This past weekend the manly men of the saloon spent our time demonstrating how real men smoke cigars at the 1st annual Tampa Cigar Festival.
It was here that we were graced with the Heavenly presence of the man himself... Luis Tiante. He regaled us with war stories of his glory days in MLB. And while our time spent with him could be the topic of multiple novels, I will speak of the more related news. He and his son Daniel Tiant, are now in the stogie business.
And their stogies are a force to be reckoned with. Usually when a celebrity releases a cigar it's a gimmick, but in the case of the Tiant family, the cigar brand 'El Tiante Cigars' is here to take over the industry.
Currently there are two blends offered by El Tiante cigars in multiple vitolas, the red banded Rosado, and blue banded Oscuro. Both cigars were designed with the help of, and are made by, Don Pepin Garcia. That's the first indication you know their cigars mean business.
The rosado is exactly what one would expect from a Pepin smoke. That signature pepper burst in the beginning, with a milder spice base throughout the smoke. In fact the cigar smokes VERY similar to the My Father cigars. Just at a fraction of the price. It is a good cigar.
The second was the cigar that truly WOWed me, the oscuro. Also blended and made by Pepin it uses the darker oscuro wrapper, which lends the flavor to be sweeter over all. The cigar is medium-full bodied cigar whose base is that of expertly grown and cured nicaraguan tobacco but nuanced with a variety of different tastes. This complexity in the cigar makes it a delicious smoke that resulted in me taking puffs too frequently because I couldn't be patient with it. Despite my poor technique the cigar burned even with a good draw, and didn't dissapoint in producing thick plumes of smoke with every puff. This oscuro is now a go-to cigar for me.
The cigar doesn't have much publicity, which is good for me because I can buy these phenomenal smokes for less than 6 bucks.
Overall I would have given the Rosado a 3.5, but in deference to AK47 who has a different taste in cigar I will be giving both the Rosado and Oscuro a CS 4.0 even though I much prefer the Oscuro.
Rosado CS Rating: 4.0
The Oil Baron
This is a good example of why we need a variety of opinions on cigars. We smoked several of these stogies and analyzed them inside out. TOB and I agree that the Oscuro is best, while AK-47 loves the Rosado, which is not as full-flavored.
ReplyDeleteEl Tiante knows his cigars and has been smoking them since he was 19 and throughout his storied career in major league baseball. He and Daniel, no slouch himself, then went to Pepin with a notebook full of notes on the blend they wanted. Pepin complied and these terrific cigars are the result---a classic "three-fer!" You get the benefit of El Tiante's palate, Pepin's great construction, and a price that no one can beat!
Mamey
Interesting Timing...I was going to update my reviw of the Don Pepin Garcia "Original", I still Score it a 4.0, full of strong earthy flavor...How does these cigars stack up against that one?
ReplyDeleteDiamond E
Crickets....
DeleteHow does this cigar stack up against the Don Pepin Garcia
Good comparative review by The Oil Baron. Luis Tiant was a true stud of a pitcher and his exclusion from Cooperstown in comparison to other HOF'ers is akin to ranking Swisher Sweets a CS 5 and a San Lotano a CS 1.5
ReplyDeleteThe oscuro is a very good cigar ----agree with CS 4, and will soon try the Rosado.
El Alcalde
Re. Crickets' good question, here's my take. I like the Tiantes better, especially the Oscuro, because it is more complex than the Pepins. The Tiants used the Pepin base flavors and added their own requirements. I enjoy Pepins, but the different labels seem to taste the same after awhile(except for the Mexican Reloba). Simply put, the Tiante is a better smoke at a lower price.
ReplyDeleteMamey