“The best things in life are simple pleasures. Let’s savor each moment.”                                                                                Keith K. Park

When I was given these cigars from Rob I had never heard of them and was under the general assumption that they were just another boutique company that was trying to make a name for themselves.  Not being one to judge without giving the cigar a fair and speedy trial, I took the smokes and stuck em in my Humidor for another day.  I loved the look from the get-go, very classy and “simple” and decided to give one a try.  I’m glad that I did…

The Sencillo was made especially for Keith Park by Camacho with the intent of creating a great everyday, affordable cigar from Prometheus.

At first glance the Sencillo has a very attractive Honduran wrapper that was vein free for the most part and very consistent of premium cigars made by Christian at Camacho.  . The double robusto had a nice weight to it and was without any soft spots or noticeable blemishes on the wrapper.  The Sencillo is a triple capped Honduran puro and has a very simple and classy look and band.  When lighting up the first thing i noticed was the burst of cedar spice and the abundance of smoke that came from the cigar which I love.  The spice was very dominant and left its mark on my tongue.

As I smoked though the 1st third and past the half way point the spice had settled and some leather and Espresso notes started to arise. The Ash held strong and had a the burn was jagged at times but never needed to be corrected.  The Sencillo also had a near perfect draw, little work required but with just enough resistance to keep the cigar feeling sturdy.  The smoke was plentiful and cool.

The leather and tobacco flavors stay dominant through the remainder with hints of spice along the  way and finishes with a burst of red pepper in the final third.  Although the flavors changed throughout, the cigar stayed pretty much medium to full bodied from start to finish.  There was an almost hidden sweetness to the Sencillo that kept the spice in check throughout and had my full attention.  It was a great combination.

So, another great cigar from Prometheus except this one happens to be 8 bucks.. From the fantastic construction to the complex flavors I will definitely be smoking it again…

“Simple” it is not…  But who wants simple anyways… I want great cigars and Sencillo is just that…

Sencillo

Size:  Double Robusto 5 3/4 x 52

Wrapper:  Honduran Habano Seed

Binder:  Honduran Habano Seed

Filler:  Honduran Piloto Cubano

MSRP:  $7.95

http://www.sencillocigars.com

]]> http://puffingcigars.com/cigar-reviews/sencillo/5073/feed/ 0 http://puffingcigars.com/cigar-news/gran-habano-seeks-assistance/5067/ http://puffingcigars.com/cigar-news/gran-habano-seeks-assistance/5067/#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:00:48 +0000 Rob http://puffingcigars.com/?p=5067 Severe thunderstorms have devastated Honduras causing major flooding and landslides. The Gran Habano factory has sustained damage by the floods but we anticipate that we can recover without any loss to production or distribution. However, the families in the surrounding area and our own families were not so fortunate. Reports of the damages are still coming in but have indicated that 7 major bridges have been damaged, road infrastructure is ruined and hundreds of homes have been washed away or have become inhabitable. In all there are 15 neighborhoods and districts that are in need of major support.

The people in the affected communities are currently being relocated to shelters around the country with little more than the clothes on their back. It is unknown when the communities will be able to rebuild as heavy rains are expected to continue in the upcoming months.

We are doing everything in our power to aid not only our Gran Habano families but the State as a whole. As a single company we will be limited to the number of families that will receive assistance – however as a cigar community we will have the opportunity to provide major relief to a greater number of people.

George Rico will be collecting toiletries, clothing and any other donations the good-natured people of the cigar community are able to provide. We will be accepting dropped off aid items at our Miami office or you can ship them directly to Gran Habano. All collected items will be personally flown to Honduras and distributed directly to those most in need.

Shipping Address:
Gran Habano Cigars
C/O George Rico
3261 NW 82nd Avenue
Doral, FL 33122

After hitting every single cigar booth in the hectic 2010 IPCPR week I came to a few quick conclusions: 1. The show seemed smaller and more relaxed that the previous years.  2: It looked like the manufactures were playing it a little safe for this year by releasing an extension of a current line or showcasing something that had already been made public. If I had to pin any type of trend for the show it would have to be that everyone was either lowering prices or creating a cigar that was affordable to smoke. The magic price point everyone was staying around was $7 or less. 2010 was not the year of crazy surprises but there was still plenty at the show to discuss and drool over.

First and foremost we need to start with the biggest of all show stoppers, literally, with the Gran Habano El Gigante. George Rico was on hand displaying the 19 foot, 1620 ring gauge cigar. AZTECA was in full display with the bright orange boxes that mimic ancient pyramids. G.A.R lovers will be happy to hear that the prices will be lowering and you can expect some new extensions on both lines (Gran Habano and G.A.R) but nothing was officially mentioned.

Drew Estate went home with the best large booth award from the IPCPR and created quite a buzz with hundreds of custom airbrushed Drew Estates high-tops. On the cigar side of things the Dirty Rat will now be regular production for everyone to enjoy. They will come in boxes of 12 and carry a retail price of $12. All of the T-52 lovers will be happy to hear that a 3,000 box run will hit the country to make it a little easier for everyone to find that smoke.

J Feugo introduced us to his new product for the show, the 777 Zero. This Ecuadorian Connecticut is Fuego’s solution for the people wanting a “mild” cigar. The 777 Zero is the same blend of the standard 777 line, the only thing that has changed is the wrapper. The retail price point will sit between $5.20 – $5.70 depending on the size and 4 different sizes will be available.  Mr. Fuego also gave me the biggest disappointment for the show because I thought they would release their new, top secrete, no one knows, I can’t repeat it cigar project. At least we will have something to look forward to at the end of the year.

Ashton released a new extension for the La Aroma de Cuba line called Mi Amor. Teaming up with their new best friend, Don Pepin, they have created a box-pressed Magnifico measuring 6 x 52. Mi Amor has a tasty looking Mexican wrapper and a blend that delivers great flavors for a price of about $7.

Illusione brought some excitement to the show with the ~hl~ cigars candela and maduro. Second cigar was the first limited edition Illusione called Singulare. This years size is the Phantom (6 x 50) made at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras, the blend is 100% Nicaraguan tobacco. Production was limited to 1,000 boxes of 15 with an MSRP of $12 per cigar.

And now I saved what I heard the most buzz about for last – 7-20-4 by Kurt Kendall. The cigars are made in Honduras with a Brazilian mata fina wrapper, Costa Rican binder, and a filler blend of Nicaraguan, Honduran, Mexican, and Colombian tobaccos. 7-20-4 introduced two new sizes of  Londres and the “Dog Walker” which is almost a petit corona. Kurt, and the company, has a cool story about finding the brand and how it was brought back to life from the dead. On display were even some original marketing items from when the company was first in production.  I am intentionally leaving the description of the cigar and the 7-20-4 company vague as this will be a feature piece in one of the upcoming articles.

So there is my take on some of the cool things of the 2010 IPCPR and I am already looking forward to the 2011 in Vegas.

When most of us hear of a cigar that is coming out of Hawaii we all immediately think of one word – gimmick. But this time a company called Kauai Cigar Company is producing a “real” premium cigar with tobacco grown in Kapaa, HI. Even though I was still a bit skeptical of the cigar, I knew I had to give this a chance and see exactly what was being offered to the cigar community.

It’s amazing how closely you will analyze something that is foreign and new just looking for that one inconsistency so you can run to all your friends and say ‘I TOLD YOU it was a gimmick”. But alas I wasn’t able to do this around my group of friends. The Construction on the cigar was absolutely perfect in every way. The wrapper was very dark with a slight tint of red and the tobacco was stuffed enough to just allow little resistance during the pinch test. A couple of medium sized veins decorated the toothy wrapper but nothing out of the ordinary from a raw natural product.

Any time a cigar passes the pinch test I automatically go for a punch on the top of the cigar. The cold draw had a bit of a resistance to it that had me a bit worried. But once the flame hit the foot and an even light was created – my dry draw was a thing of the past. The resistance is perfectly in the middle and a good amount of unique tasting, and creamy, smoke will coat your palate.

On the first few puffs of the Momona I was taken back by a very unique and interesting earthly flavor that I have never experienced in any other cigar. It actually had me puffing continually so I could try and pinpoint what I was tasting. The smoke being generated, as stated earlier, is creamy and will leave that particular earthy taste with just a lingering of tart.

During the middle segment of my Island Prince “Dark” cigar I would have to note that the unique earthy flavor has subdued into a more typical earthy taste. The body has started to increase into the full range while the smoke and creaminess has increased. Yet for some reason there is something I still can’t put my finger on that makes the overall smoking experience very different from the other cigars I have ever tried.

As I start to wrap things up on the Dark Momona from Kauai Cigar Company I have noticed the body increases again into the full range. Your earthy flavor is now being complimented with a hint of something I can only describe as “toasty” with a hint of spice. The smoke is no longer creamy but turned into something very smooth and enjoyable. However the transition on the Island Prince is very welcomed as it is keeping my palate on its toes and making me anxious to smoke another.

Pick up a sampler of this cigar and give it a shot for yourself. It would be a great addition to any humidor, especially a smoker that likes to step outside of their comfort box. This is a real quality cigar coming out of Hawaii, not another gimmick, that I can totally see some people falling in love with. At this current time you might find it difficult to find a retailer who carries this cigar due to the limited production and high taxes coming out of Hawaii. On average the Dark Momona from Kauai Cigar Company will set you back about $10 a smoke.

If you are located in Arizona you can pick up this unique smoke at Big Sticks Fine Cigars in Mesa, Arizona. They are the ones who were willing to suggest something to help me expand my palate and interest in cigars that are created outside of the “normal” regions.

The cigar and wine industry has exploded with rumors and theories as reports that James Suckling has “retired” from both Wine Spectator and Cigar Aficionado magazine. News of these events shocked the public from what appears to be an impromptu press release from both organizations.

Wine Spectator Statements
Cigar Aficionado Statements

“James Suckling was a key contributor to the success of Cigar Aficionado,” said editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken. “He will be missed, but we are fortunate to have a capable and knowledgeable staff regarding all aspects of the world of Cuban cigars.”

To further indicate that the departure of Suckling was not planned all assignments from both publications will simply be reassigned to already contributing editors.

“We are very fortunate to have significant depth in our editorial team. In fact, moving these tastings to New York, where we have a larger staff and better logistical control, will allow us to strengthen our coverage of these important wine regions.”

Cigar Aficionado simply stated “His assignments will be shared by the magazine’s senior staff…“.

No official word has been released by the man who has put in decades of hard work for Shanken and his publications. However he did indicate that his retirement is just a stepping stone into other projects via Twitter: “The reports of my retirement have been greatly exaggerated. Stay tuned for exciting things to come.”

While the departure may have been unplanned we must wish Mr. Suckling the best of luck on all of his future endeavors.  We expect a man of his reputation, status, following, knowledge and passion to reemerge on top of the world with his  next projects.

The details of the situation may never be fully revealed but we have to ask, and this is directly to you Mr. James Suckling – Did Marv at least give you the gold departure watch that you so deserved after years of dedication?

Pictures for this article were obtained from the public Twitter profile of James Suckling (http://twitter.com/jamessuckling).

The cigar that was given to me is entitled the Vartan and it shares the namesake of the stores proprietor and legend Vartan Seferian.  As the story goes it is a blend designed by Vartan himself and then produced by the Davidoff family. The Vartan’s exterior is a smooth Connecticut-Habano hybrid wrapper grown in the ever popular Connecticut growing fields of Ecuador.  Both the binder and filler are comprised of Dominican tobaccos, and fill out the cigar nicely without any noticeable soft spots.

Construction:  As mentioned above the cigar has a smooth texture too it, and has a solid construction value, in that it does not have any soft spots.  I do have to mention for full disclosure sake, that mine had some unraveling issues towards the cap and foot of the cigar.  Thankfully, they were not major issues and could be smoked through without too much difficulty.

Draw: The draw was solid and allowed for some slight resistance in the inhalation.  I cut my cap minimally and was able to achieve an excellent draw, which goes to show the fine construction of this cigar.

Burn: The Vartan Blend burns smoothly throughout, and I was pleased to not have to touch it up at all.  Even with the wrapper issue, I was able to let it naturally burn through the unraveled parts without correcting the burn path, which was nice.  The ash was tight striated grey ash and would remain firmly on the end of the cigar until one was ready to doff it off into the ashtray.

Flavor: The Vartan Blend smokes like a Davidoff to me in the fact of its simplicity of flavor.  Most Davidoff’s tend to pick one creamy flavor note and stick to it from start to finish, so does the Vartan blend.  It starts off with a little hint of bitterness and then builds into a strong leather tone for the rest of the smoke.  It is pleasant and creamy from start to finish, but rarely deviates from the leather notes.  At one point I detected an earthy tone, but it was fleeting.

Final Verdict: As of print this cigar is only available at the Ambassador store and their online website. The Vartan blend is a fine consistent cigar that reflects the Ambassador name well.  It is easy to see how this blend was produced by the Davidoff house because it tends to be consistent in both construction and taste.  While the price point for the robusto is around $14 and probably a bit steep for the average consumer, it does serve as a fine example of a premium smoke.  If you are looking for a complex cigar this would probably not be the stick for you, but if you are looking for a creamy mellow luxurious smoke, then the Vartan Blend is a fine cigar to enjoy on a lazy summer afternoon.

The long awaited Nosotros by Illusione, in conjunction with Drew Estate, is finally on the shelves of your local retailer. Nosotros was introduced at the 2009 IPCPR but was delayed in shipment for various reasons. So in the middle of the 2010 years Dion was finally able to grace up with his new creation.

I found this brief piece of information floating around the internet that I think best describes the cigar I am smoking today:
“The Illusione Nosotros Cigars are rolled by Drew Estates in Nicaragua and are the latest creation from Illusione. Unlike most cigars made by Drew Estates, these cigars are not infused cigars but rather a blend of fine tobaccos from Nicaragua with a Corojo ’99 wrapper, Nicaraguan fillers, and Connecticut Habano binder. Because “Nosotros” means “us” this is symbolic of Illusione and Drew Estates joining forces to produce another fantastic cigar. Dion Giolito of Illusione says that these cigars are best described as. “Spicy and clean on the palate with richness and power that really sneaks up on you. The blend is well out of my comfort zone and very nonpareil to my other lines. As it turned out, the first combination of tobaccos that we experimented with wound up being the final blend.”

And with that lets being the smoking process!

Construction: I have to give credit to Drew Estate, the creators of this cigar, because there is not a single cigar in any of their lines that has any type of construction issues. It has a beautiful wrapper with minimal to no veins, its packed full of tobacco and most importantly it will make you feel like you are spending your hard earned money on something with value and quality.

Draw: Punch it, cut it, bite it, v-cut, use a golf tee – the Nosotros will not care. You will get a perfect draw with medium resistance and plenty of mouth coating smoke.

Burn: You can’t ask for anything more from any cigar. The burn is straight and never requires any sort of touch-ups. I was even able to sit my cigar down for a good 10 minute phone conversation and it picked up right where I left off.

Flavor: Nosotros is going to start off with a big bang. There is an immediate rush of spice in the draw and exhale that will linger on your palate for sometime. Have you ever looked for a cigar to smoke that would produce the thickest amount of smoke possible to practice making smoke rings? Well if so then look no further because the Nosotros smoke is thick, spicy and coats every inch of your palate.

Moving into the second third of the Nosotros doesn’t bring about many, if any, changes to the cigar. The overall flavor profile is that of spice and the smoke is still thick and… spicy. Perhaps the strength of the spice does go down a bit to allow for more of the tobacco flavor to come through. This subtle change is enjoyable and quite welcomed.

You will start to get a subtle sweetness from the cigars finish as you come up to the final 1/3. Your palate is still going to be blasted with spice but with smooth tobacco flavor and new sweetness it becomes an amazing full body cigar. I say this because full body cigars tend to end a bit dull and just full of body, or in other words boring as the complexity dies.

Final Verdict: I’ve never told you to not pick up anything from Illusione and I’m not about to start now. This is a cigar that full body smokers and smokers who enjoy a red pepper type of spice should pick up. Oh – and the smokers who need a cigar that puts an amazing amount of thick smoke for that smoke ring practice. I will warn you to pick up a few sticks before making a purchase due to the price tag of about $12.

Pablo Enchinton, the company founder and president, has spent the last two years developing, blending, and creating his product for the market. At the company launch we at PuffingCigars.com got to sit down with Pablo for a quick 1 on 1 interview to help bring some more insight to his brand and goals his company may hold.

“We started the process about two years ago but this has really been a dream of mine for the past 14years! Our main object is to create fantastic consistent cigars, to share amongst friends and to help create Moments of memories.

Our name came about while looking for a meaning of what I think a cigar symbolizes. The word PANA means friend in my Latin culture and I thought of how perfect it would be to launch a cigar company with the foundation of friendship at its core, in its name! Our mantra is to always smoke with a friend, a PANA Cigar.

Another reason for launching our company is wanting to cultivate something special for our 9week old son Andros Enchinton. The purpose is to create a family tradition for something that is so special to me, the cigar industry. It’s a heritage in the making and a growth for future generations.”

Mr. Enchinton, PANA Cigars, has tapped a cigar manufacturer in the Dominican Republic that would not only give him access to the best tobaccos but also full control of the blending process (many new cigar companies simply buy from a small profile of already made blends). There are two blends currently being produced, a Ligero Maduro and Connecticut Especial.

The Ligero Maduro is A special long filler blend of Ligero Cubano and Ligero Criollo with a Dominican binder packaged in a beautiful Maduro leaf. On the other range of the palate the Connecticut Especial is filled with a generous amount of Corojo and Piloto Dominicano, stored within an Indonesian binder, and packaged in a golden Connecticut shade wrapper. Both are topped off with a pigtail cap for easy removal and retail in the $6 price range (reviews to come shortly).

Distribution will first take place in his home state of Arizona and then move to other states along the Westcoast. PANA Cigars has decided to be a B&M supporter and has, currently, not decided to sell cigars directly or through companies that only operate online. This decision was made knowing the process to expand will be harder but was adamant that we needed to support the “backbone of the cigar industry”.

“We are definitely a boutique cigar and we wouldn’t want it any other way! I believe that this gives us a unique and personal experience to share with our cigar smoking community. Allowing us to meet face to face and share in the moments together.”

After having smoked both cigars produced by PANA Cigars we are confident that they will make quite the splash within the cigar community. Welcome to the cigar world.

Using long fillers and staying true to the Corojo #5 blend the El Gigante is intended to be smoked. A device has been designed and implemented that will attach to the end of the cap allowing for up to 200 people to smoke the El Gigante at one time. A full sized band will finish off the cigar making the appearance identical to the other sizes in the line. Everything will be shipped in self-contained wooden tube mimicking the design of the Corojo #5 boxes.

A special team of personnel has been dedicated to making this special cigar for anyone who places an order.  All orders must be placed through Gran Habano directly and the suggested MSRP is set at $200,000.  Anyone who places an order will be flown to the factory to oversee and take part in the El Gigante experience.

The Corojo #5 El Gigante will make its debut appearance June 25^th at the Famous Smoke Shop Cigar Expo in Easton, PA. It will also journey around the country making appearances at official Gran Habano AZTECA events and at the annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) convention.

About Gran Habano Cigars
Gran Habano Cigars was founded in 1995 by Guillermo Rico and his son George Rico. Using only the best raw materials on earth, Gran Habano begins the growing process with Habano and Corojo seeds which are grown on company-owned farms in Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The process comes to fruition at our boutique factory, which focuses on quality control and high-end productivity making it one of the top cigar companies in the world. http://GHCigars.com

This is the official press release from Gran Habano Cigars.

Construction: The La Aurora Serie 107 comes in three sizes at the moment, a robusto, toro, and belicoso.  I have smoked both the toro and belicoso sizes, as well as the upcoming lancero and they all have the same consistency when they come to the flavor profile.  Looking at the cigar you will notice that it has a smooth sun grown Ecuadorian wrapper with minimal veins.  The cigar body is firm to the touch and reveals no spongy spots.  As for the binder and filler they are a composite of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos that have been aging for six years.

Draw: The draw was effortless and smooth.  As Goldilocks ventured to find the porridge that was just right, cigar connoisseurs can often come across draws that are too firm or too soft; the perfect balance is a draw that is effortless, but supplies enough resistance to allow the smoker to know that the smoke is moving through the tobacco channels.  And indeed voluminous amounts of aromatic grey smoke come billowing out of the cigar and mouth.

Burn: The burn of the La Aurora 107 is consistent and even.  Of the numerous 107′s I have smoked, I have not once had an uneven burn.  Another element that I like to check when smoking the cigar is the burn line itself.  A burn line is like a ring on a tree trunk, it denotes age.  The wider the burn line, the younger the tobacco; the older the cigar, the thinner the burn line.  The La Aurora serie 107 has a thin consistent line that fact checks the aging of the cigar.

Flavor: The initial aroma before light is that of sweet hay, and upon first light of the cigar it starts of with an initial spice and leather note.  I would say that throughout the first part of the cigar the leather flavor is consistent and reminiscent of the fine leather products that many of men have come to appreciate in life; whether it be fine shoes or the supple touch of contoured leather seats in their automobiles, men tend to associate that fine olfactory smell of leather with the better things in life.  As the cigar continues its journey the flavor profile changes to some sweeter floral notes which remind one of walking through a fresh botanical garden.  The final quarter of the cigar takes one back to the big finish of leather notes that heralded the pleasant aromas of the initial light.

Overall Opinion: From start to finish the La Aurora serie 107 is an absolute treat.  From artisan construction to a clean burn, and an ultra smooth draw, this cigar defines what all cigars should be about.  The taste is complex and savory throughout, and has caused a few of my friends to super-nub the cigar by poking a tooth pick at the end to continue smoking it, when it got past being held by the fingers.  I have taken the time to share this stick with many of my friends and local B&M patrons, and they all concur that this stick is one phenomenal smoke!  So if you are looking for a cigar that represents the apogee of what a cigar can be, then look no further than the 107 by La Aurora!