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| FAMOUS NAMES, FIRST-CLASS CIGARS |
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While the creamy and even caramelized taste continues, the spicy notes become more strident and peppery on the finish in the final third of the cigar. This complexity is well balanced and is never aggressive or off-putting, but this is not a cigar for a novice. With its interesting highlights, it is a blend that is best appreciated when you can give it attention. At retail prices ranging from $13-21 each, not including local tobacco and sales taxes, you will certainly want to give it the time it deserves. If you can, stash some of these cigars away for an additional six months or a year; the extra aging might well take some of the edge off the second half and make the Winston Churchill a smoother smoking experience. Overall grade: A-: Excellent. Stradivarius de los Maestros: [Dominican Republic: available in 3 sizes] General Cigar made its foray into the “ultra-premium” segment of the cigar world with the 2007 introduction of the Stradivarius de los Maestros, named after Antoni Straivari (1644-1737), the Italian craftsman whose violins are still considered the finest ever created. The cigars were made with a cache of 15-year-old Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf, combined with a Dominican binder and Dominican, Nicaraguan and Mexican filler leaves. Only about 100,000 can be made annually. With such old leaf being used, one would expect smoothness and grace from this cigar and it delivers. There’s a lightly-spiced aroma and the cigar is medium in body. It offers a calm, but rich and deep caramelized flavor that continues throughout the medium finish. While flavorful, the taste isn’t bright and tangy, but rather sonorous and smooth. It’s also easy to smoke and quite relaxing with a mellow attitude and easy draw. This is not a cigar for a quick smoke and two of the three sizes are 6 3/4 inches or longer. Even the Robusto Major is a little longer than normal at 5 1/2 inches, with a ring gauge of 50. Take your time with the Stradivarius and you will enjoy its relaxed charm. As General’s ultra-premium brand, the Stradivarius line is ultra-premium priced, ranging from $30-34 each. All three sizes – Robusto Major, Lonsdale and Churchill – come in individual wooden coffins inside boxes of 10. It’s a cigar of very high quality that will impress you with its dignity and quality in construction . . . kind of like its namesake’s timeless musical instruments. Overall grade: A: Exceptional.  Henry Clay:[Dominican Republic: available in 6 sizes] Here’s an oldie, but a goodie, known to cigar smokers for more than 100 years. Henry Clay is named for the American statesman (1777-1852) who founded and was the leader of the Whig Party, ran unsuccessfully for President four times and served as Speaker of the House, as Secretary of State and as a U.S. Senator. He grew tobacco, among other crops, on his 600-acre plantation in Lexington, Kentucky and his home still stands today. He reportedly had a tobacco plantation in Cuba as well and the Henry Clay brand was one of the most famous made in Havana at the turn of the 20th Century. It was made in Cuba right up until the nationalization of the tobacco industry in 1960. In the U.S., the brand was revived by Consolidated Cigar Corporation (now Altadis, U.S.A.) and is made at the Tabacalera de Garcia in the Dominican Republic. It’s well-known among lovers of maduro wrappers, since it was made for years in just three sizes, all with extra-dark Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrappers and a not-always-round shape. Today’s Henry Clay is medium-to-full in body and offers a toasty, spicy aroma and the rich, sweet taste that comes with fully-developed maduro wrappers. The taste is caramelized, with just a nip of spice on the finish. Well made, it burns evenly with a long, sweet and slightly creamy finish. The intensity of flavor recedes in the second half, but remains consistent in its approach and the construction and burn are flawless. A mild peppery note near the end signals that it’s time to move on. One of the best aspects of the Henry Clay line is the price: it’s a bargain. Retail prices range from $3.60 up to just $5.00 for the tubed Grande, not including local tobacco and sales taxes. Ol’ Henry may have lost the Presidency, but he’s smokin’, even today! Overall grade: A: Exceptional. There’s a fine line between fame and infamy, but all three of these brands are a credit to the famous men they were named for. Who will be next to be honored with a cigar in their name? Whoever it is, they can only hope that their cigars are as good as these. ~ Rich Perelman CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGCigar Humidors and Cigar Accessories at Humidor Vault! Your online cigar humidor source, with rock-bottom pricing and fantastic customer support!Like sports? Get news and commentary you won’t see in your morning newspaper at TheSportsExaminer.com! Join the examination! A limited amount of classified advertising is available in this space on a weekly basis. For details, call Pat Harris at (213) 365-7965 or inquire by email by clicking here. Have an opinion? You can send it using the “Comment” button below! Don’t forget to register for our drawing for free cigars and accessories! Just click on the “Register & Win” button above; enter today! Looking for a cigar party? Take a look at our exclusive list of hundreds of cigar events across the country, listed by state and date, only on CigarCyclopedia.com!
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Did you know?
“Cigar-making machines were introduced in the U.S. in the 1920s, but were banned in Cuba until 1937.
