My Father Le Bijou 1922 Petit Robusto

Cigar Name: My Father Le Bijou 1922 Petit Robusto
Wrapper: Ecuadorian-grown Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan 
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 4.5” x 50
Strength: Medium-Full
Body: Full
Price: $5.00-7.00 (single)

Smoking Time: One hour

Today’s cigar is something special to me.  One year ago today my father, Melvyn Hall, passed away.  You may remember the story I told about my most memorable cigar last year

  http://originalchapterofthecigarsociety.blogspot.com/2010/12/top-cigars-for-2010.html

This cigar will always hold a special place in my heart because of that and help me remember an important lesson: Enjoy TODAY the gifts God has given you.  With everything that is going on in the world right now, it is important to remember the truly special things in your life.  For me, it is my wife, my daughter, my friends and family.  Honestly, as trivial and materialistic as is sounds, my cigars are included on this list.  Not so much because of the cigars themselves, but because of the experiences they have allowed me to enjoy. 

Appearance: This is a small cigar but it is very well put together.  A dark chocolate wrapper covers the tobacco and it is packed full.  The band on it is a rainbow of pastel colors with script writing on it.      9/10

Construction: There are NO veins and with it being blended by Don Pepin Garcia, you know it is well made.  Triple cap on the head.      9/10

Burn:   There were a couple that needed some minor touch ups.   Maybe it was because it is so short, I don’t know but I did have to correct the burn a couple of times.    8/10

Aroma: Spice, spice, spice.  That is all you smell.    9/10

Draw: As packed as this is with tobacco (in an accordion style), this drew like a champ.      10/10

Flavor: More spice with some leather and almost rum like qualities.  8/10

Availability: These are easy to find.  I got mine from Alcorns for 6.70/each which is pretty good.  You might be able to find them cheaper online but not by much.     10/10

Personal Overall Experience:  With the sentiment that I have for this cigar, it might be skewed.  However, this is a great short smoke and well worth the time to pick up a few.  30/30.

Total: 93/100

Matt

Review: La Flor Dominicana Ligero Maduro L300 Cabinet

Cigar Name: La Flor Dominicana Ligero Maduro L300 Cabinet
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: L300 50 x 5-3/4”
Strength: Medium-Full
Body: Medium-Full
Price: $5.00-9.00 (single)

Smoking Time: Just over an hour 

This was one of the first cigars that I picked up at the beginning of this year and I had not tried a LFD before that.  I had always heard great things about it and was looking forward to it.   They have been known for making strong cigars.  Litto Gomez is the man behind the cigar and he has been very outspoken about the rights of cigar smokers.  You may have seen his ad:   http://www.laflordominicana.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=26&Itemid=24

I could not have said it better myself.  Anyway, on to the cigar. 

Appearance: This is black as night and oily like the Gulf of Mexico.  Just a gorgeous looking cigar.    10/10

Construction: This is a well made cigar too.  No soft or hard spots but there were a couple of visible large veins.  Triple cap at the end.      9/10

Burn:   Flawless.  The veins that I saw presented no problem.  10/10!

Aroma: Earthy with a hint of salt.  It was almost like smelling coastal air.   9/10

Draw: Very good.  No touch ups needed.    9/10

Flavor: The flavor profile changed a couple of times.  The first half was medium all the way with some coffee notes.  The last half blossomed into a powerhouse with less coffee and more pepper.  A very nice change.  9/10

Availability: Good.  You can buy these online or at most brick and mortars.  Mine was purchased from Alcorns at 7.80/each (not including the “box” discount).  9/10

Personal Overall Experience:  I was very happy with the experience of the LFD.  It kept me interested throughout the entire smoke and I didn’t want any of them to end.  I will be trying more of their blends as time goes on.        28/30.

Total: 93/100

Matt

HC Series Price Drop

I just got an e-mail from Xikar with a press release:

Kansas City, MO. - March 8, 2011 - XIKAR, Inc., a leading cigar and accessory company, announced a bold new pricing strategy for its highly rated HC Series Cigars.  This dramatic price reduction re-emphasizes XIKAR's long-standing commitment to value and fair price.  According to Jerry Dear, EVP Sales & Marketing, "the most common encounter in this age of inflation is a price increase driven by rising costs and increasing taxation.  XIKAR wanted instead to broaden our appeal and offer a wonderful cigar to everyone."  Consumers will enjoy an average cost savings of 18% per cigar repositioning the HC Series line to a compelling price range of $6-8 per cigar. 


What great news!  It is great to see a MFG listen to their customers and then ACT to benefit their customers.  


Matt

Rocky Patel Night at Alcorn Cigars

Rocky Patel himself made an appearance at Alcorn Cigars on March 8th and Matt and Rich were lucky enough to meet and talk with the cigar pioneer.

The night started with Harold of Alcorns telling us that Rocky had actually been hospitalized for part of the day for chest pains (more on that later) but that he was in the parking lot and would be in shortly.  Harold also told us that March 7th was Rocky's birthday (50!) so we sang happy birthday to him when he came in (video below).

We were then able to meet the lovely and charming Crystal Patel (Rocky's wife).  I tell you what, it has been said that Rocky is the hardest working man in cigars, but she must be the hardest working PERSON in cigars.  That girl did not stop selling.  Hats off to her for supporting the family business!

Rocky then mingled and pressed the flesh with the crowd.  When Rich and I got to meet him we asked him about the hospital and he said it was just a very bad case of acid reflux.  He literally came from the hospital to the Alcorn event - wow!  I then asked Rocky about his involvement with Cigar Rights of America and where he sees the cigar industry in the next year to five years and beyond.  (In retrospect I should have taken the video camera out but I did not think about it until afterward - sorry guys).  Rocky went on to state that cigar smoking in the day and age of facebook and twitter is one of the only events where you can still hold a civilized conversation with someone face to face.  It doesn't matter if you are an ironworker, a doctor or a teacher, cigars level the playing field.  I couldn't agree more.

Matt and Rocky

Rocky signing Rich's shirt

After a couple of Decades were smoked, Rocky gave a passionate talk about how important it was for each of us to stand up for our rights as Cigar Smokers.  The best way to do that is by joining Cigar Rights of America.  Of the $35.00 that costs to join, 100% goes to fight legislation that prevents us from enjoying our rights.  Here is a link:  http://www.cigarrights.org/

Overall it was a great night and just a great opportunity to meet a legend within the cigar community.  Great thanks to Harold at Alcorns for being such a great host and having the place to bring him in.

Matt

February 2011 meeting

We were able to meet on February 11, 2011 for our meeting hosed by John.  John could not make it but that doesn't mean he wasn't there in spirit.  He was a great host providing both foot (pizza from Sams Club) and a great cigar in the Ave Maria Crusader (52 x 5).  Good conversation was had by all and we were able to meet some more great brothers (and a sister) of the leaf in Patrick and Mary.

Alcorns again provided a great place to have a meeting.

And so it starts...

I just ran across this today and it made me smile. It is about time somebody took on these smoking bans:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_25fde29a-687c-5381-bb3b-5159e9a3145d.html

I will be watching this closely and see how it comes out.

Matt