StogieCast.com a cigar Blog for cigar enthusiasts!

Well it’s been awhile since I blogged here.
I’ll explain that in another post sometime…

But all the extenuating circumstances in the world could not stop any cigar blog from posting on this day.

Today the AP is reporting that Castro has resigned.
He will NOT seek or accept another term as Cuba’s “President.”

In the end I doubt this means much for the cigar world.
His brother ain’t much better… and unless/until Castro is dead i doubt anyone will change anything there too much.

Still…
We haven’t SEEN Castro in some time. Just “Official” photos and some writings.
Maybe he’s already dead and this is a big show.

Black Patch “Reserve 2003″ Maduro Caldwell

We found this cigar at a booth on the Kentucky Bourbon Festival Lawn while wandering around on Saturday, and decided to buy one on a whim. Now it gets the full review workup, now lets see if it was worth it:

Size: 5.5″ X 52
Wrapper: Kentucky Broadleaf Sun Grown
Binder: Cibao Olor
Filler: Dominican Republic South Bonao Pilato Cubano, Villa Gonzales Seco, La Vega Carbonell/Havana Seed
Website: http://www.blackpatchcigarco.com/

Appearance: As you can see in the photos above, this is a bit of a rustic looking cigar. It isn’t the smoothest cigar you have ever seen but it is not nearly the worst either. the wrapper is dark like french roast coffee, and equally as oily. Further perusal showed that the cigar was reasonably firmly packed and there did not seem to be any soft spots.

Pre-Light: Clipped very easily with my Credo Synchro Cutter. Nosing this cigar revealed a richness and some tangy notes, as well as a note that resembled charred oak barrels. The prelight draw was just right and revealed notes quite similar to the initial nosing.

Burn/Draw: This is an aspect where this cigar really shines. This cigar burned like a dream, long and slow and cool. the burn line was light and forget, it never really wandered much farther than the photo shown above, and this is a very good thing. The draw was just perfect, forgiving but providing just enough resistance to keep the burn cool. This cigar produced volumes of bright white fragrant smoke (earthy, and oaky with a sweet offsetting tanginess.). As far as the ash is concerned, it was light grey and a tiny bit flaky, but it held as long as I wanted it to.

Flavors: This was one intriguing cigar, where you have to put your preconceptions regarding American Cigar Tobacco aside. One might be tempted to discount a cigar with a wrapper from Kentucky, and this would be a mistake. For the baseline flavors, you have all the basics of any good maduro cigar. There are notes of coffee and earth, chocolate and a tangy note that provides a pleasant counterpoint and keeps the cigar from getting dull. this cigar is medium full in body and medium in strength. There is also some woodiness, and I think that this might be what makes this cigar special.

In most of the cigars I have smoked to this point, when I have mentioned that there was a woody note, it was usually cedar like in nature. That is not the case with this cigar. This cigar has a not that tastes almost exactly like that of toasted oak. Like the oak in bourbon barrels. I wonder if this is intentional, being the wrapper leaf is from Kentucky. Either way, this not definitely lends itself to being a bourbon drinking cigar. Overall this cigar reminds me very much of a richer, more refined version of the Helix Maduro (perhaps a bit stronger and with that fascinating oak note), which if you know me is not a bad thing. In my formative cigar days I went through several boxes of the Helix. Overall if you want a change of pace with your morning coffee or favorite Kentucky Whiskey, try this out. It has given me hope for the possibilities of American grown wrapper leaves from places outside the Connecticut River Valley.

Cigarette sales down 3%, Cigar sales UP 30%

This article was interesting to me … mostly because it said Cigarette sales down 3%, Cigar sales UP 30%
Maybe that means more people are becoming cigar fans.
Maybe that means we’ll hear less about cigars being lumped in with cigarettes
Maybe that means we’ll not be affected as much by these ridiculous smoking bans happening all over?

Federal Cigar Tax threatens us all

Nicaragua objects to U.S. cigar tax

Political maverick, entertainer Kinky Friedman launches cigar line

Possible exemption for cigar bars from the Ohio smoking ban.

Folks I got a message from THE “Cigar Jack” recently.
He’s fired up about a possible exemption for cigar bars from the Ohio smoking ban.

This only makes sense.
And while common sense rarely rules the day in politics it is our duty as citizens and as BOTLs to try and make a difference.

If you are in Ohio please call your local Senators and ask them to support the exemption (SB No 195).

You can get more info on the bill, and get details on who exactly your Ohio Senator check is by following the links Cigar Jack made available in his post.
Check it out here - and if you’re in Ohio don’t miss this opportunity to improve your cigar life.

Oliva Cigar Co. to launch new “stonger” cigar.

Cigar Insider reports that Oliva Cigar Co. is working on a stronger cigar, that will be released to a limited number of retailers.

I think this is great news.
I’m a big fan of the Oliva company and their cigars.
I think they have a great story and some extremely well constructed stogies.
Unfortunately I don’t smoke too many of them because I’m always drawn to my more “full bodied” favorites.
(though the master blend is a thing of poetry)

I had a chance to meet some Oliva reps at local cigar shop a while ago and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
It was clear that they thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the company too.

It’s always nice to see people with a passion doing what they love - the end result being a great product.
I am thrilled at the prospect of a new bolder Oliva.

A company representative will visit each store to give a personal overview of the philosophy of the cigar.
Called Oliva Serie V Ligero Especial, the cigar will be made with top-priming Nicaraguan Habano-seed sungrown
wrapper, with binder and filler grown on company owned farms in Nicaragua.

“We set out to make the fullest-bodied cigar we can make, while still keeping balance,” said Jose Oliva, vice
president of the company, which rolls cigars in Nicaragua.

…

The cigars will come in five sizes, the thinnest of which
will have a 52 ring gauge.

…

Two sizes will also be made in a maduro version using Connecticut-broadleaf wrappers.
Each will be made with a Cuban-style, three-seam cap, a first for the company.

…

The cigars will be released in June, prior to the annual
industry trade show

…

The line will also include a culebra size - a true rarity in
the cigar world today…

Wow!
Maduro… minimum of 52 gauge… June… culebra…
This sounds like a potentially great (and fun) product.

I can’t wait to see / try it.
Only 42 retailers in the USA will carry it - I hope a shop here has one or two.

And to the Oliva company - if your reading this - I’d be happy to review one if you’d like.

Kentucky Cigar Company gains momentum

Now that he’s got a National Sales Director on board he expects to sell 1 Million cigars next year.

“I had no intention of changing what I do for a living until I came down here and smoked one of these cigars,” Lynd said. “That’s when I knew I had to be part of this.”

“It was time Kentucky made a good cigar,” Mobley said.

This decision led Mobley to Texas where three Cubans taught him how to roll cigars. Mobley later went to the Dominican Republic and lived with a family to further his skills in cigar rolling.

He has converted one of his barns into a cigar shop where he stores tobacco he has handpicked from places like Colombia and the Dominican Republic. Mobley also puts a little bit of Kentucky in every one of his cigars.

“You can’t use too much because Kentucky tobacco is so strong,” Mobley said.

“I’m coming up with a wrapper leaf grown here in Kentucky, but it’s too strong right now,” Mobley said. “It won’t be ready until four years down the road.”

CAO Gold Corona

I am baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaack! After a bit of a hiatus, another review for you all!

One might have noticed that over the course of the reviews I have posted, I have generally reviewed Medium to Strong cigars, both in strength and body. Well for a change of pace I thought I would hearken back to the days when I smoked mild cigars, and review a CAO Gold, a rather popular Natural Wrapped Cigar. Here goes:

Appearance: Smooth and tan, not much in the way of veins, and pretty firmly packed. Overall a pretty nice looking stogie.

Prelight: Despite a hiccup by my normally dependable Xikar (needs sharpened maybe?), I was able to correct this stick to a nice clean cut. The prelight draw was acceptable, with tangyness and sweet honey as prelight notes.

Burn/Draw: fabulous. burned razor straight, nice easy draw with just enough resistance to prove worthwhile. The ash was medium grey and mottled and held for a bit more than an inch. Burned just like a well constructed cigar should. See the telling illustration below.

Flavor: there was much more flavor than I expected in this cigar. It was dominated by sweet and tangy notes. Woody notes like maple, sweet ones like honey, and nutty notes like toasted almonds and pecans. Over the last third of the cigar some spice crept in, cinnamon, and way toward the end some pepper. This is a cigar on the mild side of medium, in terms of both strength and body but definitely provides plenty of flavor. Overall this is a fabulous example how being a mildish stogie does not mean you have to be a bland one. Recommended.