Quote this…

“A good cigar is as great a comfort to a man as a good cry to a woman.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton

My best cigar ever

I’ve been smoking cigars at one time or another for 16 years. It’s only been since 2009 that I began to dive into the hobby with gusto. In the early days, having no clue what to smoke, I would walk into a random cigar shop and then fumble around in the humidor for 20 minutes in complete terror because of the sheer amount of choices. Most of the time I was too embarrassed to ask for help in making a selection and when I did ask, it was if the tobacconist was speaking greek. I would tell him I was new to the hobby and could he point me in the direction of something good. Most of the time back then I felt as if they were suggesting what was on sale. The rest of the time I picked up cigars based merely on the band, of course further cementing the case that branding works. Honestly, I couldn’t have told you the the difference between a Connecticut shade wrapper or a maduro wrapper. Light brown or dark, I just grabbed it. At the time I did not have a humidor at home so I was buying and then smoking right away. Often I would smoke them too fast, thus the cigar would get hot and my experience with it would be ruined. A practice that I now know better than to do.

I had always been one to hop from cigar to cigar, not settling on any one as my favorite. I have since found a few that I like that I would say are my “go to” sticks. Recently, I tried to think back to my first cigar and couldn’t. I have no idea what it was.  It was so long ago and I never thought to take note of it. So I then turned to my favorite memory with a cigar. I thought about my best cigar ever. It was easy. A Bolivar 2009 Edicion Limitada petit belicoso. Ah yes, the forbidden fruit, a Cuban! (a gift from a trusted friend) It was, in a word, “outstanding”. The reputation that cigars from Cuba have is well earned and that Bolivar was no exception. Right off the bat I was hit with a creamy sweet flavor. It was if the cigar was made of vanilla! It was smooth and the smoke was plentiful. I decided right then to smoke as slow as possible. The ash held on for a good inch and half, the burn was straight and never needed a re-light. I sat there in a wonderland of enjoyment. That cigar tasted like no other cigar before it, or since. It was that good. Since then I’ve smoked countless cigars, a cuban or two, most non-cubans. While I’ve had great stogies from then until now, none of them have compared to my first stick from the island south of Miami. How could they live up to it? My memory of that great moment is so etched in my mind, at times I feel as if I can still taste it.

I could wax nostalgic about it again and again, over and over. But I digress…

 As my knowledge of cigars grows so does my love for it. The mistique of it all still gets to me. I have never come across another one of those Bolivars and I suppose that I won’t ever again. After all, they say it’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. I’ll take that deal.

Review: La Flor Dominicana Oro

Litto Gomez has made quite the name for himself and La Flor Dominicana. His best effort, among the cigar lovers I hang with, has got to be the Double Ligero. Lovers of full bodied cigars sing it’s praises. As I inspected my local B&M’s humidor today I came across this treat, the Oro. It has been quite some time since I had a La Flor and as I had not smoked this yet, I quickly grabbed one. It comes in an attractive gold tubo and band. I was excited to see it was a chisel as I had not seen one before. The boys at the shop told me that Litto had copyrighted this shape and would only see it on a La Flor Dominicana. Great, even more reason to light this sucker up!

The Oro has a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper with Dominican fillers and binders and is 6 x 54. Upon 1st look it was veiny, rough and somewhat toothy. It’s pre-lit aroma had a pleasent tobacco earthy smell. The draw seemed just a hair on the tight side. It lit well and I was immediately hit with a strong peppery taste and minor notes of nuts. The smoke was plentiful but thin and wispy. The draw seemed average at best during the first 1/3.

As I entered the 2nd 1/3 the burn got curvy and the draw loosened up enough that the smoke being produced was noticeably increased, but still thin. The ash was a charcoal grey and held on for a solid inch. The pepper mellowed out and to me, it was more medium to full bodied at this point. Maybe I’m more accustomed to stronger smokes but the Oro was losing some of it’s punch. I was also picking up more of a earthly-woodsy taste.

At the onset of the final 1/3 the burn got out of control and had to be corrected. In fact I had to re-light it several times, which is something I find annoying. At this point because of my continued re-lights the cigar got hot and I became disinterested in finishing it fully.

Considering this is a La Flor Dominicana I was a bit underwhelmed by it’s performance. While I’m confident that this wasn’t the sum of problems found in a Litto Gomez product, I can only go off my impressions and experience with it.

Early on I tweeted that this was a “great smoke”,  a bit pre-mature on my part. The most I can give is 3 ashes out of 5. (average) I would probably try it again, but because of the extra large selection of stogies to choose from at my B&M, it won’t be anytime soon. If you see it however, it may well be worth a go at it.

Quote this…

“Maybe it’s like becoming one with the cigar. You lose yourself in it; everything fades away: your worries, your problems, your thoughts. They fade into the smoke, and the cigar and you are at peace.” ~Raul Julia

Fast Ash: Ditka’s “The Coach” by Comacho

I had previously seen in an industry mag that Mike Ditka was lending his name to a line of cigars called the “Kickoff Series”. Today at the cigar shop I was pointed in their direction. I was excited to see what Comacho and coach Ditka had come up with. There are three versions, “The Player”, “The Coach” and “The Hall of Famer”. Each one comes in a decorative box denoting the line and size. All three lines come in Toro (6 x 50) Robusto ( 5 x 50) Torpedo ( 6 1/4 x 54) and the big gun of the line, a 6 x 60. The Player and The Coach are both medium bodied smokes but with different wrappers and binders. Should you want to step up your game there’s The Hall of Famer, this one is a full bodied smoke. I purchased The Coach and The Hall of Famer.

It’s a rare warm day in January so I knew I’d be smoking a stogie on the Big Ash porch this afternoon. I chose to go with The Coach robusto and save The Hall of Famer for a later time.

As I usually do, I took a pre-lit sniff. It smelled of cinnamon and chocolate. It draws wonderfully and immediately produced big, thick amounts of smoke which continued the entire time. At a couple points I detected the distinct flavor of chocolate. The ash was dark grey and held on for an inch 1/4 before falling off. The Coach lasted me about 75 minutes and was very enjoyable. Comacho did a solid job on this, as I figured they would, I mean C’mon, would you want to disapoint coach Ditka? In the end I would say it’s worth trying a stick yourself. I give The Coach 4 ashes out of 5. Not bad, Mike, not bad.

Review: Crowned Heads Four Kicks Sublime

This is my first Crowned Heads cigar. I picked up the Four Kicks Sublime at the recommendation of a friend. I enjoy losing my “cigar virginity” as it were, to new brands. So, it was with great pleasure that I grabbed my cutter and lighter and headed to The Big Ash porch.

Upon first inspection the Four Kicks Sublime has an shiny oily wrapper with visible veins. It’s a bit toothy and seemed to me to be well constructed. That was until I noticed that the seam was loose on parts of the stick, nearly unattached in small segments. I wasn’t sure if this was due to handling or a manufacturing defect. I wonderd if this would affect the cigar as I smoked it. The pre-lit aroma gave away a generous smell of cinnamon with hints of vanilla and floral notes.

My first draw met with a slight but welcomed resistance. The loose seam didn’t appear to have an adverse effect on subsequent draws. The cigar was earthy with a faint spice during the first 1/3. It did not produce thick clouds of smoke, which I like, but instead stayed a bit on the thin side. This would not change for the duration of the smoke. The burn got away from me a little in the beginning but evened out in the 2nd 1/3 and stayed fairly consistent during the last 1/3. The ash was light gray, tight and hung on until I was just into the 2nd 1/3 of the cigar. In fact, the it was so tight I only ashed three times throughout my time spent with the cigar.

Halfway into the cigar I was hit with a pleasant amount of spice on the tongue and at the back of the throat. It was never overpowering but definitely made itself known. The draw opened up slightly as I began to notice a more earthy taste with hints of leather. It was at this time that I was hit with a very noticeable nicotine buzz that increased during the final 1/3. I started to draw less frequently in order to prevent getting a headache. This stick was showing it’s teeth and it was up to me to fight through till the end. The spice continued to roll out as I finished and seemed to overtake any earthy tones that were remaining. I smoked it as far to the nub as I could until it became overheated. At that point I laid it to rest as I scribbled my final notes down.

Overall Four Kicks Sublime is a decent stogie and a solid choice for the asking price. Unraveling seam aside, it is a well constructed cigar that comes packed with a punch. I don’t normally like spicy smokes but this one stood out among the crowd as one that I would have again the next time I was up for a fight. I won’t necessarily keep one in my humidor but I will buy it again on a one at a time basis. Crowned Head should be proud of the Four Kicks Sublime. It lived up to it’s name. My rating. 3.5 ashes out of 5.

Fast Ash: Alec Bradley American Classic Robusto

I’ve never had a bad Alec Bradley, so when I was given this American Classic blend I had nothing but high expectations.

It’s Connecticut shade wrapper revealed a somewhat toothy appearance and a heavy tobacco pre-lit aroma. The draw was a bit loose and I was worried it might burn a little hot, however, it did not. The burn was fairly sharp and never needed a correction. As one would expect with a connecticut wrapper the ash was light gray and held on for close to an inch before it fell off. I noted hints of wood and bread flavors throughout this medium bodied cigar. The smoke was plentiful and thick. I didn’t have a bad moment as I smoked this well constructed stogie and would have no problem stocking this in my humidor in numbers. It’s a solid effort from Alec Bradley. I give it 3.5 ashes out of 5.

The FDA is coming after your cigars!

For even the novice cigar enthusiast the notion of the U.S. Government stepping in between the cigars you enjoy and your rights should shock you into action. The pin-heads at the FDA want to step in (on your behalf) and regulate the thriving premium cigar industry in the U.S. They have repeatedly announced this intention. The time to stand together as adults, adults who legally choose to enjoy premium cigars, is NOW! Sitting on our hands or with our heads in the sand is suicide. The FDA believes they know what’s best for you and the industry. IF they are allowed to control this world your hobby will drastically change. The days of walking into your favorite smoke shop’s humidor and making your selection YOURSELF could be lost forever. Instead, it will be much like buying a pair shoes…you choose from something up front and then the tobacconist and only the tobacconist  legally goes to make your selection for you. WTF!? This alone should fire you up. The public humidor is one of the best places to learn about cigars. Personally, It’s one of my favorite places to be. Being able to touch, smell and see my cigars before I buy is a valuable experience and the FDA wants to take that away from me and YOU.

They also want to regulate the following…

–The marketing of cigar merchandise (cutters, lighters, shirts, ash trays etc…)

–A ban on cigar events at your local smoke shop where free samples are given. (If the manufacturer can’t put their product out there for people to try then this alone could cost jobs. Imagine not being able to test drive a car before you buy it )

–New more expensive taxes.

–Ban on walk-in humidors

Should the FDA become succesful in their quest to take over the cigar industry as we know it, they would impose severe limits on the amount of nicotine allowed in a premium cigar. That would drastically affect the taste of your cigar.  Anybody remember Coca-Cola’s NEW Coke blunder! You mess with the taste and you drive people away. Trust me, Coke learned that the hard way. Cigar makers know this lesson and they are not keen on repeating it themselves. If you’re driven away from cigars then the FDA’s evil plan will have worked. I can see them now, behind their desk – rubbing their hands together and laughing at us.

The U.S. Government should not be allowed to come in and regulate a hobby enjoyed legally by hundreds of thousands adults each year in this country. As an enthusiast what can you do to help, you’re asking? I’ll tell ya.

– Senate Bill 1461 and House Bill 1639, dubbed ” Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011″,  have been submitted to their respective chambers. Contact your Senator and Representative and tell them to support this piece of legislation.

–Sign the official White House petition.

Forward this article on all of your social media outlets. Help get the word out. We do not want the FDA sticking their nose in our business.

Join Cigar Rights of America. They are actively working for your rights as a cigar enthusiast.

Above all, do something”. Inaction is rolling over and saying “Dear Federal Government, Please come in and tell me what to do.”

Help put a stop to the FDA’s quest to control our cigars!

Fast Ash: Avo Signature Small Corona

                             

I picked this up at a tasting a while back. I had little time to enjoy a smoke so I called this guy up into service for a short visit to The Big Ash porch. It’s a mild day and I was in the mood for a mild cigar and that’s exactly what I got. It had a very tight wrapper with no visable seam. Solid feel and not too veiny. An extra smooth cigar with faint notes of nuts and leather. The ash was pale white and held together excellently with a nice amount of smoke with a pleasant aroma. I’d say I got what I expected from this fella. A very mild smoke. For it’s great construction and tight ash I give it 4 ashes out of 5.

Salutations from The Big Ash

Time spent with a cigar is time spent in the pursuit of happiness. A pastime that’s been carefully handed down from our fathersand grandfathers to us, the keepers of the flame. No matter how long you’ve enjoyed the hobby there is something uniquely human about easing into your favorite chair and lighting a cigar you’ve been anticipating the whole day.

I suppose that’s why I enjoy smoking them so much. For me, it’s a celebration. A celebration of relaxation, of times with friends and time spent away from the responsibilities of the world. It’s the one activity in my life that transports me back to a more simple time. A romantic time. Long before the hobby found itself under attack from anti-smoking groups. And yes, I’m talking about you too, FDA. I can’t remember a time in my adult life when I didn’t have a fascination with cigars. I didn’t always smoke them but they repeatedly called to me when I achieved a success worth celebrating. I have fond memories from times spent relaxing on my Big Ash porch enjoying a premium cigar. With each new one I light, I hope to continue that welcome trip into smoking heaven.
I’ll readily admit to not possessing the biggest cigar I.Q. on the block. But hey, If a regular Joe can’t have his say then it may truly be the end of days for cigar lovers. It’s a pastime that can be enjoyed equally by all, regardless of sex, no matter their social or economic background. I’ve yet to met anyone with a cigar in hand that I could not become friends with. I really enjoy smoking with groups of people. We share common ground, a mutual bond that is instantly identifiable. What brings us together ties us together. My hope is to make this place a semi-regular stop for you. A virtual cigar lounge, if you will, where it’s always casual.
It’s much to early to tell if this little blog will become a success. Perhaps, it’s merely good enough that an effort was made to positively impact the cigar enthusiast’s world. Much like the cigars I smoke, I do it for myself as much for the pleasure of the hobby. I hope you enjoy it and I wish you big ash.