Thursday, June 3, 2010
Cigar Cutters
A very cigar related subject, and one that is very important if you want your Great Cigar experience to begin at all. There are many cutters out there, cheap 3-5 dollars, medium priced 15-35 dollars, and premium priced being $50 & up. There is no "Wrong" cutter, just a preferred one, or what is ones preference. Let's start with the basic 3, Guillotine cutter, The V-Cutter, and the Punch Cutter, these cutters will work on just about any cigar, unless you have a "Torpedo" which has a pointed end, and then of course only a guillotine cutter would work properly.
The most common cutter is the guillotine cutter which of course has it's name derived from the French made device made to decapitate human heads, in our case just to nip off a small cap of our cigar, it comes in single and double blade. When using this device, only a very small piece should be nipped off, about 1/16th-1/8th of an inch depending in the ring gauge of a cigar.
The next is the V-Cut which has a small V-shaped blade w/a round stop so as you place your cigar inward to the stop, then slice out your V-shaped cut, it always cuts the same every time and you lose very little cigar.
Then the last of the 3 fore-mentioned cutters is the Punch cutter so named as a small hole is punched into the end of your cigar and no end cap is lost at all. You place the device at the end of the cap of your cigar, and w/a clockwise turning motion and only slight pressure you remove a small "Donut Hole" if you will, and your stick is ready to light up.
There are other cutters out there, w/unique designs, most are in the premium price range, but I just try to give the basics for all the folks out there just beginning their cigar adventure, "Baby Steps", if you will, and you can always work your way up from there. Tune in next time when I will go over some basics about Cigar lighters and other ways to Light up you way to enjoy that perfect Cigar.
The most common cutter is the guillotine cutter which of course has it's name derived from the French made device made to decapitate human heads, in our case just to nip off a small cap of our cigar, it comes in single and double blade. When using this device, only a very small piece should be nipped off, about 1/16th-1/8th of an inch depending in the ring gauge of a cigar.
The next is the V-Cut which has a small V-shaped blade w/a round stop so as you place your cigar inward to the stop, then slice out your V-shaped cut, it always cuts the same every time and you lose very little cigar.
Then the last of the 3 fore-mentioned cutters is the Punch cutter so named as a small hole is punched into the end of your cigar and no end cap is lost at all. You place the device at the end of the cap of your cigar, and w/a clockwise turning motion and only slight pressure you remove a small "Donut Hole" if you will, and your stick is ready to light up.
There are other cutters out there, w/unique designs, most are in the premium price range, but I just try to give the basics for all the folks out there just beginning their cigar adventure, "Baby Steps", if you will, and you can always work your way up from there. Tune in next time when I will go over some basics about Cigar lighters and other ways to Light up you way to enjoy that perfect Cigar.
Friday, May 21, 2010
The Cohiba Experience
I Had the pleasure of trying a Cohiba Corona, Ring gauge 49 and a length of 6" As I removed this slightly oily cigar from it's wrapper, I slowly ran it under my nose and inhaled deeply to get the natural aromatics that you can only get instantly as you fist remove it, a very woodsy, earthy aroma filled my nasal cavity. I gave my usual V-Cut on the cap and brought it to life with my triple torch, as it began it's awakening glow I knew it was ready for me to breathe life into it, As I know that was the original purpose for it's creation.
As I began to take puff after slow puff of this attractive stick, and began to wonder if the rollers of this fine mixture of tobacco ever thought of the enjoyment that this would bring to whoever lit it for the first time. Woodsy and toasty notes encircled the interior of my mouth, and my palate felt nothing but smoothness, no bite or harshness at all. An even burn from beginning to end. A very smooth smoke.
I paired this w/a glass of my favorite Christian Brothers Brandy, a perfect match for many cigars, I reccomend it highly. It wasn't my usual length of the smoke I am used to, as I choose Churchills for most of my regular smokes. This short Corona lasted about 45 min., as I smoked it down to the very nub. All in all, I rate this Cohiba a 9.2 on a scale of 1-10.
Whether you receive one from the Domincan Republic via your local tobacconist, or you're on a cruise ship and are lucky enough to have a real Cuban, either one, your enjoyment will be guaranteed.
As I began to take puff after slow puff of this attractive stick, and began to wonder if the rollers of this fine mixture of tobacco ever thought of the enjoyment that this would bring to whoever lit it for the first time. Woodsy and toasty notes encircled the interior of my mouth, and my palate felt nothing but smoothness, no bite or harshness at all. An even burn from beginning to end. A very smooth smoke.
I paired this w/a glass of my favorite Christian Brothers Brandy, a perfect match for many cigars, I reccomend it highly. It wasn't my usual length of the smoke I am used to, as I choose Churchills for most of my regular smokes. This short Corona lasted about 45 min., as I smoked it down to the very nub. All in all, I rate this Cohiba a 9.2 on a scale of 1-10.
Whether you receive one from the Domincan Republic via your local tobacconist, or you're on a cruise ship and are lucky enough to have a real Cuban, either one, your enjoyment will be guaranteed.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Vengeance Maduro Ligero
A few days ago I had the pleasure of smoking a Vengeance Maduro Ligero 6" by 60 ring gauge! Wow, what a smoke! A dark, oily maduro wrapper, with a blend of Dominican/Honduran Ligero Filler. I sat out on my back deck, sun waning in a crystal blue sky, a glass of Christian Brothers Brandy VS by my side, and this beautiful dark stick in my hand. I slowly ran it under my nose and inhaled the sweet coffee scent of this well bodied cigar. A quick V-cut on the end, my triple torch heating the end at proper distance as not to burn, then it comes to life. the first puff was so rich, coffee/espresso notes. The ring gauge was fantastic, a full 2 hour enjoyable smoke, right to the nub! Throughout the smoke was many hints of chocolate, and ending with a peppery/spicy ligero high that is like no other! A smoke Highly recommended by me, not for the faint of heart, Very Bold, very full bodied. A MUST for all experienced Cigar smokers.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Flor-D-Oliva
This is one of my Fave all-time stand by's. I always keep these stocked in 1/2 of my humidor. The other 1/2 of my humidor has an assortment of cigars of all types. They're from Nicaragua, and are mild to medium bodied smokes, depending on your tastes. I always prefer the larger 8"x52 Ring gauge. I usually buy them in the 20 cigar bundle pack, they usually run between 40-50$ depending on specials or what state you're in. It starts off sweet w/a woodsy aroma, throughout the 1-1&1/2 hour cigar it mixes w/peppery and coffee notes, and ends w/a mild kick. I highly reccomend this for beginners as an easy one to start with, and veterans to have as a regular.
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