Cigar forecast - 2009

Cigar forecast for 2009 - last year, I pulled out the crystal ball and came up with some thoughts on what 2008 would hold for the cigar industry - didn't do half bad either.  

So here's what the Daily Doormatt sees in his crystal ball for the upcoming year:

1. Value cigars make a comeback - 2008 might be the last year you see the focus on decadence fade a bit when it comes to cigars and their price tags (hmm, Stradivarius?).  As municipalities look to improve their bottom lines on the backs of cigar smokers, wine drinkers, poker players and others "risky" behaviorists, I expect to see cigar makers touting their value menus and new products lines that won't don't do too much damage to your wallet.  Expect to see maker's market their products as the "best cigar under 5 bucks."  Will other companies match the magic of Flor de Oliva, which I bought for $2.75 in New Hampshire over the weekend.   A well-constructed, spicy but sort sacchariny-sweet smoke, I found the corojo to be high in value and satisfaction.
2. Copycats - no, I am not talking about counterfeits, I am talking about municipalities that may look to copy Boston's cigar bar ban as their perceived way to further improve the public health and welfare of their citizens.  Cigar enthusiasts and their advocates need to circle the wagons and defend small business.  During these tough economic times, lawmakers should be wary of harming the interests of Mom, Pop, Joe and Bobby.  
3. New partnerships - both when it comes to companies and stores and makers.  The Nat Sherman Bench Selection serves as a fine examples of premier cigar makers offering unique blends and batches to retailers - large and small.  Given the state of economics, now might be the time some of the larger cigar companies pick up add some of the boutique-brands to their portfolio.  
4.  Expansion of social media outreach - some companies got with the program and established Facebook pages and dove into the social media world and they are realizing that their fandom could translate into new customer crops.  Others will follow suit, some will continue to innovate.  Its still the cheapest and best way to get the message out there. Will retailers join the fray?

Looking forward to 2009 and many reasons to light up a victory smoke.  All the best to you and your families.

Maryland cigar shops fight for samplers

Ah the sample pack. We've been in love with the sample pack since Kellogg's started making mini-boxes of cereal and selling them in variety six-packs. (Plus we loved slicing the boxes down the middle and pouring the milk right in the package. It was like the TV dinner breakfast.)

Sample packs give cigar enthusiasts the ability to test out a maker's product line without buying separate boxes. Around the holidays, stores usually put together unique concoctions and offer them at a discount. In fact I wrote about a favorite sampler from Holt's.

Now, Prince George's County in Maryland is looking to do away with the sampler pack by outlawing the sale of cigars in packages of less than five. Led by a cigar wholesaler and some enthusiasts, a lawsuit was filed against the county, stating that it is the jurisdiction of the state, not the county, to impose such regulations. County lawmakers argued that cigars sold as single sticks were considered drug paraphernalia for those who chose to hollow out the cigar and fill it with marijuana.

Here's another example of government over thinking the process. Ask any of the folks who participate in this behavior and you will find that they aren't purchasing high-end quality cigars. They are purchasing such illustrious brands as Phillies, Dutch Masters and White Owl, and the last time I went to my cigar shops, none of these brands are being sold. Pharmacies and convenience stores, on the other hand, are stocked with these cheap smokes.

A little bit of research would have went a long way for the folks in Prince George's County and here's hoping that the cigar enthusiasts in this region win their battle.

Update - Nat Sherman Bench Selection

Wow, almost 60 degrees in December here in NY. Perfect cigar weather. Today I thought would be good day to stroll back down during my lunch break and get some more information about the Nat Sherman Bench selection and possibly get an answer to a question I have had on my mind all weekend - "What's up the numbers and letter on the Nat Sherman bench label."

Providing the answer was Linsday Heller - who was rather knowledgeable and was actually enjoying a cigar while I was in there. So on the way back to the humidor, I asked about what I smoked last week and what she would recommend. Given that I only wanted a 20 minute smoke, she pulled out a TDG Selection Brazil 21-03 and a TDG Selection Maduro 297.

Ok so the letters and numbers - TDG stands for Tabacalera De Garcia, the famed plantation run by Jose Seijas, who oversees the creations of Montecristo H. Upmann and Romeo y Julieta.

Ms. Heller was interested in my thoughts on the Brazil since she said it was very different than any of the Brazilian Mata Finas that she has ever tried. Well I am totally in the dark about Mata Fina so chances of this tasting different than anything else is pretty good.

And it was a unique experience. I think if you want one word to describe the smoke, gingerbread comes to mind and not just because its Christmas time. Its sweet to the taste, but the smoke that burns from the ash is really spicy. What's strange is that the two don't intersect in your mouth. The spice that's wafting around the air could wrinkle your nose a bit, but it leaves no spiciness to the tounge or throat. Even as I blew smoke from my nose, there was no spicy sensation.

As described in their pamphlet - the TDG Selection-Brazil consists of an:

oily Mata Fina wrapper from Brazil...paired with tobaccos ranging from Domincan Olor to Piloto Cubano to create a smoke reminiscent of the cigars that Cuban expatriates were rolling soon after their departure from Cuba.

Overall, I get a real "Sugar in the Raw" feeling about this cigar. Tightly made, but again after about 5 minutes, this starts to really blossom into a nice cigar.

I have a real liking to the Bench selection. With many of the most prominent makers crafting the Bench selection, I know its not your typical "house" blend, but Nat Sherman isn't excatly your typical smoke shoppe. I rate this smoke a pretty "sweet" score of 89.5.

CAO LX 2 - Malted Statisfaction

What a week for cigar smoking - I feel like i made up 3 months of absence in 3 days.

Thursday night was another trip over to Fume. I don't usually get to get over there on Thursday nights since I am usually at choir practice, but I met my brother in law at the lounge. I directed him to the My Father #1 - he's a big pale ale fan and he thought my observation was fairly accurate. He's as crazy about beer as I am about cigars and has a good palate and pulls out flavors.

I pulled out a lot of flavors from the CAO LX 2 robusto, the most dominant was almost like a malted milk ball. I think if I were able to take a malted milk ball and stick it on a skewer and roast it in front of the fire, it was would be the same as this cigar. Not burnt, roasted.

It's an elegant cigar, deep brown in color, and there's a nice black pepper spiciness for the majority of the cigar. I get a lot of action in the back of the throat. I also detect a barbecue flavor, almost hickory in the plumes of smoke that surrounded me as I enjoyed. Actually, it reminded me a lot of black-peppered bacon. The spicy and the smokiness. It was like eating a meal.

My brother-in-law, who was experiencing Fume for the first time, was struck by the congenial nature of the place and I have to say it was the busiest I had seen it. Reading and hearing all the news about the Boston ban, I couldn't imagine not having a place like Fume around.

The LX 2 is a very fine smoke, it seems to be more balanced than other double ligero blends, but I would be interested to se how the cigar evolves over a year or so. Overall, this is a strong 89 rating in my book. You can 't take anything away from the craftsmanship and the experience, but from the taste factor, I think I looking for a bit more zip than what is offered.

My Father #1 by Don Pepin Garcia - Big Daddy in a Uncle Junior Body

Photo taken from Habana House

I am smoking the Garcia and Garcia My Father Number 1. Although many others have had success with the Don Pepin blue labels, I have smoked a fair share that have exhibited some construction and taste issues. But like the dawn of every morning, every day is a new day and every cigar is a new start.

As I watch the Flying Ace All Stars, which are two guys jumping on a trampoline on snowboards in Bryant Park, I am as captivated by the flavors of this cigar as I am with this jumping exhibition.

I know I am using a beer term, but I am struck by the hoppy flavor the cigar. The bitterness on the tongue and the tingle on the inside cheek reminds me of a well crafted pale ale. In fact, the cigar has many of the same characteristics as a pale ale; golden brown in color, the bitterness, the contradictions of light density in the mouth yet spicy and flavorful. The relative ease of the smoke is noticeable as well. Its well constructed, burns and ashes perfectly and draws easily.

Again, like pale ale, there's a good deal of spice at the back of the throat. The aroma is sweet and strong, like Cuban coffee. And its smoky, some fairly dense clouds of smoke.

Although I could not locate info from the company on it, Cigars Direct offers this insight:

This blend consists of specially selected tobacco grown at the most prestigious farms in Esteli, Nicaragua. The wrapper is a beautiful Ecuadorian grown Habano-Rosado leaf, which is combined with a Nicaraguan binder to create a full-bodied complexity that is earthy with spicy undertones but expels a phenomenal aroma. "

This is definitely a cigar I can see myself getting quite familiar with and certainly changes my expectations of Don Pepin Garcia to the point that it matches the overall enthusiasm expressed by other cigar connoisseurs.

Overall, I am giving it a strong 90. It's definitely geared toward cigar enthusiasts who have better formulated palates and can discern the spicy flavors. This is a cigar you graduate to once you have found your palate and can stomach a more flavorful smoke.

La Flor Dominicana Factory Press III - Lessons Learned

Things you should do before, during and after enjoying a La Flor Dominicana Factory Press III:

1. Eat a meal - perhaps it was because I hadn't smoked anything for about 2 months, but this cigar destroyed me - more on that later. When someone tells you "full-bodied," it means you better have a full body to absorb what this cigar has to offer
2. Don't let the lack of aroma fool you - my sniffer was working pretty well last night and really all I could smell was sweetness, mostly molasses. But the physical meanness of the cigar was telling me a different story. It was telling me that I was in for a wild ride.
3. Be prepared for a wild ride - The pepper upon ignition is like mace (in your face means peace see ya later). I was coughing. I haven't coughed on a cigar in about a year.
4. Watch and feel the cigar blossom - Every cigar opens up when it gets warm, but this one blossoms and still holds its perfect square form. It starts out really tight to the draw and then becomes an easy pull. But take it easy, because, naturally, you will want to smoke it in 10 seconds. Why turn a 60 minutes smoke and turn it into a 20 minute smoke? And if you do choose the express route, I am afraid it will spell doom for you.
5. Enjoy the sweetness and pair it with a nice Scotch - Glenlivet 12 Year provided a perfect balance for this cigar because midway through, the chocolaty, syrupiness of the cigar takes over.
6. Wash your hands when you are done - unless of course you want to look like you just spent the day reading the Sunday New York Times front to back. The cigar has a lot of oil and turned my fingers a really deep black.
7. Take a shower before you head to bed - this is the key piece of advice folks because I woke up with my heart racing at 3AM thanks to this cigar and all I could smell was the cigar. Normally such an fragrance is delicious - but the sweetness of the cigar made my stomach turn. I looked next to me and saw my wife's face buried in the comforter and thought "Wow, I am lousy husband. This is worse than when I eat the Barbacoa Burrito at Chipotle."
8. Repeat - because even though I am hemming and hawing over the damaging effects of this cigar, it is a real treat. Masterfully made. Flavorful, with as many twists and turns as a Dan Brown novel. I picked this up at Fume in Montclair for $16 and its worth every penny.
9. Act like you know something and give it a high rating - like 92.

Nat Sherman Bench M-26N 1994

Today had to be the day.

It had to be the day that I picked up a cigar and got back to basics.  Back to writing this blog and sharing some knowledge.

Just in case you forgot what I looked like, here's a recent shot of me pretending to be a wax statue.

After early morning meetings and playing catch up at the office, I had a chance to take a break, and I made a b-line to Nat Sherman on 42nd and 5th and take a taste of their new Bench selection.  Locked away in the back of the walk-in humidor, the Bench selection smokes make their home.  I opted for the 1994 crop of the M-26N.  Its a robusto and of course, my rust is showing because I didn't ask the most important question - what does M-26N stand for.

I'll tell you what it stands for, it stands for a nutty, tight TIGHT smoke.  I mean the draw on this cigar, which seems a brownish green at the tip and funnels into a beigeish brown throughout the wrapper, is wound really tight.  As it warmed up, the cigar relaxes and unwinds, much like the one who enjoys the smoke.  On a sunny December day in Bryant Park, as the skaters glide by on the ice rink, relaxing is easy to do with this cigar.

The major flavors that I did pull from this were toasted walnuts, a bit of pepper, and a gritty earthy aftertaste.  The smoke content was rather light, both in the mouth and from the ash.  The ash was a mousy brown color that hit the ground hard and maintained perfect form.

The M-26N was a perfect reintroduction for me as we approach the holiday season.  A post-Thanksgiving cigar, especially after cooking the feast my wife and I prepared, was definitely in order on Turkey Day, but I waited until today to finally take a seat and enjoy.

Out of 100 points, I rank the Nat Sherman M-26N a strong 88.5.  I like a more spicy Robusto and one that draws a bit easier, but there's question that the construction on this is impressive and that this is one of Nat Sherman's finest selections on the market.