Who are you and what do you taste?

Embarking on this cigar journey has been both a pleasure and a burden. I am not sure how many people actually read this blog, with any regularity, but I find myself constantly being an observer. Not only an observer of cigars, or people in the cigar shops, but in life as well. I just read an article in the Cigar Press magazine by my friend Teresa Merchant. She is the face, body and soul of a blog/company called the Smoking Hot Cigar Chick (catchy... right?). I have never met Teresa face to face, but I do know she is a young woman (at least younger than me by a few years), that has a passion for her pallet. Not only does she indulge in cigars, but food and drink as well. Like Teresa, I find myself constantly analysing what I am tasting. I cooked for 65 people last night, and had a night of tasting and tasting. I constantly found myself looking for what was missing. What am I missing? I am by no means a chef. Chefs create new flavors and textures that compliment each other beautifully. I am a student of life. Constantly searching out the best that life has to offer. What I should have been focusing on is not what I am missing, but what flavors are there that I can complimnet. In Teresa's article, she expresses the art of tasting, and how we taste. We know what we like to taste, but do we know what we are tasting? For instance, take a simple vanilla ice cream. What do you taste? Inevitably you will say, "I taste vanilla ice cream." But what you are tasting are combinations of flavors that when combined tell your mouth, nose and eyes, you are tasting vanilla ice cream.
Lets pull out some of those flavors. Obviously we taste vanilla, the dominant flavor. But what about the cows milk. Can you taste what the cow was eating? If you are in Europe, their cows are mostly grass fed. Their milk has more earthy, grassy and sweet flavors. Here in the states, we feed out cows grain, and their milk tends to have more of a bread cereal quality. What about the sugar in the ice cream? Can you tell where it came from? This may be more far fetched and easier to write about than actually taking to practice. But I am trying to illustrate a point that Teresa has been trying to make. Taste your cigar. No, I mean really TASTE your cigar. As a newbie in the cigar world, I challenge you to try and pull out at least three flavors in the smoke that coats your mouth. Woods, fruits, sweets, and textiles. There is no limit on the flavors you can taste. Take the time in your day to not only experience life, but to taste it as well. I think you will be surprised what you taste.

The Jar

The last week and a half or so has been pretty bad. I was let go from my job, thus loosing the house we were about to close on. Needless to say, I haven't felt like myself for a while now. I decided to take this opportunity today to smoke a cigar. I haven't had a cigar since last Tuesday, so I thought my palate would be fresh enough to give a review. As mentioned in the article below, I had tasted the Viaje Exclusivo cigars in a Jar at the smoke shop. I enjoyed these sticks but thought I needed to sit down with them and revisit their taste profile.
Viaje is a boutique brand born out of the mind of Andre Farkas. These cigars are all Nicaraguan tobacco, I believe. But not much is known about this cigar. The cigar I smoked today is the Exclusivo robusto size. This cigar is a 5x50 ring gauge and comes in glass jars (see picture below). I do know the wrapper is made of Criollo tobacco.

The Pre-Light:
This cigar is nice and oily, with a slight squishiness to the touch. The cigar smells of hay and barn yard, and the foot gives off a strong aroma of chicken coupe. The cap on this cigar has a little tail, reminiscent of the old Cuban style.

Light:
After lighting this smoke, I almost immediately got the taste of chocolate and sweet honey. This cigar surprised me in the sense that it was more mild bodied than I remembered. Don't get me wrong, this cigar produces copious amounts of thick smoke. But the smoke did not coat my mouth with as much creaminess as I remember. This cigar melts from chocolate and nutmeg to a mild white pepper spice. The retro hale was extremely enjoyable, with notes of cedar and puffy chocolate cake. I smoked this one down to the nub, as I just couldn't put this smoke down. The flavors were mild, but complex enough to keep me guessing what I was going to taste next.

After Taste:
This cigar leaves you with a mild sweetness in your mouth. I would pair this cigar with a nice coffee, or fruity wine. Because of the pronounced chocolate character I get from this cigar, I think it would go nicely with the silky and delicate flavors of a Pinot Noir wine. After all, chocolate and red wine is a heavenly combination.

Over all I would recommend this cigar to a newbie. The flavors are mild enough, yet complex to be perfect as a mid morning to early afternoon cigar. I think Viaje is doing some exciting things, and I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Winter Wonderland...

Sometimes it sucks to live in Minnesota. The older I get (and I am still young), the more I wonder "why the heck do I live on this frozen tundra!?" Many people have the misconception that we as Minnesotans do little other than forage through the forest, hunting dear, ice fishing, or mushing a dog sled. That may be more of a reality for Alaskans, but here in Minnesota, we have a vibrant cultural area called the Twin Cities (also known as Minneapolis/St. Paul). You would be surprised at the amount of gourmet food and wine, music and ethnic food establishments there are here. The one thing this area lacks, are good cigar bars or lounges. Yes there are a couple, but on a snowy day, when your car is in the shop, where can you go smoke? A lounge of course!
Before the Super Bowl last Sunday, I ventured down to a south metro city named Burnsville. This area will become my home town, hopefully in April, as we are waiting to see if an offer was excepted my wife and I put in on a house there. There is a wonderful smoke shop and lounge called "BURN." I walked in and I instantly received a warm welcome from the owner James. This was the complete opposite experience than my previous one at a different tobacco shop (read below "Can I Help You?"). James and I talked for quite a while about the CRA, the tobacco business and his cigars.
One of the cigars he was excited and proud about was a serialized jar of Viaje Exclusivos. I purchased a few, and lit one up right away. This cigar is meaty, and chocolaty, with hints of leather and a bit of sweetness reminiscent of french vanilla. The overall word I would use for this cigar is balanced. I very nice treat indeed! I will have to purchase a few more of these smokes and give them a proper review. James also told me that Viaje had held a drawing across the country to choose where a batch very limited production cigars called, "Double Edged Swords" were going to be carried. BURN won the drawing, along with four other shops across the country.
Overall, BURN gave me hope once again in the Brick and Mortar establishments. We are lucky to be able to smoke in these places, and it is owners like James that perpetuate the good name and nature of premium cigars.

The Man Holiday

Like Christmas, New Years, and Easter, tomorrow is just as much of a holiday as the more traditional days. Tomorrow is the Super Bowl. In The USA, this is when hordes of people get together for hot dogs, bratwurst, hamburgers, chili, chips and dip, and maybe, if the ever watchful eye of a wife is upon us, a carrot or celery stick. We get together to watch the most
expensive television sporting event of the year. We laugh at 30 second commercials, that cost upwards of 15 million dollars to air. We drink horrible, cheap water we call beer. We talk about manly subjects, and poke fun at each team playing. This has become such a tradition, that it wouldn't be right to sit at home alone, and watch the game in peace and quiet. Or would it...? This year, I will be traveling to my brother-in-law's house to watch the big event. In addition to beer (I kick it up a notch from the bud light, and drink Sierra Nevada, or Summit Pale Ale), I will be bringing the traditional bratwursts and chili.
But, like every holiday, I will be bringing some great smokes as well. Every day we are alive, deserves a cigar at the end to celebrate our small victories in life. But, holidays deserve something a little better. This year I will be bringing some Tatuaje Black and Red Tubos by Pete Johnson and blended by Don Pepin Garcia. These cigars will be the perfect accompaniment to the excitement and flavors of tomorrow. Being an all Nicaraguan puro, it is sure to have that bold, full body and flavor of pepper and spice. This cigar should pair beautifully with the south-of-the-border spices in the chili, and the hopiness of the Sierra Nevada. This truly will be a special cigar to celebrate with. There is nothing like a great cigar to share with friends during a holiday like tomorrow. Like every holiday, the gathering of friends and family, the great conversations and food, should be accompanied by a wonderful cigar. What are you smoking tomorrow?

"Can I Help You?"

Yesterday I took a little trip to my local "brick and mortar" cigar shop. I had to pick up a few humida-bags to ship some cigars in to a few friends. I also wanted to talk to one of the shop's owners about possibly hosting a CRA event as both him and I are CRA amabassadors for Minnesota.
Now, let me preface this story with the fact that I wouldn't call myself a "regualar" customer of this particular shop, but I am there at least a couple times a month, and had just spent $150 on cigars and travel humidor last week.
I decided to light up a cigar on my way over to the shop, as I only have an hour for lunch, and I didn't want to waste any time tucking into this cigar. I drove over to the shop, and walked in, took off my coat and grabbed a couple of humida-bags to get ready for purchase. About that time, the other owner of the shop came over to me and greeted my with the customary "Can I help you?" This wasn't the warm, fuzzy, I am really glad you are here, how "Can I help you." Instead this was the cold, annoyed, who the heck to you think you are coming into my shop, kind of "Can I help you." I was slightly taken aback, as I had been there before, yet he was treating me like I was some sort of outsider. I politely told him that I didn't need any help, that I was here to just pick up these humida-bags, and finsh my cigar (which I had bought at the shop the week before). His next response sounds reasonable on paper, yet the way he came across would make a grown man blush. This shop's owner cocked his head, looked at me from head to toe, and said "Well, we appreciate it if you would buy a cigar."
I was blown away! I would understand if I was just some kid off the street, who walked into his shop smoking a swisher sweet, then yes, that comment would be warrneted. But, the fact that I was already going to spend money, AND I spent $150 with him the week before, AND I was smoking a cigar I had bought in HIS shop already, made my blood curdle! My timid response didn't express the steam coming out of my ears, as I responded with a simple, "Of course."
As I sat in the lounge, reflecting on what had just happened, I some how gathered up the courage to talk to this man again.
I went over and tried to strike up a conversation about the CRA and possibility of hosting an event. This attempt was futile and foolish as I was treated rudely once again. He was surfing the internet on his phone, not even once looking at me as I was talking. I told him my idea, and he compleatly shot it down. I wasn't asking for money, I was asking for a place to host the event. He just wasn't interested in me, and had already written me off.

I am a big supporter of the Brick and Mortar movement. I do believe that it is becoming harder and harder for these shops to compete with the online stores. These shops are having to put lounges in and other amenities to attract a buisness clientele, when laws are getting harder and stricter. I feel for the local shops as they were delt a bad hand, and are forced to make the best of it. But, that doesn't mean writing off people who walk in their shops. Even if I was a kid, smoking some swisher sweet, I believe the proper thing to do would be to nurcher this kid's interest in cigars, and enlighten him in the ways of premiums. If a shop is open to the public, the owners and employees need to be open and warm to all customers that walk in their doors. Unless someone is obviously abuseing the privalege of smoking in their shop, why be rude?
Who knows, maybe this guy was just having a bad day. But in the customer service industry, you need to hang it up at the door!

The cigar industry lives in delicate balance with the world, local shops don't need anymore enemies than they already have. As for me, I will be frequenting a different shop from now on.

Joya Cubana Gran Merito Robusto

Last night, I had the pleasure of smoking a wonderful cigar, sent to me from FullersPullers.com for the DogWatch Cigar Radio club. Joe does an excellent job picking out some amazing smokes, and I always look forward to my monthly shipment. I smoked a Joya Cubana Gran Merito Robusto. This cigar is a 5 x 52 ring gauge. It has a Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper, with a Nicaraguan/Honduran filler and a Nicaraguan binder.

Pre Light:
This cigar surprised me a little on the prelight. As I examined the cigar, it felt a bit hard. But after cutting it, I found the draw to give just the right amount of air. Smelling the wrapper, I got a very earthy and woody scents, with notes of sweetness and butterscotch.

Light:
Right off the bat, this cigar was creamy with sweet vanilla. As I smoked through it, I got hints of mint and black pepper. This cigar was discribed as spicy from other reviews, but I defninately wouldn't consider that to be a main note of the cigar. The spicyness of the cigar was a more sublte flavor that coated your mouth like a Chinnese hot mustard, it was gone almost as fast as it came.

Retro-Hale:
Blowing this ciagr's smoke through my nose produced tastes that I would never have gotten from just smokeing the cigar. In addition to more black pepper, I picked up hints of sweet paprika and mint. Retro-haleing this cigar is like taking a bite of wasabi paste. It is a mild spicyness, but tickles the hairs on your head for just a moment.

After Taste:
I was not able to detect too many falvors on the after taste. The finish was short and sweet.


Overall, this is a wonderful medium bodied smoke pushing the edge of full bodied. I would
recommend this smoke, but would like to smoke a few more before I decide to buy a box. One
of the great attributes of small production cigars is the fact that they are always coming
out with something new. I am excited to see what else Joya Cubana will have to offer!

Safety Blanket

Over the last few days, Teresa from "The Smoking Hot Cigar Chick" and I have been conversing on the similarities of wine, cigars and various other topics. Both can have wonderful pairings, as well as flavor notes that can be quite surprising and unique. Recently, Teresa brought up a really good topic on her web page: "What is your go to cigar?" This started to make me think. What would be my go to cigar? This is hard for me, particularly when most of what I enjoy about smoking cigars, is trying new brands I have never smoked before. Usually when I go to a cigar shop, I look for the new and up coming cigars. This provides me with the enjoyment of rating the cigar (in my own head), and dreaming up good food and drink parings. For some people though, this can be daunting. Just the thought of trying something new, makes the hairs on there back stand on end, and they break out in a cold sweat.
I encourage you as a new cigar smoker to get out there and try the new stuff. I am not telling you to try the full bodied smokes, if you only like the light bodied smokes. But, try different brands or vitolas within a brand, that can be described as light bodied (or whatever you like). This is the only way you are going to expand your palate and hone in on what exactly pleases your taste buds. We all need to grow, and nurture our passions. And unfortunately, we can't do that, by sticking with one cigar!