Weekend review-October 9 and 10, 2010

Absolutely beautiful weather. I love the fall days; warm with cool nights. Open the windows! Next weekend is the South Carolina Sit Down no. 13. But first, let's get to this weekend's reviews.

Cigars reviewed:

• Brickhouse churchill
• Key West Extras robusto
• Opus X Fuente Fuente PerfecXion X
• Perdomo2 Limited Edition Cameroon torpedo

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Brickhouse Churchill (7 1/4x50)

Brickhouse is a Nicaraguan Puro, which means it is an all Nicaraguan cigar. Starts with nice cinnamon and maple syrup notes with light citrus and raw almond notes. It has an average amount of black pepper. The finish is fairly long with almond notes. Wondering why J. C. Newman, maker of the Brickhouse, named it so? 

Eric and Bobby Newman, 3rd generation cigar makers, have recreated the Brick House cigar that was originally created by their grandfather, Julius Caesar Newman. The Brick House cigar was originally produced to honor J.C. Newman’s rich family heritage and childhood memories of his family's brick house.  (Back then, it was a big deal to have a house made of brick.) Julius Caesar (J.C.) Newman immigrated to the United States in 1888. In 1895 he founded the J.C. Newman Cigar Company, which today is, America's oldest family owned premium cigar maker. Brick House cigars, originally were Cuban puros, which he launched to honor his family's heritage and beloved childhood memories. Brick House cigars have now been lovingly re-created, by Eric and Bobby Newman, third generation cigar makers. Using hearty Havaba Subido™ wrapper leaves to match the rich, well-balanced flavor of J.C. Newmans these flavorful and satisfying smokes are handmade in Nicaragua continuing the tradition of an art passed down generations.

In today's economic climate the major cigar companies have debuted some affordable cigars priced in the $5-$7 range. This cigar runs around $6 at your local shop.

After an inch or so I noticed the pepper lingering on my palate. The cigar is fairly one dimensional, that is, it does not change from start to finish but it is an enjoyable cigar that is hard to beat for the price. Medium bodied. The flavor profile is foremost cinnamon followed by maple syrup, almonds and then light citrus notes. The average amount of pepper rounds out the cigar. Nice cigar. Nicaraguan fans will probably like this cigar.

Score: 89

Key West Extras robusto (5x50)

A dark brown, fairly rough cigar that I picked up at the Key West Cigar Factory in 2007 on one of our cruises that made a stop in Key West, Florida. I felt it was good to review these cigars because when traveling you can come across some interesting handmade cigars. You can order these cigars online but it's always nice to visit the shop when you're in Key West. I'll actually be back in Key West in December. I'll drop back by the shop and try some other cigars. I have reviewed 2 other cigars from Key West that I picked up on that trip: the Gato, a Connecticut shade cigar and a Sunset Cigars Company maduro torpedo.

These cigars use a Brazilian maduro wrapper. An interesting note on Key West and it's cigar shops:

For many years, Key West was the "cigar capital of the world", even surpassing Havana. With far more cigar factories hand-rolling and exporting quality cigars than any place on the globe, Key West became the richest city per capita in the United States.

The cigar started with sweet black coffee notes, cinnamon, molasses, almonds and hints of vanilla. It also had a lot of black pepper. The finish is long with lingering black pepper and sweet almonds. This cigar has a ton of black pepper. The draw was great. This is a very "dark" cigar. By that I mean the black coffee notes really pops! It's sort of like a cup of black coffee with sugar and light cream. This might be a good cigar after a big meal; dessert cigar. Medium to full bodied. At the midpoint there is the slightest hint of citrus; very faint. After the midpoint there are more molasses notes in the spice. Very good cigar. I will look for more of these on my December visit to Key West.

Score: 90



Sunday, October 10, 2010

To celebrate the University of South Carolina's big win over number 1 Alabama in football I thought I'd have a nice celebratory cigar. For that reason I am having the 2010 Opus X Fuente Fuente.

Opus X Fuente Fuente PerfecXion X (6.2x48)

Cedar wrapped.

I picked up a couple of these cigars recently at The Tobacco Merchant on Bower Parkway in the Harbison area of Columbia. USC's win gave me a good reason to smoke it.

The cigar started with a blast of cinnamon, citrus, vanilla, leather, with hints of almonds and a nice amount of pepper and sweetness. The finish is sweet vanilla and almonds. The pepper lingers on the back of the tongue and the roof of the mouth (palate). There is also a dash of citrus on the finish.  At the midpoint the cigar is still consistent in flavor and there is a ton of black pepper. Full bodied. I can't say enough about the finish; it's great. I love the flavors in this cigar. Yes, it's a little pricey but it's worth it.

Score: 93



Perdomo2 Limited Edition Cameroon torpedo (6 1/4x54)

Box pressed cigar. Light brown in color. Nick Perdomo decided to bring back this cigar but the blend has been tweaked. This version has the Cameroon wrapper. Test draw was very good. The first puffs had sweet, rich vanilla and citrus spice with nice pepper and light almond notes. The finish is long with lightly sweet raw almonds, vanilla and lingering pepper. The sweetness of the Cameroon wrapper is amazing! I love a good Cameroon cigar. Medium to full bodied. This is another example of how Perdomo has really stepped up their game. The are making some great cigars. This cigar is almost like candy. The sweetness is fantastic. A truly great Cameroon wrapper and the pepper really completes the cigar. The cigar produces a lot of smoke too. Even burn. Any Cameroon lover should try these cigars. You can find them at your local shop or online. Good deals are found on cigarbid. Very good cigar.

Score: 91