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CIGARS FOR THE MILD CHILD

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These are indeed, mild-bodied cigars, made at the MATASA factory in the Dominican Republic. The standard version sports a U.S.-grown Connecticut wrapper and it’s the mildest of the Casa Blanca styles.

It has a slightly spicy aroma upon lighting, but develops a marvelous, caramelized taste that can be quite rich, but is never spicy or too rich. There’s an easy draw and a medium finish that is nice and satisfying, not always the case with a mild-bodied blend.

The flavor recedes in intensity in the second half, but it remains tasty to the end with a nice balance between the taste and the spices in the aroma.

It’s also a bargain, at retail prices from $1.25 for the 4-inch by 36-ring Bonita, up to $7.25 for the massive Jeroboam (10 x 66). A Robusto (5 x 50) retails for only $3.00 each and the President size (7 1/2 x 50) is just $3.50. The most interesting and fun shape may be the Obsequio (6 x 49), a perfecto-style cigar with a rounded head and a bulbous foot, which retails for $3.50 each.
Overall grade: A: Exceptional.

Temple Hall:
[Dominican Republic: available in 6 sizes] This is a grand old brand made by General Cigar and one which isn’t as well known as many of their other brands, but has been a winner among fans of mild-bodied cigars for a long time.

The Temple Hall tobacco plantation in Jamaica goes back to at least 1876 and the Jamaican factory named for that plantation is where the original Jamaican-made Macanudo was created by the Cuban firm (F. Palicio y Cia.) which also owned the Punch brand in the 1950s.

The Temple Hall cigars are beautifully made, with a silky Connecticut wrapper. Thanks to very good construction, the ones we tried lit easily and generated a pleasant, slightly spicy aroma.

There’s a nice, light caramelized flavor that augments the mild-bodied presence in the mouth. This isn’t a demanding cigar, or particularly complex as it maintains a pleasant balance and is easy to enjoy.

The finish is modest and the intensity of flavor declines in the second half, with a spicy note developing toward the end. Well made, the burn is even and the draw is effortless.

Temple Hall isn’t the easiest brand to find, but it’s worth it. Marketed by Cigars by Santa Clara, all shapes are reasonably priced from $4.50 to $6.00 each, always in boxes of 20. It’s absolutely worth trying and will be even better if you can be patient and give them a year of aging.
Overall grade: B+: Very Good.

There are other candidates in the mild-bodied category worth exploring, including, but not limited to the Macanudo and Macanudo Gold Label lines, Drew Estate’s Chateau Real, the Nat Sherman Host Selection and others. In our rush to full-bodied cigars today, too often these excellent brands are forgotten. They’re worth remembering!

More money than reported for “Paws for Patriots”:
On January 25, we reported on the “Paws for Patriots” program that raises money for guide dogs for veterans of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq who were blinded in battle. Bobby Newman of the J.C. Newman Cigar Company of Tampa, Florida is one of the leaders of the program and we didn’t credit the organization with all of its hard work in the fund-raising area.

Our story said that $40,000 had been raised when in fact more than $500,000 has been raised for the program. That’s impressive and Newman’s work has been noticed and commended by former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and by the man who is the program’s spokesperson, retired General Tommy Franks of the U.S. Central Command.
~ Rich Perelman

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