Brand evangelist, digital marketer, cigar and spirits expert specializing in consumer tasting and educational events. Matthias made the long trek from his hometown of Portland, Oregon to New York City in 2007, and in nine years has hosted more than 120 events and helped promote and launch dozens of cigar and whiskey brands in the U.S. In 2016, he joined the Cigar Journal Tasting Panel, blind-reviewing pre and new release cigars.
My quest to learn the basics of the spirits world recently carried me to the far reaches of youtube. In particular, I wanted to find some sort of brief article or video explaining the history of Johnnie Walker, one of the most popular whiskey brands in the world, and also a brand that we see at our cigar events everywhere.
The Casa Magna Colorado was the #1 Cigar Aficionado cigar of 2008, and it was the first cigar to make me say “wow” (after the CAO Italia in my earlier cigar smoking days). For the money, it is incredibly hard to beat this cigar, but be warned: do not smoke this on an empty stomach or without something to drink, preferably something that will not crowd out the magnificent complexity of this cigar. I smoked this cigar at Cigar Inn.
The first thing to notice on (any cigar), the band, is gorgeous. Black, gold, white, and red colors are applied to a thick, textured material. MAGNA figures prominently on the band, with “Colorado” placed below. This cigar has an average amount of veins, and can (at times) burn a bit off, but touchups are few and far between. There is also a good amount of tooth, and some plume, on this cigar. The draw is nearly always perfect (on the slightly restrictive side). The stick is triple capped. Off the foot is tastes of nuts and berries.
Taste & Smoke Characteristics
The first thing I notice about the smoke from this cigar is the texture. The Colorado is well balanced between an almost creamy texture mixed with a bit of spice that coats the palate. Immediately discernible notes are coffee, roasted nuts, black pepper, and a slight saltiness that hits the tip of my tongue. This cigar delivers loads of flavor.
In the second third of this cigar, coffee becomes prominent, with an added note of chocolate. The smoke remains cool and smooth, even into the last few minutes of the cigar. All the while, the nuts, black pepper, slight saltiness, and coffee transition in prominence.
Conclusion
If you haven’t already, smoke this cigar. For the price, it is difficult to find a better full bodied cigar that stays complex and smooth all the way through. This is not a beginner cigar, or something to smoke in the morning. Also, beware of pairing a drink that will overpower as you’ll lose the complexities.
Buy this cigar. Or if you are in the city, find it at Cigar Inn.
Patrick over at StogieGuys posted some nice commentary on Thursday (5th July) about the value of cigar events. In “Cigar Events Worth Attending and Fighting For”, Patrick gives a brief rundown of his time at Famous Smoke Shop’s “Cigarnival,” which was hosted by Famous Smoke shop in Easton, Pennsylvania.
Somewhat fittingly, this article was posted on the same day that we hosted our first outdoor summer smoke of 2012 (this is our third summer at FineTobaccoNYC!). Always glad to read that there are many other cigar smokers in the region who believe in getting cigar smokers together for a HERF.
One of my new favorite whiskey blogs, “Whiskey For Everyone,” just published a post on July 4th that I thought many of you Belvanie lovers might appreciate (*cough* Kelvin *cough*). The gentlemen at Whiskey For Everyone recently visited the Balvenie distillery in Dufftown, Scottland. While at the distillery, they were given an extensive tour of the entire production process.
According to the website, Whiskey For Everyone is a blog that attempts to “demistify the sometimes daunting world of the whisky industry by explaining in layman’s terms about the language, processes, terminology and answering commonly asked questions.” Take a few minutes, drop by the blog, and bookmark it if you like it!
I came across a really interesting article today on StogieGuys.com about the (somewhat) impractical size of a boxes of cigars. To summarize the article: “I don’t need 20 cigars in a box.” The honest truth is, for most of us that are committed to cigar smoking enough to even consider buying a box, we’re likely to smoke a wide variety of cigars, which includes online purchases, store purchases, and gifts from friends. Factor all of this in, and buying a box of 20 can, as StogieGuys points out, take years to smoke.
If you’re a more well-to-do cigar smoker, I know what you’re thinking: “that’s why I age my cigars.” Quite understandable. But for most of us, StogieGuys has a point: ten is just fine.
