I recently was sent a copy  from Fox Chapel Publishing of the book, “Labeling America: Cigar Box Designs as Reflections of Popular Culture: The Story of George Schlegel Lithographers, 1879-1965″  that shows some of the art that was part of the cigar culture in the United States. The book offers a look at 90 years of cigar box labels and bands, over four generations from George Schlegel Lithographers.

The art, some of which is on display at the Winterhur Museum in Delaware was cataloged by author, John Grossman and offers a glimpse into the turn of the century when over 5 billion cigars were be sold in the United States. Mr. Grossman is currently one of the leading collectors of, and dealers in ephemera. Ephemera is defined as “transitory written and printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved. The word derives from the Greek, meaning things lasting no more than a day”.

The book which retails for $39.95 can be found on Amazon for $29.16 and it truly belongs in every tobacco lounge or man cave.

Well the first cigar they sent me I never heard of which didn’t surprise me. According to the Famous Smoke Shop site this cigar features one of my favorite wrappers a Brazilian Mata Fina, and the correct pronunciation is kapu’era. The cigar comes from Jesus Fuego and utilizes mostly organic fertilized tobacco.

Cigar: Capoeira
Size: 5 x 50 (Graduado/Robusto)
Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina (Aged 4 Years)
Binder: Costa Rican Corojo
Filler: Honduran & Nicaraguan Corojo, Mexican San Andreas
Strength: Full
Twitter: @CigarMonster

Capoeira by J. Fuego

Appearance and Construction: At first glance there is no mistaking this is a Brazilian Mata Fina. The gorgeous looking wrapper is blemish free with minimal thin veins and a very oily sheen to it. Despite feeling a little light to the touch this exquisitely rolled stick has no soft spots and a well packed foot. The triple cap is perfectly formed and almost a sin to snip. The gold and black band has a military feel to it with the font used and star as Capoeira is a Afro-Brazilian art that joins martial arts, music and dance that is sometimes known as the “Dance Of War“.

Flavor & Notes: Prior to lighting up the cold draw of the cigar is rich with flavors that reminds me an sambuca with a touch of espresso, while the foot of the cigar has a nice tradition mocha to the nose. The cigar has my interest piqued at this point and I am hoping it fulfills my need for a good cigar. Once lit there is no question this is a cigar from J. Fuego as there is some similarities to his other lines. The first third has some spicy notes of pepper and a nuttiness to  it but the short finish has a sweet mocha. As we enter the second third of the cigar some coffee notes begin to emerge along with continued nuts, some wood. As we conclude the final third of the cigar the notes begin to fade some and we are left with a nice wood finish with a subtle sweetness.

Smoking Characteristics: The first thing that caught my attention was how much smoke this cigar produced when lit especially when resting when a wisp of smoke continued from both end of the cigar on a regular basis. Not sure if it is a good thing or bad thing so please comment but personal I liked it as it created a nice aroma. The cigar burned perfectly even although the first third was a little fast before the cigar slowed down, or perhaps it was me. The draw was exquisite and the medium colored ash held on well.

Conclusion: I didn’t expect much out of this stick because well I am a cigar snob. But hey, admitting it is half the battle, right? I was impressed by this stick and if you are a fan of J. Fuego this might just be worthy a box purchase. Me personally I will hold off on that, because well im still a cigar snob, but that doesn’t make me a bad person.. does it?

Rating: 89
Price: $79.95 a box at Famous until 8/8/2010 then $88.99

Cigar: Ramones by Camacho
Size: 4/5 x 50
Wrapper: Honduras Criollo
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
Strength: Medium/Full
Twitter: CamachoCigars

Ramones Criollo by Camacho

Appearance and Construction: The Criollo wrapper that adorns the Ramones cigar is clean looking leaf. The minimal veins are hardly noticeable and the roll on the cigar is well done.  There are no soft spots and the cigar has a nice weight to it.  Upon cutting the cigar I was a little surprised by how thin the wrapper was and made note to be careful of them becoming brittle. A thin wrapper usually occurs when the season they were grown in had less rain. The more rain, the more dense the wrapper.

Flavor & Notes : Prior to lighting up the the Ramones Criollo the draw offered some notes of nuts and earth, while the foot served up some earthy tobacco to the nose. Once lit the cigar had a nice cinnamon note that was especially noticed through the nose. The note grew as I smoked the first third but eventually gave way to notes of earth and nuts. The second third of this cigar continued the trend of nuts and earth but a nice spice was present too. The final third of the cigar began to build up in strength and had a pleasant aroma. The notes we nuts, pepper and a touch of leather.

Smoking Characteristics: Considering this was a mixed filler cigar I was happy with the burn. While it did smoke a little fast the flavor the burn was acceptable. It needed a quick touch up at the initial light but considering I was sitting directly in front of my air conditioner I will write it off as that. It was 89 degrees at 9:30 pm in NYC. The draw was a little loose but the medium colored ash held on well. I was also please with the smoke production.

Conclusion: Mixed filler cigars invoke a lot of reactions from cigar smokers. Some of them it is hard to notice you are smoking one, while others aren’t even worth a penny. This cigar is one of those that is hard to notice. The first third of the smoke was the best third, but it was enough to have me wanting to smoke another.

Price: Under $4.00 MSRP
Score: 88

Camacho Liberty 2009

It’s that time of year again. Camacho has released the Liberty 2009 edition this past week and once again the cigar is limited to a production of 40,000. I picked up a couple from a cigar shop I used to refer as my home shop. Despite a difference of opinion on customer service I still picked these up to support the clerk who happened to be working that night. That clerk obviously didn’t get the memo and he bent over backwards to make us and those who entered the shop feel welcomed regardless of who they were.

These cigars were rolled in October 2007 with a one time only crop of Habano tobacco. The seed has not been grown since, and yielded enough tobacco for a one time production of the Liberty 2009. Each cigar is wrapped in tissue paper in it’s own coffin. I picked up 2 cigars both to smoke for review and read on to see if I plan to put some away for the future.

Cigar: Camacho Liberty 2009
Size: 6 x 54
Wrapper: Habano
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
Strength: Full

Appearance and Construction (17/20): A gorgeously packaged cigar in a black and gold coffin the Camacho Liberty 2009 is a work of art. Once out of the coffin you are treated to very rich looking cigar. The wrapper is similar to chocolate in color and despite having a couple of significant veins the cigar is a vision of beauty. The cigar has some crystals on it as well as some magnesium spots that let you know before anything it will be a great smoke. The cigar has a few soft spots and is a little bit light in the hands so I hope it won’t smoke to fast.

Flavor & Notes (29/30): Prior to lighting up this cigar the prelight draw is of cedar and spices. The same can be said for the foot of the cigar.  The first third of the smoke has notes of cedar, but there is also a nice rich tobacco taste. The Camacho Liberty 2009 is a very smooth cigar and as we enter the 2nd third of the cigar the cigar picks up a very distinct coffee notes with some nuts. The nuts remind me of a nice almond paste that is out of this world. The cigar also begins to pick up in strength at this point so be sure to have a beverage available. The final third is a culmination of a great cigar. The notes of spices, cedar, coffee and nuts are all there on this wonderful stick.

Burn/Ash/Draw (23/25): The cigar burns pretty straight for the first half of the cigar, but as we approach the middle of the cigar it needed to be touched up as it burned a little bit uneven. The ash is incredibly tight and very light in color. The ash held on for half the cigar before I lost it. The draw is a little loose and because of this it smoked a little fast for me.

Overall (24/25): This cigar has me torn. I know that it is a better cigar from a purists view then the 2008 Liberty. However if I personally was given the choice I rather have that version over the 2009. The barber pole version of 2008 had an incredible sweetness to it that did it for me. With that out of the way though, the 2009 is a total winner and I will put a few on the side in my humidor next to the prior versions that I have. I know this comes off as conflicting, but the 2009 is a winner.

Rating: 93
Price: $17.99 (in NJ)

Want some Camacho Liberty 2008 cigars? Check Out Corona Cigar Company. They have a 5 pack of 2008 Liberty for $90.00.

To get another take on the Camacho Liberty 2009 check out Jerry’s review on The Stogie Review.

El Triunfador

I found out about this Pete Johnson creation on one of the cigar forums I visit. Nicknamed the Ghost Stick, it is of limited production and with me being the Pete Johnson whore that I am, I had to track these down and finding them was not easy. I located them eventually at Silo Cigars where I obtained a 5 pack.

The El Triunfador is a Cuban brand that features a similar label to the original. It is available in 1 size right now, and when other sizes are made they will have their own blends when they become available.

Cigar: El Triunfador
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 7.5 x 38 (Lancero)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium / Full

Pre-Smoke: The cigar is not the type of vitola I like to smoke. In fact this is only the 2nd Lancero I have smoked all year despite it becoming trendy in the cigar world as of late. Many companies are jumping on the bandwagon like Oliva and Carlos Torano in producing this vitola.  Off of today’s cigar the wrapper offered notes of chocolate and the foot was very woody. While the pre-light draw was a nice combination of the two. The cigar was firm to the touch, with a lot of oils and veins. It featured a pigtail triple cap to complete the Cubanesque look.

Smoke: Upon lighting the cigar I was hit with sensory overload. The notes were popping off this stick all over the place. It took a while for me to break them down but the first third offered notes of vanilla, nuts and leather. As we approached the 2nd third the cigar has an exquisite burn line. The notes of vanilla and nuts remained and were joined by cinnamon. As we reached the final third of the cigar notes of chocolate, wood and leather finished the smoke.

Overall: I will admit this was a difficult cigar to break down. The onslaught of flavor at the beginning was insane. I can’t wait to revisit this cigar in a year and see how it has aged because I expect the cigar to be even better with age. It is yet another Pete Johnson masterpiece that continues to keep him the hottest in the business. The finish of the cigar was a nice leathery spice that lasted for quite some time.

Rating: 91
Price: $9.00

G.A.R. by George A. Rico

A few weeks ago I was at a herf with some acquaintances at the Montecristo Room in Harrison, NY and to be honest I can’t remember if I bought this cigar there or if it was gifted to me from a brother of the leaf.  Over on Cigar Live there is a cult following of George A. Rico products and to be honest with you before becoming a member there back in the summer I never heard of him.

I had this cigar sitting in my humidor back home, which brings me to the question Matt asked from Cigar Bar:

“I have a request: Would you consider posting some pictures of your humidor(s)? As often as you smoke, I’d love to see where you’re storing them.”

Well while I do not have my camera with me I will put pictures of my humidors on the website in the Pictures section by the end of next week. My humidors are nothing exciting though. I have 2 boxes that hold about 100 cigars each. One is a Diamond Crown humidor the other is your generic humidor that can be found at any brick & mortar. My current cigar collection is near 175 cigars.

Anyway, on to the review….

The Skinny:

Cigar: G.A.R. by George A. Rico
Origin: Honduras
Size: 6 x 54 (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Filler: Honduras

Pre-Smoke: This box pressed cigar borrows a page from Rocky Patel’s Edge line by placing the band at the foot of the cigar, however the G.A.R. version is much classier and vibrant. The bright white band pulls your eyes to the cigar and it helps offset the beautiful wrapper.

The cigar had plenty of veins but the one thing that struck me as being odd is how much darker one side of the cigar was then the other. It makes me wonder if it was shipped in a box with a cedar sheet separator or perhaps how it was store prior to my possession. The cigar has some veins that were much more noticeable at the cap of the cigar which was not rolled that great. If you look at the picture you can see a slight gap on the wrapper as it nears the cap.

The foot of the cigar had a sweetness to it combined with woody notes, while on the wrapper I picked up a very faint note of caramel. I had to sniff the wrapper numerous times before I was able to identify it as it was that faint. On the pre-light draw there were notes of wood and earth.

Smoke: Despite toasting my cigar I had a hard time getting this one started, but one I did the ash was a very clean white color similar to the band on the foot. This full bodied smoke started off very bitter with notes of earth and pepper, but very quickly made the transition into a creamy, buttery note joined by wood and earth. The cigar once the transition was complete remained consistent all the way through and was very enjoyable to the finish.

Overall: Due to the start of the cigar, I plan to keep my remaining G.A.R. cigars aging for a while before I smoke them. I feel some of the tobacco needs to age a little and meld better to avoid the start my previous G.A.R. cigars have had. The start and the imperfection at the cap are just enough to prevent this cigar from breaking the 90 rating barrier.

Rating: 89
Price: $9.00

As I arrived at the beach this morning, it had a different feel to it from the look of the sand, to the appearance of the water. There is a cold look to it, emptiness. The people going to and from have been reduced as well making the area appear desolate.

My cigar this morning was gifted to me a few months ago, and since I was told it was among the better Tatuaje branded cigars I decided to hold off on it specifically until this weekend.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Tatuaje Cojonu 2003
Origin: Miami
Size: 6.5 x 52 (Toro)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-smoke: Like most cigars from Tatuaje they are exquisitely rolled right down to the triple cap. The double band of today’s stick gave the cigar a Cuban appearance. The cigar itself had a few too many veins, but it was glistening with oils. The wrapper of the cigar revealed some cedar notes, while the foot offered similar wood notes. I cut the cigar with my idiot proof hippotech cutter was shocked to see some very red tobacco up near the cap. It actually had the appearance of paprika which was very strange. The pre-light draw offered notes of wood and spices.

Smoke: The cigar was medium to full bodied and the initial third of the cigar offered notes of pepper, earth and leather. As I approached the second third of the cigar pepper was the dominant note with some subtle coffee and earth notes in the background. The final third was earth and pepper. Despite the gorgeous looking roll, the cigar had some major burn issues that needed to be touched up numerous times.

Overall: Maybe I just have some Pete Johnson overload going on, but I was less than impressed with the Tatuaje Cojonu. While the notes were typical of his smokes it lacked a lot of depth and I was rather bored smoking it about two thirds of the way through.

Rating: 87
Price: $15.00

The Cigar Vault is located in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, NY on Avenue Z between East 17th and East 18th Street. Despite having some nice size to it this B&M lacks a smoking room to enjoy your stogies and even with that drawback The Cigar Vault is hands down the best stocked location in Brooklyn.

The owner Joe is a very friendly guy who will go the extra mile to make sure his customers are happy. You get no bullshit from him as he is a straight shooter unlike many other retail establishments. He also has one of the best Fuente selections in the city of New York just make sure you ask for what you want because it is not always on the shelf. He does this to make sure those who really enjoy the Opus, Untold Story, and WOAM get them.

Finally, the prices can’t be beat. Easily they are cheaper than a lot of other local B&Ms by 20%.. At first you ask how does he do it, but with prices that low and an inventory so amazing many times I go in for 2 smokes and walk out with well over $100 in merchandise.

The next time you are in Brooklyn, be sure to pay him a visit and let him know “Big Barry” sent you… I am sure you will not be disappointed!

Pros: Walk in Humidor, Selection, Prices
Cons: No place to sit & smoke.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

I actually smoked this cigar yesterday afternoon, but did not get to write my review til this morning. It was my second Cubao in 2 days. The first was at the outside tiki bar at the Elks. When I review a cigar I keep notes and translate them into the reviews you read. So continuing my repetitive nature I drove over to the beach and got ready to smoke!

The Skinny:

Cigar: Cubao
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 5.5 x 52 (#6)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-Smoke: I was really attracted to this candy colored wrapper that reminded me of a Sugar Daddy in color. The roll while not sloppy, it was not seamless which gave the cigar character and definition. There were almost no veins to speak off and this cigar was begging to be smoked. The scent off the wrapper was a well defined chocolate while at the foot there were notes of caramel and some faint molasses. After giving the cigar a straight cut with my idiot proof hippotech cutter the pre-light draw was of caramel. Touching the cut end to my tongue I was hit with some serious hot pepper… So far so good..

Smoke: After lighting this smoke I was hit with what I will call the trademark of Pepin Garcia. That quick hit of in your face pepper that it seems like all his cigars start off with. This does not make it a bad thing, as the pepper always seems to subside and this was no different with the Cubao. As I closed out the 1st third of the cigar I was treated to notes of caramel with an underlying sweetness.

As the second third began I noticed my burn line was a bit jagged, but nothing to be concerned about. The ash was a very light gray and flaky so to prevent myself from wearing my ash I tapped the cigar and dove into the second third which the notes of caramel continued but were joined by some chocolate and coffee.

I reached my final third about 50 minutes into the smoke and the cigar maintained notes of coffee and some bitter chocolate. I smoked the cigar to the nub and the total smoke time was about 70 minutes.

Overall: I was very apprehensive to try this cigar as I had one 601 and did not like it. I was temped to go back and get another 601 at my local B&M where it was discovered the boxes they had were infested with the Lasioderma serricorne otherwise known as the tobacco beetle and the boxes were discarded. But I broke down and am glad I gave this wonderful cigar a try.

Rating: 90
Price: $7.00

It was a beautiful morning at the beach not a cloud in the sky, no haze over the water, and a cool breeze keeping the temperature in the low 70s. I felt like I died and went to heaven. My cigar of choice this morning is pictured on the left. A cigar with a lot of buzz that is produced in limited numbers. For those local to me Havana Dreams in Rego Park NY recently got in 3 “jars” of them.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Tatuaje Black
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: Corona 5 5/8 x 46
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo 99
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-Smoke: When the Beach Boys wrote “I wish they all could be California Girls” they obviously did not know what New York girls by way of Moscow had to offer. With thongs passing the left of me and thongs passing to the right of me, even on this cool August morning I tried to study my cigar. In terms of appearance this cigar is not all that good looking. The roll is a tad sloppy, with some veins showing on the wrapper. Some of the stems inside the veins look like they they want to burst through the leaf. Despite this the cigar has some nice oils to it, and was firm to the touch. The wrapper offered notes of cherry and wood, while at the foot I got some nutty notes which is also what I got from the draw. I used my hippotech idiot proof cutter and began to light this baby up.

Smoke: At first light there is a major blast of pepper which remains but subsides slightly as you work into the first third. Notes of wood begin to emerge as cotton ball like clouds begin to fill the blue sky. As we enter the second third of this wonderful smoke the pepper becomes a canvas on which wood and earth blend upon. As the beach begins to fill in front of me the final third of my smoke the pepper emerges back to the top with subtle notes of nuts and coffee to finish out the smoke. The cigar burned like a dream, however when I got down to past the label the cigar burned a littler hotter then most cigars.

Overall: Smoking this stick was like being on a mini-vacation. It left me cool, calm, and thoroughly relaxed. The notes of coffee and pepper remained with me for the better part of an hour after my smoke which was paired with water. To read a cool story of what Pete Johnson was going for with the Tatuaje read this article.

Rating: 91
Price: $15.00

Tomorrow’s Review: Cubao by Ortego Y Espinoza