Friday, October 30, 2020

O.M. Cigars Essential Blend No. 4 in Review "Echoing thru Hills & Dales"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

O.M. Cigars 
Essential Blend No. 4

WRAPPER: Mexican San Andres
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Nicaraguan, USA (PA), Dominican

FORMAT: Robusto box-press
ORIGIN: Dominican
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: www.omcigars.com

NOTES:
Spices | Savory earth | Cocoa

Focused then delightfully fuzzy. Brawny then whispered. Spices are dark and molasses-sweetened. Smoked paprika, cumin. Red pepper flake, cayenne. Black peppercorn. Earthen notes are heavily toasted and heavily weighty; drip with a Worcestershire come-on. Cocoa is a powdered baking thing, tamped densely into a measuring cup. Excellent delineation up-top.

Underneath, it loosens to introduce complexities twixt. Particularly in the cocoa/earth here those sprinkle onto a midsection of fennel, scorched cedar, cola. Underbelly wraps the profile in earthiness... inkily & in mature inherent sweet spice. Comfy & somber, if not melancholy. A distant driving drumming echoing thru hills & dales. Complex but more-so layered in leathery nuance.

Nicely balanced & well-delivered. Draw is exceptionally smooth. Burns on a slow mainly even line requiring no re-touch. Rolled and stays firm, although it does round a tick ahead of char. Quite a flat press with an experience to match; a wide panoramic landscape with a low-hanging sky. Forboding in a way, the calm before a storm which passes safely by. 

TASTE: B+
DRAW: A
BURN: A-
BUILD: B+

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

Other O.M. reviews:

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Illusione Cigars ~cg:4~ Kaplowitz Media. Candela in Review "Nuts & Bolts, Flesh & Blood, What & Not"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Illusione Cigars 
~cg:4~ (Kaplowitz Media.) Candela

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Candela
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46)
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Mild-Medium

WEBSITE: www.illusionecigars.com

NOTES:
Sweet cream | Flora/l | Exotic spices

TASTE: A-
DRAW: A
BURN: A-
BUILD: A-

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

In an effort to not overly bullshit you Gentlepersons, I concluded that there was no need to write a full review of this Kaplowitz Media. exclusive cigar. I felt it could only be read in varyingly effective shades of ad copy. Nuts & bolts, flesh & blood, what & not. thx


Other Illusione reviews:

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

O.M. Cigars Essential Blend No. 5 in Review "Zenith & Excelsior & Whatnot"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

O.M. Cigars 
Essential Blend No. 5

WRAPPER: Mexican San Andres
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: 5.5x52 Petite Toro
ORIGIN: Dominican
INTENSITY: Med.-Full

WEBSITE: www.omcigars.com

NOTES:
Spices | Black cherry | Citrus

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... this offering's profile. Flying high & focused af. The comic book narrative where Supes has laser eye capabilities. I once worked with a guy who had a lazy eye. Nevertheless, zenith & excelsior & whatnot. Vapor trails. VOOSH. ok. Primaries are balled up tightly -- earthen spice rack. Chicory. Anise. Roasted orange. Black cherry. Tensely compressed in taut pleather.

Delivered a tick dryly-so. Undertones congregate alongside body & short clean puckering finish. Terra cotta, saffron, the wake of the primaries, settling bitter-sweetly. A deep savoriness comes in via a bone broth at the top of 2/3, salivate the palate. A thin liquid smoke. Finely ground black pepper. Soy sauce at the 3/3. Rest of profile remains unchanged. Scandent! Supernatant!(?)

Nice transitions, still. Moderately nuanced, lesser-so complex. Feels like running a marathon in a sprint. Some palate fatigue. Muted aroma. Draws quite nicely, smooth. Burns on an occasional self-correcting slight lag. Rolled firm firm firm. Seams & cap assemblage are built to take a Superman punch. Which reminds me: Roman Reigns sucks. (@WWE). If this stick is your sorta thing, it far from sucks. Dead ahead, at breakneck speed.

TASTE: B
DRAW: A-
BURN: B
BUILD: A-

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

Other O.M. reviews:
OM Essential Blend No. 1
OM Essential Blend No. 2

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Kaplowitz Media. Cigars of the Month (October 2020)

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

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


kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Kaplowitz Radio. EP199 "Fine Wit"

lo-fi & lovely



We start out w/ a quite cerebral visit from Phil Kurut, wherein we talk shop in regards to cigar reviewing. Then Lee Marsh of Stolen Throne Cigars stops by for a palate-cleansing bit of silly billiness. Finally, Mike comes in to talk about the past, present, and future of Kaplowitz Radio. ... Will EP200 be its last??? Before all that I read some Shakespeare. Closing out all that? Kaplowitz Reads Kaplowitz. Really big shoe. Important af.

Find out more about Kaplowitz Radio. HERE.

Kaplowitz Radio. is a podcasting network consisting of this titular Kaplowitz Radio. podcast. It is brought to you by Kaplowitz Media. Here are some keywords for search engines to ignore: cigar cigars wine wines vineyard tasting room coffee review reviews rating ratings thx

::: very :::

Friday, October 23, 2020

A Kaplowitz Media. Cigars Listicle | Yet Another Handful of Cigar Reviews You Should Re-/Read

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Listed in no particular order.

Left Hand Cigar Co. Left-Hander
Pepper-spice | Leather | Chocolate
Read my full review HERE.

Chaffiot Collection Cigars Original Connecticut
Clotted cream | White peppercorn | Vanilla bean
Read my full review HERE.

Pura Soul Cigars Kings Treasure
Cream | Cedar | Butterscotch
Read my full review HERE.

Espinosa Cigars 601 La Bomba Warhead VI
Dark chocolate | Spanish cedar | Cuban coffee
Read my full review HERE.

All Saints Cigars Solamente
Woods | Spice | Leather
Read my full review HERE.

::: very :::

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Tabanero Cigars Maceda Torpedo Sobrinos in Quick Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Tabanero Cigars 
Maceda Torpedo Sobrinos

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

FORMAT: Torpedo (5.5x54) box-press torpedo
ORIGIN: Ybor City, USA
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: tabanerocigars.com

TASTE: B-
DRAW: B
BURN: B
BUILD: B+

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

Other Tabanero reviews:
Tabanero Maceda Torpedo

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Kaplowitz Radio. ETC. for EP198

 lo-fi & lovely




A rare ETC. show interview w/ Steven Hall of Tinker Coffee Co. 

READING LIST: 
Tinker Coffee Co. Keramo Ethiopia in Review "Coffee-Colored, Calmly"

The best tasting media is Kaplowitz Media. Its podcast portfolio, Kaplowitz Radio. is available on:
& everywhere else.

::: very :::

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Illusione Cigars ECCJ Churchill in Review "Tantalizing in its Juxtaposition"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Illusione Cigars 
ECCJ 20th Churchill

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Corojo 99
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan Criollo 98 & Corojo 99

FORMAT: Churchill (6.5 x 48)
ORIGIN: TABSA, Nicaragua
STRENGTH: Medium

WEBSITE: www.illusionecigars.com

NOTES:
White ginger | White pepper | Cream

Cream by the dollops. Luxuriant & sultry in a blonde manner. Marilyn Monroe singing to JFK. Light acting darkly. Innocence acting seductively. Tantalizing in its juxtaposition. It's all that fluffy creaminess enhanced and curbed by a brushed suede. Ginger is mid-palate and has its own bulging nethers of golden hay & sweet spices. Cassia buds, cardamom. Understatedly complex but very much so.

Undertones of sweet-lilted bright but calm sunlit earth. Loose, not tamped. Cocoa butter, softwoods... a pine, a buttery cedar. Dandelion tea. Sunbutter. A baked poultry savoriness drips its juices into a Spring barnyard after a slight sunshower. Retrohaling (mandated here) drives up the white pepper flake to a haughty-height'd but controlled peppercorn of the same complexion. Drops milk chocolate to the palate. Deep well-lit nuances. An interesting cafe. Caramel latte.

Big smoke out-put, creamy as the mouthfeel, w/ less zing. Sweetness with a slight olfactory orange blossom honey addition. Some clean malt. Wildflowers in a sweetgrass meadow just on the other side of the barnyard fencing. Draw is silky-smooth. Ash builds in a long tight stack of dimes. Barrel is a bit lumpy, a tick here/there. No hard/soft spots. Firm-ish roll holds gate-to-wire. Cap caps thru-out. A luscious easy smoke which goes as deep as you want to take it.

TASTE: A
DRAW: A-
BURN: A-
BUILD: A

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

Other Illusione reviews:

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Kaplowitz Radio. EP198 "For All That Beauty"

 lo-fi & lovely




On this week’s show, I’ll be re-airing Kaplowitz Reads Kaplowitz segments from episodes 188 thru 197. Prior to that, I’ll be premiering this episode’s NEW Kaplowitz Reads Kaplowitz Segment. Wall to wall me. yw. Cigars | Coffee | Wine Kaplowitz Media. the best tasting media.

READING LIST

HVC Cigars Cerro Sabrositos in Review "B I G on Character Alongside Complexity" https://kaplowitz.blogspot.com/2020/10/hvc-cigars-cerro-sabrositos-in-review-b.html

Illusione Cigars Singulare 2015 Miserere in Review "Like Sweat Dripping Down Our Dirty Laundry?"
https://kaplowitz.blogspot.com/2020/10/illusione-cigars-singulare-2015.html

Rock-A-Feller Dominican Blue Churchill in Review "(That Sounded More Dirty Than Intended)"
https://kaplowitz.blogspot.com/2020/10/rock-feller-dominican-blue-churchill-in.html

Eberle Winery 2018 Paso Robles Syrah Steinbeck Vineyard "Bruises & Blooms"
https://kmwine.blogspot.com/2020/10/eberle-winery-2018-paso-robles-syrah.html

Knotty Vines Wine Chardonnay 2018 in Review "Breakfast in Bed at 2pm. Waffles."
https://kmwine.blogspot.com/2020/10/knotty-vines-wine-chardonnay-2018-in.html

Eberle Winery 2018 Cotes-Du-Robles in Review "I Somehow Feel Colorado"
https://kmwine.blogspot.com/2020/10/eberle-winery-2018-cotes-du-robles-in.html

NxtWave Coffee Special Edition* (Fall 2020) in Review "Frequenting Taco Trucks"
https://kmcoffee.blogspot.com/2020/10/nxtwave-coffee-special-edition-fall.html

Tinker Coffee Co. Keramo Ethiopia in Review "Coffee-Colored, Calmly"
https://kmcoffee.blogspot.com/2020/10/tinker-coffee-co-keramo-ethiopia-in.html

::: very :::

Friday, October 16, 2020

HVC Cigars Cerro Sabrositos in Review "B I G on Character Alongside Complexity"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

HVC Cigars 
Cerro Sabrositos

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Corojo 99
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Sabrositos (4 1/2 x 46)
ORIGIN: TABSA, Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.hvccigars.com

NOTES:
Honey malt | Cocoa butter | White pepper

I already want more of this little fella. Big smooth bright weighty notes. Clean delineations. Quite the classic profile with a twist (of lemon). Sweetness leads via honey malt which settles into a mead-like thing. Cocoa butter, smoothly richly. Rico Suave, mi amigo. White pepper brisks the butter cedar structure, lemon-y bits go thatta way.

Midsection holds the primaries up-high. Bulging creme brulee. Savory pale grains. Bright dense earth, sunlit layers. Aroma is sweet spice savoriness. Suede, cardamom, dandelion, a spoonful of sugar. All that nose finds the mouth; dances on the palate. Easy delivery, well-choreographed. B I G on character alongside complexity. Cool nuances, bro. Well-rounded. Superbly if not supremely balanced.

Built to perform sans complaint. Well, a bit of top-leaf lags then self-corrects, in the 1/3. Beautiful draw, effortless but not wide-open. Copious cumulus clouds, as tear-free as baby shampoo. Smooth as a baby's bottom. Oh, baby! Lush & plush nowhere near cloying. Luxuriant. The baby's asleep, c'mere, Momma. Fade to black, the curtain closes.

TASTE: A+
DRAW: A
BURN: A-
BUILD: A

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

Other HVC Reviews:

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Illusione Cigars Singulare 2015 Miserere in Review "Like Sweat Dripping Down Our Dirty Laundry?"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Illusione Cigars 
Singulare 2015 Miserere

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Corojo
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan Criollo 98 & Corojo 99

FORMAT: Churchill (6 3/4 x 48)
ORIGIN: Tabacos Valel de Jalapa S.A., Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: illusionecigars.com

NOTES:
Sweet spices | Suede | Cocoa butter

Rich in a mellow fashion, well-rounded to overly cushy. Firm-curved corners & backbone via white peppercorn kicker. Black pepper finely-ground attachment. Spices are sweet & calming. A white clove & ginger. Slight paprika on the back-end. Cocoa butter steered sweetness which evolves to hold distinct & independent milk chocolate. Savory via suede earthiness, sweetly. Malty & musky. 

Undertones feature a dried apricot & papaya. Bing cherry. Golden hay. An apple tree vision. Smooth w/ the perfect amount of kick to stave off daydreaming, doodling. Focus is enforced by a light hand, sleight even. A lover with slow hands. Like sweat dripping down our dirty laundry? What?! Superb balance. Well-trained complexities. Sneaky-deep depths. Himalayan salt, I swears it. 

Orange blossom honey at the 1/2. But this is supposed to be the performance paragraph. Burns on an even line at a slow & even pacing. Builds firm 'nuff stack of dime ash. There's a lump or two on the shaft but no hard/soft spots. Zero weakening of pack or loosening of seams. Cap does dampen but draw remains even-keeled. Excellent smoke out-put of softly bright sweet spices.

TASTE: A
DRAW: A-
BURN: A-
BUILD: A-

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

Other Illusione reviews:
Illusione ~2~ & Crowned Thorns
Illusione 888 Candela
Illusione 888 Maduro
Illusione Cigares Prive Corojo
Illusione Cigares Prive Prensado Suave
Illusione Cruzado
Illusione Cuchillos Cubanos
Illusione eccj 20th
Illusione Epernay 10th Anniversary
Illusione Epernay Serie 2009
Illusione f9 Finesse
Illusione Fume D'Amour
Illusione Garagiste
Illusione Gigante Connecticut
Illusione Haut 10
Illusione Mj12
Illusione Mj12 Maduro
Illusione ~ mk ~ teaching machine
Illusione OneOff Corona
Illusione OneOff +53 Super Robusto
Illusione Rothchildes
Illusione Singulare Phantoms
Illusione Singulare Seven Horns
Illusione Ultra

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Kaplowitz Radio. ETC. for EP197

lo-fi & lovely 



Topics: a missed rendezvous, fine-tuning the Kaplowitz Media. Newsletter, & the Illusion Cigars Kaplowitz Candela is here IS HERE OMfG. Then a classic disILLUSIONE dePROGRAM from the Kaplowitz Radio. archives is lazily plugged in.

Illusione Cigars Kaplowitz Candela info: 

The best tasting podcast on the www today is Kaplowitz Radio. available on:
& everywhere else

::: very :::

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Rock-A-Feller Dominican Blue Churchill in Review "(That Sounded More Dirty Than Intended)"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Viintage Rock-A-Feller 
Dominican Blue Churchill

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER: Sumatran
FILLER: Dominican, CT Broadleaf

FORMAT: (748) Churchill, box-pressed
ORIGIN: Tabacalera L&V S.R.L, Dominican Republic
INTENSITY: Medium/Medium-Full

WEBSITE: www.vrcgcigars.com

NOTES:
Earth | Chocolate | Wood

One of those profiles that envelopes itself. Here in a darkly earthen bittersweet manner. Licorice & almond extract meanderings there, but I get ahead of myself. Chocolate begins a bit waxily but evolves into a fairly scrumptious fudge. 'Fairly' writ large across profile -- in & of itself, surely-so. Wood begins in a buttery oak but picks up chicory & hickory additions, each via scorching delivery. Finishes in a lengthy extension of primary notes, cleanly enough.

The wood-mix unfortunately mutes a nicely developing leather in the upper-midsection. Then interferes w/ chocolate. A good-bit harshly-so. Under this is a black peppercorn, anise, cumin spiciness. Then a plum note. Finally that earthiness already mentioned -- pulling with it two ticks of scorching. Drying up-front, there is some savory salivating on the back-end (that sounded more dirty than intended). Aroma is quite nice, the leather holds there meatily and is poshly sweet-spiced.

Burn woes begin out of the gate, a constant wobbly puckering jaggedness. Ash splits, aerates, fails. Combustion ceases entirely at the mid-point. Touch-ups are needed prior & post that, Draw is hesitant, erring toward hollow. Box-press & rest of build hold admirably, however. Really does taste nice, if viewed separately from the scorched bits, w/ eyes on warm-sweet tidings. Ultimately imbalanced & inelegant. Not complex but deeply nuanced. A near miss, sadly, but not sans merit here & there.

TASTE: B
DRAW: B
BURN: B-
BUILD: B

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

Other Rock-a-Feller reviews:

email: kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Monday, October 12, 2020

Illusione Kaplowitz Media. Candela

 "Have you Candela'd to-day?"


AVAILABLE NOW

"The Illusione ~cg:4~ Candela—formally called the Illusione Kaplowitz Media Candela—a 5 5/8 x 46 corona gorda is now for sale at The Vault in Meridian, Idaho. It uses a Nicaraguan candela wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers." Read more from Halfwheel: https://halfwheel.com/illusione-cg4-candela-arrives-at-the-vault/382514/ 

LISTEN 

to Dion & I talk about the blend on an episode of our disILLUSIONE

GET IT

Click HERE.

$99 per bundle of 10.

THX

yw

:: very :::

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Kaplowitz Radio. EP197 "Not So Bright"

lo-fi & lovely



It’s another really big shoe and not to brag but it is FULL of technical difficulties & third/fourth takes. But it’s grand! I talk w/ Reinier Lorenzo of HVC Cigars & Micky Pegg of All Saints Cigars. Also, Mike swings thru to chat Port wine & cigar pairing & somewhere amid all that I do a little Kaplowitz Reads Kaplowitz. [not in that order] I bet all the new homeschoolers in the area are eating up bandwidth.

CIGARS | WINE | COFFEE
reviews/views/interviews available on:
& everywhere else brilliance is ignored.

::: very :::

Friday, October 9, 2020

Kaplowitz Media. Cigars SPECIAL REPORT: A Handful of Recent Reviews you Should Not Miss (Or Should Catch Again)

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Kaplowitz Media. Cigars SPECIAL REPORT: A Handful of Recent Reviews you Should Not Miss (Or Should Catch Again)

[in no particular order]
[titles are links to full reviews]

Illusione Cigars Mj12 in Review "Six Out of Seven Heavens" Mocha | Leather | Spice I'm no Kabbalist but picture the Tree of Life. Now picture it as a flavorscape. Now lettuce address this cigar. B I G stuff in the Keter.

Espinosa Cigars 601 La Bomba Warhead VI in Review "Calm Thoughtful Aftermath" Dark chocolate | Spanish cedar | Cuban coffee If at all possible, have yours lit by a pin-up model. Then have her grill you a nice steak. Then tell me how you managed all that.

Stolen Throne Cigars Call to Arms in Review "Legs to Cover Belmont" Honey | Spices | Cream Undertones reach up to influence the up-top with notes of fungal bits. (Your aunt sure is a fun-gal.)

Oliva Cigars Serie V Belicoso in Review "Rather Classical" Spices | Leather | Earth Here's a complaint of sorts: a lack of character brought on by rigid adherence to perfecting standards. A certain je ne sais quoi ain't there.

Principle Cigars Aviator Series Vainqueur in Review "Cool Hand Luke's Lucille" Granny Smith apple | Pinewood | Cashew butter Look at it there, in its floral-patterned sundress. Getting up from the hammock here & there to drive the boys crazy as they toil away in the sun. [Cool Hand Luke's Lucille.]

email: kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Subscribe to Kaplowitz Media.

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Let's unpack this...

I (Kap) & Kaplowitz Media. are done w/ social media. Both of us. Why? Because. Until when? Let's say at the least, & if ever, March 2021. After my yearly second-half of Feb. hiatus.

SUBSCRIBE. 
This becomes of the utmost importance if you do not want to miss a Kaplowitz Media. post. You may subscribe at the top right of the page by entering your email addy under "subscribe." This is necessary to do for each of the Kaplowitz Media. blogs: Cigars, Coffee, & Wine. You do not have to sub to all, just the ones you wish to be updated on. A daily email will be sent your way w/ links to that day's posts. No post, no email. One email a day, even if there is more than one post published.

You may send an email my way at any time if you wish to stay in touch beyond reading/listening to what I write/say. That address is kaplowitzmedia@mail.com. Please allow me ample time to not reply prior to not sending me a follow-up email. 

Now to answer some questions I've already been asked in re all this *FAQ* some overlapping may occur in the interest of clarity.
  • Will you still be blogging & podcasting*? Yes (w/out change).
  • Will you post links to your new blog posts anywhere? NO (subscribe).
  • Will you post photos to your blog instead of Instagram? Maybe (maybe).
  • Will you be opening your blog to comments? No (never). 
  • Can I share links to your posts on my own social media profiles? Yes (please do).
  • Are you going to do videos now? No (tf?)
*If you haven't yet, you may subscribe to the Kaplowitz Radio. portfolio of podcasts by visiting: https://anchor.fm/kaplowitz There, you can find KR. on your preferred podcast player or listen immediately. Please rate & review if both applicable & favorable. 

thx

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

HVC Cigars Serie A Perlas in Review "An Urbane Take on Rustic"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

HVC Cigars Serie A Perlas

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Corojo 99
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: 5 5/8 x 46 Perlas
ORIGIN: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A., Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: hvccigars.com

NOTES:
Spices | Mesquite | Dates

A spice-fest, gate to wire. A bit dryly-so. Intense, narrowly & upfront of each pull. Then dissipates quickly to a moderate fullness & weight. Cinnamon, nutmeg. Cayenne. Mesquite comes in mid-way & steers. Sweetness comes predominantly from dates, lesser from figs, & on the back of a leathery earthiness. A black cherry whispers in the background. Toasted profile. A tick of cola.

That earth gambit leads the undertones, riding on lesser bits of chicory, coffee bean, and in/out cocoa. Thin but delineated hyper-focus. Not great nuance but nice complexity & quite the transition. While notes are dry, their effect is salivating. Excellent umami... barnyard adds to leather. Precise, strict, but not edgy, per se. Smooth but not soft. An urbane take on rustic. 

Finishes slim & quick. Burns dead-even. Draws Jim-dandy. Smoke out-put is big actively, rather muted passively. Savory sweet dark aroma. Spice kicker. Rolled firmly w/ a slight even softening via progression. A slight crack forms in the 3/3 during the 2/3. Burns coolly peters a bit. Slow pacing. Mechanically sound 'nuff, perhaps lacking in intangibles, character say. Left me just the slightest wanting. Enjoyable but less than sating.

TASTE: B+
DRAW: A-
BURN: B+
BUILD: B

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

More HVC reviews:

Social media: @kaplowitzmedia
email: KaplowitzMedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Kaplowitz Radio. ETC. for EP196

lo-fi & lovely



Courtesy of Illusione Cigars, this week's ETC features a first & rare guest... Phil Zanghi of Debonaire Cigars. We chat about the book we're working on & he tells a rasslin' tale about Arn Anderson. before that, I recap September's Kaplowitz Media. cigars & wines of the month. Then comes a classic disILLUSIONE dePROGRAM podcast. Please to enjoy, yes?

The best tasting podcast on the www today is Kaplowitz Radio. available on:
& everywhere else

::: very :::

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

ADVentura Cigars The Royal Return Queen's Pearls in Review "To Paraphrase the Familiar"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

ADVentura Cigars 
The Royal Return 
Queen's Pearls

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian CT Shade
BINDER: Ecuadorian
FILLER: Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua

FORMAT: Corona (644)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera William Ventura, DR
INTENSITY: Mild-Medium

WEBSITE: www.adventuracigars.com

NOTES:
Light spices | Floral | Cream

Pleasantly sweet. Mature. An alumn of a prestigious finishing school. This cigar knows etiquette. & apparently, makes me think of Barbara Bush? "I want to still be able to garden while I can bend over." She said that. This cigar says that; has floral bits, dandelions, roots & all. Chamomile. Sweet vegetal tidings. Earthiness, creamy & sunny-bright sans glare. Citrus, lemonade. Big cream. Some suede. 

White pepper, kindly & cardamom. Undertones of flaky pie crust, builder's tea, oats. White chocolate as a mid-point transition/entry. Underbelly is a golden haystack, no needle & more earth. Slight chicken coop. Excellent gently nuanced depths, sneaky complexities. Lovely balance & wonderful posture (structure). Balsawood. It is quite the Queen, really. It titters tenderly & waves warmly. Grounding.

Built ::: very ::: well, a bit delicately at the cap. Draws silky-smooth. Builds fantastic silvery sheathed ash. Paces itself almost sublimely-so & on a dead-even line. A smoke which soothes via even-keeled performance & personable feel w/ sweet clean finish. Not a smoke which necessarily wows w/ flavor instead sets an appealing mood. Behind every King's Gold is a stick just like this, to paraphrase the familiar.

TASTE: B+
DRAW: A
BURN: A
BUILD: B+

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

Social media: @kaplowitzmedia
email: KaplowitzMedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Kaplowitz Radio. EP196 "Shifting Change"

 "lo-fi & lovely"



A complete walk-thru review of the Kaplowitz Media. Cigar of the year process & results. Tom Meadowcroft from Meadowcroft wine drops by as does Trini Amador of Gracianna Wine. Also, a Kaplowitz Reads Kaplowitz segment & a quick review of an HVC Serie A Perlas. 

The best tasting podcast on the www today is Kaplowitz Radio. 
CIGARS | WINE | COFFEE 
reviews/views & is available on:
& everywhere else brilliance is ignored.

Now here are some words I hope will trigger some search engines. You can stop reading now. thx Gratitude, creativity, best of list, cigars, wines, dramatic reading, review, reviews, Shakespeare, sonnets. sonnet, poetry, happiness index, day drinking, podcast, podcasts, divorce. 

::: very :::

Friday, October 2, 2020

Illusione Cigars Cigares Prive Corojo Robusto in Review ""Autumnal" is the Thinking Man's Pumpkin Spice"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Illusione Cigares Prive 
Corojo Robusto

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Rosado Corojo
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaragan

FORMAT: Robusto (552)
ORIGIN: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.illusionecigars.com

NOTES:
Spiced cream | Pine nuts | Sweet cedar 

A middleweight, rehydrated & bulked up to cruiserweight come fight-night. Well-rounded & smoothly delivered. Sweet cream body & flavors. Delineating cedar is sweet, thin but stoic. A butterscotch note trails there. Pine nuts help enforce border & also lend a softened pignoli cookie. Spices are quite autumnal. "Autumnal" is the thinking man's pumpkin spice.

Undertones are plush-heavy & pale-ish leather... a workboot suede, say. Sweet hay underfoot. White pepper ground finely finds Fall. A poultry & fungal savoriness is just over-top golden earth underbelly. White raisins are in & out on the palate; always there on the olfactory. At the 1/2, a malted milkshake boards. That's when cedar flexes, holds the pose. Complex, nuanced. Check, check. Nifty transition. Superb balance.

Burns on a stubborn curve. Draws tentatively in the first act, then smooths-out. Rolled like a brick shithouse is built. Dense ash is stacked, not sheathed, oiler on its innards than outtards. Strength never rocks the boat but does come on sneaky-strong toward 3/3. Pacing is excellent. Aroma is sweet-spice savory, as is the long-legged finish. Legs... excellent footwork. Shame that the Cruiserweight division never catches on in the US.

TASTE: A-
DRAW: B+
BURN: B
BUILD: A-

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

Social media: @kaplowitzmedia
email: KaplowitzMedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Thursday, October 1, 2020

GTO Cigars La Cura Robusto in Review "Flicks a Deft Jab on Occasion"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

GTO Cigars La Cura 

WRAPPER: Dominican Broadleaf
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: Robusto (552) pig-tail cap, covered foot
ORIGIN: Dominican
INTENSITY: Medium/Med. Full

WEBSITE: www.gtodominicancigars.com

NOTES:
Chicory | Cayenne pepper | Coffee bean

Big up-front & tapers into subtleties on the back-end. Soft edges, mainly. Some a bit gruffly-so. Cushioned sander? Nice heft of toasted cream, earthiness. Also in the primaries are a structuring chickory backed by scorched oak. Full city roasted beans. Decent delineation, big notes. Simple delivery. Gettable, gotcha. Not complex. Not easy either. Lets ya in, tho.

Undertones are led by a cayenne that occasionally excelsior!s upwards. Seems to steer the profile from wherever it sits. Earthen nods are savory things, meatily. Cumin & smoked paprika, too. Dash of cinnamon further down. Then a roasted orange in more toasted cream. Leather thickly-stiffly lays out under it all. A bit of molasses. Warmly balanced. Deeply nuanced.

Smokes well, nicely paced. Burns on a goodly line but builds some fugly ash. Cap & seams are stoic, static. Till the 3/3 when they (seams) loosen a tick. Excellent smooth draw. Sating+. Moderate smoke out-put yields a juicy meaty aroma w/ nice spice attachment. Black walnut addition to finish of long legs and primary notes. Sort of a bruiser, but flicks a deft jab on occasion. 

TASTE: B
DRAW: A-
BURN: B+
BUILD: B+

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

Social media: @kaplowitzmedia
email: KaplowitzMedia@mail.com

::: very :::
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