This post is long over do, and I sincerely apologize for not updating in a while. I have been going through a divorce, and it has consumed my life for the last few weeks. I never thought divorce was such a hard thing, it was always easier to talk to people going through it, and give advice freely. I now know, that it is not an easy thing to go through, and it most definitely is NOT like breaking up with a girlfriend…

On to better things, lets talk about cigars! In going through all of this, I have taken a lot of time to think about life. It most of my time alone, I have had cigars there, like an old friend, to listen to my thoughts. Pondering my direction in life, going through old memories in between puffs of fragrant tobacco, is somehow soothing to the soul. It slows down my racing mind, forcing me to take the time that I need to think. Many cigar friends have been generous in giving me good smokes through all of this to help me think and clear my mind. One of those cigars was a Viaje Skull and Bones. This is a rare smoke from Viaje, and I am not sure about availability. Andre from Viaje likes to shroud his cigars in a Vail of mystery, and finding out a lot of information is hard, and arduous. I did email the company and got a very timely response:
“Andre came up with the blend for those that were looking for something on the stronger side of the spectrum. Aged ligero is a large component which imparts strength without making your head spin. Skull & Bones is all Nicaraguan rolled at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras.”

The cigar I smokes was short and fat, maybe 5 x 60 or slightly fatter. It had a very dark and oily wrapper with a few veins visible. It has a mild sweetness and a scent of cinnamon mixed with a very mild barnyard aroma on the wrapper. Taking a draw before lighting I got hints of caramel and green tea.

1st Half:

The first thing I noticed was how creamy this cigar was.  The smoke covered my mouth like velvet chocolate cake.  It had a floral sweetness to it that made it extremely pleasant to sit in it’s presence.  Toasted almonds and caramel came through every other puff or so, along with a wasabi and cinnamon spice.  The cigar was very complex and ever evolving, with a black pepper spice building as I smoked my way through bliss.  The smoke continued to get even more creamy and chewy.

2nd Half:

As I got close to the half way point, I got an interesting flavor in the cigar.  I started tasting fruit punch.  It only lasted for two or three puffs, but it was there.  The taste still evolved.  I am not sure if you have ever made caramels, but the taste reminded me of when you boil sugar.  When the sugar is at just the right temperature, you add cream.  The smell of toasted sugar and cream fills the kitchen, and you can almost taste the caramel in the air.  That aroma was in this cigar.  Very complex.

Overall, I am not sure if anyone has the opportunity to smoke this one, but if you do, make sure to treat yourself.  This cigar is an amazing taste adventure, and just what I needed to ponder life.

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By: Christian and Jessica Hutson
Owners, Just For Men

Mayor Jim O’Neal plans to introduce an ordinance later this month, and he expects it to pass. Springfield-Greene County Health Director Kevin Gipson says all businesses would be smoke free this time around.

The current smoking ban has numerous exemptions including retail stores (including Just For Him) and bars. Sixty-one exempt Bars are currently classified by the percentage of alcohol served. The proposed amendment would remove all of these exemptions by disallowing smoking at any place of business.

As citizens and business owners, this ban obviously concerns us on a personal and business level. Professionally, we would no longer be able to sample new cigars as they enter the store or create new pipe tobacco blends in our store. As a business, we currently have frequent events (many in support of local charities) that include smoking. We exist largely because local business people can come in before or after work and relax while enjoying a pipe or cigar while talking with friends. For some of our customers, important business decisions and contacts are made in our store.

Personally, we believe that intelligent, responsible, legal adults should be able to make their own decisions about where they spend their time and money. All of this would be in jeopardy if this ban goes through. This would also affect many of our favorite local businesses such as the cigar bar above Bijan’s, The Red Room in Flame, Skybox Grill & Lounge, Fox & Hound and The Albatross Hookah Lounge.

Springfield currently supports choice in businesses. For example, Nathan P. Murphy’s is a local, smoke free bar. Most retail stores carry no smoking signs on their door. Removing this choice second guesses both the business owner and consumer.

A public hearing on this proposal will take place at the June 28th city council meeting and a vote could occur as soon as July 12th. If you are a Springfield resident we strongly suggest contacting your city council person and attending the June 28th council meeting.

Please Contact Mayor Jim O’Neal And Springfield’s City Council Members

CRA is urging members in Missouri and across the CRA Mid-America Alliance to take action by contacting Mayor Jim O’Neal and the members of Springfield’s City Council to express your opposition to this expanded smoking ban policy.

Remember to tell them that “enjoying a cigar is not a crime!”

Mayor Jim O’Neal
Email: Mayor Jim O’Neal
Telephone: 417.864.1651
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

——————————————————————————–

Zone 1 – Nick Ibarra
Email: Nick Ibarra
Telephone: 417.864.5007
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

——————————————————————————–

Zone 2 – Cindy Rushefsky
Email: Cindy Rushefsky
Telephone: 417.862.9614
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

——————————————————————————–

Zone 3 – Jerry Compton
Email: Jerry Compton
Telephone: 417.831.0187
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

——————————————————————————–

Zone 4 – Scott Bailes
Email: Scott Bailes
Telephone:417.864.1651
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

——————————————————————————–

General A – Bob Stephens
Email: Bob Stephens
Telephone: 417.864.1651
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

——————————————————————————–

General B – John Rush
Email: John Rush
Telephone:417.864.1651
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

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General C – Doug Burlison
Email: Doug Burlison
Telephone: 417.865.7175
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

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General D, Mayor Pro Tem – Dan Chiles
Email: Dan Chiles
Telephone: 417.864.1651
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

Documentation

News Articles:

http://www.ky3.com/news/local/96060229.html

http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=280155

Existing 2003 Ordinance (with exemptions):

http://www.springfieldmo.gov/clerk/ordinances/ORD5260.pdf

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Politics Enters FDA Tobacco Regulatory Advisory Panel   Once again, the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is under watchdog scrutiny, this time by the organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. This is as the FDA panel met this week to address “harmful constituents in tobacco products.”Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington joins the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness, which recently called for greater public transparency in the regulatory development process from the FDA Center for Tobacco Products and the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee.We want all CRA members to please keep in mind that it is this advisory panel which will be intricate in the development of any new regulation of cigars, and the FDA Center for Tobacco Products has gone on record that this is on their agenda.In fact, there may be a public comment period as early as this summer, for which we will need all Cigar Voters to contact FDA, as well as their members of Congress – depending upon what regulations the agency submits that impact our simple ability to enjoy a cigar.The New York Times article below highlights the internal politics of the tobacco advisory panel, how some in Big Tobacco are involved in these deliberations, and why cigar enthusiasts need to closely monitor and act on the work of this panel, and the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, as a whole. This is one issue where the bureaucracy cannot be allowed to win. J. Glynn Loope, Executive Director Cigar Rights of America

Group Objects to 2 Members of Tobacco Safety Panel   BREAKING NEWS By DUFF WILSON Published: June 7, 2010 New York Times An ethics watchdog group filed a challenge on Monday against two members of a new federal advisory committee for tobacco product safety, saying they should be disqualified because they are consultants for drug companies that make smoking cessation products.“Everybody hates the tobacco companies, but favoring the drug companies can’t be the answer,” Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in an interview after filing the complaint with the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services. She said the two panelists’ ties to smoking cessation businesses would undermine public confidence in regulation of the tobacco industry, which came under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration with the federal tobacco law passed last year. The same two panelists were the targets of a challenge in March by the Altria Group, owner of Philip Morris, the nation’s largest tobacco company. The F.D.A. rejected Altria’s complaint, saying it had selected qualified members and would manage any potential conflicts case by case as it did on other federal advisory committees. “Tobacco cessation drugs are not regulated by the Center for Tobacco Products,” Meghan Scott, an F.D.A. spokeswoman, said Monday. The new complaint came as a subcommittee of the panel, the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, prepares to meet Tuesday and Wednesday to list the harmful constituents in tobacco products. In July, the full committee plans to consider whether the F.D.A. should regulate or perhaps even ban menthol in cigarettes. The committee also plans to discuss how and whether the F.D.A. should regulate smokeless tobacco products that dissolve in the mouth. The composition of F.D.A. advisory panels is often a testy issue for companies and activists alike. Because the tobacco center is a new part of the F.D.A., its membership has been under particularly close scrutiny. One of the panelists, Dr. Neal L. Benowitz, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, is a drug industry consultant on treatments to help people stop smoking. “I really don’t see any conflict,” Dr. Benowitz said Monday. “My involvement with pharmaceutical companies is aimed at reducing the risk of smoking, quitting smoking. The aim of the committee is also to reduce the adverse health consequences of tobacco use.” Dr. Benowitz was a senior scientific editor of the 1988 surgeon general’s report on nicotine addiction. He consults for Pfizer, makers of Chantix, a prescription pill that aims at nicotine receptors in the brain. The other panel member challenged by the watchdog group, Jack E. Henningfield, is an addiction expert who holds a share of a patent in a nicotine gum product under development. He did not return messages seeking comment on Monday. Mr. Henningfield is a vice president at Pinney Associates, a Bethesda, Md., consulting firm for drug companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, makers of nicotine gum, lozenges and patches. He has also worked at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dr. Benowitz and Mr. Henningfield have both testified against tobacco companies in many trials, including a racketeering lawsuit brought by the Justice Department. In March, Altria sent a 16-page letter of complaint asking the tobacco center to withdraw the appointments of four of the nine voting members of the scientific advisory panel, saying they had “irreconcilable biases.” Altria said Dr. Benowitz and Mr. Henningfield were each currently listed as expert witnesses in more than 100 cases against tobacco makers. Ms. Sloan of the ethics group said the F.D.A. reply to Altria was “incredibly dismissive.” She attached the Altria letter and F.D.A. reply to her own complaint. “We just thought the financial conflicts were clear,” said Ms. Sloan, a former assistant United States attorney in the District of Columbia. “The F.D.A. has not explained how these are unavoidable conflicts.” The tobacco law requires that voting members of the advisory panel have no financial ties with tobacco makers. The tobacco industry is represented by three nonvoting members — itself a source of controversy with some antitobacco activists, who say the industry should have no seat at the table. At least one antitobacco advocate said he thought the challenge by Ms. Sloan’s group was off base. “They do a lot of good work, but they absolutely got this one wrong,” Stanton A. Glantz, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco, said Monday. “At one level, it’s true the pharmaceutical companies are competing with the tobacco companies. But this is not Coke versus Pepsi,” Professor Glantz said. “The tobacco companies are promoting products that kill half a million people a year. The pharmaceutical companies are trying to promote health.” Professor Glantz added: “Those are two of the world’s experts, and we need to have people in there who are not going to get snookered by the industry, falling for a bunch of phony pseudoscience. To deny the F.D.A. that expertise would be terrible.”

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I was asked by a younger cigar smoker if I had ever smoked the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990.  He was in the shop, and wondered how anyone would pay over $15 for a cigar?  I said, “honestly, I haven’t smoked that one in a very long time.”  But I do know that it is one of Rocky’s oldest lines of cigars, thus, must be popular.  Rocky describes them as this:

The Vintage 1990 is a mild- to medium-body cigar with a nutty, caramel essence. This line is highlighted by a 12-year-old Honduran broadleaf wrapper that has softened in strength over the years yet gained in complexity and flavor. Renowned for its elegance and balance, the Vintage 1990 features the unrivaled accolades of a 92 rating and twice being named to the Top 25 Cigars of the Year in Cigar Aficionado.

Wrapper: Honduran Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan

As my friend Brady Brown says, “It is a great dessert cigar, it is better than chocolate cake!”

Well my friend, I will agree with you there.  The wrapper is dark chocolate in color, and has a mild leather and chocolate aroma, the foot had a strong barn yard aroma, and was packed with manure.

I smoked the size called “The Sixty” which comes in at a hefty 6 x 60 beef stick.

First Half:

Right away, I got loads of chocolate with a hint of a vanilla sweetness that made me drool.  There is this zing on the finish, that I have come to identify as the “Nicaraguan Zing.”  It has a nice aged mellow tobacco flavor, with a lingering sweetness that stuck on my lips.  Okay Rocky, maybe it is caramel.  The smoke started out light, but as I smoked through it, it became more and more meaty and chewy.

Second Half:

As I smoked my way through this cigar, the flavors became more complex and deep.  Even though chocolate was the predominate flavor, I would get these hints of cinnamon, vanilla, bread or toast, and nutmeg.  Twice I got an odd and interesting aroma I have never gotten before.  It reminded me of walking past an olive bar at the grocery store.  Not unpleasant for me, I LOVE olives and pickles (it may be my other passion… ).  The retro hale tingles my nose with a cinnamon undertone, but over all very smooth.

Overall, this cigar is a winner in my book.  I love the deep flavors and chewy smoke.  It is hard for me to justify $15 for any cigar, but I would buy this one again as a treat!

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The word Maduro can mean a few different things to different people.  To some, it means a dark color, but the true meaning of Maduro eludes most.  When a cigar says Maduro it is referring to a fermentation process that differs from a “regular” fermentation process.  It is sometimes a longer process, that often times cigar companies use to justify higher prices.  Not so with Altadis USA’s Casa de Garcia blends.  In my quest for value cigars, the word maduro and value caught my eye.  I found this one tucked away at my local Brick and Mortar, BURN.

I will tell you the price at the end of this article, but for now, I will just say I have no idea how they are making money on this smoke.

I smoked the robusto size coming in at a 5 x 4 3/4″  With a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and binder and a Dominican and Honduran filler, this cigar has to have some flavor!  I wasn’t completely disappointed…

The wrapper was slightly dark and oily.  It wasn’t extremely dark, but dark enough to let you know that it might be a maduro.  The wrapper had a mild barnyard scent to it, while the foot had a very nice chicken coup and slight black tea aroma.

First Half:

Honestly, this cigar didn’t have a ton of that maduro flavor, that you get from other maduro cigars.  I did notice a hint of zing, that reminded me of grapefruit.  The finish is very short, and leaves your mouth covered with a mild sweetness, much like a light maple syrup.  The burn line was fairly straight, but the ash was loose and flaky.  Getting closer the the half way point, a VERY slight white pepper spice started showing itself, but disappeared just as quickly as it came.

Second Half:

This cigar is one dimensional.  No flavor change what so ever.  That is not all that bad, as the mild to medium flavors we all good flavors, they just never changed.  Towards the end, I started getting a little chocolate and mint flavor coming through, but that sweetness was the main flavor through out.

Over all this cigar is not a bad smoke.  It has nice flavors, and burns and smokes well.  Ok, so here is the retail price: $2.70  Very affordable!  For that price, I would buy a few more.

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From foxnews.com

New York City anti-smoking signs depicting a decaying tooth, diseased lungs and a damaged brain violate cigarette vendors’ free speech and should be removed, tobacco companies and retailers said in a lawsuit.

Philip Morris USA, Lorillard Tobacco Company, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., plus two major retail trade groups and two convenience stores, alleged in the Manhattan federal court lawsuit that the signs violate the sellers’ rights by imposing the signs on them.

“The government may not force private parties to carry messages beyond purely uncontroversial factual statements that are designed to prevent consumer deception,” said the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday and made available to reporters on Thursday.

The three different signs, developed by the city’s Health Department and required as of last December, graphically depict the harmful effects smoking can have on the body. They bear messages such as “smoking causes tooth decay” and list the number of a city helpline for assistance on how to quit.

“The signs … do not describe the risks of smoking in purely factual terms. Instead, the signs force tobacco manufacturers and retailers to communicate vivid images at the point of sale,” the suit said.

New York cigarette sellers face a $2,000 fine if they fail to display at least one warning sign at the cash register or next to the cigarettes. No other U.S. city has adopted similar measures, city Health Department officials said.

City agencies, however, said the anti-smoking campaign was necessary and Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made a smoke-free New York one of his major priorities, having banned smoking in bars and restaurants.

“We are confident that the health code provisions being challenged will withstand legal scrutiny,” said New York City Law Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Thomas.

“By trying to suppress this educational campaign, the tobacco industry is signaling its desire to keep kids in the dark,” a statement by the city’s Health Department said.

The lawsuit also alleged federal anti-smoking rules prevent local governments from interfering with cigarette advertising.

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from cigarweekly.com

Kingston, NY – After nearly 14 years in Kingston, Uptown Cigar Company today announced that it will relocate to Florida and close its retail store effective June 30th. Uptown Cigar Company was opened as a neighborhood, family owned and operated cigar store and has grown into one of the cigar community’s premiere retail and online destination sites for quality tobacco products and superior service.

Owner Michelle Tuchman announced the relocation with regret. “I am a New York resident and have been privileged to serve customers both from within the State and across the world through our online presence. However, the rising cost of doing business here in New York no longer allows me to offer my customers a competitive experience and we are forced to move our thriving business to Florida where the accumulated taxes and fees are reasonable.”

When Uptown Cigar Company was founded, New York State’s excise tax on tobacco products was at 20%. Over the years, the industry in New York saw the tax increased first to 37% and then to 46% — far outpacing the tax rates in other states. This year’s Executive Budget advanced by Governor Paterson proposes to increase the already uncompetitive excise tax to 90%. It is expected that the Legislature will approve this tax increase as part of a final budget deal.

“When I close my store, regrettably I will be forced to lay off 2 full time and 1 part time employees and leave yet another vacant retail space in Kingston,” said Tuchman. “This is, however, the only way I can continue to serve my clients with an even better selection and better prices. Sadly, I think Uptown Cigar Company may be the first tangible casualty of the State’s unending appetite for tax and fee increases.”

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from www.nacsonline.com

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Mike Prendergast For U.S. Congress   Last week, Cigar Rights of America announced Smoke the Vote 2010 . Through this national grassroots movement, it’s time for the cigar enthusiasts of America to let their voices be heard, and engage in the political process as never before. We need for both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC and for 37 state capitols through critical races for Governor, to hear from those of us who simply want to enjoy a cigar without burdensome regulation and taxation. You would think that would be a simple message. Obviously not.With the looming threat of new federal regulation of cigars by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the ever present notion of federal taxation, control of Congress is a serious matter in 2010. In our first Smoke the Vote message of 2010, we go to the heart of Cigar Country – Tampa, Florida.With a rich history for cigar makers and enthusiasts alike, Tampa, Florida is a national treasure for the cigar industry. This is why there needs to be a strong voice in Congress for our interests from Tampa. That voice is Colonel Mike Prendergast.Colonel Prendergast first came to our attention at the Florida Cigar Summit, held earlier this year at the historic J.C. Newman Cigar factory in Tampa. He came, he listened. He got it. He saw hundreds of jobs associated with the Tampa cigar industry, and he heard of the adverse impact government taxation and regulation can have for this staple of the community.In a recent note, Colonel Prendergast stated, “As a Cigar Rights supporter, a native of Cigar City, and the grandson of a cigar tobacco grower, I would appreciate support for my race as the next Congressman for Florida’s 11th Congressional District.”

Spotlight

He is running against Congresswoman Kathy Castor. Congresswoman Castor voted for the new SCHIP cigar taxes, and she voted for FDA regulation of tobacco, which is now aiming for cigars.Bobby Newman, Executive Vice President of the J.C. Newman Cigar Company stated, “Mike Prendergast is the type of leader Tampa, and frankly America, needs in the United States Congress. He understands this district, he connects with the people, he listens, and he knows the proper role of government. Further, he realizes that hundreds of jobs in Tampa rely upon many issues confronting the next Congress. His service to our nation is unquestioned, and that same leadership ability will serve him, and this community, well as a member of Congress.”More about the campaign of Colonel Mike Prendergast can be found at http://www.pickprendergast.com.Here is a bit about Mike, personally:Colonel Prendergast is a native of Tampa and a graduate of Clearwater Central Catholic High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1978 and earned a commission through Officer Candidate School. With more than 31 years of service, he retired in 2009 as U.S. Central Command’s Provost Marshal, a military position similar to a civilian Commissioner of Public Safety and International Chief of Police. Colonel Prendergast served with distinction in various important command and staff assignments throughout the United States and abroad, to include combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Kosovo, and humanitarian missions in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Cameroon, and Zaire. Colonel Prendergast also served as a Senior Policy Advisor for Defense, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Bob Graham. Mike Prendergast has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with Special Honors and a dual major in Political Science and Sociology from Jacksonville State University; a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Psychology from the University of New York; a Bachelor of Social Science degree from Campbell University; a Master of Arts degree with a major in International Relations and a Certificate in African Studies from the University of Florida; a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Public Management from Troy State University; and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College with a major in Public Diplomacy and a concentration in Campaign and Strategic Crisis Planning. Colonel Prendergast and his wife Naomi returned to Florida in 2008 in preparation for his transition from active duty and in anticipation of him serving the Tampa Bay area where his leadership skills can do the most good for his hometown. The Prendergasts have two children and three grandchildren. Their daughter, Melissa Ann, lives in Savannah with her husband Caleb (a “Nightstalker” with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment presently deployed to Afghanistan) and son Dylan. Their son, Robert Anthony (a Fort Stewart Military Police Soldier presently deployed to Afghanistan), lives in Hinesville with his wife Elisabeth, son Robert Jr. and daughter Charlee Sue. It’s obvious, Cigar Nation can benefit from Mike Prendergast as a member of the United States Congress.

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My quest continues to find you cigar smokers value cigars.  I put a cap on the amount I am willing to spend on a cigar, at $6 or less.  I realize that $6 may not be a “value” to some, but I would be extremely limited if I capped it at anything less.  I was at BURN, my local B&M looking on the floor of the humidor (why is it that cigar retailers tend to keep the lower priced stuff towards the bottom of the shelving?).  I ran across a CHEAP cigar called The Outdoorsman, for $3.50.  I thought, “now this could be a good value!”  I asked James, the owner, if he had smoked this cigar.  He replied with more than a yes, apparently this cigar has a little story.  I like stories!

A while back, Camacho put out a challenge to their sales staff.  The sales team was divided into teams of 4 people each (according to region).  Each group was given the task of creating a new cigar.  The cigar would be limited production and only available in the region that the sales team was in.  Then, after a certain amount of time, Camacho would look at the numbers, and the cigar that sold the best, would become a regular release for the Camacho brand.

The Outdoorsman, (being in MN), is the regional release from my sales team.  There is VERY little information about this cigar, and the only thing I know is that it has Honduran tobacco in it.

The Outdoorsman I smoked, came in at a 6×52 ring gauge, with a light milk chocolate wrapper.  The cigar is slightly squishy and slightly toothy.  The aroma of the wrapper is very light, with just a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little leather.  I clipped the head, and took a draw.  I will be honest, it was hard for me to get any “pre” flavor from this smoke.  The draw was loose, with maybe a hint of herbal tea, but it was hard to tell.

First Half:

The first taste I got was a mild tobacco flavor, with a tiny amount of cocoa dust tucked neatly in between.  There was an overall sweetness, that lingered on my lips.  The aroma has that same sweetness, with a slightly floral cedar scent.  The cigar smokes pretty fast, so I had to force myself to slow down.  The finish if very short, with an extremely mild spice like that you would get from cinnamon.

Second Half:

This cigar is not exactly complex, in fact, I find it somewhat one dimensional.  I found myself wishing that this cigar would change it’s flavor.  In the second half, I tasted a little more chocolate flavor, complimented with a drop of vanilla, but that is pretty much it. 

Don’t get me wrong, I liked the flavors that I was tasting, I just wanted more from the cigar.  At $3.50 a stick, this could be a good cigar for mowing the lawn or doing yard work, where you would like a cigar, but don’t have the time to devote all your attention to it.  If you like a milder cigar, give this a shot.  It did not lack on flavor, it was just light.  If you like that, go for it!

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