Fratello Cigars - Review

Prologue:

6:40PM

You say “Nicaraguan small batch boutique cigar.”
I say “How high?”
You say “About seven bucks.”

Unless you have a pal like I do over at Cigar Reserve, who has taken to spoiling me. Many thanks again, and please Dear Reader, to peruse their fine selection.

I smoke tonight’s offering in a solitary reminiscing of friends from years ago. The nicest friends are the ones who disappear from view for years -- but ne’er from your heart. Always, it’s a treat upon their return and too, it saves a load on most year’s Christmas shopping.

I smoke tonight’s offering as autumn hints at my porch. I smoke tonight’s offering in thermal undies. One of the treats of the Pacific Northwest is that for 11 months of the year, thermals are a definite possibility.

Let’s get us some warmth...

The Cigar:
Fratello Cigars
Nicaraguan Habano wrapper
Ecuadoran Sumatra binder
Nicaragua & Peruvian fillers
5 ½ x 52 Robusto sized

Pre-light:
Nutty nose with a good note of cinnamon upon a leathery back. Pack is soft end of medium and not entirely even. This offering has a rather rustic appearance, but well maintained. A garden of assorted ornamental grasses left on casual display -- not me “forgetting” to mow my yard for a few weeks.

Appearance-wise, it’s most striking and memorable feature is the near newly-minted iconic design of its band. It brings to mind the art deco slumming of diners and bowling alleys of that era. I’m totally alright with that conjuring.

[I would place an image HERE of the band, would Blogger fix their technical issues.]

A cold pull puts on display a lively and warm cinnamon, with a deep coffee brew, frothed milk atop.

Light:
The light itself performed with ease, because as I like to say, cigars are flammable.

Toasting the foot let loose a bouquet of hardwoods and leathers. A first warmed pull indicates spices both sweet and peppery and a second pull adds to that the inherent sweet headiness of Nicaragua.

The head of the cigar turns an apt reddish hue when wettened by my smoke-hole. The draw nice and smooth, as too is the burn. The ash has already now shown itself quite dense and I believe it is safe to say we are in the

1/3:
Chocolate comes in as we kick off and since the coffee and cream stay, I am tempted to say mocha, but it is a more layered affair than that, with the balances of peppery bite adding to the overall maturity. There is a complex blend at play here which makes hard to delineate. It settles on the palate to an almost umami sensation of layered savoriness that leaves me wanting to pair this stick with a chunk of barely cooked cow.

This leads me to believe that it is a smoke that while medium-bodied undoubtedly, would work well with a Merlot. Although I’d recommend jumping up to a nice Tawny Port (as I oft do but in this case I would say break out the Cockburn). I’d also deem it well deserved of a Vintage Port.

At the end of the first third, a deep sweetness, a thin yet bold molasses sets in. It is thinned not by lack of quality, but additions of cinnamon and milder leather notes. The tobacco stays clearly recognizable as dark yet with enough light to let through these nuances. A very, very nice blending, here.

2/3:
I believe one could smoke this sucker down to a nub and keep intact every bit of ash. Alas, that is not my kink. I flick a couple of puffs into the second third. I am not the showy sort, as excuse me, I must theatrically dab my forehead with my big and bold white handkerchief.

The molasses intensifies here, as does its counter-balance and we are on the threshold of full-bodied and hold all my calls.

I have discussed prior the difference between solitary and collective smokes -- hide away alone with this treat, good gentlepersons.

The smoke output is moderate and peppery, but warm and not aggressively so. Mahogany paneling and a leather chair -- notes which appear within -- would work wonderfully as ambiance. As would a solemn quiet, with smatterings of self-told fart jokes on the back of devilish sweet spiced cinnamon notes.

Does anyone know a good Limerick?

Some Dark Cabaret is in order and works so very well in the background.

Halfway through the stick, a herbal note comes in the shadow of a headier earthiness.

(Crap, the wife is on the porch. She brought out the five year old. I love them dearly, but they pair here as well as -- well -- I cannot think of a pairing on par with this terribleness.

“Bedtime!” Junior yells.
“Bedtime!” I back him up like a Pip to his Glady Knight.)

Whew.

3/3:
This stick is consistent and all notes there since its dawn, too appear come dusk. There is simply a warm night of deeper notes looming here at the first sign of a setting sun. Too, the sun is setting through the trees beyond my porch and Giraffe Cat, named so by my son, sidles up to my leg and sighs.

The stray that stayed. I find a bond there between the fluffy tailed tabby and myself. I almost pet him. I just might, but it’s nicer this way.

[imagine an image -- a fleuron]

Notes:
This stogie has made me a failure as a critic. I have nothing bad to share with you as per its performance and/or manufacture. Keep this cigar in mind come my birthday, and my birthday occurs often -- just ask a bunch of Dennys waitresses, they’ll tell ya. Or don’t. I’d hate to risk my free Grand Slam(s).

I’ll squeeze in here that a lovely chew is also involved in this cigar.

Pairings: 

A cup of Mysore nugget coffee = friggin’ divine. The aforementioned Ports. A cow. Solitude.

Final Grade: A+

Epilogue:
Lost track:of timePM
Leave me alone already. 

Although that sentiment should maybe be saved for my eventual epitaph; many a smoke and many a rekindled friendship from now.

Jose Blanco Senorial Cigar Review

Prologue:
8:ish-pm

Each cigar requires a celebration or a trial, however mundane whichever may be. I look over at the Dollar Store shopping bag next to me on my porch. Wayfarer shades (get yerself a pair of cheap sunglasses), a clear glass coffee mug, and sherry glass. Three bucks. Nice haul. It makes up for a lousy Thrift Shop haul yesterday. I will not pay twenty bucks for a pair of jeans someone else farted in -- I don’t care what the label says.

That’s really all I got for this slot, fellas. Hope it was enough for you. Ya picky bastards. Tell ya what, before I let you piss me off even further, let’s jump into

The Cigar:
Las Cumbres Tabaco
(Jose Blanco)
Señorial Cigars
Habano Ecuador wrapper
Nicaragua, Esteli binder
Dominican Piloto Cubano Dominican Corojo filler
Toro Bravo 6 x 54

[fleuron, would Blogger fix my account]

Pre-light:
Very heavy nose of deep molasses and dark chocolate notes. A Case could be made for leather, red clay, and wood secondary notes to be a strong as the primary notes of many a cigar. This sucker’s got a nose like Jimmy Durante.

The packing is even and moderate. The wrapper feels exquisite -- not oily, but well-oiled. Smooth as a baby’s bottom and has a certain elegance I’m certain I failed at translating via the baby bottom comparison. There are veins but delicately so and seams are not a thought. I find myself fondling the thing as I sit on my porch and type. The cigar, I mean.

Let’s not forget the band. A lovely and traditional thing. After a few views at newer school offerings, this is like coming home again -- to my grandfather’s house. This I say with joy.

[picture of band, would Blogger fix my account]

A cold pull highlights first the wonderful texture of the stick. Simply, it feels nice in my smoke-hole. It then fills my palate with a surprising lively vanilla cream note that is among the stronger cold notes I’ve lately experienced. Held up in the sinuses, there is a hint at cedar, and once dropping to the palate, it lingers in sweet vanilla cream in a very long fashion. At the end of the finish molasses, dark chocolate, and red clay return. Un-mottled and, again surprisingly, much delineated.

Quite the impressive cold draw. Since I got ‘em, I might as well smoke ‘em.

Let us --

Light:
Molasses and nuttiness are immediate upon the easy light. Toasting the footer was not a stubborn nor aggressive affair. The flavors straight through to finish is a warm version of the cold draw. I could use some more spices to carry off the cream, and I type that, a white pepper appears upon the horizon.

The pepper is quite visible on a retro-hale and it moderates the sweet finish very well. The wood is rearing up in cozy fashion as we are now, fair to say, into the

1/3:
As it heats, a hearty white bread toast is becoming a factor. This is much more of a subdued, a restrained, affair than I’d predicted.

The draw is on the tight side, which may lend a hand to this restraint -- but it does not seem stifled, instead, it seems well-heeled.

The output of smoke is the heavy side of medium and perhaps a bit beyond, but very kind and woodsy with a nice dollop of cream. It brings a ski lodge to mind and I wonder how this would pair with a cup of hot cocoa. With scotch in it. Pardon. Scotch with hot cocoa in it.

The ash is piling on thick and the burn, even. Very nice, but I am hoping the draw loosens. I feel a bit like I’m driving a Porsche, unable to leave second gear.

A walnut note comes to play now, with an oily finish that allows it a nice role in the finish. It’s a long and full finish that lasts until the next pull. It is a variation on the theme of inherent natural sweetnesses -- as am I.

The main taste is of wood and molasses carried on bread. A sandwich fit for any king other than Elvis. A mild black pepper is in the sinuses only and drops to the palate as a dark yet un-challenging and cozy tobacco.

The burn is very slow and I, sirs and madams, am quite alright with that. As all flavors listed herein come to play at their seemingly appointed times. I feel as though I am watching a well-trained ensemble cast giving a tour de force performance.

An inch of ash clumps off suddenly and my thrift shop new to me black dress shirt now is full of character. Although it was the very moment I put it on, I must admit.

2/3:
The draw has not tightened, but too has not loosened and I employ a toothpick to poke into the head. It frees it up substantially and now we shall see what this baby got. I search for music and although not my first choice today, I feel that this offering begs some big band.

Yes, Tommy Dorsey, I get sentimental over you, as well. The notes remain consistent and I already long for another. A terrific smoke. I’ll allow you to imagine “Moonlight Serenade” playing us into the

3/3:
A bulge then crack appears midway down the remainder of the stick, but does not interfere with the smoke. I am surprised as Donald Trump in a windstorm, however.

Molasses takes center stage now and it is a white pepper, albeit bold, which backs it. Earthiness and walnuts remain as a supporting cast and leather appears here and there.

A lovely smoke, but like all mainly sweet offerings, a bit laborious at its end and the stiff pull adds to that. I could have used a bit more crispness, but as I stated: lovely. Some aid in avoiding the sweet muck.

Toward the finale, there are sweet spices of warmed cinnamon and nutmeg to cap yer night.

[a second fleuron, would Blogger fix my account]

Notes:
It is quite ashy. That simply gives the wifey something to tend to. I kid, I kid because my wife would kill me if I did not.

A Corojo offering as restrained as you might see in some time. This restraint allows the positive: a well displayed set of nuances. Too, negative: sweetness was allowed to roam unbridled a bit more than I’d preferred.

There are solitary smokes and there is this smoke. This smoke begs a poker game among pals. This would move the final third from the brink of tedious to a lovely extension of the evening with good conversation and, hopefully, hot hands.

I wonder if the brilliance of this blend is a burden too heavy to bear throughout. A weight akin to talking theoretical physics with Leonard Susskind. The cushioning of genius via the common man might speak to why this offering would like a poker night gathering. Foie Gras in a metal lunch pail might prove a rose by any other name --

Pairings:

Oxymoron aside, a full-bodied Ethiopian (coffee) would play well. Cognac. Cognac would play better. A sherry would, as well -- try an oloroso -- employ a drier one toward the final third. The nuttiness is there for depth.

Final Grade: B
(A very high grade for a bulge and tear affair replete with tight draw. Construction was an issue, surprisingly.)

Epilogue:
10:12pm
I’m tired and have just enough time for a snoot full of Sherry before the Golden Girls come on television. Ta, yo.
_____________

Special thanks and gratitude in abundance to Cigar Reserve. Please to go peruse their fine selection of premium cigars and cedar spills.

Caldwell Cigar Co. Blind Man's Bluff - (P)review

Prologue:
9:somethingPM
As usual, we shall along the way here, meander through the topic of pairings. I’m as of yet unsure if we will do that in a heavy-handed titled segment, or simply in passing. I don’t try to squeeze these write-ups into neat and pre-planned boxes. Nevertheless, when next we discuss pairings, it will be limited, for the most part, to beverages.

Now, I will begin by discussing atmosphere, or the pairing of a cigar with a proper physical setting. Ambiance. This offering was paired in its final third by a very old friend whom I hadn’t spoke to in many a moon. It is no accident that she shares the surname of this cigar.

The final third, the long and short of it, was the stogie’s finest -- and said stogie had nada to do with it.

“What are you in for?” One inmate asks another.
The second inmate pulls the harmonica from his mouth and replies, “Atmosphere.”

My advice to you, gentlepersons, is to pay as much attention to your environment as to your cigar, as to your beverage. Thus placing yourself all the closer to Nirvana in the meditation that is a good smoke. What is the importance of a good smoke? I will reiterate meditation and add ritual. What is the importance of meditation and of ritual? To flex the muscles of our imagined free will.

At long last, and to begin: speaking of good smokes, a big thank you to Cigar Reserve for

The Cigar:
Caldwell Cigar Co.
Blind Man’s Bluff
Ecuadorian Habano wrapper
Honduran Criollo binder
San Vincente Viso & Honduran Criollo Ligero filler
Robusto 5x50 sized

Pre-light:
A chocolate mint nose. Mint? Come again? [That’s what she said.] This surprises me, as I was expecting heavy and given (de)light. A cold pull indicates some further mint and a heavier walnut taste. When pulled up into my sinuses, there is cedar.

The pack is quite firm and completely uniform. The wrapper is toothy and rugged to the feel yet there are minimal veins and nary a seam to be spotted. Rough, but not rough-hewn.

The band is a magical thing which evokes in one’s mind Tom Waits and his career long loving tribute to Vaudevillian times and energies.

Light:
The stick could easily be lit on toasting the foot. Very combustible, this. Some red pepper on first pull, nothing intimidating -- simply eye-opening in a “good morning,” not “gotcha!” sense. Cocoa, very dark, on the second and third pull. There is none left on the palate, however, since it is quickly whisked away by hot pepper spices and a cedar remains only the briefest of brieflies. Clean. Almost to the extent of the waiter who takes your plate before you finish the meal.

The burn is uneven to the point that I shall fight my Jewish (s)mothering instincts and see if it first wants to right itself. Nothing egregious, simply a tad beyond meddling and as mentioned, quite combustible.

1/3:
The smoke output is heavy and dark with no shortage of bite. Smoke this puppy, and no one will allow it to go unnoticed. Nor will your throat. The mouth has a rigid physical feel, yet the draw is easy. The burn shows a desire to learn, so I employ a light with which to tutor it. It now is quite even.

The ash piles up and it stacks well enough but shows a hint of ashiness.

The mint is hiding now in all but the slightest of hushes. I taste mainly the Criollo binder with its very nice homage to Cuba and some of the cigar world’s oldest roots via notes of baking chocolate, cedar, and roasted nuts -- but sadly not the warm and gentle bread or usual inherent sweetness. I won’t yet say that this offering is somewhat one dimensional. I will say that thus far, I find it flat.

2/3:
The ash clumps off only a tad powdery but heavy nonetheless. I even out the burn and the combustion of the cigar is again noted.

A retro-hale comes with a certain toasted bread but the balance seems off, as it fails to fully engage or to linger and warm the palate. The finish is red and black pepper that ends in cedar and is of a shorter length than the body of the smoke would indicate.

That said, it continues to warm and to flex and I have greater hopes for the

3/3:
Not a lot to touch base on here, sadly. Some mottling of remaining flavors of cedar, walnuts, hint of baking chocolate. A nice enough smoke. An occasional and somewhat out of context mintiness on the tail end of cocoa -- falling and failing to achieve a rich enough chocolate. A simplistic finish that does not develop beyond its primary notes.

Perhaps I expected too much.

Notes:
If you liked this, you’ll love a Camacho. If you’re looking to save a few shekels, I would recommend a Room 101(L)

Pairings: 
A Tawny Port is an easy bet, as it always is. Perhaps a sweet digestif (dessert) Madeira. Maybe a cup of Brazilian bean coffee with its dry and spicy notes and renowned lingering palate.

Final Grade: C+ a serviceable stick I simply hoped more of.

I wasn’t gonna, but alas: It put the “Boo” in “Boutique.” You can trust me when I say this, because I put the “Yay” in “Sommelier.”


Epilogue:
10:somethingPM
Nothing to do with the stogie -- nothing that’s make sense to any reader other than one -- “Same with me.”

I shall firstly digress.

A good enough stick made better by a lovely night.

Then I shall take my leave.


[Apologies yet again for formatting ills and typographical errors. It has become exceedingly difficult to use this account and Blogger shows no interest in addressing these concerns.]

Room 101 HN #615 - Cigar Review

Prologue:
3:36pm

This Fairbanks Sherry. This penicillin. They are conspiring in me to make my stomach gurgle loudly. I figure it’s time for porch and stogie. I wouldn’t know, if pressed, why I figure that, but heck …

… been a heckuva week. I won’t even delve, I will however, puff.

The Cigar:
Room 101
HN #615
Criollo 98 natural wrapper
Brazil Mata Fina binder
Dominican/ Honduras filler
7 x 48 sized

Well, if it’s good enough for Guy Fieri and Busta Rhymes, it’s certainly good enough for… I seem to have lost my train of thought. Let’s start this one mo’ gin’ -- ready, set, go! --

Like any offering wholly representative of Camacho, Room 101 are purportedly bold and spicy and also when you visit their website -- apparently a manufacturer of some sort of Kustom Kulture bling something. Chazerai. Chazerai as far as the eye can see.

I don’t like the Low Brow art influenced cigar wrapper which is designed, obviously, to look better on merchandise, than on a cigar band. I don’t like any departure from tradition. I am a fuddy-duddy, you see. Will this stogie breathe new life into my depression-era, vaudevillian personae? If I damn well let it, I suppose.

Note: there is a tab on the company site that is labeled “Cigars.” It seems broken. I feces ya not, gentlepersons.

Let us just see shall we?

Prelight:
Sweet spices behind vanilla cream notes. On the cold pull there is some pepper mixes of white, some black and some little red. Perhaps a cinnamon hint -- candied, like a Red Hot from my misspent Brooklyn youth. I cuffed them by the box from a bodega ran by a midget -- but this is about the cigar and not about me.

Construction is somewhat soft but even. The cosmetics seem a tad on the rough-hewn side, but too seem done purposefully so. This only serves, though, to clash with the image of the stogie as new old school whateverness. Or perhaps it is the purposeful left rust of a rat rod.

Light:
Simple 'nuff combustion that yields immediately, quite the bite. There is a certain little sweetness, too, seeming to me like the frothed milk of an espresso drink. There are rich coffee notes here, as well -- so we’ll go with that for now. On the third puff, a cedar pokes through the bite. It is not an unpleasant bite -- but it is most definitely there.

1/3:
Let’s start the first third on a retro-hale: spicy but quite nice. There is enough of a balance and I feel I am at a cabin in the woods, burning cedar in the den and why am I sitting so close to the fireplace? Meh, too comfy to move and the air is sweet. The black pepper approaches undeniable prominence, but it is well done and while not of my typical fare -- thus far it is enjoyable.

A stogie which will keep you on yer toes, and knock you simultaneously on yer derriere. A job for Doc Martens and tight jeans.

The ash is piling on tightly and the burn is even enough and rectifies itself almost entirely before I can flick my Bic.

Undeniable sweetnesses of vanilla and cream are well-muted in comparison but intermingle with the spicy notes while both surround the dark coffee milk-frothed middle. I do find myself rather enjoying this offering.

The smoke output is substantial and mainly sweet. The draw is the loose end of medium

2/3:
At the onset here, I was forced to retouch the light a tad, after the ash dropped off in a very firm clump. Too, Ruby barked at me to brew some coffee and add a teaspoon of sugar. I was apparently buzzed. I am always the last to know. However, she is a Dachshund and I’ll be damned if I allow a German to give me orders.

Oh, fine. I will, but just this once.

To note -- the peppers have simmered down much to my surprise and Ruby’s relief. That is not to say this is not remaining a quite flavorful affair. This is to say that I recommend this stick post-meal and mid-dry sherry. I feel a dry sherry would sit well in the middle with that rich, dark coffee. Allowing the swirls to play about it nicely. Allowing too the bite.

The burn is now near razor edge and accumulating another thick pile of ash. A nice chew is forming and my palate remains crisp and delineated with spices both sweet and peppery. The finish is medium-length and gone well before the next pull.

The slim ring gauge insures a warm yet not hot draw through which I can appreciate the subtleties. I feel a wider offering might tell a different tale, as wider offerings are prone to do -- in cigars as well as in other spheres.

This is a cigar which announces its presence with well-tuned authority and once your attention is granted it, said attention is kept through lovely nuances and minglings of a stick with a well higher price tag.

(Through no fault but my own schedule, Ron Burgundy saying “Milk was a poor choice,” rings in my ears as the midday sun hits my porch hot, and this is a sun-downer smoke.)

Ruby has begun slurping from my mug and I cannot help but feel her guidance was self-serving. Such a good dog. Such an even better German..

3/3:
The ash clumps off and the even burn remains. Too, a bit of bite returns. This time with a heady cedar note.

This cigar is an almost purely Brazilian experience now, with all the Mata Fina characteristics predominately displayed after the passing of the second and shorter wave of peppers. The Criollo wrapper nicely contains this but also allows it to freely roam. I taste a backing of the Honduran filler, as well, with its heavy earthiness.

All transitions have been quite nice and smooth enough, and avoid being mottled.

Speaking of finishes, which I wasn’t for a bit but am now again, the final third was fully spiced cedar. Sharply clean and very short.

Notes:
While I find fault in Room 101’s merchandising and marketing -- that is entirely subjective. Objectively, I find nothing at all wrong with the crafting of this cigar and would have paid well more to have enjoyed it. As long as the more did not interfere with my sherry budget.

For all its spice and the boldness which that entails, it never became irritating to my palate. For all its inherent sweetnesses, it never lingered sickly there. I would much highly recommend this stogie.

Final Grade: B+ (subjective aesthetics would have granted an A).

Epilogue:
5:05pm or so

I forgot all about my lousy toothache and swollen gums. Now I must walk my caffeinated pooch. She has much to bark at and to urinate on.

[I raced the clock on this one. Forgive me please, any typographical errors. My account here is experiencing some technical difficulties as of late, which force me to post in a hurry to avoid Error Code interruptions.]