Mailbag Monday for 10.18.15

Happy Monday, gentlepersons! Here's yer Mailbag answerings:

"I have some cigars in metal tubes. Do I need to put them in my humidor."

Tubos. The metal (aluminum) tube is tasked with the sole job of securing the cigar against physical damages. It is not designed to act as a humidor. I feel this begs the question now: "do I leave them in their tube, in the humidor?" I wouldn't, because I don't even leave the cellophane on my cigars. You might want to take it out, though, come to think of it -- because while leaving it in and taking it out are both OK, I believe only Davidoff tubos are slit to allow a more proper airflow.

Remove stick from tubo, keep tubo handyo in case of wishing to transport. Stick goes in humi, to be crystal.

"I like big flavor and small strength. Recommendations?"

Flava Flav? Oliva never disappoints, Serie G and V. CAO Brazilia, Arturo Fuente Hemmingway and Opus X, Illusione Epernay, Patel goes there on occasion but I never recommend you going there. 

It strikes me there ain't an abundance of value sticks in my off-the-cuff list. Let me know privately, if I should think harder. 

"Pipes leave me unsatisfied. I was thinking of trying cigar blends in my CC. Thoughts?"

Just one idea, smoke a cigar. You see, the experiences of smoking a pipe and smoking a cigar are so vastly different that an attempt to 'meet in the middle' is destined to fail in every way imaginable in a worst of both worlds scenario. Have a cigar when you want a cigar, pack a bowl when you want a pipe. Each have much to offer. Scratch yer itch accordingly.

If you must dabble in cigar blend pipe tobacco, I'd recommend Hearth and Home Stogie. The Burley and Perique are blended well enough to offer a reasonable facsimile of a cigar, not to mention the inclusion of Maduro leaf. Again and humsoever, a cigar remains a far greater facsimile of a cigar.

Congrats on the CC (corn cob) BTW (by the way). Why not make yer next a KAPLOWITZ? Gather yer aplomb with a Kaplowitz.

"Do you really put your cigar ash in your rose garden?"

How brilliantly tenuously cigar-related. Bravo and yes. As do I add my coffee grounds and tea bag guts to the mix. It does wonders for maintaining soil balance, but above all else -- roses have a tremendous sense of poetry.

Quick note: I don't know the gardening particulars of aromatic pipe tobacco additions to soil -- so I don't add that to the mix.

Send yer queries:

HERE

Thanks, as always, for your questions and your readings. Have a great week, and don't dare be a stranger.

Nub Habano 460 - Cigar Review

Prologue:
8:10pm
"Considered one of the most innovative cigar concepts, Nub is a line of short, stout and well-filled smokes blended to capture the perfect essence of a cigar. These cigars are completely made by hand with densely packed long filler, allowing each stick to burn slowly while maintaining a smoking time comparable to conventional sizes ranging from Robusto to Presidente." -- from the Studio Tobac website.

As to the Habano Nub in particular, from the same source: "The wrapper of choice for Cuban cigar makers, the Habano has a robust, full-bodied flavor. Rolled as a Nub, the Habano’s bold spice softens to create a delicious new version of the famous leaf."

Might I read b'twixt these lines, gentlepersons? 

Firstly, let us discuss the point of magically fitting 10# of cigar in a 5# bag... except it is actually a rearranged 10# bag. Seeing the ring gauge here is a 60 and the mentioned Churchill and Presidente vitolas can be as slight as 46 and 52, respectively.

Oy vey, a 60 ring gauge. It's gonna be like sucking on a toe... maybe a D battery. Actually, only one of those things is completely without appeal to me. I digress.

Secondly, we shall address the 'softening spices' of the Habano wrapper in this vitola. Not a bad thing, but definitely not a good thing -- mainly a thing which proves the case against outrageously o b e s e ring sizes.

It would seem this particular Sam Leccia brainstorm is an accomplishment not of blending, but of marketing. The whole idea is to hit the 'sweet spot' final 3-4 inches of a smoke sometime after the halfway transition. The problem here is that this sweet spot occurs due to a confluence of oils, not a magic amount of inches. Bearing in mind that ratio, it would seem a Nub offers a solid 3/4" of heaven. True 'nuff that many people never do get that amount of time behind the Pearly Gates -- although my guess is the smoke will be hot as Hades at that point.

Let it not be said I am above reviewing, and enjoying, a good novelty cigar. Especially as it was kindly gifted unto me. 

Heck. I been wrong before, gentlepersons. Let us address

The Cigar:
Oliva Cigar Co.
Studio Tobac
Nub Habano 460
Nicaraguan Habano wrapper
Nicaraguan binder/filler

Pre-light:
Let's eyeball the sucka: even rich chocolate complexion with an under-hue of brick red. Toothy. Visible and quite wide seam. Some veins, all but one are pretty. The ugly one might be a potential burn issue. Varying shades of chocolate peak out from the foot and are formed in a medium+ density. Cap is affixed nicely. Feels, all told, not as odd as I imagined in my hand. Nice suede feel and visual sheen.

Medium packing with a single soft spot.

Nosing the wrapper gets me a manure/barnyard note with some coffee. At the foot, a sniff of sweet and warm spices swirled in cocoa emerge. I stab through the cap with my Old Timer, and a cold pull mimics the smells at the foot. Leaves a nice tingling on my lips.

Light:
Toasting the foot lets loose visible oils and much woodsy smells. Sharp wood, bitter coffee at the forefront on the first hot pull, a dark chocolate follows. On a retro-haled second hot pull there are sweet and hot spices on a leather backing as the chocolate reappears in a creamier version on the finish. Not milky cream...like a cuban coffee viscous. Very full mouthfeel/body on the third hot pull. Spices, chocolate, Cuban Coffee, a sharp wood and leather mix -- in that order. On the finish: There's a sweet and more baking chocolate tandem with a toasted wood. Very lingering, but not very complex.

Thick and toothy white ash, somewhat jagged burn but not requiring of a retouch, medium+ burn-line thickness. Big thick white smoke from the foot and into my smoke-hole. Very hardwoodsy room-note.

at this point, our profile looks to be medium+ in body (with that viscous mouthfeel of Cuban Coffee) and flavor. Medium as far as strength, although I expect all to + up some -- especially strength. Draw is tight side of medium, with a pleasantly surprising resistance considering the ring gauge.

Act I:
Hotter spices subdue and the sweet varieties remain but do not delineate as of yet. A toasted cream separates from the Cuban Coffee, which remains. Wide ranging chocolates from baking to rich milk chocolate. Some warm earthy near nuttiness.

Burn trues itself enough to be labeled even. Burn-line remains medium+ thickness. Now the strength comes on and I'd say we are full- profiled across-the-board. Ash is the same as it was and most likely ever will be, there is a speck of flake, but no more.

A hint of cinnamon distinguishes itself on occasion. This seems to always be on a warm bread note, which puts me in mind of a cinnamon toast. Very nice moisture level in my mouth and on my lips, no drink needed. Aside from all the coffee notes, I'm almost tempted with a spiced tea pairing.

Profile is full. Finish last from wire-to-wire and is surprisingly low-key with rich chocolate, sweet spices, and a toasted cream -- lasting in that order. Very nice but as complex as the girl on the side. Smoke amps up much but is as kind and not irritating as the girl you marry. It's a bit sweeter of a room note than prior, but still quite the woodsy affair. Like sitting over a campfire of seasoned wood,

Density of packing is unchanged. Draw is a hair looser but still offers some resistance. Nice enough opening act, but might prove somewhat laborious if unchanged in

Act II:
The burn lags a bit in one spot but nothing horrible at all. At a good inch, I stand the cigar on its ash for feces and facial gestures. I want to say the profile has dipped to a straight full-, perhaps I've grown accustomed is all.

Flavors remain unchanged and at times mottle then separate. I roll off the ash at an inch and a 1/4 or so, in hopes of evening the burn. Very dense. Very white. Very fat. Isn't it time Rush Limbaugh said something dumb? Been a while.

The toasted cream vies with wood for the lead, but it's always the wood by a nose and sometimes a head. Leather is in show and tied there with a rich chocolate. I'm thinking ponies but still riding high on the Mets taking game one from the Cubbies. Surprisingly easy, that win, as I thought we were out-gunned.

I am unsurprised by this Nub offering, however. It is a solid enough smoke, yes -- but is thus far leaving me wanting of more. Flavors are the same as described and I retouch the lagging spot of burn. Construction has softened and the burn is heating up a tad. Foot-smoke is less kind than it once was, but not an irritant. Draw is unchanged. The retouch works, but another spot now lags.

A heartier smoker than I might prefer this as a midday affair. I am stuck under the stars, sans the complexity to contemplate my navel or the glaxy or to pull my hat down over my eyes. I actually feel quite stuck. Mired. I watch the clock.

The burn-line thins but too unevens. Foot-smoke is as kind as it once was, again. I shift in my seat. I shift in my seat again. Again. How 'bout them Mets?

Medium+ profile now. The heating up has caused a bittering, although slight, of the coffee -- which is not met by a further sweetening of cream nor chocolate. Wood subdues slightly. Sweet spices also subdue. Near straight dark tobacco sans the guts or nuances for a proper solo effort.

A sweetness from the chocolate tries now, we shall see in

Act III:
Strength rises to a low full. The burn is pretty badly off but I wait. The chocolate rises but its sweet falls. Leather overtakes wood, but both subdue. I try to roll off an inch of ash and laugh as it holds on. Nice. I try again and harder and it lets loose. Very dense and now oily. Should the ash be the highlight of a cigar? I shall leave that for other philosophers.

All is unchanged. Or perhaps all is transition. I suppose a Buddhist and a Judeo-Christian would debate that for hours. I laugh again and wonder at my Reconstructionist Rabbi's response. I'm gonna go eat a handful of pretzels, gentlepersons.

I should note the cool slowing of the burn (which evens out some). It leads to a mellowing and a less than inferno end than I saw a-comin'. Too, the draw tightens. The chew is good, considering the fat gauge.

Notes:
Nice stick. Better schtick. More schtick than stick, that is to say.

Pairings:
Spiced tea, sweet tea, syrupy cola. Coffee is too on-the-nose. I almost want to say a ham sammich -- and my Reconstructionist Rabbi might approve. (I believe cold cuts and the wanting of, speak to a lack of savoriness in this offering.)

Final Grade: C+
(B for a better burn and the + is to signify that I'm all about the ash -- yours, mine, whomever's.

Epilogue:
9:16pm
A nice Baked Virginia ham with a good Swiss...

L'chaim!
& thanks for reading.

Oliva Serie G - Cigar Review

Prologue:
4:45ishpm
170lbs??? Looks like I need to re-evaluate my calorie-counting. If you'd have told me a year ago, when I weighed in at three bills, that I'd now be looking to keep my weigh up, I'd have called you a monkey's uncle, gentleperson. But before caloric reconfigurations and fine-tunings -- let's have a binge cheat day! It is 5pm now. I am still attempting to fully digest my lunch-time Dairy Queen carnage. I recall ordering the left side of the menu..

Then darkness, inky and thick.

Perhaps what will knock the 1/2 cow the rest of the way through me is

The Cigar:
Oliva Serie G
African Cameroon wrapper
Nicaraguan Habano binder
Nicaraguan Habano fillers
4.5 x 50 Robusto

Pre-light:
Very rich touch with a bit of grip by way of slight tooth and no shortage of sheen. Dark chocolate complexion with baking chocolate mottling in spots. Foot tobacco is rich dark chocolate with caramel highlights. The rounded corner box-press is evenly packed and to the soft side of medium.

Smells of cedar and leather at the wrapper, with an addition of rich chocolate at the foot. Very rich tobacco throughout. Cold pull is dried red fruit traces sharpened by a crisp cedar. Leather notes, rich as Ricardo Montelban's Corinthian leather accent.

Light:
Toasting the foot is a leathery experience in terms of schnozzola. Mechanically, the light is a simple affair, because as I've pointed out before -- cigars are flammable. First full hot pull is a heavy, wet yet still crisp cedar and a hearty dose of leather with a baking to dark chocolate note that ends on the finish and meets with a somewhat salty espresso crema. The second hot pull is retro-haled to show a dark tobacco with sharp and full cedar and mild spice accompaniment. Third hot pull is a tad creamier and the finish sets in nicely to a sweet cream with sharp cedar and medium leather counter-balance.

Burn is imperfect but not at all problematic. Burn-line is average to thin. Ash is toothier than wrapper appears and is mottled within the spectrum of medium grey. It's nicely dense and not oily nor dry. It stacks evenly atop a slow-side burn of average heat.

Act I:
Nice spiced cedar zing, in particular on the retro-hale and finish. On the finish, it tends to dry the palate a bit. There is a red fruit in the distance and up closer is a very rich tobacco that sports a quite leathery note.

Draw is medium+ tighness with a good bit of resistance, but nice. The smoke is thick and and smells of a rich tobacco and leather and, lesser of cedar. The quintessential odor of a cigar lounge.

Medium+ flavor and body on account of the dense leather and cedar notes. Light strength.

Act II:
A bit of dark molasses comes in to play now. It's on the draw but leaves before the finish. The finish itself is unchanged and of -medium length. The burn unevens a bit and at an inch+ I roll off the ash, dry and densely packed. It seems to wish to canoe and I back off from pulling. The foot smoke has tapered off considerably and quickly since backing down and I believe this is not a stick which would allow itself to be put down and picked up again minus re-light.

Molasses amps up, cedar and leather from the rich and darkening tobacco continue to hold. A chocolate gains prominence on the now medium length finish with traces from baking to sweet dark. The ash takes on a slightly unhealthy rust-complected tint.

Halfway now, and aside from an uneven burn, construction holds. Medium+ flavor/body and almost but not quite medium strength. The burn seems to be correcting itself and the burn-line, thinning. Room note sweetens and deepens on the back of the molasses. I'd say it's a fairly ballsy medium all-around, even given its  -medium strength.

Cedar spices, leather, rich chocolate, and a dried red fruit, in quite particular order. Medium finish of molasses sweetened chocolate and earthy cedar/leather mingling.

Act III:
Box pressing loosens here and smoke output grows. Flavors remain unchanged and heat up. Strength is a hair from medium. A darker tobacco leads the finish now.

It's all fairly straight-forward and I do not expect any changes. The color of the ash is a tad healthier and the burn even enough. A good and uncomplicated smoke. A very decent everyday affair, unless you require more strength than almost medium. Chew is average+.

Mouthfeel was a touch onto the dry side, as stated prior, and while not egregious--I would recommend a drink. Which drink, I shall tackle in the upcoming portion. I did a cola.

Hot to hold in the 3/3.

Notes:
It's a cigar. Not a stogie nor work of art, be.

Pairings:
Strongly brewed coffee, maybe iced. Cola was a bit beaten-down. Manischewitz Concord Grape might have pulled some more red fruity dimensions.

Final Grade: B
(Not a must-try, but too won't disappoint unless you are wishing for a more complex affair.)

Epilogue:
5:49pm
I must go burp. Loudly. Or have a heart attack. Will let ya know. #meatsweats

Camacho Connecticut - Cigar Review

Prologue:
8:30ishpm
This was set to be either a celebration or consolation offering. Since my b'lov'd Mets won, no matter how hard they tried not to -- welcome to my write-up of a celebratory Camacho Connecticut, gentlepersons.

Huzzah, hurray, et cetera, etc.

The Cigar:

Camacho Connecticut

Connecticut (Ecuador) wrapper

Original Corojo binder

Generoso, Aleman Ligero fillers

5 x 50 Robusto

Pre-light:

The first thing I notice is the way it feels in my hand, because I seldom heft a stogie with my nose. The feel is of suede. A thick peach fuzz. The best feel since that ergonomic San Lotano Oval some time back. The packing is even and slightly toward the soft side of medium. A look at the foot shows a somewhat less than dense gathering. Nice rich coloring, reddish tinted tobacco with blond highlights.

A sniff at that foot is fall spices and a mellow yet rich tobacco. The wrapper smells of clean leather and fresh cedar with an almost floral note of hay and light grassiness.

Very neat seams and only slight veins. a coffee with creamer complexion and perhaps a hint or two of a greenish hue. A cold draw is coffee and cream and a faint fall spice. The draw itself is very easy. Another pull shows a trace of honey.

Light:
Lots of gingerbread off the foot on the toasting. This follows through to the first hot pull and is joined by a truly lovely mellow tobacco with inherent and clean citrus notes that have a light honey accompaniment. The second hot pull is retro-haled to show the addition of a pleasant pepper palate ranging from white to very kind black. The third pull is very gingerbread once more, with a graham cracker introduction. Finish is sweet spices with a ginger emphasis sprinkled on graham and cleansed with a citrus laden floral honey. Orange blossom.

A somewhat jagged burn with a wide burn-line, but nothing threatening. Ash is a very pale grey almost white with medium grey additions that are well that side of charcoal. Very dense but not oily.

Hot dang, gentlepersons.

Act I:

Something like a canola oil mouthfeel settles in and with that a lightly toasted macadamia notewhich lasts from draw to finish. The finish itself is there to the next pull but is very welcomed. Sweet, but not sickly and inherent to the bulk of the on-board flavors.

A very smoky affair which I have to wait to dissipate prior to re-addressing my keyboard. The room note is a mellow sweetness with traces of graham and that too pours freely from the foot. A light and floral honey is present, as well.

The tastes are, I dare say, of pumpkin spices which I shall call sweet spices for fear of being attacked by hoards of white girls in Uggs. Although that would be far from unwelcome -- there exists, too, a time and place for everything.

There is a crack in the ash that causes it to lilt toward one side, but remain intact and unchanged from my previous wordy description.

Medium across-the-board profile with an abundance of complexity. Right in my wheel-house, this. I roll the ash off at an inch and it is powdery but not without form. Not, again, oily, but densely well-packed. The stick burns cool and the jagged line has both evened some and narrowed much.

A draw a hair easier than middle-of-the-road, a cool and gentle burn, and mellow sweetness all allow for a cigar which wants to be smoked. The complexities are what hold your attention. A story-teller with an easy voice and commanding presence.

Act II:
The retro-hale is a real treat which enhances with a roasted white pepper and warm cedar, that also makes for a more complex finish. On the draw there is an ebb and flow of macadamia and always sweet spices led by ginger and a honey graham note throughout.

At the midway point, the citrus rears its head on occasion to come to a near white wine sourness, but too it is met with a light brown sugar backing that is a near molasses at times. The ash lightens in density a tad. The smoke continues its thick white ways and remains the type of affair I'd love to let linger indoors, but the wife would strongly feel otherwise. Wiminz. Can't live with them, ... I forget the rest of that old gem...

Suddenly, we mellow even more and the sourness leaves. The sweetness is unchanged. I feel a need to contemplate my navel. My porch seems quieter. My shoulders ease away from my ears. The finish is sweet cedar and creamy coffee with a bit of raw sugar and faint peanut oil.

Construction is unchanged, as is the profile. This cigar is as advertised, and you simply cannot ask for more.

The second act comes to a close in a way that is mellow but not to be confused with weakness. There is much ginger and graham and honey and coffee and now a more pronounced leather backing. Ash is a bit more oily. There is a nod toward a lightly roasted red pepper on my palate and in my throat, but quite nice and full of restrain. The foot smoke means a bit of business and I pull it away from my delicate and intelligent green eyes.

This is a solitary smoke and while soft, it too showcases now a straight tobacco which requires attention. I begin to feel as though I am taking too many a photograph and not enjoying the view -- so I'll hush up and see ya in

Act III:
That straight tobacco is of an inherent honey which is offset by an also inherently deep and equally crisp cedar. As deep as a medium profile allows. The finish has a heightened coffee and cream. A peanut oil mouthfeel is present and leaves the perfect moisture on my palate. The leather comes and goes and is brushed into a suede.

All notes of construction hold fast. Burn corrects throughout, although never reaches perfection, per se. The chew is divine. A grassy hay earthiness that exhibits an inherent sweetness ends the offering in a very lovely way.

Notes:

Mellow, with oomph.

Now if only it still sported the circa 2013 label I much prefer to the 'new' re-branding. I still miss the cent sign. I still don't overly like the new bold radical band.

Pairings:
Not a thing is needed. Hence --

Final Grade: A+

(Even though my delicate and intelligent green eyes are now a bit red)

Epilogue:
10ishpm
My Jewish friend Paddy Sheehan, knows a good thing when he smokes it. Here's to ya, pal. And here's to GO METS. My Brooklyn childhood is a 1984 Topps Darryl Strawberry card.