1) Tatuaje “The Face”- Alright, people slammed this cigar when it came out. But as I have said before, I judge a cigar on how far it can go from the “norm” of a company and still be good. I liked the Face when I smoked it at Uptown’s for the Tatuaje event on October 12. I liked it even more when I smoked it after letting the remaining cigars rest for just 2 months. I can’t imagine how this thing is going to develop over time.

2) Elogio LSV Corona Extra- This is just a great cigar all around. I can not say enough positive things about Elogio Cigars. If you have not tried one, you are really selling yourself short. The price point is well below what a cigar like this should go for. Beautiful construction, a vast array of flavors and packed into a Corona made this cigar stand out to me. It is a regular in my rotation for sure!

3) Liga Privada “Dirty Rat”- As I said in my review of the Dirty Rat, I am a Corona whore. Yup. Look at this list, you’ll see that I like a nice sized cigar. I also expect the product to be worth the sticker price, and this cigar had all of those things. I only grabbed 3 of these and have loved the profile of this particular size of cigar. It’s got good spice without being overbearing. I honestly think this is the finest product and size Drew Estates has ever let out.

4) Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin- Okay, I hate putting a limited edition cigar in a Top 10, but when something is good, it’s good. This cigar sold for around $10 a pop, and besides the great smoke, shape and size, it was GREAT marketing. These came packaged in bundles and wrapped in Butcher Paper and sold through one shop in Boston. Long off the market, you can still track them on some sites where guys are shucking them off. It delivered everything I love about Tatuaje products with just a little more punch!

5) Guillermo Leon Signature Series Corona- Yeah that’s right. I put another Corona on here! This cigar outlines the best  product Miami Cigars dropped this year. And that’s saying a lot in my opinion. While I was unimpressed with the La Arora 107 Lancero, I feel this cigar made up for it. It’s a bargain to me, and easily beats some of the other cigars I had this year that cost almost double.

6) Tatuaje Petit Cazadores Reserva- I love Tatuaje products. End of story. You know what I love more than a Tatuaje Cigar? A Tatuaje Cigar that cost under $5! This little devil features a great shaggy foot which does nothing other than make it look appealing. This cigar is a bargain, it’s got a lot of the same profiles as the Tat J21, with only about 30-45 minutes of smoking time.

7) Illusione “Holy Lance” Maduro- This lancero is everything a lancero should be.  Most folks issues with a lancero is that it keeps going out. I’ve found that when dealing with the HL maduro, El Triunfador Original and El Triunfador #6 (new release) you will consistently have a good experience. Great flavors just explode out of this cigar, and this lancero will kick you straight in the teeth. While the Epernay Le Ferme is still my favorite product produced by Illusione, this cigar comes in a close 2nd. I am really looking forward to trying the Candella wrapped version!

8 ) Don Pepin Garcia “Firecracker”- These were rolled for one shop, but I felt it deserved a spot on my list. While I have not posted a review of this cigar, I have smoked a few of them. For about $100 a box, you get 25 little powerbombs. It takes all the great spice and flavors from a regular Don Pepin Blue Label and cracks it down to about a 4 inch smoke.

9) CAO La Traviata Maduro Robusto- Dollar for Dollar I seriously doubt you will find a better cigar in this size. End of Story. This to me will always be CAO Cigars “Swan Song”. While CAO will go on as a company, the brand died when they moved it out of Nashville and Huber and Oz left the show. It’s a great maduro at a steal of a price.

10) EP Carrillo Short Run Populares- I was not blown away by the Core Line or by the Edicion Inaugural. But the Short Run really delivered every time I went for it. For a little over $6, this cigar was a great example of not needing to break the bank in order to grab a great smoke.  There were only 1500 boxes of 24 produced, and sadly this is one of the boxes I should have bought during the year. It was a medium body cigar that picked up toward the end. If you can find these, grab what’s left. This cigar is so complex and answered many of my problems I had with the Inaugural and Core Line.

So that’s that. 2010 has been a great year for cigars. I’m looking forward to what this industry is going to come up with given the upstirs in so many of the cigar industries ranks. No Lucia at Nub. No Huber at CAO. Going to be a wild ride, enjoy it with a good cigar and some great friends! Happy New Years!

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On to the cigar.

The 615 is a blend made especially for Uptown’s in Nashville. I’ve heard a few things about the cigar, one was that it was a Nicaraguan Puro, one was that it was the Criollo blend with a maduro wrapper. Either way, the 615 was specifically made for Uptown’s as an exclusive for Uptown’s. It’s available in several sizes, but being a fan of the Corona, I reach for this cigar time and time again. I’m sad to say the lifespan of one of my go-to cigars is coming to an end.

The cigar has all the great characteristics of a maduro wrapped cigar. A good amount of spice, some good coffee notes and just a smooth ride from start to finish. If the rumor of it being the Criollo blend with a maduro wrapper is true, I can honestly say this is one of the best examples of how a different wrapper can dramatically change the quality of a smoke. To me, this blend has everything a maduro smoker could want- it’s available in several sizes, it’s got good bite without being overpower and it is just a sampling of mellow flavors.

I’m biased, and to me the 615 is a great cigar for personal reasons well before it is a great cigar for what it is as a blend. Cigar and pipe smoking, and the smoke shop in general are the last bastion of a simpler time. A time when a handshake and friendship meant a long term dedication to someone other than yourself. I shake the hands of the guys at the shop when I leave because I consider them friends. I smoke a CAO 615 because it is a blend built on an idea of bringing a great product from one friend (CAO) to another (Uptowns). Call the shop and pick a few up, once the current stock is gone you’ll be sorry. I can say since the Corona size is both mine and Uptown’s GM Scott Partridge’s favorite size of this cigar to please be kind and leave a few for us!

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As I did not have the chance to pick up a Tatuaje Black  from the original release, I did get the chance to get a 3 pack at the Tatuaje Event at Uptown’s on October 12th. Now, I went in this review hoping to find a Tat product I did not like. I really wanted to do it. Some who read this will no doubt rattle off some names of things they did not like such as the newer El Triunfador line or the La Verite line. In regards to the ET’s, I liked them out of the box. With age, I simply love them. The La Verite was never fully appreciated in my book simply because of the price tag. People do NOT need to go buy that cigar thinking it will be an everyday smoke, I also firmly believe that it will grow to be a KNOCK OUT with some age. But to his credit, Pete Johnson is the first person to say those exact words. I liked both of these cigars because I judge a cigar company based on how far they can get a product away from their “general staples” and still produce a great smoke.

That said, I pulled the size out I thought would be less likely to please me. Reaching for the Petite Robusto, the first thing I thought was that it looked bigger than the 52 ring it claims. It reminded me of being rather “Nub-ish”, and I never have fallen for the Nub thing. Lighting up this cigar I was surprised by two things- How smooth this cigar was, while maintaining a smooth spice and how great the draw was. It was not overwhelming with smoke, but produced a great smelling aroma, as well as a pleasing first 1/3. Toward the second third of the cigar, the spice continued to pick up with that familiar Pepin/Johnson power. The cigar would finish up with another surprise. Even though this cigar was just under 4.5 inches, the burn time lasted about an hour and a half. Substantial flavor changes accompanied this cigar for the entire time.

I really enjoyed this smoke, even though I built myself up to be disappointed. The size was a general walking factor for me, but I’m glad I went for it. The only way to grab these cigars for yourself is directly from a Tat event at a local B&M shop. I can only hope that Pete releases these in all the various sizes. I let these sit a little over a month before I lit up the cigar for the sample here today, and expect age to do wonders.

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I’m unlike most frequent smokers, if I know a local B&M shop carries a specific line, I will patiently wait for it to arrive rather than run out and do an internet purchase. So when Mike over the at the Humidor in Murfreesboro let me know the T-52 Flying Pigs came in, I went over and picked a few up.

I’ll come clean, I am a #9 fan. The smooth nature of the #9 beat out its more intense T-52 cousin. So I went into this review with a bit of reluctance. But what the Flying Pig size does to this cigar blend is amazing. It’s a well built blend of flavors ranging from a good cocoa taste with a growing spice. What I will come out and say is that out of the two Liga Privada Limited Sizes this year, my personal preference is toward the “Dirty Rat”. Cigars are a personal choice and no two smokers pick a cigar for the same reason. If you enjoy the Liga Privada line, I would grab a few of these cigars for some special occasions, but given the choice I’m grabbing a Rat over the Pig.

Shameless plug- One cigar I’m very interested in trying is the JD-4. I consider Jonathan Drew one of the faces of the industry now. Guys like Jonathan Drew, Pete Johnson, Sam Lucia and Jon Huber are going to create even more crazy things in this industry before I finally put down cigars and I’m anxious to see what turns out over the next 12 months.

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I hope all of you have a wonderful day planned. As far as the crew here at Cigarblog.net- Tom is going totally southern and deep frying his turkey. Naturally his heritage dictates he deep fry everything and smother it in gravy! Allen has ventured back to his homeland, so lord knows what they do as a tradition in W.V! Frank, well, Frank has yet to post a review here, so I’m not even going to pass judgment on my dear friend. As for me, I’m going to smoke, finish off this cup of coffee and monitor an 18 lbs bird sitting in my smoker. After, I intend to eat like I’m about to be strapped in the electric chair! Then, I’ll watch the defending Super Bowl Champions- New Orleans Saints v Dallas Cowboys.

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all! I should be updating with a review a little later in the day. So far the list of Thanksgiving cigars includes a Fuente Anejo Shark, Tatuaje J21 and a Tat “The Face”.

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So fast forward to April 2010. The podcast crew was getting some serious samples in for reviews. Cigars and accessories were literally piling up, I was actually scared. There were good cigars, and there were bad cigars. And then, about mid summer, there was a perfect cigar. What more could a corona sized fan want more than to see a Pre Release Dirty Rat sitting on a table. This cigar weighs in at 5×44 with a very attractive wrapper and a pigtail cap that makes for one fine looking stick. I thought when I smoked this cigar, it would be the last one. And then, the hype rolled to realty and they were released, albeit in limited numbers.

Trying to find these was like finding a needle in a haystack at first, and then came word The Humidor in Murfreesboro, one of middle Tennessee’s local B&M shops, had them in stock. For those in the area, Mike’s shop is worth a trip. Fair warning, bring some cash or a card you don’t mind killing! He has a great selection and is one stand up guy!

I thought there was no way this regular release would live up to the hype, but to me this cigar was actually better than the pre production stick I smoked. Heavy cream and spice just rocked this cigar. When I smelled the bag I brought the sticks home in all I could smell was chocolate. If you can find this cigar, you need to grab it. And while I don’t give cigars a 1-10 rating often, I can say this thing is easily worth the price. I largely attribute the added quality of this cigar to the time they had to rest. Age is going to do some wonderful things to these cigars just like they did to the Flying Pigs. While I can respect the work that Drew Estate puts into this cigar, and the expense having 7 different tobaccos involved in its creation, I wish this was a regular in their line.

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The first review that I will be posting is on the Paul Garmirian Gourmet Series corona grande.  Please stop back by and if you have a moment check out the review.  Please share your comments with us as we’re always looking for your feedback.  I’m very excited about the changes and look forward to what the future has to offer.

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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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