Thursday, June 28, 2018

Caldwell Cigars Blind Man's Bluff Connecticut in Corona - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"


WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Connecticut
BINDER: Honduran
FILLER: Honduran, Dominican

FORMAT: Corona
ORIGIN: Agroindustrias LAEPE S.A., Honduras

STRENGTH: Medium
PROFILE: Sweet/Peppery
DELIVERY: Creamy/Smooth

COMBUSTION: excellent
CONSTRUCTION: excellent
  • Pepper (white)
  • Spice (white ginger & clove)
  • Coffee (heavy on cream & sugar)
  • Chocolate (white & cocoa butter)
  • Nougat (made w/ honey)
  • Citrus (Orange Julius)
  • Fruit (white grapes)
  • Leather (pale suede)
  • Grain (white bread)
  • Floral (chamomile)
  • Dirt (rich)
Overtones of bright, sweet notes toasted lightly up ahead of a peppery front which dials back to let a tick of sour shine through & in. Undertones are sunny as well, with salted bits of yeasty savoriness with a toasted sweet/sour note all their own. All of it softly tangy, never acidic. Balanced well and complex in a very lively fashion -- though not in a hyperactive manner. For all the light creaminess, there is some entrenching of flavors which lead to a nice bit of depth & nuance.


If I said this Blind Man's Bluff in CT had a beautiful body, would it hold it against me? Creamy, smooth, satiating/saturating. Lip-smacking. Yum. Lays rich on the palate with a sunny tingle. Flirts with Chewy like a drunk Han Solo, and methinks no one goes home alone. Ends cleanly after a sweet/sour finish of admirable length. Strength just ain't what this thang is about, Gentlepersons.

Burns on an even line on down, at a moderate pace. Nice amount of smoke both active and passive. Sweet room-note. Ash grows to an inch at a time, that's where I roll it off. Built w/ tight seams and sans hard/soft spots, although it does soften a half-tick ahead of the cool burn. Excellent medium tension'd smooth draw.

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

"Two years ago Caldwell Cigar Co. released a new line called Blind Man’s Bluff at the 2015 IPCPR Convention and Trade Show. This release was more than just a new blend though, it was also produced at Agroindustrias Laepe S.A. in Danli, Honduras, the old Camacho factory, which was a different factory than the rest of Caldwell’s cigars were produced. 

"The following year at the 2016 show, they announced the follow up to the original blend. It featured an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper instead of the Ecuadorian habano wrapper used previously, while the binder and filler remained unchanged." - www.Halfwheel.com (2017)

Sixty-One Kaplowitz Radio 

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Cubanacan Cigars (2016) Habano in Rothchilds - Cigar Review Redux by Kaplowitz

"Why not Kaplowitz?" 


I first reviewed this blend: 
[that oughtta lend to this]

now...
Cubanacan Habano
WRAPPER: Habano
BINDER: Ecuadorian
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Rothchilds (closed foot) (Measures as Robusto)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera Cubanacan, Nicaragua

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
PROFILE: Bittersweet/Spiced-sour
DELIVERY: Warm/Rigid

COMBUSTION: ok
CONSTRUCTION: ok
  • Pepper (black & red)
  • Spice (chili powder)
  • Coffee (roasted full city beans)
  • Chocolate (dark)
  • Wood (oak & wine barrel, smoky)
  • Syrup (charred)
  • Worstecheshire Sauce
  • Compost (dried)
FINAL (re)GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59


"While Bill Paley might have enjoyed the controversy, Cubanacan Cigars could have done without the drama surrounding Hirochi Robaina and the La Corona factory’s announcements that they were no longer working with Cubanacan. Lawrence Miltenberger, the company’s brand ambassador, admitted that it served as a distraction at the wrong time. That being said, during our short visit, customers were still placing orders and it looked like business as usual..." Read the rest @: 

Also from Halfwheel is: 

Then, the dust settled thusly (via Cigar Aficionado HERE.)

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s/o Havana59 cigar Distributors.

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61 K/R 

"Sixty-One.5" Kaplowitz Radio

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"


61.5K/R
Bologna Sammich, Hit & Run, Reader's Digest, Zef:


Thanks for the ears, Gentlepersons.

s/o:
Little Big
Reader's Digest

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

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

My Father Cigars Flor De Las Antillas in Toro - Cigar Review Redux by Kaplowitz

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"


I first reviewed this cigar (Cigar Aficionado's #1 pick for 2012) back on June 1, 2017. That was a quick-form review -- so quick indeed, that I won't link to it, but embed it below as such:

"A terra-cotta hue'd cigar, well-constructed to the eye-balling and performance -- tho a seam doth widen widely in final-third to reveal binder. A fusty lavender note is rather unique. White pepper/nutmeg piquancy braced by buttery cedar up-on nutty suede in dirt under-belly. Straight-forward yet more complex than that may connote. FINAL GRADE: A-" - Me

Lettuce further our looksie with another sample, a year later...

My Father Flor De Las Antillas
WRAPPER: Sun Grown Nicaraguan
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Toro (box-press)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera Cubana S.A., Nicaragua

STRENGTH: Medium
PROFILE: Sweet/Sour - Savory/Spice
DELIVERY: Oily/Smooth

COMBUSTION: excellent
CONSTRUCTION: excellent

Dark but not somber warmly roasted overtones of a sweet & sour, vegetal spiced savory tandem. Toasted undertones are bitter-forward and influenced by the savory/Spice from up-top. Salted bits ebb and flow up and down nicely-so. Somewhat smoky but too, sharply delineated. Exceptionally balanced and complex; though curiously lacking-some in nuance and/or depth of note.

Body is silky and a tick more delicate than the flavors would indicate. That said, the final third is lightly chewy. Rich all told, but not in an extravagant manner. Soft with just the right tingle hitting the back corners of the tongue. Finish is of a moderate length and bittersweet in nature. Ends quite cleanly. Strength seems to be front-loaded, easing up languidly throughout.

Combustion seems heated a tick atop the char-line. A slight wobble self-corrects at the half. Ash grows tight and well-oiled to an easy inch at a time. Passive smoke is rather wispy, and active smoke sometimes needs double-puffed to hit its full volume. Room-note is a pleasantly soft spiced fruitiness.

Construction impresses pre-light with invisible seams and nice even press. Excellent cap/shoulder assemblage. Draw begins a hair on the firm-side, but loosens throughout to a smooth medium+ tension. Smoke stays very cool to the nub.

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


"Nicaragua’s venerable Garcia family released the Flor de Las Antillas brand in May 2012 using a variety of Nicaraguan tobaccos, their trademark double binders and a wrapper leaf grown in the open sunlight. They named the brand for Cuba, the largest of the Antilles Islands, which are called Antillas in their native Spanish. The Toro size was named Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of the Year in 2012, and the company released a Maduro version of the brand in 2016. Flor de Las Antillas are distributed by the Garcia’s My Father Cigars Inc. and rolled at My Father Cigars S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua." - www.CigarAficionado.com

"In March 2012, My Father Cigars debuted four vitolas in a new full production line composed of all Nicaraguan tobacco named Flor de las Antillas at Portsmith, N.H.-based Federal Cigar’s 91st Anniversary party. The new brand was billed as a medium strength blend, and was the first My Father line to be completely box-pressed." - www.Halfwheel.com (2015)

"My Father Cigars announced another line called the “Flor de las Antillas”. The blend was created by Jaime Garcia. I recently had an opportunity to sample a pre-release of this new blend. Not only does it fill a niche in the My Father Cigars’ line, but it delivers an outstanding smoking experience. It is a cigar that is also worthy of getting a lot of attention as it makes its way to the retailer shelves.

Translated to English, Flor de las Antillas means “Flower of the Antilles”. It references the Greater Antilles islands. Technically, Cuba is the largest island in the Greater Antilles, so it does pay homage to the Garcia Family’s heritage." - www.Cigar-Coop.com (2012)

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"Sixty-One" Kaplowitz Radio 

Monday, June 25, 2018

Kaplowitz Media: Cigars of the Month (June 2018)

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"


"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 (June 2018) cigar offerings I humbly found to be worthy of A (- to +) review ratings.


THE A-LIST


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"Sixty-One" Kaplowitz Radio

"Sixty-One" Kaplowitz Radio

"Have you Kaplowitz'd today?"


I smoked a Providencia Trinitas & talked about a plethora of other stuff.


s/o:
www.StogiePress.com
www.UrbanFishingPoleCigars.com
www.ProvidenciaCigars.com

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

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Caldwell Cigars The King is Dead "Manzanita" - Cigar Redux Review by Kaplowitz

"Why not Kaplowitz?"


I wrote 'bout this blend in its "Premier" Robusto iteration HERE.
Caldwell Cigar Co. is a sponsor of Kaplowitz Media. So?

Caldwell The King is Dead
WRAPPER: Dominican Negrito
BINDER: Dominican Corojo
FILLER: Dominican Corojo Ligero, Negrito, Habano Vuelta Abajo

FORMAT: Petite Corona (w/ pigtail)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera Ventura, Dominican Republic

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
PROFILE: Bittersweet/Savory-Spice
DELIVERY: Roasted/Rigid

COMBUSTION: excellent
CONSTRUCTION: ok
  • Pepper (banana, red & cayenne)
  • Spices (cumin & clove)
  • Woods (hickory & cedar)
  • Coffee (espresso beans, ground)
  • Chocolate (semi-sweet w/ malt attachment)
  • Maple syrup
  • Beef Jerky (teriyaki? sure why not)
  • Fruit (plums to prunes)
  • Grains (dark rye, barley)
  • Floral (hibiscus)
  • Earth (top-soil, charred)
FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59


"Deep Like Mariana" - www.CaldwellCigars.com

"The King is Dead is a part of three lines made by Caldwell Cigar Company under its Caldwell Collection brand. Caldwell Cigar Company is owned by Robert Caldwell. Caldwell was best known as a partner of Christian Eiroa with Wynwood Cigars. Last September, it was announced that the partnership with Caldwell and Eiroa had dissolved. Following his departure from Wynwood Cigars, Caldwell set his sights on the Dominican Republic where he has teamed up with William and Henderson Ventura at Tabacalera Ventura to make blends for his new company. One big differentiator in the Caldwell Collection is that it uses rare / hard to find tobaccos. The King is Dead demonstrates this philosophy by incorporating a wrapper not typically used on many premium handmade cigars called Negrito." - www.Cigar-Coop.com (2014)

"60" K/R 

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Tides Turn, Pendulums Swing, Seasons Change - Cigar Editorial by Kaplowitz

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"


Tides turn, pendulums swing, and yes -- seasons change. I've responded a time or three but not four ( I don't think), on Kaplowitz Radio goes, to questions re: why I don't address FDA &/or smoking bans/laws. I continue to be asked these questions, so I figured it was perhaps time to sit down and offer-up a written response en masse. That response will be multi-faceted & manyfold. Have a seat, take a load off, stay a while. Most likely, you'll leave some degree of dissed.

Again: tides turn, pendulums swing, and yes -- seasons change. Societal norms are in constant flux. Housewives, coded gay men, and Blackface minstrel shows, have all had their day. Maybe they'll come back in our lifetimes, maybe not. Although of all these things mentioned, Lil Wayne and the like are closest to ushering in the curious return of Blackface; of flaunted and vaulted negative stereotypes... or perhaps that's Macklemore's Jewface but I digress.

In the salad days of our grandfathers, men smoked. Period. It was as much of what "being a man" entailed as is the... the... what do men do today? Dunno. I don't keep up. They seem to pretend to like hockey as to not have to root for the uncomfortably black NFL. the NHL owes a debt of gratitude to Kaepernick, I say. My, (I do follow tangents.) Simply, smoking is no longer a hallmark nor the stock & trade, of the male experience. Why? Well, simply and again,  tides turn, pendulums swing, and yes -- seasons change. How else have they recently changed? Well, in ways that work hard against 'old school' guys who simply like a good cigar.

Firstly, we are living in a sterile era of bubble wrap & whitewash. What is unsavory or yucky for however slight a group, sees their clamor grow to deafening, as folks line up to carry their plight on their own well-meaning (perhaps I give too much credit) shoulders. "Shouldn't they be allowed to not be forced to breathe in your nasty cigar?" To which the obvious reply of, "Shouldn't I be allowed to enjoy my cigar?" plays as well as the "But I have black friends..." rebuttal.

Then there's the militant Nanny State which only wants what's best for you. Then there's the fact tobacco has been given the Reefer Madness treatment for so long, real knowledge is ignored. This sees "us" lumped in with cigarettes & vapes. But then comes the kicker. The underlying issue. We are now, in America, as touched on in the previous block of writing, operating as collectivists and not individuals. The individual is shunned and put forth as a wacko. Imagine our grandfathers being told they couldn't smoke in shops, let alone parks & outdoor public places. It'd never stick. Now it does. Because anti-tobacco sentiment is reinforced by 'good people' and opposed by 'nutjobs.'

Resistance, to borrow from the Borg, is futile. However, I'm a Star Wars guy and I'll close out all this negativity with a New Hope at the end. I practically promise. Soon.

Twenty-one will be the across-the-board legal age of tobacco purchase. More and more towns will pass clean air smoking bans. Maybe all of them. Why should I, quite frankly, be expected to cover the imminent death by a thousand cuts demise of a thing I hold so near & dear to my heart as leaves rolled expertly into tubes? Why do cigar news sources cover this at all is the real question -- not why don't I. I'll tell ya why... Content.


It's easy content creation for bloggers. Most often, it barely even qualifies as 'creation.' It's content regurgitation. It's blog hits that maybe lead to advertisers & w/ minimum sweat-equity involved in a copy/paste manner. Too, it offers pro wrestling's cheap heat. The Rock "finally, coming back to [fill in the name of town performing in currently]." It's not just preaching, it's pandering to the choir. Do non-cigar smokers read Halfwheel? Also, it keeps failing lobbyists like the CRA going, and whom don't like a good lobbyist? Fine, where do I sign the latest electronic petition? Was it Rahm Emanuel who said something like "Never let a good crisis go to waste?" Yes. Yes, it was.

So I don't cover the whole hot mess. Because I am a wacko nutjob who can create true content all on his lonesome & heels don't run on cheap heat as do babyfaces. In true heel form, I'll ask: doesn't Arturo Fuente sit on the CRA board? You think they don't want to see a goodly portion of the competition nipping at their heels struck down overnight? & furthermore, ain't it just a little fun to be entitled as all fuck and to dabble in victimhood? To sit with spendable income and bemoan the lack of your luxury item's acceptance... I mean it's not like there aren't meaningless/worthless online petitions to save children from hunger and homelessness you couldn't lay your eHancock on. If there's anything worse than an armchair activist, it's one sitting in a rich Corinthian leather armchair.

[Quick s/o to all my fellow cigar smokers, lighting up stogies and taking selfies under no smoking signs. Fuck you and your bulletin board material for the other team's locker room.]

What was the question? Oh, why I don't cover the FDA regs. & smoking bans. In short, it's societal and I'm a lifestyle, not a culture writer. Not my bag even if I did feel the odd need to post eight times a day to my blog. Plus, if I wanted to be sad, I'd focus on the fact that I still can't afford to move from a tube TV to flat screen.

Maybe cigars will come back into popular favor in our lifetimes -- maybe not.  I kinda hope not now, anyways, because if they do it'll be on the backs of ironic beard-oiled flanneled hipsters. I like my fraternities small and for my brothers to leave me the hell alone; while that may seem a disjointed sentiment, it actually fits here perfectly as I promised a New Hope...

I wrote a few paragraphs ago about the "imminent death by a thousand cuts demise" of the cigar industry and lifestyle. Death here is the Tarot card pointing to change, and that card's been in the spread for a good long time now. I've already more than covered the whys. I'll even add that change is better than being wiped out like any given fad... let's be thankful 'our thing' ain't a that. I've yet to cover what we should do about all this, tho. I will now:

Smoke 'em if ya got 'em.

Even if all ya got three years from now is a Fuente. Even if ya gotta smoke it under your bed with the lights out and the neighbors away on vacation. Invite a pal under there with ya on occasion. Stoke the flames till again the tides turn, pendulums swing, and yes -- the seasons change. I mean it ain't exactly hard labor, it just ain't met with thunderous applause. Still, one might say it's quite luxurious.

I won't be addressing this again.

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"Sixty" K/R

Caldwell Cigars Blind Man's Bluff in Robusto - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?" 


WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER: Honduran Criollo
FILLER: San Vincente, Honduran Criollo Ligero

FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Agroindustrias LAEPE S.A., Honduras

STRENGTH: Medium
PROFILE: Bitter/Sour-Sweet
DELIVERY: Smoky/Rigid

COMBUSTION: ok
CONSTRUCTION: excellent

Dark well-roasted to charred overtones of a well-ahead bitter and trailing, though longer lingering, sour note with naturally sweet bright undertone all its own. Undertones are bright to nigh tangy and well toasted, featuring savory & driving pepper-spices with a fair bit of sharply salted attachment.

Borders but never transgresses upon acidic, thanks to many a warm note. Excellent balancing act, and a daring one at that. Attainably complex and if dug deeper, there is more. Nuances are deep but also fleeting. 
  • Pepper (black)
  • Wood (cedar)
  • Coffee (espresso sans crema)
  • Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg)
  • Leather, stiffly
  • Citrus (grapefruit pith & rind)
  • Sarsparilla 
  • Vanilla bean
  • Maple syrup, charred
  • Herbal (fennel, anise, lemongrass)
  • Earth 
  • Compost, dried
Body features a wet & rigid smoothness. Cool of temp. A rich broth? Well-rounded, soitenly. Finish is a lengthy and quite complex & tangy extension of draw's overtones. Ends cleanly till 3/3 then a slight charcoal tick enters.

Insofar as strength, there is a back-loaded some. A bit of an upper-lip schvitz and slight fisheye lens swoon.

Burns coolly without the need to re-direct but not perfectly-so. There is a bit of a ribbon to the line. Ash grows to a solid oily inch at a time. Lotsa smoky-smoke both passively and actively. Rolled excellently with tight seams and no hard/soft spots. Fantastic medium tension'd and even draw.

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


"“Tastes Like Magic to Me” The wrapper is Ecuadorian Habano with a binder of Honduran Criollo and Honduran and Dominican fillers. Uses all A and B grade tobaccos. The result is a full flavored medium bodied cigar with a sweet nutty richness and hints of allspice. Blind Man’s Bluff is available in 3 vitolas [Robusto, Toro, & Magnum (Gordo)] in 20 count boxes." - www.CaldwellCigars.com

"At the 2015 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, Caldwell Cigar Co. not only released three totally reblended brands—Sevillana Reserva, Gibraltar Extra and Muricas Especial—but also debuted a totally new line. Dubbed Blind Man’s Bluff, the new blend incorporates an Ecuadorian habano wrapper covering a Honduran criollo binder along with filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Honduras. 

"Unlike the rest of Caldwell’s cigars, they are produced at Agroindustrias Laepe S.A. in Danli, Honduras, which happens to be the same factory that rolls all of the Camacho cigars as well as AKA Cigars." - www.Halfwheel.com

"Sixty" Kaplowitz Radio 

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Flor de Gonzalez (FDG) Cigars 20th Aniversario (Natural) in Toro - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

"got kaplowitz"


I also smoked one of these during "Fifty-Four" Kaplowitz Radio. Although I have no memory of that at all.

FDG 20th Aniversario
WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Connecticut
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Toro (soft press)
ORIGIN: Nicaraguense de Tabacos S.A. Condega, Nicaragua

STRENGTH: Medium
PROFILE: Sour/Salty-Sweet
DELIVERY: Sharp/Bright

COMBUSTION: ok
CONSTRUCTION: ok
  • Pepper (white)
  • Wood (cedar, sharply-so)
  • Nuts (cashew, rawly-so) 
  • Chocolate (hot cocoa mix)
  • Sugar
  • Dirt (brightly-so)
KEYWORDS:
  • Thin 
  • Raw 
  • Drying 
  • Acidic
  • Undertone-less
  • Unbalanced
FINAL GRADE: B-
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F 0-59


"FDG Cigars, the company also known as Flor de Gonzalez, will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with two limited edition cigars of the same name, as the FDG Cigars 20 Aniversario is slated to be unveiled at this week’s IPCPR Convention & Trade Show...

"The cigars pay homage to the first two cigars every made by Flor de Gonzalez, the Gold Series, which used Connecticut and broadleaf wrappers, though this new release will have different flavor and strength profiles." - www.Halfwheel.com

s/o to Ray Kotabish of Havana59:
(330) 524-8660. Call now.
"See what Ray can put in your tray."

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59K/R:

Monday, June 18, 2018

"Sixty" Kaplowitz Radio

"Why not Kaplowitz?"


60KR

I smoke/re-evaluate a La Barba Purple and offer-up the following segments:


Then Circle Jerks played me out w/ World Up My Ass.

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

Friday, June 15, 2018

Odds & Ends at the Ides: June 2018

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"


Here's the skinny this ides, this "State of the Site" up-date:
  • Kaplowitz Radio overhaul
  • Profile & Delivery: now added to cigar review info
  • Providencia owns the month @ Kaplowitz Media Group
Now lettuce fatten-up that skinny w/...

My Fellow Gentlepersons,

What a fucking month. Holy shit. That nod to my personal life aside, it's been a month here at the .xyz as well. Times they are a-changin' over at Kaplowitz Radio, the flagship show of K/M. Now riding 59 deep insofar as eps., I figured: let's stave off the stale in 60. What began as an announcement of a new mini-series segment wherein I review other cigar reviewers, led to the spawning/dawning of four (4) other regulars:
  1. QUESTION OF THE WEEK
  2. CIGAR OF THE WEEK
  3. LIFESTYLE TIP OF THE WEEK
  4. CIGAR NEWS OF THE WEEK*
*Including a social media report powered by Stogie Press. Wowee-wow-wow! A friggin' format!!!


Just as big as all that, is my intro of PROFILE (overtones) & DELIVERY (how those notes hit the palate). I feel this will help the reader in the retail humi, the one who's Googling or visiting the .xyz, to figure out which stick to pop on then, there, and quick as a hiccup. Then further down in the review come the particulars and then the smoke's origin story -- for my beloved cigar geeks of different geek levels. See, I'm writing to at least two audiences. Yer welcome.

& lastly & well, last -- BUT FIRST IN OUR HEARTS: big thanks to Providencia cigars for their June 2018 sponsorship of my humble lil FB group, Kaplowitz Media Group. Group. In closing, group. Although not really in closing because in true closing...

I love you all <3

Till the ides next,
Kap

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"Fifty-Nine" Kaplowitz Radio 

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Caldwell Cigars Eastern Standard Dos Firmas (Caldwell Signature) - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"


Caldwell Eastern Standard Dos Firmas
WRAPPER: Connecticut Shade
BINDER: hush-hush
FILLER: mum's the word

FORMAT: Petite Robusto
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
PROFILE: Bitter-sweet/Sour
DELIVERY: Tangy/Fusty

COMBUSTION: excellent
CONSTRUCTION: excellent

Smooth, cool smoke and hella lotsa it; nice 'nuff tingle to stave off the meh that sometimes brings. Complex as Jared Leto's Joker but hopefully more smoke this than saw that. "Cuban-esque" gets thrown around too much at times -- but yes. Lively yet settled-in and we--rounded plenty to be quite deep. Room-note is killer. Did I type "hella?" Yes, I sure did.
  • Pepper (white & red)
  • Spices (white ginger, clove)
  • Chocolate (milk & cocoa butter)
  • Wood (cedar, cardboard lilt)
  • Sesame seed
  • Tea (chamomile)
  • Citrus (orange slice/lemon wedge) w/fusty attachment
  • Mead [That's a new one]
  • Coffee (diner cuppa)
  • Nuts (peanut butter)
  • Vegetal (sweet grass, 'shrooms)
  • Dirt (red clay)
FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100
B 80-89 
C 70-79 
D 60-69 
F 0-59


"At the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show, Caldwell Cigar Company unveiled a new extension to its Eastern Standard brand known as Eastern Standard Dos Firmas or the Caldwell Signature. “Dos Firmas” translates to two signatures – and that’s because the cigar carries the signatures of company owner Robert Caldwell and of William Ventura, who owns the factory that Caldwell has partnered with." - www.Cigar-Coop.com

"Two years ago, when Robert Caldwell made his return to the cigar industry, he unveiled a line called the Eastern Standard ... This year, Caldwell has taken some steps to make Eastern Standard a full-fledged brand in his portfolio by introducing two new blends under the Eastern Standard line. One of those new blends is a maduro offering known as the Eastern Standard Midnight Express. The other is another Connecticut cigar, using a different Connecticut Shade wrapper known as Eastern Standard Dos Firmas – a.k.a. called the "Caldwell Signature."" - www.Cigar-Coop.com (2016)

& once more from www.Cigar-Coop.com - "According to Caldwell Cigar Company, the Signature was a blend that William Ventura has had created for many years. The company isn’t disclosing the blend details other than it features a Connecticut Shade wrapper."

Caldwell is a sponsor of Kaplowitz Media. What's it to ya?

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"59" K/R: 

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Caldwell Cigars Eastern Standard Maduro Midnight Express in Corona - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

"Why not Kaplowitz?"


Caldwell Midnight Express
WRAPPER: Connecticut Arapiraca Maduro
BINDER: Habana Dominicano
FILLER: Dominican Criollo ‘98, Dominican Corojo Ligero, & Nicaraguan Habano

FORMAT: Corona
ORIGIN: Caldwell Cigar Factory, Dominican Republic

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
PROFILE: Bitter/Sweet
DELIVERY: Roasted/Spicy

COMBUSTION: ok
CONSTRUCTION: excellent


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

"The Caldwell Collection was introduced to critical acclaim in the spring of 2014 and consisted of three distinctive lines of cigars, each using aged and hard-to-find, “Grade A” tobacco, grown in the Dominican Republic and rolled at Tabacalera William Ventura. Unique names and eye-catching artwork were used in debuting the collection—Long Live The King, The King Is Dead, and Eastern Standard. The latter consisted of a Connecticut Hybrid Ecuadorian wrapper, a Habana Dominican binder, and a combination of Ligero, Seco, and Viso filler leaves from Nicaraguan and the Dominican Republic.

"At the recent 2016 IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas, in an artsy-looking booth littered with striking graphics and paintings, The Caldwell Collection formally unveiled a line-extension to the Eastern Standard—Midnight Express. According to Robert Caldwell, "Midnight Express is an Eastern Standard Maduro."- www.CigarDojo.com

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Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Surrogates Satin Glove by L’Atelier Cigars - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

"Why not Kaplowitz?"


Surrogates Satin Glove
WRAPPER: Mexican San Andres
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Churchill, box-pressed
ORIGIN: My Father Cigars, Nicaragua

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
PROFILE: Bitter-Sweet/Savory
DELIVERY: Roasted/Smoky

COMBUSTION: excellent
CONSTRUCTION: excellent

Darkly roasted and smoky yet lively overtones, bittersweet in nature. Undertones are savory spices with salted sour additions, delivered roasted w/ light char. It's dark & lively there, as well. Is Dark & Lively a BET show? Should be. Complex as fuck, balanced supremely to boot. Deeply nuanced.
  • Pepper (black, cayenne)
  • Spices (cumin, smoked paprika, salt)
  • Coffee (dark roast)
  • Brown sugar
  • Chocolate (dark & semi-sweet)
  • Wood (cedar, hickory)
  • Vegetal (fennel, anise, mushroom)
  • Earth (compost, top-soil)
For all the heighty and haughty flavors here, the body is a tick wimpy. Although that whisp coupled with coolness really allows for a picking out of notes as witnessed parenthetically above. Smooth of texture with just the littlest bit of refreshing tingle. Rigid but bendable. Finish is long and a well-rehearsed symphony of all that and I believe I do detect a note of kitchen sink. Ends with a thin bit of a fleeting charcoal. Strength is like a top-shelf slow-sipping hooch.

Burns on an even-line on-down. Gives off a good volume of smoky-smoke both passive and aggressive but sits quite light on the palate. Not a lot of a room-note. Ash builds slowly to an inch, but not more, a bit dryly-so.

Rolled quite well sans hard/soft spots. Some slight softening ahead of burn. That burn is cool and slowly-paced. The draw is a bit snug but adds t the feeling of sipping from a chef's spoon and not gorging on an all you can eat buffet of instant grub.

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


The following is via www.CigarDojo.com:
"Surrogates, a brand that is owned and distributed by L’Atelier Imports, has always maintained a certain air of mystery throughout the cigar world. When first released, the brand was made specially for Ohio retailer New Havana Cigars as an affordable alternative to today’s increasingly popular limited edition cigars. The original NHC exclusive consisted of the Bone Crusher and Skull Breaker – a release that was met with confusion amongst consumers. “Are Surrogates cigars intended to be clones of existing cigars?” people began to wonder. Concerns were quickly met with a response from brand runner Dan Welsh:

"When people saw the names of these first two vitolas, there was much speculation that they were either made by one of our trusted vendors, or were meant to be a duplicate of one of their offerings. Neither is true nor implied. The names were based on the novelty fonts that I chose for these full bodied beasts. In retrospect, I should not be surprised that some people jumped to conclusions about them being made by Viaje, because of the themes used in the names. This was never my intent. Bone Crusher is a play on the strength of the stick ‘hitting you to the bones’ and Skull Breaker is a play on ‘feeling it in your head’ when you are done. Had I projected the myriad of conclusions being drawn I might have chosen ‘Punisher’ for the Skull theme and simply ‘Krusher’ for the other vitola. But Surrogates was the branding I wanted to bring forth and create a following for.""

"...Who’s to say the original Bone Crusher and Skull Breaker cigars weren’t an homage to Viaje (skull and bones)? Dan teased at the fact that their Tramp Stamp release clearly poked fun at business partner Pete Johnson’s Tatuaje logo. And then there’s the Crystal Baller, Dan further insinuated that the cigar showed his respect and love of the Illusione Epernay. And let’s not forget about L’Atelier’s own LAT line, a clear salute to the great Cohiba Behike. ..."

Hi, me again. For my moolah, I get Padron here -- as does Tony Crack by way of our local B&M manager. You can listen to Tony talk about that in Stick Men: Episode Twenty-Three.

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Monday, June 11, 2018

"Fifty-Nine" Kaplowitz Radio

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"


59KR

Over a Caldwell/Booth collab Hit & Run, I prattle on boy-O re:
  • Anthony Bourdain and suicide, specifically.
  • The Triple Crown and horse racing, generally.
  • Social Media Cigar Update Powered by Stogie Press.
  • Weekly Cigar Industry News.
  • What IS a Press Release?
  • Announcing A NEW Kaplowitz Radio segment.
Thanks for listening, Gentlepersons.

Hit & Run
WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER: Indonesian
FILLER: DR

FORMAT: Corona
ORIGIN: William Ventura, Dominican Republic

STRENGTH: Medium
PROFILE: Sweet/Sour
DELIVERY: Bright/Sharp

COMBUSTION: poor
CONSTRUCTION: poor

EDITOR'S NOTES:
If I said "58" I meant "59."
The H&R finally accepted a re-light and I was able to smoke it down.

I previously reviewed the Hit & Run HERE.


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

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Kaplowitz Media: Special Edition w/ Steve Saka LIVE from the NJ Cigar Festival

"got kaplowitz?"


Thanks to K/M roving reporter, Mike Weinstein, we track down Steve Saka LIVE at the NJ Cigar Fest. He talks about the FDA, Cuban tobacco, exploding w/ Drew Estate & cooling his heels w/ Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. More, too!


Thanks for listening, Gentlepersons!


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Friday, June 8, 2018

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Providencia Cigars El Padre in Robusto Gordo - Cigar Review Redux by Kaplowitz

Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"


WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Connecticut
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Honduran

FORMAT: Robusto Gordo
ORIGIN: Honduran

STRENGTH: Medium
PROFILE: Sour/Sweet-Salted
DELIVERY: Sharp

COMBUSTION: ok
CONSTRUCTION: excellent

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


I first reviewed the El Padre blend HERE in its Torpedo iteration.

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La Barba Cigars Red in Robusto - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

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La Barba Red
WRAPPER: Dominican Corojo
BINDER: Dominican Corojo
FILLER: Dominican Habano/Corojo (50% ligero)

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
PROFILE: Sweet/Spice

FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera William Ventura)

Savory af throughout. Overtones are thick and bright like I don't like my wiminz. Sweetly spiced and toasted then roasted like I do like my wiminz. Undertones are bitter-sweet roasted goodnesses and a bit more darkly-so. A sour tick swirls through the profile and seems an ebbing & flowing part of the spiciness. Balanced impeccably, albeit free of any salted note. Complex like the day is long but never in a clamor -- well orchestrated and attainable. Tremendous depth of notes breed quite the nuanced experience.
  • Spice (nutmeg, clove, paprika)
  • Pepper (white & red)
  • Chocolate (milk, dark & semi-sweet)
  • Vanilla extract
  • Nougat
  • Wood (cedar)
  • Syrup
  • Olive oil (sweet oil)
  • Port wine
  • Citrus (orange pith)
  • Leathery oils
  • Grains (pancake mix)
  • Floral (hibiscus)
  • Earth (red clay)
Smooth as silk smoke leaves in its wake just the right tick of tip-of-tongue tingle. Rest of smoke-hole gets saturated in syrup & oil. Rich, soft, and robust. Finishes with sweet/spice complexities on lengthy legs; then ends quite cleanly-so + coolly as Billy Dee pitching malt liquor. Strength gives a neat-O gentle buzz.

Combustion feels quick but I didn't watch a watch as I do not own one, and I was sucking greedily. The line is even and grows an inch of ash easily. (Does require a light mid-way re-touch.) Them burnt-offerings are maybe on the dry side of moderate. Lots of smoke and a floral type of room-note grows there alongside sweet spices. Excellent smooth even draw off cool temp'd medium tension'd tugs. Tight seams, evenly hewn and sans hard/soft spots and/or softening of pack density via progression.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This La Barba Red is my crack, Gentlepersons.

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

"La Barba Red is the original cigar release by the the [sic] company and has been
recently reblended. Blended by WSET certified Sommelier Tony Bellatto, and distributed through Caldwell Cigar Co. ... Used to be made at Eiroa in Honduras. Now made at Ventura, same blend as original." - www.CaldwellCigars.com

A nice thought from www.LaBarbaCigars.com: "A Cigar Is A living, breathing moment, the result of more than two hundred hand-made decisions, and thousands of hours spent crafting and blending. A cigar is a tradition, a mark for the senses to hold onto. A cigar is the search for something unique that can be shared. Every cigar we make begins with a memory, something complex and potent in our minds, and the final product is only achieved, when we feel the cigar can match that, beginning to end."

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Wednesday, June 6, 2018

La Barba Cigars Purple in Robusto - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz


La Barba Purple
WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER: Dominican Corojo
FILLER: Dominican Habano & Corojo

STRENGTH: Medium-Full
PROFILE: Bitter-sweet/Pepper

FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera William Ventura)

Bitter-sweet overtones lead from the far-out front in a dark & toasted manner which eventually grows to a gentle char. Savory spices roast & build continuously in the undertone nether-regions w/ a slightly salted addition. By the mid-point, over/under meet up to the point of clamoring against one-another some. Not much sour ticks till that second-half. Quite complex up-top; equally nuanced underneath. An admirable depth of warm notes.
  • Pepper (black peppercorn)
  • Spice (cumin, chili powder)
  • Coffee (espresso beans)
  • Chocolate (bittersweet)
  • Molasses
  • Marshmallow fluff
  • Grain (animal crackers)
  • Fruit (prune, raisin)
  • Citrus (pith)
  • Earth (top-soil)
Even with the eventual charring, there's nowhere near a bite but that's not to say "smooth," per se. Heavy but not cumbersome. Rigid although not abrasive. Muscular, I 'spose. Rich, nonetheless. finish is of moderate length and exhibits an extension of the draw overtones with a slight charcoal lilt. That lilt prevents a perfectly clean end. Tingly mouth dries a tick. Temp is nicely warm. Strength builds throughout and gentlepersonly-so to a swooning crescendo.


Burns on an even line. Ash grows fast and makes an inch at a time even though there's some dry cracking there. Actively smoky as the day is long -- passively that dies back a good-bit. Leaves a sorta muted room-note of meaty sweet spice.

Medium tension'd draw with a slight hesitation up-front. Likes to be double-puffed, which leads to a somewhat hastened pace. No hard/soft spots and seams stay tight and even. Holds form well from gate-to-wire.

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

"The La Barba Purple is the second line that was released by La Barba Cigars. La Barba Cigars is a company founded by Tony Bellatto and Craig Rossi in 2010. The name La Barba translates to “beard” and is a tribute to the beards the company founders had. In 2013 the company brought its first cigar to market, the La Barba Red. This was a cigar that was originally made at the Aladino factory in Honduras. A year later La Barba Purple became the company’s sophomore release, and it would become the company’s first release at Tabacalera William Ventura. La Barba would eventually shift all of its production to Tabacalera William Ventura." - www.Cigar-Coop.com

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Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Debonaire Cigars Daybreak in Corona - Cigar Review by Kaplowitz

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Debonaire Daybreak
WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican & Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Mild-Medium
PROFILE: Sour/Sweet-Spice

FORMAT: Corona Extra
ORIGIN: De Los Reyes factory, Dominican Republic

Overtones show sour-sweet tendencies with a great prominence. Sunny and bright with a light toasting over-top a bit of rawness. Savory undertones of a vegetal nature are accompanied by a surprising yet pleasant amount of pepper-spice. Bright notes there, as well, and bordering on a roasted quality in a lively manner. There's a good deal more saltiness than bitter lilts ebbing and flowing throughout and I can't say that's exactly ideal. Borders some on acidity but never trespasses entirely. Balance could be better, as could it stand more complexities. Notes never settle down 'nuff to breed nuance or depth.
  • Citrus (lemonade)
  • Spice (white ginger, cardamom, horseradish)
  • Coffee (blonde roast)
  • Pepper (white)
  • Cream
  • Wood (pine)
  • Fruit (green apple)
  • Floral (chamomile)
  • Grain (pale oats, pie crust)
  • Dirt
It don't bite but the initial smoothness does lay sharply on the tongue alongside a pale spiciness. Lightly-bodied and quite rigid. Offers a moderately legg'd finish of sour spice. Ends with a hint of astringent. Temp is cool down to the nub. Strength is a hair more than muted, giving a slight head tingle, if not buzz, particularly in 3/3.


Burns on an even line with excellent pacing. Grows a tight ash with a bit of darkness swirled into its complexion. A goodly amount of passive and active smoke off of foot and into smoke-hole. Room-note exhibits a bit of sharpness. Draws very smooth gate-to-wire with an unerring medium tension'd tug. The roll is a tick loosely and half-tick uneven insofar as seams. Pack density is moderate and sans hard/soft spots. Suffers an inch-long split in the top-leaf twixt 2/3&3/3.

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

"Debonaire Ultra Premium Cigars were intimately developed out of the passion to experience the perfect cigar at the hands of Philip S. Zanghi III, founder of Indian Tabac Cigar Company and Daniel Sinclair, founder of Durfort Holdings.

"Debonaire is the culmination of 20 years of research and development to produce the finest premium cigar on the market today. We incorporate the finest, darkest, air cured tobacco from the most superior tobacco crops of Central America and the Dominican Republic. Our gourmet tobacco is blended to perfection with the highest attention to detail so that the rich history of the past can be savored in the present. With every luxurious Debonaire® Ultra Premium Cigar you can taste the essence of a land steeped in tradition." - www.DebonaireRum.com

"Monday, June 26, 2017 — Santiago, Dominican Republic / Miami, FL – Debonaire House announced today the release of Daybreak, the third addition of the Debonaire Ultra Premium Cigars lineup. Debonaire Daybreak and the lines new packaging will be displayed in Drew Estate’s booth (Booth #2608) at the IPCPR Convention and Tradeshow held July 11 – 14, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada." - www.DrewEstate.com

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"Fifty-Eight" Kaplowitz Radio 

Monday, June 4, 2018

"Fifty-Eight" Kaplowitz Radio

"Why not Kaplowitz?"


58KR

Thanks for the ears, Gentlepersons.
  • Memorial Day snowflakes 
  • Death of Punk 
  • The luckiest kids on Earth 
  • Dollar Store shopping trips
All discussed while smoking/reviewing a Providencia El Padre.

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