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Looking at a San Cristobal de la Habana, La Fuerza, it strikes as a superbly constructed cigar. For people like me, who have often mourned the trend away from genuine quality in favor of sheer production out of Cuba, the look and feel of this robusto extra is not only a welcome surprise but perhaps also a sign that a change is coming… for the good.

I can barely get over how good the wrapper is on these– just oily enough, with the right thickness and consistency–giving the whole cigar a very solid feel and combustion. I find the aromas slightly sweet, reminiscent of light cloves or ginger, with an underlying note of pepper, though not necessarily spicy; and certainly not “hot.”

Lighting up is a surprise; a good one. I suppose I’m just not used to this type deep creamy texture and taste from the classic Habanos. You can tell that the arrival of this puro is a deliberate attempt out of Havana to add yet another “dimension” to the perception of what is classically Cuban.

The cigar is overall on the milder side of medium bodied, the smoke, rich and creamy throughout, and the progression, a subtle one. Light pepper and creamy musk evolve slightly well into the first third to take on some woody and mildly leathery notes. It will intensify well into the last third to take on a much more pronounced leathery profile with dominant woody notes right through to the end.

The finish is surprisingly light, brief and pleasant. I would recommend this cigar to any novice looking for a milder Cuban cigar or to anyone who enjoys a lighter smoke in the morning or early afternoon. It’s certainly not a powerhouse, and can come across as too linear for those of us who may be used to a more complex progression or earthier, darker profile. Yet, overall, I would say that I enjoy the San Cristobal de la Habana, La Fuerza, when the mood strikes.


As much as it has ever been, a visit from the stork is still a moment properly celebrated with a good smoke and a glass of the finest cognac. No, I’m not talking about myself, but a good friend of mine whose family has been enlarged this week. I realize that I have not been spending much time around here lately, but there’s simply no way I would let this occasion pass by without a fitting salute. Plus, let’s be honest, I’ll take any excuse I get!

… and so, out comes a La Aroma de Cuba Monarch and a little nectar I picked up at the Hennessy distillery while on a tour dubbed “Fine de Cognac”. Temperature and humidity fluctuations, due to my most recent move to another country, had left my humidor wanting, but this Aroma de Cuba proved to be a resilient little stick.

The Honduran wrapper is very oily with a pleasant sheen. Aromas of musk, leather and perhaps a little cinnamon are present on the pre-light. These notes, I found, form the core of this cigar, from beginning to end, and a solid base for its evolution as the smoke progresses.

Lighting up quickly and effortlessly with traditional matches this time (after all this is a celebration), the foot lets off a slightly spicy smoke full of the core notes with a very creamy and velvety texture. I was a little surprised at this point, expecting something generally more rustic.

About an inch in, the smoke has a nutty character, like toasted almonds with the underlying musk; a very pleasant combination indeed. By now, I can already predict a more rustic characteristic taking on perhaps around the half way mark. When I say rustic, I mean it in a very positive sense as far as cigars go. I can see that what began with subtlety and finesse will eventually end with a bang.

About half way, the smoke begins to concentrate a little. The aromas seem to come together to produce an espresso like aftertaste following a draw. The intensifying musk and leather from the core, leave behind a taste that reminds me of the old Star Bucks espresso shots I used to sip over ice, way back when they actually offered real espresso.

This profile goes right to the end, leaving a somewhat spicy finish of cedar and musk for a good while. La Aroma de Cuba is clearly not a smoke to be compared to its other cousins from the Ashton line. Its merits make it stand on its own, in a rustic and satisfying way.

I picked up a bottle of Connemara 12 on a recent trip and decided to give it a try right away. In case you haven’t had this before, it is traditional Irish whiskey. What makes it so traditional, you ask? Well, the peat. Need I say more?

Peated whiskey is made from barley that has been kilned over peat fires. Connemara 12 year old peated whiskey hails from Ireland’s Cooley Distillery and has already been awarded several distinguished prizes around the world.

I find this single malt to be very powerful on the nose. What starts as strong peat evolves to more perfumed notes of dried apples and chamomile blossoms. At this point, you know you’re in for a very unique whiskey experience.

The palate is, again, quite unique. There’s a clear evolution from fruit notes to bittersweet spices. First I get something like lyche fruit that goes to nutmeg, almonds, and cedar. There is a very distinguishable undertone that reminds me of banana flavored starbursts. A very smoky cedar finish lingers elegantly for a good while.

I decided to pair this with a lighter bodied cigar, as I thought that anything too pungent might just clash with the strong aromas of the whiskey. I ended up picking up a Davidoff Serie R and it was a great choice. All in all, it was a fine evening.

Having had a good experience with its Vintage 1999 line, I pulled the Graycliff Château Grand Cru from the humidor with good expectations. Being in Europe, it’s hard for me to gauge how popular these cigars really are, since we rarely find non Cuban cigars at our tobacconist, but one thing is clear: Graycliff really does make a great tasting cigar.

Profile wise, in contrast to the Vintage 99, the Château Grand Cru is much nuttier with less darker notes like cacao or caramel. The smoke is dense, creamy and plentiful. I would pair this cigar with a glass of fine Champagne or Alsacian Riesling.

The wrapper is sweet on the nose with obvious notes of red pepper corns and spices. The cigar is rewarding form the start. The first inch or so is chock-full of toasted almond notes with some pepper hints.

You will love the sweet aroma of the Grand Cru. The even burn means no retouching with the lighter, which keeps the aromas pleasant.

The flavor profile evolves past the half way mark toward cedar accompanied by roasted nuts and light spices in the background. These notes stay in place through to the end, with perhaps a small hint of licorice if you take it far enough. The finish consists of sweet wood and nuts.

I recommend the Graycliff Château Grand Cru heartily to everyone. The lack of sheer power means it should be enjoyed by even the novice.

Check it out at Cigars Direct, where I got this lot, and as always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

By the laws of plain economics, raising taxes or imposing tariffs on companies that sell or produce a particular commodity, like cigar manufacturers, immediately results in a price hike of that commodity as companies rush to minimize their losses by passing the cost of the taxes or tariffs onto the consumers.

We saw this last year with the proposed flat $3.00 tax on cigars, which, if it had not been vetoed by the president, would have raised the average price of cigars by no less than $3.00 a stick. So, would anybody please explain the mechanism through which raising taxes on the oil industry or confiscating profits would in effect lower the prices we see at the pump? Arrrgh!

Anyhow, I was getting mildly nauseated as I watched the John McCain town hall meeting on Fox last night and decided it was time tune out the madness and enjoy a good cigar. I needed something of a serious cigar, so I pulled out a Camacho Coyolar Puro Rotshchild.

This cigar in my experience is very solid, with an excellent burn and aroma all the way. It’s certainly potent and has a good profile. I would say that this is one stick that benefits a lot by aging, as it has a lot of potential for evolution.

The Coyolar Puro experience starts with the marvelous wrapper before the light-up. I appreciate the dark aroma or cacao, wood and bittersweet spices. It lights easily, producing a very peppery initial burst of smoke. You know there is power to come right from that first peppery puff. However they achieve this, it’s very well done and extremely appealing.

The pepper would be too much if it did not subside as the cigar progresses; but it does. It evolves as the power picks up and the pepper mellows out into a very classic, old school almost leathery tobacco flavor with bitter spice notes in the background. The aroma has a distinct sweetness to it.

Past the half way mark, the smoke picks up strength again, but pleasantly so. I was so relaxed by now that the eerie moments, during the town hall meeting, in which McCain sounded just like Obama, or worse, didn’t freak me out anymore. The flavor was just too good and solid as usual.

Bitter espresso notes surfaced as the cigar approached the great finale. The aroma stays sweet, and overall the flavor too stays pleasant through to the end; so long as the power isn’t too much for you. I would recommend this as a complement to a good evening meal to any smoke that enjoys a full bodied cigar or one that is transitioning into one. The flavor is superb and should help the transition into fuller blends.