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Boisdale Canary Wharf

Well, I feel that it’s about time that the Cigar Monologues covered some extra territory.  As such, I’ve added a new category: Food and Drink.  Why?  Well, traditionally a cigar has been an excellent finale to a meal, and there are some wonderful drinks that pair well with a good cigar.  However, I won’t be looking at either from a purely cigar point-of-view, I shall assess any reviews or comments primarily on the food or drink alone (though I may comment on possible accompaniments).

First up is a review of the Boisdale Jazz Bar and Restaurant in Canary Wharf.  It is a wonderful new addition to the Boisdale portfolio (which already includes Belgravia and Bishopsgate in central London).  Consisting of two floors overlooking Cabot Square, Boisdale of CW includes a restaurant, a jazz bar, an oyster and caviar bar, two terraces, and a cigar store.  For me, the greatest attractions of this venue are the cigar terrace and the whisky menu - which is believed to be the largest in the world!

Anyway, now for some thoughts from my first visit…

Reserving my table for lunch initially seemed to be a bit of a palava via email, but we got there in the end and the service was very friendly.  Upon my arrival, I was shown to my table by a friendly waiter who quickly attended my need for water (it was rather warm!)  The service very good overall, though it was a little indifferent on occasion.  I ordered some Scotch quails eggs to start.  They arrived in a rather awkward bowl like basket, which made them almost impossible to eat.  However, the effort was well worth it – the sausagemeat was beautifully seasoned with just the right herbs and an ideal amount of pepper.  The quails eggs were virtually perfect – nice, deep yellow, viscous yolks.  The condiment was pleasant, but perhaps a little light on flavour – though this was possibly for the best, allowing the egg and sausagemeat to shine through nicely.

For my main course I ordered a ‘dangerously’ hot burger with a slice of cheese.  I was slightly disappointed by the subdued spice, I was expecting something that was dangerously hot, not slightly spicy (I had been expecting pathia, not tikka masala, levels of spice).  That should not draw attention away from the burger itself though, which was thick, juicy and succulent.  Most importantly it was cooked just how it should be – with a rich, pink centre.  I had ordered a side of chips which were seasoned nicely and had been made from unpeeled potatos – nice rustic touch which looked just right next to a no-nonsense burger!

As a slightly odd observation, I must now comment on the cutlery, which was lovely.  There is nothing I hate more than ultra thin knives and forks – those used at Boisdale (complete with company crest) were ergonomically delightful – thick fiddle handles which sat very well in the hand.  Big thumbs up for helping to make the dining experience that little bit more enjoyable.

Following my meal I was escorted to the cigar terrace, where I enjoyed a lovely, six-year old Rafael Gonzalez Coronas Extra (which I have since reviewed – click here) and a glass of Highland Park 12yo single-malt Scotch.

So then, overall, I felt that Boisdale CW is a great venue (pretty much faultless on what it offers customers).  The service was good and the food enjoyable and tasty.  An evening meal, followed by a cigar, some great Scotch and a jazz show sounds like a perfect way to finish the week…  Boisdale CW is one of the few places that you can really do that without compromising on any of the components.  Well worth a visit – I’ll certainly be back!

For the record:
My starter, main course, diet coke, large bottle of water, cigar and whisky came to £50.

Scores on the Doors:
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Food: 7/10
Overall: 8/10

Rafael Gonzalez Coronas Extra

(Size: 5 5/8″ x 46  —  Time: 1hr 15mins)

Box Code: Exact code unknown (Year: 2005)

I was in London a couple of weeks ago to visit a consultant about my dodgy knee.  Whilst there, I felt it was about time that I tried out Boisdale of Canary Wharf.  I could write quite a monologue on the joys of that establishment, and I shall, but this is a review of the cigar I smoked on their terrace after my lunch there.  Along with the reasonably aged cigar, I picked a whisky from their extensive (and I mean extensive) whisky list…  In doing so I was righting a wrong – that as a single-malt lover I had not properly sampled Highland Park’s 12 year old expression.

This is only the second Rafael Gonzalez I have reviewed on the Cigar Monologues.  The last was the Petit Corona – a cigar which I have tried a few times now, but never seems to perform.  However, I needed to give this brand another go.  There is lots of positive talk to be found about the Panatelas Extra, so it’s only natural that I would try out the Coronas Extra!  That’s just me though – and you need a slightly larger proportioned cigar to follow a meal.  Oh yes, and as it wouldn’t be one of my reviews without a at least one piece of rather pointless trivia, so here you go: Rafael Gonzalez was the first brand to refer to a Cervantes sized cigar as a Lonsdale, named after Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale.

Appearance /15

This cigar was slightly box-pressed after about six years in a dress box – that is no bad thing in my book.  The wrapper was a light, milk chocolate shade, with a small number of minor, but visible, veins.  The cap was applied with skill.  13

Smoking Characteristics /25

The pre-light aroma of the RG Coronas Extra was milk-chocolate – matching the wrapper tone beautifully.  The cigar lit quite easily and the draw was good from the off.  The smoke produced was of good quantity and had that wonderful ‘thick’ quality to it.  Both the draw and the smoke were positives throughout the whole duration of this cigar.  The ash was mid-grey, with just a few darker fleks, and was reassuringly solid.  Unfortunately, the burn was not always especially even – despite starting well the burn required all too frequent touch-ups as the cigar progressed .  Despite the occasionally uneven nature of the burn, it stayed lit effortlessly, even when I had to leave it untended for a few minutes on a couple of occasions.  Not a perfectly constructed cigar, but no issues of any real concern.  22

Flavour /25

The initial dry draw was slightly sweet and floral on the RG Coronas Extra; the sweetness came through during the early draws after lighting, along with a creamy smoothness.  The flavour gradually became less sweet, with a drier, cedar flavour beginning to predominate after an inch or so.  In time, this cedar receded, to be replaced by the initial sweetness; this time there were also floral and grassy notes – more akin to the pre-light draw than anything since lighting.  Slowly some hints of cedar returned, along with just a suggestion of some aniseed-based notes.  Sadly, the final progression of this stage was a straight-up wood flavour, which, unlike the rest of the cigar, was not having any hints of sweetness highlighted by the Highland Park 12yo I was drinking.  Thankfully that section was short lived; it was replaced with something from left-field - some ‘meaty’ flavours.  What I was getting was in some way reminscent of wonderful sticky ribs on a charcoal barbeque - giving a really nice, rich smokeyness.  As the cigar reached the nub this changed again, bookending the cigar with some sweet, floral notes – this time with some balance from roast almond nuances.  23

Overall Impression /35

Overall, I have to say that the Rafael Gonzalez Coronas Extra was quite a pleasant surprise for me.  It doesn’t come from a marque that I’ve particularly enjoyed in the past, and I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.  What I got was a beautiful light-to-medium bodied cigar with some lovely, medium flavours.  Whilst there were perhaps a couple of issues with the construction, these were merely minor annoyances (nothing really important) and are overshadowed by a relatively complex and enjoyable cigar.  As such, this is definitely a cigar I would recommend as worth trying – I would suggest that it is an ideal stick to pick from the humidor for some time in the garden on a summer’s afternoon.  33

Grand total… 91/100

Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill

(Size: 5 1/8″ x 55  —  Time: 1hr 25mins)

Last year Habanos SA released the RyJ Wide Churchill.  They were, seemingly jumping on two band-wagons at once: the jaw-breaker trend from the States (unfortunately still going strong) and the RyJ ‘Churchill’ brand…  The original RyJ Churchill is regarded in almost all circles as a true classic in the Cuban line-up, a fine example of the vitola, and the favourite of Sir Winston Churchill himself.  Indeed, it was Pepin Fernandez Rodriguez, the then owner of the RyJ marque, who originally named the vitola after Britain’s war-time leader.  What, then, does the Wide Churchill have to do with the Churchill, or indeed Churchill… (You can stop thinking of nodding dogs now!)  As far as anyone can work out, not much at all.  The Short Churchill is at least roughly the same RG as the Churchill, and is indeed somewhat shorter than the majestic smoke.  The Wide Churchill is not, however, a wider version of the Churchill…  So what on earth is it called such for?  Marketing, as far as anyone can tell.  Perhaps they should have called it the ‘Wide Short Churchill’, just to be safe…

The cigar has received quite a mixed collection of reviews.  The initial release seemed particularly prone to marmite syndrome.  Now, a year on, they seem to have settled down, and many believe that they have done so as decent smokes, if not necessarily spectacular.  Despite being none too keen on the massive ring gauge I felt that it was my duty to smoke a couple for review.  The one which this review focuses on was smoked alongside a bottle of Blue Moon beer and a glass of water whilst watching Men of Honour – a naval film I had somehow neglected to watch until this point.  For the record, both the beer and the film were very good.

Appearance /15

The wrapper on the WC (yes, a rather unfortunate acronym…) was generally very nice.  It was a milk chocolate hue and had only a few small veins.  The wrapper was wound around the cigar neatly, with only a feintly visible seam – the cap had been equally neatly applied.  There were no marks or dicolourations to the wrapper.  When squeezed, the cigar showed a good firm (but not hard) quality, with no soft spots.  There was a nice amount of spring in the foot.  The aroma was fairly dull (toast with a hint of cedar).  Aside from the comedy ring gauge, this is a good looking cigar.  14

Smoking Characteristics /25

The cigar was surprisingly easy to get lit, though the initial burn was a little uneven.  In-fact, the burn throughout this cigar was a little wavey, although it only required occasional touching-up.  The early draws were loose and easy, perhaps a little too loose; it would stay this way throughout the cigar.  The smoke production was fairly good; however, the cigar was not keen on being left for too long, this led to smoke production dropping off considerably (though it would pick up again after a couple of puffs).  The ash which formed was a mid-grey in colour, with a few darker specks.  The fairly consistent rings formed along the ash were a sign of it’s strength, holding on for well over an inch at a time.  22

Flavour /25

On lighting, the WC produced some nice toast notes (both flavour and aroma).  Shortly this toastiness was joined by some sweeter layers, provided by floral and honey aspects.  Gradually the floral elements of the flavour became more pronounced as the toastiness receded.  The floral element persisted beyond the half-way point, however, there developed a marshmallow flavour, alongside an almond dimension and just a touch of licquorice (though not a lot of the latter).  As the cigar progressed through the final third, the floral and nutty flavours diminished, to be replaced by something more cedary.  At the back of the draw, as the cedar lightened, there was a peppery finish.  This cedar and pepper was a short lived section of the cigar, with the original toast and nuts returning for the final few minutes.  22

Overall Impression /35

I still don’t like the ring gauge of this cigar…  It’s too big: being both uncomfortable and rather gaudy.  Despite this, I will say that the Wide Churchill is developing into a very decent smoke of light-to-medium strength and mild-to-medium flavours.  There are many things I would pick over it in terms of complexity and intensity of flavours; but if you want something a little different and a bit more relaxed then this is definitely a cigar to consider.  The development from start to finish was achieved nicely with flavours which work together.  Whilst the construction was not fantastic, and it’s not a cigar to put down for more than a couple of minutes, the draw was acceptable (if a little too easy) and the smoke was fairly aromatic.  Give it a go – it’s a fairly good RyJ, but it doesn’t deserve to wear the Churchill name. 32

Grand total… 90/100

Romeo y Julieta Cedros de Luxe No3

(Size: 5″ x 42  —  Time: 1hr)

When you’re stuck on a train for hours, there is little better to do than rattle off a couple of cigar reviews – possibly whilst longing for the days when you could sit in a mahogany lined carriage smoking a fine cigar or a pipe.  Alas, those days are gone, so I’m stuck with just the reviews.  This one is a look back at one of the cigars I enjoyed just over a week ago on my London Cigar Crawl…  (Hmmm, now there’s an idea…)  I’ve also had one since then, which has also influenced the review.

The RyJ Cedros de Luxe No3 comes wrapped in a thin cedar tube sporting a gold and green RyJ band, as opposed to the traditional red and white.  It’s been in production since before the Cuban revolution and has seemed to develop quite a cult following.  Whilst RyJ have been blighted by distinctly average cigars during recent years, the Cedros de Luxe No3 has consistently been enjoyed – whether by wedding-goers or aficionados looking for a quick, summery smoke.

Appearence /15

It has to be said that the cedar was hiding one ugly duckling!  This is something I’ve found to be fairly common with the examples I’ve had before too.  These cigars had oily, dark, almost Colorado-maduro, wrapper leaves, it was none too pretty otherwise.  Large veins, knobbly bits, and what I can only describe as ‘ugly spots’ kind of detracted from the general impression.  To the touch, the cigar was firm, perhaps a touch hard.  10

Smoking Characteristics /25

The draw of the cigar was excellent from the off, and continued as such throughout.  The smoke production was reasonable, though did drop off a little towards the end.  The burn was not perfect, but required little by way of attention, with only a couple of minor touch-ups necessary.  24

Flavours /25

The initial flavours from the Cedros de Luxe No3 were quite light and slightly floral, with just a hint that suggested it had been wrapped in a cedar blanket.  Through the middle portion of the cigar, the flavours were a touch boring – just a slightly ‘meaty’, straight tobacco flavour with a slightly creamier ‘texture’.  As the cigar approached the finish, however, the flavours built towards medium and changed towards pepper and slightly stronger notes of cedar.  21

Overall Impression /35

My overall impression of the RyJ Cedros No3 is that it is a reasonable and enjoyable, if unremarkable, cigar.  It smokes well and won’t break the bank.  The flavours develop through three thirds, and are acceptable if not overly complex.  Not a bad stick to keep handy for garden parties, barbeques and friends.  32

Grand total… 87/100

La Flor de Cano Short Robusto (2010 UK RE)

(Size: 4″ x 50 — Time: 1hr 5mins)

This cigar has been a long time in the waiting. Announced in 2009 for a 2010 release, it was finally in the hands of the British smoking public by June 2011. There is a multitude of rumours currently doing the rounds as to the reason for the delays (after all, the Por Larranaga Regalias de Londres was released more or less to schedule). Some of the more interesting rumours have involved the Cubans running out of tobacco and run-ins with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs – neither of which seem to make any sense whatsoever. However, I suppose we cigar smokers have an hour over a fine cigar to dream up conspiracy theories, and with that in mind, I’m a little disappointed with what was dreamt up!

The closest to an official reason that I have managed to find was courtesy of Ajay Patel’s review of the cigar on its arrival in the UK. Ajay runs the La Casa del Habano in Teddington (LCdH being a Cuban state franchise – so I suspect he has reasonably good information!) and told us that it was all due to ink… Not the bureaucratic red tape and ink that one might think of when dealing with a Communist regime, but a shortage of the green ink required for the printing on the boxes. The Short Robustos are a highly anticipated blast from the past – a slightly smaller version of the highly regarded Short Churchill vitola from the LFdC range of around twenty years ago. They are presented, unusually for Limited and Regional Editions, in slide-lid boxes, and the green ink used for the LFdC logo is another nod to this cigar’s history (currently Habanos use black for the LFdC logo).

Anyway, I think that’s enough waffle from me about the cigar’s interesting, though ultimately irrelevent, journey to the cedar lined shelves of the UK’s cigar stores.  Time to see what I thought of this cigar, which was sampled in JJ Fox’s cigar museum with a bottle of Berry Brothers’ 2009 Sancerre (an excellent drop to go with most cigars, and good value at less than £14).

Appearance /15

This double-banded Regional Edition cigar looks amazing – good enough to eat even! The wrapper is exceptional: smooth, lustrous and satin-like to touch. It’s a wonderful tan brown Colorado Claro wrapper leaf with no blemishes, and none but the very smallest of veins. When squeezed the resistance is next to perfect – it’s firm with no soft spots, and a satisfying amount of springiness at the foot. If you can judge a book by it’s cover (and a cigar by it’s first impression), then this is very, very hard to fault. 15

NB. This cigar is the last to be released with the ‘Reino Unido’ regional band, as H&F change over to ‘Gran Bretana’ for the second band.

Smoking Characteristics /25

The draw was beautiful at the off – just a touch of resistence, but still nice and effortless, producing clouds of thick smoke. The draw was generally good throughout, though it did tighten up a little for a short while around the half-way point. The ash was light-grey and showed nice tight rings with few flakes and just a couple of slightly darker patches. The burn was generally pretty good, whilst not quite perfect or razor sharp it never wandered off to the stage that it would need attention. Aside from a re-light which was needed towards the end this was a very well constructed cigar. 23

Flavour /25

Upon lighting the Short Robusto you are greeted with a wonderfully buttery, rich opening. This butteriness would remain throughout. As the cigar developed past the opening section, the butter took on some subtle hints of citrus which created something which one could only describe as being reminscent of scallops covered with a wonderful beurre blanc sauce. This would be the predominant character for fifty minutes or more of this cigar; and if one could level any complaint against this wonderful stick, it was that it was lacking just a touch in progression for most of the smoking time. It was saved by a brief change at the very end, when some more creamy, sweet-spicy flavours rounded off the smoke with latte and cinammon to the fore. 23

Overall Impression /35

The LFdC Short Robusto was well worth the wait. Perhaps the logistical issues were a blessing in disguise for thes cigars, as they have hit the British market at a canter, with most sticks having around a year of age already on them. This was quite clear when smoking due to the smooth, rounded nature of the flavours. Aside from the slight issue with the burn and re-light, my only real reservation about this cigar is that the flavours are perhaps just a little too mellow. Everything about the cigar just screams out quality and class, but it does just leave you wanting that tiny little bit more. 32

Grand total… 93/100

Guest Review: LGC Gloriosos and London Herfing

Many of you will have read about my antics on Saturday (see ‘A Saturday of Intrigue…’).  My primary herfing partner for the day was Dan Ward, a fine BOTL who I have smoked many a fine cigar with whilst overlooking Sutton Harbour down in Plymouth.  Dan very kindly offered to produce a write-up of his own for the Cigar Monologues blog, and I’m pleased to say that the following entry is his thoughts of the day and his final cigar, the LGC Gloriosos (2008 UK RE).

Enjoy…

The Guest Blogger

I have been past JJ Fox’s many times, but somehow I always seem to end up there on a Sunday, or after they have closed, so I had never made it in to sample some of the wares.  Upon entering, I was greeted by the sight of a large, well stocked walk in humidor, filled to the rafters with a huge range of cigar shaped treats.  Now what to pick… Do I go for my old favourite (Partagas Serie P No.2), or something a little special to celebrate getting a degree.  Upon Simons recommendation (and remembering my wallet wouldn’t allow for a Siglo VI), I homed in on a La Gloria Cubana Gloriosos (2008 UK RE).  This was a cigar which Simon reviewed last year (click here for original review).  The box from which my cigar came had an extra year of age compared to the example Simon reviewed.  Never having smoked one of these before, the excitement began.

We decided to sit in JJ Fox’s fantastic cigar museum, which for me meant that I was able to sit in Sir Winston Churchill’s chair, which is something I have wanted to do for a very long time.  This chair was actually pretty uncomfortable, doubtless worn down by the gamut of cigar smokers who have used it since the great man himself.  We opened up a bottle of Sancerre, fresh from the fridge at Berry Brothers and Rudd just down the road from JJ Fox’s, the Sancerre later proving to be a very good wine to partner with a cigar (Simon’s suggestion – ed.).

As for the cigar, it started off a little slow, but very smooth with flavours that evoked memories of toasted marshmallows on the beach.  Over the course of the next two hours I found that there wasn’t a single sudden change in the flavours or intensity, each change being smooth and gradual, never taking one by surprise and never becoming coarse.  Perhaps the best way to describe the dynamic of the flavours is to liken them to the dignified progress that a vintage Rolls Royce makes up the hill at Goodwood.  Throughout the cigar, the draw remained near perfect, with a very strong ash that refused to succumb to gravity until I wussed out and ashed it after about an inch.

Towards the tail end of this cigar, the flavours started to ramp up in intensity, although never becoming as bold as my favourite Partagas SPN2.  I generally go for cigars with more potent flavours than this, but on occasion I like to smoke something that is a little more delicate and a little more subtle – hence going with what I believed would be a subtler cigar.

I don’t like to rate cigars using numerical values.  I believe that being a natural product the variation between cigars can render such rating systems almost useless.  For example, all BOTLs will know that sometimes you can have two cigars from the same box and one will be fantastic and the next will be awful!  As such, the conclusion of this review will be a bit different to what you are used to seeing at the Cigar Monologues.  I always ask myself if I would be willing to purchase another example of this cigar at the same price I had paid.  In the case of this cigar, it would be a definite yes.  More important to me than assigning a number to cigars is purely enjoyment, and in this case, I enjoyed the experience of smoking it greatly.  I was sat in Churchills chair, in one of the oldest and most famous cigar retailers in the world, in the best area of my favourite city, drinking excellent wine and with good company.  To make such an event perfect, one only needs to add in a good cigar and enjoyment is guaranteed.  The very finest in surroundings, cigars, wine and company make for a fantastic weekend.

Plus, I got to sit in Churchill’s chair!

—  DW  —

Thank you again Dan.  If anyone would like to follow Dan on Twitter then check out @gtrcar5.  (Don’t forget you can follow @cigarmonologues too!)

Le Hoyo du Maire

(Size: 4″ x 30 — Time: 30mins)

Here’s a quick little review of the small cigar that I kick-started yesterday’s herf with, the Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo du Maire.  It’s a small cigar, and seemed to fit the early morning mood quite nicely – start small, work up!

Appearance /15

The du Maire is the baby of the Le Hoyo line-up (indeed, it’s the baby of the HdM and Cuban ranges in general).  Despite it’s small size, the wrapper leaf used on this example was quite attractive.  It was fairly smooth, and had a nice sheen to it.  It definitely felt diminutive in the hand, but it was quite firm to the touch.  Overall, this example looked and felt better than one might expect of a cigar this small.  13

Smoking Characteristics /25

On lighting the du Maire it became obvious that the reason for the firm touch was that there was perhaps just a touch too much tobacco in this small stick.  The draw was slightly tight at the outset, and whilst it eased up during the middle section, it tightened up quite considerably as it finished.  A relight was required towards the end, but otherwise this cigar burned very well, keeping a nice, straight burn line from start to finish.  21

Flavour /25

This cigar initially started off with honey and nut flavours predominating.  These were present for much of the stick, with the initial honey fading to the background and allowing the nutty flavour to come to the fore, along with some fresh cedar.  Towards the finish of the smoke, however, these flavours subsided and were replaced with something a little more fruity and floral.  21

Overall Impression /35

Overall, I think that the Le Hoyo du Maire packs quite a lot into such a small, slow burning cigar.  The half-hour smoke time is more than one would anticipate by looking at this little ‘entreacto’.  There is a fairly clear development of flavours, and the flavours present are pleasant, if not overly strong (you would struggle to suggest this was anything more than the top end of mild).  In many respects, this is a perfect summer morning cigar – short enough that you can enjoy it after breakfast and before work if you plan your day well.  32

Grand total… 87/100

A Saturday of Intrigue…

Yesterday was a pretty good day all told.  I made my way into London to spend a day herfing with a friend and had quite a day smoking, eating, drinking and looking at some real gems from the cigar world.

The Humidor in Sautter's of Mount St (Click picture to enlarge)

Upon arriving at Paddington I decided that the weather was just fair enough for me to take a morning stroll across to Sautter’s of Mount Street in Mayfair.  I made a quick caffeine stop at the Mount Street Deli before my first cigar (the Deli: good coffee, very slow service).  I moved a couple of doors down to Sautter’s, which is situated opposite the Connaught Hotel, the home of de Gaulle throughout the Second World War.  As I entered, I spotted the familiar face of Nic Wing (Cities in Sound – Cuban Cigar Walk London) who was, if I recall correctly, trying out a Fuente Opus X of some description.  A brief trip to the humidor in search of a Hoyo de Monterrey ‘Le Hoyo’ of some description – an ideal morning range in my opinion – yielded a du Maire, a tiny little smoke, and the only Le Hoyo that is available as a single from Sautter’s well stocked but small walk-in humidor.  It was a nice, light and quick start to the day’s smoking, taking around 30 minutes to smoke – aside from a slightly tight draw, it just about hit the spot.

Just as Nic and the team at Sautter’s started showing off some of the really interesting stock that’s hidden away in the vaults under Mayfair, my herfing buddy for the day arrived.  Just in time for the show…  Two treasures spring to mind.  One was a box of old (70-90 years) Castañeda cigars which seem to have been sent so someone in lieu of gold…  Castañeda was one of the brands which eventually merged to become today’s Fonseca marque.

Two Budles in the H.Upmann Cabinet

The other treasure, and this really was something to behold, was a cabinet of H.Upmann cigars. (Thankyou to Nic for the picture, right).  Here I am referring to the original cabinet – more akin to a cupboard or sideboard than today’s slide-lid boxes…  The date of this cabinet, which originally contained 500 cigars of various vitolas, is believed to be 1897.  Not just pre-Revolution or pre-World Wars, but pre 20th Century!  The cabinet was originally sent to Devon, and there remains just over 300 cigars - one can only imagine the Victorian gentlemen lining up in the gun room to have their post-shoot cigar.  What a welcome return from a possibly miserable, wet shoot in the Devon countryside (which can definitely be an unforgiving part of the country).  An interesting bit of trivia, rumour has it, is that two of the cigar names from this cabinet are front-runners to be the names of the next two UK Regional Editions…

However, back to the cigars of today.  My second cigar at Sautter’s was a Romeo y Julieta Cedros No3.  It was a pleasant smoke as well, and just hit the spot before heading off for a light lunch at Carluccio’s.  Great cigars, great Italian food and some Peroni Gran Riserva beer certainly got the day off to a wonderful start.

After lunch it was a stroll along New and Old Bond Streets, gazing longingly into some of the wonderful shops which line those streets, towards St James.  A quick stop in Berry Brothers to pick up a bottle of chilled Sancerre was our only diversion from JJ Fox, our intended destination.  Unfortunately, we were slowly running out of time, so our planned post-dinner Churchills had to go by the wayside – and I was so looking forward to a H.Upmann Sir Winston…  I decided to finally give the new UK Regional Edition a test run, so picked up a La Flor de Cano Short Robusto.  I was certainly three-for-three on the day though, as the LFdC was a very pleasant smoke, with lots of buttery richness; the only downside was a slight lack of progression as the cigar developed.

The Day Ends at JJ Fox

As I made my way back to Paddington, I was glad that I’d made the trip across from the West Country – some good company in the form of Nic Wing and Dan Ward, some good cigars, some good food and a very nice bottle of wine.  Little did I know that my dodgy knee was going to be so painful once I’d got back home!  I hope you enjoyed the read, and don’t forget that over the coming days I’ll be posting reviews of all three cigars that I smoked, so keep checking back.

La Flor de Cano Preferidos

(Size: 5″ x 37  —  Time: 40mins)

Wow, it’s amazing what you can find when you’re a little bit bored. I’ve just unearthed a review I wrote a couple of years ago about the La Flor de Cano Preferidos.  As I may well be reviewing the eagerly anticipated LFdC Short Robusto (UK RE) in the coming weeks, it is a timely reminder of the type of machine-made cigar that is churned out by LFdC as part of its regular line-up.

A quick precis of the situation I found myself in on the day of the review: I was off work and it had been raining, a lot. I’d spent the afternoon watching baseball and when there was a gap in the weather I wanted to grab something fairly short, just incase the rain returned. So, I grabed the Preferidos, which had been gifted me by Dave (First Load Blog). After sorting out a glass of whisky-dry I hit the patio.

Appearance /15

Well, unfortunately, it wasn’t a great start for the Preferido… It came in a cellophane sleeve (we can forgive it this… ), however, the wrapper leaf was not particularly good looking. You could distinctly see the line of the leaf as it wound itself around. The leaf itself was slightly wrinkled (for want of a better descriptive term). I liked the semi-belicoso shape though, with a slightly tapered head. Not the most attractive package overall, but the proof is in the pudding (sorry, smoking)… 9

Smoking Characteristics /25

I shall start this little section with a comment on the pre-light smells. I could have sat there all day sniffing this cigar. The lovely aromas of rich, dark chocolate were lovely, off-set by just a hint of herbaceous grass. The Preferidos lit first time with no issues whatsoever, one match and it was done – the advantages of a narrow ring gauge… The cigar’s burn was generally consistent and even, however, there was a small amount of coning. The ash wasn’t fantastic, I never built up the nerve to go for a long one as it always looked to be on the verge of falling off! The draw wasn’t great: it started quite loose, producing little smoke; however, as the cigar wore on it tightened slightly and the smoke became more volumous (though still nothing special). Together with the coning issue, this indicated to me that it this cigar didn’t the greatest construction ever… (Well, they are short-filler and machine-made). The aroma of the smoke was quite pleasant. All together, nothing drastically wrong with this stick. 21

Flavour /25

This example of an LFdC Preferidos was a light-to-medium strength cigar with a medium range of flavours. Immediately upon lighting (below) I got the rich, dark chocolate flavours that I had smelt before lighting. There seemed, almost, to be something leathery about the early tastes too. These flavours developed quite nicely into the second third. The bitterness of the dark chocolate heightened, leading to an espresso type of note at the rear of the mouth. This espresso was, slightly unexpectedly, married with a slightly grassy or herbaceous taste around the fringes. These flavours, as indeed those at the beginning, worked really quite nicely with the slightly sharp sweetness of the whisky dry that was accompanying them. Unfortunately, as we entered the final third, the flavours kind of fell away. I like to think that a good cigar develops through three stages, this one seems to have managed two and a bit stages… There seemed to be a return to the leatheriness of earlier, but this was joined simply by a non-descript bitterness. All in all, this is a cigar that delivered more on the flavour front than I expected, nice flavour combinations worked through until the final third, when it just seemed to die a death… 21

Overall Impression /35

Overall, this was a decidedly enjoyable cigar. The first impressions were quite poor, I have to admit. However, as I said, the proof would be in the smoking, and this cigar seemed to punch slightly above its weight. It wasn’t a classic, and could have been better, but there were an unexpected set of flavours which melded to give an unexpected complexity to this smoke. 31

Grand total… 82/100

A Few Good Cigar Videos

I think I promised something along these lines quite a few months ago…  Apologies for the wait.  Here are a few irreverent, interesting, and informative cigar videos I’ve enjoyed recently.

Cigars and Tertiary Education – The Key to Higher Fees?

We will start with a bit of Freud, and some exceptionally attractive young ladies.  Now, I’m all for women smoking - something nice and appropriate, like the new line of Julietas from RyJ; but do find women smoking large cigars somewhat strange.  (Now, as an aside, I have to admit to finding the new Julietas kind of sexy in their sleek aluminium packaging – should I be worried?)

All of the above aside, I provide, for your delectation, a wonderful advert for the Estonian Institute of Humanities…  (I’m packing my bags as I type!)

For the record, my slap dash attempt at translating the video goes something along the lines of:

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar (Freud)
Sometimes a university is not just a university… (not Freud – ed.)

A nice thing about this video is that even if the studious sisters of the leaf didn’t do it for you, there’s always the wonderful soundtrack: Tony Bennett’s The Good Life.

Friends of Habanos

There we go – straight to the point with the sub-title!  I don’t think there are many BOTLs who spend hours reading tosh such as the Cigar Monologues who haven’t come across our bretheren from down-under.  Many years ago, during the reign of George III, the British had the eminently sensible idea of shipping off reprobates to some far-flung place.  Unfortunately, they chose Australia, which took spin rather well, resulting in some annoying chap called Shane Warne (you know, the one with rather thin hair…)  Australia is also home to some pretty decent weather, and a small number of really interesting guys beat the genetic lottery to arrive on this planet as BOTLs.  The Friends of Habanos YouTube video library alone consists of 140 videos and counting.  The vast majority of which are ten minute long reviews by at least two of the amiable team.

I’ve decided to share with you the FoH review of one of my all time favourite sticks, the Party Short.  Enjoy.

Alongside the YouTube video feed is an accompanying community forum, which is all liked to their shop.  So, here’s a bit of free advertising for the guys at Cigar Czar in Brisbane - they certainly deserve it for all the effort they’ve put in to provide us with some excellent resources!

Cigar Aficionado

The behemoth of the cigar magazine world, Cigar Aficionado (or Golf Aficionado as it is occasionally known), brings us reviews of virtually every major cigar known to the North American public.  They also do some interesting lifestyle features, an inordinate amount of golf coverage and book length interviews with occasionally interesting people.  Despite sounding like the leader of some kind of anti-CA League I actually really like the magazine, I even subscribe.  There can be no denying the knowledge of the editorial staff, who all come across in their writing (and their videos) as typical cigar smokers – passionate and amiable.  I do think that the loss of James Suckling is a shame, but they will survive.  I should say, incase a Mr Shanken happens across this post, that I would be delighted to take over James’ Cuban coverage at very reasonable freelance rates.

CA’s video library is added to on occasion, and the range of videos is really quite excellent.  I particularly enjoyed the Cigar Wars series of videos with James Suckling and David Savona – in these videos they pitted Cuban and non-Cuban greats against each other (often with some surprising results).  There are also some great videos on pairing drinks and food with cigars, as well as a recipe for your own perfect home-made egg nog for Christmas!

Here’s the link: http://www.cigaraficionado.com/videos

Any Other Thoughts

The above three suggestions are but a scratch in the surface of the cigar video world.  Does anyone have a particular feed on YouTube that you always keep an eye on, or a single video which really just sums up cigars for you?  Let me know if you do, I’d be very interested to check them out myself if I haven’t already.