Thursday, May 31, 2018

Casa Cuevas Cigars Maduro in Robusto - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"


WRAPPER: Mexican San Andres
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Colombian, Dominican, & Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
PROFILE: Sweet/Spice

FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Tabacalera Las Lavas factory, Dominican Republic

Ten Things About the Casa Cuevas Maduro:

  1. Deeply sweet and pepper-spiced hardwood overtones
  2. High-up undertones of bitter and savory aspects.
  3. Dark & somber-so notes
  4. Roasted and toasted campfire feels. Never chars/bites.
  5. Rigid delivery eventually settles into a heavy creaminess.
  6. Very smooth character, considering its rugged profile.
  7. Finish shortens a bit (bitter-sweet w/ spicy addition) Ends with charcoal lilt.
  8. Not overly complex but the intent seems to be a straight-forward one.
  9. Combustion is flawless in this and across the Casa Cuevas portfolio.
  10. Construction is flawless in this and across the Casa Cuevas portfolio.

FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59 

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Casa Cuevas Cigars Connecticut in Robusto - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

"Why not Kaplowitz?"


WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Connecticut
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Dominican & Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Mild-Medium
PROFILE: Sour/Sweet

FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Tabacalera Las Lavas S.R.L., Dominican Republic

KAPLOWITZ SCALE
[K=least, Z=most]
(primary note)

sweetness: O (candied cashew)
sourness: W (lemon rind)
saltiness: A
bitterness: L (orange pith)
savoriness: P (pale oats)
pepper-spice: L (white pepper)

complexity: L
balance: I
smoothness: I


KAPLOWITZ SCALE
[K=worst, Z=best]
(notes - good/bad)

construction: T (perfect draw/--)
combustion: T (slow, even burn/ --)

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59 

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Casa Cuevas Cigars Habano in Robusto - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

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WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Dominican & Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
PROFILE: Spice/Sweet

FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Tabacalera Las Lavas factory, Dominican Republic

Spicy & sweet toasted overtones are bright but rich and both mingle as well as stay delineated. Nice. Undertones are not dark, per se, but not as bright and display a lightly toasted bitter savoriness with influences from up-top seeping into 'em. Citrus swirls top to bottom then bottom to top throughout, with a slight salty attachment. Toasty turns nicely roasty in the 3/3. Suprememely balanced and as complex as all get-out. Quite nuanced for a rather bright blend. Excellent depth of very thoughtful & well-orchestrated notes.

This Casa Cuevas is simply all a Habano should be and I am a Habano nut.
  • Spice (clove, paprika, cumin)
  • Pepper (red, white)
  • Chocolate (milk & cocoa butter)
  • Coffee (mocha latte)
  • Wood (cedar)
  • Cream
  • Citrus (lemonade)
  • Suede
  • Grain (cereal)
  • Earth (dirt)
The body is rico suave, mi amigo. Rich & smooth, my friend. Softly-so with the slightest of tip-of-tongue tingle. Finish is long and a beautiful settling of the draw which really allows you to enjoy its complexities. Ends clean and stays verily cool of temp from gate-to-wire. Strength is a gentlepersonly trickster who'll sneak up on ya but you'll both enjoy the bit of a head swoon.


Combustion offers me the sole opportunity here to bitch, as the burn operates on a slight to slight+ curvature. Ash grows well & firmly tight. Smoky-smoke is of an admirable volume, both passively and actively. Pacing is even-keeled and travels slowly. The room-note is a snoot-full of overtones and is another selling point of this offering.

Construction features no hard/soft spots and its packing barely budges from pre-light to well-formed & cool nub. Seams remain nigh invisible. The draw is a perfect medium-tension all the live-long.

FINAL GRADE: A
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59 

Monday, May 28, 2018

"Fifty-Seven" Kaplowitz Radio w/ Boston Jimmie of Stogie Press

Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?


Myself & special-guest Boston Jimmie of www.StogiePress.com talk shop re: the role of blogging & social media in the cigar industry. After, of course, exchanging nigh pleasantries and slim origin stories.

Press play below:
Thanks for listening, Gentlepersons.

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This episode was brought to you by:
www.CigarsOfHabanos.com
www.CaldwellCigars.com
www.IllusioneCigars.com

Friday, May 25, 2018

A Review of Recent Grade A Cigar Offerings


"Sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit, these men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem. If no one else can help. And if you can find them -- maybe you can hire the A-Team."

Gentlepersons below is a list as shallow and pedantic as Lois Griffin's meatloaf. It is a list of recent (May 2018) cigar offerings I humbly found to be worthy of A (- to +) review ratings.

THE A-LIST
{Names are links to full review.}


HONORABLE MENTION


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"Fifty-Six" Kaplowitz Radio 

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Caldwell Cigars Savages in Piramide - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

"Why not Kaplowitz?"


"Caldwell’s Savages is a limited edition extension ot [sic] the Long Live the King line. Although it’s [sic] blend is undisclosed it is creamier and nuttier than Long Live the King and The King is Dead flavorwise. Savages is available in 5 vitolas in 10 count boxes. Only available to existing Caldwell accounts." - www.CaldwellCigars.com

"One avenue that cigar makers have to bring new cigars to market is to take an existing blend and modify it somehow – make it stronger or lighter, change the wrapper, put out a limited edition tweak of the blend, and so on. Such is how Savages -- one of Caldwell Cigar Co.’s latest releases -- came to be. It starts with one of Robert Caldwell’s debut lines, Long Live the King. Announced in February 2014 ..." - www.Halfwheel.com  (2016)

Caldwell Cigars is a sponsor of K/M.

WRAPPER: Habano
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican & Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
PROFILE: Spice-Sour/Sweet
FORMAT: Piramide (650)
ORIGIN: Dominican


Overtones feature an outta the gate front-loaded toasted pepper-spice which is quite bright & a tick or two fusty. This is accompanied by a dusty, bright sour-sweetness. Undertones are a lightly roasted/salted bitter note carried on a savory herbal thing akin to a chicken broth but that's an absurdity best left for an upcoming bullet-point segment of this review. Nicely balanced in a movable fashion. Complex, though lacking the depth to be nuanced. The complexities come mainly in the play twixt sour and spice. Really rather interesting.
  • Pepper (red peppercorn & white)
  • Spices (ginger, nutmeg, clove)
  • Citrus (grapefruit)
  • Cream (spiced)
  • Honey (orange blossom)
  • Booze (rum)
  • Herbal (rosemary, thyme)
  • Wood (apple)
  • Meat (well, poultry)
  • Hay
  • Earth (dirt)
The savage's body was muscular, his sweaty pecs glistened in the sun... this Savages' body sees a growing creaminess more-so than diminishing spicy zestiness -- altho that spice does dial back. Its medium-full body is rather rigid yet richly-so. The texture here is a bit too coarse to be smooth but is non-abrasive. No bite. Finish is a complex sweet-sour thing after initial spice zest. Ends cleanly. Mouth-hole temp is tepid. Strength-wise, this Caldwell gives a nice & kindly swoon.

Combustion operates on a bit of a curvature with the occasional blister to char-line. Burns at a nice even and fairly slow pace. Gives off a hair less than a moderate amount of passive smoke, whereas the draw gives a moderate quantity. Ash fails to make an inch and presents dryly. 

As far as construction, since that's next up in my template, the draw is a bit too snug particularly as the Piramide tapers down. Its seams see some loosening ahead of burn but hold-fast on-down. No hard/soft spots. Nub retains its shape well.

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

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56 K/R

Monday, May 21, 2018

"Fifty-Six" Kaplowitz Radio


"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"
[Press play below to do-so.]

Wherein I smoke/review a La Barba Red in Robusto & discuss:
  • Do cigar reviews matter?
  • The DIY ethic.
  • Carpet cleaning tips.
  • Fuck the FDA.
  • News (powered by www.StogiePress.com)
Thanks for listening, Gentlepersons.

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Keep me GROWING.
Donate HERE via PayPal.

This episode was brought to you by:
www.CigarsOfHabanos.com
www.CaldwellCigars.com
www.IllusioneCigars.com

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Illusione Cigars Garagiste in Gordo - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz


"The new line is named Garagiste, which is the name given to a group of winemakers in the Bordeaux region of France who emerged in the mid-1990s that produce “garage wines” in reaction to the traditional style that had been prevalent in the past. The blend of the cigar incorporates an Ecuadorian habano wrapper as well as corojo viso and criollo viso tobaccos, both of which originate from a specific farm in the AGANORSA fields of Nicaragua." Halfwheel (2016)

Cigar Aficionado rated this offering a 90.

The co. site says of it: "A blend of Nicaraguan Criollo '98 and Corojo '99, with an emphasis on Ligeros from 2 regions. It's finished with a Capa Fina'grade AAA Colorado Habano Ecuador wrapper. Medium to full-bodied."

I smoked this Garagiste blend in Episode 40 of Kaplowitz Radio. Live from my Cari Porte. Illusione is a sponsor of mine, which has nothing to do with nothing. Smoke more Illusione. Fucking, please?

Thank-you.

Ten Things About This Stick:

  1. Overtones of bitter Oolong tea leaves & bracing Maplewood ride tandem with a residual maple syrup and black pepper sweetness, alongside nutmeg. Sweet earth and grain undertones. 
  2. Top-soil & pumpernickel -- dark chocolate shavings, too. why not?
  3. Notes are dark and deep. Dark and Deep simply must be the name of a porno, no?
  4. Roasted? Yup. Toasted? Yeah. Charred? You betcha.
  5. Soft and strong. I rate the texture of smoke to be: Sumo.
  6. Smoothly textured, too. Some heightened temp in the mouth and upon the hand.
  7. Finishes a bit short and ends with a charcoal lilt.
  8. Nicely complex, but loses some dat in second-half.
  9. A runner threatens twice, then goes plum out at the half; then keeps wanting to go out. Torchings add a sharp bite. Big tsuris re: construction. Ash is quite flaky on top of it.
  10. Construction is verily soft of packing but evenly-so. The draw is open and quite hesitant.

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
FORMAT: Gordo
ORIGIN: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A., Nicaragua

FINAL GRADE: B-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

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"Fiddy-Fi" Kaplowitz Radio

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Hiram & Solomon Traveling Man in Toro - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

"As we noted in previous articles on Hiram & Solomon, they moved operations to the Plasencia factory in Nicaragua this year and worked with Master Blender David Blanco from Blanco Cigars to update the blend. That move has been paying pretty big dividends for the company as the cost of production has decreased and that decrease has been passed through to the consumers. Another benefit of the move was the quality of tobacco they have access to. As this will be the second re-do of a Hiram & Solomon cigar since they moved I can certainly say the tobacco source made a difference." - Stogie Press 

I've been underwhelmed by the H&S portfolio so far. I'm just about OK calling this a schtick brand. Not a novelty cigar, but a cigar which is geared toward a bit of schtick which if you enjoy, you'll enjoy. Niche stick? You get the gist. Freemasons seem to have gotten gaudier and deeper in douchebaggery as of late. btw Does anyone else notice this? Lots of bling. Oh well.

This from Cigar Reviews by The Katman
The definition of Traveling Man as described by the Masons:
"If they are truly masons it is simple to find out. All you have to do is ask them "Are you a traveling man?" If they respond with, "Yes I am. I am traveling from the west to the east." Then you ask them "And what is it that you seek in the east?” They should respond with “I am seeking the point of illumination."

Seems like a thing that if true, should be a better-kept secret.

I'mma light this thang...

Quite dry overtones of a sweet pepper-spiced hardwood-cum-cedar. Sweetness is part of a crisp natural 'baccy parcel, pepper-spices are bright black pepper with a bit of darker smoked paprika & clove. Undertones are a stiffly toasted leather savory bracing and not much else. through the opening third, then thereafter, a vague red/purple fruit sweetness enters. Not very balanced. Complex 'nuff for the above notes. It always strikes me as odd, when reviewers give a laundry list of notes only to site a lack of complexity. Nicely nuanced with deepening notes. Retro-hale is sharp and don't add 'nuff to warrant the ouch. Medium-full flavor.

The body is a medium-full, as well but hampered-some by a rigid dryness. Smooth in a talc fashion. The finish lingers well in a sweet-bitter manner but unfortunately ends in a bit of charcoal charring. 

Strength is a robust medium. I can't tell if this headache is coming from this Traveling Man or my growing To-Do list. Does get a bit throaty then chesty in 2/3 & 3/3, respectively. 

Combustion is a selling point here. Burns on a razor-line. Grows a tight silver ash to an easy inch at a time. Slowly paced, though not laborious. Could use a bit more passive smoke out-put but active out-put is quite, well, active. Room-note is a slightly irritating spiced leather wherein the charcoal end is noticeable. 

Construction features a great draw; medium tension'd and smoothly-even from gate-to-wire. There are some noteworthy amounts of softening pack density to the point it seems under-stuft. Odd, given the long smoke-time. Cosmetically, the shaft is quite lumpy. Seams hold fast, although loosen a cunt hair up by the char. Smoke temp warms in the 3/3.

All told, this Traveling Man trumps the rest of the Hiram & Solomon portfolio. Yes, I have smoked the Veiled Prophet. 

WRAPPER: Indonesian Sumatra
BINDER: Indonesian
FILLER: Brazilian Arapiraca, Habano Jalapa, Habano Ometepe and Dominican

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
FORMAT: Toro
ORIGIN: Plasencia Factory, Nicaragua

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

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"Fiddy-Fi" Kaplowitz Radio 

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Odds & Ends at the Ides: May 2018


Here's the deal-iO this ides up-date:
  • Kaplowitz Media/Stogie Press Collaboration
  • Caldwell Cigars own May @ the K/M Facebook Group
  • New K/M sponsor: Cigars of Habanos
Them's the bullet-points, lettuce delve...

My Fellow Gentlepersons,

Not a lot of odd & ends to relate this Ides but what there is, is B I G. First, might I again be offered the chance opportunity to bitch about my injured ribs? My spring allergies? I'm the boss and I say yes. To keep things positive, though, I'll soon be shaving my back because WOOHOO: wifebeater weather looms nigh on the horizon.

With that, we shall commence... Or digress...

Firstly, I was a press release! Again!!! You can read it in full HERE but the gist of it is that I have a new Kaplowitz Radio segment Powered by Stogie Press. Every K/R for about 10mins., I'll talk about the weekly article there-which pertains to cigar happenings in social media. Will it be a blast? Does Nick Era paint on his beard? Yes. Yes, he does and yes it will be.

Then there's this lil ol' nugget: Caldwell Cigars "owns the night" + the month of May @ the Kaplowitz Media Facebook Group, where I'm proud to have them proudly sponsor K/M (as well as appearing all over my fucking blog). I love it. Love them. & like some of you Gentlepersons.

Finally, lettuce all welcome aboard new K/M sponsor, Cigars of Habanos. With my readership growing both in&outside the USofA, this one is for the Euros & Asia, mostly. But don't fret Mr. & Mrs. Mainstreet America... there are offerings for you there, as well. Go check 'em out. #MAGA

Till the ides next,
Kap

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"55" Kaplowitz Radio 

Flor de Gonzalez 90 Millas (Miles) Unidos in Belicoso - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz


" ... Back in 2016, the company released an interesting extension to their successful 90 miles line. For those that may not be familiar, 90 miles is the distance from Key West, FL to Havana, Cuba. The original line was created to pay homage to the sacrifice of the many Cuban refugees who made the arduous journey to America to escape the Castro repression including the company’s founder, Arnaldo Gonzalez, who made the journey in 1980. Though Arnaldo grew up with tobacco in his veins, he would not see such work until 1993 when he opened a small factory from his home [in] Hialeah, Fla. ...

"the company decried to use a barber pole method fo[r] wrapping the cigar where the two different leafs used int he [sic] wrapper signified the two countries, Chiba and the United States. ... She [Yadi Gonzalez] added that the barber-pole design of the Unidos is inspired by the changes taking place both in Cuba as well as in the relationship between Cuba and the United States, with the two wrappers symbolic of the two countries." - Stogie Press

Now I'll just weigh in on this dang thing...

Both bright and dark overtones, in that particular order. A sweetly toasted front of cocoa butter & maple syrup with a backing of bitter/sour: a dark roasted coffee with an acidic almost charred cream addition. Darker undertones are a pepper-spice/savoriness of black & roasted white pepper medley seasoning a somewhat rehydrated beef jerky. Flirts with a bit of an astringent interference to its complexities, which are there, but a bit helter-skelter. Nicely 'nuff balanced. Medium-Full flavor zenith.

Body is a medium thing with a sharp almost fluid smoothness. Soft but not richly-so insofar as texture. Finish is of moderate length, consisting of a thinning out of the draw. Ends somewhat dryly and somewhat affected by that astringent note. The temperature in my smoke-hole remains cuke-cool.

Mild-Medium strength.

Combustion avoids the wavy mascara-line pitfall of many Barber Pole offerings. Ash builds to an inch at a time, tightly-so. Pacing is quite nice. The room-note is rather sharp (yes, this belongs within the confines of combustion). The construction is sans hard/soft spots and features an excellent draw of medium tension. 

WRAPPER: Connecticut Shade Grown & Ecuadorian Habano Maduro
BINDER: Dominican & Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Medium
FORMAT: Belicoso Barber Pole
ORIGIN: Agroindustrial Nicaraguanse de Tabacos, Nicaragua

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

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"Fiddy-Fi" Kaplowitz Radio

Monday, May 14, 2018

"Fiddy-Fi" Kaplowitz Radio

"Why not Kaplowitz?
55KR

Wherein I give you my newest segment:
Social Media News Powered by Stogie Press
w/ a special guest Tony Crack of Stick Men

Tony: Cubanacan Torpedo
Me: Oliva Connecticut Reserve

We also chatted about:

  • Other stuff

Thanks for listening, Gentlepersons.

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Keep me GROWING.
Donate HERE via PayPal.

This episode was brought to you by:

www.CaldwellCigars.com
www.IllusioneCigars.com

s/o Havana59 Cigar Distributors 330.524.8660
& www.StogiePress.com

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Cain Daytona by Oliva Cigars in Robusto - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz


"The Cain Daytona is the fourth blend in the Cain brand under the Oliva Family of Cigars. The three previous blends (Habano, Maduro, and F) had garnered a reputation for being some pretty stout cigars. The Cain Daytona can be summarized as an amp’d down version of a Cain. The following came from the Studio Tobac web-site: The CAIN DAYTONA is a medium bodied offering blended using only Jalapa Ligeros. Jalapa Valley is Nicaragua’s northern most tobacco area. It is well known for producing the country’s most medium and smooth fillers. CAIN DAYTONA takes its flavor profile from this distinct area. The DAYTONA offers a solid medium taste with an abundance of natural smoothness. The result, a creamy cigar with true Nicaraguan taste." - Cigar Coop

Ah, but lettuce begin...

Overtones are sweet milk chocolate with a caramel addition riding tandem ahead of a spiced clove & black/red peppers pepper-spice. All notes are cleanly toasted. Undertones are a jerky sinewy savoriness with orange pith sour lilt. Bright and also a tick dusty. Salted bitternesses of a flexing java ebb & flow hither & thither. Untraditionally and complicatedly balanced (perchance needlessly-so and cluttered on account o' that). Rather complex though lacking in a certain amount of depth. Too untethered and spastic for my taste. Medium.

I tasted whimsy. I fucking hate whimsy.

No bite but neither is it smooth, per se. You know when you shave yer balls every other week instead of every week? That, you lazy schlub. The texture of smoke is soft to a point, then hits a rigid bottom. Just shy of rich, partially due to a short finish which ends exceptionally clean. Cool-as-cuke temp'd. Medium-bodied, as well as medium strength'd.

Combustion is a nicely & evenly paced thing on a mainly straight char. Quite a tight build of burnt-offerings. Excellent out-put of smoky-smoke both active and passive. (Off the pull and in the tray.)
Construction offers a singular Chinese-American in its armor, via a bit of a snug draw. no complaints other than that. Tight even roll sans hard/soft spots and stays cool to the well-formed nub.

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Habano
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Medium
FORMAT: Robusto "550"
ORIGIN: Nicaragua

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

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"54" Kaplowitz Radio

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

La Flor Dominicana (LFD) Suave in Toro "Maximo" - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz


"When you think of La Flor Dominicana, you might think of a ligero laden smoke with plenty of power to go around. However, that’s not the case with the LFD Suave. It’s a more mellow option for those of us who want to enjoy all the qualities of the brand, but not the strength." - Cigar Advisor

La Flor Dominicana (LFD) Suave
[this cigar review is all (mainly) thumbs. Sorry.]

THUMBS UP
  • A Connecticut with a decent set of balls (in 1st-half). 
  • Sour/Sweet overtones toast nicely.
  • Pepper-spice undertones roast nicely*
  • Fairly complex (muted) for a milder fare.
  • Good depth of notes/nuances.
  • Smooth but not dull or wimpy.
  • Rich & soft
  • RICO SUAVE!!!
  • Decent legs on sweet finish**
  • Cool of temp from gate-to-wire.
  • Tightly-built ash makes a strong inch.
  • No hard/soft spots.
  • Tight seams.
THUMBS DOWN
  • A Connecticut with balls pulled into its guts (in 2nd-half).
  • Notes are bright to the point of being tangy.
  • *although lacking in bitter/savory backings.
  • Not overly balanced.
  • Retro-hale brings on acidity.
  • **Ends with acidic lilt twixt draws.
  • Quite grassy in second-half.
  • Draw is a tick swampy & hesitant.
  • Bit of a wavy burn.
#FOODIE
  • Pepper-spice: white pepper & ginger
  • Cream, sweet-toasted
  • Wood (pine)
  • Coffee, weak brew
  • Grains (white bread)
  • Herbal (chamomile)
  • Grass
  • Hay
  • Dirt
WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

STRENGTH: Mild-Medium
FORMAT: Toro "Maximo"
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic

FINAL GRADE: B-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

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"Fifty-Four" Kaplowitz Radio

Monday, May 7, 2018

"Fifty-Four" Kaplowitz Radio

54KR


This one is something special, but ain't they all? Ain't you Gentlepersons all?

I smoked/reviewed a Flor de Gonzalez (FDG) 20th Anniversario Natural in Toro and spoke too, of: 
  • I think my ribs are broke. 
  • Powered by Stogie Press? 
  • My fence is broke too. 
  • Fluffy Pancakes. #TeamFluffyPancakes 
  • Punk aesthetics.
  • May the 4th and Revenge of the Fifth.
Wow. 

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Keep me going.
Keep me GROWING.
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This episode was brought to you by:
www.CaldwellCigars.com
www.IllusioneCigars.com

s/o Havana59 Cigar Distributors 330.524.8660

Friday, May 4, 2018

EXTRA EDITION Kaplowitz Media: LIVE on Location w/ Ernesto Perez Carrillo


Intrepid K/M field reporter and perennial No-Prize recipient, Mike Weinstein, got a few minutes to talk to E.P. Carrillo about his new Encore offering. This at an event in Summit New Jersey's Florez Tobacconist. That's right Gentlepersons we are bi-coastal. Which of course means we'll gladly have sex with both the left & right coasts. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Get used to it.

I'll shut up now. You listen now.

BIG thanks to both Mike & Ernesto for the time.

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(Win 'nuff & I'll put you to work, apparently.)

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Thursday, May 3, 2018

Bonus Content Reposted: Victor Sinclair, Don Pepin, Montecristo, Ohana - Cigar Reviews (Audio)

Victor Sinclair Connecticut Yankee in Churchill - Cigar Review


Don Pepin Garcia Serie JJ in Robusto "Selectos" - Cigar Review


Montecristo White Series in Churchill - Cigar Review Redux


Ohana Pulse - Cigar Review


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Wednesday, May 2, 2018

La Palina Nicaragua Oscuro in Robusto - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

Ten Things About
La Palina Nicaragua Oscuro
  1. Overtones of a rather simplistic bitter/sweet note.
  2. Undertones are a bit more nuanced, in the form of a spiced savoriness.  
  3. Top to bottom, a rather dark bunch of flavor notes.
  4. Toasted top-notes, smoky nethers. Smoky Nethers was a Blues singer.
  5. Hits the palate immediately rigid softens a tick into a creamy body.
  6. A bit coarse on the draw, but smooths into the finish. Smokes a bit warm.
  7. Finish is a sweet/bitter flip of overtone extension. Ends w/ astringent lilt.
  8. The only complexities are in the undertones, but there ain't a lot.
  9. Burns on a wavy line off a fast pacing. Ash is built well & dark.
  10. Roll offers an excellent draw; does suffer some soft-spots.
WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Oscuro
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

PRESS:
"Called La Palina Nicaragua Oscuro and La Palina Nicaragua Connecticut, the two new lines are rolled at the A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua factory, located in EstelĂ­. Sam Phillips, co-president of La Palina, explained why the company chose to work with Fernandez:

'Our relationship with A.J. Fernandez goes a bit deeper than the usual manufacturing agreement,' Phillips told Cigar Aficionado. '[Clay Roberts, co-president and chief operating officer of La Palina] was the vice president of A.J. Fernandez Cigars for several years, while I have been a personal friend of A.J.’s for a long time. A.J. has a true passion for tobacco.'" Cigar Aficionado

"At the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show, La Palina Cigars introduced the La Palina Nicaragua line. As the name indicates, it is a line being produced in Nicaragua. When Bill Paley first resurrected the La Palina brand back in 2010, he went to the Graycliff factory in the Bahamas to produce his first line, the La Palina Family Series. As his portfolio grew, Paley started contracting with many leading factories in the cigar industry and La Palina lines would come out of Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and the United States. By 2015, the one major cigar producing country that La Palina was not in was Nicaragua. It appeared that would change La Palina was negotiationg [sic] with Hirochi Robaina and the La Corona factory, however that partnership would never come to be. By 2016, AJ Fernandez’s Tabacalera Fernandez would become the Nicaraguan factory to produce a La Palina line. The result was two blends: the La Palina Nicaragua Oscuro and La Palina’s first Connecticut Shade cigar, the La Palina Nicaragua Connecticut." Cigar Coop

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Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Tatuaje Tattoo by Pete Johnson in Robusto "Caballero" - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

Tatuaje Tattoo by Pete Johnson

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicarguan

STRENGTH: Full
FORMAT: Robusto (Caballero)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera Cubana (TACUBA) Esteli, Nicaragua

KAPLOWITZ SCALE
[K=least, Z=most]
(primary note)

sweetness: W (dark chocolate & buckwheat honey)
sourness: P (tamarind)
saltiness: A (on hardwood note)
bitterness: I (espresso)
savoriness: W (smoked meat)
pungency: I (black & chili pepper)

complexity: W
balance: O
smoothness: O

KAPLOWITZ SCALE
[K=worst, Z=best]
(notes - good/bad)

construction: I (great draw/heats up in hand&mouf)
combustion: O (smokes slow/conical burn & uneven line)

SOME APT WORDS:
  • Purposeful
  • Rich
  • Rigid
  • Heavy
  • Toasted
  • Roasted
  • Dark
  • Warm
FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59