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.
Up for review today is the Aging Room Sungrown Solera Fantastico (Toro). The Solera line was released at IPCPR 2016 and since then has gained significant traction in the U.S. and international market. This line is particularly visible on social media because the large double-bands make this line impossible to miss on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
A beautifully constructed cigar in just about every way. The brown wrapper has a marblized texture, and veins are minimal. The draw is perfect, with just a bit of restrictiveness. The branding is also extremely well done, both from a practical standpoint (it stands out on the shelves) and also aesthetically.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
This cigar opens with mild to medium bodied smoke. Initially, there are touches of pepper and strong woodiness, but at about 3 – 4 minutes in, additional floral notes and touches of peanuts are present. The rest of the first third is dominated by round, smooth smoke and soft floral, peanut, and oak notes. Strength increases to a solid medium.
The second third changes dramatically, with the smoke becoming more dry, with notes of black and white pepper, spices, dry wood, with a touch of the peanuts from the third before.
In the final third, the smoke remains more dry than the first third, but the smoke becomes smoother than the second. Notes include dry cedar and bitter espresso. The smoke gets a bit hot near the end so I put the cigar out.
Conclusion
For under $9, this cigar is a must-smoke. It has what many $10+ cigars don’t have: clear, distinct notes, complex aromas, great construction, and a great look.
Final Grade: A-
Buy the Aging Room Solera Sungrown from Famous Smoke Shop (our preferred retailer) here.
The Tabernacle by Foundation Cigar Co has been making big waves since its release in 2016, particularly on social media and some blogs where it has some die hard fans. I picked one up at Cigar Inn on 53rd and 2nd ave almost by accident a few weeks ago, and after smoking it decided I needed to come back to it for a review.
TLDR: does ti live up to the hype? I think so (read on below to find out why). The Tabernacle, though not overly complex, produces some very definite notes that will leave lovers of darker cigars hypnotized.
Blend Specifics
Producer: Foundation Cigar Co.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan (Connecticut Broadleaf)
Binder: Mexican San Andreas
Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran
Size: Corona (5 1/4 x 46)
Appearance & Construction
Off the bat, I love the branding on this cigar. Looking past the fact that the name is a bit sacrilegious, the color combinations and art on this band are phenomenal and leave a lasting impression (exactly what a band should do). The wrapper itself is a rustic dark brown that has a velvety texture to the touch.
The draw is mostly free and, if any past Tabernacle’s I’ve smoked are any indication, there will be plenty of smoke produced for this review.
Smoke & Flavor Characteristics
Smelling the foot of the cigar, I pick up notes of chocolate, some cedar, whiffs of caramel and some hay.
Lighting up the Tabernacle is a lot like lighting up a dark chocolate bar sprinkled with sea salt. Extremely smooth and opulent smoke. As the minutes inch on, the smoke builds in flavor and strength, adding white and black pepper and cedar. The cigar produces a lot of smoke.
Working into the second third, I’m picking up notes of peanuts and butter on top of the chocolatey base. The texture is reminiscent of marshmellow. The burn is pretty good, though not perfect, and the cigar stays lit for a decent amount of time — just don’t set it down for more than 3 – 4 minutes or you’ll have to relight.
In the final third, the peanut note is back and more prominent than before, along with a marshmallow like flavor.
Conclusion
The Tabernacle is an easy recommendation. Anyone who likes full bodied cigars that are complex, spot on in terms of flavors, and just undeniably enjoyable will love this smoke.
Final Grade: A
Buy The Tabernacle from Foundation Cigar Co from Famous Smoke Shop (our preferred retailer) here.
Let me start by saying I’m not a big fan of Jim Beam bourbon. There’s always been something on the back end of the flavor and finish of this brand that has bothered me. But, a week ago I was at my favorite liquor store in Queens (36th Ave Wine & Spirits), and saw that a bottle of Jim Beam Signature Soft Red Wheat was on sale for far below it’s typical price. So I thought, what the heck. I’ll give it a try. Below is the whiskey review.
Specifics
Distiller: Jim Beam
ABV: 45%
Age: 11 Years
Mashbill: 76% corn, 13% red winter wheat, 10% malt
Appearance
The bottle itself is very beautiful, and well branded. Gives it a look of quality that most bottles of American whiskey simply don’t have. The color of the whiskey is a deep amber.
Nose
Vanilla, some spice, oak, and some fruity apricot notes.
Taste
On first sip, there’s a lot going on in this whiskey. Although in other whiskies that might amount to high ratings for complexity, in this whiskey I find it just… confusing. Yes, there’s oak, some spice too. But I find myself thinking that this whiskey would be better off with some rye in it. I just don’t see what the wheat component is adding besides making the whiskey feel and taste just a bit drier than a typical bourbon in a rather unpleasant way.
Finish
The finish is long and spicey, probably my favorite part of this whiskey. But even here there is on the back end of the finish that Beam bourbon aftertaste that I’m not attracted to.
Conclusion
I mentioned previously that I got this whiskey at a steep discount from its normal $45 – $50 price. I would never pay that much for a 375 ml bottle of this whiskey. Even at the discounted price of under $25, I don’t think I’ll be returning and this bottle will have to sit on the shelf and wait for a guest to request a Beam whiskey
When it comes to online cigar shops, consumers have a lot of options (ranked here!). But when it comes to cigar auction sites, there are two options: Cigar Bid and Cigar Auctioneer.
Of course, the question then is: which is better? The short answer is that Cigar Auctioneer is currently the better choice by far. Though both websites have great selection and similar shipping rates, Cigar Bid has had serious issues delivering cigars that are properly humidified. Their customer service as well is quite lacking, with many users reporting that after receiving incorrect orders or damaged cigars, the Cigar Bid team was nearly impossible to reach and unresponsive.
With that being said, below is a more exhaustive breakdown of the differences in features, quality, shipping, and more of the two major cigar auction websites. I look at a few factors:
Features
Selection
Prices
Product Quality
Shipping
User experience
Customer service rating
Features – too close to call
First, let’s go over the most basic differences. Cigar Auctioneer has three types of auctions: one item/one winner, multiple items/multiple winners, and multiple items/one winner.
Cigar Bid has those categories as well, and also has “Quick Buy” and “Freefall.” Freefall lots are displayed with prices decreasing, live—I am actually not sure how much value these provide. Quick Buy lots are discounted packs of cigars that can be purchased for a slightly higher—though still highly discounted—rate on the spot.
One advantage I see with Cigar Auctioneer on the features side is the lot history function, which allows you to see the past, present and future lots for a particular brand—perfect if you know exactly what you want and have the patience to wait and be notified. This is a big plus for me. So on this category, the two websites tie.
Selection – Cigar Auctioneer
There’s no quick answer here. Both have good selection, though I think Cigar Auctioneer has more mainstream brands than Cigar Bid does. As a fan of Davidoff cigars, I did notice that Cigar Auctioneer has more from that brand, but from what I’ve seen both sites have different product on display at different times. Cigar Auctioneer wins on this category.
Prices – Cigar Auctioneer
Prices on Cigar Bid, though good, tend to be a bit higher simply because it seems to be the leader in auctions by volume. It’s pretty simple: if more people are bidding, the bids will go higher, as some have reported. On the other hand, Cigar Auctioneer sets a higher minimum bid price.
Product Quality – Cigar Auctioneer
This is one area where Cigar Bid quite unfortunately falls behind. In the probably half dozen orders I’ve received from Cigar Bid, I’ve often had cigars that were underhumidified or cracked. It’s one thing to get a great deal on cigars and get what you ordered. It’s something else entirely to order cigars for cheap and then find out later they might have been cheap because they were improperly handled!
I’ve never had this issue with Cigar Auctioneer. They win the product quality category easily.
Shipping – Tie
Cigar Bid and Cigar Auctioneer are fairly close here. Regardless of what website you are using, it is important to get multiple items shipped in the same box to save on shipping costs.
User Experience – Cigar Bid
I’ve got to say, as much as I like Cigar Auctioneer in terms of quality and selection, I really hate the look and feel of their website. Cigar Bid does a great job of advertising the great deals that they have, and their daily newsletter does a good job of describing new products that go on sale. Cigar Bid wins this category easily.
Customer Service Rating – Cigar Auctioneer
Cigar Bid has had issues selling cigars that they don’t have—where the user wins the auction and is later notified that the cigar isn’t available (this happened to me twice). It’s a frustrating situation, and has been documented by other users.
In fact, Cigars International (the parent company for Cigar Bid), has had a truly awful couple of years. With technology issues and customers receiving incorrect orders and then not having the order corrected, they’ve really dug themselves into a hole that they will have a hard time getting out of. Cigar Auctioneer on the other hand has great ratings with users and I can’t find any consistent negative reviews online.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, Cigar Auctioneer is the site I recommend to use for cigar auctions. They carry more of the brands that I enjoy, and make it easier for me to track when my favorite brands come on sale. I also know that the quality of the product will be consistently great, and that if I have an issue, I’ll have Famous Smoke Shop‘s customer service there if I have any issues.
Only note to the Cigar Auctioneer team: at least make those product photos bigger… please!
I haven’t always been a fan of Montecristo (Altadis). I’ve found many of their classic blends are either a) uninteresting, b) bad, or worst, uninteresting and bad all at once. However, in recent years this brand has released some really incredible blends, some of which have found themselves on my Monthly Burn email recommendation list. I picked up the Montecristo Grupo de Maestro Private Batch III at Davidoff Madison Ave a couple of weeks ago, hoping that this blend would present a flavorful and quality addition to the Montecristo line.
For this review, I happened to be on business in Toronto, so if that marble countertop looks like a typical Marriott suite bathroom, that’s because it is. However, since smoking is illegal anywhere indoor, that leaves only the damned permafrost that is outdoor Canada. So I ended up smoking this cigar in a sketchy back-alley.
Thank God it was a good cigar.
Blend Specifics
Company: Montecristo
Size: 6.125 x 52 Belicoso
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Santo Domingo
Filler: DR, Nicaragua, Peru
Appearance
This cigar sports a slightly reddish brown wrapper and is moderately soft to the touch. I like the double band branding, not sure if it was originally the Psyko Seven that pioneered it, but I certainly enjoy the option to still have a band on the cigar once the large main band is taken off.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
Opens solid medium body. Very balanced flavors of wood, cream, floral notes, touches of white pepper and hints of spice on the finish. Very good.
After an inch, body increases to full, with notes of dry wood and grass. And lots of salt. About one third in, the balance is a bit off now, now in too assertive territory, leaving me hoping that it backs down. The burn is wavy, at times bordering on canoe. Strength goes up and down up through to the first half. Overall very enjoyable and very complex.
Now in the final third, flavors alternate now between semisweet and salty/woody, with a buttered popcorn flavor at times. Sooooo tasty, and this experience solidifies this as a very favored cigar for me.
Body picks up considerably in the final third – and I forgot a glass of water to go along with! I won’t make that mistake next time.
Conclusion
The Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III is another win for Montecristo. At roughly $16, this isn’t a no-brainer since that price point has a lot of competition. But if you enjoy full bodied, complex smoke that doesn’t stray into cliche, this is a great cigar to pick up.
One warning: this is an extremely limited blend — only 300 boxes were made. So if you see this, pick it up. Or, save yourself the time and purchase online at our preferred online retailer, Famous Smoke Shop. If the blend is out of stock, take a quick trip over to my previous post about my top Montecristo cigars.
