To say that I was shocked about the flavor of this smallish cigar would be an understatement, but this short filler Panetelas from Por Larranaga has been, and is continuing to be, a beautiful cigar experience.  Smaller than a Mareva, this Veguereto ( factory name ), measures in at 5 inches long and with a ring gauge of 37.  I’m usually one who goes to the humidor and reaches for a larger ring gauge cigar, simply for the complexity, but I’m finding this cigar to be a lot more complex than I had anticipated.

First third revealed leather and cedar notes but there was something nutty about the flavor profile.  Second third, which I am almost finished as I type this, brought in full on hazel nut mixed with pure honey.  WOW !! I love surprises like this.  I believe that this cigar was completely hand rolled in Feb of 2010 and can’t help but wonder what a few more years of age will do to the performance of this beauty.  I thought that the fact that this is a short filler would give me a very flaky ash but it is holding firmly for over an inch long.  The draw DOES offer a bit of resistance but I’m getting clouds of sweet creamy smoke and any unevenness in the burn, when left alone, seems to auto-correct and carry on quite evenly.

Another thing that I like about this little winner is the price.  $7.42 CDN is a steal for something that offers almost an hour of prime smoking but I AM a slow smoker, I love a cool flame.  The longer I wait between puffs, the creamier and sweeter this cigar gets.

I believe that I have just found my new favorite small ring gauge cigar.  Perfect medium body cigar to have in the morning with coffee, not overpowering or too bold to smoke so early in the day.

Order a box, they are difficult to obtain but if you are lucky enough to buy some of these you’ll be taken on a journey that will blow you away!!!!!

The new year brings so much promise with all of the releases we’ve been seeing lately.  I, for one can’t wait to get my hands on some of the shorter cigars that are now available.  One that really catches my interest is the new H. Upmann in the Half Corona.  3 1/2 inches and a 44 ring gauge.  The price will be great for the quality we’ll be getting, if you have a chance to order a box do it!! The Cohiba 1966, last year’s release is getting rave reviews and no one is disappointed with construction and flavor quality.

The larger ring gauge Montecristo Grand Edmundo Edicion Limitada 2010 is still available and with almost 2 years of aging is now smoking like a dream.  Although the movement is towards shorter cigars, this Canonazo is very popular with experienced Cuban cigar lovers with it’s powerful blend of tobacco which reveals very dark chocolate and coffees.

Hoyo de Monterrey’s Short Piramides Edicion Limitada for 2011 is a bit milder and sweeter with a 5.3 inch, 46 ring gauge, factory name “Forum”.  This cigar will still reward a patient smoker with close to an hour and a half of leathers and flavorful cedars in a cigar the same size as the Montecristo Regata.   This figurado will come in boxes of 10, which is another new sales formula Cuba is giving us.  I like the option of buying a box of 10 cigars, you can mix things up a bit and stock your humidor with a few different brands.

The picture above is a H. Upmann No 2, a cigar that’s been with us for a few years now, the one in the picture still proudly bears the older style band.  With all of the new cigars coming on to the market I still have a hard time turning my back on the cigars that I’ve been smoking this past couple of years and this Upmann will ALWAYS be in my humidor.

Well since we’re on the topic of Salmon fishing in the Vancouver area, I may as well continue on… The above picture shows that as I was tying a, still to be sculpted,  muddler minnow with a brass cone head to help the fly scream towards the bottom of the river where the fish like to stack up this time of year.  Yesterday, once again was Coho day ( Silvers for our American readers ), and I’m glad I stayed up a bit late the night before tying flies.  Coho like to be a bit aggressive and territorial so when one of these flies enters the fish’s neighborhood, they come out and attack.  This is the part of the day when your heart starts beating wildly.

Well, long story short, I caught them, bonked them, cleaned them, brought them home, filleted them and had a great meal with a lot of fresh fish left over to give friends and family.  OK, lets forget about the fish and address the picture for a minute and discuss the amazing cigar I lit up at around 9:30 that night.

Last summer I went to “The Vancouver Cigar Company” and picked up a few cigars from Trevor.  I’m not exactly sure what I selected that day since it WAS over a year ago but I DO remember getting a few Bolivar Royal Coronas.  For some reason I decided to leave one in the humidor and the other night I decided it was time to light it up.  I’m guessing that the Robusto was as least 3 years old and the time had come to taste one of my favorite cigars again.

After clipping off the cap, I found that the draw was perfect with a lot of air flow going through the cigar.  A bit of a tea and a dusty grassy flavor was revealed in the pre-light draw.  A bit of spice was present in the first few puffs but I knew this cigar would settle down once it burned for a few minutes.  I wasn’t disappointed in the least when it started to mellow and reveal the Bolivar flavors of cedar and coffee that I was expecting.  This particular 50 ring gauge, 4.8 inch Robusto was considerably more balanced than a lot of RC’s I’ve smoked in the past which is, I’m sure, because of the time I took letting it rest and mature.

I think my favorite age for cigars is the magic 3 year period.  I know that the tobacco matures for a few years before the cigars are rolled and after 3 more years in a humidor you get all those great flavors without the ammonia which we taste in a young cigar.  I’ve been looking under boxes in cigar stores lately for a purchase that has a touch of maturity and in the future I’ll be speaking more of this 3 year concept of mine.

Yesterday was a day spent out in the Fraser Valley standing beside the Dewdney slough and it’s tributaries, the Coho salmon are pouring in and happy fishermen were everywhere.  The day was sunny but there was a bit of a cold wind and I knew that as I got all of my fishing gear together so I felt that there was no need to show up with a Behike just to see it get abused by wind.  The Quintero Breva in the picture was all I needed to keep my happy at the end of the day, when this picture was taken, but I would have been happier if I would have noticed the cigar ash on the fish.

We live in a fishing dream in Vancouver since there are opportunities for catching Salmon 12 months a year in our rivers.  What still has me surprised is the fact that there are times when I’m the only one out on the banks of  a river that is located only a few miles out of the city.  I’m not complaining but I feel that if people knew how easy and affordable it is to catch and eat these great fish, a lot more people would be doing it.  No matter, I have a few very close friends that join me and go out many times a year.. We have great days together..

This is Doug…

As you can see, this fish has an adipose fin close to the tail so this means that this “wild” Coho has to be released.  Young salmon smolts, raised in hatcheries will often have this fin removed which makes them easy to identify when they are adults.  This fish was caught on the fly, using a rolled Muddler Minnow.  There’s nothing like the excitement that can be gotten by hooking into a nice sized salmon with a fly rod,  Doug and I have been doing this for years.

So the first thing you may notice about the picture above is that we were shooting from the blues when playing golf at Stuart Creek this summer in Alberta.  A beautiful golf course situated in the mountains near Banff Alberta and some of the lowest scorecards I’ve seen us mark all year, which probably had to do with the wine we were drinking the night before.  The second thing you may notice in the above picture is that there is an un-banded Robusto proudly perched and burning with a nice grey ash.

There was a bit of a mystery surrounding this cigar when I bought the box last summer since I was told that the cigars, I picked up from a friend, were in a Juan Lopez Seleccion No. 2 SLB but were un-banded.  Here is where it gets a bit sketchy because Juan Lopez started putting bands on the Selecction No 2 in 2005 and its been that way ever since.  What I didn’t know was the age of the cigars I bought until last night when I phoned my buddy to find out that they are from 2003, he simply didn’t put them in the right box when he decided to sell them to me.  I found this news to be very exciting.

I found something else very interesting about these cigars and it reminds me about something Aaron, the owner of “The Vancouver Cigar Company”, told me last year when he said that he likes smoking cigars that sit in a humidor with a little less humidity than 71, where I like to keep mine.  He said that he finds that smoking cigars that are in a humidor around 66 to 69 to have a very nice effect on their flavor.  Interestingly enough, I’ve been smoking these Juan Lopez cigars from a humidor that usually sits at around 68 and I’ve noticed that the flavor is quite exceptional.

The more damp these cigars are, the more bitter they taste and I was beginning to become quite frustrated with these aged Robustos.  I actually discovered this by accident and then I started doing more reading online about a humidor’s humidity levels and it’s effect on the cigars it holds.  Sure enough, I’ve found that too much moisture will cause the cigar to burn hotter, or at least feel that way, and the taste is altered in a negative way.  Right now as I type away, I have one of these Robustos burning and the flavors are rich and dry, like a dry wine.  The complexity and the evolution of this Seleccion No 2 is giving me a number of different flavors from cedar to a dark coffee and, from time to time, a small amount of Cinnamon.

When young, the Juan Lopez will give you enough strength to consider this to be an after dinner cigar paired with a single malt or Cognac but as it ages, you may want to consider simply water to keep your palate clean and rinsed to taste the subtle flavor notes available in this great Robusto.

A Montecristo that is catching on with many new smokers is the Open Series Regata, the smaller brother of the Montecristo No. 2 with a tapered head, a 46 ring gauge and 5.3 inches long.  The high quality filler tobacco and smooth, slightly oily wrapper will start off being a bit spicy in the first few puffs but will settle down into a sweet, almost creamy coffee and toasted tobacco profile into its first third.  Halfway into the cigar, a bit more cedar is introduced and then this cigar ends with a steady medium strength that is perfect smoking for a crisp autumn day.

When the “Open Series” from Montecristo was first introduced in 2009, a lot of die hard Monte smokers lined up to buy and finally taste the new cigars that many people were talking about.  Initially the series was met with mixed reviews because the old regulars were expecting an experience similar to the Edmundo and Monte No 2, what they were met with was a flavor profile that didn’t have the strength and maybe the complexity that they were used to.  This was exactly what Habanos expected but weren’t aiming to get the old guard on board, their intention was to introduce a new line of cigars that new smokers could become attached to.

It worked.  Many new cigar smokers are now lining the bottoms of their humidors with the Open Series, whether it be the Regata ( my favorite), the Master, the Eagle or the Junior.  These cigars are the perfect mid day cigar because of their gentle approach and smooth finish that doesn’t overpower the palate with strong flavors of pepper or strong cedar finishes that stay with you for the rest of the day.  Let the Cohiba or Partagas big boys be your companion as you smoke the last cigar of the day.

The above picture reveals a Montecristo No. 4, which is a Mareva ( factory name ) and at a 42 ring gauge and 5 inches long.  This will give you a medium to full body, Cuban, handmade cigar that will give you up to an hour of great flavors which are creamy, earthy and complex.  Leather and coffee are two more notes that race to the forefront in the first third that carry through till the end of the cigar.  As this cigar gathers some momentum during and into the second half, beany flavors such as, vanilla, cocoa also come into the profile, giving this compact and elegant cigar a complexity that makes it a classic Cuban that has earned the title of being the most smoked Cuban on the market.

Like most, if not all Cuban cigars, this cigar needs a bit of age to realize it’s full potential and at least 3 years in the humidor is strongly recommended.  These will still smoke, burn and draw well when they’re young but tend to be a bit of a powerhouse that will make you stand up and pay attention if smoked hot and quickly.  With everyday life speeding up for all of us, a Mareva like this one is the perfect size for a short time out with a cigar and a glass of rum.

With popularity and proven quality also comes the danger of running into counterfeiting and copying this cigar.  This is where one should be extra careful in insuring that you get these cigars from a reputable dealer.  The vancouver Company gets it’s cigars from the Canadian distributor, Habanos.  This is as real as getting them from La Casa Del Habanos in Havana and in most cases more safe than Havana shops.  I hate to say it but I feel more secure buying Cuban cigars from my favorite cigar company in Vancouver than pretty much anywhere else.

Always consider that websites that sell Cuban cigars at an unrealistic low price.  Do a bit of homework and see for yourself that there is a middle ground, as far as price goes and if you can buy these more popular brands at a fair price or a little under the norm, you’ll probably be fine… But…… Let your experienced palate be the judge !!  Fake Montecristos simply taste one dimensional and bitter, nothing at all like the real thing.

There is no better cigar to have on hand when very occasional cigar smoking friends come over.  This machine made, cellophane covered Cuban cigar measures at a 4.8 inches long and a 40 ring gauge and should please those who are starting out smoking Cuban cigars and don’t want to be left out of the party.  We’ve all been there, you give out a prized Montecristo Edmundo to someone who takes a few puffs and then sets it down in the ashtray because it was just a bit too powerful for the untrained palate.

This machine made cigar is mild, made of Cuban tobacco and gives new smokers a rather enjoyable experience for a small price tag.  Another Guantanamera that I have in my humidor is the Cristales which is packaged in a glass tube and a nice presentation for, again, a modest price.

I won’t go into great detail about the complexity of this brand since this machine made cigar really only gives you a mild toasted tobacco flavor.  The burn and draw are always fine and predictable with this standard cigar, it really doesn’t give you any problems that a lot of other more expensive Cuban cigars are capable of from time to time.

One more thing I’d like to add is that there are times when you don’t want to light up a great old Cuban go-to cigar when you only have a moment for a smoke.  Seasoned smokers buy them for those instances when they are taking a quick trip to the store and only just want a 5 minute smoke.  Letting them go out and re-lighting something like this Guantanamera is no real crime and, after all, they fit into everyone’s budget.

Nothing makes me happier than going to one of my humidors, seeing that the moisture level is accurately being monitored with my digital hygrometer and its reading anywhere between 69 to 71.  That tells me that the humidity level is exactly where it should be for aging and storing fine handmade Cuban cigars.  A higher moisture level will result in mold forming on my cigars ( game over ) and anything considerably lower would result in cigars being too dry and bitter when I smoke them.  If you’re planning on aging a cigar for 20 or 30 years, you can get away with the humidity level in a humidor being in the low 60’s but if you’re in any way similar to my way of living, then you’ll probably be smoking them sooner, quite a LOT sooner.

The cigar in the picture is a Romeo y Julieta No. 3 that I’ve had for 4 years.  This is a smaller machine made cigar which appears a bit rough but that’s because I took a close up of the cigar to try to show the small amount of plume that is forming on it’s wrapper.  If you end up with plume or bloom on your cigars, you have an environment in your humidor that is perfect for aging Cuban tobacco.  Pray to every God you can think of that this happens to you, anything less, then you need to do a bit of adjusting to your moisture and heat levels.

Think about what happens to a bottle of fine wine that is left in a warm, even hot and sunny spot in your house.  After a year or two, the only thing the wine would be good for is cooking in a recipe that calls for a bitter purple vinegar.  You wouldn’t treat your wine that way and it’s best to not treat your cigars in the same manner.  A chemical transformation is taking place in your humidor where you are dealing with tobacco that is slowly fermenting, which results in the flavors in the cigar smoke becoming less harsh, less bitter, smoother and more suited for the sophisticated palate.  Many aficionados will not smoke a cigar that is younger than 10 years old, but some of these people also have humidors that hold 10,000 plus cigars.  There’s a whole big world of cigar smokers that have different sizes of bank accounts, different tastes and preferences when it comes to cigars from different cigar producing nations.

I’m simply happy when my cigars age the way they should and taste great!

The picture above features one of my favorite Cuban cigars from Trinidad, the Trinidad Coloniales.  This was one of my favorite cigars a few years back, I smoked many and loved every one of them.  With a 44 ring gauge and 5.1 inches long you get an hour and a half of some of the best cigar smoking time that Cuba has to offer.  This cigar comes in a box of 24 cigars, not 25, and is rolled with superior Cuban tobacco.

This is a creamy cigar with vanilla and caramel flavors dancing around the profile.  Some spice usually enters into the picture in the second third and this cigar ends with  a medium strength finish that is perfect for any afternoon cigar smoking moment.  Not overly complex but as soon as you light this “petit corona”, you’ll easily taste tobacco flavors that were initially enjoyed by the privileged few as they were given out as diplomatic gifts since 1969.  All Trinidads are rolled at “El Laguito” in Havana and are said to be of the same quality tobacco as Cohiba but without the third barrel fermentation process.

In 1998, the Trinidad brand was finally released to the public but only produced one size cigar, the “Fundadores“, exactly the same size as the Cohiba Lanceros, a 38 ring gauge by 7 1/2 inches in length.  In November of 2003, three new sizes were introduced by Trinidad; the Reyes,  the coloniales and the wonderful Trinidad Robusto Extra.  The Trinidad brand released the Trinidad Robusto-T, last year in 2010 which was a big success.  I loved that cigar which was a bit shorter at 4 inches long and a 50 ring gauge and packed with rich flavor.

The more I spend time thinking about authentic Cubans versus counterfeits, I see the advantage to searching out cigars, like Trinidad, which are more likely to be the real thing.  Basement cigar factories in Havana tend to roll cigars that sport the more popular labels like Cohiba, Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta.  We’ve all smoked them, I’d say that 99% of us find them disgusting and should be avoided at all costs.  One more reason to move forward and search out Cuban cigars that the rest of the pack does NOT smoke exclusively.