Wednesday, April 29, 2020

DAV Cigars Prima Natural in REDUX, Redux Review

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

DAV Prima Natural

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian CT
BINDER: Indonesian
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: Belicoso
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
INTENSITY: Mild-Medium

WEBSITE: www.davcigars.com

The reasoning behind this redux is a switch from Robusto to Belicoso vitola. The original Robusto review can be read at: https://bit.ly/3aPBPge This 2d will not reference that 1t. You should read it anyway. It is superbly written. Oh, I also reviewed this blend in its Churchill iteration at: https://bit.ly/2zC3Nip

NOTES:
Eucalyptus | White chocolate | Dandelion

Minty. Refreshing. Delicate & enduring -- a doily crocheted of fishing line. Quite floral & vegetal w/ mineral meanderings, kindly-so. Not green, but raw -- untoasted. Dandelion w/ accompanying chamomile. White chocolate is a creamy thing, not overly sweet, in excellent balance w/ other notes.
Pistachio braces from upper middlings. Fantastic structure there and superb delineation above. Airy, never vacant.

The rest of middlings are as sunny/bright yet smooth as those primaries. Pine & balsa woods (added structure) are forefront. Then white peppercorn, breezily. A driving lemonade. Burgeoning suede. Underbelly is golden earth growing wildflowers & hay. A Sunday drive thru the countryside. Aroma is light bright & sweet; candied floral bits sidle up to sweet citrus. Finishes cool & floral sweetly on moderate legs.

Draws well, evenly. Ash grows dense solid under a silvery sheath, an easy inch. Roll holds w/ out hiccup. However, there is a bit of cosmetic-only cracking of top-leaf under the band. The pacing is akin to the aforementioned Sunday drive. Leisurely, w/ a calm excitement via marvel. Oh, look. Cows. In short, complex, well balanced. Rigid not fleshy & clean as a whistle. An actively light meditation, say.

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

::: very :::

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

J.C. Newman Cigars Brick House Maduro in REDUX Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

J.C. Newman Cigars
Brick House Maduro

WRAPPER: Brazilian Arapiraca
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Gordo
ORIGIN: PENSA, Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Full

WEBSITE: www.jcnewman.com

The reasoning behind this redux is a switch from Robusto to Toro vitola. The original Robusto review can be read at: https://bit.ly/3aGbxwM This 2d will not reference that 1t. You should read it anyway. It is superbly written. Oh, I also reviewed this blend in its Gordo "Mighty-Mighty" iteration at: https://bit.ly/2W5pK13

NOTES:
Baking spices | Espresso | Dark chocolate

Sinewy. Liquidy. Slick. Smoked paprika & clove forward baking spices, pushed on ahead by a ground black pepper which bites a tick diesely. Espresso is a thinly sweet crema'd thing w/ a definite Indonesian lilt. Lilt heck, those characteristics grow to be seen throughout this blend's mid-section: a prominent earthiness, oak, leather, &, to fill out the primaries -- dark chocolate. A shaved sort, a bit waxily-so. Underbelly is a scorched compost tea w/ a meaty savoriness via broth.

A very straight-forward profile. Pungently-so. Balances on a razor-blade of narrow sharp focus, tilting toward strength & away from body. Finish takes a while to build but offers a nice oily sweetness w/ pinch of salt, simply. Nothing extraordinary but well 'nuff planned & delivered; albeit a bit cutting at times. So, not complex nor nuanced but more so the latter, as notes slowly wade thru waters to entrench in murky-earthy shallow unders. 

A 'put hair on your chest' level of proper strength (nicotine). Burns on a mainly even line w/ one or two lagging hiccups not requiring of re-touches. Pack density does soften considerably. Draw remains open sans any resistance whatsoever. Smoke out-put wobbles from whispy to moderate, culminating in an anise-laced woodsiness. Somber & specific; a demanding if not challenging offering.

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

::: very :::

Monday, April 27, 2020

Kaplowitz Media. Recommended Cigar & Coffee Pairings + Info on Pairing

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Holy crossover, Batman! Below is a list of [see title] which spans all Kaplowitz Media. Coffee | Cigars - Cigars | Coffee... & discussed on Kaplowitz Radio.'s Kaplowitz To-day 4.27.20 (player below) more fully. Feel that? It was nothing. IT'S JUST THE EARTH MOVED A WHOLE BUNCH. yw

Lemongrass | Coconut | Pinewood
INTENSITY: Mild

+++

Blueberry syrup | White chocolate | Orchids
INTENSITY: Mild-Medium

________

Hot cocoa | Black pepper | Cedar
INTENSITY: Medium

+++

Chocolate | Merlot | Figs
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

________

Hickory | Pepper | S'mores
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

+++

Oak | Black walnut | Dark chocolate
INTENSITY: Full

Kaplowitz To-day 4.27.20: Pairings Special
[podcast ep. wherein I get more into it]



::: very :::

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Kaplowitz Media. Cigars of the Month (April 2020)

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Kaplowitz Media.
CIGARS of the MONTH: APRIL 2020
[Names are links to full reviews]


HONORARY MENTION

NOTE

Short list. Long month. Crazy month! Remember -- each month's list, no matter how long or short, sees its entrants entered into the running for Kaplowitz Media. Cigar of the Year. (Honorary mentions, however, nope.) thx

::: very :::

Thursday, April 23, 2020

JC Newman Cigars Diamond Crown Maximus in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

JC Newman
Diamond Crown 
Maximus 

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Sungrown
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: Toro
ORIGIN: Tabacalera A. Fuente, Dominican Rebublic
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

NOTES:
Roasted Orange | White peppercorn | Salted caramel

Sounds lovely there, no? OK, there are issues. A dry tangy attachment to roasted oranges that hits the palate as dish detergent, say. Alas, the salted car-a-mel has its woes, as well. Namely in a mineral lilt to its over-taking saltiness. White dirt. Kaolin. +Side? I'm handsome. That & white peppercorn is nice & has its own fruity nethers similar to a decent Riesling. Most problematic is the finish, a long cloying thing that highlights those lowlights (overly bright, minerally). 

Undertones are a taut suede that provides some nice structure; which the white peppercorn fails at. A bit of a buttery cedar, some whipped chocolate, vanilla bean, thin honey. This is all laid (scattered) out on a rather simple golden dirt earthiness w/ a flitting & fleeting terra cotta addition. Aroma-wise, the tanginess leads sharply-so, as dull natural tobacco brings up the rear. Underwhelming & not even entirely pleasant. There are complexities but they are seldom kind. Nuances, depths -- are non-existent. 

Visually, we begin with uneven seams & lumpy barrel, pre-light. This doesn't worsen, tho (yippee). Cap & shoulders degrade a bit via progression. Draw is quite nice, smooth, and open, evenly-so. Ash builds well but off an at times jagged burn-line. Pacing is speedy. All told, a profile neither old-school nor new, & that's just one way this blend swings, misses, falls between the cracks -- carrying w/ it there an intent which remains increasingly unclear.

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

::: very :::

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Caldwell Cigars Long Live the King in REDUX, Redux by Kaplowitz

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Caldwell
Long Live the King

WRAPPER: Dominican Corojo
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Peruvian, Nicaraguan

FORMAT: 5x52 "Lock Stock" Belicoso
ORIGIN: Caldwell Cigar Factory, DR
INTENSITY: Full


The reasoning behind this redux is a switch from Corona to this 552 Belicoso format. The original Corona review can be read at: https://bit.ly/2KDvAS9 This 2d will not reference that 1t. You should read it anyway. It is superbly written. (From there you can also see my review of a Petite Corona expression of this blend.)

NOTES:
Chocolate fudge | Red pepper | Molasses

Lotsa chocolate, Death by Chocolate, lifted by its own scorched wine cask nethers. Red peppercorn braces up, down, sideways in a nicely built first-half structure; smoothed by a meaty umami saucy sauce. Molasses floods into the cracks, altho I'm not convinced there ever were any. Full, say.

Secondaries consist of a dusty pantry spice array w/ cayenne kicker, an erratically ebbing/flowing roasted cedar, and a whole silo-worth of dark grains that cut the molasses well. At the 1/2, espresso floods in to do here what molasses does in the primaries. Underbelly is beef stew poured into a compost heap. Who tf puts raisins in their stew? Morracans, maybe? Roasted orange hits the long-legged bittersweet savory finish.

Dense & plush so much so that complexities are beat-down or at least, hidden. I mean, I imagine they're there. Deeply nuanced, however -- & that seems what this murky yet somehow jovial* blend seems all about. Nicely balanced. Structure sags in the second-half tho, as pepper dials back and cedar fails, finally. *Gallows humor, say? Still substantial. Sating.

... tho not overly dependable. While the char-line is mainly even, the top-leaf wants to combust much more slowly than the already cool-burning innards. It smokes damp, drudgingly-so. Requires a re-light. Smoke-put is uneven but barely ever hits moderate. Room-note mainly fails to build beyond a muted Cavendish aroma. Draw is hesitant at times.  Packing softens considerably. Inky & interesting, all told -- but also frustrating at times. Seems to step on its own foot more than once; clunky some. Plodding.

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

::: very :::

Monday, April 20, 2020

GTO Cigars Pain Killer Maduro REDUX Review

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

GTO Cigars
Pain Killer Maduro

WRAPPER: Dominican
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: Lancero (pig-tail cap)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera GTO Dominicana
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: www.gtodominicancigars.com

The reasoning behind this redux is a switch from Robusto to Lancero vitola. The original Robusto review can be read at: https://bit.ly/3aoc8mz This 2d will not reference that 1t. You should read it anyway. It is superbly written.

NOTES:
Dark chocolate | Espresso | Molasses

The primaries all march along in a darkly toasted lockstep stride. Then it's also sultry. Weird. A charred oak wine cask delineates dark chocolate shavings & espresso from below. Below, beneath, but not very... superficial nuances. The depth is there but not deeply-so. The abyss stares back & I shrug. Pleasantly bittersweet via a somber & heady manner. Yet not abrupt nor ham-fisted...

Just not complex. Smokes a bit like a purito --- a look at a quite nice single leaf. Black walnut, anise, & pumpernickel flood the secondaries -- but do not expand them. A bit claustrophobic, say. Still, nicely balanced. Proportionate. Structured. Cherry cola sweetness w/ an underpinning crisp bitterness comes at mid-point & really does do well.  Underbelly is roasted earth w/ a hidey savoriness which extends into a sweet long-lasting finish. A surprise almost minty refreshing roasted orange tail-end. Then clean.

Draws exceptionally smooth for its format. Ash clings well & pale, glistening at points. There is some crackling of top-leaf, dinging its cosmetics. Cap & shoulder hold fast, as do seams & density of roll. Very smoky, voluminously-so. Plumes, really. That said, a milder aroma than that'd foretell. Quite woody & peppery, that's there on the retro-hale, as well. How to succinctly relay the all in all? Imagine watching Eartha Kitt slip into her negligee, through the key-hole in her boudoir door. She purrs, you know.

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

::: very :::

Friday, April 17, 2020

Tabacos de la Cordillera by IGM Cigars Kalavera Maduro Blue in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Tabacos de la Cordillera
IGM Kalavera Maduro Blue

WRAPPER: Costa Rican
BINDER: Costa Rican
FILLER: Costa Rican

FORMAT: Gordo
ORIGIN: Costa Rica
INTENSITY: Full

WEBSITE: www.tabacordilleracr.com

NOTES:
Cajun spice mix | Cocoa butter | Orange blossom honey

Sharply & erratically focused. It's got 'Linebacker Eyes.' Piercing pungency is up-top w/cayenne and smoked paprika lead, aggressively. White peppercorn. Hard to see much else. I keep getting sacked, looking up at stadium lights. Concussion protocol, much? Cocoa butter & honey is neat but sinks to upper middlings in their washed-away complexities. Grapefruit pith happens somewhere under there. Under that is a dense simple hiking trail earthiness.

Unwavering. Linear. Thru the nose, it's surprisingly not utterly jarring & exhibits a tick of smoky floral bits. Chamomile, dandelion. Fleeting. Moistens the palate well, but the notes are all dry & fleeting on-thru the finish. There is a fading of spice toward the back-end but not much else pokes out to say hey. A pins & needles body of N'awlins taken to novelty extremes.

The draw is nice, a tick of smooth resistance, there. Burn-line ain't perfect but requires 0 assist. Ash stacks dryly, not to a full inch. Aroma is curiously mute; particularly since the smoke out-put is easily moderate. My palate feels charred. Throaty. I will say this -- it's big, this thing. & never tedious. Just daunting. A challenging jaunting? Nah. Imbalanced & disturbing via angry spice and oddly sedate palsy.

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

::: very :::

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Maya Selva Cigars Flor de Selva Maduro Grand-Presse in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Maya Selva
Flor de Selva Maduro
Grand-Presse

WRAPPER: Honduran
BINDER: Brazilian
FILLER: Honduran

FORMAT: 656 Toro Grande box-press
ORIGIN: Honduras (Tabacos de Oriente)
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: 
Espresso | Salted caramel | Leather

Espresso, robust yet smooth, is laid out over a thick & smoky leather. Salted dark caramel has its own molasses underneath, nice depth there. Nuances are not lost on the bitter-savoriness, either. They linger in their nethers. The cup runneth over. Structure is nicely enforced by a black peppercorn beef jerky. Vertically complex af & horizontally staunchly upheld. 

Oak barrels hold up the middlings. Some black walnut. Underbelly is umami-drenched compost & top-soil. Abrades the palate some. Quite drying. A parched tongue lets in peppers. PEPPERS, BLACK. Some notes begin to charcoal via progression. Mottling occurs at the half-way mark. Purging don't aid. A tale of two cigars, this. Becomes aggressive, spastically-so. Frenetic & somber at once. It feels mental.

The burn-line requires a retouch at each third. Ash aerates, splinters... fugly. Box-press rounds ahead of char. Draw wobbles emptily at times. Cap loosens on shoulder. Less than moderate smoke out-put irritates a bit; spicy & stiff. (A Latino lover, say?) A retro-hale at mid 2/3rd makes me do the Curly Shuffle on my carport floor. 'Floor' de Selva, more like. Biting. Eek. Blind-sided.

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

::: very :::

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Pura Soul Cigars Barber Pole in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Pura Soul 
Barber Pole

WRAPPER: Honduran Corojo | Maduro
BINDER: Honduran
FILLER: Honduran

FORMAT: Toro barber pole
ORIGIN: Honduras
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.purasoulcigars.com

NOTES:
Lemon curd | Coconut | Milk chocolate

Citrus (sour) & sweet (milk chocolate) play off each other in a jockeying less-than-friendly manner. There is an imbalanced competition there, won out almost immediately & throughout by tangy af. Very lightly toasted nigh raw. Sunny-bright like an overly hoppy IPA. Coconut is a confectioner's take, aiding some with sweetness but not enough w/ bracing of structure.

Undertones are a white peppercorn that admirably supports further beneath, a pinch of salt, a bit of shortbread. That pepper is a little aggressive but the cream which fills out the middlings cushions well. Some savoriness would be a welcome addition. Here, the profile swirls rather quickly, w/ abrupt changes in direction. Nice depth, & complexly-so. Although writ large, not a very complex smoke. Mild but not mellow; a soft-spoken wildman.

The two wrapper leaves burn in accord & thus evenly. Pacing seems a tick quick. Ash grows well in a sheath/stack of dimes combo. Smoke out-put is bigly; culminating a sour-sweet room-note with a dandelion lilt picked up through the retro-hale. All told a jittery yet subtle thing. Tangy, as noted already but worth mentioning again. Almost refreshingly-so, really. Effervescent?


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

::: very :::

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Tabacos de la Cordillera by IGM Cigars El Centauro de Oro in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Tabacos de la Cordillera 
by IGM Cigars 
El Centauro de Oro

WRAPPER: Costa Rican
BINDER: Costa Rican
FILLER: Costa Rican

FORMAT: Gordo
ORIGIN: Costa Rica
INTENSITY: Light-Medium

WEBSITE: www.tabacordilleracr.com

NOTES:
Cocoa butter | Cashew | Clotted cream

Big. Size-wise, its band requires a black tape extension to reach-around... uh.. wrap-around its... uh... girth. Flavor-wise, it's brightly dusty big, as well. But arrives there in a clustered undelineated manner. Unchanging. Primaries trickle down into nuanced meanderings with each-other in middlings. Under-belly is terra cotta laced sandy earthiness. Tick minerally.

Ah, primaries. Not a lot more to say, really. Cocoa butter, cashew (nuts then butter via progression -- a sole transition), & clotted cream have a difficult time separating. They seem to bounce off then hug each other in a muted cacophony. Some citrus pith ebbs & flows here & there. A bit of cream soda. So. Much. Tobacco. A bit laborious, say.

Wrapper leaf crackles audibly at scant times, a tick of visible crackling once or twice. Minimally & only cosmetically. Draws well, a slight half-tick of even-keeled tension. Burns on a bit of a wobble which is self-correcting. Quite smoky, a savory grain & earthen aroma. Ash is a builder, for sure. Stacks dimes, or more appropriately, nickles. Finish is sweet, short, & growingly gritty, dry. Cardboard.

Bland, all told, sans a sparsely scattered & pale exotic spice lilt. A nice offering to pair with a vat of diner coffee. A hammock of graham crackers. A backpack of mixed nuts. Are we there yet? Who wants to play Punch Buggy? Fine, dad. Turn this car around...

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

::: very :::

Monday, April 13, 2020

Pura Soul Cigars Habano in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Pura Soul
Habano 

WRAPPER: Habano
BINDER: Undisclosed
FILLER: Undisclosed

FORMAT: Corona
ORIGIN: Undisclosed
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.purasoulcigars.com

NOTES:
Pantry spices | Roasted oranges | Honey

Dusty spices lead the way, sharpened up a good tick via a quite interesting roasted orange note. Here's what food.com recommends as far as preparing roasted oranges, "Drizzle [slices] with a good vanilla extract, then sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Finally, drizzle honey generously over each slice." That's pretty much what happens here. Cream bounds up in the 2d-half. Buttery.

The cinnamon starts humming prior to that; after the first few spice melange pulls. Honey is an orange blossom varietal. All citrus & sweet-spicy, this. Problems, or at least lackings, occur in predominantly vacant secondaries. Underbelly gives a nice chicken coop & buttery suede savoriness, however. All told, a very smokeable far from dazzling portfolio addition. No nuance. Scant complexity.

Nice mouth-feel smooth with just a tick kick. Finish trails off rather quickly, features a fleeting cardboard lilt which dries a bit. Funny, since it burns a bit moist, though on an even-line. Slowly. Moist on the draw, mostly. Not bad -- just notably & notated. Moderate+ smoke out-put smells like its finish. Ash grows flaky, well 'nuff tho. Roll holds firmness gate-to-wire. A simple, simply good, enjoyable smoke.

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

###

Friday, April 10, 2020

Cibao Cigars Seleccion Especial in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Cibao Cigars 
Seleccion Especial

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: Toro
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: mycigarpack.com

NOTES:
Nougat | Chocolate whipped cream | Pantry spices

Cedar is somehow a part of all primaries & offers a nice back-bone to each. Although that tact seems to remove much complexity from the equation, as it doesn't allow mingling of notes. Instead, between them is a sandy-gritty spiciness. Dusty & non-descript. Under that is more spice w/ a scant red pepper addition, some cream (but not quite enough), and a tick of a citrusy try.

Underbelly is the aforementioned grit & simple sweetness enveloped from around-top. A balanced profile but also lacking in some regard (savoriness in particular) -- so, much like juggling only two balls. An easy blend that loses its charm when it tries to kick a bit. Juggling two knives, say. No harder, just sharper & why??? Finish is a fleeting sweet dusty thing, drying to the palate.

The selling point of this smoke is its combustion/construction. Glistening-white long ash, smooth draw, dead-even burn. Smoke out-put is moderate & builds a neat aroma of creamy sweetness with spicy BAM notch -- funny how what swings & misses on the palate, slam dunks on the nose. Funny too, mixing metaphors. lol

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

::: very :::

Thursday, April 9, 2020

El Artista Cigars El Pulita 60 Aniversario in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

El Artista El Pulita
60 Aniversario

WRAPPER: Dominican Negrito
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Colombia, Dominican, Nicaraguan, USA (PA)

FORMAT: Toro
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
INTENSITY: Mild-Medium

WEBSITE(s): 
Cocoa butter | Milk chocolate | Cedar

Oily, nicely. From wrapper eyeballing, to finish on palate. Sweetly mellow with a 'keep ya honest' white pepper kick. Cocoa butter & milk chocolate twist & play yet stay bordered within delineation. This provided by a peppery backbone, as well as buttery sweet-spiced cedar. Cedar leads that structuring after a tick, stays in charge. Middlings are pale toasted bits of honey, nougat, & butterscotch notes.

Terra cotta comes up from underbelly; suede there with lilts of chicken coop. Savory. Down below is golden earth with a single sweet bale of fresh hay. Finishes long and mellow, an extension of primaries. Never cloying, but clean. Complex in a casual sort of manner. Nuanced in the same vein. Quite well-balanced. A stoically classical cigar with a posh creamy body. A bit of fusty peanut butter. 

Draw could stand being a tick looser. Burn-line exhibits a slight hiccup jaggedness once or twice. Those previous two sentences are nit-pickery at its finest. IT'S FINEST, I SAY. Smoke out-put is a tick shy of moderate culminating in a less than plush room-note of malty suede honey. Ash stacks well. Firm packing stays thatta-way all thru. A pleasant stick, impressive in its lack of pursuit thereof. It's chill af, man.

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

::: very :::

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Kaplowitz Radio. EP170 Postshow "Comfort v Luxury"

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



[see title]

LISTEN to the full podcast episode at https://bit.ly/3aN4FyF

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

JC Newman Cigar Co. Diamond Crown no.4 Maduro in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

JC Newman Cigar Co.
Diamond Crown no.4 Maduro

WRAPPER: Connecticut Broadleaf
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Caribbean & Central America

FORMAT: No. 4 (5.5x54)
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.jcnewman.com

NOTES:
Milk chocolate | White peppercorn | Citrus

It all kinda spins out from a sandy, lumber wood core. One that's wrapped somewhat in a loose leatheriness but mostly not contained. To the point of mingling playfully tho, & shy of goop melange. Primaries are the boldest limbs, if not the furthest-reaching... Stout, some, say.

Milk chocolate is close to the sandy grit, a Swiss Miss packet thing. Citrus is Pluto in terms of size/distance & twixt is that white peppercorn. I wait for the length of the thing for it to smooth, doesn't. There are no conventional middlings. Nor underbelly. Not even primaries, when you think of it. Just herky-jerky "mosts."

Quite gruff for its intensity. Sharp but at the same time not focused. Any complexities are hidden by that lurching pepper grit. The palate is left arid in its wake. A bit of cream tries at the half, nope. Some nuance, tho, a sweet-savory depth which ultimately ain't 'nuff. Very not the expected Maduro affair. Tangy. Brightness thru the dense fog.

Burns excellently. Even line, excellent pace. Ash is a rock-solid silver sheath. Draw is impeccable. Smoke out-put is a moderate+ thing, which offers up a lovely savory-sweet cheerfulness. All told, a bit too much gruffly unrefined peppers & unexpected tangy addition leave me a good tick cold here.

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

::: very :::

Monday, April 6, 2020

Kaplowitz Radio EP170 "Poison & Lava"

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



The air is poison & the floor is lava... but don't be afraid. I read two reviews each of coffee, cigars. From my own Kaplowitz Media, natch.

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

::: very :::

Friday, April 3, 2020

Opening the Books: the Phil Zanghi Story | Episode 3

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"



Episode 3 of Opening the Books: the Phil Zanghi Story. This is the first 'travelogue' ep. of a slated couple/few. It's all about bribery, borders, body odor, & beautiful confusion.

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

::: very :::

Thursday, April 2, 2020

Pura Soul Cigars Maduro in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Pura Soul Maduro

WRAPPER: Honduran Maduro
BINDER: Honduran
FILLER: Honduran

FORMAT: Toro
ORIGIN: Honduras
INTENSITY: Full

WEBSITE: www.purasoulcigars.com

NOTES:
Coffee | Beef jerky | Fennel seed

Smoky to scorched & somewhat diesely at times (between purges). Top-notes expounded: coffee is Moka Pot brewed Italian+ roasted beans. Beef jerky sees soy sauce accompaniment & umami is bigly-so... although also thin or even sharp, focused at least. Middlings on a slightly metallic bed are: scorched earth, cinnamon, black peppercorn, stiff leather. 

Underbelly is a charcoal-laden tightly-packed & tick dried compost. Slight dark chocolate lilt, there. Aroma is peppery-earth w/ a molasses twang which flows into middlings at the 1/2. A balanced profile which takes a tick to get there. Flavors stay lurched ahead of body, however. Not complex but deeply nuanced, which together = slightly complex. Altho those nuances often entail notes entrenching in either mineral or diesel tendencies. Finish is darkly bittersweet & rather short.

Burn-line happens on a bit of a jaggedy edge sans mandated retouches. Ash exhibits a hair dryly but grows to a good inch of chunk. Draw is excellent & honestly, I at times wished for less-ready smoke to smoke-hole. It's a kick in the mouth, say. Smoky off the foot to the tune of moderately+. Succinctly, a straight-foward sinewy brute, more balanced & careful than much of that type.

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

::: very :::

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Ohana Cigars Pulse Habano in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Familia Rodriguez Tobacos
Ohana Pulse Habano

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Toro (pig-tail cap, unfinished foot)
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: frtobacos.com

NOTES:
Sweet cream | Buttery cedar | Peppery mix

From the top on down & from the out-front to back-end... cream. Aspects of cocoa butter, butter butter, & cashew butter, therein. Bracing that is a sweet smooth as silk sorta lush cedar, ballooning. Then the white & red peppery profile platter its all served on. A bit of spices there -- a pale cinnamon & dash of cardamom. Middlings are predominantly a trickling downward of attachments to primaries.

Underbelly is tilled golden dirt earthiness. Some savory aspects there -- suede, chicken coop & slight fungal lilts. Complex in a robust manner. Boldly delicate with a nifty balance & quite decent depths of nuance. Finish is a fleeting sweetness with lightly spiced additions. A bit of orange pith on the far-end. End? Ends clean. It doesn't burn exceptionally clean, however...

A canoe threatens twice, once out of the gate & again nearing mid-point. Could easily go FUBAR if allowed. Ash is very dry and shows hard clumps of unevenly bunched leaves. Draw hesitates often. Smoke out-put is wobbly, often wispy. Room-note culmination suffers there but is mainly a sweetly inviting aroma melange. Sweet & mellow w/ a pleasant spiciness & excellent orchestration but falls hard all told, on account of construction/combustion.

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

::: very :::