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| STARS OF THE SHOW VI |
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Page 1 of 2  Tasting and grading the new line-up from Berger & ArgentiLos Angeles, October 9, 2009 – Ask almost anyone who works in the cigar trade about why they like it and they’ll tell you it’s the people. Cigar smokers are, more often than not, a fun bunch and the people in the trade are some of the nicest anywhere. Michael and Albert Argenti certainly fit that description and made a name for themselves with their unique line extensions of well-known brands like El Rey del Mundo, H. Upmann and Por Larranaga for their Miami-based cigar distributorship named Cuban Imports. But in 2009, they shifted gears and entered a new partnership with Cuban Crafters’ master blender Kiki Berger and formed Berger & Argenti to market new blends that stand on their own. In our continuing series of reviews of brands that earned notices at the 2009 International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association show in New Orleans, we decided to check out four of their five lines: two of which are new, one of which has been re-blended and one that was a holdover from 2008: Berger & Argenti Clasico: [Nicaragua: available in 4 sizes] The Clasico is a new blend for 2009, featuring an Ecuadorian-grown, Connecticut-seed “Desflorado” wrapper, Nicaraguan Criollo binder and Nicaraguan-grown fillers. It’s medium-to-full in body and makes an immediate impression on you as it starts with a spicy aroma and hits you with a richly-spiced flavor. If you are a spice addict – and there are plenty of cigar smokers who are – this is an excellent cigar to try because it is all about spice. You’ll feel it on both the tongue and throat and the intensity remains at full blast essentially to the end. There is a minor note of sweetness from the wrapper, but it is quite lost in the sea of spice that washes over you. The Clasico is remarkably balanced and does not overpower you, but if you are not a fan of spicy tastes, this is not the cigar for you. It is well-constructed and burns beautifully, and is quite reasonably priced at $4.50-7.50 each, not including local sales and tobacco taxes. All four shapes are available in Spanish Cedar boxes of 20. Overall grade: A-: Excellent. Berger & Argenti Entubar: [Nicaragua: available in 4 sizes] Here is one of the wildest cigars you will ever see and one which got plenty of double-takes from veterans of the cigar trade when it was formally introduced at the 2009 IPCPR show. The B&A Entubar is named for the old rolling method in which individual leaves residing at the center of the bunch are rolled into what are essentially straw-like tubes and gathered together to create a series of cigar-length tubes that ensure a quality draw. The B&A Entubar takes this a step further, allowing the center filler leaves to protrude beyond the end of the rest of the cigar, sticking out perhaps a quarter of an inch. There’s no mistaking this cigar; there is nothing else like it on the U.S. market and a patent has been applied for. How does it smoke? Pretty well, although you have to take care to light the entire cigar and not just the center leaves that are sticking out at the end. There’s a toasty and spicy aroma to this blend and a full body. |
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Did you know?
“Bauza is not only a premium Dominican brand, but still made in Cuba for domestic consumption only.
