E Nobel – Petit Dominican Blend

Posted by Glo0

Aug 30

The Danes have a long history of cigar production. Nobel have been produce cigarillo cigars for years. These dry cured cigars use 100% pure tobaccos from a ****************(info to follow, data sheet at work). The Petits come in rigid card board boxes of 20. There are 3 varieties, The Dominican, Sumatra and Fine Sumatra. In the past i have smoked a few packs of the Sumatra and Fine Sumatra, the Sumatra models have a spicy taste(some what lighter in the Fine Sumatra).

Rolled in : Holland
Wrapper : Dominican
Binder : ——
Filler : ——–
Size: 3 1/2″ x 28

These cigars have a rich and sweet Dominican aroma. These cigars are made to be smoked dry, this is obvious when opening the pack. In the past i have had a few cracked cigars, this is a common issue with Dry European cigars. The pre light draw was sweet with a little cedar on the edges. The light was easy and my taste buds where treated to a dose of rich and sweet smoke. The cigar did burn a little hot for a wee mini like this, but the flavours made up for it. The cigar remained sweet with a cedar/woody side which gave way to a tasty coffee flavour towards the end. While the cigar began smooth and light, it picked up a little body by the end.

All in all a great little smoke. Something sweet without being artificial. Sweet Dominican tobacco flavours, accompanied by cedar tones. A great alternative to Cafe Creme or those looking to switch from cigarettes to cigars. You do have to pay a little extra but with all of the Petit its worth it. The cigars do smoke better if you keep them in a humidor, a few days will do. The added moisture reduces the heat from the smoke and slows the burn a little. Other than the heat id recommend these cigars to anyone, smooth and sweet.

Ratings

Construction .. 7/10
Burn .. 7/10
Flavour (1/2) .. 7/10
Flavour (2/2) .. 7/10

Overall .. 7/10

Dunhill Pipe Tobacco – AT LAST!!!

Posted by Glo0

Aug 26

AT LAST!!!

Right the relaunch of Dunhill pipe tobaccos has been one of the most antispated tobacco releases of the year, only the Cohiba Behike has caused so much anticipation. Such a shame the Anglo American Idiot Tobacco Company or Brisitish American Tobacco as it is more commonly known, have not been in any hurry to get this back out to us all. I was emailed on Tuesday to say it should be landing in the UK yesterday (25th Aug). So that should mean the wait is over!!! Unless you are waiting for the Deluxe Navy Rolls in which case it will be a few more weeks.

I have ordered enough for the shop to cover all the pre orders and have enough for stock. The complete range is as follows

Early Morning Pipe – £10.50 rrp

De Luxe Navy Rolls – £11.50 rrp

Flake – £10.50 rrp

My Mixture 965 – £10.50 rrp

Royal Yacht – £10.50 rrp
Standard Mixture – £10.50 rrp

London Mixture – £10.50 rrp

Santa Damiana – Panatella

Posted by Glo0

Aug 26

I am a fan of the Santa Damiana cigars, BUT i must confess i have never had one of the smaller Panatella. The Corona/Tubulares Extra is my standard, im going to give the Churchill a whirl one of these days. So many cigars & tobaccos not enough time. These “Panatellas” are more of a TPC yes the disinfectant or Tres Petit Corona if you wanna get technical :) I smoked this cigar on Friday last week (20/08/10), but have only just got round to writing it up.

Rolled in : Dominican Republic
Wrapper : Connecticut
Binder : Dominican Republic
Filler : Dominican Republic
Size: 4 1/2″ x 36
Smoking Date : 20/08/10 @ 6:00pm with Water

This TPC looks beautiful, the almost seamless Connecticut wrapper has a little toothy-ness to it. A little spring to its feel and a rich almost chocolaty aroma to the cigar. The filler looks a little loosely packed for my liking. The cut showed more loose filler to me, the pre light draw was tasty but fat too easy. Lighting was a doddle, a few turns under a cedar match and i was away. The first thing i noticed was the smoke heat, had to double check i wasnt smoking a La Paz or Villiger. The smoke was hot but flavoursome, creamy smoke with lots of sweet cedar. The heat was an issue, i found my self taking small draws to keep my mouth a little cool. Water helped. The smoke became a little smoother through the first third but i found that fading towards the middle.

As i ventured into the middle third of this little cigar, the body grew producing a good helping of medium bodied smoke. The heat didnt subside and i still couldnt help feeling as though this was some dry Dutch blend. The same sweet cedars where there a little more beefed up from the beginning. The increase in body came a price, the smoke became a little harsh at points. The harshness had gone by the time i hit the final run, the smoke became very creamy again. The sweet woody core flavours had developed too into a less sweet but more complex woody tones. But again the heat was an issue, the fina third saw the cigar really heat up. SO much so i had to let her go with a good 5-6 puffs left.

The Santa Damiana Panatella is a nice cigar, if you like the Dutch style. Creamy, Sweet and Woody makes the SD a great smoke but the heat really let this cigar down. It hasnt been kept in bad conditions, the cigar looked, felt and smelt bang on. I think the loose filler let her down. I will have to try box pressing one of these my self see if i cant make it a little firmer, well maybe. I didnt have these problems with the Tubualres Extra so im putting it down to a bad cigar that made its way through quality control. If you like your cigars sweet and smooth then give one Santa Damianas a go. But check its not loosely packed or it wont be worth it.

Construction .. 6/10
Burn .. 9/10
Flavour 1/3 .. 7/10
Flavour 2/3 .. 6/10
Flavour 3/3 .. 5/10

Overall .. 6.5/10

H Upmann – Corona Junior(Tubed)

Posted by Glo0

Aug 26

Now i have never really been a big fan of Upmanns, a little too light and lacking any UMPH. But on Saturday as i cracked a tube open to cut a cigar for a customer i was a little shocked to see the cigar was very dark, and i mean Brazilian maduro dark! At first i thought it was just one, in fact the customer was lucky to get the cigar. Me & Maduro is like Gin & Tonic . So i went through the other tubes and found 50% where the same. Quality control in Cuba going down?? Definitely not EMS wrappers.

Rolled in : Cuba
Wrapper : Cuban
Binder : Cuban
Filler : Cuban
Size: 4 1/2″ x 36
Smoking Date : 21/08/10 @ 6:00pm

Not only did the wrapper look dark, but the filler also looked oddly dark. The cigar smelt ok and was in good condition (for a little tubed number). The cut was easy BUT the pre light draw was a little bitter, which set alarm bells ringing. Lighting wasnt easy a good 3-4 turns over a jet flame. The first few draws where very bitter with an underlying Nicaraguan / Dominican flavour to them, but i persisted and found the flavours grew a little more. As the first third progressed the bitter tobacco flavours grew into a woody smoke with a salty briny side. The flavours didnt really go anywhere but the cigar seemed a little more fuller bodied that i recall Upmanns being.

As i entered into the middle run the cigar leveled out. The flavours grew a little into a woody, earthy smoke with a dirty edge to it. The bitterness & saltiness didnt go away. Not really a bad smoke, but not really a Upmann. I have no idea what is going off, have they put the bad batch into tubes while the untubed boxes are colour matched. The final third saw the cigar become a little iffy, the burn ran off to one side and the draw became a little tough. A few relights and it was back on track. This Junior Corona became even more bitter in the final run too. The woody/earthy flavours had all but gone leaving but a bland but bitter tobacco flavours. I had to let this little thing go a little quicker than i had hoped due to the cap getting very tarry and sticky.

All in all i guess i enjoyed this darker number a little more than i thought i would at the start. Not really much of a fan of the bitter/salty smokes. I enjoyed the increase in body, Upmanns i always find a little too light for my tastes now. So if your out and about and fancy a different Upmann experince you should ask about, see if anyone else has any of these Maduro (but not Maduro) Cuban H Upmanns

Construction .. 8/10
Burn .. 7/10
Flavour (1/3) .. 7/10
Flavour (2/3) .. 6/10
Flavour (3/3) .. 5/10

Overall .. 6.5/10

Wilsons – Ice Liquorice

Posted by Glo0

Aug 19

This fine powdered, light brown snuff is produced by Wilsons of Sharrow. Wilsons are the oldest snuff manufacture in the UK. They still use old watermill to power the leaf along with other traditional techniques from the C18th. Ice Liquorice is a combination of Strong Menthol and Liquorice flavours.

Today I have a slightly blocked nose and sinuses, so Im in need of a little snuff to get me breathing again. As soon as you open the tin, a strong liquorice aroma can be smelt about 4-5 foot away from the tin. The liquorice aroma smells natural, a lot like (chewed) liquorice root. A small pinch up the right side first and oh boy it’s very hot, not great with a snotty nose. The initial menthol hit soon subsides and is replaced with a strong Liquorice aroma. The menthol does the trick, one side breathing freely. Time for the left, the same hit of Menthol followed the liquorice.

I am a fan of the Liquorice Ice and the Vanilla Ice. The strong menthol and natural flavours make for a great snuff, if you are after something medicated with a extra dimension either of the two are worth a pinch.

C17th UK Tobacco Black Market

Posted by Glo0

Aug 19

When you think of Tobacco fields, Cuba and the American South are the obvious ones. But in the C17th a large swath of the UK was growing tobacco for commercial use. At first it was over looked, the UK tobacco was seen as low quality and hard to cure. By 1619 King James bans the plant in the UK, by this time the quality was on par if not higher than imports. The reason for ban was given as preventing the smoking poor tobacco and to help the colonies in Americas, namely Virginia. Spanish tobacco was also heavily restricted; it could only be imported by Royal appointment. This did not detour the UK tobacco farmer.

By 1953 the situation had got out of hand, vast areas where being used to produce a good yield. The industry employed many local works to grow, cure, prepare, blend and distribute the crop. Cromwell gave the UK tobacco farmers one year’s grace. Grow your own tax free for personal use and all commercial tobacco must have duties paid prior to shipping. The result was a bigger crop and more entrepreneurs coming into area. This was the first time the UK industry was given any legitimate recognition.

By 1658 after riots, armed guards patrolled the UK Plantations. 36 Mounted Solders rode into Chatham, having to “break through” armed guards. Where greeted with disgust and resistance from most locals, who seemed ready to die protecting there lively hoods. After 200 men from Winchcombe came and joined the resistance. The solders retreated and later reported “It would take 10 men 4 days to destroy such a vast crop”.

The introduction of heavy fines made little difference. Profits where so high people where willing to risk the fines if they could get leaf to market. Landowner could charge 6 times the price for land and the tobacco farmer could still make 40% profit. This caused alarm and out rage in Virginia & Maryland, drop in exports and revenue. Local sheriffs didn’t enforce the laws, too many local people and often themselves benefited from the industry.
Laws where introduced, but rarely enforced.

In 1660 the fine was £5 for each pole (about 5meters)
In 1663 the fine had reached £10 for each pole

By 1671 a 5 shilling fine for refusing to help destroy crop

and a £5 fine for resisting for added.

(“The Early English Tobacco Trade” – MacInnes)

At its peak England’s underground tobacco farmers produced a vast quantity of tax free tobacco, they where beaten, killed, jailed but still they carried on growing tobacco. One town Winchcombe became a battle ground on several occasions. The sheriff came inches from death in a battle between solders and local residents protecting there years crop. Over the years scuffles happened all over the country.

With the stricter penalties, being enforced by the army and not local magistrates. The industry had faded to a shadow of its former self by the 1680 and had all but gone by the 1690. In the last 20 years the army was called to assist in the destruction of crops in the following areas.

Yorkshire
Nottinghamshire
Gloucestershire
Oxfordshire
Lincolnshire
Wiltshire
Herefordshire
Worcestershire
Warwickshire
Middlesex
Devonshir
Somerset
Most areas of London

Tobacco is still grown in the UK but only for personal use. It has been grown commercially since the C17th but never really took off. It is a big hobby, most allotment sites have a few tobacco growers.

Domingo – Cherry

Posted by Glo0

Aug 18

My sister has been away on holiday and lucky she got me some good gifts. Domingo Cherry, Domingo Virgina & Djembe Golden Blend. First i delved into the Domingo, but i wasn’t that keen to i cracked Domingo Cherry. I have had the Negro and Original Blend in the past and there both a Dutch style, the Original very much like Drum, Samson, Look Out etc. The Negro was a dark and very strong, fire cured Dutch blend. The Cherry looks a lot like the Original with a very light but sweet cherry flavour. Not as much flavourings as the Kendal tobaccos, but there’s enough there to be noticeable. I cant find any info out on line about this tobacco online. The cut is fine with a few bits of stem but no shag cut, all fine cut.

The tobacco is at an ideal moisture content, dry enough to burn freely but moist enough to be cool and smooth. It rolls easily and burns freely. The cherry flavours are there but subtly. The tobacco has a good amount of nicotine but is smooth and an easy draw. The added cherry flavours grew a little as the roll up progressed, with an added increase heat in the smoke. By the end the cherry became a little bitter and i could barley taste the tobacco.

Overall Domingo is a cheap low grade rolling tobacco, but the added cherry flavours gave the blend a little more to it. The added cherry went from subtle to sweet to bitter, all in a good range. Would be much nicer on a Golden, Virginia & Turkish blend. Will probably cutting this in with future mixes.

San Cristóbal de La Habana – La Punta

Posted by Glo0

Aug 18

I have been neglecting my blog again over the last 2-3 weeks. Been busy with blah,blah, etc, etc. But now im back. I haven’t had a big cigar for the past few weeks. So after Monday i thought it was time for some rich tobacco, i was planning to dig into the Cain 550 Maduro i have but instead i grabbed a San Cristobal – La Punta. I have only had the smaller El Principe in the past, but always been a fan. So as you can gather i was looking forward tot eh light floral flavours but in a bigger hopefully more powerful cigar.

Rolled in : Cuba
Wrapper : Cuban
Binder : Cuban
Filler : Cuban
Size: 5 1/2″ x 52

The people of Nottingham and i am assuming other cities dont really go for the San Cristobals. Lack of tubes, light flavour (like Fonseca?) or heck i dunno. There such tasty light cigar, smooth and creamy exactly what people want. But or some reason people wont even try them, even on offer! I can see why the La Punta might put a few off with the big monte 2 look. But im not afraid . Not a big fan of tapered caps on big 52 gauge cigars, i cut a fair amount off. Pre light draw produced some biscuity sweet flavours and easy draw. The light was easy, few turns under a single jet flame. I was instantly greeted with a creamy sweet smoke topped of with cedar and a tasty herby side. From the word go i still cant see why these cigars are ignored, why Romeos get all the fuss. The first third continued along similar lines, but the complexity of the aromatic flavours never disappointed.

The middle saw the cigar continue to burn perfectly, even with ash that seemed to cling on forever. The smoke remained smooth and creamy but it picked up a little more body. This increase was through the herby flavours to produce a rich aromatic, cedar smoke. The cool light flavours made for an easy going smoke, i didn’t feel the need once to want to recut wider. Towards the end of the middle the creaminess dropped back and a bitter edge came in. The final third saw this bitterness remain and soon melded to become a complex array of aromatic herbs, woods and hints of lemony grass. I found myself burning lips and fingers on this one, all smoked in a good 30 minute walk home.

Wow i can safely say i enjoyed the larger size to the San Cristobals. The complex flavours sat pretty much on a flat line, with a few subtle shifts. The La Punta still remained an enjoyable smoke. Many Dominicans are close to this Habano but none (that i have tried) come this close to complexity. I think anyone who tries will be more than happy with this stogie. Smooth enough to be someone’s first cigar experience and tasty enough for any season aromatic cigar smoker. I really dont have anything negative to say about this cigar….i really dont!

Ratings

Construction .. 9/10
Burn .. 10/10
Flavour (1/3) .. 10/10
Flavour (2/3) .. 9/10
Flavour (3/3) .. 10/10

Overall .. 9.5/10

Cain – 550 (Maduro)

Posted by Glo0

Aug 18

I have been waiting to try one of the Cains for a while. After the Oliva V (Ligero) caught my attention, a full Ligero should be something special! Ligero is the the leafs from the top of the plant, the leafs are thicker, smaller and packed full nutrients. I was going to dig on Saturday, but i opted for something light and aromatic. So today i figured stuff it, its CAIN time. The filler is comprised of 25% Esteli Ligero, 27% Condega Ligero & 30% Jalapa Ligero. All of the Ligero is produced from Habano seed grown in Nicaragua. Esteli Ligero is the strongest leaf, it is carefully blended so as not to overpower the other 2 Ligeros. Condega Ligero is a lighter medium bodied leaf. While the Jalapa Ligero is grown in Northern Valleys resulting in a strong but flavoursome leaf.

Rolled in : Nicaragua
Wrapper : Mexican
Binder : Nicaragua
Filler : Nicaragua
Size: 5 3/4″ x 50

The cigar has a rich dark brown almost black wrapper, with a rich “Nicaraguan” aroma. You can see the thicker leafs, looking at the foot. The cut revealed even more of the thick leafs. The cigar was a little tough, but no more than any other maduro i have had. The pre draw light was a little firm and i could taste a few spicy and coco flavours. The light took 2 matches, but oh boy did i know when it was going. A little too much smoke made it to my throat (which is a little saw today anyways) and did i know it. My first initial draws made my eyes open a lot, wow power and then a bit. The smoke was rich, smooth with a strong dark tobacco flavour. I almost had the hiccups at one point, that’s how strong it was. I did receive bit of a buzz from this cigar, to begin with but this soon became a constant feature. The cigar progressed slowly, i could see this cigar lasting a lot longer than any other cigar similar sized.

By the time i hit the 2/3 the buzz i felt before was now, really there. I haven’t walked home that happy for a while. I will say at this point, this cigar is one you need to be sat down with. I don’t really fancy one of these after a few to many drinks. The flavours didn’t really change much, if anything the subtle complexity found in the first third. A little spice came into the mix, which really gave this middle section a boost after the loss of complexity. A little earthy leathery hints grew towards the end of the middle. As I finally made my way into the final third, the cigar seemed to keep growing into power. The flavours where much the same as the middle, the leathery earthy flavours came through a little more. Still i was experiencing the longest nicotine buzz i have had since i smoked neat fire cure Kentucky in a rollup. Some strong cinnamon/liquorice came through in the final run and the cigar had a strong finish.

Oh boy this was a fantastic cigar, i think walking home with it wasn’t the greatest idea i had. The strong tobacco and slow burn made this a cigar to smoke and lazy evening where you have nothing to do but sit and smoke. The cigar had some fantastic qualities, the flavours why being there where somewhat lost within the pure power. I have read about that others have found these cigars taste and smoke better with age. A good cigar if you’re looking for something supercharged, but if you’re looking for a easy smoke look elsewhere.

Ratings

Construction .. 8/10
Burn .. 8/10
Flavour (1/3) .. 8/10
Flavour (2/3) .. 9/10
Flavour (3/3) .. 8/10

Overall .. 8/10

Vasco Da Gama – Corona (Brazil, No2)

Posted by Glo0

Aug 18

After having tried on the smaller “Robustos” i was rather looking forward to one these. The Robusto (No3) was nice and smooth, i was hoping for something with a sweetish side from the Brazilian wrapper. Out of the 4 vitolas available on the UK market the Corona has taken off the slowest. Much like the No3 it comes wrapped upto the band in a cedar sleeve all cased in cellophane. With next week off i opted to have this as my Saturday walk home smoke.

Rolled in : Germany
Wrapper : Brazil
Binder : ——
Filler : Sumatran Cuban & Brazilian
Size: 6″ x 44

On opening the cellophane i was greeted with a rich bouquet of cedar, sweet maduro wrapper and that distinct touch of Dutch. The Brazilan wrapper is a wee bit toothy and little rough on the edges. It looks like it is, a machine made European cigar. The small cigars look good with the actual wrappers, but this larger stick looks less than attractive. The cigar has a rich woody, coffee aroma and the pre light draw backs that u. The light was easy, a few slow rotations and i was in business. My initial impressions where of a slightly warm, but with a extremely tasty sweet woody flavour. Some subtle hints of coffee. The cigar burnt fast and this was noticeable with the heat of the cigar.

As i entered the middle selection, the construction came into the fray. The ash fell off very quickly and as a result the cigar smoked a little hot. The cigar didn’t let the heat stop it, the smoke became very creamy with a very prominent sweet woody flavour. This increase in richness and creaminess of the smoke, really gave this middle run a outstanding peak. But it was a peak, the latter third saw the cigar really die off. The sweetness had gone, being replaced with a peppery spiciness. The smoke was less creamy but still very smooth, the ash continued to fall off resulting in a hot and slightly hard finish.

All in all the first two thirds where out of this world, the latter third really let this tasty dark cigar. I did enjoy this cigar but im not sure if i do as much as the Robusto. The sweetness from the Maduro wrapper gave the creamy, woody flavours something else. The length was a little to big i think, the European cigars are best suited for something smaller than a petit corona. If you are looking for a tasty medium bodied cigar for less than £5 then the Vasco Da Gama Corona is a good choice. I just don’t rate it as wholesome as either the Hofnar Brazilia or the De Olifant.

Ratings

Construction .. 7/10
Burn .. 7/10
Flavour (1/3) .. 7/10
Flavour (2/3) .. 6/10
Flavour (3/3) .. 8/10

Overall .. 7/10

Im Glynn & I Like Tobacco

E Nobel – Petit Dominican Blend

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Santa Damiana – Panatella

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H Upmann – Corona Junior(Tubed)

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Wilsons – Ice Liquorice

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Domingo – Cherry

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San Cristóbal de La Habana – La Punta

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Cain – 550 (Maduro)

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Nottingham Tobacco

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