As many of you know, I used to work at Old Virginia Tobacco company, and now do a part-time stint at Titan Cigar. I always used to make an effort to "check out the competition," see what other folks were doing, checking out their humidor to see what cigars they carried that we didn't.
I've been remiss lately in not casting my net much past the Annapolis area. Faders, Annapolis Cigar Company, and that was about it, aside from the occasional trip down to see my friends at OVTC.
Today, after a doctor's appointment and some other errands, I found myself tooling down Rte 2, heading south from Glen Burnie. And there, on the right, was a big sign screaming CIGARS out to me.
I whipped the wheel over, and the big Mercedes turned into the parking lot of what, quite frankly, looked like a crappy, run-down strip mall. Rte 2 up that way is cluttered with those eyesores, one strip mall after another.
But the sign that screamed CIGARS pulled me in like a tractor beam, and so it was that I walked into Broadleaf Tobacco. Excellent little shop there. Seth, the owner/manager, was very friendly and welcoming, and so was the shop. The front is a combination retail space and lounge, with plenty of comfy, overstuffed leather sofas and chairs, plus HD TV on a big flat screen. But a plasma TV does not a cigar store make, so I went back to check out the humidor. Seth has a great selection, well-maintained and, given the current state of tobacco taxation, fairly priced.
I walked out of the humidor with a couple sticks from La Flor de Dominicana. One, the Mysterio, a potent torpedo, and a Cameroon Cabinet. Never had their Cameroon Cabinet, so I asked Seth about it. He described it rapturously, and I felt I'd made a good call ... not that I'd ever had a bad cigar from Litto Gomez.
Time permitting, I'll be making the long trek up to Broadleaf more often. Good store, good staff, good environment ... it's all good! Check them out at http://www.broadleaftobacco.com/.
Happy smoking, my friends!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Nod to the Cigr Inspector
Well, our friends on Capitol Hill did it again. The FDA can now regulate cigarettes and "other tobacco products." This from the agency that can't protect our domestic food supply or do an adequate job of ensuring pharmaceutical products make it to market without lot of help from the drug lobby.
Sure, the main target there was the cigarette industry, but it's yet another tightening of the noose in our evolving Nanny State. You can't cook with trans-fats, it's against the law. Depending on what city you live in, you can't order foie gras in a restaurant. It's against the law.
So it was with great delight that I saw this link on the Cigar Inspector website (http://www.cigarinspector.com/other/smoke-lies-and-the-nanny-state-by-joe-jackson). Yes, the singer Joe Jackson, who was in his prime back in the early '80s. He's written an erudite essay on his views on everything from second-hand smoke to smoking bans. It's a hefty 20-page pdf file, but I heartily encourage you to download it, print it out, read it on the can or wherever. But read it, arm yourself for the next time some nanny-state anti-smoking nazi tries to lecture you about the evils of cigars.
Happy smoking, my friends!
Sure, the main target there was the cigarette industry, but it's yet another tightening of the noose in our evolving Nanny State. You can't cook with trans-fats, it's against the law. Depending on what city you live in, you can't order foie gras in a restaurant. It's against the law.
So it was with great delight that I saw this link on the Cigar Inspector website (http://www.cigarinspector.com/other/smoke-lies-and-the-nanny-state-by-joe-jackson). Yes, the singer Joe Jackson, who was in his prime back in the early '80s. He's written an erudite essay on his views on everything from second-hand smoke to smoking bans. It's a hefty 20-page pdf file, but I heartily encourage you to download it, print it out, read it on the can or wherever. But read it, arm yourself for the next time some nanny-state anti-smoking nazi tries to lecture you about the evils of cigars.
Happy smoking, my friends!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Guest Review XIKAR Cigars
This is the first of what I hope will be many guest cigar reviews submitted by Chesapeake Smoke readers. The premier review is brought to us courtesy of Dale Green:
This is my first of hopefully many reviews for the Chesapeake Smoke, so for those who aren’t familiar with the Captain’s Blog, it is my review of luxury tobacco, craft beers, premium spirits, accoutrements, events, issues, and general musings. Allow me to take this opportunity to extend my thanks and appreciation to Mr. John Vanore, Certified Retail Tobacconist, and the host of Chesapeake Smoke. I tend to do many of my reviews in a verbally descriptive fashion as opposed to a “ five-star” or number rating system. One of the reasons for this is because taste is highly subjective and to give something a low rating, especially without explaining exactly why, can be misleading and insulting to the reader, and can even have a negative affect on a maker’s business and reputation.
I recently had the opportunity to attend a XIKAR event where I became the recipient of the first box of a new line of cigars developed by XIKAR and Jesus Fuego. XIKAR, manufacturers of some of the finest luxury tobacco accoutrements on the market, and Jesus Fuego, world famous Master Blender, have combined their skill and “love of the leaf” to create a new line of cigars called the XIKAR HC SERIES (Havana Collection).
There are three different cigars in this collection to choose from; Connecticut Shade, Criollo, and Habano Colorado which are currently available in the following vitolas:
Lonsdale (6 x 46)
Robusto (5 x 50)
Belicoso (6 x 52)
Toro (6.5 x 52)
Churchill (7 x 48) Habano Colorado only
Petite Corona (4.5 x 44) Habano Colorado only
The topic of this review will be the Connecticut Shade. According to XIKAR, it took five years to achieve the final blend of this cigar, which is “slightly stronger than the average Connecticut Shade cigar, while staying true to the character of a Connecticut.” It is made with an Equadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, Sumatran binder, and Mexican, Costa Rican, and Nicaraguan fillers.
The claro wrapper was very attractive with a smooth and silky feel and no visible flaws. The body was appropriately firm with no soft spots and a very pleasant, slightly sweet aroma. I made a straight cut using a pair of XIKAR scissors and then tested the draw, which was excellent. It was very obvious already that this was an exceptionally well-made cigar. No surprises there…
The cigar lit effortlessly and burned without any problems. I did not have to re-light or burn the wrapper a single time. It started off very smooth and left a pleasant taste on the lips. The smoke was attractive with a nice bluish-grey color. The ash, which had a nice color as well, was firm and dense and held on until the cigar was half-way through before falling off on its own, another indication of quality. These smoking qualities remained exceptional throughout; however, as it progressed it began to develop a sort of bitter, unpleasant taste, which hung in the middle of the tongue. This taste kept up completely through the finish and remained for approximately 30 – 45 minutes after I had finished smoking. This surprised me because XIKAR and Jesus Fuego equal high quality so other factors must be taken into account. Could that cigar have been a fluke; had I eaten or drank something earlier which either lingered or altered the pH in my mouth; was it the environment (I was in a cigar club where many people were all smoking different selections at the same time)? It required a second and a third smoke on different days under more controlled conditions.
The second and third time the bitter, unpleasant taste was not present but all the exceptional qualities were. Once again a smooth start followed by a creamy mouth-feel. Part way through some spiciness was detected on the back of the tongue. As the cigar progressed, there was a little more spiciness, which continued on to a slightly peppery finish.
As stated by XIKAR, it was a little stronger than what you would expect from a traditional Connecticut Shade but not at all in an unpleasant way. While it wasn’t exactly what I prefer, it is important to remember that taste is highly subjective. A friend of mine who is a highly respected tobacconist thought it was great. The quality of this cigar was undeniable and I look forward to smoking the Criollo and the Habano Colorado so stand by. Overall, an enjoyable smoke.
I wish you Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
The Captain
uscaptainsblog.blogspot.comMonday, April 27, 2009
Rockin’ the Red with a Couple Stogies
I should have posted this yesterday, but post-game euphoria got in the way.
For the first time in a long time, I sat in the lounge at Titan Cigar as a customer, not an employee. And I was able to remember just what a cool, relaxing place it is.
Except that yesterday was not relaxing. It was wildly exciting, as I sat and watched my Washington Capitals skate to a 5-3 spanking of the New York Rangers. I whooped, I cheered, I explained hockey to a total novice (and maybe made a convert in the process). And I burned a couple of stogies.
My first smoke was the much-hyped La Gloria Cubana Artisanos. I fired up a figurado, one of the two I’d picked up at Old Virginia Tobacco Co. Problems from the git-go. The darn thing didn’t want to light! I used up a bunch of butane trying to get half the foot lit. This is not a good sign, I thought. A nice medium-bodies smoke, but not exceptional. The flavor and aroma were not that much different from my old stand-by, La Gloria’s En Cedros. And given that the Cedros costs about six bucks, and this figurado set me back 13 bucks and change, the Artisano was not much of a bargain. On top of that, the burn was uneven, and I had to touch up a couple times before finishing it. Disappointing at best.
As I started to dig into my travel-dor for another smoke, halfway through the Caps’ scoring orgy in the second period, Titan regular customer Sean offered a Cubao lancero. I’m normally suspicious of small-ring-gauge cigars, but Sean raved about it, so I thanked him, clipped it and put fire to it.
Wow!! Loads of flavor, a nice draw, even burn and solid ash. A beauty to behold and a gem to smoke. I’d never had a Cubao before, and was immediately impressed. Later on, I checked out the Cigar Aficionado website, and saw that they gave it a 90 in their ratings and fairly gushed over its flavor. Please don’t mistake me for a CA whore, one of those people who are only interested in the top-rated cigars. But it’s nice to know that Marvin and his boys agree with me. And, for the record, my friends at Cigar Inspector (http://www.cigarinspector.com/cubao/cubao-no-3-lancero) seem to agree.
Tomorrow night, Game 7. Rockin’ the Red at Verizon Center. And maybe you’ll find me back at Titan, smoking my way through the game.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
S-CHIP is here
I had a work meeting in McLean, Virginia, this morning. So, being very close, I hit my two favorite locations there: Tachibana for an exquisite sushi lunch, followed by a visit to the PG Cigar Boutique. I walked in to see a dark cloud over Emil's head ... he was busily repricing cigars for tomorrow's S-CHIP implementation. Apparently, Virginia is getting spanked with more tobacco taxes, as most of their inventory was going up 10-20%, much more than the 40 cents per stick S-CHIP levy.
He's worried, and rightfully so. As individual states gang up on smoke shops to fill their tax coffers at our expense, the mail order places will gain more and more traction, at the expense of the brick & mortar shops. While I have nothing against Cigars International, and have even patronized them on occasion, I don't want to see them become the norm for cigar purchases. I firmly believe that the cigar experience is tremendously enhanced by shopping ... and smoking ... in the company of our peers and fellow cigar lovers. Reading a description of a cigar on a website cannot compare to going into a real, live walk-in humidor, examining their wares, talking to a professional tobacconist, and firing up a stick on the spot.
So suck it up, guys, spend the extra dollar or two, and support your local smoke shop. If we let tax-happy politicians and the anti-smoking Nazis have their way, cigar shops will go the way of the horse and carriage.
Okay, enough depressing tax stuff. Back to PG Boutique. After my delectable lunch of raw fish, I hit the smoke shop, looking for some miniature cigars I could take to work for that occasional mid-day hit. I usually do a Bahia Tico, or maybe a Rocky Patel, but I was hoping Paul Garmirian could hook me up. Emil turned me onto their Boutique Bundles, in a variety of sizes and flavors. "Tell me about them, Emil," I said. And he simply tells me they were a joint project of Dr. Garmirian and Heinrich Kellner. "Go on, Emil, tell me more." His simple retort ... "Have you ever smoked a bad Kellner cigar?"
Sold. Gimme a bundle. So I grabbed an 8-pack of Panatellas, which I sampled on the drive home tonight. Fifteen minutes ... Bingo!! I found a smoke-break smoke! All Dominican, hand-rolled, a little bit of spice to the flavor, just the thing to brighten your day when work gets you down. I also got a fistful of short commute smokes, the un-banded 4" x 50 Toritos that Paul says are his personal favorites.
Okay, S-CHIP threatened to put a damper on the day. But I fired up a Torito for the drive back to the office, and arrived in a surprisingly good mood.
Get out there and smoke, smoke happy and smoke proud!
He's worried, and rightfully so. As individual states gang up on smoke shops to fill their tax coffers at our expense, the mail order places will gain more and more traction, at the expense of the brick & mortar shops. While I have nothing against Cigars International, and have even patronized them on occasion, I don't want to see them become the norm for cigar purchases. I firmly believe that the cigar experience is tremendously enhanced by shopping ... and smoking ... in the company of our peers and fellow cigar lovers. Reading a description of a cigar on a website cannot compare to going into a real, live walk-in humidor, examining their wares, talking to a professional tobacconist, and firing up a stick on the spot.
So suck it up, guys, spend the extra dollar or two, and support your local smoke shop. If we let tax-happy politicians and the anti-smoking Nazis have their way, cigar shops will go the way of the horse and carriage.
Okay, enough depressing tax stuff. Back to PG Boutique. After my delectable lunch of raw fish, I hit the smoke shop, looking for some miniature cigars I could take to work for that occasional mid-day hit. I usually do a Bahia Tico, or maybe a Rocky Patel, but I was hoping Paul Garmirian could hook me up. Emil turned me onto their Boutique Bundles, in a variety of sizes and flavors. "Tell me about them, Emil," I said. And he simply tells me they were a joint project of Dr. Garmirian and Heinrich Kellner. "Go on, Emil, tell me more." His simple retort ... "Have you ever smoked a bad Kellner cigar?"
Sold. Gimme a bundle. So I grabbed an 8-pack of Panatellas, which I sampled on the drive home tonight. Fifteen minutes ... Bingo!! I found a smoke-break smoke! All Dominican, hand-rolled, a little bit of spice to the flavor, just the thing to brighten your day when work gets you down. I also got a fistful of short commute smokes, the un-banded 4" x 50 Toritos that Paul says are his personal favorites.
Okay, S-CHIP threatened to put a damper on the day. But I fired up a Torito for the drive back to the office, and arrived in a surprisingly good mood.
Get out there and smoke, smoke happy and smoke proud!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Taxman Cometh Redux
It happened. This past Wednesday, President Obama signed the S-CHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) Bill into law. The mainstream media talking heads, on both evening news and morning shows, were almost giddy in reporting how this piece of legislation would be funded entirely through taxes on cigarettes. Not surprisingly, Matt Lauer and Katie Couric and all their drones … oops, clones … got it wrong. According to the bill, effective 1 April, we’ll be seeing another forty cents in federal excise tax tacked onto the price of a single stogie. Ever the optimist, I can only give a sigh of relief that the tax is capped at 40 cents, far below what some lawmakers had originally proposed.
Then I mentioned the tax to my wife who is trained in the law of the land. She labeled this tax "anther tax on the poorer segments of America." By creating a tax with a cap, in this case 40 cents per stick, the percentage of the price which goes to the tax gets progressively less the higher the cost of the cigar. So 40 cents is a mere pittance when you're already spending twenty buck for a Padron 1926, but it's a huge hit, percentage-wise, if you're plunking down a mere $3.50 for a Punch Rothschild. So our boys on Capital Hill are not only taxing the smokers, they've given us a new regressive tax that hits poorer people, or those who smoke less expensive cigars, at a disproportionately higher rate. Good going, guys!
Then I mentioned the tax to my wife who is trained in the law of the land. She labeled this tax "anther tax on the poorer segments of America." By creating a tax with a cap, in this case 40 cents per stick, the percentage of the price which goes to the tax gets progressively less the higher the cost of the cigar. So 40 cents is a mere pittance when you're already spending twenty buck for a Padron 1926, but it's a huge hit, percentage-wise, if you're plunking down a mere $3.50 for a Punch Rothschild. So our boys on Capital Hill are not only taxing the smokers, they've given us a new regressive tax that hits poorer people, or those who smoke less expensive cigars, at a disproportionately higher rate. Good going, guys!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A Long Week
Yes, my friends, it's been a wild and crazy week. Sandwiched in between some most excellent stogies.
Last Friday, I met a co-worker and a friend of his at Titan. After getting them settled with cigars and asult beverages, I reached into my travel-dor and pulled out a La Flor Oscuro Cabinet Churchill, finished with a pigtail at the foot. I got it from Mark, the local La Flor rep. Thinking it was like all the other Oscuro Cabinets I've smoked in the past, I jumped right into it. A half hour later, my head was spinning, I was sweating profusely and needed a major dose of fresh air. Which really didn't help much. After putting the stick down and waiting a half hour or so, I regained my composure. I haven't gotten whacked like that by a cigar since the last time I tried to get more than halfway through an LG. Another major ass-kicking cigar. The whole episode left me wondering if Mark keeps a bunch of high-octane samplers in his stash.
The weekend presented me with a sports Trifecta. First, I got to sit six rows from the ice on Saturday (courtesy of my daughter and son-in-law) as the Washington Capitals slapped the Detroit Red Wings down. One hell of a game, always up for grabs. The Wings are a quality, class team, and they certainly made the Caps work for that win. Sunday, the Caps made it 2-0 by downing the Ottawa Senators 7-4, then I spent the evening working at Titan while my all-time-favorite Pittsburgh Steelers won their sixth Vince Lombardi trophy. A great game, punctuated by some great cigars. I smoked another of Mike's Graycliffes, and somewhere along the line dug into my humidor to give him one of my last Felipe Gregorio Fusion IIs. He loved it (no surprise there) and thought he detected hints of blueberry in the flavor profile. Damn but I wish I had his palate.
Monday, I was in my car (a 1987 diesel Mercedes Benz I've dubbed the Rauchendwagen, or Smoking Car), getting reqcquainted with Fuente's Double Chateau as I motored down to Fort Bragg. I haven't had a Fuente product in quite a while, and that smoke reminded me yet again of why I can always recommend them to customers with a clear conscience.
Tonight ... Norfolk. I think I'll do diner at Il Giardino in Virginia Beach, then off to the Coyote Cantina (if it's still there) to find out if I can still smoke a stogie in the back bar. We shall see.
Happy smoking, my friends!
Last Friday, I met a co-worker and a friend of his at Titan. After getting them settled with cigars and asult beverages, I reached into my travel-dor and pulled out a La Flor Oscuro Cabinet Churchill, finished with a pigtail at the foot. I got it from Mark, the local La Flor rep. Thinking it was like all the other Oscuro Cabinets I've smoked in the past, I jumped right into it. A half hour later, my head was spinning, I was sweating profusely and needed a major dose of fresh air. Which really didn't help much. After putting the stick down and waiting a half hour or so, I regained my composure. I haven't gotten whacked like that by a cigar since the last time I tried to get more than halfway through an LG. Another major ass-kicking cigar. The whole episode left me wondering if Mark keeps a bunch of high-octane samplers in his stash.
The weekend presented me with a sports Trifecta. First, I got to sit six rows from the ice on Saturday (courtesy of my daughter and son-in-law) as the Washington Capitals slapped the Detroit Red Wings down. One hell of a game, always up for grabs. The Wings are a quality, class team, and they certainly made the Caps work for that win. Sunday, the Caps made it 2-0 by downing the Ottawa Senators 7-4, then I spent the evening working at Titan while my all-time-favorite Pittsburgh Steelers won their sixth Vince Lombardi trophy. A great game, punctuated by some great cigars. I smoked another of Mike's Graycliffes, and somewhere along the line dug into my humidor to give him one of my last Felipe Gregorio Fusion IIs. He loved it (no surprise there) and thought he detected hints of blueberry in the flavor profile. Damn but I wish I had his palate.
Monday, I was in my car (a 1987 diesel Mercedes Benz I've dubbed the Rauchendwagen, or Smoking Car), getting reqcquainted with Fuente's Double Chateau as I motored down to Fort Bragg. I haven't had a Fuente product in quite a while, and that smoke reminded me yet again of why I can always recommend them to customers with a clear conscience.
Tonight ... Norfolk. I think I'll do diner at Il Giardino in Virginia Beach, then off to the Coyote Cantina (if it's still there) to find out if I can still smoke a stogie in the back bar. We shall see.
Happy smoking, my friends!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
