Kaplowitz Radio. EP169 Postshow Vlog "Ruby Vondella"

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



LISTEN to the full podcast episode at: https://bit.ly/39rv3fX

MORE Kaplowitz Media.: https://bit.ly/2WREaDP 

HERE, I lovingly pet my very cute mini doxie for about 5mins. Aaahhhhhh. So nice. Calm. yw

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Kaplowitz Radio. EP169 "Idioms & Idiots"

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



How 'real' are these cigar vHerfs? When will IPCPR/PCA cancel their big trade show? Also, define 'essential.' All that, and well, that might be about it.

More Kaplowitz Radio.: https://bit.ly/2VXZ3Nb

Villiger Cigars Cuellar Connecticut Kreme in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Villiger Cigars

Cuellar Connecticut Kreme

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
INTENSITY: Mild

NOTES:

Lemongrass | Coconut | Pinewood

Those primaries are back-seat driven by a not-smooth white peppercorn. Lemongrass toasts well, fending off 'green notes.' Coconut begins Emily but shortly dries to flakes. Unfortunately leaving a bit less than ideal creaminess in its wake. Pinewood is a bit complex, containing a soft nuttiness & hint of exotic spices.

Middlings are quite light if not bright citrusy earth. A sinking-down entrenching (nuances) of wood additions. Some savoriness via raw oats & scant suede. Tick of chicken coop. Underbelly is sweet creamy earth although a hair dry & toward the slight side of moderate in terms of rounded out lushness. Finishes with a neat shift to a delicate natty 'baccy note laid out on said savoriness, sweetly. Ends cleanly. 

Flawless in both construction & combustion. I'll not dwell with the rote particulars there. Excellent smoke out-put culminates in a room-note akin to its noted finish; w/ some dandelion & chamomile additions which sidle into underbelly on draw. A near excellent rendition of its components, this. 

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

::: very :::

Chatting w/ Ian Reith of Dapper Cigars | Podcast Interview

Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

It's okay to laugh. Enjoy the tension of this super-special interview w/ Ian Reith of Dapper Cigars & the COMING SOON Dapper Hand Sanitizer & Toiletries Co.

Dapper: www.dappercigars.com

More Kaplowitz Radio: https://bit.ly/2UgMfQY

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Kaplowitz Radio. EP168 Postshow "Live at Five"

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



lol @ "filming." For more info & links, open it up in YouTube. thx

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Kaplowitz Media. Cigars of the Month (Feb./March 2020)

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Kaplowitz Media.

CIGARS of the MONTH: FEB./MARCH 2020

(due to Feb. hiatus)

[Names are links to full reviews]

FEBRUARY

Cuevas Reserva Natural by Casa Cuevas (1/29)

GTO Torpedo Doble Capas

Ohana m-13 Maduro

MARCH

Cabaiguan by Tatuaje

Espinosa Laranja Escuro

Pura Soul Kings Treasure

San Lotano Dominicano

Villiger Do Brasil Maduro

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Tatuaje Cigars Cabaiguan in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Cabaiguan by Tatuaje

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian CT
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Corona Extra
ORIGIN: My Father Cigar Factory, Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.tatuajecigars.com

COURTESY: mycigarpack.com

NOTES:

Hot cocoa | Black pepper | Cedar

Sure^ & laid out on leather, leather, leather. That savory upper-mid note shoots stiff delineations upward, creamy/oily nuance downward. Under there... Underwear? LOLlolol. Got ya! -- is nougat butterscotch praline sweetness. Then sunny densely rich hiking trail earth. Bits of clay soil hither & thither.

Hot cocoa has a very interesting citrus ade dalliance/attachment all its own. Black pepper starts nigh harsh, smoothes quickly into the leathery oils & creams. Cedar picks up a goodly dose of sweets but also has its own cleansing spice mix -- something at home in a Mexican bakery. Complex, check. Nuanced, check. Balanced superbly, yup.

Flawless construction/combustion. Dead-even burn-line, nicely (darkly) stacking-dimes ash. Smooth & ready draw. Firm roll. Smoke out-put is moderate+ & grows a sweet-savory earthen aroma w/ a slight tick attachment of citrus pith. A hair honey-malty. That's the finish, too. On long legs. Ends clean as a whistle. Please insert your own whistle.

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

::: very :::

Kaplowitz Radio. EP168 "The Gambler"

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



A dramatic reading of "The Gambler," a little ditty by Don Schlitz made famous by one Kenny Rogers.

More Kaplowitz Radio.: https://bit.ly/2VXZ3Nb

::: very :::

Pura Soul Cigars Kings Treasure in Review (Podcast w/ Mike Weinstein)

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Pura Soul

Kings Treasure

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian CT
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: Toro
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
INTENSITY: Mild

WEBSITE: www.purasoulcigars.com

NOTES:
Cream | Cedar | Butterscotch

::: very :::

Pura Soul Cigars Honduran in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Pura Soul

Honduran

WRAPPER: Honduran
BINDER: Honduran
FILLER: Honduran

FORMAT: Robusto Box-press
ORIGIN: Honduras
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.purasoulcigars.com

NOTES:

Earth | Cream | Cashew

More like earthcreamcashew or just sweet-earth with a tick of coarseness... white peppercorn. Gruff particularly thru the nose. At end-of retro tho, a bit of salted dandelion falls to the palate. Somewhat herbal maybe fungal in the undertones. Clay dirt in the, you guessed it, earthy underbelly. All are entwined in muted cacophony, none structured well, & really sort of a 99.8% pleasantly sweet melange. Quite broadly blankets the tongue.

Not loads of depth under said blanket... lacking in nuances, say. Zilch complexities. One-note wonder. Not a bad note, tho.  rather nice one in fact. I'll use the word pleasant again. A bit of a mineral lilt to the long-legged finish intros more saltiness. Drying, some. Simple, straight-forward but... pleasant.  99.8%. Citrusade enters in the 3/3. Hi-C (not a final grade spoiler).

Burns on a nice 'nuff line requiring zilches of re-touches. Grows nice ash, if not a 1/4-tick dryly-so. Seams, cap, shoulder, press all holdfast, admirably. Draws smoothly w/ a slight hair of occasional hesitation. Excellent smoke out-put culminates in a selling point of malty-musty pleasantry. There is something here in the not a lot of anything here, which truly satiates.

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

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Kaplowitz Radio. EP167 Postshow Vlog "Intensity"

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



Sorry for the puffy eyes. Allergies are wow. Nevertheless, I talk about replacing "strength" w/ "intensity" in my cigar & coffee reviews. Also, of course, why.

Listen to Kaplowitz Radio. EP167 "Fine" HERE.

More Kaplowitz Television. is HERE.

::: very :::

Pura Soul Cigars Nicaraguan in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Pura Soul

Nicaraguan

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Toro
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
STRENGTH: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: www.purasoulcigars.com

NOTES:

Almond | Oak | Pepper

Nuts|hells & seasoned oak are deeply toasted and sweetened from underneath by a nice mocha. Pepper is big & smooth, refrained & robust all at once. Further undertones (beyond mocha) include a somewhat buckwheat grain-enhanced earthiness. Molasses is in the creamy further-earthen underbelly. 

Textbook Nicaraguan, done quite nicely. Nothing super complex, the mocha mingles well w/ wood & sweets. Decently nuanced in earth/cream earth/pepper realms. Smokes almost like a Corojo purito, actually. //Balanced well. Aroma is a very muted earthiness. Period.

Some woes; one each in combustion/construction. The opening third is victim to a mousehole burn which requires a big re-touch once patiently smoked thru. Then, come 1/2, a seam opens up to under the band. Wonky but mainly self-correcting burn-line throughout.

Good draw... tension fluctuates mildly, as does smoke to smoke-hole. Ash cleaves in the almost FUBAR opening act but stacks a moderate amm't of dimes thereafter. All told, a very average or at least expected profile; coupled with a pair of major flaws.

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

::: very :::

Kaplowitz Radio. EP167 "Fine"

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



Mike joins me here & we talk Jose Blanco joining Arturo Fuente (I believe we failed to touch on his EPC tenure), female crossword puzzle constructors, how to talk to people, & more... Oh & #coronavirus

More Kaplowitz Radio.: https://bit.ly/2VXZ3Nb

::: very :::

San Lotano Cigars Dominicano [AJ & Jochy] in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

San Lotano

Dominicano

WRAPPER: Brazilian
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Nicaraguan, Dominican

FORMAT: Torpedo box-press (6.5x52)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera Palma, DR
STRENGTH: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: mycigarpack.com

NOTES:

Hickory | Pepper | S'mores

Hickory is toasty. Pepper is black & roasty. Those two are joined at the hip with milk chocolate, graham cracker, marshmallow [follow this blog for more recipes] (S'mores) falling back into support roles. An excellent bracing/backing structure allows for that. Undertones are pleasant & classic clover honey forward, This balances the blend well. Too, there is some cereal grain, a baking spice mix, & tick of fresh ground coffee.

Underbelly is a chicken coup savory earthiness w/ a neat bright/dusty mix. Primaries, of course, linger there on nice long legs which pull back to end cleanly. Aroma culminates off big smoke out-put, is made of sweet notes wrapped in suede, carried on pepper-spice... quite nice. Complex & delineated in equally eye-catching proportions. Lesser nuanced but still admirably-so. Notes dig deep, particularly chocolate & wood, hit a hint of citrus. Grapefruit.  

Grows hella ash in a tight white sheath. Even line w/ a bit of a thick-ish mascara. Press holds well. Draws smooth, easy. Seams are loose-some but are the same from pre-light to nub. The top-leaf is a tick lumpy & two-ticks less than gorgeous, texturally. Good rich reddish hue, tho. A sweet-savory stick with pepper heartening & citrus cleansing. Excellent.

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

::: very :::

Black Star Line Cigars War Witch in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Black Star Line
War Witch

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Corona box-press
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
STRENGTH: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: www.bslcigars.net

NOTES:

Oak | Black Pepper | Grain

Woodsy-forward, slightly toasted, yet decidedly not structured all that well. Takes on a bit of a cardboard lilt. Black pepper steers with a lemony attachment. Peppercorn, really. A bit harsh & drying. Grains become more upper-undertones as smoke progresses. A tick dusty. Cornmeal, mainly. Rye, some. Then a bit of buckwheat honey. Underbelly is rammed earth w/ leather over-top.

Notes are delivered on a narrow line. No real nuance. Some small superficial complexities where honey meets grain & then again where it hits leathery savoriness. Thru the nose, the texture will put the proverbial hair on your chest -- then amp up the sweetness when it drops to your palate. Surprisingly bright for as pungent as it is. The 2nd half is much better than the 1st with oils sweating out of the leather to smooth the experience.

Burns on an even yet at times puckered char. Nice pacing. Smooth draw, almost to the point of 'open.' Ash doesn't build particularly well, so don't wear your fancy chiffon dress. Not terribly balanced but skewed toward pepper-bomb seekers, & if you're one -- here ya go. As far as that sub-genre goes, this is quite good.

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

::: very :::

JC Newman | Arturo Fuente Cigars "La Unica" in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

JC Newman | Arturo Fuente
La Unica #400

WRAPPER: Connecticut
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: #400 Robusto (4.5x50)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera A. Fuente, Dominican Republic
STRENGTH: Mild-Medium

NOTES:

Honey | Suede | Lemon

Sandy profile. Some maltiness attaches to the pale honey note. Suede gets all but lost along the way on a hazy sunrise dirt trail. Lemon attracts a white peppercorn. Table sugar sweetens the undertones. A bit of week diner coffee, half&half. Underbelly is where the suede lingers, overtop cardboard & dust. Butterscotch & nougat flit in & out but neither gets in all the way.

Meh. As shallow & pedantic as Lois Griffin's meatloaf. No real complexities minus descriptors/accompaniments of malt, sandy, hazy. Dirty. No nuances. Not much structure, delineation. Mellow & EZ, I suppose can be seen as smokeable comfort food -- but it ends a bit less-than smoothly 'nuff for that. Mashed potatoes w/ a gruffly peppered gravy, say? Biscuits & gravy, same say?

Burns on an even line at a nice rate of speed. Grows excellent stack-of-dimes ash. Draws well. In fact, construction & combustion have zero faults. A cigar to stick in your smoke-hole and vaguely enjoy as you see to some puttering-else. Would pair well w/ tinkering, a deck of cards, or light-medium conversing. 

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

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Kaplowitz Radio EP166 Postshow "Five Things I Like"

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



Listen to the full podcast EP166: https://bit.ly/2v6W2iE

In this addendum, I discuss many a thing but not really anything at all. MUST SEE. thx #KM

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Kaplowitz Radio EP166 "Sourdough Starter"

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

LISTEN click HERE where you can also find links to this & more from Kaplowitz Radio. on Apple & Google Podcasts, Spotify, & several other platforms. thx

In this podcast episode of Kaplowitz Radio., I talk about sourdough starter & bread baking, how sex sells, and my feels re: different media platforms. #KM

More Kaplowitz Radio.: https://bit.ly/2VXZ3Nb

::: very :::

Espinosa Cigars Warzone in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Espinosa Warzone

WRAPPER: Cameroon
BINDER: Honduran
FILLER: Colombian, Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: La Zona Cigar Factory, Estelí, Nicaragua
STRENGTH: Medium

WEBSITE: www.espinosacigars.com

NOTES:
Cedar | Toffee | Cocoa butter

Those primaries are driven on ahead by a white peppercorn made mostly smooth in a roasted cream. Cedar is dominant... a toasted & seasoned woodiness. Remember the old Skor bars? That -- as chocolate sidles in mid 1/3. Cocoa butter chugs along, first forming complexities w/ said chocolate, then finding cream @ 'round midpoint. 

Middlings are a subtle cacophony if there's such a thing. There/here, the profile seems complicated more than complex. Some pale exotic spice melange, cardamom, cereal grains, chicken coop -- fustily-so. A bit dusty but all-told bright. Underbelly sees some terra cotta clay earthiness w/ suede laid out over-top. Sweet -- a tick of nougat rises up toward middlings.

You're right, I do pen the best cigar reviews. thx Thru the nose is sharper than pleasant but the reward is a neat sweet spice dropping to the palate & carrying on into a creamy body. Finish includes a poultry meatiness & primary notes as mentioned. Moderate legs. Aroma is a dry 'baccy sweetness with a pointed spice kicker. 

Burns on an even line. Ash grows firm, dark & collects at a nice pace. Shows some decent tooth. Draw is excellent. Cap & seams hold fast. Smoke out-put wriggles around avg. and voluminous at different points. All told a pleasant yet wayward profile which seems wrangled together in a rustic manner. Nuances suffer on account of notes flitting about instead of entrenching. The complexity v. cacophony angle is real here, real as the struggle. We all have issues -- but don't be a dick. This cigar ain't a dick. Sorry, Freud. 

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

::: very :::

Opening the Books: the Phil Zanghi Story | Episode 2

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



Episode 2 of Opening the Books: the Phil Zanghi Story. Origin Story because we all come from somewhere & from someone.

More Opening the Books: The Phil Zanghi Story info: https://bit.ly/3buYdgm

::: very :::

Espinosa Cigars Laranja Reserva Escuro in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Espinosa Laranja

Reserva Escuro

WRAPPER: Brazilian Mata Fina
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Corona Larga (646) box press
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
STRENGTH: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: www.espinosacigars.com

NOTES:

Dark Chocolate | Baking spices | Cuban coffee.

Dark chocolate, richly. Fully. An accompanying fudge brownie. Nutmeg, cloves, & cinnamon are as much on the pleasantly pungent body as they are in its flavor. Thick. Dense. Girthy. Molasses seems churned out from a natty 'baccy & roastedly-so. Mingles ::: very ::: w/ The composted earth middlings. In there is some anise, a bit of red/purple fruit syrup ebbs & flows.

Holding it all up from its nethers is more earthiness... topsoil. A potting soil. Manure. Delivered on a supple leather note. Topped there by a Cuban coffee which wraps around to envelop the profile. This is a cigar I could smoke every day. Black pepper comes in & circles about with a saltiness trailing behind. Supremely balanced. Moderately complex but deeply, deeply nuanced. Finish is a long-legged primary lingering w/ a cola attachment.

Draws well & even, but at the end of 1/3 a bit of short-leaf crumb rolls out from cap. Leaves it oddly concave. Still a good draw. Box-press is a mild one which rounds a 1/4" ahead of char. Burn-line is even -- dead even. Pacing is languid. Smoke out-put is voluminous & culminates in a sweet dark earthiness w/ kindly pepper-spice kick. Leathery. A profile that wraps you up pleasantly, meditatively.

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

::: very :::

Kaplowitz Radio. EP165 Postshow "Dancing Goats"

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



Batdorf & Bronson: www.batdorfcoffee.com
Illusione Cigars: www.illusionecigars.com
Kaplowitz Media. Coffee: kmcoffee.com

thx

::: very :::

Nat Sherman Timeless Prestige Hermoso in Review

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Nat Sherman Timeless

Prestige Hermoso

WRAPPER: Honduran Habano
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican, Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
STRENGTH: Mild-Medium

WEBSITE: mycigarpack.com

NOTES:

Cappuccino | Hazelnut | Cashews

The barista employs cream instead of milk cappuccino. Sprinkles some cinnamon, too. Then again. Then once more. Hazelnut sees a cocoa butter sidle in then partner up. Cashews are salted, boy howdy! Undertones are mainly all that dripping thru a chicken coop to the clay earth beneath. Sunny also fusty(some). Bit-O-Honey ebbs & flows in/out & up/down. 

Sweet creamy dense but bright profile. Complex in its attachments. Nicely nuanced in its lushness. Classical forward w/ some subtle deviations from that ever-prescribed prescription. Body is leathery oil & butter-rich, add that to the undertones of the second-half; before long they steer the rig. Most times I smoke a Nat Sherman, I sense a gentleman's study. Here, too... just somehow more jovial. 

Excellent draw & burn-line; each smoothly-even. Moderate smoke out-put culminates in a room-note of body + white pepper. That pepper-kick is somewhere drowning on the draw's creaminess. Packed well & firmly. Smooth & nice with more to see if you squint thru the creaminess & salt. Although sans that required attempting, it's still a quite pleasurable thing.

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

::: very :::

Kaplowitz Radio. EP165 "Back in Slack"

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



I shake off the ring rust of my yearly two week hiatus to talk up the new #KM coffee blog. I also smoke a Pura Soul cigar & drink a cuppa from Batdorf & Bronson Roasters.

::: very :::

Chatting w/ Marcel Knobel of ADVentura Cigars

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



Marcel Knobel & I speak to one another across many time zones and eras. We discuss flying cars, kosher wines, & Euro vs. US tobacco markets. Listen in & check out his ADVentura cigar line. thx

Adventura Cigars: www.adventuracigars.com

More Kaplowitz Radio. info: https://bit.ly/2PvO8Xl

::: very :::

Villiger Cigars Do Brasil Maduro in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Villiger Cigars

Do Brasil Maduro

WRAPPER: Brazilian Arapiraca
BINDER: Brazilian
FILLER: Brazilian

FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Villiger do Brasil, Brazil
STRENGTH: Full

WEBSITE: www.villigercigars.com

NOTES:
Espresso | Dark chocolate | Anise

Richly deep/deeply rich espresso with brilliant crema atop. Plush dark chocolate w/ spice attachments we'll cover in a bit. First to mention the anise again... quite fennel & with a Dr. Pepper nod. Spices: Smoked paprika, allspice, cumin. Pepper: black & enveloped in creamy compost earth.

Lush like my great uncle Leon was. Dense. Roasted. Just the right tick of spitty on its salted caramel body which adds thatta way to the primary-laden finish. Long legs. Gams, see? Supreme balance & zaftig nuances which culminate in some for real tantalizing yet smooth complexities. Red pepper is pleasantly pungent thru the schnoz. Aroma is a meaty heavy dark grain sweetness that hangs close & becomes lip-smacking. Molasses sweetness  & an intriguing Merlot drop from sinuses to palate in the 2/3.

Excellent draw. Even & well-paced burn. Well clung ladder-rung ash. Zilch complaints re: combustion &/or construction. Ima shut up now(ish) but first tell you about the new Kaplowitz Media. Coffee site which you can & should find at: https://bit.ly/384Onin (shameless, I know).  But this stick! Get your hands on it for a substantial meaty sweetie of a time, boy-O.

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

::: very :::