One thing Cigar smokers like, is free stuff. Well guys, check out the free preview of The Cigar Network at http://thecigarnetwork.com/ . It’s a great publication, with the first issue hitting the web for free. It will be a quarterly release and print issues or online access is available. This magazine was launched by Stephen Boyajian who founded cigarfriedly.us a while back. Check it out, give him some support and SUBSCRIBE to a REAL cigar publication!

Social Network It

Hide Sites

This cigar has more than made it’s rounds on in the blog world. But I’ll give a little bit of information to give props to the man behind the curtain. This cigar was made by Pete Johnson and Don Pepin Garcia for Abe Dababneh the owner of Smoke Inns of South Florida. The information hit the web in July, but was kept under wraps as to where the cigar would actually drop and who it was for. Building both hype behind the cigar and some good suspense. All and all it was great marketing. Pre-orders were accepted starting on Black Friday and orders shipped out on December 13. It took a few weeks for some of the guys in the Nashville Cigar Club to order up, but now Anarchy is firm in several members humidors.

The first thing you will notice when you get the cigar is how perfect it looks. It borderlines on a larger size for my personal preference, but the pigtail cap, oily wrapper and odd size just drew me in like a moth to a flame. The first thing I thought immediately upon lighting this up was “Damn!”. And that would continue to be a repeated phrase through the entire smoke. This cigar nails you with pepper right at the front, before mellowing out to a very medium cigar. The size of the cigar allowed for one of the most flawless burns and perfect amount of smoke I have ever had. With winter upon us, I recommend either parking yourself at a good shop or you favorite indoor smoking location and sitting back for what turned out to be about an hour and fifteen minute smoke.

For those familiar with Tatuaje, you know there is always a hustle to get any of Pete’s Limited Releases. Most of these are normally small in number or spread out to some top Tatuaje retailers. This release was set for Smoke Inn, but is available in 15 count boxes with about 1500 boxes being made, which makes it a pretty large release for a limited edition. Still, don’t hesitate to pick these up, because once they are gone, they are gone. The words “Limited Release” can sometimes send shutters down the spine of cigar smokers and Tatuaje Fans, but keeping in tradition with the Pork Tenderloin, this Limited Release goes for about $10 a stick. Drop Smoke Inn a line and grab a 5 pack or box! I will recommend letting these rest for at least a month, as I intend to do. The cigar is still a little new to me, but I look forward to what it will bring to the table as it ages.

Social Network It

Hide Sites

Alright, I’m a little bit of a slacker. I did not want to run out a top 10 with cigars not released in 2010. My favorite cigar still remains pretty solid at with the Tatuaje J21. I’ve had a few hit or miss cigars over the last year. But I feel my Top 10 is my right to sit here and brag. Also, Post a comment on this thread and I’ll supply a few cigars from the top 10 to you in a drawing. Winner will be contacted by me.

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!

Social Network It

Hide Sites

The title sure has a lot of meaning to it. I think to not include a little history about the relationship Uptown’s has with CAO as a brand would be an insult to the personal relationships that, at least to this simple blogger, make this little hobby of ours special. CAO as a cigar brand started with a black tie affair in Nashville on September 28, 1995 which was co-sponsored by Uptown’s Smoke Shop. This event was not only the launch of what would become a great cigar brand, but the forging of great friendships for many of the people that work at both CAO International and Uptown’s. I’ve had the chance to watch Jeff Tinnell and Jon Huber joke around with the guys at the shop before events, and you can tell there is this great relationship and respect coming from both sides of the jabs. So for me, it’s sad to see what I thought of as a hallmark in trendsetting in this hobby getting swept up and moved out of this area.  Personal relationships and the passion that people put into a brand goes far beyond a cigar band. And while I’m a fan of a few products General Cigars puts out, I think CAO as many of us have known it is done. The CAO La Traviata should be one hell of swan song for a great brand and the Hard work of two great people who left what they helped build- Jon Huber and Tim Ozgener.

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!

Social Network It

Hide Sites

While I fully intended to sit on my butt the day after Thanksgiving and observe “Tatuaje Black Friday” as per the announcement on Tatuaje’s Facebook Page. But alas, I was busy working and then hanging insulation. So needless to say, that did not happen.

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.

Social Network It

Hide Sites