Cigars, Cigar Information and where to find Premium Cigars, Discounted Cigars and even Cheap Cigars

THE BEST IN FULL-BODIED CIGARS, part V

Into the top ten, plus Steals & Deals from Famous Smoke Shop

Los Angeles, October 21 – One of the joys of doing a tasting of so many different brands of cigars is to find gems which were heretofore unknown, undiscovered and mainly ignored. We found several in our exploration of the medium-to-full and full-bodied group, most of which we have covered already:

• Bucanero Salsa at no. 22
• One Off to no. 15
• Nicarao at no. 13

and a stunning newcomer at no. 6 below. Here’s our fifth installment, from no. 10 to no.6:

No. 10: Arturo Fuente Don Carlos (Dom. Rep.)
This outstanding line offers pleasure from the first puff, with a slow, even burn and a toasty aroma. The flavor is sumptuous, emphasizing a mellow, caramelized flavor that makes you want more. The sweet finish accentuates its obvious class and elegance and makes this brand an icon for quality and satisfaction despite its limited availability and high price.

No. 9: Graycliff Profesionale (Bahamas)
Some smokers really love this brand and some hate it. We appreciated its straightforward power, with an unrestrained and raw flavor of pepper. It’s explosive in the mouth, just dipping into bitterness momentarily before coming back to simply exuberant. It’s a little calmer in mid-course, but even the finish is spiced with a peppery tone to complete its powerful song.

This is not a cigar to enjoy on an empty stomach, or before noon for that matter! It can be too rich for those not suited for such a powerful taste. For those who can tackle it, it’s both an adventure and a merit badge!

No. 8: H. Upmann Vintage Cameroon (Dom. Rep.)
Just the opposite of the Graycliff above. The Vintage Cameroon is mellow, relaxed and even sedate with a courtly demeanor which places it barely in the medium-to-full-bodied category. But it offers the soft, accessible, caramelized flavor that marks it as a winner and invites the next puff. Fans of harsher cigars will dismiss this blend, but its volume of flavor and long finish earn its high ranking.

Fans of H. Upmann will remember that the brand used Cameroon wrappers from its inception on the U.S. market in 1975 until a shortage of that leaf caused the switch to Indonesian-grown wrappers (still used today) around 1990. Altadis USA’s decision to bring back a Cameroon-wrapped version is another “Back to the Future” winner.

No. 7: Joya de Nicaragua Celebracion (Nicaragua)
Introduced by S.A.G. Imports this summer as a lighter alternative to the Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970, we liked the Celebracion much better. This blend offers a marvelous, near-perfect balance of pepper and caramel, with an even, tempered and consistent flavor all the way through. Even with a slightly peppery aroma, this cigar was never overpowering, but always controlled and comforting.

We found the Antano 1970 to be quite good, also, but without the same consistency of flavor throughout and without the elegant balance of flavors achieved in the Celebracion. Although of quality, it was considered, but did not end up being ranked in our top 30.

No. 6: Old Powder Keg (United States)
What? Who? It’s the surprise brand of this tasting. Made in Hazardville, Connecticut with a Honduran wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Costa Rican-grown filler leaves, it’s a darkly-dressed cigar that offers a deep, matted flavor of dark fruit which is sweetened on the finish by the maduro wrapper. Without a hint of spice, the long finish is sweet and satisfying and even the toasty aroma has a note of sweetness.

The taste becomes a little less intense and more caramelized in mid-course, but continues to satisfy. The brand is named for the Hazard Gun Powder Company of Hazardville, which blew up in the 19th Century, but left the town standing. This brand (band shown above) now stands as one to try, especially in the maduro-wrapped version that so impressed us.

Steals and Deals:
We’re updating our Comparison Shopper spreadsheet on our CigarWire subscription service several times a week now, and we now post the date of update for each of the eight top national retailers we chart at the top of the page.

From our friends at Famous Smoke Shop come new opportunities for the savvy cigar buyer this week, including:

• A great opportunity to try the elegant Arturo Fuente Don Carlos line, with five-packs of all sizes available at considerable savings, especially the 5 3/4-inch by 52-ring Double Robusto at $43.95, down from $58.95.

• Same for the celebrated Avo Classic brand, offered in manufacturer’s four-packs from $19.95 to $28.95 for the No. 2, No. 3, No. 5, No. 9 and Piramides sizes.

• Fans of Tony Borhani’s Bahia Gold Maduro series should get their credit cards out with prices reduced to $111.95-119.95 from original levels of $164.95-209.95.

• All sizes of the meaty Estavan Cruz line are on sale at up to $20 off per box, now prices at $66.95-83.95 for boxes of 20.

• The new, light-wrapped versions of Excalibur, called the Royal Sterling, are on sale for $86.95-159.95 the box, down from original pricing of $104.95-192.95.

• A six-pack sampler of the marvelous La Aurora Preferidos - a must-try cigar - is now just $49.95, down from $64.95.

• Oliva “O” Maduros, packed with flavor, in the Ole size (4 3/4x 50) just $89.95, down from $128.95.

Most of these are limited-time offers, so call or visit Famous before Arthur Zaretsky and his mad scientists change everything again!

Coming tomorrow: The top five cigars in our tasting: the creme de la creme!

~ Rich Perelman

Bookmark

Email This

Comments (0) add comment