Tatuaje Red Label

The weather is tropical today...a little rain has fallen and KC feels a little like Miami. Enjoying a Tatuaje Red Label and it is tastey!

It has been a while since my last Tat and it is great. The flavor is bold and in your face. A little pepper and a hint of cedar shines on this chimney of smoke! Don Garcia helps Pete Johnson make some great cigars...now go get one for yourself.

CAO Mx2

Enjoying a CAO Mx2 today. This is a favorite of mine that is a sweet smoke. The binder and wrap are of the sweet, dark and oily muduro leaf.

You can taste carmel mixed with cocoa and hints of coffee in the after taste. Pretty great smoke that won't break the bank at 6 bucks or so.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

I am thankful for all those that have sacrficed all so that I may enjoy my freedom. I have been enjoying the day off and the warm weather. Part of that includes getting to enjoy a great beer and cigar.

Today I am enjoying a Cain by from the makers of Nub and Oliva. This is a powerful smoke that is very complex and a little spicier than I normally go for. The taste linger on the back of my throat....so I reach for my Boulevard Dry Stout! The sweetness of the stout almost is a ying and yang to the cigar. I am enjoying the battle for my taste buds!

Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic

Out on the patio tonight taking a much earned break with my old friend Garcia. It has been too long since I have last enjoyed the Cuban Classic...why? This is a great smoke that affords tons of puffs of great smoke. This is also no tame mild smoke...it is about as full as they come. I am enjoying this with a pint (or 3) of Boulevard's 6th Glass beer. They are a great pair. If you haven't tried either...shame on you.

This smoke was a 5x50 Robusto that will run you about 6 bucks...pretty affordable for a complex cigar from the great Garcia.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

Oliva Connecticut

The Oliva Connecticut Lancero was what I enjoyed while out on the patio this morning. I have always trended towards the fuller bodied smoke and this cigar was recommended by the Oliva rep. at the last cigar party I went to. He was right in that this cigar is mild and yet flavorful. I can taste hints of vanilla and carmel. This is a cigar you could enjoy after a light meal...or no meal at all. This cigar has a its place...just probably won't become a regular as I tend to not puff away in the am. If you are going to enjoy this one...enjoy it early in the day as it will certainly be boring after smoking anything more powerful.

Cain by Oliva

Just enjoyed a Cain that is made by Oliva. It has a dark maduro wrap and is a Straight Ligero binder. This dark beauty is a powerhouse of a smoke that you don't want to enjoy on an empty belly. This would be a good cigar to enjoy after a nice ribeye steak. The dark wrap makes it sweet in taste but the binder is earthy with hints of cocoa and coffee. I really enjoyed this one at the Outlaw with a couple buddies.

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

Camacho Corojo

The Camacho Corojo is one of the strongest cigars in the world, boasting a complex blend of rich tobaccos grown in Honduras from a rare seed smuggled out of Cuba after the embargo.

When a cigar aficionado hears the name Camacho, they are immediately reminded of a rich aroma that can only be found in tobaccos grown at Ranchos Jamastran in Danli, Honduras. This region in Central America has ideal soil conditions and a climate that rivals the coveted Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba. It is at this factory in that you will find the famous Eiroa family. The Eiroa’s have been growing tobacco for generations, and got their start in Cuba. When Communism plagued the island, Don Julio Eiroa fled taking with him some of the greatest experience and knowledge the tobacco world has ever known. Don Julio and his son Christian now operate Rachos Jamastran together in Danli.

The Eiroas took more than just their know how with them when they left Cuba; they also took the island’s most flavorful seed that was used at the El Corojo farm. This seed is now cultivated in Honduras by Julio and Christian and is the only truly authentic Crojo in the world. The tobacco that sprouts from this seed is rich and spicy with lots of muscle. Camacho Corojo is a connoisseurs cigar in that it is appreciated by enthusiasts who have over a decade in the hobby and a distinctive and experienced palate capable of differentiating all of the complexities of this cigar. Camacho Corojo is full-bodied and full-flavored. The annual production of Camacho Corojo is limited, making them difficult to come by at times. 

Pepin Party was GREAT!!!

Had a great time at The Outlaw's Pepin Event! It was good to see the Don again and he signed the box of My Father cigars I purchased that day.  

With the box purchase I ended up with 8 free cigars that were rolled just for the event.  They had a helicopter landing, car show and tons of great BBQ! 

If you haven't attended  an Outlaw event, you have to put one on your calendar! 

CAO Criollo

One of the fuller-flavored cigars by CAO, the Criollo is a classic mix of Cuban seed tobaccos from Central America.

CAO is one of the most well known names in cigars. It seems anywhere there is a celebrity smoking a cigar, there is CAO. It is the fastest growing, trendiest, and most popular brand on the market, appealing to a new generation of aficionados and seasoned veterans of the hobby alike. Top ratings and awards have brought this boutique brand to the top of its game.

The word “Criollo” literally means native seed. The Criollo ‘98 was an experimental hybrid seed grown in Cuba when they were searching for a solid tobacco strand to fight mold and other agricultural difficulties. It was later picked up by CAO and debuted as the CAO Criollo. Immediately it was dubbed a cigar that could compete with the finest Cuban cigars on the market. Grown and cultivated in Nicaragua and matched with Cuban seed Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, the Criollo has a medium to full-bodied damp and earthy aroma. The CAO Criollo is another solid addition to the CAO family and a Nicaraguan masterpiece. 

CAO Lx2

CAO LX2 is a potent, powerful cigar containing all ligero tobaccos that provide a full-bodied and spicy experience recommended for experienced enthusiasts.

Known for their incredibly trendy packaging and superb blending abilities, CAO cigars are a highly sought after commodity by most aficionados. Their blends are created from only the top quality tobaccos available, as each blend maintains a different, unique flavor and characteristic from the others. Following the success of MX2 and CX2, CAO has learned many enthusiasts have begun to prefer stronger, more robust blends. With that in mind, they set out to create a cigar that was flavorful, incredibly strong, but one that maintains a perfect balance and a smooth character throughout. As always, CAO succeeded and LX2 was born.

LX2 stands for “ligero times two.” Naturally, this blend contains twice as much ligero tobaccos as most others, thus creating an exorbitant amount of strength. However, the cigar was carefully blended to not only produce strong flavors of spice and pepper, but to maintain a smooth body throughout, allowing for a complex, full-bodied experience that never becomes overwhelming or “harsh.” The filler tobaccos all hail from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. These long leaves are wrapped by yet another oily, Nicaraguan ligero leaf, which only adds power and pepper to the blend. To create the smooth characters existing in LX2, the cigars were aged for a lengthy period, which allowed the tobaccos to mellow slightly. CAO LX2 is an excellent cigar and comes highly recommended, but not for the inexperienced enthusiast.

Jose Pepin Garcia at the Outlaw!!!

Padillia Miami

Padilla Miami is a very limited production boutique blend that has received high marks from several industry publications. In fact, in April 2009, Padilla Miami earned a ’94’ rating by Cigar Aficionado!

Ernesto Padilla is among the top ten blenders in the cigar business. He is known for producing such incredible cigars as Padilla Series 68, Padilla 1932, and Padilla Habano, in addition to many others. Due to his impeccable blending abilities and his love for the art, Ernesto Padilla has produced multiple 90+ rated blends, all of which were well met by fellow enthusiasts. Due to the exclusive tobaccos used in these cigars and their popularity, Padilla Miami is extremely limited.

Padilla Miami is among the finest blends ever created by Ernesto. Using all Cuban-seed tobaccos from Nicaragua, Padilla Miami is similar to the most popular Cuban cigars. Upon its debut in 2005, it received a 92 rating from Cigar Aficionado magazine, one of the highest ratings awarded that year. Each cigar is constructed immaculately with a triple cap, then aged to ensure a well-rounded aroma and enticing flavor. Each cigar is finished with a Corojo wrapper, giving these smokes a full-bodied and robust taste.

Oliva Serie 'O'

Considered the finest maduro on the market, the Oliva Serie ’O’ Maduro is extra fermented before encasing a complex mix of medium bodied Nicaraguan fillers.

The Oliva Serie ’O’ Maduro is a prime example why Oliva is one of the most success and famous growers of tobacco in Nicaragua. With generations of experience all over the world, the family has learned the agricultural subtleties of growing unique leaf that is distinctly "Oliva". Hailed by aficionados all over the world as the best maduro leaf ever grown, the Oliva ’O’ Maduro will not disappoint.

The aging and extended fermentation process associated with maduro tobacco makes these cigars unavailable for extended periods of time. In fact, the Oliva Serie ’O’ Maduro has been so elusive to some Oliva fans that they stock up when boxes of their favorite size become available. The wrapper is slightly sweet with a caramel finish on the palate. The aroma is earthy with a medium body. For many the Oliva Serie ’O’ Maduro is truly the only great maduro.

Tabacos Baez

Baez is a small town in the Villa Clara province of Cuba where in 1950 our hero José “Don Pepín” Garcia was born, presumably with chaveta in hand. (The first infant ever to cut his own umbilical cord!) Tabacos Baez, a newish blend from Tabacalera Cubana, is named for that town.

This is a stout and well packed cigar that scored perfectly in terms of appearance and roll. The wrapper is a smooth and oily golden brown and the triple cap is a work of art. A gorgeous stick.

The draw is good, but a couple cracks in the wrapper resulted in thin smoke volume at times. The cracks were small and near the foot, so I burned through them in short order. The burn was a little erratic at first, threatening to tunnel (which it did not) and it required a couple of corrections. After the first third these problems unnaccountably disappeared and the stick behaved perfectly.

Tasting Notes

The first half-inch of the Baez Monarca is hallmark Pepin — an aggressive peppery bite, accompanied by a slightly greenish tasting tannin. The wrapper contributes a smooth buttery element — at this point it’s reminiscent of the 601 Connect, also blended by Pepín. But soon the bite subsides and the flavor slides into mild cocoa. The aroma becomes more pronounced, somewhat floral and slightly caramel-like, almost like a mild corojo.

The middle section is quite mild in flavor while remaining a little tannic. The smoke texture is medium in body, mild in strength, and short on action. There are lightly spiced woody flavors here.

The last section returns with the black pepper that kicked things off, though not as intense and less tannic, and a dry finish that begs for a liquid refreshment.

Make Time for Cigars

I looked today and it has been over a month since I have posted...that is a little disappointing.  

I have smoked a BUNCH of cigars though.  Oliva was at the Outlaw mid June...smoked some great Serie V.....even tried a couple Serie O.... those are tasty as well.

I will have to post about Tabacos Baez SF by Pepin Garcia...those are some tasty smokes that are affordable.

Even if I haven't posted...I have been out enjoying cigars...and playing Mafia Wars on Facebook.  Long Ashes my friends and July will have more posts...I promise!  Dan