Foundry “Wells”

by cigarfan

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The cigar industry is generally not given to radical creativity. There is a market for adventure seekers, folks who like flavored stuff and cigars with multiple wrappers, but for the most part staid and conservative tradition sells more cigars than hip new trends. Just ask Padron.

Style and substance must be carefully balanced. I myself am not particularly interested in a haute couture cigar, no matter how interesting it looks, if it doesn’t smoke well and taste good. And I know I’m not alone.

And so there are a lot of smokers who will be suspicious of a cigar composed of “non-traditional” tobaccos, particularly when it comes with an unwieldy brass gear where a band should be. That is what the Foundry cigar is. I find the cigar’s “steampunk” cachet somewhat distracting, but putting that aside, the cigar itself is still striking in a conventional way. My first impression is that this stick might be able to pull it off.

The wrapper is a proprietary Connecticut leaf called H-47 Pleno Sol. It looks like Connecticut Shade, but darker and more oily. The rest of the cigar is simply “non-traditional,” meaning not Nicaraguan, not Dominican, and not Honduran. We are awash in mystery here.

Foundry cigars are made in four sizes. (The frontmarks are named for the literary heroes of the “steampunk” movement, an anachronistic fashion and art lifestyle inspired by the science and science fiction of the Victorian Age.)

  • No. 1 Wells – 6 x 50 (H. G. Wells)
  • No. 2 – Lovelace 6 1/4 x 54 (Ada Lovelace)
  • No. 3 – Talbot 5 x 60 (Bryan Talbot)
  • No. 4 Cayley 6 1/2 x 60 (Sir George Cayley)

Construction Notes

The gear slips off the Foundry toro (Wells) with only a little resistance, leaving in its wake a less mechanically endowed but still attractive cigar. The wrapper is a dark golden brown, oily nearly to the point of gloss. There are a few veins, but they don’t distract from the overall appearance of the stick.

The roll is solid, maybe a touch too firm on one of the samples, but the draw is still quite serviceable and the burn is even.

Overall construction: Very good.

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Tasting Notes

It is immediately apparent that this is a unique blend. The Foundry is a mild tasting cigar, but it is distinctive and aromatically very rich.

The aroma makes an initial impact with sweet notes of malt and honey. The flavor on the palate is earthy, perhaps a bit musty, and has a slightly bitter tang. There is very little aftertaste in the first half of the cigar, but the tannic bitterness on the tongue is pronounced and blends in an interesting way with the sweetness of the aroma.

The smoke is full-bodied in texture despite its mild strength. There isn’t much development in the second half of the cigar, which I found a little disappointing in a cigar of this size, but its aromatic qualities continue to impress. There is a sweet bready quality to the smoke which is quite pleasant.

Unfortunately, the bitterness on the tongue continues as well. This flavor is a fairly common component of milder cigars, and blenders must include it by design, but I can’t say I’m a fan of it.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed the idiosyncrasy of the Foundry, from the way it is designed and presented to the way it smokes. It’s built well and it’s aromatically delicious. But I had some difficulty with the bitterness on the tongue, and found it to be a bit too musty for my taste. It could be a fine beginner’s cigar, though, and smokers who venture into flavored cigar territory might want to give it a whirl.

Standard retail price is around $8 USD per stick. And hang on to your gears! They will reportedly serve a purpose later on… Perhaps there is a steampunk convention in your future!

Flying machine

Special thanks to General Cigar for providing samples of the Foundry Wells. 

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Avo Heritage Robusto

by cigarfan

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When the limited edition Avo Compañero was released in 2009, iconic spokesman Avo Uvezian declared it “the best blend ever released under my name from the Occidental Kelner Cigars factory in the Dominican Republic.” Avo lovers look forward to Uvezian’s annual limited edition releases, and the Companero seemed to garner more praise and excitement than many previous years’ entries. Most Avo cigars tend to be like Davidoff blends: milder, more subtle, and a little more “exclusive” than what is generally found in my humidor. But the Compañero stands out, with many calling it the strongest, if not the best Avo yet.

The Avo Heritage is based on the Compañero blend, perhaps inspired by the popularity of its proud progenitor, or perhaps to fill out the Avo portfolio with a heavier cigar. It uses the same wrapper leaf, a dark Ecuadorian Habano, and for punch the filler includes three different Dominican ligero leaves. The core of the cigar is buttressed with seco leaves from the Dominican Republic as well as Peru, and the bunch is bound with a San Vicente leaf, also from the DR. The cigar was released in the summer of 2010, and is available in four sizes:

  • Churchill: 6 3/4 x 48
  • Robusto: 4 7/8 x 50
  • Short Robusto: 4 x 56
  • Toro: 6 x 50

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Construction Notes

It’s safe to assume quality construction from this factory, and the Avo Heritage Robusto holds no surprises in that regard. The wrapper is a dark and smooth colorado maduro with a touch of oil. The head is finished with a simple but elegant single cap.  The roll is firm, the draw is effortless, and it burns with a slow and even disposition.

A well made cigar draws no attention to its behavior. In that respect this one is practically invisible.

Overall construction: Excellent.

Tasting Notes

The Heritage robusto starts up with an herbal, grassy flavor overlaid with oak. There is a peppery aftertaste, and the finish is dry. A complex aroma with notes of vanilla, or even coconut, blends well with the earthier flavors on the palate.

As the cigar develops it picks up some maduro-like flavors: chocolate notes pop up amidst the grassy, mustier flavors. From the ad copy I was expecting a heavier cigar, but I found it to be medium in body and only slightly punchier than the Domaine Avo.

The last stage gives the pepper mill a few more cranks, but even with the spice and the char it remains balanced and smooth.

Conclusion

Avo’s Heritage Robusto is a fine cigar, though a little too dry and grassy for me. It’s smooth, it offers a complex aroma, and is rather affordable, for an Avo anyway — MSRP ranges around $7.00 USD per cigar.

The Heritage Robusto earned a nearly perfect construction score, and if you’re a fan of peppery Dominican cigars (and have exceptional taste) you’ll want to try this one. But given my dilatory posting habits, you probably already have.

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Final Score: 88

La Musa Mοῦσα

by cigarfan

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ἄνδρα μοι ἔννεπε, μοῦσα, πολύτροπον

“Tell me, Muse, of the man of many ways.”

The invocation that serves as Homer’s introduction to the Odyssey is a fitting way to introduce Emilio Cigars’ rebranding of Grimalkin, now called La Musa. I studied Ancient Greek as an undergraduate and enjoy reading it still, so I applaud the name choice. I’m not sure if Gary Griffith was thinking of Homer when he chose this name for this blend, but it’s hard for an old classics major not to think of him in association with the word Mοῦσα. The other interesting word in the line is polutropon, an adjective which has no exact equivalent in English. A translator has no choice but to compromise. It’s like describing the aroma of a complex cigar: the result is always  a frail approximation, and the description is never an adequate substitute for the experience of smoking the cigar itself. Polutropon literally means “many ways.”  It  encapsulates the spirit of Odysseus — his craftiness, intelligence, and sophistication. Homer calls on the Muse to help him describe this ineffable man. Perhaps I should do the same before I try to describe this cigar.

Rumor has it that La Musa Mousa is a Nicaraguan puro, and more reliable information indicates that it is made in Esteli. Evidently the plan for La Musa is to release three lines, one for each of the three Plutarchian Muses, plus the original Mousa. (There are several different accounts of the Muses, so there are more of them available for expansion if necessary. With all those lovely ladies it could end up being the most popular booth at the trade show.)

The blend is available in four sizes, with a limited lancero release not listed:

  • Corona – 5 1/2 x 46
  • Robusto – 5 x 52
  • Toro – 6 x 52
  • Torpedo – 6 1/2 x 52

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Construction Notes

The cover leaf on La Musa Mousa appears maduro in shade, with a rough texture almost like broadleaf. The cigar is rolled perfectly, terminating in a sharp torpedo tip. The draw has just the right amount of resistance, and it burns beautifully.

Overall construction: Excellent

Tasting Notes

La Musa Mousa is an essentially Nicaraguan smoke, but it doesn’t start out that way. The first few puffs are much creamier than what I expect from a Nicaraguan cigar (and of course, I’m not completely sure that this cigar is entirely Nicaraguan) and the pepper gradually builds from there. Notes of coffee and cocoa appear in the aromatics, and there is an intermittent sugary sweetness on the tongue.

The complexity of the smoke is demonstrated in the middle section as woody flavors appear alongside the tobacco sweetness on the palate. The peppery intensity gets cranked up a notch as well.

The last part of this torpedo features bittersweet chocolate and tannic wood until it begins to char. It becomes quite powerful by the end (though others have characterized the cigar as “medium-bodied”) and the spice doesn’t let up. It had me tearing up and sneezing at points. In the best way, of course. There’s nothing like a good tobacco sneeze.

Conclusion

There are rumors that this cigar is made at the My Father factory, but it’s almost the inverse of a Pepin blend — it starts out smooth and saves the pepper blast for the finale. But if you gave me this cigar blind, I’d probably guess Pepin anyway: partly for its impeccable construction, and partly for the combination and complexity of flavors — wood and cocoa and pepper in a balanced and well-planned blend. It’s very much a full-flavored and spicy cigar, but it’s also quite creamy.

La Musa Mousa in the torpedo size sells for around $8.75 USD. Given the complexity of flavors and the superb construction of the cigar, that’s not a bad asking price. Seek it out if you’re a fan of big Nicaraguan blends, and let me know what the Muse tells you.

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7-20-4 Lancero

by cigarfan

7 20 4 lancero

Kurt Kendall’s 7-20-4 cigar has a colorful history, one that began in 1874 when R.G. Sullivan began making cigars in Manchester, New Hampshire. Starting with a single cigar roller, the company grew to employ over 1500 people by 1924 and at that time was producing 80 million cigars a year. Sullivan was known as America’s largest manufacturer of “ten cent” cigars. As the company grew, the factory changed locations several times, as did the brand name. Gold Dust Ten Cent Cigars, as they were known, became 7-20-4, derived from the factory’s address: 724 Elm Street.

Sullivan’s factory continued on for many years thereafter, but it finally closed in 1963 as yet another casualty of the U.S.-Cuban trade embargo. The building itself still stands, and has evidently been rehabilitated for use as office space. (But before you sign that lease, know there are rumors that the building is haunted.)

The brand name 7-20-4 was revived when cigar maker Kurt Kendall secured the trademark in 2008. Today 7-20-4 cigars are made in the Tabacos de Oriente factory in Honduras, utilizing leaf from five countries: filler from Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico and Colombia, a Costa Rican binder, and a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper. The cigars are rolled using the entubado method to ensure a consistently even draw. With the recently added lancero, there are now six sizes in production:

  • Corona – 5.625 x 46
  • Churchill – 7 x 48
  • Gran Toro – 6.5 x 56
  • Robusto – 5 x 50
  • Torpedo – 6.125 x 52
  • Lancero – 7.5 x 38

Construction Notes

With its pigtail cap the 7-20-4 lancero does in fact look a bit like a lance. All it lacks is a bell guard and a tiny knight errant. The Brazilian wrapper is a uniform maduro in color, rich in appearance, and a little bit dry. A potential pitfall of the lancero size is a difficult draw, but utilizing the entubado rolling method seems to have eliminated the chance of that happening here. Just one of the three I smoked for review offered more resistance than I prefer, and the other two were perfect. The burn was dead even in each case and the narrow ash held longer than I expected it to.7-20-4 lancero

Overall construction: excellent.

Tasting Notes

The flavors and aroma of this cigar are pleasantly complex, and it wastes no time in presenting them. It introduces itself with pepper on the tongue and palate, in moderation, and the smoke is cool and surprisingly creamy. The foundation flavor is crisp and woody, similar to Illusione’s Original Document blend but without the sharpness. The aroma is rich and syrupy with chocolate and cedar spices.

I was expecting the cigar to exhibit a transition at some point, but it doesn’t change too much, aside from a general darkening from wood to char. Not every smoke needs a second and third act, however. The overall complexity of the 7-20-4 makes up for its lack of evolution, so there’s no room for complaint. Maybe it’s just human nature to ask for improvement when it’s already good to start with. Like raking your kid over the coals for that A- in AP Calculus.

Conclusion

Complexity and smoothness are what I really prize in my favorite smokes, and the 7-20-4 lancero has both. I shy away from lanceros because of the construction problems endemic to the size, but that’s not a concern at all with the 7-20-4. Entubado rolling and quality control have quelled those worries.

The lanceros run in the $8 USD range. Treat yourself for the holidays and pick up a few.

7 20 4 lanceroFinal Score: 90

Flor de las Antillas Robusto

by cigarfan

Flor de las Antillas

New for 2012 from My Family Cigars in Esteli, Nicaragua, is Flor de las Antillas. The “flower” of the Antilles is the island from which the Garcia family hails: Cuba itself. The brand name was in fact an old Havana trademark, and My Family Cigars has resurrected the name and rejuvenated the artwork for this new release.

Flor de las Antillas is a Nicaraguan puro featuring a sun-grown wrapper and several different Cuban-seed tobaccos. The cigar is box pressed and produced in four sizes:

  • Robusto: 5 x 50
  • Belicoso: 5 1/2 x 52
  • Toro: 6 x 52
  • Toro Gordo: 6 1/2 x 56
Construction Notes
The Flor de las Antillas robusto is a pressed cigar with a dry colorado claro wrapper. The cover leaf has a few veins, but it doesn’t look quite as weather-beaten as some sun grown wrappers. The head terminates in a flat triple-wrapped cap, and the draw is effortless. It burns evenly, and the ash it generates is almost as strong as the original cigar.

Overall construction: Superb. (No surprise, coming from My Father.)

Flor de las Antillas 2Tasting Notes

This is a somewhat unusual entry from the Garcias; it’s one of the smoothest and creamiest cigars I can recall from a cigar maker reknowned for big flavors and an explosion of pepper up front. A little bit of pepper creeps up in the sinuses for the first minute or two, but there is no bite on the tongue at all. Some leathery scents emerge which balance nicely with mild cedary spices, but for the most part this is just a very smooth medium-bodied cigar with a creamy smoke texture.

The middle section continues along the same trajectory, with some caramel sweetness added into the mix. This aroma doesn’t seem quite as robust as the Corojo 99 that I love on medium-bodied Garcia cigars like Vegas Cubanas, but it’s a little more complex and similarly balanced with mild spice.

The last third is increasingly peppery, but compared to many of My Father’s full-bodied blends (like Le Bijou, for instance) it’s really quite tame. Most of the spice tingles in the sinuses with only a fleeting nip on the tongue.

Conclusion

La Flor de las Antillas fills a spot in the medium-bodied lineup for My Father Cigars, perhaps to fill vacancies left by blends like El Rey de Los Habanos and El Centurion. It’s a nicely balanced cigar with hints of leather and cedar topped off with some caramel sweetness, and only a shadow of the pepper that is the hallmark of this Nicaraguan family. It’s also priced well. At around $6.00 it’s well within the median price range for premium smokes.

It didn’t blow me into the stratosphere, but smokers who like medium-bodied Nicaraguan blends — like Vegas Cubana or the old Padilla 1948 — should definitely check this one out.
Flor de las Antillas 3
Final Score: 89

Ashton ESG 22 Year Salute

by cigarfan

Ashton’s Estate Sun Grown (ESG) was released in 2005 to salute “20 consecutive years of increased sales and overall growth.”  That sounds a little like the theme of the Dunder Mifflin Christmas party, and the initial reviews of the ESG were nearly as embarrassing. The release of the cigar was highly anticipated for a number of reasons: it’s an Ashton product blended by Carlos Fuente, Jr., and it carries a super-premium price which inflated expectations accordingly. At around $20-25 USD per stick, the ESG could well be expected to take a place alongside Fuente’s Opus X and Diamond Crown’s Maximus cigars. But initial reviews were not kind, and at that price I decided I would give the brand some time to fix what went wrong or to let the aging process repair the flaws of youth.

After some initial delays, the first ESG was released in a churchill format sometime in 2006. The plan was to release an additional size each year after 2005 until Ashton’s 25th anniversary in 2010. The blend components are somewhat mysterious. The wrapper is a leaf grown especially for the ESG on the Chateau de la Fuente farm in the Dominican Republic, and that is all ye know and all ye need know. The origin and type of the binder and filler leaves are not public information.

The production sizes appear to have halted at four rather than the scheduled five, and they are as follows:

20 Year Salute — 6.75 x 49
21 Year Salute — 5.25 x 52
22 Year Salute — 6 x 52  (torpedo)
23 Year Salute — 6.25 x 52

Construction Notes

The 22-Year Salute is a debonair torpedo with a leathery and slightly oily exterior. A few fine veins traverse the reddish wrapper. The head of the cigar terminates in a tightly wrapped point, and the stick appears to be softly box pressed. The draw is excellent, but the burn is a little uneven and the ash flakes at times. I had to apply a corrective flame to this ESG once or twice, but aside from that the construction is what you’d expect from an Ashton super-premium.

Overall construction excellent.

Tasting Notes

The ESG torpedo opens with a mild dose of black pepper and some tartness on the palate. The pepper is not overbearing, but it dominates the first inch of the stick. Despite the spice, the smoke texture is noticeably creamy. Within a few puffs the magic of this cigar becomes apparent: the aroma is extremely complex and totally unique. There are notes of both cedar and flowers on the nose, but neither is overt. The room scent is very nice.

The mid section of the cigar is earthier, with some lightly roasted coffee flavors. The aroma continues to be sweet and slightly floral, but this is accompanied by a dry tannic aftertaste that I don’t care for. The spice diminishes while the cigar gathers strength.

The final section remains smooth and creamy, and the aroma is nothing short of amazing. There are notes of lavender or violet, but it isn’t perfumey at all. It’s floral, but balanced. On the other hand, the tannic aftertaste persists. I’m completely entranced by the scent of this cigar, but after an hour my mouth is parched.

Conclusion

It’s easy to see why the Ashton ESG is in the super-premium category: the Chateau de la Fuente wrapper is extremely subtle and complex. Even though it burns a little erratically, it’s obviously the centerpiece of the cigar. But I can also see why the early reviews were less than laudatory. The cigar is quite dry, and the aftertaste is very tart. Perhaps this could be countered by the right drink; water didn’t work any wonders for me, and I didn’t want to spoil the scent of the smoke with anything stronger. Maybe the ESG is just looking for the right companion.

But at $23 USD I’m a little disappointed. The high price point held me to a single cigar for this review, so it’s possible another test drive would change my mind; another occasion, another drink, another cigar. But at this price, on my budget, one chance is all it will get.

Final Score: 85

T. L. Johnson Tempio Extreme Box Press

by cigarfan

I hadn’t heard of T. L. Johnson Cigars before, but I have heard of one of their brands — Jose Dominguez. In addition to this one, Johnson produces Palma cigars as well as three distinct lines under the T. L. Johnson brand name: the Legend Reserve Reserve 63, and the Signature line in Connecticut and Maduro. The company is located in Colorado, and it looks like their cigars are distributed primarily in-state.

Tempio is, I believe, their newest line, and since it is produced by one of my favorite boutique manufacturers – La Tradicion Cubana – I was itching to give it a go.

Tempio utilizes a Pennsylvania wrapper leaf (like the JML 1902) in conjunction with an habano binder and Dominican filler. The cigar is made in four sizes:

No. 50 (Robusto) — 5 x 50
No. 52 (Torpedo) — 5 1/2 x 52
No. 56 (Toro) — 5 1/4 x 56
No. 54 (Churchill) — 6 3/4 x 54

Construction Notes

If it weren’t for the sloping shoulders and tightly wound pig-tail cap of the Tempio, I’d say this cigar looks like a carpenter’s pencil. A big one. Maybe the right size for Shaq if he adds cabinetry to his career profile. The corners are clean and form tight right angles that relax a little as the cigar burns.

The colorado maduro wrapper is smooth but leathery in appearance. The veins appear to have been pressed into the leaf, so it looks rustic but doesn’t feel that way to the touch. The draw offers the right amount of resistance, and the burn is surprisingly even for a square pressed stick. The ash is a little bit flaky on the perimeter but holds strong.

Overall Construction: Excellent.

Tasting Notes

The Tempio focuses on a cedar flavor throughout the smoke, but it starts up with some unusual scents that are hard to place. There is a peppery spiciness on the tongue that fades pretty quickly, but the most interesting aspect of the first third are the fleeting sweet spicy notes in the aroma. There seems to be something vaguely fruity about the aroma, but not in a light way — it’s a spicy fruitiness that reminds me a little of the scent of mulled wine.

The spice loses some of that interesting sweetness in the mid-section, but it remains sweet in a more conventional way. There is less of a cedar flavor and the smoke becomes a little smoother. The smoke is medium in body, and probably a touch heavier than that in strength. There is a dry papery tartness in the aftertaste.

The last third reintroduces the pepperiness as the flavors begin to char, but even in the last few puffs some sweetness lingers.

Conclusion

I love the complexity of flavors that the Pennsylvania wrapper contributes to the Tempio, and the overall performance of the cigar is very good as well. It’s a balanced with just the right amount of spice, and it’s never boring.  In fact it’s a little bit edgy, which I think gives it some aging potential.

The MSRP on this cigar is about as bold as its flavors — around $11.00. I’d like to see that price drop a bit, but there’s no arguing with the quality of the stick. The biggest challenge will be locating a Tempio for purchase. It looks like there is at least one online vendor, or if you are lucky enough to live in Colorado, check out the T. L. Johnson website for retail locations.

Final Score: 90