being weighted double. That would leave the Air Bender comfortably sitting on a “90.”

Flavor (1st third): 9

Flavor (2nd third): 8.5

Flavor (3rd third): 9

Burn: 9

Prelight aroma/draw: 8.5

Draw: 9

Construction: 10

Value: 8.5

Cigar Review: Arturo Fuente 858 Sungrown

October 19, 2011 By Kip Fisher

Well, it’s that time of week again. Time for a review! This week, we’re taking a look at the Sungrown version of the Arturo Fuente 858. The 858 takes its name in honor of Arturo himself, who was instrumental in developing the blend. In fact, Carlito Fuente has said it was his grandfather’s personal blend. When he (Arturo) died at the age of 85, the family brought the 858 to market under the name “858” as a palindrome and reminder of their patriarch. The cigar is 6″ long, a 47 ring, and comes in 5 different wrapper offerings. The “standard” lines are the natural (Cameroon) and maduro (Connecticut Broadleaf). I would also include the claro (Connecticut/candela) as standard production as well, although it is less common on retailer shelves. I would imagine this cigar is readily available, just not quite as appealing to the current market, which probably drives somewhat lower production numbers (pure speculation on my part). The remaining two wrappers are far more difficult to come by – the SG Rosado (cedar wrap/red band on the foot), and the Sungrown (cedar wrap/black band on the foot/Ecuadorian Sungrown wrapper). Production has seemed erratic for these final two offerings in previous years, but happily I have seen considerably more locally in Tampa this past year than ever before. The filler and binder are Dominican, and wrappers as noted above. You can find the standard production sticks for $4-5, and the Sungrown for about $7, depending on your local market. Of course, there are plenty of folks out there who mark them up considerably more than that.

Today’s example comes from the most recent release, which arrived at my local B&M in late summer. So, it has been resting comfortably at 65% in my humidor for several weeks. When removing it from the cellophane and cedar wrap, I noticed an almost uncharacteristic even brown color to the wrapper. These often have a mottled look, with some small degree of graying in the coloration. This one, however, is uniformly brown throughout the cigar. Perhaps due to this uniformity, or the typical quality of construction I’ve come to expect from Fuente, the seams of the wrapper leaf virtually disappear. The thin veins are more easily visible than the spiral of the roll. The wrapper leaf is mildly oily – not enough to leave a residue on my fingers, but enough to give the wrapper a soft, smooth feel. Prelight, the aroma of the wrapper is noticeably influenced by its time in the cedar sleeve. The foot, however, produces a more traditional, typical tobacco scent. The cold draw is reminiscent of hay, and a bit toasty.

Upon applying my torch, a small crescent on one side of the foot was atypically resistant to lighting. This self corrected within a couple of minutes, though, and presented no problem. The toastiness I found in the prelight draw is front and center, offset with a slight cedar flavor which I again attribute to the cedar wrap these ship in. Although still very much present, these flavors do quickly subside within the first half-inch, and are enhanced by a creamy sweetness – not something you might associate with the sweet notes often found in a maduro, just an indefinable, but welcome changeup from the initial cedar.

By the 1″ mark, and through to 2″, the cigar continues to develop nicely, and has the normal straight burn I now judge other cigars by. The flavor has taken a more citrus-like note, with an occasional waft of what reminds me of allspice – not what you might find in your spice rack, but more akin to the smoke from an honest-to-goodness allspice fueled fire used to prepare jerked pork. By 2″ and beyond, I find many of the same flavor “remembrances” as in the earlier portion of the cigar, with maybe a slight increase in the prominence of the citrus note. One thing worth a mention here, is the consistency of the even burn. As in most examples of the Fuentes’ offerings, the burn in this cigar remains strikingly true, and has yet to require even a single touchup. This, coupled with the dependable draw I find in most Fuente cigars, makes me appreciate their products even more. Having to fumble around and take care of construction issues always turns me off to a cigar, even when the flavors are pleasant. Coming into the final stretch of the cigar, I find the strength a little more bold than found in the early smoking. However, it remains very clean to the palate, never harsh nor acrid. Overall, I place this cigar very near dead center in terms of strength. Not so mild as to fail in delivering great taste, but not so heavy as to give anyone headspins or cold sweats. By the final minutes of the smoke, the flavor has progressed into a delicious presence of mildly sweet tobacco goodness, which lingers slightly on the palate. In fact, this is one of my favorite parts of this smoke. It reminds me of visits to tobacco barns as a kid, with its somewhat musty sweetness of curing tobacco.

What really stands out for me in this smoke is the unwavering quality of construction and dedication to blending I find in the Fuente team, as well as this particular blend, which is a step outside the box I find many blenders in today. Personally, I find the cigar market one of extremes lately – there seems to be a great demand for towering spice bombs that can border on nasal napalm or wishy-washy sticks with the most interesting flavor noted as that of cardboard packing boxes. The 858 is a comfort smoke for me, especially in this wrapper. It is simply enjoyable. I never have the distractions of inconsistency or poor build. The construction is always dead-on, the strength as “medium” as might be humanly possible for my tastes, and the flavors are both pleasing and interesting. All these things make for a fantastic cigar that facilitates conversation and contemplation, two of the greatest aspects of our hobby. It is no secret amongst the Cigarmy that this is one of my favorite Fuente sticks, and in fact, one of my favorite of all cigars. So, I think just this once I’ll forego the numeric rating system (which I haven’t finalized anyway), and just let the written review stand alone – and thus avoid admitting how biased I truly am about this stick. All I can say is if you can find them, by all means give them a try.

Cigar Review: J. Fuego 777 Maduro

October 14, 2011 By Kip Fisher

Almost on whimsy alone, I decided to kick this blog off with a review of a cigar with which I have absolutely no previous experience. I’ve heard the J. Fuego 777 mentioned occasionally on a couple of podcasts, but none of my local tobacconists carry the line. I happened onto a good deal on the coronas (5.5 X 46) in the series, and decided to give them a try. The Fuego family has been in the tobacco business for well over a century, growing, blending, and rolling for others. But, it was not until 2006 that “”Tabacos S.A.” was launched, and produced cigars under the family banner. According to their website, the 777 maduro is “A bold Nicaraguan puro with all the richness of the “Corojo” seed, and the full bodied spiciness of a maduro “Criollo” wrapper. The components are:

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo

Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo

Filler: 2/3 Nicaraguan Corojo and 1/3 Nicaraguan Criollo

So, let’s get right to it, shall we? The wrapper on this stick is incredibly dark, almost an oscuro. It also seems to be very thin, and telegraphs every aspect of the binder below. Mine is undamaged, but has a very dainty, delicate feel to it. A number of veins are present in the wrapper, but none are significant in size. Overall, the visible construction is near impeccable. It is well capped, tightly wrapped, and I don’t feel any voids or dense areas whatsoever.

Upon clipping, the prelight draw is very free, but surprisingly light in flavor. In fact, I would venture to say that the draw “feels” just about perfect. The aroma of the wrapper is reminiscent of a campfire, similar to charred wood or the smoke from a mixed hardwood fire. At the foot, however, is a pleasant hay or even barnyard smell – and I mean that in a favorable way. With these prominent scents, it is very surprising how little flavor comes through before lighting. The cigar toasts readily, and lights very evenly.

The initial flavor upon lighting comes through mildly as toasted oats, with a bit of burn if retrohaled. I have come to expect the burn, as it seems most Nicaraguan cigars have this effect on me. I am quite surprised that I notice very little in the way of sweet flavors that I typically pick up in maduro wraps. The sidestream smoke is noticeably astringent this early in the stick – not out of character with Nicaraguan tobacco, but not normally appreciated by others in the room. Definitely a cigar to be enjoyed outdoors.

By the time I approach the 1″ mark, the nasal burn has mostly dissipated, and the cigar can now comfortably be retrohaled. It also self-ashed at about the 3/4″ mark. I am still getting some of those early oat-ish flavors, but the profile has definitely sweetened somewhat. A flavor of comfortably broken-in leather has become prominent – think of the old, hand-me-down baseball glove you may have had as a kid – which I find it quite pleasant. I do have to mention that I am struggling to keep it lit by this time.

As the first two inches of the smoke near completion, I notice another conspicuous changeup in the flavors that are coming through. It has developed a bit of an earthy taste, almost of peat or malt. At this point, the burn has skewed a little more, and I have had to relight and touch up the cigar a few times now. The burnline has become erratic, and is scalloped in several places. This became a little more of a bother as I progressed into the next inch of the stick. The ash became more scaly and uneven as I got further into the smoke. The third inch also seemed to definitely strengthen at this time. Not uncomfortably so, but I do notice a slight tingle in the back of my throat – which generally indicates an increased presence of nicotine to me. I do have to say the taste never became harsh or ashy at any time. The flavors remained true and “unpolluted” throughout the cigar. This was impressive to me. Many times, this perceived increase in strength comes through as harshness to my palate. The aforementioned trouble with the burn has become more pronounced, however, and is actually somewhat bothersome.

In the final stretch, the cigar did come around and behave with the burn. The flavors became more subdued, with coffee taking a lead role. I also notice that the sidestream smoke seems less astringent – although it is entirely possible this was only perceived due to the fact it has been hanging under my nose for an hour at this point. I am quite surprised that the flavors actually seemed to be more mellow toward the end of the stick. That is rare in my experience.

Were it not for the struggle to keep this cigar lit, and the numerous touchups to avoid canoeing, it would have ranked much higher in my estimation. I felt like I was having to babysit it due to the near constant relights through the midsection of the smoke. The 777 is a bit of an enigma…even with these issues, I would still recommend giving it a try. It is possible I just had a wonky sample. I have four more, so I will update this review if the others are different. The flavors are very pleasant and enjoyable. I found it to be a step out of the ordinary as far as Nicaraguan cigars go. The flavor profile was a bit “darker” than I would normally experience with many other sticks from the area. I usually perceive some floral notes, even in the most potent Nicaraguan cigars. I got none of that here, but the oats, leather, and coffee flavors were prominent instead. As this is the first review for the site, and the final format is still to be determined, I’ll assign some numbers for those of you who like to see some metrics in your reviews. Keep in mind that these numbers are simply an attempt to objectify subjective taste. Personally, I prefer a written review – but I know some guys like to see some numbers…

Flavor (overall) – 7.67

Flavor (1st third) – 8

Flavor (2nd third) – 8

Flavor (3rd third) – 7

Burn – 5

Prelight Aroma – 7.5

Draw – 9

Construction – 8.5

OVERALL RATING: 76