"Many cigar brands celebrate the places where they were born-great cigar cities such as Havana and Miami. The Angelenos cigar may be the first to honor a city where cigars are not produced, but enjoyed with gusto and enthusiasm matched nowhere else. I am referring of course to Los Angeles, home of many of the world's most passionate cigar lovers. Countless movie stars, titans of business, musicians, athletes, writers, and politicians call Los Angeles their home. The city's flourishing population exhibits an unmatched love of life, inspired both by the culture that surrounds them and by the natural beauty and idyllic climate of their chosen home. It is no wonder they have so fervently embraced the cigar, a product conceived by artisans, formulated from painstakingly-cultivated natural ingredients, rolled by skilled torcedors using techniques passed down from generation to generation-and unsurpassed in the subtleties and satisfaction of flavor it offers. Every year, I co-host a charity cigar dinner for children in need at Hotel Bel-Air. When I sit down for dinner on the front lawn of Hotel Bel-Air where our charity cigar dinner is held, I am always touched by the passion and enthusiasm of the attendees for cigars and helping the underprivileged children in our communities. Despite the passion and enthusiasm of the Angelenos for cigars, this is the city where many anti-smoking measures have started. We must hold our annual charity cigar dinner on the front lawn because we are not allowed to enjoy our cigars indoors. Furthermore, California has one of the highest state tobacco taxes in the U.S. Angelenos cigars are created to salute the connoisseurs around the world who, despite all these obstacles, continue to enjoy cigars with incomparable passion. We might not like some of the things our governments do, but we must still love our communities and countries. Cigars create camaraderie among us, and I am sure that this world will be a better place if we can share our cigars together. Made with Ecuadorian wrappers and Dominican fillers and binder at Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. in the Dominican Republic, Angelenos cigars combine the smoothness and sophistication of the City of Angels with a touch of the boldness that made the city what it is today." - Keith K. Park, Founder and President: Angelenos - Prometheus - God of Fire - Sencillo.[Source: Angelino Cigar] The cigar feels heavy in hand. The black band is very elegant with embossed silver color A at the middle. Interestingly, though the band is made of paper but it looks like leather band. The wrapper is toffee color, silky smooth, has slight oily sheen with few visible small veins. The cigar has a spongy feel on the surface. It has woody and mild floral, earthy aroma on the foot. The cold draw is open and releases some dry fruity aroma with tea and mild mint notes. The flavor and aroma profile is the combination of wood, earth, dry cracker, eggnog latte coffee, cream, white pepper powder, aromatic cardamom flavors with almond nutty, mild floral, nutmeg aroma at the back. It also has a mild aromatic cinnamon kind of spicy sweetness at the finish. The cigar has mild to medium strength. It is fairly complex with medium finish. The smoke is cool, super smooth and silky. The draw and burn is perfect- sign of rolled in Arturo Fuente's factory. It is a completely relaxing and easy smoke.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican 1/3: It start with a soft touch of wood, earth, dry cracker, white pepper powder flavors with almond nutty aroma at the back. Within few puffs, I am also detecting creamy flavor. The smoke is soft, subtle but very thick. During retrohale the delicate white peppery spiciness through the nose is amazingly pleasant. My entire mouth is full of thick, soft, round smoke. The top of my tongue has a tiny bit of white peppery spiciness, the middle of my tongue can feel the creamy texture smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue is clean. It smokes with elegant silky touch- it has a wonderful mild floral aroma with a mild aromatic cinnamon sweet-spiciness at finish. It also has a underlying creaminess in each puff. This is nothing extraordinary but very pleasant. Ecuadorian grown Connecticut has one advantage over American grown Connecticut wrapper. Somehow the Connecticut bitterness is less powerful and has a slight floral sweetness. The strength is mild, fairly complexity with medium finish. 2/3: The cigar really wakes up at this stage. The strength is mild-medium with strong musky earth, distinctive eggnog latte coffee, cream, white pepper powder, aromatic cardamom flavors with strong almond and nutmeg aroma at the back. There is also the presence of a slight floral note. During retrohale the delicate white peppery spiciness through the nose is stronger but it pleasant. The cigar adds additional two points in complexity at this stage. It also has the mild aromatic mild spicy sweetness at the finish end of each puff. The top of my tongue has a crisp and zesty white peppery spicy zing, the middle of my tongue is mouthful smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue has slight tobacco bitterness. We can't simply avoid the tobacco bitterness with Connecticut unless it has a long age. The underlying creaminess after each puff is still there. The strength is almost medium now but still mild-medium. I am really enjoying it because of its smooth, silky touch. Overall this is a good smoke. Final/3: Until now, the draw and burn have been very impressive. However, I am not detecting any new flavors and aroma. It has more or less 2/3 flavors and aroma profile which is good but at the same time also boring. The strength is still mild-medium. The bitterness increased a little more and the back of my tongue can feel it. However, the smoke is still mouthful with thick and round smoke.
Final thought: This is a good smoke but again nothing extraordinary. With $10+ price tag, the market has many good Connecticut cigars. Most probably I will not buy it again but won't refuse if anyone offers me one to smoke. It is a very relaxing smoke but does not deserve the price tag. If you haven't smoke one then you did not miss anything special. Los Angeles is definitely a great city but the cigar doesn't represent the overhyped marketing. It is not glamorous as the City of Angels.
Thanks Daniel. It took me an hour and 15 minutes but i was smoking slowly. Good observation, the cigar starts with slow burn until 1/3 then it burns fast. BTW, how are you doing...long time no see.
danielzreyes:
Lovely review Rip. Question, how long did it take you to smoke that? I've had a few of the box pressed, and they all smoked really fast.
Thanks Daniel. It took me an hour and 15 minutes but i was smoking slowly. Good observation, the cigar starts with slow burn until 1/3 then it burns fast. BTW, how are you doing...long time no see.
danielzreyes:
Lovely review Rip. Question, how long did it take you to smoke that? I've had a few of the box pressed, and they all smoked really fast.
Been good Rip. Slowed down on posting but I'm still here. Still enjoying your reviews. Still learning the ways of the leaf. Still enjoying this wonderful hobby. Actually, I don't like calling it a hobby. "hobby" is an understatement at this point. To me anyways
Glad to know that you are doing well. I agree it became more than hobby now. I would say it is part of our lifestyle.
danielzreyes:
rzaman:
Thanks Daniel. It took me an hour and 15 minutes but i was smoking slowly. Good observation, the cigar starts with slow burn until 1/3 then it burns fast. BTW, how are you doing...long time no see.
danielzreyes:
Lovely review Rip. Question, how long did it take you to smoke that? I've had a few of the box pressed, and they all smoked really fast.
Been good Rip. Slowed down on posting but I'm still here. Still enjoying your reviews. Still learning the ways of the leaf. Still enjoying this wonderful hobby. Actually, I don't like calling it a hobby. "hobby" is an understatement at this point. To me anyways
Regius Cigar Company that originally started selling non-Cuban cigars across the United Kingdom and Europe then recently started selling the cigars over in the United States. Few stores carry them because still the brand is not very well known. I heard many nice things about the bands and got a box from the owner through a friend. I smoked couple of this cigar before and I enjoyed them each time. It is a Nicaraguan puro. These are rolled in Placensia factory in Esteli Nicaragua. They come in four different vitolas and each of them has different blends. They also make another cigar comes with an additional white band- Regius White Label. These are rolled in Manuel Queseda's MATASA factory in the Dominican Republic.
The Latin Regius denotes of a ‘King’. We present you a regal smoking experience: to enjoy a hand-made King of Cigars. Gaius Petronius Arbiter (AD27) was a Roman writer and courtier for Emperor Nero who devoted himself to a life of pleasure. Yet far from being an ordinary, vulgar profligate, he became known as an accomplished voluptuary. Showing capacity for outrageous indulgence, he was looked upon by Nero to be the absolute authority on questions of taste (arbiter elegantiae), especially with the science of alchemy. In his memory we bring you ‘Regius’. The alchemy of cultivating and blending the finest aged tobacco to achieve the best possible taste, an even burning quality and elegant aromas. We invite you to be arbiter elegantiae, the judge of elegance, of our beautifully hand crafted and flavoursome creations. Grandido: This cigar is a versatile, medium bodied blend for those long afternoons and evenings. Perfect with your favorite wine or spirit, it achieves a delicate combination of complexity and a satisfying balance to fulfill even the most discerning of palates.
Robusto: This cigar is a more full-bodied creation and is consistent with being the preferred vitola of true cigar aficionados. The taste is perfectly smooth and the smoke lingers on the palate creating a beautiful, rich aftertaste.
Corona: This cigar has a light medium body. A charming accompaniment to the taste of coffee, it has a sweet aroma and creamy texture.
Lord Madse: This cigar has a light body, aimed at those who prefer a subtle taste and aroma. It has an elegant flavour, with hints of coffee and hazelnut overtones. The cigar is named in honour of a cigar loving ‘elegance arbite.[Source: Company site and other on-line cigar Journals] The cigar has a beautiful light brown color wrapper, slight oily sheen with few visible long veins. It has hay, barnyard aroma. The cold draw is perfect- not so tight or not so loose. It has mild cocoa, hay elements with honey like sweetness on the lips. The flavor and aroma profile is a combination of wood (oak), earth, leather, cocoa powder, cream, chocolate, mild aromatic cinnamon, coriander powder spice, medium black pepper spice flavors with nutty, sweet raisin, bay leaf, cardamom, mild floral aroma at the back. The sweetness of the cigar is more like brown sugar and caramel-molasses. The complex sweetness of this cigar is amazing. The draw is perfect with slight uneven burn. It is straight a medium bodied cigar and super smooth. The cigar is very complex with balanced flavors, aroma and long finish. Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Rosado
Binder: Nicaragua
Fillers: Nicaragua 1/3: It starts with rich oak, earth, leather, cream, cocoa powder and mild chocolate flavors- yam! The smoke is intense from the start. Within few puffs the cigar also releases medium black pepper flavor with nutty, sweet raisin aroma at the back. There is also a brown sugar like sweetness after each puff. The smoke is very smooth and soft to the palate. During retrohale the mild black peppery spiciness through the nose is simply amazing. I am enjoying it from the first puff. The smoke is very creamy, thick and smooth. The top of my tongue has super mild black peppery spicy feel, the middle of my tongue is full of creamy smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue is clean. At the end of the 1/3, the cigar is concentrating to more aromatic spiciness with underlying changing sweetness between brown sugar-mild caramel-molasses. This is extraordinary complexity in sweetness. The cigar is well balanced with complex flavors and aroma with long finish. 2/3: Interestingly, the 1/3 flavor and aroma profile is there but I am also detecting dark chocolate(sometime feels like milk coffee), mild aromatic cinnamon and coriander spice powder with distinctive nutty, sweet raisin and mild floral aroma at the back. I have to mention that the floral aroma is quite rich. There is also rich caramel-molasses sweetness after each puff. The cigar gets three additional points in complexity here with changing flavors, aroma and the sweetness. This is a wonderful smoking experience. Few cigars can hold into full 1/3 flavor profile and add additional new flavors, aroma and sweetness like this. The top of my tongue has the medium black peppery spiciness, the middle of my tongue is full of creamy, round smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue has a mild tobacco bitterness. The retrohale has the amazing mild black peppery spiciness through the nose. I cannot say the overall complexity is extreme but it is definitely well balanced with layers and layers of flavors and aroma. Again, the complex sweetness of the brown sugar-caramel-molasses is very unique and enjoyable. I always say that a well-balanced medium bodied cigar helps us to concentrate to enjoy the complex flavors, aroma, background notes and the elements. This is one of those cigars. Final third: The final third starts with weak 1/3 but richer 2/3 flavors and aroma profile but the boosting complexity is coming from the aroma and sweetness rather than the flavors. The 2/3's dark chocolate (sometime milk-coffee), aromatic cinnamon, coriander spice powder is more upfront with richer nutty, sweet raisin, aromatic cardamom, floral aroma. There is also a new bay leaf kind of aromatic element at the back. The sweetness has four layer elements of brown sugar-caramel-molasses and rich sweet raisin. This is definitely extremely complex in aroma and sweetness at this stage. If you are familiar with Indian aromatic Chicken Korma Curry- the taste of this cigar is like that. In Korma Curry, the chicken meat pieces are coated with thick Greek yogurt or cream with additional 11 aromatic spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, coriander, saffron, black mastered seed, Fenugreek, cumin, black pepper pods, graham masala). This cigar reminds me of the aromatic Chicken Korma Curry. On top of that the multi-layers of complex sweetness are simply amazing. The cigar is very well balanced with complex flavors and aroma and long finish.
Final thoughts: I understand why some people compare it with Cuban taste because of its aromatic spice and mild floral notes. But in reality, the Cuban cigars rich fruity-floral aroma is more complex and upfront. However, in my opinion this is not an alternate of Cuban cigar but this is definitely the Non-Cuban cigar which tastes as close as to a Cuban cigar I have ever smoked. However, at the same time I do not like to compare it this way rather than enjoy its unique taste. The Cubans cigars are not cheap in Europe but the current on-going economic crisis in Europe is pushing some smokers to find some alternative of Cuban cigars. Regius has the softer Cuban like strength and some aromatic touch. The price of this cigar is moderate and also extremely competitive. I understand why the owner marketed a cigar like this in the United Kingdom where the tobacco tax is very high. I highly recommend this cigar, as well as for a box purchase. I am glad to have a full box of 25. This cigar does not require further aging. More aging will lose some aroma, background notes and some sweet elements. Overall, this is an excellent smoke with excellent value. You should not miss it.
I was just telling Doc how awesome these were. This is an awesome smoke IMO, can't wait to try the matasa. I talked to Ahkil the other day, he's in Nica right now. He's a good dude and I like his vision.
Regius is a great smoke and under rated. I want to ask the owner why he is not pushing hard to the US market. The complexity in aroma and sweetness of this cigar is extraordinary. Do you know who is selling the MATASA line in the US? Maybe I should try to get it directly from Ahkil through my friend. Ahkil came to Managua and met my friend recently but i couldn't go for an urgent commitment. Do you still need the original Regius?
catfishbluezz:
I was just telling Doc how awesome these were. This is an awesome smoke IMO, can't wait to try the matasa. I talked to Ahkil the other day, he's in Nica right now. He's a good dude and I like his vision.
Regius is a great smoke and under rated. I want to ask the owner why he is not pushing hard to the US market. The complexity in aroma and sweetness of this cigar is extraordinary. Do you know who is selling the MATASA line in the US? Maybe I should try to get it directly from Ahkil through my friend. Ahkil came to Managua and met my friend recently but i couldn't go for an urgent commitment. Do you still need the original Regius?
catfishbluezz:
I was just telling Doc how awesome these were. This is an awesome smoke IMO, can't wait to try the matasa. I talked to Ahkil the other day, he's in Nica right now. He's a good dude and I like his vision.
I've got Doc picking some up for me. I can send Akhil a message to reach out to you if you want. I have his number there, but would want to ask him first out of respect. My guess is he will call you immediately lol. That's what he did to me. Let me know, and I'll reach out to him. You can PM me your number if you want as well and I'll give it to him.
The MATASA line and the original black band are being distributed by SAG imports. From what he told me, he really just opened up everyone he could at first, and looking back wants to concentrate on serious tobacconists. They are doing really well in Texas and the East coast apparently where the cigar culture is a bit different then CA. They are really doing well in the Euro market as well. His take on cigar politics and shops in general is spot on bro, you will appreciate his conversation. He is also a huge food and spirits fan as well.
Good to know that he is a huge fan of food, spirit and cigars like me. He is friend with one of my colleague at work . Sometime people do not want to open up with us for the nature of our job. My friend told me, he saw him at the airport and he is going to UK. He will be back to Nica in June. I am going to PM you with my cell number. He seems like a interesting guy to meet.
catfishbluezz:
rzaman:
Regius is a great smoke and under rated. I want to ask the owner why he is not pushing hard to the US market. The complexity in aroma and sweetness of this cigar is extraordinary. Do you know who is selling the MATASA line in the US? Maybe I should try to get it directly from Ahkil through my friend. Ahkil came to Managua and met my friend recently but i couldn't go for an urgent commitment. Do you still need the original Regius?
catfishbluezz:
I was just telling Doc how awesome these were. This is an awesome smoke IMO, can't wait to try the matasa. I talked to Ahkil the other day, he's in Nica right now. He's a good dude and I like his vision.
I've got Doc picking some up for me. I can send Akhil a message to reach out to you if you want. I have his number there, but would want to ask him first out of respect. My guess is he will call you immediately lol. That's what he did to me. Let me know, and I'll reach out to him. You can PM me your number if you want as well and I'll give it to him.
The MATASA line and the original black band are being distributed by SAG imports. From what he told me, he really just opened up everyone he could at first, and looking back wants to concentrate on serious tobacconists. They are doing really well in Texas and the East coast apparently where the cigar culture is a bit different then CA. They are really doing well in the Euro market as well. His take on cigar politics and shops in general is spot on bro, you will appreciate his conversation. He is also a huge food and spirits fan as well.
La Gloria Cubana is the name of two premium cigar brands, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and other produced in the Dominican Republic and Miami, Florida by El Credito Cigar Company for General Cigar Company, now a subsidiary of Swedish Match. La Gloria Cubana was sold to General Cigar Company by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo in 1999 for an undisclosed sales price. HISTORY: The La Gloria Cubana brand was created in 1885 by the Sociedad Cabañas y Castro, then bought twenty years later in 1905 by José F. Rocha, who manufactured the brand from his factory at 364 Miguel Street in Havana. After Rocha's death in 1954, the Cifuentes family bought both La Gloria Cubana and Bolivar from Rocha's former company. Production was moved to the Partagás Factory, where it's still produced today, and became very popular as an export brand. After the Revolution, it seems that production of La Gloria Cubana ceased for several years, until around 1965 when the brand was apparently resurrected at the Partagás Factory. It is produced in smaller quantities than other brands and maintains its popularity with connoisseurs, the Médaille d'Or No. 2 being a particularly prized vitola. La Gloria Cubana also produces two machine-made cigarillos: the Mini and the Purito.
Vitolas in the La Gloria Cubana Line:
Hand-Made Vitolas
Médaille d'Or No. 1 - 7¼" × 36 (184 × 14.29 mm), Delicado Extra, a long panatela
Belux No.1(Belux(Belgium and Luxembourg) 2011) - 5.5" × 52 (140 × 52 mm) Genios, Robusto Extra
LCDH Exclusives:
Inmensos (2010) - 6.5" × 54 (164 × 54 mm) Sublimes, Double Robusto La Gloria Cubana is a little known jewel amongst Habano brands. Nevertheless it enjoys a long history. Founded in 1885, its name alone clearly defines its origin. For over a century it has attracted a small but loyal following amongst the most knowledgeable smokers. The brand is characterized by its elegant presentation, especially in the Medaille d’Or Series. All the cigars are ‘totalmente a mano, tripa larga’ – totally handmade, long filler cigars. The blend, made from tobaccos grown in the Vuelta Abajo region, is classified as medium and offers well-balanced nuances of taste and aroma. Now, the introduction of the exclusive and highly appreciated vitola Sublimes offers the possibility to taste the characteristic flavor of the brand. Only 5,000 boxes have been made exclusively aimed at Las Casas del Habano franchise stores. Each box contains 10 cigars. [Source: Wikipedia and LCDH site] The wrapper has dry look, smooth, caramel color with no visible veins. The cigar feels solid in hand with perfect cosmic look. The wrapper has barnyard, freshly cut wood, hay and wonderful tobacco sweet aroma. The cold draw has mild touch of tobacco, cedar and hay aroma on the foot. The flavor and aroma profile is the combination of cedar, white pepper, earth, cocoa, tea, cream, chocolate and coffee flavors with cardamom, cashew nut and medium signature Cuban rich floral/fruity aromas at the back. It has wonderful white sugar sweetness. The smoke is rich, creamy, round and mouthful. The entire smoke is smooth as silk. It is a very complex cigar with creamy layers of flavors and aroma, balanced with long finish. The retrohale is so easy because of the smoothness. The strength is medium. It has a perfect draw with perfect burn. Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Fillers: Cuba 1/3: The cigar starts with mild strength. Usually Cuban La Gloria Cubana cigars are known for their medium-full bodied strength but this is very mild. It started with sweet cedar, musky earth, strong cocoa powder and earthy black tea flavors. I am detecting medium signature Cuban fruity-floral aroma at the back. There is also a clean but sharp white sugary sweetness to it. The smoke is completely creamy and smooth. There is no harshness. The special Casa del habano release cigars are rolled with at least two years of aged tobacco. This cigar was released in 2010, until now it has four years aging in it. When I first smoked it in 2011, there was some bitterness to it. At the end of 1/3 I am also detecting thick cashew nut aroma at the end with strong sugarcane sweetness at the finish. Nice twist in complexity. The top of my tongue is clean, the middle of my tongue is filled with creamy smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue is completely clean. During retrohale I am really enjoying the white peppery delicate spiciness through the nose. The strength is mild to medium at this stage. The draw and burn is perfect. I would say it has a first class start from the beginning. 2/3: The cigar’s complexity improved with newly added flavors and open up with medium coffee and chocolate flavors. The Cigar is straight medium bodied now. The full 1/3 flavor profile is there with added medium coffee and chocolate flavors. What a wonderful twist in complexity of flavors! The smoke is even creamier, round and mouthful with smooth texture. The finish is nice and long with a touch of thick creaminess (almost like melted buttery). The cashew nut aroma also has a thick layer of aromatic cardamoms twist. The fruity-floral aroma is stronger but still not robust. The clean white sugary sweetness is more intense at the finish. The retrohale still has the delicate white peppery spiciness through the nose- Wow! This cigar deserves three additional points in complexity of flavors and aroma. At the end of 2/3 the sugar sweetness is crispier. The strength is still straight medium with creamy texture. The top of my tongue is still clean, the middle of my tongue literally filled with thick cream with above flavors and aroma and the back of my tongue has no harshness. I can even inhale the smoke now. The performance of this cigar is amazing with extreme complexity and long finish. I just took a sip of cold water just to clean my palate a little to identify more background notes. I am detecting a mild nutmeg kind of aroma. I can write a book about the smoothness of this cigar. Final/3: The cedar, earthiness ramp up with distinctive coffee flavor at this stage. It has a more tastiness with strong roasted nut aroma. The wonderful cashew nut aroma is more like a flavor at this stage with sharp and crispy white sugar sweetness at the finish. While I am describing the twist in flavors and aroma, the 2/3's flavors and aroma profile is still there but at the back. This is still super complex. The peppery spiciness is more like black: white (50:50) on the tongue but the retrohale through the nose has the delicate white peppery bite. I am also detecting a layer of thick cream flavor with mouthful, silky and smooth texture. The finish is very long. The top of my tongue has a super mild peppery bite; the middle of my tongue is covered with creamy texture with above flavors and aroma. The back of my tongue is still clean. The entire time of the smoke, I couldn't feel any bitterness or harshness. I am partially inhaling the smoke because of the nutmeg aroma. The coffee flavor is more like a creamy Cappuccino. I haven't smoked such a smooth Cuban cigar with four year of age for a long time. This is absolutely a wonderful smoking journey with super complexity and long finish. My entire mouth is filled with cream, layers and layers of above flavors and aroma. The white sugary sweetness is very sharp and crisp. The strength is medium-full now. Until now the cigar's draw and burn have been perfect. I have to mention one weakness about this cigar- the signature Cuban fruity-floral aroma was medium the entire time of smoke. With this minor lack of traditional aroma this is a top quality smoke.
Final thought: I got a box of 10 of this cigar from my last trip to Cuba. Now I am thinking it was a mistake for not buying another box. Most of the quality cigars improve with aging, specially the Cubans but this cigar aged far better than my expectation. When I smoked it in 2011, it was definitely a different cigar. The improvement is more than the 2010 Behike I just smoked yesterday. I am not saying that this cigar is better than Behike but this cigar performed better in terms of four years of ageing. I highly recommend this cigar. The good news is, La Glroa Cubana brand is a slow sell item and I am sure still some boxes are out there. I am not a huge La Gloria Cubana cigar fan but this is the best La Gloria Cubana cigar I have ever smoked. The non- Cuban LGC cigars never attracted me. I have never been a fan of E.P Carillos blends. Also NC LGC cigars are not even close to Cuban LGC. I need to do some serious research about the source of this tobacco because it has a different feel compares to other Cubans. This is a must try for the Cuban cigar lovers.
Zino's Crown series is an expensive cigar. Initially, the target group was the successful professional and also the upcoming younger jetsetter who enjoy urban lifestyle and also looking for high life with moderate price. The second group simply didn't find the Crown series price very wallet friendly. So Zino came up with the Z class, four sizes (Toro, Pyramid, corona and robusto) with moderate price line. However, the blend remains medium-full bodied for both Crown and Z class. This cigar was also designed mainly for the US market. In celebration of the ten-year anniversary of Zino Platinum, the brand has produced a premium collector’s edition set of four custom boxes in collaboration with urban artists UR New York. Dubbed “The Make”, this collector’s edition celebrates the self-made man and his success, as well as ten years of redefining cigars and a new generation of cigar smokers. Zino Platinum, an ultra-premium cigar brand, introduced the ZP Ten New York Collector’s?Edition featuring urban art by URNY and Zino Platinum Ten Salomones.?In commemoration of the tenth anniversary, Zino Platinum had unveiled two limited editions, both accented by a brand new blue and black band and unique packaging. The?ZP Ten New York Collector’s Edition, feature a Nicaraguan Rosada wrapper, Dominican Piloto binder and Dominican and Peruvian filler tobaccos, the Toro is a full-bodied cigar. Available in a 10-count box, the Collector’s Edition boxes feature four custom graffiti-inspired pieces created by UR New York, an urban artist collective who have redefined themselves and the landscape that surrounds them. Limited to 500 pieces each, “the artwork adorn four different collector’s edition boxes,” said Richard Krutick, Davidoff’s head of marketing. “The collection is inspired by the innovators, the risk takers, the mavericks—those who capture the spirit of Zino Platinum.” The Collector’s Edition offers in a unit of 4?boxes with one of each design included. The second format, Zino Platinum Ten Salomones, comes in at 7 ¼” x 57 and is available in a 64-count acrylic cube featuring black matter rubberized accents. The majestic Salomones format is a spectacular indulgence for the aficionado of Nicaraguan tobaccos. The ZP Ten New York Collector’s Edition cigars were released on August 2012. For full review please click at:
Following the global success of the first limited edition, launched in 2012 for the ten-year anniversary of Zino Platinum, again in 2013, Zino Platinum has teamed up for the second time with the urban artist collective UR New York. Capturing the same maverick spirit of Zino Platinum Brooklyn based, Mike Baca aka 2ESAE and Fernando Romero aka SKI originally joined forces with the goal of transforming the perception of street art and have become successful international artists. The dynamic New York duo went to work on the collector’s edition Zino Platinum boxes with the same passion and artistry that brought them success in their professional art career. This limited release of only 750 sets of 4 boxes appeared on retailer’s shelves on May 15th with a kick off event in New York City, supported by an eight week east coast US Tour featuring the ZP Mobile Lounge. “This special collector’s edition perfectly illustrates what Zino Platinum represents, self-expression. New York is a city that inspires self-expression like no other and we are thrilled to pay homage with this limited edition cigar to the pioneers that continue to disrupt the status quo.“ states Scott Kolesaire, Zino Platinum Brand Manager. Zino Platinum Collector’s Edition 2013: The Make of New York” which celebrates the four pillars of self-expression. The result is a collector’s edition which celebrates the four pillars of self-expression:
FASHION – THE THREAD OF THE CITY| FOOD – THE FLAVOR OF THE CITY | MIXOLOGY – THE SPIRIT OF THE CITY and MUSIC – THE PULSE OF THE CITY. [Source: Zino Press Release and my personal conversation with one of Davidoff’s marketing executive] It is a Perfecto shaped gorgeous cigar. The milk chocolate smooth wrapper has some reddish hue and little visible veins. It has a dry wood scents with a slight vanilla sweetness to the foot. I love a well-balanced, flavorful and complex perfecto shape cigar because it allows me to enjoy the intensity of a cigar with smaller ring gauge and then slowly opens up its full flavor and aroma with each puff. The cigar has an impressive complex twit. The flavor profile is the combination of musty earth, cedar wood, vanilla, white pepper, milk chocolate, mocha, aromatic cardamom spice with hints of citrus, toasted nut and slight flowery aroma at the back. There is also a honey like sweetness after each puff at the finish. It has some similarities with Zino Davidoff Chubby Platinum Crown Series. I would recommend this cigar to smoke in the morning with clean palate. This way you can enjoy the full flavor and the aroma. The cigar has perfect construction and burn evenly all the way from head to foot. The flavor-aroma profile is well balanced with medium-long finish. It is smooth and the strength is medium to full. Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut Rojiza
Binder: Dominican Olor/Piloto
Filler: San Vincente Viso, Piloto Viso, Criollo Viso und San Vincente Mejorado Viso 1/3: First puff opens up with clean smoke with signature Kelner musty earth, cedar wood, mild white peppery spicy flavors and toasted nutty aroma at the back. It has a smooth finish. The top of my tongue can feel the white pepper spice. Interestingly the middle of tongue has a distinctive citrus feel. There is a mild tobacco aftertaste which is close to mild harshness at the back of my tongue but not unpleasant. This cigar needs some rest. I am retrohaling from the first puff and the subtle and delicate white peppery spiciness through the nose is amazing and very enjoyable. It is smooth, round and balanced. The draw and burn is perfect. It is straight medium bodied with balanced flavors and aroma and long finish. I am having a slight tingly feeling around my mouth which compliments the citrus feel with a nice twist of a crispy bite. I am surprised with the early tingly feeling because usually it comes at the 2/3. Overall this is a very good start. 2/3: At this stage the cigar takes off from medium to medium-full body but again still smooth and round. The flavor profile taken over by distinctive milk chocolate, vanilla, subtle aromatic cardamom flavors with a hint of citrus and nutmeg aroma at the back. There is also a nice toasted nutty and super mild floral element at the back. This is quiet complex with long dry finish. The top my tongue can feel robust white pepper spiciness and middle of my tongue is enjoying round and mouthful texture with vanilla, toasted nutty notes. The harshness level increased a little more at the back of my tongue. This cigar definitely need some age because now it is little unpleasant. I can still retrohale and enjoy the white peppery spiciness through the nose. However, still it is quiet smooth but I am looking for Davidoff quality creamy smoothness. At the end of 2/3 the cigar took a 90 degree turn in complexity with strong citrus aroma and thick honey like sweetness after each puff. This sudden twist is keeping me busy and giving me a crispy, tingly feeling to my palate. The mild harshness at the back of the tongue also scaled down and it is very smooth and creamy now. This is awesome! I will add two additional points here for the twist of the complexity of this cigar at this stage. Final/3: At this stage, I am completely floating on a smooth, round and flavorful world. The power is constantly coming and going in-between medium to full body. I always enjoy this playful strength in a cigar. The milk chocolate flavor is more like mocha flavor with a tiny touch of cream at the back. Again the complexity adds another point here. The cigar is fuller and rounder with the full 2/3 flavor and aroma profile with additional creamy mocha flavor. The crispy citrus and toasted nut aroma is stronger with thick honey sweetness at the finish of each puff-Yammy! The cigar is smooth as silk now and the harshness is completely gone. It is performing in its optimum level as a Limited Edition release. It is extremely complex at this moment. In addition of the 2/3 and final/3 flavors, the aroma is concentrating into a citrus-nutty aroma ball which is surrounded with a thick creamy honey sweet shield. I don't know if my description makes any sense or not. All I can say is, I am extremely enjoying the smoke. This is the reason why we love Davidoff and anxiously wait for their limited release cigars. My entire mouth is full of tingly feeling with above ever changing complexity of flavors and aroma with long finish. The cigar is medium-full in strength.
Final thoughts: This has been a great smoking experience. However, this cigar needs some age. At the 2/3, I was indeed little disturbed with the increasing harshness at the back of my tongue. At the same time I can say this with confidence that with a year age- this is going to be a perfect smoke. My friend from Davidoff told me that whenever they work on a Limited Edition, the blender gete the freedom and access to their aged tobacco vault to play with the blend. He also mentioned that Davidoff will not make more and more bold and full bodied cigars. The first Zino Platinum Ten Collector Edition was full bodied and some smokers complained about it. As a result this second edition reduced the power which is very true. I would like to thank Davidoff for listening to us because we like you for your medium bodied cigar with smooth full flavor and aroma. Finally, I highly recommend this cigar to all the Davidoff lovers. At the same time I would also say that if you can age it a little longer then you will be rewarded. Have a great day!
The owner William C. Paley, known as ‘Little Bill’ to differentiate him from his father, was also the grandson of Harvey Williams Cushing, the noted Boston neurosurgeon and the father of brain surgery. Bill never knew the good doctor, as he had passed away in 1939. His middle name pays tribute to his Cushing ties. It is worth noting before going into the tobacco in Bill Paley’s DNA that his mother, Babe, was one of three Cushing sisters, all of whom figured in ‘society’ for the longest time. Aunt Betsey, the middle sister, was wife of James Roosevelt, the son of Eleanor and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She later married John Hay Whitney, President Eisenhower’s Ambassador to Great Britain, Publisher of the International Herald Tribune, and a formidable society figure himself. The eldest sister, known as ‘Minnie’, was married to Vincent Astor. Bill Paley, the Paley of this story, had a few brushes with higher education before deciding it wasn’t for him. He joined the United States Army in 1968 and wound up being a Military Cinematographer in Vietnam. After his tour of duty there, the Army transferred him to duty at the Pentagon, where he began his unrequited love affair with the city of Washington, D.C. Currently, he is a philanthropist and involves with many charitable organizations based in Washington DC and NY. He also opened the Samuel Paley Park in NYC, dedicated to the cigar lovers where they can sit, relax and smoke a cigar. It is very difficult to smoke a cigar in an open area in NYC now days. They want to stick with the core line to maintain the qualityand the consistency. So far they only use to roll their cigars in three famous factories Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubana factory of Danlí, Honduras ,Graycliff in Bahama and El Titan de Bronze factory in the Little Havana, Miami. Goldie Drell Paley, the namesake of our brand, was the wife of Sam Paley, who in 1896 founded La Palina Cigars. To celebrate the history, contributions and accomplishments of women in the cigar industry, we are proud to release the La Palina Collection Goldie. ¬The Goldie is a limited 1000 box release. Produced at the El Titan de Bronze factory in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, the Goldie is made under the supervision of owner Sandy Cobas. The entire collection has been rolled in the Laguito No. 2 vitola (6×38) by master roller Maria Sierra. Maria is one of the ?rst women trained to roll cigars in Cuba. Her historic 32 year career at Villa El Laguito began July 22, 1967. Maria is a 95 rated, category 9 roller trained by Fidel Castro’s personal roller Eduardo Rivera Irizarri, as well as Avelino Lara, the creator of the legendary Cohiba blend. Each cigar is ?nished in the traditional Laguito style with a fan cap, exclusively taught to rollers at Villa El Laguito. The Goldie is blended with the prized Medio Tiempo leaf, found on only 10% of tobacco plants. After the great success of La Plania Laguito no. 2 last year, Bill is proud to present the initial release of the new Goldie in May 2013, with a second release in August of 2013. The La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 will be limited to 2500 numbered boxes. Produced at the El Titan de Bronze factory in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, the Goldie is made under the supervision of owner Sandra Cobas. The La Palina Goldie Laguito No.5 will be a 5 5/8 x 54 cigar and presented in boxes of 10. Master roller Maria Sierra, signed each numbered box, rolled the entire La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 release. Each cigar is finished in the traditional Laguito style with a fan cap, exclusively taught to rollers at Villa El Laguito. The Goldie is blended with the prized Medio Tiempo leaf, found on only 10% of tobacco plants. The La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 embodies the tradition, expertise and passion of women in the cigar industry. [Source: La Palina website & various on-line resources] It is simply a beautiful looking double robusto cigar with eye catching La Palina classic band. I can tell La Palina(LP) simply copied Cuban Cohiba Behike 54’s aesthetic look, size and the medio tiempo model. La Palina’s wrapper is lighter than the Behike. The wrapper is light brown, smooth with few light veins. It has slight oily sheen on the surface. I always like triple cap and pig tail in a cigar which indeed reminds me of the Cuban style. It has sweet wood and mild caramel scent at the foot. This cigar is extremely full of flavors with dimensional complex aroma. It has the perfect construction with perfect draw and burn. There are few non-Cuban cigars in the market burns as good as Goldie #2 and #5. It has all the qualities of a great cigar. It has extreme aromatic complexity with long finish after each puff. It is a medium bodied cigar but at the final/3 it is medium-full bodied. The cold draw is perfect- neither loose nor tight. The entire flavor and aroma profile is 98% similar to La Palina Languito No. 2. The only differences are the body and in intensity of smoke. LP no. 2 is straight medium bodied and LP no. 5 is medium to medium-full bodied and less intense. Whenever a cigar increases its size and ring gauge the cigar always loses its intensity. Same thing happened with this cigar but it doesn’t undermine its unique taste rather than provide a different smoking experience. The cold draw has a nice banana-vanilla bread aroma. The flavor and aroma profile is a combination of sweet oak, mild earth, black-white(50:50) pepper spice, spicy leather, banana-vanilla bread, cloves, cardamom, caramel-butterscotch coated toffee, cappuccino, creamy honey, sugar cane sweetness, toasted pine nuts and lots of mix fruits aroma at the back. It is not an easy task to maintain the same flavor, aroma, strength, long finish with balanced complexity. Well, La Plaina did it and this is where La Palina can declare its superior capability of making excellent cigars. In fact, when I was finalizing my review I discovered the notes were same as my review of LP no.2. So it was easy for me to compile the review with 75 percent cut and paste- . Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Ecuador
Fillers: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua 1/3: It starts with a blast of aromatic fruity flavor, aroma and black-white(50:50) spiciness. My mouth is immediately filled with banana-vanilla bread, sweet oak, mild earth and aromatic cardamom flavors with mild rough spicy leathery finish at the back. Within few puffs the rough spicy leather goes away and taken over with banana-vanilla bread finish. There is also clean but sharp sugar cane sweetness at the end which I am really enjoying. I am puffing the cigar very slowly and retrohaling end of each puff-ultimate method to enjoy a medium bodied flavorful cigar. The top of my tongue has the spiciness of black-white pepper, the middle of my tongue is full of honey like creaminess with round and thick smoke, the back of my tongue has a slight tobacco bitter harshness but it gets balanced very nicely with a layer of clean sugar cane sweet aftertaste. The retrohale has the amazing cardamom aromatic spiciness through the nose. However, at the same, I cannot say that the back of my tongue is completely clean. A little aging will fix this bitter harshness. I am very confident with my statement because now when I smoke La Palina Goldie no. 2 after a year ago, I do not feel the bitter harshness. How many non-Cuban cigars can release so many flavors and aroma atthe 1/3? Only few cigars like the La Palina Goldie series can. The smoke is very smooth, buttery, round, mouthful and complex with long finish. I already have a little tinglyness in my mouth. Interestingly, at the end of 1/3 the cigar remains straight medium. The LP Golidie #2 was mild to medium at this stage. Anyway, it is a flawless cigar with a perfect start. 2/3: the second third continues the flavorful journey with a little change in the flavor profile. In fact, it adds additional flavors and aroma. The strength is still straight medium. I am detecting strong cappuccino coffee, caramel-butterscotch coated toffee with toasted pine nuts aroma at the back. The 1/3 full flavor and aroma profile is still there with distinctive banana-vanilla bread next to it. It is so flavorful that it invites me to puff more often. All the 1/3 and 2/3 flavor and aroma profile is there. They just simply come and go with ever changing complexity. I love with LP Goldie series. I am amazed to see how the blender maintained the same flavor profile in a different size and ring gauge. Great job La Palina! The top of my tongue has more clove kind of aromatic spiciness with a slight touch of black- white peppery spiciness. It changes very quickly with each puff. It is not easy to keep track of different spiciness at this stage. The finish has a combination of creamy honey and clean sugar cane sweetness. The sweetness is pretty sharp which gives a nice crispy feeling in the palate. The middle of my tongue is full of all the above flavors and aroma with super long finish. The back of my tongue still has a mild bitter harshness at this moment. It wasn't there in LP Goldie #2. Maybe the size and the additional amount of tobacco though I am not completely sure about it. The retrohale still has the aromatic cardamom spiciness through the nose. At the same time also feels the aromatic clove kind of spiciness. How can I keep track of all the changes? This is an awesome smoke. I also noticed that the cigar is burning little quickly but I am not rushing the puff at all. One reason cab be the aged tobacco which lost additional oil from the aged tobacco leaf. Another difference is the robust floral notes are more distinctive and noticeable at this stage. I love the floral element in any cigar. This is a reason why I am a huge fan of Cuban cigars. Though for the larger ring gauge the intensity is less but it also releases more smokes with larger ring gauge. It adds an additional chard to the smoke and the flavor-aroma profile. This is a wonderful smoke with long finish. My entire mouth is full of medium tingly feeling - awesome! Final/3: It is hard to believe that still the cigar is holding the full flavor and aroma profile of the 1/2 and 2/3 marks. This is unbelievable how this new cigar maintained the same performance with the previous Goldie #2 release. It has the same dominant fruity and toasted pine nuts finish after each puff. Thoughthe cappuccino, butterscotch toffee flavors are dominating the flavor profile but still other flavors are coming and going with extreme complexity and long finish. The top of my tongue has more clove kind of spiciness. The middle of my tongue is coated with honey, creamy and round texture. The smoke is completely subtle and relaxing. There is no sign of any bitter or harshness at the back. I am retrohaling each puff to enjoy the aromatic cardamom delicate spiciness through the nose. The spiciness through the nose is strong and also gives a side kick of sweet-black pepper at the end. The smoke is creamy, round and mouthful but the sweetness is somewhere in between honey and sugar cane. I never had this kind of sweet feeling in any other cigar, except Goldie #2. Another difference i found at this stage is, during retrohale the aromatic cardamomy spiciness is stronger compares to Goldie #2 but it is very enjoyable. This is a magical smoke, a perfect and typical La Palina style masterpiece. This truly represents excellent quality and the meaning of a true Limited Edition cigar. The cigar truly delivers the exact quality what the company says- no overhype marketing here. This cigar has all the qualities of a good cigar it should have- the flavors, balanced strength with multi layers of aroma, long finish with ever changing super complexity. The twist of complexity is simply top notch and magical. One more difference I found at this stage is- at the end of final/3 the strength is medium to medium-full body. I love this playful strength in a cigar. This is simply a fantastic smoking journey from the start to finish.
Final thoughts: I am having the same issue as Goldie #2 to finish this part because I don't know what to say or how to end my final thought about La Palina Goldie #5. It has been a great almost two hours of smoking journey. The weather in Managua is gloomy like London. This is a sign of a heavy rain. I am sitting in my backyard and lost in a flavorful world. Somewhere a dove is cooing which spreading a relaxing and natural peace in my mind. I am a huge fan of La Palina. They are improving the quality steadily with new blends one after another. Only God knows what they are going to release next. There are only two Non-Cuban cigar makers who are delivering excellent cigars one after another. One is La Palina and another ROOM 101. I can see that they both truely care about their cigars with limited quantity to maintain the quality of cigars. We are experiencing a commercial trend with some of our favorite brands. The result is more and more poor quality cigars with higher price. I do not want to mention any name because at the end the individual smoker is responsible to accept or reject certain brand. I would like to mention this again, La Palina's first limited release was Robusto LImited Edition 1896. After smoking it, I immediately fell in love with this new brand in 2011, after that with Little Bill, LE release Goldie 2 and now Goldiea #5. The owner Bill Paley always believes in medium bodied cigar with full of flavors and aroma. A blender can easily hide the creativity in a heavy and full bodied blend but not in a mild or medium bodied cigar. La Palina is very confident and they keep sticking with medium bodied and releasing more and more cigars each year. La Palina cigars are not cheap but they deserve the money. I did not hesitate to say that La Palina Goldie 2 was the best non-Cuban and the best petit Lancero cigar in 2012. However, I will still wait the IPCPR/2013 to say the same thing for Goldie #5 because we have to wait see what other cigar release during the upcoming largest cigar show. However, I won't hesitate to say that La Palina Goldie #5 is definitely going to be one of the best 2013 release. I will buy couple more boxes and add to my aging project to enjoy this excellent cigar many years to come.
awesome review as always man!! I've smoked the goldie no2 and it was a fantastic smoke! Been on a buying freeze, and been eying the No5's! Just been holding back on em. Your review might change my mind though!
awesome review as always man!! I've smoked the goldie no2 and it was a fantastic smoke! Been on a buying freeze, and been eying the No5's! Just been holding back on em. Your review might change my mind though!
Davidoff is a Swiss luxury tobacco goods brand name, which is carried by a range of products including cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobaccos. Its cigarette brand is currently owned by Imperial Tobacco but the company is otherwise independently owned.
HISTORY:
Zino Davidoff was born on March 11, 1906 in Kiev, Russian Empire and present-day Ukraine. He was the eldest of four children born to tobacco merchant, Henri Davidoff. Even in his own autobiographical writings, the facts on his youth are a bit hazy, as he was quite young during this time and could only piece together some stories of his youth. His parents were either cigar merchants or cigarette manufacturers in Kiev. Fleeing the political turmoil, his parents left some of their family behind and immigrated to Geneva, Switzerland in 1911 for a better life, where they opened their own tobacconist shop in 1912. Finishing school in 1924, Zino went to Latin America to learn about the tobacco trade, spending time in such places as Argentina, Brazil and finally Cuba where he spent two years working on a plantation and first encountered Cuban cigars. Returning to Switzerland around 1930, he took over his parents' shop. What had originally been a modest tobacco shop grew into a rich business during and after World War II. Neutral Switzerland was spared much of the havoc wreaked elsewhere in Europe and became a haven for wealthy tobacco customers. Zino was particularly successful in marketing the Hoyo de Monterrey Châteaux Series of Cuban cigars created for Zurich cigar distributor A Dürr Co. in the 1940s and named after great Bordeaux wines. Around this time, Zino is also credited by many as having invented the first desktop cigar humidor, in order to preserve cigars at the same conditions of humidity and temperature under which they were rolled in Havana. Davidoff also had success writing several books on cigar smoking and Cuban cigar brands. In 1970, Zino sold his small but highly successful tobacco shop in Geneva to the Max Oettinger Company. Zino stayed on as Davidoff’s ambassador until his death in 1994 at the age of 87. He was survived by his wife, a daughter and his three siblings. The Max Oettiger Company, which took over Davidoff, was founded in 1875 and was one of the first importers of Havana cigars to Europe, selling its wares in France, Germany and Switzerland. Headed by the Swiss-born Ernst Schneider, Oettiger paid in excess of $1 million for the Davidoff shop, considered by many at the time to be an exorbitant price. In August 2006, Imperial Tobacco acquired the worldwide Davidoff cigarette trademark from its owners. The Oettinger Davidoff Group owns the worldwide Davidoff trademark for tobacco products other than cigarettes. Davidoff cigars continue to be produced in the Dominican Republic, under the direction of cigar blender Hendrik "Henke" Kelner. Since moving to the Dominican Republic, most of the vitolas were retained, although the Chateaux series was renamed the "Grand Cru" series and the names switched from wine estates names to simply numbers, and the Dom Pérignon was discontinued. Davidoff has also added an Aniversario series, a Millennium series, and a Special series of figurados to its lineup, along with numerous limited edition and yearly special releases. Davidoff also produces a line of cigars known as "Zino" and a line of cigarillos. The Davidoff Masters Edition 2013 Club House Toro, the latest limited-edition cigar from Davidoff. The Club House Toro measures 6 1/4 inches by 52 ring and features a three-year-old wrapper from the Yamasá region of the Dominican Republic. An Ecuadoran binder (classified as "702" by Davidoff) holds a filler blend of Dominican tobaccos that include Piloto and San Vicente varietals. This cigar is crfated with a blend of five tobacco leaves in the filler- 3 Visus and 2 Secos. "Limited editions are like a playground for our master blenders who are free to use very rare, special and aged tobacco to create unrepeatable blends," said Davidoff in an official press release. Only 7,000 boxes of Club House Toro are being made available. The box, which holds 10 cigars, has a subtle golf theme to the packaging. [Cigar Aficionado, Wikipedia and my conversation with Davidoff.] It is a Toro size cigar with dark chocolate color wrapper. The wrapper has a smooth feel with few visible light veins and slightly oily. It has the barnyard smell and the hints of light earth, cocoa, cedar and caramel sweetness on the foot. The cold draw is perfect with medium spice, cedar, earth, cocoa powder, caramel sweetness. The cigar feels good in hand. Toro has been always one of my favorite sizes. The cigar is extremely complex with perfectly balanced light black pepper, musky earth, mild leather, cedar, cocoa, chocolate and coffee flavors with the hints of aromatic cinnamon spice, freshly baked bread aroma at the back. It also has a distinctive caramel sweetness after each puff. There is also a sweet grass-citrus element. The smoke is smooth and creamy to the palate. The flavor and aroma profile is very intriguing, mouthful with balanced medium strength and long finish. The draw and burn is almost perfect. It is straight a medium bodied cigar with long finish. Wrapper: Yamasa (Dominican 3 Year Old)
Binder: Ecuadorian 702
Filler: Dominican: Piloto and San Vincente 1/3: it starts with a blast of medium red chili pepper spice which is little unusual for a Davidoff cigar. The spiciness hit the nose during retrohale but not unpleasant. I am just not familiar with this kick from a Davidoff cigar. Followed by the red chili pepper, I am also detecting mild leather, cedar, signature Davidoff musky earth but mild, cocoa powder flavors with the hints of grass and aromatic spice aroma at the back. I am also enjoying a slight touch of caramel sweetness after each puff. It has a very welcoming and interesting start. Within 7-8 puffs the red chili pepper kick disappear and taken over with black peppery spiciness. What a classical twist in complexity of spice! The cigar is completely smooth and the smoke has been already creamy, full and round. The top of my tongue has a delicate zing of black peppery spice, the middle of my tongue is full of creamy-mouthful smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue is completely clean without any harshness or tobacco aftertaste. This is the sign of the well-aged tobacco in the blend. Another interesting observation is, the cigar burns slowly which is expected from a Yamasa wrapper for its extra oil. However, it burns faster than Davidoff Puro de Oro. The reason can be three years aged Yamasa wrapper. The burn has been almost even. As this stage, the cigar has wonderful flavors, aroma, balanced medium strength with wonderful complexity and medium finish. The retrohale has an exotic mix of black peppery spice and musky earthiness. I have already started enjoying the cigar. There are good cigars and also great cigars. A great cigar become interesting at the 1/3 stage and welcome us to smoke with serious attention. This is one of those cigars. Sometime few cigars invited me to lick my tongue and this cigar is giving me a clean caramel sweet layer of touch on my lips. 2/3: The beginning of this stage, the cigar has more thick musky earthiness at the front and the black peppery spiciness is at the back. The retrohale has more dominant sweet earthiness through the nose with a light touch of black pepper. I am impressed with the burn of this Yamasa wrapper because I wasn't expecting this. The mild leather and cedar flavors are gone but the cocoa powder aroma is more prominent. I am also detecting thick creamy chocolate flavors with hints of aromatic cinnamon spice, sweet grass aroma. There is also a citrusy element at the finish. The caramel sweetness is more distinctive after each puff-wow! The cigar is extremely complex with balanced flavors, aroma, strength and long finish. The top of my tongue still has the black peppery spicy zing. However, it is softer but not weaker than 1/3. The middle of my tongue is full of creamy, round, mouthful and meaty smoke with above complex flavors, aroma and finish. I am really enjoying it with the caramel sweet touch at the finish. My palate is very busy and enjoying the playful extreme complexity. Though in one point I thought the cigar is going to increase its strength from medium to full but in reality it stays steadily to the soft medium strength. My friend who works for Davidoff told me that Henke invested additional attention to the binder to this blend. He used double binder to ensure perfect burn with additional twist to the complex flavor. I have to say that it worked. Thank you Mr. Kelner for another magical cigar. The retrohale of this cigar is simply amazing. Let’s see if I can break it down further. The retrohale is dominated with musky earthiness plus extreme delicate black peppery spiciness with is surrounded with a shield of cream and citrus. Does it make any sense? If not than all I can say it- I am in love with the retrohale. Final/3: The cigar still dominated with 2/3's musky earthiness with cream-citrus shield but the chocolate flavors changed into sweet-bitter chocolate with a touch of soft black peppery bite to the palate. The cigar deserves another point in complexity here. Though the 2/3’s full flavor profile is there but it is more distinctive and strong. The roasted coffee flavor is coming in with another twist. The aroma has stronger aromatic cinnamon spice and has a new found freshly baked bread aroma to the palate-yummy! Apparently the complexity is ever changing. The caramel sweetness is milder but more concentrated at the finish. The top of my tongue still has the distinctive zing of black pepper spice, the middle of my tongue is full of zesty, creamy and mouthful smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue has a very mild tobacco bitterness. The cigar will lose this aftertaste at the back of the tongue within six month of additional aging. The cigar is burning little slowly now. The strength is straight medium with extreme complex and balanced flavors and aroma with long finish. The retrohale remain the same. I am really enjoying the cream-citrus element with a delicate touch of black pepper through the nose. This is a five star quality cigar.
Final thoughts: This is truly a Davidoff Limited Edition release with extreme complex flavors and aroma. At the same time a must smoke for the Davidoff cigar lovers and also for the other smoker. I am very happy to see Davidoff created another super complex medium bodied cigar which assure what my friend told me that Davidoff is going to release more and more medium bodied flavorful complex cigar. I will talk a little bit about Davidoff's new double binders practice. Henke is the pioneer of the Ecuadorian 702 and 151 binders. He utilizes them very skillfully to this blend. He has created many hybrid tobaccos such as H133 and H192. He also cultivated Peruvian version of Pelo de Oro to add additional twist to his different blends. I believe he used some Peruvian Pelo de Oro to this blend for the zesty sweetness. Please do not quote me on this but this my personal observation. This is how he is separating his Limited Edition releases with unique twists. He is a magical blender and his creations are very difficult to challenge because it is ever changing. He has strong financial support from Davidoff to play with the tobacco and he is not disappointing the Loyal Davidoff smokers. Finally, another top release in 2013. I am just waiting to see what other special cigar he is going to create next. I highly recommend this cigar to anyone. If possible collect a full box and age them. They will simply get better and better. Happy 4th of July!!!
San Cristóbal de la Habana was the original name of Havana, Cuba’s capital city, when it was founded in 1519; San Cristóbal (St Christopher) in honour of Columbus and La Habana after an Indian name for the site. San Cristóbal de la Habana cigars were introduced in 1999 as a tribute to the city’s long history on the threshold of the new Millennium. Its range is composed of four vitolas with a light to medium flavour using tobaccos from the Vuelta Abajo region. Each is named after one of the fortresses that defended the city in the days when it was the hub of Spain’s Latin American Empire. All are "totalmente a mano, tripa larga"—totally handmade, long filler and two sizes, El Morro and La Fuerza, are not found in any other Habano brand. Mercaderes, Oficios and Muralla are vitolas available in exclusive at La Casa del Habano. Casa Del Habano has three speciality and niche Brands- Trinidad, Cuaba and San Cristobal De La Habana. They have added in CDH’s portfolio in 2004.[Source: CDH] THE XV ANNIVERSARY OF THE HABANOS FESTIVAL focused on two new Montecristo vitolas: Petit No.2 and Double Edmundo, the first Partagás Gran Reserva, as well as the re-launch of the Vegueros brand focus the interest on the XV anniversary of the Habanos Festival. On a side they also release this limited release but did not focus on it. The attendance of personalities from various fields, such as tennis player Boris Becker, jazz musician Delfeayo Marsalis, the great singer Omara Portuondo, NBA player Gary Payton, Italian tenor Darío Balzanelli and the connection to the world of gourmet gastronomy, including the Alliance between Habanos and Rioja, are the main features in a highly exclusive Festival. This year grupo Habanos sales had a significant 6% organic growth in 2012. Apparently CDH also joined with Organic tobacco.
The San Cristobal de La Habana XV Habanos Cigar Festival release resemble the exact flavor and aroma profile of San Cristobal de La Habana Mercaderes 2006 release but there are significant differences in overall performance. The XV Habana Cigar Festival release is more intense, matured and practically feels like smoking a creamy bar. I was offered this cigar by the famous Partagas roller China. She also told me they rolled some limited quantity just formthe XV Habana Cigar Festival with 5-7 years of aged tobacco. 5-7 years age sound little exaggeration to me because if it is 5-7 years age then LCDH would have released it under Gran Reserva version like Cohiba, Partagas or Montecristo. However, lot of things does not make economic sense in Cuba. So I will reserve my final comment rather than into my observation. I do not usually buy a box with whatever people say until I smoke one. When I smoke the first one in Paratagas cigar lounge...I immediately fell in love and knew that this is a gem. I ordered three leather boxes because I know they won't be available near future. This is one of the best find from my last Cuba trip. The wrapper is copper brown, smooth with few visible veins here and there. It has no soft spots and has the good feel of holding a Churchill shape in hand. The wrapper has barnyard, hay, dry wood scents. The Pre-draw has strong cocoa powder, sweet hay, bit of spice and a slight floral hint at the back. Majority Cuban cigar lovers undermine SCDLH cigar. However, I love it for its distinctive peanut, coffee
flavors, aged sweetness and strong aromatic floral notes. It is an extremely complex, rich, round cigar with long finish. It has all the good elements of a top quality Habano. The flavor profile is the combination of damp-sweet earth, sweet hay, oak, cocoa, toasted nut(peanut), cream, cinnamon, coffee, milk chocolate, biscuits-cookie, mochachino (Cappuccino-milk chocolate) flavors
with clean and crisp notes of Cuban signature aromatic fruity- floral Aroma, citrus, orange, nutmeg, cloves hints from the start to finish. It has a wonderful caramel-molasses-brown sugary aged sweetness from the start to finish. The retrohale has an amazing delicate black peppery spiciness through
the nose. There is no sign of harshness at all- this is a perfect example of a properly aged Habano cigar. The draw and burn is perfect. It is straight medium bodied but gets full at the final/3 stage cigar. This is one of my precious aged Cuban cigar collections. Compiling this review was easy because I had my old noted from the previous review. Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba: Apparently 5-7 years old 1/3: It starts with strong aromatic floral aroma with damp-sweet earth, sweet hay, oak, cocoa, toasted peanut, cream, milk chocolate flavors. The finish has a clear and strong caramel-brown sugary sweetness. There is also a super milk sweet leathery hint at the back without any harshness. The
cigar woke me up from the first puff. The smoothness immediately invited me to retrohale and I am getting many background notes and hints. This is simply a gorgeous and welcoming smoke. It declars its superior taste from the start. The top of my tongue has a mild touch of delicate black pepper spiciness; the middle of my tongue is full of cream, butter, round and mouthful texture with above flavors, aroma and back notes. The back of my tongue is completely clean. It is super rich, super complex with super long finish. I can feel the aromatic flavors and aroma with a mild tingly feel in my mouth. The strength is straight medium. The retrohale gives a nice delicate black peppery spicy kick through the nose. The retrohale also has a fruity-vanilla creamy shield with the peppery kick. The intensity of the smoke, flavors and aroma is the best part at this stage. I am puffing it slowly but each puffing it longer. This way I can keep more smoke inside my mouth for taste and for the retrohale. This is the right way to enjoy aged cigar. I am only puffing twice in a minute. I don't want to overheat the cigar. I am already very impressed!!! 2/3: Going towards the 2/3, the creamy nuttiness is dominating the texture with 1/3 flavors and aroma but I can also feel milk chocolate, coffee(cappuccino), biscuits-cookies, aromatic cinnamon flavors are coming forward with a hints of clove at the back. The retrohale has the delicate black peppery spiciness but also added a layer of sweet creaminess. There is also a mild but crispy citrus, orange and tangy hints at the back. It is an ever-changing, complex and flavorful smoke with loooong finish. The tingly feeling is getting more intense in my mouth. The smoke is very smooth but at the same time very sharp, crispy and clean. This cigar deserves another point here for complexity. Interestingly the cigar loss some strength but the flavors and aromas are there which is even more enjoyable to detect further complex back notes. This is the reason why a good cigar should be less in strength because it allows us to retrohale and enjoy the layers and layers of back ground notes. In this case, I am detecting more aromatic fruity-floral signature Cuban notes with distinctive toasted creamy nuttiness at the back. This cigar is packed with intense and complex flavors and aroma. The entire entire intense smoke is locked in a thick creamy shield…wow!!! Final/3: it is interesting to see that the cigar ramp up with a combination of 1/3 and 2/3 flavors and aroma profile at this stage. The dominating flavor is more into mochachino coffee which is the
combo of Cappuccino, milk and creamy chocolate. This is the optimum complexity and example how a top quality cigar combin its layers and layers of flavors and aroma with in different stages. The complete 1/3 and 2/3 flavors, aroma, back notes are there but they are coming back and forth with different level of intensity and strength. It is like a difference between hot cups of mocha coffee with an iced Frappuccino. Both are quiet the same but taste different in hot and cold. The retrohale black peppery spice gives the delicate kick with more strength but still enjoyable. It is like when we eat Japanese food, the wasabi spiciness gives a quick spicy kick then fade away. However, at the same time we enjoy that quick moment. At this stage there is a clear hint of aromatic cinnamon-cloves-nutmeg note at the back each puff. There is also a wonderful aged caramel-molasses-brown sugary sweetness to it. My entire mouth if covered with intense tingly feeling with super long finish. The cigar never gets bitter or hot until the last puff. The strength of this cigar gradually picks up the strength and releases layers and layers of complex flavors and aroma. It never gets boring. I can write an entire book about the complex
flavors and aroma of this cigar. We will never have this feeling from a freshly rolled cigar even if it is a San Cristobal De La Habana. Indeed, aging adds some magic to certain cigars. This cigar has been added to my precious cigar collection and I am very proud of it!
Final Thought: I really don’t know how to organize my final thoughts. I rarely score a cigar but this one will get 95...period.
Comments
Great read and as always a great review.
"Many cigar brands celebrate the places where they were born-great cigar cities such as Havana and Miami. The Angelenos cigar may be the first to honor a city where cigars are not produced, but enjoyed with gusto and enthusiasm matched nowhere else. I am referring of course to Los Angeles, home of many of the world's most passionate cigar lovers. Countless movie stars, titans of business, musicians, athletes, writers, and politicians call Los Angeles their home. The city's flourishing population exhibits an unmatched love of life, inspired both by the culture that surrounds them and by the natural beauty and idyllic climate of their chosen home. It is no wonder they have so fervently embraced the cigar, a product conceived by artisans, formulated from painstakingly-cultivated natural ingredients, rolled by skilled torcedors using techniques passed down from generation to generation-and unsurpassed in the subtleties and satisfaction of flavor it offers. Every year, I co-host a charity cigar dinner for children in need at Hotel Bel-Air. When I sit down for dinner on the front lawn of Hotel Bel-Air where our charity cigar dinner is held, I am always touched by the passion and enthusiasm of the attendees for cigars and helping the underprivileged children in our communities. Despite the passion and enthusiasm of the Angelenos for cigars, this is the city where many anti-smoking measures have started. We must hold our annual charity cigar dinner on the front lawn because we are not allowed to enjoy our cigars indoors. Furthermore, California has one of the highest state tobacco taxes in the U.S.
Angelenos cigars are created to salute the connoisseurs around the world who, despite all these obstacles, continue to enjoy cigars with incomparable passion. We might not like some of the things our governments do, but we must still love our communities and countries. Cigars create camaraderie among us, and I am sure that this world will be a better place if we can share our cigars together. Made with Ecuadorian wrappers and Dominican fillers and binder at Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. in the Dominican Republic, Angelenos cigars combine the smoothness and sophistication of the City of Angels with a touch of the boldness that made the city what it is today." - Keith K. Park, Founder and President: Angelenos - Prometheus - God of Fire - Sencillo.[Source: Angelino Cigar]
The cigar feels heavy in hand. The black band is very elegant with embossed silver color A at the middle. Interestingly, though the band is made of paper but it looks like leather band. The wrapper is toffee color, silky smooth, has slight oily sheen with few visible small veins. The cigar has a spongy feel on the surface. It has woody and mild floral, earthy aroma on the foot. The cold draw is open and releases some dry fruity aroma with tea and mild mint notes. The flavor and aroma profile is the combination of wood, earth, dry cracker, eggnog latte coffee, cream, white pepper powder, aromatic cardamom flavors with almond nutty, mild floral, nutmeg aroma at the back. It also has a mild aromatic cinnamon kind of spicy sweetness at the finish. The cigar has mild to medium strength. It is fairly complex with medium finish. The smoke is cool, super smooth and silky. The draw and burn is perfect- sign of rolled in Arturo Fuente's factory. It is a completely relaxing and easy smoke.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
1/3: It start with a soft touch of wood, earth, dry cracker, white pepper powder flavors with almond nutty aroma at the back. Within few puffs, I am also detecting creamy flavor. The smoke is soft, subtle but very thick. During retrohale the delicate white peppery spiciness through the nose is amazingly pleasant. My entire mouth is full of thick, soft, round smoke. The top of my tongue has a tiny bit of white peppery spiciness, the middle of my tongue can feel the creamy texture smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue is clean. It smokes with elegant silky touch- it has a wonderful mild floral aroma with a mild aromatic cinnamon sweet-spiciness at finish. It also has a underlying creaminess in each puff. This is nothing extraordinary but very pleasant. Ecuadorian grown Connecticut has one advantage over American grown Connecticut wrapper. Somehow the Connecticut bitterness is less powerful and has a slight floral sweetness. The strength is mild, fairly complexity with medium finish.
2/3: The cigar really wakes up at this stage. The strength is mild-medium with strong musky earth, distinctive eggnog latte coffee, cream, white pepper powder, aromatic cardamom flavors with strong almond and nutmeg aroma at the back. There is also the presence of a slight floral note. During retrohale the delicate white peppery spiciness through the nose is stronger but it pleasant. The cigar adds additional two points in complexity at this stage. It also has the mild aromatic mild spicy sweetness at the finish end of each puff. The top of my tongue has a crisp and zesty white peppery spicy zing, the middle of my tongue is mouthful smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue has slight tobacco bitterness. We can't simply avoid the tobacco bitterness with Connecticut unless it has a long age. The underlying creaminess after each puff is still there. The strength is almost medium now but still mild-medium. I am really enjoying it because of its smooth, silky touch. Overall this is a good smoke.
Final/3: Until now, the draw and burn have been very impressive. However, I am not detecting any new flavors and aroma. It has more or less 2/3 flavors and aroma profile which is good but at the same time also boring. The strength is still mild-medium. The bitterness increased a little more and the back of my tongue can feel it. However, the smoke is still mouthful with thick and round smoke.
Final thought: This is a good smoke but again nothing extraordinary. With $10+ price tag, the market has many good Connecticut cigars. Most probably I will not buy it again but won't refuse if anyone offers me one to smoke. It is a very relaxing smoke but does not deserve the price tag. If you haven't smoke one then you did not miss anything special. Los Angeles is definitely a great city but the cigar doesn't represent the overhyped marketing. It is not glamorous as the City of Angels.
Regius Cigar Company that originally started selling non-Cuban cigars across the United Kingdom and Europe then recently started selling the cigars over in the United States. Few stores carry them because still the brand is not very well known. I heard many nice things about the bands and got a box from the owner through a friend. I smoked couple of this cigar before and I enjoyed them each time. It is a Nicaraguan puro. These are rolled in Placensia factory in Esteli Nicaragua. They come in four different vitolas and each of them has different blends. They also make another cigar comes with an additional white band- Regius White Label. These are rolled in Manuel Queseda's MATASA factory in the Dominican Republic.
The Latin Regius denotes of a ‘King’. We present you a regal smoking experience: to enjoy a hand-made King of Cigars. Gaius Petronius Arbiter (AD27) was a Roman writer and courtier for Emperor Nero who devoted himself to a life of pleasure. Yet far from being an ordinary, vulgar profligate, he became known as an accomplished voluptuary. Showing capacity for outrageous indulgence, he was looked upon by Nero to be the absolute authority on questions of taste (arbiter elegantiae), especially with the science of alchemy. In his memory we bring you ‘Regius’. The alchemy of cultivating and blending the finest aged tobacco to achieve the best possible taste, an even burning quality and elegant aromas. We invite you to be arbiter elegantiae, the judge of elegance, of our beautifully hand crafted and flavoursome creations.
Grandido: This cigar is a versatile, medium bodied blend for those long afternoons and evenings. Perfect with your favorite wine or spirit, it achieves a delicate combination of complexity and a satisfying balance to fulfill even the most discerning of palates.
Robusto: This cigar is a more full-bodied creation and is consistent with being the preferred vitola of true cigar aficionados. The taste is perfectly smooth and the smoke lingers on the palate creating a beautiful, rich aftertaste.
Corona: This cigar has a light medium body. A charming accompaniment to the taste of coffee, it has a sweet aroma and creamy texture.
Lord Madse: This cigar has a light body, aimed at those who prefer a subtle taste and aroma. It has an elegant flavour, with hints of coffee and hazelnut overtones. The cigar is named in honour of a cigar loving ‘elegance arbite.[Source: Company site and other on-line cigar Journals]
The cigar has a beautiful light brown color wrapper, slight oily sheen with few visible long veins. It has hay, barnyard aroma. The cold draw is perfect- not so tight or not so loose. It has mild cocoa, hay elements with honey like sweetness on the lips. The flavor and aroma profile is a combination of wood (oak), earth, leather, cocoa powder, cream, chocolate, mild aromatic cinnamon, coriander powder spice, medium black pepper spice flavors with nutty, sweet raisin, bay leaf, cardamom, mild floral aroma at the back. The sweetness of the cigar is more like brown sugar and caramel-molasses. The complex sweetness of this cigar is amazing. The draw is perfect with slight uneven burn. It is straight a medium bodied cigar and super smooth. The cigar is very complex with balanced flavors, aroma and long finish.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Rosado
Binder: Nicaragua
Fillers: Nicaragua
1/3: It starts with rich oak, earth, leather, cream, cocoa powder and mild chocolate flavors- yam! The smoke is intense from the start. Within few puffs the cigar also releases medium black pepper flavor with nutty, sweet raisin aroma at the back. There is also a brown sugar like sweetness after each puff. The smoke is very smooth and soft to the palate. During retrohale the mild black peppery spiciness through the nose is simply amazing. I am enjoying it from the first puff. The smoke is very creamy, thick and smooth. The top of my tongue has super mild black peppery spicy feel, the middle of my tongue is full of creamy smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue is clean. At the end of the 1/3, the cigar is concentrating to more aromatic spiciness with underlying changing sweetness between brown sugar-mild caramel-molasses. This is extraordinary complexity in sweetness. The cigar is well balanced with complex flavors and aroma with long finish.
2/3: Interestingly, the 1/3 flavor and aroma profile is there but I am also detecting dark chocolate(sometime feels like milk coffee), mild aromatic cinnamon and coriander spice powder with distinctive nutty, sweet raisin and mild floral aroma at the back. I have to mention that the floral aroma is quite rich. There is also rich caramel-molasses sweetness after each puff. The cigar gets three additional points in complexity here with changing flavors, aroma and the sweetness. This is a wonderful smoking experience. Few cigars can hold into full 1/3 flavor profile and add additional new flavors, aroma and sweetness like this. The top of my tongue has the medium black peppery spiciness, the middle of my tongue is full of creamy, round smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue has a mild tobacco bitterness. The retrohale has the amazing mild black peppery spiciness through the nose. I cannot say the overall complexity is extreme but it is definitely well balanced with layers and layers of flavors and aroma. Again, the complex sweetness of the brown sugar-caramel-molasses is very unique and enjoyable. I always say that a well-balanced medium bodied cigar helps us to concentrate to enjoy the complex flavors, aroma, background notes and the elements. This is one of those cigars.
Final third: The final third starts with weak 1/3 but richer 2/3 flavors and aroma profile but the boosting complexity is coming from the aroma and sweetness rather than the flavors. The 2/3's dark chocolate (sometime milk-coffee), aromatic cinnamon, coriander spice powder is more upfront with richer nutty, sweet raisin, aromatic cardamom, floral aroma. There is also a new bay leaf kind of aromatic element at the back. The sweetness has four layer elements of brown sugar-caramel-molasses and rich sweet raisin. This is definitely extremely complex in aroma and sweetness at this stage. If you are familiar with Indian aromatic Chicken Korma Curry- the taste of this cigar is like that. In Korma Curry, the chicken meat pieces are coated with thick Greek yogurt or cream with additional 11 aromatic spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, coriander, saffron, black mastered seed, Fenugreek, cumin, black pepper pods, graham masala). This cigar reminds me of the aromatic Chicken Korma Curry. On top of that the multi-layers of complex sweetness are simply amazing. The cigar is very well balanced with complex flavors and aroma and long finish.
Final thoughts: I understand why some people compare it with Cuban taste because of its aromatic spice and mild floral notes. But in reality, the Cuban cigars rich fruity-floral aroma is more complex and upfront. However, in my opinion this is not an alternate of Cuban cigar but this is definitely the Non-Cuban cigar which tastes as close as to a Cuban cigar I have ever smoked. However, at the same time I do not like to compare it this way rather than enjoy its unique taste. The Cubans cigars are not cheap in Europe but the current on-going economic crisis in Europe is pushing some smokers to find some alternative of Cuban cigars. Regius has the softer Cuban like strength and some aromatic touch. The price of this cigar is moderate and also extremely competitive. I understand why the owner marketed a cigar like this in the United Kingdom where the tobacco tax is very high. I highly recommend this cigar, as well as for a box purchase. I am glad to have a full box of 25. This cigar does not require further aging. More aging will lose some aroma, background notes and some sweet elements. Overall, this is an excellent smoke with excellent value. You should not miss it.
The MATASA line and the original black band are being distributed by SAG imports. From what he told me, he really just opened up everyone he could at first, and looking back wants to concentrate on serious tobacconists. They are doing really well in Texas and the East coast apparently where the cigar culture is a bit different then CA. They are really doing well in the Euro market as well. His take on cigar politics and shops in general is spot on bro, you will appreciate his conversation. He is also a huge food and spirits fan as well.
La Gloria Cubana is the name of two premium cigar brands, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and other produced in the Dominican Republic and Miami, Florida by El Credito Cigar Company for General Cigar Company, now a subsidiary of Swedish Match. La Gloria Cubana was sold to General Cigar Company by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo in 1999 for an undisclosed sales price.
HISTORY: The La Gloria Cubana brand was created in 1885 by the Sociedad Cabañas y Castro, then bought twenty years later in 1905 by José F. Rocha, who manufactured the brand from his factory at 364 Miguel Street in Havana. After Rocha's death in 1954, the Cifuentes family bought both La Gloria Cubana and Bolivar from Rocha's former company. Production was moved to the Partagás Factory, where it's still produced today, and became very popular as an export brand. After the Revolution, it seems that production of La Gloria Cubana ceased for several years, until around 1965 when the brand was apparently resurrected at the Partagás Factory. It is produced in smaller quantities than other brands and maintains its popularity with connoisseurs, the Médaille d'Or No. 2 being a particularly prized vitola. La Gloria Cubana also produces two machine-made cigarillos: the Mini and the Purito.
Vitolas in the La Gloria Cubana Line:
Hand-Made Vitolas
Médaille d'Or No. 1 - 7¼" × 36 (184 × 14.29 mm), Delicado Extra, a long panatela
Médaille d'Or No. 2 - 6¾" × 43 (171 × 17.07 mm), Dalia, a Lonsdale
Médaille d'Or No. 3 - 6?" × 28 (175 × 11.11 mm), Panetela Larga, a slim panatela
Médaille d'Or No. 4 - 6" × 32 (152 × 12.70 mm), Palmita, a slim panatela
Taíno - 7" × 47 (178 × 18.65 mm), Julieta No. 2, a Churchill
Edición Regional Releases:
Marshall (Adriatic 2008) - 4?" × 50 (124 × 19.84 mm) Robusto, a robusto
Glorioso (United Kingdom 2008) - 6?" × 50 (156 × 19.84 mm) Doble, a robusto extra
Deliciosos (Cuba 2009) - 5.0" × 48 (127 × 48 mm) Hermosos No. 4, a Corona Extra(commonly assumed to be a robusto)
Triunfos (Switzerland 2010) - 6.3" × 50 (160 × 50 mm) Magnum 50, Double Robusto
Belux No.1(Belux(Belgium and Luxembourg) 2011) - 5.5" × 52 (140 × 52 mm) Genios, Robusto Extra
LCDH Exclusives:
Inmensos (2010) - 6.5" × 54 (164 × 54 mm) Sublimes, Double Robusto
La Gloria Cubana is a little known jewel amongst Habano brands. Nevertheless it enjoys a long history. Founded in 1885, its name alone clearly defines its origin. For over a century it has attracted a small but loyal following amongst the most knowledgeable smokers. The brand is characterized by its elegant presentation, especially in the Medaille d’Or Series. All the cigars are ‘totalmente a mano, tripa larga’ – totally handmade, long filler cigars. The blend, made from tobaccos grown in the Vuelta Abajo region, is classified as medium and offers well-balanced nuances of taste and aroma. Now, the introduction of the exclusive and highly appreciated vitola Sublimes offers the possibility to taste the characteristic flavor of the brand. Only 5,000 boxes have been made exclusively aimed at Las Casas del Habano franchise stores. Each box contains 10 cigars. [Source: Wikipedia and LCDH site]
The wrapper has dry look, smooth, caramel color with no visible veins. The cigar feels solid in hand with perfect cosmic look. The wrapper has barnyard, freshly cut wood, hay and wonderful tobacco sweet aroma. The cold draw has mild touch of tobacco, cedar and hay aroma on the foot. The flavor and aroma profile is the combination of cedar, white pepper, earth, cocoa, tea, cream, chocolate and coffee flavors with cardamom, cashew nut and medium signature Cuban rich floral/fruity aromas at the back. It has wonderful white sugar sweetness. The smoke is rich, creamy, round and mouthful. The entire smoke is smooth as silk. It is a very complex cigar with creamy layers of flavors and aroma, balanced with long finish. The retrohale is so easy because of the smoothness. The strength is medium. It has a perfect draw with perfect burn.
Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Fillers: Cuba
1/3: The cigar starts with mild strength. Usually Cuban La Gloria Cubana cigars are known for their medium-full bodied strength but this is very mild. It started with sweet cedar, musky earth, strong cocoa powder and earthy black tea flavors. I am detecting medium signature Cuban fruity-floral aroma at the back. There is also a clean but sharp white sugary sweetness to it. The smoke is completely creamy and smooth. There is no harshness. The special Casa del habano release cigars are rolled with at least two years of aged tobacco. This cigar was released in 2010, until now it has four years aging in it. When I first smoked it in 2011, there was some bitterness to it. At the end of 1/3 I am also detecting thick cashew nut aroma at the end with strong sugarcane sweetness at the finish. Nice twist in complexity. The top of my tongue is clean, the middle of my tongue is filled with creamy smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue is completely clean. During retrohale I am really enjoying the white peppery delicate spiciness through the nose. The strength is mild to medium at this stage. The draw and burn is perfect. I would say it has a first class start from the beginning.
2/3: The cigar’s complexity improved with newly added flavors and open up with medium coffee and chocolate flavors. The Cigar is straight medium bodied now. The full 1/3 flavor profile is there with added medium coffee and chocolate flavors. What a wonderful twist in complexity of flavors! The smoke is even creamier, round and mouthful with smooth texture. The finish is nice and long with a touch of thick creaminess (almost like melted buttery). The cashew nut aroma also has a thick layer of aromatic cardamoms twist. The fruity-floral aroma is stronger but still not robust. The clean white sugary sweetness is more intense at the finish. The retrohale still has the delicate white peppery spiciness through the nose- Wow! This cigar deserves three additional points in complexity of flavors and aroma. At the end of 2/3 the sugar sweetness is crispier. The strength is still straight medium with creamy texture. The top of my tongue is still clean, the middle of my tongue literally filled with thick cream with above flavors and aroma and the back of my tongue has no harshness. I can even inhale the smoke now. The performance of this cigar is amazing with extreme complexity and long finish. I just took a sip of cold water just to clean my palate a little to identify more background notes. I am detecting a mild nutmeg kind of aroma. I can write a book about the smoothness of this cigar.
Final/3: The cedar, earthiness ramp up with distinctive coffee flavor at this stage. It has a more tastiness with strong roasted nut aroma. The wonderful cashew nut aroma is more like a flavor at this stage with sharp and crispy white sugar sweetness at the finish. While I am describing the twist in flavors and aroma, the 2/3's flavors and aroma profile is still there but at the back. This is still super complex. The peppery spiciness is more like black: white (50:50) on the tongue but the retrohale through the nose has the delicate white peppery bite. I am also detecting a layer of thick cream flavor with mouthful, silky and smooth texture. The finish is very long. The top of my tongue has a super mild peppery bite; the middle of my tongue is covered with creamy texture with above flavors and aroma. The back of my tongue is still clean. The entire time of the smoke, I couldn't feel any bitterness or harshness. I am partially inhaling the smoke because of the nutmeg aroma. The coffee flavor is more like a creamy Cappuccino. I haven't smoked such a smooth Cuban cigar with four year of age for a long time. This is absolutely a wonderful smoking journey with super complexity and long finish. My entire mouth is filled with cream, layers and layers of above flavors and aroma. The white sugary sweetness is very sharp and crisp. The strength is medium-full now. Until now the cigar's draw and burn have been perfect. I have to mention one weakness about this cigar- the signature Cuban fruity-floral aroma was medium the entire time of smoke. With this minor lack of traditional aroma this is a top quality smoke.
Final thought: I got a box of 10 of this cigar from my last trip to Cuba. Now I am thinking it was a mistake for not buying another box. Most of the quality cigars improve with aging, specially the Cubans but this cigar aged far better than my expectation. When I smoked it in 2011, it was definitely a different cigar. The improvement is more than the 2010 Behike I just smoked yesterday. I am not saying that this cigar is better than Behike but this cigar performed better in terms of four years of ageing. I highly recommend this cigar. The good news is, La Glroa Cubana brand is a slow sell item and I am sure still some boxes are out there. I am not a huge La Gloria Cubana cigar fan but this is the best La Gloria Cubana cigar I have ever smoked. The non- Cuban LGC cigars never attracted me. I have never been a fan of E.P Carillos blends. Also NC LGC cigars are not even close to Cuban LGC. I need to do some serious research about the source of this tobacco because it has a different feel compares to other Cubans. This is a must try for the Cuban cigar lovers.
Zino's Crown series is an expensive cigar. Initially, the target group was the successful professional and also the upcoming younger jetsetter who enjoy urban lifestyle and also looking for high life with moderate price. The second group simply didn't find the Crown series price very wallet friendly. So Zino came up with the Z class, four sizes (Toro, Pyramid, corona and robusto) with moderate price line. However, the blend remains medium-full bodied for both Crown and Z class. This cigar was also designed mainly for the US market. In celebration of the ten-year anniversary of Zino Platinum, the brand has produced a premium collector’s edition set of four custom boxes in collaboration with urban artists UR New York. Dubbed “The Make”, this collector’s edition celebrates the self-made man and his success, as well as ten years of redefining cigars and a new generation of cigar smokers.
Zino Platinum, an ultra-premium cigar brand, introduced the ZP Ten New York Collector’s?Edition featuring urban art by URNY and Zino Platinum Ten Salomones.?In commemoration of the tenth anniversary, Zino Platinum had unveiled two limited editions, both accented by a brand new blue and black band and unique packaging. The?ZP Ten New York Collector’s Edition, feature a Nicaraguan Rosada wrapper, Dominican Piloto binder and Dominican and Peruvian filler tobaccos, the Toro is a full-bodied cigar. Available in a 10-count box, the Collector’s Edition boxes feature four custom graffiti-inspired pieces created by UR New York, an urban artist collective who have redefined themselves and the landscape that surrounds them. Limited to 500 pieces each, “the artwork adorn four different collector’s edition boxes,” said Richard Krutick, Davidoff’s head of marketing. “The collection is inspired by the innovators, the risk takers, the mavericks—those who capture the spirit of Zino Platinum.” The Collector’s Edition offers in a unit of 4?boxes with one of each design included. The second format, Zino Platinum Ten Salomones, comes in at 7 ¼” x 57 and is available in a 64-count acrylic cube featuring black matter rubberized accents. The majestic Salomones format is a spectacular indulgence for the aficionado of Nicaraguan tobaccos. The ZP Ten New York Collector’s Edition cigars were released on August 2012. For full review please click at:
http://www.cigar.com/cs/forums/29/477190/ShowThread.aspx
Following the global success of the first limited edition, launched in 2012 for the ten-year anniversary of Zino Platinum, again in 2013, Zino Platinum has teamed up for the second time with the urban artist collective UR New York. Capturing the same maverick spirit of Zino Platinum Brooklyn based, Mike Baca aka 2ESAE and Fernando Romero aka SKI originally joined forces with the goal of transforming the perception of street art and have become successful international artists. The dynamic New York duo went to work on the collector’s edition Zino Platinum boxes with the same passion and artistry that brought them success in their professional art career. This limited release of only 750 sets of 4 boxes appeared on retailer’s shelves on May 15th with a kick off event in New York City, supported by an eight week east coast US Tour featuring the ZP Mobile Lounge. “This special collector’s edition perfectly illustrates what Zino Platinum represents, self-expression. New York is a city that inspires self-expression like no other and we are thrilled to pay homage with this limited edition cigar to the pioneers that continue to disrupt the status quo.“ states Scott Kolesaire, Zino Platinum Brand Manager.
Zino Platinum Collector’s Edition 2013: The Make of New York” which celebrates the four pillars of self-expression. The result is a collector’s edition which celebrates the four pillars of self-expression:
FASHION – THE THREAD OF THE CITY| FOOD – THE FLAVOR OF THE CITY | MIXOLOGY – THE SPIRIT OF THE CITY and MUSIC – THE PULSE OF THE CITY. [Source: Zino Press Release and my personal conversation with one of Davidoff’s marketing executive]
It is a Perfecto shaped gorgeous cigar. The milk chocolate smooth wrapper has some reddish hue and little visible veins. It has a dry wood scents with a slight vanilla sweetness to the foot. I love a well-balanced, flavorful and complex perfecto shape cigar because it allows me to enjoy the intensity of a cigar with smaller ring gauge and then slowly opens up its full flavor and aroma with each puff. The cigar has an impressive complex twit. The flavor profile is the combination of musty earth, cedar wood, vanilla, white pepper, milk chocolate, mocha, aromatic cardamom spice with hints of citrus, toasted nut and slight flowery aroma at the back. There is also a honey like sweetness after each puff at the finish. It has some similarities with Zino Davidoff Chubby Platinum Crown Series. I would recommend this cigar to smoke in the morning with clean palate. This way you can enjoy the full flavor and the aroma. The cigar has perfect construction and burn evenly all the way from head to foot. The flavor-aroma profile is well balanced with medium-long finish. It is smooth and the strength is medium to full.
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut Rojiza
Binder: Dominican Olor/Piloto
Filler: San Vincente Viso, Piloto Viso, Criollo Viso und San Vincente Mejorado Viso
1/3: First puff opens up with clean smoke with signature Kelner musty earth, cedar wood, mild white peppery spicy flavors and toasted nutty aroma at the back. It has a smooth finish. The top of my tongue can feel the white pepper spice. Interestingly the middle of tongue has a distinctive citrus feel. There is a mild tobacco aftertaste which is close to mild harshness at the back of my tongue but not unpleasant. This cigar needs some rest. I am retrohaling from the first puff and the subtle and delicate white peppery spiciness through the nose is amazing and very enjoyable. It is smooth, round and balanced. The draw and burn is perfect. It is straight medium bodied with balanced flavors and aroma and long finish. I am having a slight tingly feeling around my mouth which compliments the citrus feel with a nice twist of a crispy bite. I am surprised with the early tingly feeling because usually it comes at the 2/3. Overall this is a very good start.
2/3: At this stage the cigar takes off from medium to medium-full body but again still smooth and round. The flavor profile taken over by distinctive milk chocolate, vanilla, subtle aromatic cardamom flavors with a hint of citrus and nutmeg aroma at the back. There is also a nice toasted nutty and super mild floral element at the back. This is quiet complex with long dry finish. The top my tongue can feel robust white pepper spiciness and middle of my tongue is enjoying round and mouthful texture with vanilla, toasted nutty notes. The harshness level increased a little more at the back of my tongue. This cigar definitely need some age because now it is little unpleasant. I can still retrohale and enjoy the white peppery spiciness through the nose. However, still it is quiet smooth but I am looking for Davidoff quality creamy smoothness. At the end of 2/3 the cigar took a 90 degree turn in complexity with strong citrus aroma and thick honey like sweetness after each puff. This sudden twist is keeping me busy and giving me a crispy, tingly feeling to my palate. The mild harshness at the back of the tongue also scaled down and it is very smooth and creamy now. This is awesome! I will add two additional points here for the twist of the complexity of this cigar at this stage.
Final/3: At this stage, I am completely floating on a smooth, round and flavorful world. The power is constantly coming and going in-between medium to full body. I always enjoy this playful strength in a cigar. The milk chocolate flavor is more like mocha flavor with a tiny touch of cream at the back. Again the complexity adds another point here. The cigar is fuller and rounder with the full 2/3 flavor and aroma profile with additional creamy mocha flavor. The crispy citrus and toasted nut aroma is stronger with thick honey sweetness at the finish of each puff-Yammy! The cigar is smooth as silk now and the harshness is completely gone. It is performing in its optimum level as a Limited Edition release. It is extremely complex at this moment. In addition of the 2/3 and final/3 flavors, the aroma is concentrating into a citrus-nutty aroma ball which is surrounded with a thick creamy honey sweet shield. I don't know if my description makes any sense or not. All I can say is, I am extremely enjoying the smoke. This is the reason why we love Davidoff and anxiously wait for their limited release cigars. My entire mouth is full of tingly feeling with above ever changing complexity of flavors and aroma with long finish. The cigar is medium-full in strength.
Final thoughts: This has been a great smoking experience. However, this cigar needs some age. At the 2/3, I was indeed little disturbed with the increasing harshness at the back of my tongue. At the same time I can say this with confidence that with a year age- this is going to be a perfect smoke. My friend from Davidoff told me that whenever they work on a Limited Edition, the blender gete the freedom and access to their aged tobacco vault to play with the blend. He also mentioned that Davidoff will not make more and more bold and full bodied cigars. The first Zino Platinum Ten Collector Edition was full bodied and some smokers complained about it. As a result this second edition reduced the power which is very true. I would like to thank Davidoff for listening to us because we like you for your medium bodied cigar with smooth full flavor and aroma. Finally, I highly recommend this cigar to all the Davidoff lovers. At the same time I would also say that if you can age it a little longer then you will be rewarded. Have a great day!
The owner William C. Paley, known as ‘Little Bill’ to differentiate him from his father, was also the grandson of Harvey Williams Cushing, the noted Boston neurosurgeon and the father of brain surgery. Bill never knew the good doctor, as he had passed away in 1939. His middle name pays tribute to his Cushing ties. It is worth noting before going into the tobacco in Bill Paley’s DNA that his mother, Babe, was one of three Cushing sisters, all of whom figured in ‘society’ for the longest time. Aunt Betsey, the middle sister, was wife of James Roosevelt, the son of Eleanor and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She later married John Hay Whitney, President Eisenhower’s Ambassador to Great Britain, Publisher of the International Herald Tribune, and a formidable society figure himself. The eldest sister, known as ‘Minnie’, was married to Vincent Astor. Bill Paley, the Paley of this story, had a few brushes with higher education before deciding it wasn’t for him. He joined the United States Army in 1968 and wound up being a Military Cinematographer in Vietnam. After his tour of duty there, the Army transferred him to duty at the Pentagon, where he began his unrequited love affair with the city of Washington, D.C. Currently, he is a philanthropist and involves with many charitable organizations based in Washington DC and NY. He also opened the Samuel Paley Park in NYC, dedicated to the cigar lovers where they can sit, relax and smoke a cigar. It is very difficult to smoke a cigar in an open area in NYC now days. They want to stick with the core line to maintain the qualityand the consistency. So far they only use to roll their cigars in three famous factories Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubana factory of Danlí, Honduras ,Graycliff in Bahama and El Titan de Bronze factory in the Little Havana, Miami.
Goldie Drell Paley, the namesake of our brand, was the wife of Sam Paley, who in 1896 founded La Palina Cigars. To celebrate the history, contributions and accomplishments of women in the cigar industry, we are proud to release the La Palina Collection Goldie. ¬The Goldie is a limited 1000 box release. Produced at the El Titan de Bronze factory in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, the Goldie is made under the supervision of owner Sandy Cobas. The entire collection has been rolled in the Laguito No. 2 vitola (6×38) by master roller Maria Sierra. Maria is one of the ?rst women trained to roll cigars in Cuba. Her historic 32 year career at Villa El Laguito began July 22, 1967. Maria is a 95 rated, category 9 roller trained by Fidel Castro’s personal roller Eduardo Rivera Irizarri, as well as Avelino Lara, the creator of the legendary Cohiba blend. Each cigar is ?nished in the traditional Laguito style with a fan cap, exclusively taught to rollers at Villa El Laguito. The Goldie is blended with the prized Medio Tiempo leaf, found on only 10% of tobacco plants. After the great success of La Plania Laguito no. 2 last year, Bill is proud to present the initial release of the new Goldie in May 2013, with a second release in August of 2013. The La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 will be limited to 2500 numbered boxes. Produced at the El Titan de Bronze factory in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, the Goldie is made under the supervision of owner Sandra Cobas. The La Palina Goldie Laguito No.5 will be a 5 5/8 x 54 cigar and presented in boxes of 10. Master roller Maria Sierra, signed each numbered box, rolled the entire La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 release. Each cigar is finished in the traditional Laguito style with a fan cap, exclusively taught to rollers at Villa El Laguito. The Goldie is blended with the prized Medio Tiempo leaf, found on only 10% of tobacco plants. The La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 embodies the tradition, expertise and passion of women in the cigar industry. [Source: La Palina website & various on-line resources]
It is simply a beautiful looking double robusto cigar with eye catching La Palina classic band. I can tell La Palina(LP) simply copied Cuban Cohiba Behike 54’s aesthetic look, size and the medio tiempo model. La Palina’s wrapper is lighter than the Behike. The wrapper is light brown, smooth with few light veins. It has slight oily sheen on the surface. I always like triple cap and pig tail in a cigar which indeed reminds me of the Cuban style. It has sweet wood and mild caramel scent at the foot. This cigar is extremely full of flavors with dimensional complex aroma. It has the perfect construction with perfect draw and burn. There are few non-Cuban cigars in the market burns as good as Goldie #2 and #5. It has all the qualities of a great cigar. It has extreme aromatic complexity with long finish after each puff. It is a medium bodied cigar but at the final/3 it is medium-full bodied. The cold draw is perfect- neither loose nor tight. The entire flavor and aroma profile is 98% similar to La Palina Languito No. 2. The only differences are the body and in intensity of smoke. LP no. 2 is straight medium bodied and LP no. 5 is medium to medium-full bodied and less intense. Whenever a cigar increases its size and ring gauge the cigar always loses its intensity. Same thing happened with this cigar but it doesn’t undermine its unique taste rather than provide a different smoking experience. The cold draw has a nice banana-vanilla bread aroma. The flavor and aroma profile is a combination of sweet oak, mild earth, black-white(50:50) pepper spice, spicy leather, banana-vanilla bread, cloves, cardamom, caramel-butterscotch coated toffee, cappuccino, creamy honey, sugar cane sweetness, toasted pine nuts and lots of mix fruits aroma at the back. It is not an easy task to maintain the same flavor, aroma, strength, long finish with balanced complexity. Well, La Plaina did it and this is where La Palina can declare its superior capability of making excellent cigars. In fact, when I was finalizing my review I discovered the notes were same as my review of LP no.2. So it was easy for me to compile the review with 75 percent cut and paste-
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Ecuador
Fillers: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
1/3: It starts with a blast of aromatic fruity flavor, aroma and black-white(50:50) spiciness. My mouth is immediately filled with banana-vanilla bread, sweet oak, mild earth and aromatic cardamom flavors with mild rough spicy leathery finish at the back. Within few puffs the rough spicy leather goes away and taken over with banana-vanilla bread finish. There is also clean but sharp sugar cane sweetness at the end which I am really enjoying. I am puffing the cigar very slowly and retrohaling end of each puff-ultimate method to enjoy a medium bodied flavorful cigar. The top of my tongue has the spiciness of black-white pepper, the middle of my tongue is full of honey like creaminess with round and thick smoke, the back of my tongue has a slight tobacco bitter harshness but it gets balanced very nicely with a layer of clean sugar cane sweet aftertaste. The retrohale has the amazing cardamom aromatic spiciness through the nose. However, at the same, I cannot say that the back of my tongue is completely clean. A little aging will fix this bitter harshness. I am very confident with my statement because now when I smoke La Palina Goldie no. 2 after a year ago, I do not feel the bitter harshness. How many non-Cuban cigars can release so many flavors and aroma atthe 1/3? Only few cigars like the La Palina Goldie series can. The smoke is very smooth, buttery, round, mouthful and complex with long finish. I already have a little tinglyness in my mouth. Interestingly, at the end of 1/3 the cigar remains straight medium. The LP Golidie #2 was mild to medium at this stage. Anyway, it is a flawless cigar with a perfect start.
2/3: the second third continues the flavorful journey with a little change in the flavor profile. In fact, it adds additional flavors and aroma. The strength is still straight medium. I am detecting strong cappuccino coffee, caramel-butterscotch coated toffee with toasted pine nuts aroma at the back. The 1/3 full flavor and aroma profile is still there with distinctive banana-vanilla bread next to it. It is so flavorful that it invites me to puff more often. All the 1/3 and 2/3 flavor and aroma profile is there. They just simply come and go with ever changing complexity. I love with LP Goldie series. I am amazed to see how the blender maintained the same flavor profile in a different size and ring gauge. Great job La Palina! The top of my tongue has more clove kind of aromatic spiciness with a slight touch of black- white peppery spiciness. It changes very quickly with each puff. It is not easy to keep track of different spiciness at this stage. The finish has a combination of creamy honey and clean sugar cane sweetness. The sweetness is pretty sharp which gives a nice crispy feeling in the palate. The middle of my tongue is full of all the above flavors and aroma with super long finish. The back of my tongue still has a mild bitter harshness at this moment. It wasn't there in LP Goldie #2. Maybe the size and the additional amount of tobacco though I am not completely sure about it. The retrohale still has the aromatic cardamom spiciness through the nose. At the same time also feels the aromatic clove kind of spiciness. How can I keep track of all the changes? This is an awesome smoke. I also noticed that the cigar is burning little quickly but I am not rushing the puff at all. One reason cab be the aged tobacco which lost additional oil from the aged tobacco leaf. Another difference is the robust floral notes are more distinctive and noticeable at this stage. I love the floral element in any cigar. This is a reason why I am a huge fan of Cuban cigars. Though for the larger ring gauge the intensity is less but it also releases more smokes with larger ring gauge. It adds an additional chard to the smoke and the flavor-aroma profile. This is a wonderful smoke with long finish. My entire mouth is full of medium tingly feeling - awesome!
Final/3: It is hard to believe that still the cigar is holding the full flavor and aroma profile of the 1/2 and 2/3 marks. This is unbelievable how this new cigar maintained the same performance with the previous Goldie #2 release. It has the same dominant fruity and toasted pine nuts finish after each puff. Thoughthe cappuccino, butterscotch toffee flavors are dominating the flavor profile but still other flavors are coming and going with extreme complexity and long finish. The top of my tongue has more clove kind of spiciness. The middle of my tongue is coated with honey, creamy and round texture. The smoke is completely subtle and relaxing. There is no sign of any bitter or harshness at the back. I am retrohaling each puff to enjoy the aromatic cardamom delicate spiciness through the nose. The spiciness through the nose is strong and also gives a side kick of sweet-black pepper at the end. The smoke is creamy, round and mouthful but the sweetness is somewhere in between honey and sugar cane. I never had this kind of sweet feeling in any other cigar, except Goldie #2. Another difference i found at this stage is, during retrohale the aromatic cardamomy spiciness is stronger compares to Goldie #2 but it is very enjoyable. This is a magical smoke, a perfect and typical La Palina style masterpiece. This truly represents excellent quality and the meaning of a true Limited Edition cigar. The cigar truly delivers the exact quality what the company says- no overhype marketing here. This cigar has all the qualities of a good cigar it should have- the flavors, balanced strength with multi layers of aroma, long finish with ever changing super complexity. The twist of complexity is simply top notch and magical. One more difference I found at this stage is- at the end of final/3 the strength is medium to medium-full body. I love this playful strength in a cigar. This is simply a fantastic smoking journey from the start to finish.
Final thoughts: I am having the same issue as Goldie #2 to finish this part because I don't know what to say or how to end my final thought about La Palina Goldie #5. It has been a great almost two hours of smoking journey. The weather in Managua is gloomy like London. This is a sign of a heavy rain. I am sitting in my backyard and lost in a flavorful world. Somewhere a dove is cooing which spreading a relaxing and natural peace in my mind. I am a huge fan of La Palina. They are improving the quality steadily with new blends one after another. Only God knows what they are going to release next. There are only two Non-Cuban cigar makers who are delivering excellent cigars one after another. One is La Palina and another ROOM 101. I can see that they both truely care about their cigars with limited quantity to maintain the quality of cigars. We are experiencing a commercial trend with some of our favorite brands. The result is more and more poor quality cigars with higher price. I do not want to mention any name because at the end the individual smoker is responsible to accept or reject certain brand. I would like to mention this again, La Palina's first limited release was Robusto LImited Edition 1896. After smoking it, I immediately fell in love with this new brand in 2011, after that with Little Bill, LE release Goldie 2 and now Goldiea #5. The owner Bill Paley always believes in medium bodied cigar with full of flavors and aroma. A blender can easily hide the creativity in a heavy and full bodied blend but not in a mild or medium bodied cigar. La Palina is very confident and they keep sticking with medium bodied and releasing more and more cigars each year. La Palina cigars are not cheap but they deserve the money. I did not hesitate to say that La Palina Goldie 2 was the best non-Cuban and the best petit Lancero cigar in 2012. However, I will still wait the IPCPR/2013 to say the same thing for Goldie #5 because we have to wait see what other cigar release during the upcoming largest cigar show. However, I won't hesitate to say that La Palina Goldie #5 is definitely going to be one of the best 2013 release. I will buy couple more boxes and add to my aging project to enjoy this excellent cigar many years to come.
HISTORY:
Zino Davidoff was born on March 11, 1906 in Kiev, Russian Empire and present-day Ukraine. He was the eldest of four children born to tobacco merchant, Henri Davidoff. Even in his own autobiographical writings, the facts on his youth are a bit hazy, as he was quite young during this time and could only piece together some stories of his youth. His parents were either cigar merchants or cigarette manufacturers in Kiev. Fleeing the political turmoil, his parents left some of their family behind and immigrated to Geneva, Switzerland in 1911 for a better life, where they opened their own tobacconist shop in 1912. Finishing school in 1924, Zino went to Latin America to learn about the tobacco trade, spending time in such places as Argentina, Brazil and finally Cuba where he spent two years working on a plantation and first encountered Cuban cigars.
Returning to Switzerland around 1930, he took over his parents' shop. What had originally been a modest tobacco shop grew into a rich business during and after World War II. Neutral Switzerland was spared much of the havoc wreaked elsewhere in Europe and became a haven for wealthy tobacco customers. Zino was particularly successful in marketing the Hoyo de Monterrey Châteaux Series of Cuban cigars created for Zurich cigar distributor A Dürr Co. in the 1940s and named after great Bordeaux wines. Around this time, Zino is also credited by many as having invented the first desktop cigar humidor, in order to preserve cigars at the same conditions of humidity and temperature under which they were rolled in Havana. Davidoff also had success writing several books on cigar smoking and Cuban cigar brands. In 1970, Zino sold his small but highly successful tobacco shop in Geneva to the Max Oettinger Company. Zino stayed on as Davidoff’s ambassador until his death in 1994 at the age of 87. He was survived by his wife, a daughter and his three siblings.
The Max Oettiger Company, which took over Davidoff, was founded in 1875 and was one of the first importers of Havana cigars to Europe, selling its wares in France, Germany and Switzerland. Headed by the Swiss-born Ernst Schneider, Oettiger paid in excess of $1 million for the Davidoff shop, considered by many at the time to be an exorbitant price. In August 2006, Imperial Tobacco acquired the worldwide Davidoff cigarette trademark from its owners. The Oettinger Davidoff Group owns the worldwide Davidoff trademark for tobacco products other than cigarettes. Davidoff cigars continue to be produced in the Dominican Republic, under the direction of cigar blender Hendrik "Henke" Kelner. Since moving to the Dominican Republic, most of the vitolas were retained, although the Chateaux series was renamed the "Grand Cru" series and the names switched from wine estates names to simply numbers, and the Dom Pérignon was discontinued. Davidoff has also added an Aniversario series, a Millennium series, and a Special series of figurados to its lineup, along with numerous limited edition and yearly special releases. Davidoff also produces a line of cigars known as "Zino" and a line of cigarillos.
The Davidoff Masters Edition 2013 Club House Toro, the latest limited-edition cigar from Davidoff. The Club House Toro measures 6 1/4 inches by 52 ring and features a three-year-old wrapper from the Yamasá region of the Dominican Republic. An Ecuadoran binder (classified as "702" by Davidoff) holds a filler blend of Dominican tobaccos that include Piloto and San Vicente varietals. This cigar is crfated with a blend of five tobacco leaves in the filler- 3 Visus and 2 Secos. "Limited editions are like a playground for our master blenders who are free to use very rare, special and aged tobacco to create unrepeatable blends," said Davidoff in an official press release. Only 7,000 boxes of Club House Toro are being made available. The box, which holds 10 cigars, has a subtle golf theme to the packaging. [Cigar Aficionado, Wikipedia and my conversation with Davidoff.]
It is a Toro size cigar with dark chocolate color wrapper. The wrapper has a smooth feel with few visible light veins and slightly oily. It has the barnyard smell and the hints of light earth, cocoa, cedar and caramel sweetness on the foot. The cold draw is perfect with medium spice, cedar, earth, cocoa powder, caramel sweetness. The cigar feels good in hand. Toro has been always one of my favorite sizes. The cigar is extremely complex with perfectly balanced light black pepper, musky earth, mild leather, cedar, cocoa, chocolate and coffee flavors with the hints of aromatic cinnamon spice, freshly baked bread aroma at the back. It also has a distinctive caramel sweetness after each puff. There is also a sweet grass-citrus element. The smoke is smooth and creamy to the palate. The flavor and aroma profile is very intriguing, mouthful with balanced medium strength and long finish. The draw and burn is almost perfect. It is straight a medium bodied cigar with long finish.
Wrapper: Yamasa (Dominican 3 Year Old)
Binder: Ecuadorian 702
Filler: Dominican: Piloto and San Vincente
1/3: it starts with a blast of medium red chili pepper spice which is little unusual for a Davidoff cigar. The spiciness hit the nose during retrohale but not unpleasant. I am just not familiar with this kick from a Davidoff cigar. Followed by the red chili pepper, I am also detecting mild leather, cedar, signature Davidoff musky earth but mild, cocoa powder flavors with the hints of grass and aromatic spice aroma at the back. I am also enjoying a slight touch of caramel sweetness after each puff. It has a very welcoming and interesting start. Within 7-8 puffs the red chili pepper kick disappear and taken over with black peppery spiciness. What a classical twist in complexity of spice! The cigar is completely smooth and the smoke has been already creamy, full and round. The top of my tongue has a delicate zing of black peppery spice, the middle of my tongue is full of creamy-mouthful smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue is completely clean without any harshness or tobacco aftertaste. This is the sign of the well-aged tobacco in the blend. Another interesting observation is, the cigar burns slowly which is expected from a Yamasa wrapper for its extra oil. However, it burns faster than Davidoff Puro de Oro. The reason can be three years aged Yamasa wrapper. The burn has been almost even. As this stage, the cigar has wonderful flavors, aroma, balanced medium strength with wonderful complexity and medium finish. The retrohale has an exotic mix of black peppery spice and musky earthiness. I have already started enjoying the cigar. There are good cigars and also great cigars. A great cigar become interesting at the 1/3 stage and welcome us to smoke with serious attention. This is one of those cigars. Sometime few cigars invited me to lick my tongue and this cigar is giving me a clean caramel sweet layer of touch on my lips.
2/3: The beginning of this stage, the cigar has more thick musky earthiness at the front and the black peppery spiciness is at the back. The retrohale has more dominant sweet earthiness through the nose with a light touch of black pepper. I am impressed with the burn of this Yamasa wrapper because I wasn't expecting this. The mild leather and cedar flavors are gone but the cocoa powder aroma is more prominent. I am also detecting thick creamy chocolate flavors with hints of aromatic cinnamon spice, sweet grass aroma. There is also a citrusy element at the finish. The caramel sweetness is more distinctive after each puff-wow! The cigar is extremely complex with balanced flavors, aroma, strength and long finish. The top of my tongue still has the black peppery spicy zing. However, it is softer but not weaker than 1/3. The middle of my tongue is full of creamy, round, mouthful and meaty smoke with above complex flavors, aroma and finish. I am really enjoying it with the caramel sweet touch at the finish. My palate is very busy and enjoying the playful extreme complexity. Though in one point I thought the cigar is going to increase its strength from medium to full but in reality it stays steadily to the soft medium strength. My friend who works for Davidoff told me that Henke invested additional attention to the binder to this blend. He used double binder to ensure perfect burn with additional twist to the complex flavor. I have to say that it worked. Thank you Mr. Kelner for another magical cigar. The retrohale of this cigar is simply amazing. Let’s see if I can break it down further. The retrohale is dominated with musky earthiness plus extreme delicate black peppery spiciness with is surrounded with a shield of cream and citrus. Does it make any sense? If not than all I can say it- I am in love with the retrohale.
Final/3: The cigar still dominated with 2/3's musky earthiness with cream-citrus shield but the chocolate flavors changed into sweet-bitter chocolate with a touch of soft black peppery bite to the palate. The cigar deserves another point in complexity here. Though the 2/3’s full flavor profile is there but it is more distinctive and strong. The roasted coffee flavor is coming in with another twist. The aroma has stronger aromatic cinnamon spice and has a new found freshly baked bread aroma to the palate-yummy! Apparently the complexity is ever changing. The caramel sweetness is milder but more concentrated at the finish. The top of my tongue still has the distinctive zing of black pepper spice, the middle of my tongue is full of zesty, creamy and mouthful smoke with above flavors and aroma, the back of my tongue has a very mild tobacco bitterness. The cigar will lose this aftertaste at the back of the tongue within six month of additional aging. The cigar is burning little slowly now. The strength is straight medium with extreme complex and balanced flavors and aroma with long finish. The retrohale remain the same. I am really enjoying the cream-citrus element with a delicate touch of black pepper through the nose. This is a five star quality cigar.
Final thoughts: This is truly a Davidoff Limited Edition release with extreme complex flavors and aroma. At the same time a must smoke for the Davidoff cigar lovers and also for the other smoker. I am very happy to see Davidoff created another super complex medium bodied cigar which assure what my friend told me that Davidoff is going to release more and more medium bodied flavorful complex cigar. I will talk a little bit about Davidoff's new double binders practice. Henke is the pioneer of the Ecuadorian 702 and 151 binders. He utilizes them very skillfully to this blend. He has created many hybrid tobaccos such as H133 and H192. He also cultivated Peruvian version of Pelo de Oro to add additional twist to his different blends. I believe he used some Peruvian Pelo de Oro to this blend for the zesty sweetness. Please do not quote me on this but this my personal observation. This is how he is separating his Limited Edition releases with unique twists. He is a magical blender and his creations are very difficult to challenge because it is ever changing. He has strong financial support from Davidoff to play with the tobacco and he is not disappointing the Loyal Davidoff smokers. Finally, another top release in 2013. I am just waiting to see what other special cigar he is going to create next. I highly recommend this cigar to anyone. If possible collect a full box and age them. They will simply get better and better. Happy 4th of July!!!
San Cristóbal de la Habana was the original name of Havana, Cuba’s capital city, when it was founded in 1519; San Cristóbal (St Christopher) in honour of Columbus and La Habana after an Indian name for the site. San Cristóbal de la Habana cigars were introduced in 1999 as a tribute to the city’s long history on the threshold of the new Millennium. Its range is composed of four vitolas with a light to medium flavour using tobaccos from the Vuelta Abajo region. Each is named after one of the fortresses that defended the city in the days when it was the hub of Spain’s Latin American Empire. All are "totalmente a mano, tripa larga"—totally handmade, long filler and two sizes, El Morro and La Fuerza, are not found in any other Habano brand. Mercaderes, Oficios and Muralla are vitolas available in exclusive at La Casa del Habano. Casa Del Habano has three speciality and niche Brands- Trinidad, Cuaba and San Cristobal De La Habana. They have added in CDH’s portfolio in 2004.[Source: CDH]
THE XV ANNIVERSARY OF THE HABANOS FESTIVAL focused on two new Montecristo vitolas: Petit No.2 and Double Edmundo, the first Partagás Gran Reserva, as well as the re-launch of the Vegueros brand focus the interest on the XV anniversary of the Habanos Festival. On a side they also release this limited release but did not focus on it. The attendance of personalities from various fields, such as tennis player Boris Becker, jazz musician Delfeayo Marsalis, the great singer Omara Portuondo, NBA player Gary Payton, Italian tenor Darío Balzanelli and the connection to the world of gourmet gastronomy, including the Alliance between Habanos and Rioja, are the main features in a highly exclusive Festival. This year grupo Habanos sales had a significant 6% organic growth in 2012. Apparently CDH also joined with Organic tobacco.
The San Cristobal de La Habana XV Habanos Cigar Festival release resemble the exact flavor and aroma profile of San Cristobal de La Habana Mercaderes 2006 release but there are significant differences in overall performance. The XV Habana Cigar Festival release is more intense, matured and practically feels like smoking a creamy bar. I was offered this cigar by the famous Partagas roller China. She also told me they rolled some limited quantity just formthe XV Habana Cigar Festival with 5-7 years of aged tobacco. 5-7 years age sound little exaggeration to me because if it is 5-7 years age then LCDH would have released it under Gran Reserva version like Cohiba, Partagas or Montecristo. However, lot of things does not make economic sense in Cuba. So I will reserve my final comment rather than into my observation. I do not usually buy a box with whatever people say until I smoke one. When I smoke the first one in Paratagas cigar lounge...I immediately fell in love and knew that this is a gem. I ordered three leather boxes because I know they won't be available near future. This is one of the best find from my last Cuba trip.
The wrapper is copper brown, smooth with few visible veins here and there. It has no soft spots and has the good feel of holding a Churchill shape in hand. The wrapper has barnyard, hay, dry wood scents. The Pre-draw has strong cocoa powder, sweet hay, bit of spice and a slight floral hint at the back. Majority Cuban cigar lovers undermine SCDLH cigar. However, I love it for its distinctive peanut, coffee flavors, aged sweetness and strong aromatic floral notes. It is an extremely complex, rich, round cigar with long finish. It has all the good elements of a top quality Habano. The flavor profile is the combination of damp-sweet earth, sweet hay, oak, cocoa, toasted nut(peanut), cream, cinnamon, coffee, milk chocolate, biscuits-cookie, mochachino (Cappuccino-milk chocolate) flavors with clean and crisp notes of Cuban signature aromatic fruity- floral Aroma, citrus, orange, nutmeg, cloves hints from the start to finish. It has a wonderful caramel-molasses-brown sugary aged sweetness from the start to finish. The retrohale has an amazing delicate black peppery spiciness through the nose. There is no sign of harshness at all- this is a perfect example of a properly aged Habano cigar. The draw and burn is perfect. It is straight medium bodied but gets full at the final/3 stage cigar. This is one of my precious aged Cuban cigar collections. Compiling this review was easy because I had my old noted from the previous review.
Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba: Apparently 5-7 years old
1/3: It starts with strong aromatic floral aroma with damp-sweet earth, sweet hay, oak, cocoa, toasted peanut, cream, milk chocolate flavors. The finish has a clear and strong caramel-brown sugary sweetness. There is also a super milk sweet leathery hint at the back without any harshness. The cigar woke me up from the first puff. The smoothness immediately invited me to retrohale and I am getting many background notes and hints. This is simply a gorgeous and welcoming smoke. It declars its superior taste from the start. The top of my tongue has a mild touch of delicate black pepper spiciness; the middle of my tongue is full of cream, butter, round and mouthful texture with above flavors, aroma and back notes. The back of my tongue is completely clean. It is super rich, super complex with super long finish. I can feel the aromatic flavors and aroma with a mild tingly feel in my mouth. The strength is straight medium. The retrohale gives a nice delicate black peppery spicy kick through the nose. The retrohale also has a fruity-vanilla creamy shield with the peppery kick. The intensity of the smoke, flavors and aroma is the best part at this stage. I am puffing it slowly but each puffing it longer. This way I can keep more smoke inside my mouth for taste and for the retrohale. This is the right way to enjoy aged cigar. I am only puffing twice in a minute. I don't want to overheat the cigar. I am already very impressed!!!
2/3: Going towards the 2/3, the creamy nuttiness is dominating the texture with 1/3 flavors and aroma but I can also feel milk chocolate, coffee(cappuccino), biscuits-cookies, aromatic cinnamon flavors are coming forward with a hints of clove at the back. The retrohale has the delicate black peppery spiciness but also added a layer of sweet creaminess. There is also a mild but crispy citrus, orange and tangy hints at the back. It is an ever-changing, complex and flavorful smoke with loooong finish. The tingly feeling is getting more intense in my mouth. The smoke is very smooth but at the same time very sharp, crispy and clean. This cigar deserves another point here for complexity. Interestingly the cigar loss some strength but the flavors and aromas are there which is even more enjoyable to detect further complex back notes. This is the reason why a good cigar should be less in strength because it allows us to retrohale and enjoy the layers and layers of back ground notes. In this case, I am detecting more aromatic fruity-floral signature Cuban notes with distinctive toasted creamy nuttiness at the back. This cigar is packed with intense and complex flavors and aroma. The entire entire intense smoke is locked in a thick creamy shield…wow!!!
Final/3: it is interesting to see that the cigar ramp up with a combination of 1/3 and 2/3 flavors and aroma profile at this stage. The dominating flavor is more into mochachino coffee which is the combo of Cappuccino, milk and creamy chocolate. This is the optimum complexity and example how a top quality cigar combin its layers and layers of flavors and aroma with in different stages. The complete 1/3 and 2/3 flavors, aroma, back notes are there but they are coming back and forth with different level of intensity and strength. It is like a difference between hot cups of mocha coffee with an iced Frappuccino. Both are quiet the same but taste different in hot and cold. The retrohale black peppery spice gives the delicate kick with more strength but still enjoyable. It is like when we eat Japanese food, the wasabi spiciness gives a quick spicy kick then fade away. However, at the same time we enjoy that quick moment. At this stage there is a clear hint of aromatic cinnamon-cloves-nutmeg note at the back each puff. There is also a wonderful aged caramel-molasses-brown sugary sweetness to it. My entire mouth if covered with intense tingly feeling with super long finish. The cigar never gets bitter or hot until the last puff. The strength of this cigar gradually picks up the strength and releases layers and layers of complex flavors and aroma. It never gets boring. I can write an entire book about the complex flavors and aroma of this cigar. We will never have this feeling from a freshly rolled cigar even if it is a San Cristobal De La Habana. Indeed, aging adds some magic to certain cigars. This cigar has been added to my precious cigar collection and I am very proud of it!
Final Thought: I really don’t know how to organize my final thoughts. I rarely score a cigar but this one will get 95...period.