Cigar Inn has always been a great place to smoke, and now patrons can expect even more. For just $20, anyone buying a box of cigars can have a custom design painted right on to their box. All customers have to do is submit a photograph to be painted on the box and wait about two weeks.
From the Cigar Aficionado release:
“All paintings are being done by New York-based artist Elena Yakovleva. Yakovleva, a graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, is the talented artist that Cigar Inn commissioned to paint a mural for its 1016 2nd Avenue location.”
I don’t often buy boxes of cigars from anywhere, let alone Cigar Aficionado (NY tobacco taxes are killer), but if I ever do buy an exclusive from Cigar Inn, this will definitely be a feature that I’ll be tacking on.
Vindicator by Oliva is a Famous Smoke shop exclusive. I managed to grab 5 from the website for a review. I paired a variety of drinks, including red wine, coffee, and water. Here’s the description from Famous Smoke, which I found to be, for once, totally spot on:
“Vindicator by Oliva cigars are an all-Nicaraguan blend of triple-fermented Ligero and Viso longfillers in Habano-seed binders and wrappers. The smoke is full strength and impressively bold up front. Settling into the medium-plus range of body, they become almost deceptively smooth, with dark tobacco flavors balanced by a light sweetness. Best enjoyed with a drink on a full stomach. Try a box with confidence: as with all Olivas, you get super high-quality at a really fair price!”
Construction on this cigar, after four smokes, was pretty much flawless. The wrapper is a rich brown with a reddish tint. No retouches, no relights, few veins, and very consistent throughout. The band seems to be, as others have put it, “a total rip off of Gurkha.” I agree. But, playing off of another brand is hardly an unforgiveable sin if the cigar is good. That’s what I set out to find on this cigar. On the foot, I get notes of spice, coffee, and something that reminds me very clearly of the cream soda I drank as a kid.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
I’m sure most readers will be a bit disappointed when I report that this cigar does not kick off with loads of cream-soda flavored smoke. However, I was excited to receive a nice initial kick of spice, followed by notes of roasted peanuts and cedar. Medium – full bodied smoke, with a really enjoyable retrohale. In the second third, the smoke remains fairly spicy, but the flavors deepen in richness and sweetness, and a slight slight grassiness appears as well.
In the final third, like clockwork, the spice picks back up and tickles my tongue.
Conclusion
Though this cigar has gotten less than glowing reviews on other sites, I would recommend trying this cigar – but you have to give it at least a couple of weeks before smoking it to let it settle. The first I had of my batch a few days after buying it was in dire need of some time. What is most special about this cigar (to me), is that in all four cigars I smoked, the retrohale was very, very satisfying, though for the life of me I couldn’t actually isolate the taste (readers – any idea what I’m tasting here?). A great $5 cigar – try it immediately.
UPDATE: The retrohale is, as best I can tell, a sort of tanginess
I’m glad to see someone is doing their homework, because the American Cancer Society and over 40 anti-tobacco groups certainly aren’t. A letter signed by anti-smoking groups arguing against HR 1639 (exempting cigars from FDA oversight) stated,
“We are particularly concerned about the wide range of products that would likely be exempted from any regulation under the bill, including Swisher Sweets Sweet Chocolate Blunts, Phillies Sugarillos Cigarillos (described on the box as “when sweet isn’t enough!”), White Owl grape Blunts Xtra, and Optimo peach Blunts. These products come in flavors and are among the most popular with youth.”
From the text of the letter, and some commentary posted by other anti-tobacco leaders, this exemption is some sort of sneaky ploy by big tobacco to shift away from marketing cigarettes to children to marketing cigars to children. And if that was the case, it really would be a pretty terrible thing.
Our friends at the American Cancer Society didn’t do their homework. As a letter from the IPCPR points out, the text of HR 1639 states that the exemption is for cigars that are “wrapped in leaf tobacco, contains no filter, and weighs at least 6 pounds per 1,000 count…”
If you know anything about Swisher Sweets, you’d know that they are not wrapped in leaf tobacco – a detail that the ACS probably missed, presumably because they don’t know anything about the premium cigar products they are trying to destroy.
Many thanks to the writers of HR 1639, who provided a short, concise exemption that keeps cheap, sweetened cigars highly regulated while trying to save the premium cigar industry.
I learned about a cigar shop located on 29th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues in May called Martinez Cigars. I stopped by Martinez Cigars and picked up two Don Antonio Escogido robustos. I am at Cigar Inn with the second cigar.
Blend Specifics
Size: 5 x 50 Robusto
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Sumatran
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Appearance & Constructions
There is a vein going down the left side of the cigar. The wrapper color changes slightly from the top to the bottom of the cigar. There is a faint hint of cedar and tobacco from the wrapper; the scents are more dominant on the cigar’s foot. The cold draw is firm with cedar, tobacco, and vanilla.
Flavor & Smoking Characteristics
The Escogido opens with cedar, coffee, and vanilla. Berry appears faintly in the background. The ash is a solid 1” salt and pepper ash. Entering the next part of the cigar, espresso and hazelnut appear with vanilla in the background. Maple and spice are on the retrohale. The smoke is creamy and the cigar is mild-bodied. The final third, vanilla and black coffee are now the dominant flavors as I near the cigars end. The cigar has plumes of smoke when I place it in the ashtray.
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed the Martinez Cigar Don Antonio Escogido and look forward to trying their other cigars. This is sa nice choice if you are looking to relax on a summer day with a mild smoke.
Grade: B+
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The Ravel Rooftop
Ladies and gents of the leaf,
First off, a huge shoutout to everyone who came out to our summer smoke at Studio Square – recap here. It was a great time, and a big shout out to our friends at Hispaniola Cigars, easily some of the highest quality cigars on the market today. Also, for those of you interested in the pending FDA regulation of cigars, check out our ongoing webseries, “Cigar Wars”, which will bring you up to speed.
I want to invite all of you to our next rooftop event at The Ravel Hotel, next Wednesday (July 25). The rooftop has great seating, a bar, and features a gorgeous view. We’ll also have live cigar rolling and a DJ, which will make for a magical evening. This event is RSVP only.
The conversation on regulating premium cigars continues, and it is getting a bit ugly. Anti-smoking groups are claiming that H.R. 1639, the bill that would exempt premium cigars from FDA oversight, also exempts tobacco products marketed to kids like Swisher Sweets and other flavored cigars. It might be good to have the full text of the two page bill on hand, which specifically points out that cigars exempted must be “wrapped in tobacco leaf” as opposed to the homogenized tobacco paper found in Swisher Sweets, etc.
To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to clarify the Food and Drug Administration’s jurisdiction over certain tobacco products, and to protect jobs and small businesses involved in the sale, manufacturing and distribution of traditional and premium cigars.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 15, 2011
Mr. POSEY (for himself, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. COLE, Mr. CALVERT, and Mrs. MILLER of Michigan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to clarify the Food and Drug Administration’s jurisdiction over certain tobacco products, and to protect jobs and small businesses involved in the sale, manufacturing and distribution of traditional and premium cigars.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011’.
SEC. 2. LIMITATION OF AUTHORITY WITH RESPECT TO PREMIUM CIGARS.
(a) Exception for Traditional Large and Premium Cigars- Section 901(c) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 387a(c)) is amended–
(1) in paragraph (2), in the heading, by inserting ‘FOR CERTAIN TOBACCO LEAF’ after ‘AUTHORITY’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘(3) LIMITATION OF AUTHORITY FOR CERTAIN CIGARS-
‘(A) IN GENERAL- The provisions of this chapter (except for section 907(d)(3)) shall not apply to traditional large and premium cigars.
‘(B) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION- Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to grant the Secretary authority to promulgate regulations on any matter that involves traditional large and premium cigars.
‘(C) TRADITIONAL LARGE AND PREMIUM CIGAR DEFINED- For purposes of this paragraph, the term ‘traditional large and premium cigar’–
‘(i) means any roll of tobacco that is wrapped in leaf tobacco, contains no filter, and weighs at least 6 pounds per 1,000 count; and
‘(ii) does not include a cigarette (as such term is defined by section 900(3)) or a little cigar (as such term is defined by section 900(11)).’.
(b) Conforming Amendments- Section 919(b) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 387s(b)) is amended–
(1) in paragraph (2)(B)(II), by inserting ‘, but excluding traditional large and premium cigars (as such term is defined under section 901(c)(3)’ before the period; and
(2) in paragraph (5) by inserting ‘subject to section 901(c)(3),’ before ‘if a user fee’.
What a bummer. The New York Knicks have failed to match Houston’s bid for their senior player Jeremy Lin. Houston made the star a 25 million dollar offer for a three-year contract.
He probably grew up thinking he needed a degree from Harvard to make that kind of money!
Anyway, this has Knick’s fans up in arms and is being hailed as owner Dolan’s crowning failure in a not-so-hot career of team strategery.
If you think American cigar smokers have it bad–think again. House Bill 5727, a bill currently pending in the Senate of the Philippines, will impose a 12,000% increase in the tax imposed per cigar, from P1.25 per cigar to P150 per cigar. You heard it right. That’s like paying $150 for a house blend.
“A Slim Panetela has a net selling price of 12.50 per cigar in a box of 25 cigars for P312.50 per box. If we apply the tax as per Sec 145 (A), the selling price of a Slim Panetela will jump to P162.50 per piece and a box of 25’s will sell for P4,062.50. This is a 1,300-percent increase in selling price.”
He also notes that any taxes the government plans on correcting from the hike won’t come through, because these businesses won’t exist.
So why is the Philippine government undermining the age-old tradition of its own people? Simple, it is being lobbied by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines to pass the bill “as soon as possible and without delay.”
As the cigar manufacturer points out, the tax will essentially clear out local businesses, in both alcohol and tobacco, and clear the way for European and other companies to enter the market without local competition.
Up for review today is the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro robusto. I should note here that I have a bit of a crush on Perdomo. To me, they are one of the best manufacturers of value cigars that compete with cigars two or three times their price. I paired this cigar with a cup of coffee and Coldplay in the background.
The Lot 23 features a beautiful, golden, chocolate brown maduro wrapper. The head is triple capped, there are few visible veins. I might be feeling overly sentimental this morning, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Perdomo makes fantastic cigars, and this one is a work of art. Scents off the foot include granola, coffee, and some cocoa.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
This cigar kicks off with medium bodied smoke featuring some spice notes and definite dark chocolate flavors.About 3/4 of an inch in, a leather note is added to the mix. Around 2/3, the spice has dropped considerably, and some subtle citrus notes have been thrown in. In the final third, the spice steadily builds back up and I’m really starting to feel the nicotine. No touch-ups were required for this smoke.
Conclusion
For the value, the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro is hard to beat. It has a great flavor profile, good construction, and is just a very enjoyable smoke, especially paired with coffee.
In the past few weeks, FineTobaccoNYC has been continuing our “Cigar Wars” series, centered on the fight over regulation of the premium cigar industry. We’ve posted quite a few articles from the perspective of the industry, particularly small businesses.
Recently, though, I’ve been reading articles presenting the other side of the issue, and I want to share one that I think presents a pretty good argument for the other side. In “Why protect cigars that are aimed at children?”, Marshall C. Deason of the American Lung Association presents his case for FDA regulation of cigars. I’d encourage you to click on the link and take a read.
For those of you don’t click the link, the most potent argument he makes (in my opinion), is that, if cigars are exempted from FDA oversight, tobacco companies will change their business strategy to market and sell more flavored cigars to children. He notes that products like cigarillos and Swisher Sweets would be exempted as well under the proposed exemption rules. Deason writes,
“Products that could claim to be exempted include Swisher Sweets blunts and cigarillos, which are available in flavors such as chocolate, strawberry, grape and peach, and Phillies cigarillos, which come in flavors including watermelon, sour apple, mango, banana and coconut. Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health show that Phillies and Swisher Sweets are among the most popular cigar brands among youth age 12-17.”
I’d be curious to know if our readers find Deason’s arguments compelling. What do you think?
Cigar Inn has always been a great place to smoke, and now patrons can expect even more. For just $20, anyone buying a box of cigars can have a custom design painted right on to their box. All customers have to do is submit a photograph to be painted on the box and wait about two weeks.
If you think American cigar smokers have it bad–think again. House Bill 5727, a bill currently pending in the Senate of the Philippines, will impose a 12,000% increase in the tax imposed per cigar, from P1.25 per cigar to P150 per cigar. You heard it right. That’s like paying $150 for a house blend.
