The Joya de Nicaragua of the 90's was a decent but fairly innocuous cigar. But back then it seemed like anyone would smoke anything that had a cigar label on it. After the last echoes of the "boom" faded away, serious cigar smokers became more discriminating. To satisfy this growing crowd of tobacco cognoscenti Joya de Nicaragua introduced the Antaño 1970 series, a powerhouse extra-full bodied cigar that blew everyone's socks off.

But not everyone wants a bunker buster like the Antaño, and most cigar smokers don't want a super powerful cigar every time they light one up. To temper the power of the Antaño the makers of Joya de Nicaragua went to a master of mild yet flavorful cigars: Manuel Quesada of MATASA. Quesada lightened up the ligero and came up with a more serene blend of tobaccos for the Celebracion.

Made in Esteli, Nicaragua by Tabacos Puros de Nicaragua, the oldest cigar company in Central America, the Celebracion is a Nicaraguan puro (as is the Antaño) with a havana seed criollo wrapper.

It's a bit short for a robusto at 4 1/2 inches, but a bit fatter as well with a 52 ring gauge. The wrapper is a leathery looking colorado maduro. The stick is a little bumpy and the cap is rough.

The construction on this stout fellow is very good. It burns just a mite unevenly, but corrects itself. The draw is spot on.

The primary flavor is wood, with some sweet highlights. It's definitely a milder cigar than its big brother, but still not a lightweight. I'd say it's medium to almost full. It gathers some strength in the home stretch, but doesn't quite reach a solid full body. Toward the end what it lacks in strength it makes up for with a peppery finish.

It reminds me of a CAO Criollo, more than anything, but I'd have to give the CAO an edge for a slightly more refined flavor. The Celebracion Consul is nevertheless a very good cigar. At less than five USD in the B&M it's a pretty good value as well.

Wrapper: Cameroon

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Peru

Dimensions: 6 1/8 x 52

Like almost all of the Upmanns I've had, this cigar had really good construction. It burned evenly from the first touch of the match to the end, and the draw was just right. Not too loose, not too tight, like Goldilocks' third bed. (Maybe that's the Cuban version of the story.)

The Vintage Cameroon Beli starts up a bit sharp. The spice hit me in the back of the throat and stung my nostrils just a little, but after an inch or so it started to mellow out and I was able to enjoy that classic cameroon aroma.

The wrapper on this smoke is fairly toothy, not as much as a Fuente Hemingway, but it's still a very attractive cigar. There are a few prominent veins that do not obstruct the burn in any way. It arrives encased in a cedar sheath which is handy as a spill to light the cigar.

The predominate flavor, aside from the aroma, is earth. Similar to the Toraño 1916 cameroons, but a little heavier, a little darker. Not as sweet, I'd say, and much saltier. You'll definitely want a cool drink on hand.

The ash on this puppy is solid; no surprise considering the excellent construction. The aftertaste is tannic.

All told, this is clearly an above average cigar. Maybe not the absolute best cameroon out there, but for a medium bodied cigar with faultless construction it's certainly worth a test drive.

Yet another cigar brand name that has Cuban roots: Bolivar. This is the "2005 blend" made in Santiago, Dominican Republic by General Cigar. It's an interesting blend of leaves, with a Honduran wrapper, a Connecticut binder, and filler from the D.R. as well as Nicaraguan leaf from both Esteli and the volcanic island of Ometepe.

The wrapper is from the small valley of San Agustin, Honduras, which is also the source for the wrapper on the Punch Gran Puro — a rich and powerful leaf that is rightfully gaining a solid reputation. The binder is "Havana Medio Tiempo" from the corona part of the plant, a step above ligero at the very top. And the higher you go, the more powerful the leaf becomes. This leaf is used as a wrapper on the Partagas Black label. Ometepe is an island in the middle of lake Nicaragua where the Plasencias have been experimenting with tobacco cultivation. I would expect the volcanic soil to have a profound effect on the flavor and quality of the leaf. (The current issue of Cigar Aficionado has an article about Ometepe, but I haven't picked up a copy yet.)

The "2005 blend" was created by master cigar maker Daniel Nuñez, with advice from such luminaries as Estelo Padron, Benji Menendez, and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. It was developed with the original Cuban Bolivar in mind, intended to be a "flavorful powerhouse of a cigar, and worthy of its pedigree."

The wrapper on this solid cigar is fantastic in every way, a dark oily delight. The aroma from the wrapper is the best part of this smoke– rich with leather and something like coffee or strong cocoa. It's not a powerhouse, in my opinion. I'd call it medium at best, but a flavorful and smooth medium.

I can't render a final opinion on this cigar however, because the sample I tried was really tight. It burned very well, but the draw was laborious. I was really enjoying the flavor of the smoke, but I tossed it at the halfway point because the draw was so annoying. I will have to pick up a few more of these to see if I just got a bad stick this time.

For the moment, I'd say go with the Punch Gran Puro for a similar taste (but definitely more powerful) and better construction.

After further review, it appears that the Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau has not officially proposed the changes referred to in an earlier post.

TTB has received numerous inquiries about when it will publish proposed regulatory amendments regarding the classification of little cigars for Federal excise tax purposes.

TTB is currently drafting its proposed changes to the tobacco regulations. The proposed changes would add specific criteria to our regulations to differentiate between little cigars and cigarettes. We plan to publish the proposal for public comment by this summer.

Furthermore, the recommendations by the Attorneys General are aimed at a specific tobacco product that is not remotely related to the cigars found on Keepers of the Flame. And in reality, the recommendations have little to do with size; they have much more to do with the composition of the stick and how it is marketed to the public.

A “cigar” would be defined as a roll of tobacco that is wrapped in 100% natural leaf tobacco, or a substance that contains 75% or more tobacco which retains its original qualities, i.e. does not taste like a pineapple.

A “cigarette” would be defined as a roll of tobacco wrapped in paper (or other non-tobacco substance), or wrapped in a substance containing tobacco but is “likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as a cigarette.” The new definition would cast a shadow of suspicion over cigars that are either sweetened, or are sold in packaging similar to that of cigarettes.

It appears that the AGs are after cigarettes that pass themselves off as cigars, such as “Primetime” cigars and other filtered tobacco products, sometimes called “brown cigarettes.” Personally, I have no interest in these, and I won’t touch cheap machine made cigars that use HTL (homogenized tobacco leaf.) So I’m not too worried.

However, the definitions seem to cast a net broad enough that fans of Acid cigars or other hand made flavored cigars may have cause for concern. Without a doubt the makers of genuine cigars that utilize cased tobacco or contain sucrose in any fashion will have their say before the final regulations are passed.

The AG recommendations have been published online by the California Attorney General.

I don’t normally post cigar news, or anti-cigar news as it usually turns out to be, but this one caught my eye. The attorneys general of 39 states and Guam have decided that “little cigars” are actually cigarettes, and should be controlled and taxed accordingly.

From the AP wire:

By NANCY ZUCKERBROD, Associated Press Writer Thu May 18, 6:30 PM ET

WASHINGTON – If it looks like a cigarette, feels like a cigarette and smokes like a cigarette — it must be a cigarette. At least that’s what 39 states and Guam are saying about “little cigars.”

Many little cigars should be reclassified as cigarettes, the officials said Thursday, meaning they would have to carry health-warning labels and be subject to higher taxes and marketing restrictions that are imposed on cigarettes, but not on cigars.

“Call a cigarette a cigarette. I’ve got them in front of me. There isn’t any question these are cigarettes,” Montana Attorney General Mike Mcgrath said Thursday in a telephone interview. “It’s peach flavored. Now who would want a peach flavored cigar? Maybe a high school girl.”

High school girls, eh? Tell that to this guy, Mr Attorney Man:

Go ahead. Make his day.

And when he’s done with you, there’s some ladies in the hall that would like a word. They call themselves the “Flavourettes,” and they look a little…desperate.