Size: Robusto (5 x 52)
Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Strength: Medium to full
Body: Full
Flavor: Full
Cigars Smoked For Review: 1

Construction and Appearance: The band of the Flores y Rodriguez Cabinet Seleccion Capa Habano is fairly simple. In the center there is a family crest of sort in cold on a blue background with Flores Y Rodriguez written on top and Tamboril on the bottom.Tamboril is the town in the Dominican Republic where the PDR factory is located, just outside of Santiago. The wrapper is a dark chocolate color and has almost no veins, with a bit of oil. It is slightly rough to the touch, and features a generous triple cap.

Flavor and notes: The wrapper of the Flores y Rodriguez Cabinet Seleccion Capa Maduro has notes of hay, cocoa, and coffee. The foot has the same notes but with an added note of mineral or salt. On the cold draw there are flavors of hay, coffee, and leather.

Smoking Characteristics: I clip the Flores y Rodriguez with the slightest guillotine cut to prepare for smoking it. It lights up with notes of black pepper, leather, coffee, and a bit of mineral. The draw right off the bat was fantastic, easily producing a full body of smoke. The pepper fades out quickly during the first third. The notes in this third are cocoa, coffee, and leather. The smoke is a tad bit dry, but very creamy, cool, and rich. The burn is razor sharp with a brilliant white ash holding firmly at the end. The slightest bit of pepper lingers on the palate between draws, hardly noticeable.

During the second third of the Flores y Rodriguez the flavor becomes much sweeter. The notes of cocoa and coffee start to completely dominate the flavor profile, yet the leather flavor remains as a bit of an undertone. The smoke is very sweet, creamy, delicious, and smooth. The flavor is well blended and balanced, but not very complex. The burn remains excellent, the snow white ash clinging tightly to at least the inch mark.

Into the final third the flavor remains fairly consistent. The smoke becomes creamier, and a bit sweeter, with the notes of cocoa and coffee becoming more pronounced. The leather flavor still holds on as an undertone in the flavor profile. The draw is excellent, each puff easily producing a full body of the rich, sweet, creamy, smooth smoke. The burn required no attention.

Conclusion: The Flores y Rodriguez Cabinet Seleccion Capa Maduro is an excellent offering. Although it lacks a bit of complexity to its blend, it has a rich, full, delicious flavor. It performs as well as cigars at almost double its price. Any maduro smoker who likes slightly more than medium strength and smooth, creamy blends will thoroughly enjoy this stick. At this cigar’s price it is certainly worth a box purchase.

Rating: 87

MSRP: $4.65

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Basel, 22 May 2012 -  Albert Manzone has joined the Oettinger Davidoff Group as Senior Vice President Europe. He brings a deep knowledge of the European market from senior positions at Philip Morris, PepsiCo and Wrigley, where he was President Europe based in Munich. He was most recently President South East Europe for Novartis Consumer Health Division. He also spent significant time in the US with PepsiCo and McKinsey. Mr Manzone brings a highly international marketing and sales background in consumer and lifestyle brands and has a record of operational as well as strategic successes. He has managed very large and complex organizations in public as well as family companies. Albert Manzone is a brand and consumer focused growth leader with a strong track record of team building and integration and will make a significant contribution to the Oettinger Davidoff Group and its future business. Albert Manzone is 48 years old and grew up in Monaco. He holds an MA in International Business from Sorbonne in France and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management in the USA.

Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, CEO and President of Oettinger Davidoff Group, says: “In this new role Mr Manzone will be responsible for our entire European business, subsidiaries as well as export markets. Europe remains our biggest region, comprising strategic priority markets Switzerland, Germany, Spain and France as well as emerging markets such as Russia, and is of critical importance to our Company. Leading a team of country and area managers, Mr Manzone will be charged with driving our channel strategy, our expansion and balancing our efforts between critical mature markets and new, growing markets. With Mr. Manzone’s recruitment I have completed the selection of the Leadership team for our Cigars & Accessories business.”

Albert Manzone adds: “I am delighted to join the Oettinger Davidoff Group, its organization, and its management team built around Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard. Davidoff premium branded cigars, tobacco products, and accessories are synonymous globally with savoir-faire, lifestyle, and the celebration of special moments. Thanks to a strong “crop-to-shop” philosophy, this experience is incarnated in the products, stores, and smoking lounges for the greatest pleasure of our customers. I look forward to seize upon the many exciting opportunities to continue to enhance the Davidoff experience and expand its presence across Europe with our Davidoff employees and business partners.”

The CHF 1.3 billion Oettinger Davidoff Group with almost 4,000 employees around the world, traces its roots back to 1875 and remains family owned to this day with two distinctly different businesses: one that is focused on FMCG distribution in the Swiss market and one dedicated to the core business of producing, marketing and retailing premium branded cigars, tobacco products and accessories. The premium branded cigar business include Davidoff, AVO, Camacho, Cusano, Griffin’s, Private Stock, Zino, Zino Platinum and Winston Churchill Cigars. The Oettinger Davidoff Group is anchored in a strong “crop-to-shop” philosophy, having pursued a vertical integration from its tobacco fields in the Dominican Republic and Honduras to its world wide network of 65 Davidoff Flagship Stores.

For further information:

Oettinger Davidoff Group
Paloma Szathmary
SVP Corporate Communications
Nauenstrasse 73
CH – 4002 Basel
Phone: +41 61 279 36 24
E-mail: paloma.szathmary@davidoff.ch

Size: Toro (6 x 50)
Wrapper: CT Shade
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Flavor: Medium
Cigars Smoked For Review: 4

Construction and Appearance: The wrapper of the Nat Sherman Gotham Eastside is a very light brown and is silky smooth to the touch. The veins are very light, hardly noticeable, and ends in a tight triple cap. The band is the same, simple but elegant, band used on all of the Nat Sherman cigars, aside from the Timeless, with a grey background.

Flavor and Notes: The wrapper of the Gotham Eastside has notes of sweet hay, nuts, and a bit of coffee. The foot has notes of hay, nuts, and spice. On the cold draw there are flavors of coffee, spice, and is slightly sweet.

Smoking Experience: The first draw of off the Gotham Eastside produces flavors of hay, toasted nuts, and light cedar. During the first third there are notes of sweet nuts, cedar, coffee, and a very light cocoa. The draw is excellent, each puff producing a full body of rich, cool, sweet, creamy smoke.  It holds an excellent ash, but during this third the burn became uneven and required a touch up.

During the second third the nutty flavors took on more of a roasted tone and became fuller in the flavor profile. The notes of coffee, cedar, and cocoa powder all remain. The smoke is sweet and delicious, but no one flavor can really be associated with the sweetness. The ash continues to hold firmly and there were no further issues with the burn. Towards the end the cedar starts to become more of a spice rather than a flavor.

During the final third there are notes of oak spice, cedar, cocoa, and roasted nuts. The notes are all well blended, balanced, delicious, and somewhat complex. The smoke is still rich, cool, very creamy, and warms the palate slightly. The burn started to become uneven again, but the cigar smoked cool all the way down to the nub.

Conclusion: The Nat Sherman Gotham Eastside is a great selection. The flavor is excellent and the smoke is cool, smooth, rich and delicious. This is the type of cigar which could appeal to most smokers, with a medium strength, and excellent flavor profile. If you are in New York City, make sure to drop by the 42nd street store and check these out!

Rating: 89

MSRP: about  $12.90 ($257.93 for a box of 20.)

Estelí, Nicaragua – Today Dr. Alejandro Martinez Cuenca and Sr. Jose Blanco officially announced the upcoming release of Joya De Nicaragua´s latest creation: “Cuenca y Blanco”. Medium in body, this full flavored blend is the first collaborative liga resulting from the exciting, new relationship between these two master cigar makers. Expertly crafted by hand, it reflects their joint efforts and symbolizes the embodiment of the marriage of their until now, separate cigar traditions.

Departing from Joya de Nicaragua’s traditional puros of all Nicaraguan tobaccos, the Cuenca y Blanco has been blended to be a cigar comprised of air-cured black tobaccos from four different countries of origin. This unique recipe is handmade with aged filler tobaccos including Habano Seed leaf from Nicaragua’s Esteli Valley and the volcanic isle of Ometepe, Piloto Cubano from the La Canela region of the Dominican Republic and an aromatic viso from Peru’s famed Tarapoto region. The cigar is expertly finished in a beautiful Grade 1 Ecuador Habano wrapper. This complex blend is the fruit of nearly a year of ceaseless experimentation and has resulted in a very flavorful smoke with a tantalizing aroma.

According to Sr. Blanco, Joya de Nicaragua’s Senior Vice President, “It is very exciting for me to make blends at a different factory and grow accustomed to a new environment and their traditions. As many know, I have always been deeply fond of Nicaraguan tobaccos, but I am also very pleased to bring more origins, including my own Dominican heritage, to Joya De Nicaragua.” Jose adds, “The Cuenca y Blanco is a symphony of well balanced tobaccos creating a rich and complex smoke, with lots of flavor which I always find so important and with a type of strength satisfying for most smokers.”

Joya de Nicaragua’s President and Owner, Dr. Martinez Cuenca, says “I see Cuenca y Blanco as the clear testimony of our vision of where we see ourselves in the future of premium cigar blending and manufacturing. The two of us, together with the rest of the Joya de Nicaragua family, put forth our best efforts to create this singular cigar blend that is balanced, flavorful, and intends to be judged not by its strength alone, but rather for the kind of pleasure it gives to every smoker that tries it.” He continues, “This cigar is the quintessential expression of how two minds, two experiences, and two origins worked together; each venturing off our traditional paths of only making Puro, to instead create what we feel is a masterpiece of a cigar of diverse tobaccos from many origins.”

Cuenca y Blanco will be available in 5 classic sizes: Corona Real 5 ½ x 46, Robusto Deluxe 5 ¼ x 50, Toro Supremo 6 x 54, Torpedo Especial 6 ¼ x 52 and Lonsdale Club 6 ½ x 44.

The initial production batch of Cuenca y Blanco will be released into the US market at the IPCPR 80th Annual Convention and Trade Show in Orlando in August 2012 and distributed by Drew Estate as part of its exclusive distribution agreement with Joya de Nicaragua. The brand will be introduced to the rest of the world beginning in January 2013 through Joya de Nicaragua’s International Marketing Division and distributors.

About JOYA DE NICARAGUA S.A.
JOYA DE NICARAGUA S.A., is a family owned, Nicaragua-based cigar factory that handcrafts traditional cigars for the premium luxury cigar market. First opened in 1968, it is Nicaragua’s eldest factory in operation and home to the legendary JOYA DE NICARAGUA® brand of cigars. Joya is regarded by many as the patriarch crafter of robust, unique puro blends of locally grown black tobaccos.

For more information, please visit www.joyadenicaragua.com.ni.

CUENCA Y BLANCO and JOYA DE NICARAGUA are registered trademarks of Joya de Nicaragua S.A and/or affiliated companies.

Size: Papi Chulo (4 x 42)
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Honduran Corojo
Filler: Honduran and Dominican Criollo and Corojo
Strength: Medium
Body: Full
Flavor: Full
Cigars Smoked For Review: 1

Construction and Appearance: The wrapper of the Room 101 San Andres is a dark reddish brown and features a very tight small triple cap. It has a red band that was designed for the prerelease which states it as such. The back of the band has a Room 101 FU and says coming April 2012. The Room 101 is very firm with little veins.

Flavor and Notes: The wrapper of the Room 101 San Andres has notes of cedar, hay, and grass. The foot has almost the same notes, but with some added spice. On the cold draw there are flavors of rich spices, wood, and hay.

Smoking Characteristics: I prepare to smoke the Room 101 San Andres with a very small guillotine cut, due to how small the cap is. When I light it up the first thing I notice is how fantastic the draw is. It is easy, yet produces a very full body of smoke. The flavors in this first third are a mix of cayenne pepper, black pepper, and wood spices which are a combination of cedar and oak. There is also a bit of an earthy flavor. The San Andres smokes cool with a razor sharp burn line and an excellent ash.

Into the second third the earth flavors emerge a bit more and become more noticeable. The notes of cayenne pepper, black pepper, and wood spices are all still very present and rich. During this third a very light coffee flavor starts to emerge in the profile with a light cocoa powder as well. The flavor is very well blended, balanced, and fairly complex. It smokes rich, cool, and dry, leaving a bit of a tingle on the palate. The draw is still simply fantastic, and the burn still razor sharp. The ash holds to the inch point with ease.

The final third smokes exactly the same as the last third. You can certainly taste the Corojo flavors that shine through in the blend. It is possible the larger vitolas experience a greater evolution in flavor, but the Papi Chulo finishes consistently.

Conclusion: The flavor blend in the Room 101 San Andres isn’t normally one that captures my palate. Yet this blend was excellent, so balanced, blended, and lightly complex that I enjoyed it greatly. I could certainly see myself picking up a couple of these sticks for my humidor in the near future. It is a fantastic medium strength cigar, with an excellent body, and amazing construction.

Rating: 89

MSRP: $5.00

WILLIAM C. PALEY, LA PALINA CIGARS AND CIGAR RIGHTS OF AMERICA INVITE YOU TO ENJOY A LEGAL OUTDOOR SMOKE — IN NEW YORK CITY

2nd Annual Legal Outdoor Smoke: Celebrating the 45th Anniversary of Samuel Paley Park and the freedom for Americans to enjoy a fine cigar.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012
5:00pm – 7:00pm

Samuel Paley Park
3 East 53 rd Street (between Fifth Avenue and Madison)
New York, New York 10022

William C. Paley, La Palina Cigars and Cigar Rights of America host the 2nd annual legal outdoor cigar smoking event in counterpoint to the banning of smoking in New York City’s public parks.

Samuel Paley Park is a privately owned park, set aside for the enjoyment of the people of New York City by Bill’s father, William S Paley, founder of CBS. Samuel Paley epitomized the American Dream by rising from a poor immigrant to a powerful industrialist in twenty years. He was the founder of La Palina Cigars which produced its first cigar in 1896. (http://www.lapalinacigars.com)

The event is open to all individuals 18 years of age and older by showing a receipt from a New York City tobacconist dated anytime from May 20 – 23, 2012.

BYOC (BRING YOUR OWN CIGAR)

Size: 5.5 x 54 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican Rep., Nicaragua & Honduras
Strength: Medium+ to Full
Cigars Smoked For Review: 1

Construction and Appearance: The new Oval Maduro robusto is the box pressed style as the regular Oval. The cigar is very well packed, with no soft spots or visible flaws. The color of the wrapper is a dark chocolate, with light veins, and has a generous triple cap.

Flavor and Notes: The scent of the wrapper was very crisp and clean, with a light sweetness to it which is very enticing. The notes off the foot are from an entirely different world with very deep spices and pepper which causes my nose to tingle slightly. The cold draw has the rich spice and pepper flavors creating a light tingle on the palate and a light sweetness.

Smoking Characteristics: The first draw is full of rich spices, pepper, and white pepper. The smoke causes the entire palate to tingle slightly. The first third continues mostly with this flavor profile, but towards the end of the third a light sweetness starts to blend into the flavor. Towards the very end of the first third this flavor can be identified as a rich cocoa flavor. Both the draw and burn on the San Lotano Oval Maduro are excellent. Each puff provides a full body of rich, dry slightly sweet smoke. The burn line is also dead even with a tight white ash.

During the second third the sweet cocoa flavor really develops. The spice and notes of pepper still remain very strong. When the smoke hits the tongue it is very sweet, but a light tingle develops afterwards. The flavor is a bit muddled at this point, the sweetness of the cocoa and the pepper spice become intermingled and confusing.

Into the final third the cocoa flavors develop and take the main stage of the flavor profile. The pepper spice remains as a well blended undertone and offers a pleasing contrast. The flavor is well developed and blends nicely at this point. The draw and burn are both excellent and no corrections were required at any point.

Conclusion: I feel like this cigar needs a bit more time to develop fully. If it sits for a month or two the second third of the cigar would likely work much better. That being said, the first and final thirds of this stick were really well blended and with some more time will likely improve. The strength on this cigar seems a hair higher than the original Oval release. Overall, this smoke was enjoyable and a nice buzz started to set in around the first third. Keep an eye out for this stick at your local shop. If you like the San Lotano Cigars, you will enjoy this new twist on the Oval line.

Rating: 88 (with time I feel it could be a 90 or better)

MSRP: $9.00

Size: Robusto (5 1/2 x 50)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Flavor: Full
Cigars Smoked For Review: 4

Construction and Appearance: The Flor De Las Antillas is simply beautiful to look at. The elegant band jumps at you and just staring at it, I’m getting excited to light it up. In fact it was hard to remember to take photos before doing so. The wrapper is a light brown that has just the slightest reddish tint to it. It is a slightly rounded box press and firm in hand. While holding the Flor De Las Antillas it also simply just feels right  in your hand, like I’ve found many box presses to feel. The band on the Flor De Las Antillas is even more impressive. I’ve smoked four so far before writing this review and have saved each one. The picture seems to be a beautiful painting of what appears to be two women working with tobacco leaf on a tropical island. Above the two women is written “Flor De Las Antillas”, and below “My Father Cigars”. There is also a nice red ribbon at the foot of the cigar.

Flavor and Notes: The wrapper of the Flor De Las Antillas has notes of wood and espresso. The foot also has notes of wood and espresso, but combined with a bit of hay and cocoa. I decided to go with a v-cut down the rounded or longer end of the box press for this cigar. This way of cutting box presses was shown to me by a AJ Fernandez rep, and has become a favorite of mine when smoking box presses. The cold draw produces flavors of cocoa, wood, natural tobacco, and espresso.

Smoking Experience: As soon as I touch flame to the foot of the cigar and take my first puff I was immediately impressed with the draw. The draw is astoundingly easy while still producing a very full body of rich, cool, dry smoke. The first draw produces a lot of woody flavors which are not at all spicy, along with notes of cocoa, some roasted nuts, and just some light black pepper.  The wood flavor lingers on the palate long between draws. About half way into this third, the espresso notes I detected on the cold draw, wrapper, and foot finally start to emerge into the flavor profile. The burn became a bit uneven in the first third on the one smoked for review, but not enough to require correction or the others I have smoked.

Into the second third the light black pepper undertone fades completely. The light woody flavor, roasted nuts, and cocoa flavors remain consistent, but the espresso flavor increases and takes on a bit of sweetness. The flavor is very rich, balanced, well blended, and somewhat complex. I’d place the strength at just a hair over medium, which is a bit under what I’ve heard this cigar has been billed as. The burn evens itself out in this third without any correction . The burn line is nearly razor sharp with a wonderful firm ash. The draw is still simply amazing,. I wish every cigar smoked like this, each puff easily producing a full body of rich, cool, creamy, delicious, dry smoke. The wood flavors still linger on the palate in this third, but are joined with a bit of a dry cocoa powder. It is interesting how much this cigar is causing me to salivate as I smoke it.

From the final third down to the nub there really isn’t anything more to say about this smoke. I just sat and enjoyed the ride. The flavor is pretty much an exact clone of the middle third, as is the draw and burn. It smokes fairly cool all the way down to the nub with no complaints.

Conclusion: The Flor De Las Antillas scores high in a lot of departments that one judges on. It has a wonderful esthetic appeal not only in the wrapper, but also the band, the box, just everything about it. I would bet at most B&Ms this will become an eye catcher. It also performs wonderfully in construction, with the burn and draw requiring no attention at all in 3 out of the 4 sticks I’ve smoke so far. Even on the one that did, it was just a slight correction since I can be a burn freak at times. In my opinion the flavor was excellent, it is a profile I truly enjoy. It was well balanced and blended, even slightly complex. The only thing missing in this cigar was an evolution that I anticipated but never happened. Does that make it a bad cigar? Certainly not. While the profile may be predominantly only one note, so to speak, it is a wonderful note. Anyone who enjoys the aforementioned flavors in a full bodied, medium strength format would find this cigar a must have. I would recommend trying this stick to many smokers.

Rating: 90

MSRP: $6.99