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.
The American cigar community continues its revolt against the FDA’s overreaching regulations. Michael Felberbaum explains for the Associated Press today what the regulations will likely look like:
“If it’s anything like the FDA’s regulation of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, that could mean banning certain flavors, requiring new health warnings, limiting the sizes and shapes of cigars, or imposing restrictions for marketing, advertising and retail sales. Cigars also may be restricted from being sold separately and the agency also could limit the amount of nicotine in the products.”
He goes on to describe the effect on the cigar industry in the United States.
“The premium cigar industry argues any number of the potential restrictions could hurt both cigar makers and specialty tobacco stores, whose products make up only a small fraction of tobacco sales, don’t pose the same concerns as cigarettes, and the range of sizes and shapes of cigars makes across-the-board standards almost impossible.”
He continues,
“Cass and Spann have joined with others in the cigar industry to seek a change in Congress to protect premium hand-rolled cigars from FDA regulation and save 85,000 small business jobs around the country. Resolutions in both the House and the Senate remain in committee.
In the House, the resolution sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, a Republican from Florida — home to many of the nation’s premium cigar makers — has gained more than 200 co-sponsors. The Senate resolution, sponsored by Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, also from Florida, has more than 10 co-sponsors.”
In recent months, my cigar smoking has taken me away from the Cigar Inn on 52nd and over to the Nat Sherman townhouse on 42nd and 5th avenue. The store now features plenty of room to sit down and enjoy your smoke, and the world-class ventilation really helps keep the smoke enjoyable. I’ve recently been on a bit of a Padron kick, so I figured I’d give the Padron 3000 a short review.
Construction & Appearance
The 3000 has a similar appearance to other Padron maduro cigars. A dark, almost rustic brown Nicaraguan wrapper with tooth, a few veins, and the standard Padron band. With this cigar you’ll also find nearly perfect burn all the way down, usually requiring no touch-ups at all. The draw is slightly loose, which can account for the power I usually get from the larger ring gauges. Off of the foot of the cigar you’ll also notice a strong natural tobacco aroma that has heavy notes of leather and spice.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
This cigar opens up with a big, dry spice, with hints of sweet tobacco and some leather. If you’ve had the 2000, 6000, 7000, etc, you know that the size and ring guage on this cigar makes a big difference in the taste. As I move further in to this cigar, it is obvious that, though not as sweet and chocolaty as the 2000, this cigar has (in my opinion) better balance of flavors than the 6000 or 7000. At about 2/3, the strength and body of this cigar continue to build, with notes of coffee, cocoa powder, spice, and leather. My only complaint smoking this stick is that it, because of the ring gauge, this cigar can be a bit overpowering.
Conclusion
This isn’t, as other reviewers have noted, a cigar for beginners. The new cigar smoker will get smoked-out very quickly. But, for the veteran, this is a must-try. I’d also recommend the 2000 series.
Here at FineTobaccoNYC, we’re always meeting new cigar lovers, and every once in a while we meet someone so passionate about cigars that we have to ask them to come on board with us to help promote this truly incredible passion that we share. I first met Ronnie Parisella at a cigar event out in Brooklyn and enjoyed conversing with him about New York tobacco politics and our favorite cigars. Ronnie is a representative for Cigar Rights of America, and Kelvin, Dave, James, Tim and I are glad to have him on board as a contributing writer. His knowledge of the culture, art, and politics of cigars is really impressive.
After more good conversation and shared vision, Ronnie expressed interest in writing for the site. So, look forward to seeing valuable articles from him this week and beyond.
As you can tell from his professional biography below, Ronnie is a talented businessman and a passionate cigar aficionado. Welcome to the team Ronnie!
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Ronnie Parisella
Ronnie Parisella joined Power Consulting Group as the Director of Information Technology in January 2011. Power Consulting Group is an IT consulting and managed services firm founded in 1992 Based in NYC and specializing in Managed Services, Network Security and Disaster Recovery Planning for the educational and financial verticals. Power Consulting also helps its clients with federal regulatory work like HIPAA and PCI compliancy. In his role as Director of Information Technology, Mr. Parisella works with many IT industry leading companies, including Microsoft, SonicWALL, Symantec, Dell, Ingram Micro, VMWare and Hewlett Packard.
In his previous role as Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Primary Support Solutions, Mr. Parisella was responsible for the technology recommendations of such high-profile clients as Burberry, Forbes.com, The Galleon Group, National Financial Partners and Cerebus Capital Management.
Prior to founding Primary Support, Mr. Parisella was the Director of Information Technology for the New York New Media Association (NYNMA) (2000-2002). In this role, Mr. Parisella worked closely with entrepreneurs and technology leaders. At its peak, NYNMA boasted membership of over 9,000 of New York’s IT Investment community (C-Level executives, venture capitalists, angel investor and startups).
Mr. Parisella served as the Information Technology Project Manager for Scholastic Books (1998-2000). In this role he led Scholastic’s successful Y2K rollout (2,500 desktops in four months) including the design, management and implementation of the project. He also designed their Windows 2000 rollout. Mr. Parisella specialized in designing and integrating workflow procedures for Scholastic’s high-level deployment scenarios.
Prior to 1998, Mr. Parisella consulted for many industry-leading companies including Charles Schwab, MTV Networks, McGraw-Hill Companies and Philip Morris.
Mr. Parisella was recently highlighted as a top Information Technology Entrepreneur and as a leading CTO under age 40 by VAR Business Magazine. His work as a technology leader has led to him being a frequent commentator on IT best practices for small and mid-sized businesses.
In the community, Mr. Parisella is an Ingram Micro SMB Alliance Advisory Council Member, leads the the NYC Tri-State Area User Group for Autotask, and participates in many vendor-led initiatives.
Additionally, Mr. Parisella was appointed the chairman of the New York Chapter of the Cigar Rights of America more commonly known as the “CRA.” “Cigar Rights of America was founded on the principle of fighting for the freedom to enjoy cigars. CRA is a consumer-based, non-profit public advocacy organization that works with local, state and federal governments to protect the freedoms of cigar enthusiasts”
After dropping by the Cigar Inn, I decided to give a quick review of the Viaje Fifty Fifty. After my first Viaje white label, I was intrigued and excited about this brand. They make some truly flavorful, predominantly Nicaraguan cigars and I would highly recommend giving anything in their line a try. I brought with me a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee (I know, not the best), clipped, lit the cigar, and took a seat in the beautiful Cigar Inn lounge.
Here’s a bit about this particular cigar from the Viaje website:
Fifty Fifty is a special project that took a great deal of time to perfect. The idea behind Fifty Fifty is to offer the ability to enjoy two different flavor profiles while smoking the same cigar. Fifty Fifty’s components are a closely-guarded secret, but two distinct blends were formulated to make up the cigar. Joining the two blends was a challenge that was difficult to perfect. Each cigar is carefully crafted taking triple the amount of time a normal cigar takes to roll. The cigar comes wrapped in a dark, oily Nicaraguan cover leaf with two binders holding the filler in place. Fifty Fifty starts out as a rich medium bodied cigar before transition into a bold, full-bodied smoke. This is a first for the industry we know you will enjoy.
This cigar has really solid construction. The band, though elaborate, is not too busy. In the forefront is the Viaje triple leaf, and circling the band in gold lettering is “Fifty.” Veins are minimal and there is a light spring to the touch. The wrapper smells of sweet natural tobacco, with hints of coffee. The draw is fairly resistant but not prohibitive.
Taste & Smoke Characteristics
This is one powerful Nicaraguan cigar. On lighting up, I’m greeted with full bodied, full strength smoke that is not overpowering, but is very sweet has a tinge of spice, and leaves a nice tingling on the front of my tongue. The texture of the smoke is silky smooth and earthy, the flavor is sweet, with notes of coffee and a bit of cocoa. About an inch in, I can tell this cigar is bold. As others have noted, this cigar is pretty complex, so you won’t want to puff it too quickly or the flavors will probably be a wash.
At about halfway through, the flavors remain strong. I should also note that the burn on this cigar has been straight the whole way through, revealing dark salt and pepper ash. My only complaint is that it just hasn’t delivered as far as the volume of smoke goes—I find myself really working to get a good amount.
And just like that a few puffs later, the smoke problem vanishes and I get a better sense of the taste. I’m also glad that I have something to drink, because this is one powerful cigar. The final third really opens up and introduces a slightly savory note which matches really well with the smooth sweetness. I do not want this stick to end.
Conclusion
If you are in to powerhouse cigars that don’t overwhelm the palate, this is a cigar for you. Although it had a bit of trouble opening up early on, when this cigar kicks in, you are in for a treat. Not many cigars can combine tremendous strength and full flavors with complete smoothness of texture.
My first Savinelli cigar was the Extremely Limited Reserve, a fantastic cigar that I’d highly recommend. After that, I knew I needed to smoke more Savinelli cigars, but I didn’t know where to look — they’re still pretty difficult to find. My luck changed, however, at a FineTobaccoNYC HERF at Hoboken Cigars, where I found a box of the Nicaragua Reserve hiding on the lower shelves. Needless to say, I was excited.
Blend Specifics
Wrapper: Habano 2000 Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Savinelli Nicaragua Reserve Band
Appearance & Construction
Is this cigar box pressed or not? The head of the cigar doesn’t seem box pressed at all, but you’ll notice the photo of the foot reveals that the cigar has definitely been pressed to some degree. Nothing wrong with that – just wasn’t expecting such an inconspicuous press. Aside from that, this is one beautiful cigar. The dark brown wrapper has a variety of shades, from milk-chocolate brown to dark, bark brown. The band carries the Savinelli crest, and the back of the band denotes “Nicaragua Reserve.” The cigar is oily, slightly spongy, and gives a bit when squeezed. My only complaint is that the draw seems a bit restrictive.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
Cigar kicks off with some coffee notes, and a light spice. About an inch in, the flavor is pleasant but hasn’t changed much. I’ve picked up a hint of floral, and the texture of the smoke has become slightly creamy. Good, but not a profile or strength I’d consider special. About halfway through, I’m not picking up many new notes – some hints of sweetness and nuttiness. In the final third, the smoke is still smooth and enjoyable, but little has changed.
Conclusion
As much as I hate to say it, this cigar was a disappointment. Did it taste “bad?” No. But “bad” isn’t the standard that I would hold a brand like Savinelli to. They make good cigars. I would just have a difficult time placing this one among their best. I recommend avoiding this cigar HOWEVER in the same breath I have to recommend their ELR or Liga Especial blends.