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.
Cremo Cigars are one of the industry’s best kept secrets. I’ve reviewed more than one Cremo Cigar in the past and I have always been very satisfied with this brand in terms of construction, flavor and overall quality.
Blend Specifics:
Wrapper: Connecticut
Filler: undisclosed
Wrapper: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 52
Appearance & Construction
This cigar features a light, chocolatey-brown wrapper. The band is a nice addition, with a silver, black, and creme colored color palette. The wrapper is flawless, with minimally visible veins, a soft touch, and a light oily sheen. I’m excited to light this cigar up after nearly six months sitting in my humidor.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
The first few puffs of this cigar reveal strong wood notes, some grass and hay, and a very slight buttery finish. Far from being a purely mild cigar, the smoke that I get off the light is a definite medium.
By about a quarter of an inch in, this cigar has pulled back considerably in body and is smoking easy, with grassy and woody notes taking center stage, while a pleasant graham cracker like flavor starts to emerge in the aroma and a light black pepper dances on my tongue.
Into the second third, the black pepper turns into a sweet and tangy note, adding nice complexity to the cigar journey. Still maintaining a mild-medium body by halfway through, the tasting notes begin to become more subtle, forcing the smoker to pay more attention.
In the final third, the cigar remains much the same, with notes of toasted bread, wood, grass, and a slight sweetness. About 1.5 hours after lighting, this cigar comes to a gentle halt. An excellent smoking experience.
Conclusion
I continue to be very impressed with offerings from Cremo Cigars. It’s a pity I can’t find them in more shops, or I would be buying them more often!
Fine Tobacco NYC recently did an event with Dominican Big Leaguer cigars and here is a review of their Habano line.
Blend Specifics
Cigar: Dominican Big Leaguer Habano
Vitola:Toro Grand Toro 6” x 54
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Appearance and Construction
The DBL Habano has a medium chocolate brown with a strong reddish tint wrapper. Color is mostly even throughout. The cigar has tight, almost invisible seams, minimal veins, and a nicely applied triple cap. Slightly oily sheen, dry satiny feel with a small amount of tooth. Nice soft sponginess and an appearance of good bunching, dense without any soft spots, it does have a light feeling in the hand.
Cold Aromas: There isn’t much smell off the wrapper, just a touch of cedar, a touch of oak, and something green, like cooked spinach or collard greens. On the foot however, there’s a nice mix of cinnamon forward, nutmeg, chocolate, a touch of black pepper, and vanilla on the settle. The cold draw presents that this cigar has a loose draw with lots of air flow, but that shouldn’t be an issue. The notes are nutmeg forward, cinnamon, dry oak, a touch of ginger, and very light notes of chocolate and coffee, and the faintest notes of a floral soapiness.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
First Third:The first notes are a nice deep oak, a heavy tobacco core with touches of cinnamon that appear pretty far back, and a black pepper kick on the finish. The very loose draw gives way to big plumes of smoke early on. The smoke is very light and airy. Settling in, the oak is the dominant note, accompanied with notes of cinnamon, lots of core tobacco notes, a little cedar, even less earthiness, and is rounded out with very light notes of chocolate and coffee. A not too heavy black pepper washes over on the finish. The aroma is very woodsy, with a nice cedar note and tobacco core. The ash burns to a flaky gray with some dark deposits. Burn line is pretty spot-on and close to being razor sharp. As the first third progresses through, the oak stands far out in front, while the pepper dies down and a bit of earthiness moves up. The profile is medium-full in body, medium to medium-full in strength, and medium-full in flavor. There’s also a bitter, herby, veggie flavor that comes into play, somewhere between parsley, basil, and fennel, and complements the oak nicely. The cigar has a strong emphasis on balance and there’s a nice roundedness that keeps the blend interesting. The ash holds well but one is inclined to tapping it off early due to its softness and flakiness. That roundedness is found in the slight earthiness and open airy floral notes. Very little to no spice at this point, which is still on the black pepper side. There’s also a tiny amount of saltiness, which is most noticeable in the room note.
Second Third: The ash fell off on its own between 1.5 and 1.75 inches and started losing its even burn line but still smoking phenomenally. The coffee has also come up a bit more. The smoke is still light and airy but is becoming a bit chewier on the palate. The oak still dominates, but adding to the earthiness is an ever so slight meatiness. The finish is clean and crisp but the flavoring and feeling last long on the palate. The profile is still medium-full in body, medium to medium-full in strength, and medium-full in flavor. Saltiness is also starting to become more present. The band comes off with minimal issues and is applied with self-adhesive glue. The paper itself can be a bit tricky though. The flavor and profile are holding consistent through the second third with still an emphasis on balance. The ash is flaky but it also still holds on well.
Final Third: Transitioning from the second to final third, the spice comes back up a bit and is on both the draw and finish. Oak is still present but dropping for a more overall tobacco core taste. Salt is minimal, coffee and chocolate way down, floral notes are pretty much gone. The veggie herbal is still around a bit, though. Airflow still provides big plumes of airy smoke; a very light but creamy smoke. The finish is still crisp and short, but leaves a tingle on the tongue and the flavor is dominated by the oak and black pepper, with hints of cedar, cardamom, and a more present thick and creamy smoke. Rounding out the final third is a slight fermented pungent taste along the lines of the earthiness but slightly different and not so much yet barnyard like. The cigar is very consistent and balanced throughout and is holding firm at medium-full in body, medium to medium-full in strength but getting closer to medium-full and medium-full in flavor. Still burning fairly cool down to the nub.
Final Thoughts
When I first encountered DBL cigars I tended to shy away due to their close resemblance to LFD cigars, in terms of packaging. Though after learning more about the company and their actual closeness and working under the tutelage of LFD and Arturo Fuente cigars it became clear why that resemblance was there. Well let that be- known as a mistake on my behalf. As DBL cigars are wholly its own when it comes to blending techniques.
The Habano is an all around, suitable for any time of day smoke. A nice, crisp, clean finish, and its not overwhelming profile make it such. Good before a meal, good after just waking up and good even after a meal; it’s a very versatile cigar. Not overly complex but enough to keep things interesting throughout the duration, but the real emphasis is on smoothness and balance. The smoke is neither harsh nor bitter but does carry a slight grittiness to it, but that’s more than ok, where at times a cigar that has some grip to it is quite desirable and is ever present here.
The profile is dominantly oak, cinnamon throughout the first two thirds, and a veggie herbal-ness along the lines of basil, parsley, fennel, and oregano with touches of thyme but also not unlike a clean, crisp mint. Minor notes throughout the smoke are chocolate, coffee, some soapy floral notes, and the black pepper that’s noticeable in the first and last thirds. The ash holds on nicely throughout while the smoke is clean, plumy and slightly chewy. The draw is open fairly wide, so this is one that should be smoked slowly, as to not over heat the cigar and to catch its acute nuances that pop-up throughout the smoking session.
Similar cigars would be Puros Rocha Toro Especial, Cesar Cigars Habano, LaFlorDominicana 1994
This is a review by Charlie Freeman, a frequent Fine Tobacco NYC event guest and a personal friend of mine. Enjoy the review, and drop a comment if you have thoughts!
In New York you can find just about any kind of cigar from around the world. You can even find Cubans if you know where to look. But lately I’ve been keen to find something that can only be found in New York itself. So what better place to start than with the Montecristo New York Connoisseur Edition? As the name suggests, this is a one-of-a-kind stogie that can only be found within the one-of-a-kind city whose name it bears.
Blend Specifics
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: Corona Gorda, Box-pressed
Dimensions: 6 x 60
Aesthetics, Construction and Feel
Before I have a chance to grasp this 6 x 60 behemoth in my hand I find myself drawn to both its size appearance and construction. Aside from a few subtle irregularities, the New York Connoisseur Edition’s box-press construction gives it a skyscraper-like appearance, fitting in perfectly with the Freedom Tower and Empire State Building when I hold it up against the New York skyline at the Hoboken Waterfront. To top it all off, the stick is completely soft spot-free; a sign of meticulosity on the part of the makers, to whom I tip my hat.
While the wrapper is smooth and oily to the touch and contributes much to the stogie’s skyscraper aesthetic, there are also some minor caveats. The wrapper is noticeably veiny and contains a few small cracks. Hence the big question: will these minor kinks prove to be enough hinder the smoke experience? Let’s find out!
Flavor and Smoke Characteristics
Upon lighting up I am quite pleased to be greeted by a smooth, well-balanced draw and a fairly thick cloud of smoke; a promising sign for the long journey ahead. Unfortunately, this journey contains a few roadblocks. Starting with a sizable crack that forms on the back not long after the light-up, the New York tends to canoe, most likely due to the aforementioned minor cracks throughout the wrapper. The result is my having to manually maintain the stick by rotating it and evening it out with matches.
Additionally, the New York has to be puffed regularly, with the smoke cloud becoming thinner as the interval between puffs becomes longer. About halfway through the ash becomes noticeably uneven, limping at an angle as seen in the image. However, there is an important silver lining in this particular kink. The box-pressed construction has resulted in a sturdy stogie that holds the ash quite well, right up to the last quarter of the stick, to be precise. This feature becomes all the more significant in light of my constant rotating and maintaining of the stick.
Finally, despite the wrapper showing signs of unraveling, the final quarter makes for a good finish as the stick begins to breathe more freely.
In terms of flavor the New York Connoisseur is quite consistent with pleasantly few surprises. From draw to nub this Monte delivers a rich smoke that wets the palate and is dominated by essences of coffee and oak wood. The draw is smooth, placed in a comfortable middle ground between creamy and leathery.
The Final Verdict
First and foremost I must make one thing clear: I bought this particular stick about two weeks before finally having the opportunity to smoke it. Thus it is quite possible that the smoke could have been even better than it already was, had I smoked it at an earlier time. That being said, the Montecristo New York Connoisseur Edition is an enjoyable medium-bodied smoke that does much justice to the city for which it is named. I highly recommend this cigar for any smoker who lives in or visits the city I am proud to call my home. It will be among the highest of high notes in your New York experience.
Final Grade: A-
Tips for a Perfect Smoke Experience
When smoking a creamy and oaky stogie such as this, one should never do so without a cappuccino in the opposite hand.
A good way to bring out the coffee flavor more is to counteract it with something sweet. To take a culinary queue from our good friends the French, place a grape on top of a cracker adorned with brie cheese and enjoy the ride.
Update: we’ve created a top-three list of our favorite cigars from Montecristo. You can see it here.
On Thursday, October 30th, New York City cigar and spirits aficionados are invited to the biggest Halloween pairing in recent history, hosted at the world-famous Carnegie Club. The event will feature whiskey and cocktails from Bulleit, cigars from Cesar Cigars, live music from Drew Nugent & The Midnight Society, raffles, a Roaring 20’s costume party, and more! This is a must-attend event for those who like to celebrate in style.
Guests will enjoy:
One glass Bulleit Bourbon
One Bulleit Rye cocktail
Choice of Cesar Cigars Habano or Maduro
Live Jazz from Drew Nugent & The Midnight Society
1920’s inspired costume contest!
Dress code: Business casual OR 1920’s style gangster/flapper costumes encouraged but not required.
Ticket price: $30 online, $40 at door
Jazz
Drew Nugent & The Midnight Society
Led by the accomplished pianist, trumpeter and singer, Drew Nugent, the band has been together for almost five years now. It has made quite a name for itself on the East Coast as one of the leading ensembles in the jazz vein for traditional, or HOT, jazz. This is what one could call the original jazz music. It lasted in popularity from roughly 1897- 1935 and was sadly thrown by the wayside in the wake of the swing music surge. The height of this musical phenomenon took place in the 1920s. The Jazz Age. For decades this music lie dormant, but here, almost 100 years later, Drew Nugent and the Midnight Society play these tunes as if they were written yesterday. Some even were! That’s because Drew Nugent himself, is a song writer in this style of music, and from time to time you will catch him and the boys playing one of Nugent’s own works.
The Midnight Society ensemble ranges in sizes from a trio to a 10 piece orchestra, maybe more if the occasion calls for it.
Though relatively new to the New York City market, Cesar Cigars, a Dominican puro blended by master blender Cesar Espinal, has made waves in the Miami cigar market for ultra-high quality construction, beautiful presentation, and an obsession with high quality tobaccos. This cigar was personally selected by Fine Tobacco NYC Tobacconist David Alicea for this special event.
Spirits Selection
Bulleit Bourbon
Bulleit Rye
*By signing up for this event, you give FineTobaccoNYC permission to send future cigar event invites via email.
FineTobaccoNY, would like to introduce an event created by Sonja Smith, David Alicea and Eric Driscoll of Liquid Tastings Events, and invite you to an exciting Wine, Distillery, Food Tasting and Live Music Event on Saturday, November 1, 2014.
This is a one day, two-part tasting in Westhampton NY at one of New York’s best kept secrets at Westhampton Fine Wine and LiV Vodka Distillery. Food pairings by popular 5 star restaurant, Starr Boggs! Flamingo/Latin Guitarist Virtuoso and World Renowned musician, Gyorgy Lakatose will be our Special Musical Guest. Vegas de Santiago Cigars of Costa Rica will provide a complimentary cigar for you to enjoy in private smoking areas.
This all-inclusive event will also cover private bus transportation departing NYC at 9:30 AM by bus in front of the Victory Theater on 42nd Street in Times Square, or you may simply drive and receive a $10 discount. Tickets are limited, so please be sure to reserve no later than Friday, October 31st. Please see complete details.
For additional information, please contact Sonia, David and Eric directly at liquidtastingsherf@gmail.com.
