Parting Shots

Concluding my blogging experiment, I'd like to give a shout out to some of my local cigar shops:

Capital Cigar: Rock on, Don. Keep listening, keep hunting, and we'll keep nagging Tatuaje on your behalf. It'll be great to make CC a regular herfing spot.

Cliff's Smoke Shop: Thanks for being so open, Miles, and providing a quiet spot for a man to have a cigar and friendly chat. 60 years in the biz, and looking forward to more.

Jake's Cigars & Spirits: Todd is the man, keeping the humi filled with our favorite treats to go along with the well-stocked bar. Nice spot to cigar and imbibe, but gets way too loud at night. I'm too old to enjoy the college bar scene.

Ted's Tobacco (Lincoln): Mike, if you haven't noticed already, it's long past time to get your shit together. Stock that humidor like you want to be in business in this town.


Okay, my work is done here, really. Moving on to much bigger and better things, but under my more professional nom de plume. I wonder who'll even notice...

Alec Bradley American Sun Grown Blend

The AB Mixologist, aka Snappy Bigman, has been through town, and the Alec Bradley stocks on local humidor shelves are plentiful. 'Chuno how that goes. He also was amenable to lunch with a couple of us locals, and spread some AB love around  by stopping our gobs with these American Sun Grown treats.

Alec Bradley American Sun Grown

Alec Bradley's branding has come a long ways from the old Trilogy and Ovation  labels, now sporting larger, classier labels with the the crowned 'AB' badge. Presentation is nice, but it's really the icing on some great tasting cigars.

After clipping the cap, I get a nice peppery spice on the lips from the Nicaraguan Habano wrapper, and nice earth and leather notes from the aroma of the unlit foot.

Heat the foot and go, I get some nice, almost medium-bodied leathery wood flavors, with just a touch of earth and a little spice. The spice hums in the background while the leather and wood take on an occasional citrus tone.

I like these a bit better than the American Classic, as the Sun Grown's wrapper adds a nice earthy heat to the blend. Great flavor, and at a $6-7 price tag, these are a good deal.

Panacea Black Label toro

I like finding cigars off the beaten path, and this one hit me from left field. My parents live in eastern Pennsylvania, and as a Christmas surprise, my mother hit me with a yuletide cigar bomb, which included a couple Panacea sticks.

Flatbed Cigar co. is based in Yardley, PA, which is just about as opposite to Miami as you can get in the USA without going to Alaska; Folks noshing on a hoagie and a Tastykake bought from the local Wa-Wa, drinking Yeungling beer and listening to the Eagles flail away in futility against all comers but maybe the KC Chiefs. Well, perhaps Miami does feel the pain of football futility.

Panacea Black Label toro

Black label Maduro sports a fine specimen  of Brazilian maduro wrapper, somewhat smooth with some prominent veins, and giving off a dark, earthy compost aroma with a hint of spice. The draw is nicely balanced through the Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.

Once the fire commences, I get dark, earthy leather and wood tones, and not really any spice.  After the first inch, I get flashes of tart citrus here and there, getting more prevalent near the end. There's a subtle spice nearer the nub, but never more than a cameo.

The Panacea Black label toro is a well-rolled cigar, with a chewy, earthy profile. I'm glad a couple of my local shops took the cue to try them on.

Alec Bradley Family Blend Robusto

Spring has finally sprung; BOING. Outside, smoking a cigar with an old friend over the lunch hour is my idea of a perfect way to usher in le printemps. I brought out an Alec Bradley stick recently ransomed from a local shop during a visit from regional AB rep, Snappy 'Chuno' Bigman. Snappy spins a good yarn, and the Family Blend story is a good one, but you'll have to hear it directly from him. I will say, though, that Snappy would put his sac on the line if he thinks it's the right thing to do.

The Family Blend robusto is a rustic-looking stick with a light brown Honduran wrapper and veins that would make a smack junkie jealous. A blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos make up the core. The draw is, as usual for Alec Bradley, perfect and the cigar burns okay, but outside in a light breeze I have to touch up the burn a couple times.

Once I get the cigar lit, I get mainly flavors of grass and _____ ; sometimes grass and tart wood, or grass and light coffee, but always the grassy flavor is there. Any sort of spice that may be there is hiding behind the grass. The last third features a tart wood flavor uprising against the oppression of the grass. At their peak the flavors get to almost medium-bodied, but not beyond medium.

Another colleague sits down to join us, and remarks "Hey, are you smoking a Cuba Aliados?" At his reference to the grassy blends of the dearly departed Don Rolando Reyes senior, I start thinking about it more. "No," I reply, "but close enough."

Perhaps Spring is in the air; grass is greening up, trees budding, and I'm tasting that green in this cigar. The Family Blend retails for a buck less, per stick, than the more tasty Black Market line, but I'm happy to pay up to move up a bit.

J. Fuego Delirium belicoso

J. Fuego Delicious Delirium is one of those maduros that keep me hooked to the Dark Side. Brazilian maduro wrappers are one of my favorites as well, like on the CAO Brazilia, Nub Maduro, and Panacea Black label.

J Fuego Delirium Belicoso

I'll occasionally get an unbiased olfactory opinion for my own calibration. Tonight's smelling panel is comprised of my children; I let them each take a whiff of the unlit cigar before I tuck them into bed and retire to the garage.  Their impressions are, from oldest to youngest: Chocolate, Vanilla, Cinnamon, and Chocolate.

Tonight's Delirium has spent four years in the humi, stash aging nicely. The dark, veiny Brazilian wrapper is a maduro fiend's dream. After clipping, the cigar has a fairly free draw through the Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers, and despite that does burn decently. White ash hangs out over an inch while puffing away.

Sweet leather, hint of cocoa dominate much of the profile once lit, with occasional light coffee and berry notes. A woody spice becomes apparent at we get near the nub. From start to finish a delicious, almost medium-bodied cigar.

Delirium is a great smoke fresh, and a spectacular smoke when given a little age. That's if you can hide them from yourself long enough to age them a bit.

Mystic Monk 'Midnight Vigils' blend

Mystic Monk 'Midnight Vigils' blend

Mmmm, mmm, mm. I know that the go juice is a necessity in the morning, but it can also be a pleasure. Of course, I write this with a mug of steaming, dark joy at my elbow.

Mystic Monk coffee is roasted by Carmelite monks in Wyoming, which isn't a real stretch when you consider the contemplative and mindful state a good roaster maintains. It's a perfect fit. They also use 100% organic, fair trade Arabica beans, which would be consonant with their Catholic views of social justice and environmental stewardship.

The Midnight Vigils blend is described as Central and South American beans (no specific regions noted), roasted "extra-dark", and man, is it oily! Check out the sheen on these beans in the picture here. I guess it would be both dramatic and punny to say that the aroma from the bag is "Heavenly"; sweet, woody, dark fruit, a little hint of caramel or vanilla. And once brewed there's a smooth, sweet coffee flavor along with dark fruit and caramel nuances.

Other varieties of Mystic Monk coffees I love are the Hermit's blend and Cowboy blend. Good, good stuff.

La Aurora Preferidos Ruby perfecto

There was a time that I was a regular at the Devil's cigar auction site, trolling for cigars at prices well below the those charged by my local shops (B&Ms). Sometimes you save a bit, some times you save more, especially on some top-shelf sticks. La Aurora Preferidos tubos go for $15-17 on the shelf around here, so I was tickled to get them @ $35/fiver.

I've long since wised up about the value of local shops, and now only get stuff online when the local shops aren't stocking what I want.

La Aurora Preferidos Ruby

The La Aurora Preferidos "Ruby" perfecto is their maduro of the line. The modest cigar is not quite so impressive once liberated from the shiny tubo, but the Ruby's darkness is quite a sight. The dark Connecticut broadleaf wrapper smells of dark, composty topsoil, and is both veined and toothy.

Of course, the draw starts a little stiff, but opens up as the cigar burns and foot gets wider. The first draws bring wicked bold flavors; Leather, citrus all coated in an earthy spice. Definitely La Aurora's signature Dominican blend of fillers, harmonized with the earthy notes of the maduro wrapper. Even into the fat midsection of the cigar, the tart leather and spice flavors stay present.

While it might be easy to be underwhelmed at paying $16 for a big glossy tubo, then seeing the modest perfecto inside, the Preferidos are a good cigar even at B&M prices. Get them how you will.

Alec Bradley Black Market torpedo

My first humidor was a Pinnacle golf ball box, and Alec Bradley cigars have been a regular in my humidor since those days. I have long since upgraded to a FootJoy shoebox, and now an igloo cooler. Over the past year, I've smoked about a box worth of the different sizes of the Black Market (enough so I could wallpaper my man cave with the huge foot bands) and look forward to the wee petit corona-sized Punk. I decided to review one of these torpedoes again after refamiliarising myself with the Family Blend.

Alec Bradley Black Market torpedo

At $8 or so for the torpedo size, the Black Market has a pretty good bang for the buck, especially versus the spendier Tempus and Prensado lines. Its Nicaraguan wrapper is a mottled, shoeleather-brown and has some moderate veins. Drawing through the Honduran/Panamanian fillers is a perfect balance of whim and restraint, and the burn is a little wobbly but care-free.

Right away, bold earthy flavors of leather, wood, and a sultry spice greet my first fiery kiss. The spice doesn't linger long, but the tart woody flavors hold the tone for most of the cigar and mix with cameos of coffee, bitter cocoa, and occasionally hay. Definitely a medium-bodied stick, all told.

The Tart wood/leather of the Black Market has a lot in common with the Family Blend, especially the last third of that cigar, but without the major grass overtones. I'll stick with the Black Market, and look forward to the wee Punk.

Trader Joe's Dark coffee

Mmmm, mmmm, mm. I love a good dark roast, and Trader Joe's 'Dark' roast coffee is a lively cup. Plus, $7-8 not terribly expensive for the 14 oz. can. And like any other working-class schlub, I'm all for having delicious AND cash left over.

The beans are a dark and oily blend of Ethiopian and Brazilian Arabica cultivars, smelling of coffee with notes of milk chocolate and vanilla. It's a sublime delight just to open the can.

Grind, drip and sip! Freshly brewed, there's a dark fruit note along with cocoa and mild to moderate acidity. Bold without being bitter, this is a pretty tasty coffee. Perfect for some get-up-and-go in the morning. Now I need to find a cigar to pair this with.. Perhaps the Padilla Reserva Maduro.

Padilla Reserva Maduro robusto

One of my favorite cigar shops recently took the plunge on some Padilla cigars, and these Reserva Maduro robustos are the first to hit the shelves. $9 a pop is at my top end for plunking down cheddar for cigars, but I wanted to support the local shop and his willingness to bring in new marcas.

Padilla Reserva Maduro robusto

Rolled by Oliva in Esteli, Nicaragua, the Reserva Maduro has a core of Nicaraguan fillers swaddled in a San Andres (Mexican) maduro wrapper. The rolling is pretty good, but I've never had a poorly rolled stick from Oliva either.

Getting this stick lit, a blast of bold leather, with a bit of earthiness hits the palate. The smoke is not super thick, but gives a nice soft spice to the sinuses. Woody leather gets bolder and tangier as we close out the cigar, the spice gets more pronounced near the nub.

Burn line wobbles a bit, like Lindsay Lohan staggering to rehab, but needs only one hit of the torch to even things out.

Nice stick, and every time I see that lion on the Padilla bands, I'm reminded of Aslan, the Lion of C.S. Lewis' children's fantasy series. Going back to those books as an adult, there are rich depths of theology there. [given my usual crass presentation, I bet you're shocked to see me write that].

Alec Bradley New York

Nebraska is probably as far away from New York as you can get, at least culturally, demographically, and in any other sense of "Small Place" vs "Big Place". So, to have the Alec Bradley New York marca show up in my local humidor, it really took me aback. I grew up on the East Coast, and visited NYC occasionally. Whether it was to catch the Ramones at CBGBs or to browse the PC World show at the Javits Center, I have many fond memories of New York. The super-classy Art Deco styling of the band brings one even farther back, to the times of George Gershwin and 'The Great Gatsby'.

Alec Bradley New York

The New York cigar features a earthy Honduran Criollo wrapper, smooth with a few veins, and a mix of Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. A nice earthy spice emanates from the unlit cigar.

Once the fire is started, the first flavor is a clarinet glissando soaring high.. er.. I'm thinking Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue'.. This cigar is really a 'Rhapsody in Brown'; Super bright woody and floral chords to start and sultry spice on the palate. The midsection brings some coffee and cinnamon stanzas and finishing with wood and savory spice notes.

 This is a great-tasting, medium-bodied stick, and it burns for over an hour and a half (amazing for a robusto). I don't get any hints of taxi exhaust, dumpsters, hygienically-challenged subway commuters, or even the slightest hint of the aromas that used to waft off the East River.

For just under $10, this is a good cigar; burns long, good flavors, and a nostalgic reminder of days gone by. Time to crank up some Duke Ellington and mix up a nice, dry Manhattan.

Numbers? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Numbers.

  I know a load of cigar bloggers provide rating numbers. I think it's a load of crap; Hugh Jass cigars don't need numbers. What the cigar is worth is inevitably up to you, the cigar consumer, not to some pretentious guy assigning value to a cigar that he had no hand in making.

Yet Another Hugh Jass Rant

  Yeah, certain cigar magazines have been pimping the concept that a true authority can quantify the value of a cigar. Then all the wannabes have to do the same, in order to appear to be discerning authorities in the craft of cigars. Of course, the rumors swirl that the ratings in the big mags aren't numbers based on the cigars themselves, but on the advertising budgets of the cigar makers. That's really beside the point. Cigars are a reality that transcends the numbers used to describe them.

  If Pete Johnson or Carlito Fuente want to assign a number to a cigar, they will, and usually it's called the Wholesale Price. It's a ballpark number that factors in the cost and care to make the cigar and bring it to you wherever you are. The cigar shop owner add a number to that representing his cost, overhead and taxes. The final number is the one that shows up on your receipt at the cash register.

  When you hit the cigar shop, the only numbers that are important are the digits on the bills, or card, in your wallet.

Room 101 Daruma Roxxo

I don't think I've had a bad Room 101 stick yet. Some I've liked better than others, but they've all been flavorful and constructed to Camacho's fine standards. On the heels of the curveball San Andres line comes Daruma, a more spendy cigar and smoother blend.

Room 101 Daruma Roxxo

While the San Andres' band sports the Fu face on the outside, the Daruma hides it's eccentricity on the inside of the band. Kind of like a fortune cookie where you make up the fortune, you use the Daruma doll face as a milestone to your goals. My goal, tonight, is to smoke this wee cigar, then blather about how much I enjoyed it.

The Daruma Roxxo is a Honduran and Dominican filled bullet, jacketed with a dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The Corojo and Crillolo fillers echo the composition of earlier Room 101 marcas, but the blend, Brazilian binder and new wrapper set this round apart.

Once lit, the Daruma pours forth earthy floral tones with some Corojo red pepper notes. The red pepper yields to a hearty wood tone to go with the earthy floral for the duration, with the red pepper Corojo spice wafting back in for a curtain call. While incredibly smooth and creamy, Daruma is a medium-bodied smoke all the way. The floral woody flavors are not unlike some of my favorite cigars from the Forbidden Island.

Room 101 has added a dash of West Coast personality and swagger to cigar culture, and has the great blends to back that swagger up. Though listed, and priced, at the ultra-premium level, Daruma is yet another fine blend to swagger with.

Rocky Patel Burn 'Special Reserve' Robusto

Rocky Patel is the Johnnie Walker of cigar brands: Sure, there are some pedestrian blends, all fairly serviceable, but there are also some spectacular blends to be had. The Burn 'Special Reserve' would be the Green Label blend.

Rocky Patel Burn 'Special Reserve'

Rocky's 'Burn' is as much a command as it is a name. Like the treats of 'Alice in Wonderland', just the appearance of the cigar says 'Burn Me'. The chocolate-brown Ecuador Sumatra wrapper is toothy enough to take the remaining paint off that picnic table. I'd  guess it to be a PA or CT broadleaf rather than Sumatra. It's pretty, but there's a loose, loose draw through the Nicaraguan fillers, inspiring comparison to the working girls of Tijuana.

The party really starts when I follow the one-word instruction on the band. Tart, fruity leather and wood flavors with a spice that starts strong, ends strong, and is pretty present through the whole smoke. I also get occasional hay and coffee notes, but through all the subtle variations the spice really puts this cigar over the top. This is a solid medium-bodied cigar that doesn't quit.

Special Reserve is no lie; this is a special blend, but I'm not going to reserve any of these for very long. Smoke if you got 'em!

Archer Farms Colombia Rio Magdalena

Archer Farms Colombian Rio Magdalena

Another medium-roast Colombian coffee, this time from the Magdalena region in the Northern tip of the country.

Not that long ago, I was able to get bags of the "Direct Trade" in whole bean, but lately seem scarce. It's a shame, because these coffees in whole bean are really good.

Though this batch is pre-ground, there are still some nice aromas of tangy fruit and sweet wood from the bag. Once brewed it still has glimmers of the flavors found in the aromas, but really becomes nondescript fairly fast.

 I wish this was whole bean, and much fresher, but when it's on sale for less than $6 for the 11 oz bag, I'm not complaining too loudly. It beats the more expensive Charbucks product just down the aisle, and is lightyears better than what's usually in the office coffee pot.

Alec Bradley Nica Puro Bajito

The casual observer might miss it, but an earnest glance over the cigars I've reviewed thus far might betray my obvious preference for Nicaraguan tobaccos. So, when Snappy started touting the 'Nica Puro' release, I was instantly interested.

These Bajitos were on the shelf at the shop for just a few hours before I swooped in and bought a handful. For a 4.5" x 52-ish cigar, this Bajito is a hefty little guy, feeling as heavy in the hand as someone else' toro or torpedo. Bajito must be a Spanish term for "Li'l Badass".

Alec Bradley Nica Puro Bajito.

I get a spice on the lips for the first kiss, and once lit, earthy, dark flavors of coffee, leather and bitter cocoa are booming right from the first puff. The earthy spice is fairly subdued, only obvious at the first and last parts of the smoke. This is definitely a medium to full bodied cigar, but the nicotine content doesn't give me the sweats and rumbles.

The amount of smoke coming off this stick is amazingly thick and creamy, like a smokey milkshake. This dense little firecracker takes about an hour to enjoy, from foot to nub, so the $7 price is not unreasonable.

The Bajito has all the flavors of the hallmark Nicaraguan tobaccos; earth, coffee, bitter cocoa, spice, and more earth. If you like Oliva, Padron, or Perdomo sticks, you'll find something to love in this Alec Bradley Nica Puro. But, you'd better get down to the shop and get some before I go back, because I'm not settling for just a handful.

Casa Fuente robusto

What goes on in Vegas WILL make its way out of Vegas. Whether it's a hushed trip to the doctor when you get home, or a nasty credit card bill in the mail; don't fool yourself, the truth will out.

Not all lingering repercussions are bad, though. In this instance, I carried back a handful of the really exspendy, and really excellent, Casa Fuente cigars.

Fair warning (as if you won't notice this in other blogs about Casa Fuente), even this meager 5x52 robusto will run you about $20.

Loads of other bloggers, with more refined taste than mine, will tell you all the florid nuances of this cigar. I'll just do so in a few bold strokes; Sweet grass overtone, with a savory spice body that's incredible. Think of a Fuente Hemingway wrapper on an Opus X. It's a great combo, and unfortunately exclusive to this pricey line of cigars.

If you're going to make the trip to Casa Fuente, might as well bring home a couple flammable souvenirs to remind you of the experience, right? Be it smoking at the Forum Shops location, or your own garage, this is one mighty fine smoke.

Cultiva Colombia Huila

Cultiva Colombia Huila

I love a local roaster than knows his beans from his bollocks and first crack from his ass crack. Cultiva is a fine roaster from Lincoln Nebraska, and this Colombia Huila is a sweet coffee. The Huila region of Colombia is on the southeastern slopes of the Andes mountain range, and is as rich a coffee-growing situation as any other.

Just opening the bag of medium-roast beans unleashes a delightful aroma of butterscotch and sweet fruit with an Amaretto-like note. Freshly ground, the coffee is a soft brown with blonde flecks and has an even more delightful aroma then the whole beans. Forget sniffing glue, boys; run some of these beans through your burr grinder and huff away.

Don't rush, don't burn your tongue, but it's hard to resist with the aromas coming off this coffee. Sipping brings bright, sweet flavors of coffee, fruit and wood. Not bitter at all, this is good stuff. I wouldn't waste this coffee by pairing it with anything too bold, like a heavy Nicaraguan cigar. Perhaps a Fuente Hemingway or Diplomaticos no. 4.

Illusione Cruzado Dantes

I reached into my favorites box and came up with a cigar that had an unfortunately short run. I hate when that happens. I find something, I dig the way it works, fits, smells, or tastes and then WHAM; discontinued. New Coke, the Reggie Bar, BJ and the Bear, .. the list is endless.

Cruzado Dantes

This particular Cruzado Dantes (robusto) has been chilling for 3 years, since I bought a box on closeout.Time to see if I need to smoke up the remaining stash in short order, or string them out longer.

The Cruzado issued forth from Dion Giolito after the original Illusione line. It is a softer smoke than the heavy, dark Illusione, using a Criollo wrapper and a milder blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran Corojo and Criollo tobaccos. The overall effect is a cigar that is a little milder and brighter than the flagship Illusione line.

Mmm, on the cold draw, I get a mild red pepper note of the Corojo, and look forward to finding my torch.. now where it it?  Ahh, there it is.  Wow, the first inch is great; woody flavor with a little red pepper Corojo heat, not mild at all, The Corojo heat drops off a little to leave a solid woody flavor with a little earth and leather flavors. I'm reminded of the latest Flor de las Antillas line. The last inch features a soft spice and the wood tone gets a little tart.

Still medium-bodied after 3 years, these things are aging nicely. I'm in no hurry to smoke down the half dozen I have left. Cruzado is a great smoke, shame they aren't in general circulation any more. You might ask "why write a review on a cigar that isn't available anymore." My answer is this: I like it, this is my blog, and I'll write about whatever the heck I want. If Dion ever reads this; I really liked Cruzado, and you can roll these again and I'd buy them again.

Tatuaje Reserva J21

I'm tripping out to the garage for a night of expensive blockbusters, with a Tatuaje Reserva J21 and a DVD of 'Transformers 3: dark of the Moon'. The former, an orgy of delicious Nicaraguan tobaccos and the latter, an orgy of spectacular CGI robots. I'm hopeful for lots of action on both fronts.

First kiss of the toothy wrapper, even before ignition, brings spice to my lips. Once flame commences, the explosions of peppery spice and bold, earthy wood light up my palate like a Tatuaje Miami on steroids. The spicy intro gives way to a bold melange of earthy wood, coffee, and bitter coca notes; signature Nicaraguan flavors. The spicy notes lurk in the background, and come closer to the fore near the nub.

 I think I'll just shut this horrific movie off so I can enjoy the exquisite nub in a semblance of peace. The blonde actress with the Angelina Jolie too-puffy lips is annoying, and I can't believe they scripted Nimoy's CGI robot to spew the line about the "needs of the many.."

For the occasional treat, Tatuaje Reserva is worth the extra couple bucks over the standard, brown-band Miami line. I'd buy another Reserva, but I don't know about any more dreadful Michael Bay films. Not unless he brings back Megan Fox.

Hugh Jass Tweets

  Like anyone up on the times, I've joined Twitter, and in it found it to be mostly like watching press releases rolling in on a newsroom fax machine. While I have attempted some engagement and conversation via tweets, it just doesn't seem to be the generally accepted reality at all.

  While it's commonly called 'social media' I'm more inclined to call it 'cult media'. In a social setting, there is dialog, give and take, listening, asking, and responding. In a cult setting, there's the self-anointed guru making statements to his/her/its 'followers'. He who gets the most followers wins, right? And everyone on Twitter is their own guru, collecting followers, and attempting the occasional suck-up to someone more popular.

Call me an old man, but I prefer hanging out with the locals at a real cigar shop, actually communicating with real, physically present people. Even the old-fashioned bulletin boards/discussion forums seem preferable to the "one-off statement" that passes for dialog on Twitter.  But, enough about the existential complaining, and get to some Twitter-centric annoyances.

Hugh Jass Tweeting Hand

@HughJassCynic Twitter Annoyances:

a) The only person that's glad to know you're at the baggage terminal at Reagan is the contract killer who's following your Twitter feed to get your exact location. The rest of us aren't quite so interested.

b) Please, no play-by-play of whatever you're doing at the time. Yes, you're having a blast at Fenway; I already saw that 5 tweets ago. And, yes, I know the Yankees STILL suck.

c)  #Please #Don't #Hashtag #Every #Single #Frigging #Word #In #Your #Tweets; Leave some # for the rest of us, eh?

d) Enough with the foul language, please. I've already hidden you from my Facebook feed for your continual F*bombs, I'm also ignoring you for your linguistic deficiencies on Twitter as well.

I'm sure that if I spend enough time on Twitter, I will uncover a host of other annoyances. But these are sufficient for now. And, by all means, if my attempts to converse around your tweets offends, let me know.


Follow @HughJassCynic 
And don't just follow me; challenge me, engage me. 

Nub Maduro

Ode to a Nub Maduro

How long you waited, three years or four,

since the day I brought you home.

Now rescued from my humidor,

out to garage we both shall roam

to watch TV or XBOX game.

Wrapped in a mantle dark as loam,

short of stature, stout of frame,

cap clipped with blades of brightest chrome,

foot set ablaze with hottest flame.

Smoke rises up heralding pleasure.

Not too bold, yet never tame;

you present slightly earthy leather,

wood and mild spice I cannot name.

Medium body altogether,

a freely drawing, rotund delight.

The years, you seem to deftly weather,

holding vibrant flavors bright.

Before you've burned to ashy nether

in every sense you are just right.

T'was good I bought a whole box.

Nub Maduro

La Sirena Prince Robusto

La Sirena is the winner of the Hugh Jass Cigar Band award for Most Ridiculously Large Cigar Band. Hands down. Gurkha comes in a distant second. That's not to say that there isn't a load of gorgeous and thought-provoking details in this beautiful 3" tall strap. But, it's entirely too large, especially on this 5.25" robusto.

I won't go into cowboy belt buckles and overcompensation issues..

La Sirena is a Nicaraguan gem, rolled by Pepin Garcia for Miami Cigar. The blend of Corojo and Criollo tobaccos bound with Habano and wrapped in Connecticut broadleaf is a recipe for delight.

La Sirena Prince Robusto

The wrapper, who's cap and foot can be glimpsed around the edges of the obscenely oversized cigar band, is toothy and gnarled with some serious veins. Despite any aesthetic challenge, the wrapper reeks of earth and spice. No faint whiff of this or that, just an unmistakeable warning of powerful, spicy delight ahead.

The wrapper is no lie, as soon as I get this lit; BANG.. peppery spice and heady wood notes. Welcome to Pepin-Pepperland. Watch out for your sinuses, gang, the retrohale is a stunner.

 After the first half-inch, the spice subsides to allow earthy wood and coffee notes to take over La Sirena's song. The spice re-enters as a harmony towards the end of this medium-bodied cigar.

Tasty cigar, beautiful, if not slightly overdone, band. By the way, once I take off the super-duper large band, there's a skinny, cheesey-looking band underneath. Talk about overcompensation. The cigar needs neither extreme to be deemed a great smoke. Nice work, Miami Cigar and Pepin.

Trader Joe's Medium Roast

There are times when a medium roast coffee hits the spot, especially as a change-up to a dark-roasted coffee rut. Trader Joe's coffees come in generously-sized 14 oz cannisters, and at moderate prices.

Trader Joe's Medium Roast is arabica beans toasted to a soft brown City or City+ roast, and not oily at all. A little dryish to look at, really. Once through the burr grinder, you get some little blonde flecks here and there, and the aroma is a bright, woody smell.

After an appointment with Mr. Coffee (auto-drip), some smooth wood, just on the border of grassy, and coffee flavors abound. Just as it looks and sounds, a medium roast. A nice complement to a mild Dominican cigar with a shade-grown Connecticut wrapper, or dovetailing nicely with the floral twang of a Juan Lopez or Bolivar petit corona.

Room 101 Namakubi Tiburon

Despite the ominous sound of Room 101 (ominous to the literary-experienced, anyway), I find myself going back to their offerings time and again. This time, it's the Namakubi line.

If the grim imagery invoked by the company name isn't enough, Namakubi is a traditional Japanese gift of the severed head of an enemy samurai to the victorious warlord. Personally, considering the continual morbid references, I think Matt Booth probably needs therapy. But, at least his palate for choosing cigar blends is spot on.

Room 101 Namakubi Tiburon

The Namakubi's medium-brown Criollo wrapper is fairly smooth with moderate veins. The fillers are again a Dominican and Honduran blend by Camacho. The cigar draws like a dream and holds ash over and inch or so.

Right off the bat, I get wicked earthy wood and leather notes. After the first inch, there's a great interplay of earthy floral and coffee flavors. Near the end, the floral tones are joined with a mild spice. Throughout the cigar are medium-bodied flavors that don't take my head off.

I've smoked a handful of these, and the wrappers frequently flake and split. Might be a bad batch or the humi at the B&M isn't peak, but I don't have this problem with most other sticks from that place. I won't demand Matt Booth perform seppuku over the minor flaws of the Namakubi Tiburon.

Tatuaje Miami Noella

For many years, I seldom had any cigars in my humidor with ring gauge of less than 50, with the mid 50s being preferable. Fat cigars fit my fat fingers and fat face, so that's what I rolled with. Perdomo 10th Anniversary, check. Camacho Diploma, check. Even the tubby Nub, check.

Until the day I grabbed a Tatuaje Miami Noella. Wow. Though the 42-ring cigar felt tiny in the grip of my bratwurst-shaped fingers, the flavors and experience opened up new avenues to explore.

Tatuaje Miami Noella

One of Pete Johnson's earlier lines, Tatuaje Miami is a stalwart Nicaraguan puro rolled by Pepin Garcia. The chocolate brown wrapper is webbed with small veins, but has a silky texture with a mildly oily sheen. The draw has a perfect balance of resistance and smoke. Ash only holds on for just over an inch, perhaps due to the narrowish ring gauge.

The first half-inch is an explosion of woody spice, retrohaling will give you splinters here. The blast tones down to a steady pace of bold, woody tones with dark earth and leather. The spice subtly comes in again near the nub. Definitely a medium-bodied cigar with a muscular intro.

Tatuaje Miami Noellas are one of my frequent favorites, and I almost always leave the shop with a pair of these. If they would cost considerably less than $8, I'd walk away with considerably more of them. But, that's Life, right?

Archer Farms Nicaragua El Paraiso

Archer Farms Nicaragua El Parasio

You can get some great coffee at Target. Really, you can. Their house brand, Archer Farms, has some excellent fair trade and direct trade coffees available in both ground and whole bean. One of my recent favorites is the Nicaragua El Paraiso.

Finca El Paraiso is near Matagalpa, in central Nicaragua, a fair 3,000+ feet above sea level.The rich, volcanic soils and abundant rainfall there are excellent conditions for coffee.

A lovely, oily dark roast, flavors are dark earth, bitter cocoa with a subtle sweet fruit note. A cup of this dovetails perfectly, not surprisingly, with my favorite Nicaraguan cigars. Mates well with Oliva, Pepin, or even Padron.

Regular price is close to $8 for the 11 oz bag, but the sale price usually gets below $6.50. Keep your eyes open if you're a regular Target shopper.

H. Upmann Legacy Corona

Yeah, I know that some guys look on Altadis (and General Cigar) lines like they might Budweiser or Wonderbread; mass-produced units with little personality. Hard to call them cigars, right? Well, not every beer is a Shiner Bock and not every cigar is a Tatuaje Verite. Contrary to a connoisseur's position, I actually enjoy some of the Altadis and General Cigar marcas. Not all of them, mind you, but some.

H. Upmann is one of those disputed Cuban brands that Altadis claims, and they make a decent enough non-Habana cigar. Even before we get to the cigar itself, the Legacy's branding is nauseating. The bands at both head and foot are printed with a color scheme stolen from the Thanksgiving display at a Hallmark store. I guess that's what happens when you let straight men do the decor.

H. Upmann Legacy

Fillers are a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos, wrapped with Nicaraguan binder and jacketed in a shady Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The promo pap from the official website promises a "myriad of subtle and complex flavors" from the hallowed tobaccos of 2008. Okay, don't just sing it. Bring it.

Ignition brings bold flavors of wood and coffee, with a subtle savory spice for the first 1/2 inch or so. The blend settles down to a nice dance of the wood and coffee, with a little bitter cocoa. The spice comes back in for the last inch as a nice farewell. The draw was about perfect, and overall construction what you would expect from the well-practiced torcedores at the Flor de Copan factory in Honduras.

I like H. Upmann's Vintage Cameroon line, but would agree that they are fairly light-duty. The Legacy promises a more robust flavor profile and definitely delivers. I'll buy more, especially at the reasonable $7 shelf price, but I'm taking off those hideous bands as soon as I get home.

Foundry Tobacco Co. Talbot (5x60)

The Steampunk aesthetic would be the result if Star Wars were written as a play in the 1800s and Jules Verne did the costumes and set dressing. The overall effect is cheesy, like the props and special effects for 1970's episodes of the BBC series 'Doctor Who'. Folks dress up, make up spectacularly technical names for ordinary items, and generally have fun. Fun is good.

Foundry Talbot

Foundry is the project of cigar giant General Cigar Co., so kudos to them for thinking outside the usual cigar box. At least the gimmick for this is something semi-cool, unlike Furry or Plushie fetishes.

The Foundry Talbot, at 5" x 60 RG, resembles my stature.  The mottled brindle wrapper, fairly smooth with some veins, is reminiscent of the wrapper of the recent Partagas 1845 release. Information is scant on the unspecified multi-country blend used for the fillers.

 After lighting the cigar with my pandimensional pyrostat, the flavors started rolling; hay and leather notes, not much spice. After the first inch, I got the impression of butter and walnuts joining the sweet hay. Overall, a pleasant cigar with mild side of medium-bodied flavors.

  The burn was all over the place, needing touch up on a couple occasions. The cigar swelled up like a bratwurst on a grill, wrapper splitting up the side after the first inch. So, I left both band and faux-brass cog on the cigar in hopes it would hold the it together for the finish.

  At $9.50 per stick, the steampunk gimmick is the only thing going for this cigar to justify the price. The cigar offers decent enough flavors, but drop the gimmick and $2 from the price to make it attractive to more usual cigar consumers. Sure, I might be out $9.50, but at least I have a new accessory for the next theme-party.

Connoisseur, NOT

Heaven save us from the connoisseurs!

The word 'connoisseur' is a derivation from the French 'connaisseur', which translates (roughly) to English as 'insufferably snooty bastard.' I'm sure you've known one or two:

-The guy who only smokes Cuban cigars, and thinks all others as equivalent to Swisher Sweets
-The guy who only brews freshly ground coffee that he's roasted himself, thinking store-bought ground coffee is akin to necrophilia
-The guy who flashes his exspendy watch, going on about the Breitling 17 movement versus the ETA 2836

A Hugh Jass Rant

I even shy away from the label of 'aficionado,' as I'm not a metrosexual male who would light his Opus X with a $20 bill, while standing over his Titleist Pro 1V on the 3rd fairway at Pebble Beach. Actually, I'm a working schlub that prefers puffing an Oliva Serie O, while blasting my Noodle+ out of a bunker at my local municipal course. (By the by, The Serie O is a great golf cigar; good enough to really enjoy, classy enough to not embarrass you when giving one to a stranger, and cheap enough that you won't cry when you accidentally drop it into a muddy divot.)

I like humble geekery; being passionate about something and then delving deeply into the craft/trade/process that excites you. Plus, being a geek doesn't necessarily involve being a pretentious prick and looking down your nose at people that know/care less than you do.

If someone has to stick a label on me, I guess that 'Hugh Jass' fits just as well as any other.

Room 101 San Andres 213

  According to George Orwell's novel '1984', Room 101 is NOT a place you want to end up. The place where you're to be broken by your worst fears is not something I'd associate with a cigar. Oh well, I guess that Matt Booth thinks otherwise.

 Room 101's street cred extends beyond their custom jewelery to some excellently blended and decently priced cigars, thanks to the wise partnership with Camacho. Camacho, trading on it's acquisition by the cigar giant, Davidoff, has been creating excellent blends incorporating their classic Honduran corojo and newly-accessible supplies of excellent Dominican tobaccos. Couple exciting blends with Camacho's reliably excellent construction, and the Room 101's lines have become go-to cigars for many cigar lovers.

Room 101 San Andres 213

  The San Andres line features a filler blend of Honduran and Dominican tobaccos with a Camacho-signature Honduran corojo binder and San Andres wrapper. They're also noticeably more affordable than previous Room 101 offerings, with the 213 corona Pricing $5-6 per stick. The band is graced with a face that only a mother could love. Or perhaps a West Coast tattoo artist.

  This cigar wastes no time getting started with bold, nutty flavor with leather notes. After the first inch coffee joins the leather in the background, while the nutty flavor dominates. It's definitely an uncommon flavor profile, which is why I've kept enjoying these since they've been released. A subtle spice note drifts in to the flavors nearing departure, but is never obviously "spicy".

  The San Andres is a worthy, and easily affordable, extension beyond Room 101's Conjura and Namakubi lines. After enjoying a few of these, I'm still game to say: Alright, Comrade O'Brien, take me to Room 101!

Esteban Carreras 1961 Robusto

  There must be something special about 1961, as Esteban Carreras joins the illustrious company of Rocky Patel and Frank Llaneza in naming a cigar after that year. So what's the big deal?  Let's check Wikipedia for some hints.

  1961 Birthdays: Wayne Gretsky... Henry Rollins... Vince Neil... Ray "Boom-Boom" Mancini... George Clooney... Melissa Etheridge... Boy George...

  Cigar makers Hockey fans? I don't think that Miami has been a big force in hockey. Motley Crue fans, perhaps? I think Black Flag was better. Boxing, 'ER" reruns, Gay pop singers? Must not be a birthday thing..

  1961 Events: Adolf Eichmann's death sentence... Alan Shepard goes into space on the Mercury-Redstone 3... Roger Maris tops Babe Ruth's home run record... failed Bay of Pigs invasion... Fidel Castro declares Socialism for Cuba. Ahh.. I think we're getting warm.

  So, 1961 might mean more to Baby Boomer cigar aficionados than anyone else.

Esteban Carreras 1961 Robusto

  Esteban Carreras 1961 envelops a blend of  Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers with a Sumatran binder and Cameroon wrapper. The wrapper is medium brown in color and has mild veining over a mildly toothy surface. While burning, the ash at the core of the cigar is strikingly white.

  The flavors start out as sweet grass and dirt in a mild-medium bodied presentation. After the first inch, the earthiness recedes in favor of a leathery compliment to the dominant sweet grass notes. The last third still finds sweet grass and leather, with a subtle spice creeping in as the cigar winds down.

  Not a bad cigar if you like sweet grassy flavors, but the Esteban Carreras 1961 won't push the Fuente Hemingway out of my humidor. The 1961 robusto runs $6-7 on the shelf, which isn't terribly expensive. Still, I'd just as soon spend the extra $1-2 for the Hemi.

La Riqueza no. 3

What's in a name? Or, for that matter, a number? Some times a dish at your local Chinese restaurant, but in a cigar, a nod to Cuban cigar tradicion on both counts. 'La Riqueza' is a classic cigar name from Habana, and any habanophile will list off his favorites by numbers; Montecristo no. 2, Partagas Serie D no. 4, etc. Tatuaje mastermind Pete Johnson shows his affection for Cuban cigar tradition with both the name of this line and the numbering of the vitolas.

La Riqueza no. 3

The La Riqueza no. 3 is a box-pressy  5 5/8 x 46 Nicaraguan puro. If I remember right, I paid $60 for the box on the Devil's auction site. Not terribly expensive, though these will run you $7-8 in a cigar shop.

Once liberated from the cellophane sleeve, A quick whiff at the foot yields a smell of musty leather, wood. The dry, toothy wrapper isn't particularly smooth, but has a couple moderate veins.

Initial woody notes with a gentle, white pepper spice in the first 1/2 inch. After that, the spice subsides, and the rest of the cigar 's flavors are mainly wood and coffee. Just a nice, medium-bodied flavor that didn't vary much over the hour it took to burn.

The no. 3 is a nice, polite cigar that is heavy on neither the palate nor the wallet. Just like the Chow Mein #21 with egg roll..

So, Now I Have a Cigar Blog

Well, here it is, the Hugh Jass cigar blog. Now I just need to smoke some cigars, take pictures, take notes (maybe), read other reviews (more likely), write up some Hugh Jass reviews of my own, addle advertisers and sucker sponsors.

This is going to be fun.