Last night I had the pleasure of having a cigar with Mel Gonzalez, the president of Canimao cigars. I have had a Canimao Classic Natural before, but it was a little on the mild side and better suited for a morning smoke. I have only seen them at a few locations, and they are strict about allowing distributors and online retailers carrying their brand, which I respect a lot.

When I first sat down with Mel, I smoked one of the naturals they were handing out to try. He asked me what I thought about it, and I proceeded to explain that I liked the construction and burn, but that it was a little milder than I normally smoke. Then he suggested that I try the Canimao Classic Robusto Extra Dark.

I grabbed the cigar and went through my typical pre-light ritual. It had a very nice, dark wrapper, with a nice Cuban twist on the cap. A very well constructed cigar with a very nice aroma. I would have to describe it as earthy. I hit it with the torch and took my first draw and it smoked very well. Full clouds of wonderful smoke, and then it hit me. I have never tasted this before. I mean, when you smoke some cigars, they usually remind you of another cigar that you have had in the past. This one did not, which I really liked a lot, as the flavor profile stood on its own, just as a true boutique brand should.

Smoking the cigar, I never had to touch it up once. It burned even all the way to the end, and left me wanting more. It’s been a long time since I have had a cigar like this. If I had to describe it, it would be like the first time I tried a Tatjuae Unicos when they first came out. I’m not saying it has the spice/pepper, or full body of a Tat, but it did have a great flavor that I found very pleasant.
The flavor profile was noticeable at different stages, making it a nice, complex, cigar. When I said earthy, it’s more of a barn yard aroma. Some wood and chocolate from time to time, but not all at once. I would not hesitate to purchase a box of the extra darks, and it would be something I could smoke daily. It was that good.

While I was talking with Mel as I enjoyed this cigar, a funny thing I noticed was that we both said at the same time… “Passion”. He was discussing his passion for creating a good cigar, rolled in the old Cuban style. I had mentioned how much I enjoy the cigar culture and cigars. We both agreed that we shared the same passion for cigars, which I accept as a compliment.

Another thing we both agreed on was the impact that boutique brands were having on the market. He really has no desire to be a major brand, which I found refreshing. He does love his craft, history and care that goes into blending a well balanced cigar. If you get the opportunity to smoke a Canimao, and the chance to sit and meet with Mel Gonzalez, watch him smile when you tell him you like his cigars and you’ll know what I mean. He gets excited and actually throws his head back laughing while interpreting what we were talking about to his master roller, which didn’t speak English.

I really like the Canimao, and have a great deal of respect for the owner of the company. Seeing his passion about his brand made it all more enjoyable. I highly recommend that you try one of their cigars.

Color: Dark Natural   Size: 6 1/8″ x 52

Canimao cigars are made in Miami, Florida in a very small factory. The cigar is wrapped in an Ecuadorian wrapper, with fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, and an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder.

This cigar is mild to medium-bodied and has a great flavor. It comes in Double Corona (7 ½” x 50), Legendarios (5” x 50), Robusto (5” x 50), Robusto Extra (6 1/8” x 52) and Torpedo (6 1/8” x 52)

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Style
High gloss matte or veneer finish? Free standing or desktop? Don Salvatore or Davidoff? With so many different brands and designs available, finding the right humidor can often times be a daunting task. Make sure that the one you choose complements your style preferences and enhances your living space. If a humidor doesn’t appeal to you visually, than don’t buy it. For those looking for a customized approach, there are also a number of sites that offer personalized and engraved humidors– I know Famous Smoke and a couple other online retailers do this.

Hygrometer
You want to a humidor to have a very good hygrometer so that you can control the temperature and humidity level of your cigars to maintain optimum taste. It is very important that the temperature of your humidor stays below 70°F (21.1°C) and relative interior humidity be between 65-74% (ideal humidity condition is frequently cited at 70%). If under or above this range the cigars in your humidor can dry out, form mold or fungus, and/or hatch Tobacco beetles that can permanently alter the taste and irrevocably damage your cigars.

Hardware
All hinges, handles, corners and locks on the humidor should be well-bolted and durable. You don’t want one with hardware that can be easily broken or damaged for obvious reasons.

Construction
For your humidor’s outside construction, you want the sidewalls to be ½ inch thick or more and made from at least furniture-grade solid wood. The thicker the sidewalls of a humidor the more resistant it will be to changes in external temperature and physical damage.

As for the interior, you want the inside of your humidor to be lined with either Spanish cedar or Honduran Mahogany. These woods are pretty much the industry standard and are both very porous- which is needed to absorb and release moisture inside of a humidor. These woods in addition, support cigar aging, ward off tobacco beetles, and prevent mold and mildew growth.

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I typically smoke one, sometimes two a day, on Monday through Thursday. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I smoke typically 3 – 5 a day. My conservative estimate was 13 a week, which comes to 56 a month. My average cigar purchases are usually $11.00 a stick. After some basic math, it wouldn’t take a 5^th grader long to figure this out.

My dilemma is that I really enjoy cigars, and the cigar culture that goes with it. Hell, I am the president of the cigar club, so that should say something about how much I love cigars.

This estimate doesn’t even include the trips, accessories, gas and time I commit to this lifestyle. This also doesn’t include the cigars I give away, or the one’s I purchased and they are still resting comfortably in their make shift apartment in my home.

I had a cigar rep from General Cigar tell me once, that the “average” cigar smoker smokes 2 cigars a week. I can finally say that I am above average in that category.

I’m not sharing this to sway anyone from smoking cigars, nor is this my “dear John” letter to the herfing lifestyle. I’m just venting a little, and now trying to find a way to finance my cigar hobby, if that’s what it is. I am not addicted, and I can stop at any time. I just don’t wish to quite yet.

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Also, be sure to meet our new officers, including Frank, our new vice president. I think you will be happy with all of the new changes and events.

If you’re new to cigars, or have ever wanted to try one, then you should sign up today. There is always someone who is ready to assist you, and we are not a commercial smoke shop, so no one is going to try to sell you anything.

The new website is going through a lot of changes, so stay tuned for more updates. We are Nashville’s original cigar smoker’s club and growing fast.

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You can see the Nashville Cigar Club NUB Live podcast on youtube, and hear the entire thing on the NCC web site. Be sure to leave a comment to let us know how you liked it.

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So, follow the Nashville Cigar Club Twitter.

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travel cigar bar and humidor

I was looking for a leather travel bar to carry with me to cigar events, and ran across the most beautiful portable bars I have ever seen. These are made by Max Benjamin and come in several styles, colors and leather choices. They are not the cheap style travel humidors you find at Target.

Pricing is pretty good for the quality, and they are designed for the cigar smoker, which includes a leather cigar humidor lined with spanish cedar. So show up to your next herf in style with one of these elegant travel bars. Your smoking buddies will be blown away!

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Now,  if I could just get rid of all the darn spam comments on here, without turning off comments. Either way, I will be updating this blog daily now, so check back often. I have a lot of new cigar events coming up and the Nashville Cigar Club podcast needs to be updated next.

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Doing some background research for the review I found that these were blended by Frank Llaneza for Altadis cigars. I was surprised they were from Altadis, as the band looked like a cheap knockoff of the Cuban Cohibas, but we all know the long going lawsuits, so I won’t bore you with the details. I will say that the name makes me think it was a jab at the Cuban line.

Looking at the cigar it seems to be well constructed with no blemishes or soft spots. After removing the celophane and band, it did have a nice aroma at the foot and the wrapper. I am not sure what to expect, as I guess I am still hung up on the band and name, but lets light it up and check it out. The cigar does have a nice draw and doesn’t taste bad. I would say it’s a medium to full body cigar so far. I am getting a peppery flavor with some hints of leather and woodiness. Not too bad.

The ash is tight and holding well. Burning even, due to being well constructed. So, far the ash has grown to about 4″ and holding. I am picking up a flavor I am unfamiliar with, so I am waiting to see if the flavor profile changes. It’s like a mild licorice flavor, but not harsh. Overall, a nice flavor, but not knowing what I am picking up is bothering me, but not to the point I don’t enjoy the cigar.

As I am getting past the half way point, it is starting to grow mildly bitter, but still tolerable. I am going to rest in in the ash tray, as I have had enough. I think maybe this cigar could get better with some more age on it, as it is a new line, so it may turn out to be a really good cigar.

Overall impression is that I am not sure I would purchase them if I seen them sold locally. I do have another and may try it again with some more age. My opinion of it may change then. It’s not that it’s a horrible cigar, but I believe Altadis is a large enough company to come up with a name on it’s own. You can find these cigars at your local tobacconist and online at MikesCigars.com, and they are available in 10 sizes.

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One good thing is that I am staying busy. I have been doing a lot of social networking and have picked up a lot of web development projects, and a lot of them are cigar related. I will post soon what I am doing next.

For now, you can see my most recent website that I designed for Old Havana Smoke Shop at http://www.oldhavanasmokeshop.com and let me know what you think.

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