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Page 1 of 2  Tasting newcomers Arganese and Fundacion AncestralLos Angeles, February 15 – Real estate developer Gene Arganese always liked cigars, so much so that he had very specific ideas about what he wanted in a cigar. He couldn’t find it, so he opened his own factory and created the Arganese brand in 2007. John Vogel has spent his entire life in cigars, working primarily on the agricultural side. Over more than four decades of growing, breeding and harvesting tobaccos, he found himself with a collection of seeds from several dozen Cuban crops stretching back more than a half-century. He, too, had to find a way to not simply preserve the seeds, but to grow this pre-Castro tobacco once again and to do so, he found himself in Costa Rica and founded the Tabacos de la Cordillera farm and factory complex. Armed with different experiences and different visions of what cigars could be and should be, both are now competing on the U.S. market, world’s largest cigar market. We don’t know if these two gentlemen have ever met, but their single-minded visions enticed us to try their cigars and see what they have achieved. We were pretty pleased we did. Arganese – Ambassador blend: [Dominican Republic: available in 6 sizes] The Arganese lines are anything but straightforward. There are three different base blends: Ambassador, the mildest; Chairman, in the middle and Presidente, full-bodied. Then each blend is available in a choice of wrappers! The Ambassador is offered with either a Connecticut or Nicaraguan-grown wrapper. The Chairman is available in Connecticut, Cameroon or a Brazilian maduro. The Presidente is offered in Connecticut, Nicaraguan or maduro. And there are six sizes in each for a total of 48 combinations, plus a barber-pole-wrapped “Churchill” in the Chairman style. Happily, the cigars are double-banded so you’ll know what you’re smoking! For our tasting, we started with the lightest, the Connecticut-wrapped Ambassador. It’s a robust and well-made cigar that we found to be medium-to-full in body rather than mild and very well made. The Ambassador blend has a toasty, light, spicy aroma. There’s a rich taste to it with buttery notes and a hint of pepper on the medium finish. The balance of flavor between the sweetness and the peppery notes is quite impressive. There’s a bit more pepper in the second half, but always in control and easy to enjoy. Overall grade: B+: Very Good. Arganese – Chairman blend: [Dominican Republic: available in 6 sizes] The Chairman blend is noteworthy as being the only style which is offered with a Cameroon wrapper. It burns very well with an even, easy draw with a slightly spicy aroma. The taste is wonderfully deep and rich, with a semi-sweet flavor and a medium finish that keeps you interested. There’s only the barest undertone of spice and the taste can even remind you of roasted almonds. The flavor and balance remain consistent throughout and combined with a full-bodied presence in the mouth make the Chairman a cigar to enjoy when you really have time to concentrate on its subtleties and quality. The suggested retail prices of $5.56 to $7.00 make this blend accessible to just about everyone. Overall grade: A: Exceptional. Arganese – Presidente blend: [Dominican Republic: available in 6 sizes] The Presidente line starts out medium-to-full in body and has a spicy and peppery scent which draws your attention immediately. With a Brazilian maduro wrapper, it offers a welcome taste of dark caramel that quite rich, with a pleasant medium finish that retains the sweetness of this leaf. It’s smooth and mellow, even understated with an even burn and an excellent draw. There’s a note of pepper which enters the finish in the second half that’s an interesting contrast to the maduro wrapper. Retail pricing for all sizes is also between $5.56 each and $7.00. Overall grade: A-: Excellent. Gene Arganese has created an interesting set of blends which are creating interest among those who have tried them and there’s little doubt that the Cameroon-wrapped Chairman is a cigar worth exploring. John Vogel’s experiment to reach back to a “golden age” of tobacco and bring to life plants which have not been harvested for 50-60 years had us just as interested in seeing how well he succeeded in creating a “Back to the Future” experience. |
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Did you know?
“American cigar production fell to less than 1,000 factories (971 registered) by 1954 and only 477 in 1961.
