Unbanded | Half Ashed

Episode 012: Unbanded 003 & a Giveaway!

April 27, 2013 By Kip Fisher

Episode 012 of Half Ashed is in the can, and we welcome you back to join us for this week’s show. We are offering up another opportunity to humble ourselves in the public eye this week, with Unbanded 003, generously provided by Dan Crouch. Smoking blindly is something that is becoming somewhat of a habit for me. Be sure you give us a listen by any of the means below for several news items and updates, what we’ve been smoking, what we thought of the unbanded selection this week, a couple listener emails, and a slight rant from me. Also, don’t forget to listen in and check out the details on our current giveaway. Thanks for stopping by! Here is a quick show summary:

Unbanded 003

The Cigar of the Week for Episode 012 is an Unbanded submission from Dan Crouch. Dan took a novel approach with this submission; something that is a little different than our normal format. He submitted two differing vitolas from the same line of cigars, rather than two examples of the same cigar. Craig and I both had similar notions about the origin of the cigars, as well as a clear preference for one vitola over the other. Definitely an interesting experiment, and we thank Dan for the originality and generosity of supplying the cigars. Check out the show to see what we thought of it, and get the reveal.

Industry News

Legislative items – NYC Democratic mayoral candidate Christine Quinn (also speaker of NY City Council) is proposing that the age restriction on tobacco be raised from 18 to 21 years – NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley states “People who become full-fledged adults without smoking are very unlikely to pick up the habit afterwards. So if we can prevent our youth from starting smoking until they are 21 we may just be able to protect an entire generation from a lifetime of being addicted to the world’s most dangerous drug.” So, 19-21 year olds are still youth? Reminds me of the “study” a few years ago that classified “youth” as anyone under 26, and “smokers” as anyone who’d ever smoked a single cigarette….ORIGINAL STORY
Sam Leccia’s White began shipping this week. From appearances, the White allocation was all spoken for very quickly….
Casa Fuente tweeted that their online store was open on Monday – much to the delight of Fuente fans everywhere. Disappointment quickly followed, when they went to the site to find out that no cigars were sold there….just Casa Fuente branded clothing and accessories.
The Casa Magna Domus Magnus II is finally being shipped – months after it was initially announced. I’m not a fan of some Casa Magna cigars – but I love me some Domus Magnus. I believe the blend remains mostly the same, with the exception that the wrapper (sungrown Jalapa) is of a different vintage than the earlier offerings.
Ezra Ziontweeted a picture of their upcoming Limited Edition TANTRUM being boxed up at the factory. So, it appears they’re on schedule for the release (launched at Michael’s Tobacco of Keller – in Keller, TX on Friday April 26th). They crew from Ezra Zion will be joining us LIVE on May 10th.
Macanudo will be the new main sponsor for “Big Break” on the Golf Channel. I’m not a golfer, but apparently this is the channel’s longest running original series – and a big hit for them. Macanudo will feature prominently, with several episode being filmed at the Macanudo lounge Mexico, as well as the brand being incorporated into some of the challenges.

What Else Have We Been Smoking?

Kip – This week, I’ve been through a number of cigars, including two special Fuente sticks, a “Lauro’s” from Craig, some Casa Fernandez Arsenio and more. Tune in to the show to get the scoop on how those went…

Miscellany

Giveaway! It’s time we have another giveaway, and we have some cool stuff going out this time around. Courtesy of Cuenca Cigars, we have an Ashton ashtray and some killer premium cigars – as well as a Cigarmy coffee mug and a couple more cigars from me. The cigars are: 2X Cuenca 5 Anniversary, 2X Ortega Serie D Maduro #12’s, 1 Oliva Serie V Maduro, 1X La Aroma de Cuba Marquis Tubo, 1X L’Atelier Surrogates Tramp Stamp, 1X Torano Salutem, 1X Aging Room M356, and 1X JC Newman Perla del Mar. Listen to the show for all the details, but every email received between now and May 30th with a comment, question, concern, or compliment/complaint about the show will be entered in the giveaway – although, admittedly, complaints will have considerably less chances of winning :). On our May 31st show, we will randomly select a winner from those entries. So, get those keyboards humming and send us an email to [email protected] or [email protected]!
After last week’s discussion of my attempts and misadventures in making Cuban coffee, I received quite a few emails on making better brews for cigar accompaniment. I’m looking forward to giving some of these a try.
We also talk a little about another email we got from Enzo Temko concerning a bit of discomfort after smoking some cigars.
Finally, I go over the edge this week with a minor rant about the profusion of recent emails and distribution lists I’m on – or rather, some that I was on.

Wrap

Next week, our featured cigar will be the 2005 Padron Aniversario Natural. Be sure to tune in to find out how that goes. On May 10th, we will have our next LIVE show, broadcast on Cigar Federation. We’ll be talking with special guests from Ezra Zion about their Limited Edition release – the TANTRUM. The following week, we will have another special guest – William Cooper (Cigar_Coop) to get his insights into the industry, how it’s going, where it’s going, and generally pick his brain and see what we can learn.

Again, thanks for tuning in, and be sure to check back in next week. In the meantime, if you would like to contact us you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]. Also, don’t forget you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive. You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), or find us on iTunes.

Episode 008: Unbanded Number 002

April 1, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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Welcome to Half Ashed Episode 008, everyone! Below is a quick summary of this week’s show, but be sure to download or watch/listen through any of the means in the final paragraph of this post! [NOTE: I apologize for the audio snafu this week. I made some changes that created an echo in Craig’s voice for much of the show. This was not noticeable while recording, but bothersome in the final cut. I filtered the recording through a noise gate, but it is still largely present. Please bear with us while we get these glitches sorted out, and be sure to come back next week when we should be back to normal!]

Half Ashed Cigar of the Week: Unbanded #002

This week’s featured cigar is our second Unbanded (blind) tasting on Half Ashed, and was recommended by Jeff Curtis. The grand unveiling is detailed below. If you would like to make a suggestion for future unbanded cigars, send an email to [email protected]. This address is monitored by my wife, who will have one of my local cohorts source the cigars. If you have cigars you would like to submit, send me an email to: [email protected] and I will provide you with an address to send them.

Industry News this week

Legislative Items
- The Florida Outdoor Smoking Ban bill is still alive. The Florida Senate Regulated Industries Committee, by a unanimous 10-0 vote, advanced SB 258 that will allow Florida local governments to enact their own outdoor smoking restrictions. If you’re in Florida – you NEED to take action here. It only takes about ONE minute, and can be done online while sitting at home with a good cigar. You can submit messages to your representatives at the CRA page set up for that. Simply follow the instructions for the automated process.
- One listener (Dan Crouch) proposed an idea that we have kicked around and will likely feature on a future show. We will have one of our fellow cigar smokers from a less tobacco-friendly locale come on the show and talk about life on the other side of the prohibitions and stringent legislation we are seeing put forth in the US today. We all need to take this quite seriously if you value your freedom to enjoy a fine cigar.
New Cigar Availability
- News from KC Johnson about the upcoming L’Atelier LAT44 Maduro release
- The Crowned Heads Headley Grange has begun shipping in five vitolas.
- According to EPC’s Facebook page, 2013 Short Runs start shipping next week. Only 5,000 boxes made.
- The AVO Dominant 13 we talked about a few weeks ago, and featured here on The Cigarmy is landing….if you plan on picking some of these up, they usually go fairly quickly.
- As reported by Halfwheel and has lit up Twitter, the popular CyB from Joya de Nicaragua will be available in a lancero format to TAA member retailers.
General Cigar has once again won a battle for US Trademarks on Cuban cigar marques vs. Cubatabaco
Butthead’s Tobacco – where we sourced the Serie V Sampler we’ll be basing our first vertical tasting from – posted a picture of the event-only Nestor Miranda Blue Label. Craig and I share our thoughts on event-only, retailer-only, and other special edition limited cigars.

What else have we been smoking?

Craig

La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva – This is a spectacular cigar. Flavors are a bit nuttier & sweeter than the typical Mi Amor. I am a proud Mi Amor lover and this cigar is a terrific addition to the line. I want a box.
Craig also discusses a rather unique cigar he’s smoked this week, rolled by a listener, Michael Stewart, who sources whole leaf tobacco and has been experimenting and rolling his own cigars…Michael will be on an upcoming show to talk more about his unique hobby.

Kip

Herrera Esteli from Willy Herrera (NOT to be confused with Frank Herrera’s Biography). I picked up a couple of these at Corona this past week while waiting for my parents to arrive at the airport. Crazy good construction; uniform color; perfect draw; pleasant, oak and spice flavors w/some nuttiness; lots of nasal spice, but somehow I liked it in this cigar. Wrapper: Ec Habano, Binder: Honduran, Filler: Nicaraguan. Around $8/stick.
The full range of Tarazona/Cubanacan Cigars in robusto/rothschild, which I documented in a Cigar Spotlight earlier this week.
LAT52 from L’Atelier – Ecuadoran wrapper (Sancti spiritus = a hybrid of Criollo and Pelo de Oro); Nicaraguan filler/binder; very unique, sweet cold draw; leather, nuts, slight sweet cedar; citrus on rare occasions throughout. Dig it! Retail from $7-8
TLJohnson Tempio – after trading some messages with Terry this week, I went and dug out one of his Tempios, which I reviewed back in December. Just as good as I remember… Dominican filler/binder; Pennsylvania wrapper; extreme box press; toasty, with healthy, regular doses of cedar intermingled with a sweet, charred oak. in that review, I likened it to imagining sticking your head into a spent whisky barrel, and still would. Very good sticks in the $8 range, although not widely available yet.

Miscellany

My Palio died on me this week. I still think they are fantastic cutters, but I had some trouble with mine. Although, come to think of it, I do use it far more than the average bear….
Curiosity and idle thought got the best of me and I posted up a poll about peoples’ buying habits on The Cigarmy this past week. I’m very curious….
We took some time to discuss one listener email this week:
1. Steve Dorau asks about some trends he sees in cigars he purchases through online deals versus those same cigars in brick and mortar establishments.

Unbanded Unveiling

Check out all the details interspersed throughout the show to find out exactly what we thought about this week’s unbanded. We both enjoyed the cigar, and I even lucked out and was correct about it seeming “Pepin-esque” to me…however, we were both caught offguard by which stick it specifically was – in fact, we talked about this cigar early in the show, not knowing it was exactly what we were smoking in a different vitola. This week’s Unbanded was the Cabaiguan Guapos Maduro 46, from Tatuaje. Thanks to Jeff for the recommendation. It was a very good one!

Next week

Next week we feature the 2002 El Rey del Mundo Tainos as the Cigar of the Week – one of Craig’s favorites. The following week, April 12th, we will have special guest Michael Stewart on the show to talk about how he sources whole leaf tobacco and rolls his own cigars.

Again, thanks for tuning in everyone. Be sure to come back next week, when we’ll be taking a look at the ERdM, and hopefully will have all of our audio issues sorted out. In the meantime, If you would like to contact us, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]. Also, don’t forget to go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive. You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), or find us on iTunes. Video, as always, will be available on our YouTube Channel.

Episode 004: Blind Ambition

March 2, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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Half Ashed Episode 004 Summary

It’s that time of week again, folks, when we gather around the proverbial fireplace of our computer screen (or headsets for you audiophiles) for a relaxing chat over a good smoke. This week on Half Ashed, we begin with our first unbanded cigar, selected by an unwitting chap who happened to be visiting a local tobacconist at an opportune time. Craig and I take our chances at showcasing our aptitude and ineptitude by giving our thoughts concerning an unknown cigar, which turns out to be the Romeo by Romeo y Julieta. We also cover several news items for the week, including some viewer emails, more proposed outlandish legislation in California, new cigar releases from EP Carrillo, L’Atelier, and Montecristo, and current price increases from Fuente and Alec Bradley. We also cover a few interesting cigars that we’ve been smoking this week and take a few minutes to breach the topic of pipesmoking and our enjoyment of it as well. I hope you’ll tune in and check out the show, and as always send us your comments, compliments, complaints and the like to either: [email protected] or [email protected]. I don’t know if we’ll have the answers you’re looking for, but we’ll certainly have an opinion. Lastly, don’t forget to enter our giveaway for this month, which we will be drawing next week before our Live show. To enter, simply send me an email and I’ll get your name into the mix.

Craig has been kind enough to provide the Epilogue Review for this week’s unbanded cigar, which I’ll include below. As mentioned above, the first unbanded was revealed to be the Romeo, and I have to say I enjoyed the second of the samples I smoked much more so than the first, although admittedly my palate was likely compromised to some earlier congestion during the initial trial. It was an interesting experiment, and I look forward to future installments of unbanded cigars. If you have a suggestion or submission for an unbanded you’d like to see us try, you can send your email to [email protected], which is delivered to my wife – she will source the cigars and provide them to us blindly, or if you have cigars to submit she will provide an address for you to send them.

As always, you can find the video of this week’s episode on our YouTube channel, or through the embed below. Audio is available either by downloading above (right-click “Download” and save link) or find us in the iTunes store to subscribe directly to an audio feed of the show as it publishes – be sure to leave us a good review! Don’t forget to tune in LIVE next week (March 8th, 2013) at 9:00pm EST. We will be broadcasting live, and you can join us in the Chatroom. I look forward to hearing from you, and thanks for tuning in!

Craig’s Half Ashed Epilogue Review:

Introduction into our process:

The idea of an accompanying review is to point out that there is a difference between a cigar you smoke and one that you review. On the show we’ll be furiously trying our best to sound entertaining and its quite possible that the cigar itself will just be smoked. These epilogue submissions not only help paint a clearer picture of what the cigar brings to the table, but really (to me at least) are meant to emphasize that smoking one cigar alone does not constitute an adequate qualification for a review. To know what the cigar really means to convey, you must smoke multiple samples. Hopefully, you can smoke many of them, from multiple boxes and different releases. Only then can you claim to start knowing what that cigar intends to provide. While Kip and I are only smoking 2 or 3 specimens on a weekly basis, the first year of our reviews is at least half dedicated to cigars we know and love already. Thus, are qualified to provide a review that can stand for more than just a one-off opinion.

This Week’s Intro:

In the case of our unbanded submissions, as much care as can be taken to appropriately review the cigar has been done. This week’s featured stick is meant to challenge us to be as honest as possible with ourselves. We’re not smoking a band, have no expectations and are devoting as much effort to the review as possible. On the off chance that our diligence pays off, either one of us might just be brash enough to venture a guess. In 4 years of reviewing cigars in this manner, I can count the number of cigars I’ve successfully identified on one hand… and still have fingers left over.

The Review:

Our first unbanded stick is approximately a robusto in size at exactly 5” long and a 54 ring. The cap is a spinning vortex of tobacco with more layers than I;ve ever seen before. If I had to guess, I’d think it had 4 or 5 of them. The wrappers appearance is mottled and a perfect maduro shade of dark brown. It’s not a beautiful cigar and could be slightly hampered by the fact that the wrapper is rather dry in appearance. I struggle to notice any oily sheen or deposit. The draw is looser than I’d prefer and the cigar feels light in the hand but it does not appear underfilled. In my experience this typically means the cigar will be milder and possibly even somewhat flavorless. Let’s hope I’m wrong…

The initial light is a relief. Vanilla extract is abundant and the liquor aroma that comes along with it is also present. I think that’s a new one for me. I can’t recall ever sensing that before. I’m getting a number of other flavors that lead me to think there is a core of Nicaraguan tobacco within. Some sweetness exists but its not the typical zing that is associated with generic nicaraguan tobacco. A saltiness emerges and dances in and out of the other aromas present. I’m reminded of a well balanced dessert, almost like bread pudding. That analogy certainly allows me to pick up a bready flavor and even some nutmeg. That nutmeg comes across differently than typical spice. I get it less during the retrohale and more intertwined with the bread. It is unique. I’m reminded of an Air bender but then write my credibility off when I realize I just said it reminded me of Nicaraguan tobacco. Did I mention it’s common to make a fool of yourself during this process?

The cigar progresses and stays moderately complex without transitioning much throughout its length. It’s not overly strong but is very full bodied. Very different from last week’s Cuenca 5 Anniversary, this cigar absolutely destroys my tongue. I feel like I could scrape the residue off, its so thick. This is an aspect I do not enjoy very much at all. With the second sample I reviewed this thick residue was much less prominent at the end of the experience. While there, it could almost be classified as an intense finish, more than a detrimental aftertaste. I think the cigar is slightly less consistent than I would prefer but also tend to think that my smoking patterns changed with the second sample.

Since I’ve been speaking recently more about hard and soft flavors, I’ll comment that this cigar was a nice mixture of them both. The type of flavors were typically soft (sweet spice, bread/yeasty components, salty/savory mixtures) but came across in a harder way than the flavor would convey. I like cigars with this complexity; with the ability to walk that line. All in all, I think that leads me to say this cigar was medium flavored, mildly strong and full bodied. Either it doesn’t know what it is trying to be or it accomplishes something otherwise uncommon in the industry. I’ve enjoyed smoking it but must admit that I need more samples to be firm in my opinion of whether or not I actually like the cigar.

The Grand Unveiling:

Romeo by Romeo y Julieta – Dominican filler & binder wrapped in an Ecuadoran Habano leaf.