Puros Indios Especial #4 Maduro Review

Gents, this cigar did not live up to the built-up expectation. I will not go out on the limb and state that it is over-rated because I want to smoke another one before a total and crippling slam. The drag was satisfactory but the burn was somewhat uneven (it was well-lit with a splendid v-cut). The puff itself was not too shabby. The problem is, simply, it was tasteless. Well, not totally tasteless as there was a hint of dirt. Rolando Reyes is well advised to monitor Quality Control at the Honduras plant as it appears that the dust-pan plays a key but undesired role. The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper was a yawner and who knows what country the filler came from: Brazil? DR? Nicaragua? Thank goodness for the fine pairing: Ron Matusalem Gran Reserva. But, to be fair, I will give Puros Indios another chance given the hype.

CS Rating (for now): a weak 2

The night was still young - to quote a trite cliche - so I reached into my humidor to extinguish the taste of the Puros Indios dirt stick. In my hand was an old reliable, Santiago Cabana Robusto Maduro. It was the perfect antidote: sweet, flavorful, plenty of smoke, long ashes.

CS Rating: 3.5

El Alcalde

El Santiago

This is one bodacious tabacco.

Santiago Cabana Churchill (14th Anniversary Release)

-Whammer

The Gurkha Assassin: A Killer Review

I have smoked several cigars from the Gurkha suite and all have been fine sticks that I would proudly recommend. The Gurkha Assassin is no different. The GA is full-bodied just as I like and is quite flavorful and smooth, but not as smooth as the Perdomo Lot 23.

Okay, I will use some of the less masculine descriptions: the GA is a bit nutty but not chocolatey and there is a hint of coffee in the taste, particularly toward the middle of the cigar. The drag is excellent -- a very important feature.

In this case, the GA was paired by a hearty glass of Ron Matusalem Clasico, a kick-ass gift I received from Joe Chicago; a/k/a Chicago Joe; a/k/a Mojoe; a/k/a Pepe.

CS Rating 3.5

El Alcalde

Edicion Limitada Review

Top Cigar is located on Calle Ocho in Little Havana. I decided to drop in and poke around to see what they had. Upon entering I was welcomed by the sweet, comforting sound of dominos being stirred in preparation for a new game (hechandole agua). A thin man, who was a domino player, kindly greeted me.

The store was small, as they as they tend to be in Little Havana. Catching my eye were several boxes that each hold 256 cigars. The boxes had a refreshingly crude etching of "Hecho por manos cubanas", which means that they were rolled by Cuban hands, presumably Miami Cubans who work for Top Cigar. Glancing around it appeared that the cigars tended to be a bit pricey if purchased individually, but then I saw many bundles of 25 neatly organized on shelves. The cordial man told me that the bundles cost $100 each but that he would sell them to me at $80 if I told him that I worked for the City. I told him that I worked for the City (didn't he recognize me, the Mayor?). The bundled cigars were Churchill length with a simple label stating "Edicion Limitada" (Limited Edition). I decided to purchase 2 singles just to check them out. The man told me that they were $10 each but he would sell them to me for $6 because I worked for the City. (20% discount, 40% discount.....who's counting?) I took a liking to the large cigar boxes and asked if they were for sale. The guy called the owner and handed me the phone. The owner said they were not for sale because the name of the cigar company is inscribed. Huh??????

Two days later, I decided to take a Edicion Limitada with me for a quick weekend trip to Tampa. Thank goodness I packed three other cigars because the Edicion Limitada is a horrific cigar. First, it was rather dry; second, the construction was so lousy that you would think they were rolled by Cuban feet; and, third, the taste was unpleasant. This is really a crappy cigar and one can only hope that the cigar lives true to its label and is a VERY LIMITED EDITION.

To complete the ripping of Top Cigar, I'm convinced that the domino players were also a bunch of botagordas who know less about dominos than they know about cigars. Good grief.

CS Rating 0.5

El Alcalde

Perdomo Lot 23 ... A Lot to Like

Nick Perdomo hit a home run with this cigar that was named after a plot of land in Esteli, Nicaragua ... the plot was simply referred to us as Lot 23. Not a genuine puro due the wonderful Connecticut wrapper, the Belicoso (retails for about five bucks) is consistently smooth and creamy. It paired extremely well with Ron Zacapa on a breezy cool evening enveloped with jasmine in bloom. Lot 23 never turned harsh, it burned evenly, and it furnished plenty of good smoke.

CS Rating: a solid 4

El Alcalde

Alec Bradley - Tempus

First time smoking this cigar.

I was on the golf course and had a few hours to BURN!

It looks like a great cigar. Good color and the wrapping is attractive. I bought from a local shop on a whim. It started burning well from the get go. I didn't really need to work it and I was thankful because it was windy as heck on the golf course. I noticed a LITTLE spice early on, but I either got used to it or it faded because it was not very apparent half way in. It has a nice smooth draw that I like.

If you like mild (but full of flavor) cigars this is right up your alley. It had a woody taste to it but it was smooth and enjoyable. It was consistent and enjoyable! I would definately smoke this one again!

A solid 4 in my book!
GMtarondor

OPEN LETTER TO CIGAR AFICIONADO

NOTE: The first draft of this letter was sent to the publisher and editor of Cigar Aficionado in response to the editorial in the December issue of the magazine, which is dedicated to the Communist paradise which can't find a way to feed its own people. The magazine published an edited version of the letter in its February, 2012 issue, followed by the usual self-serving response. The editorial itself is a typical fluff piece glorifying Cuba without mention of the brutal dictatorship which has brought the Cuban people over 50 years of misery and blames America for all of its problems. Of course, never far behind is the customary hack job on the U.S. Embargo which, they conveniently fail to mention, was imposed by President John F. Kennedy after Castro nationalized (stole) the land and property of all companies (including family-owned tobacco farms and cigar factories). We can understand why these patriots keep their mouths shut on their tobacco tours of Cubatraz. However, whether their motivation is future advertising dollars if the embargo is lifted or something else, their shilling for a bloody dictatorship that outlaws freedom of speech, press, association, and every other human right and tortures those who ask only for the freedoms that we enjoy in America is reprehensible. If you're a cigar maker or reader of this magazine, all I can ask is that you check the facts for yourself and decide what action to take on this. As for me, I prefer not to do business with the friends of tyranny.

Marvin and Gordon,

Your December, 2011 editorial, "Give Them a Break," is disgraceful. While you go out of your way to trash Cuban-Americans and American policy from the comfort of your armchair in the Land of Freedom, you don't say a peep about the totalitarian Cuban regime which outlaws free speech, imprisons those who try to exercise it, and tortures its political opponents. Of course, you already know this, including how Ernesto Padilla's father, poet Heberto Padilla, was tortured for having the courage to write a book of poetry critical of disctatorships. Apparently you prefer to turn a blind eye in order to pander to your "friendly Cubans" while turning your back on the real life and death struggle of the freedom-loving Cubans who have no voice, some of whom are rotting in prison, all in the name of a good Havana. By your logic the US should have done business with, and encouraged tourism to, Hitler's Germany so Americans could buy BMWs and Mercedes and "enlighten" Germans. In fact, the embargo is obviously not the reason Cuba is an economic basket case in spite of the gusher of free oil from Venezuela, since it is free to trade with virtually every nation except the US. Would you go hungry if you could shop at every supermarket in America except for Safeway? Like the food lines in Eastern Europe, which disappeared the day after the Berlin Wall was torn down, the lines in Cuba will disappear as soon as its Communist/Socialist regime is relegated to the ash heap of history.

Best Regards,

"How many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?"
Bob Dylan, Blowin' in the Wind