Digging through my humidor looking for an afternoon cigar to relax with during a cold and blustery afternoon I came upon a Cuban Regional Edition from El Rey del Mundo called the Petit Compania. I remember several years ago I picked these up in Paris at La Civette tobacco shop. They have quite a selection of Habanas there albeit at less then modest prices. This cigar was a 2009 Regional Edition via Cuba for France. I enjoyed this cigar quite a bit walking the Champs-Elysees on a warm summer afternoon at that time. Since I haven’t had one in a while I decided to light one up. Enjoy!
Blend Specifics
Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba
Size: 5″ x 50″ Petit Piramide
Appearance and Construction
There’s a velvety feel to this wrapper that has two pronounced veins along side with a soft spot toward the label. The silver and red secondary band reads “Exclusivo Francia” denoting its regional designation. The size is attractive if you are looking for an afternoon smoke that will not take up your whole day.
Flavor and Smoke Characteristics
An initial blast of spice comes through that dissipated after a few puffs. The Peitit Compania offers a good deal of smoke along with leather rounded out by a creaminess on the palate. Midway the cigars dark gray ash gets crooked however the smoking experience was not diminished.
As the cigar progressed notes of graham cracker spices came through with refined tobacco flavors. Age has done this cigar well. As I was enjoying the smoke I removed the secondary band. The last third gave a richness that comes with well aged tobacco interspersed with a floral character along with nougat and a creamy long finish. A wonderfully complex ending to the cigar.
Conclusion
I’ve smoked a lot of Regional cigars and they can be hit or miss. Inevitably the argument of cost versus quality always comes up. My opinion is if you are enjoying the cigar you purchased then regardless of price it is worth it to me. When a cigar falls short on quality I take issue with this. I don’t subscribe to comparing any cigars price to another cigar in terms of how the cigar tasted. If you bought that cigar and the quality was there then it was a quality smoke. Of course you can buy lesser cigars that are of fine quality but for me its about tasting as much as I can and creating those pleasant experiences. For me the El Rey del Mundo Exclusivo Francia Petit Compania was a quality smoke well worth the money and since they now have some age on them you can experience what fine tobacco can be like. I believe these are still available so it isn’t some rare cigar that is impossible to acquire. If you can grab a box I think you’ll be happy with the purchase.
Like many cigar smokers, the name Perdomo brings back fond memories of my earliest days smoking. Lot 23 Maduro, for instance: one of the first cigars I ever reviewed. So I was excited to finally get a chance to review the 20th Anniversary Maduro.
Beautiful branding and a great overall look. The wrapper of the Perdomo 20th Anniversary is a deep dark chocolate brown that sports a lot of oils as well. Just a touch of toothiness. The cold draw is slightly restrictive and gives clear notes of sweet granola, chocolate, hay, and earth.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
The 20th Anniversary Maduro kicks off with medium bodied smoke with notes of black pepper, bittersweet dark chocolate, dry cedar strips, some salt and other spices. The spices border more on being akin to hot peppers. Combine that with the dry cedar and you’ll need a drink to go along with this cigar.
Into the second third the cigar changes considerably. The hot pepper tones down (my palate is thankful) and moves more toward the retrohale, and the flavor becomes a bit sweeter, with the dark chocolate note becoming a bit more like milk chocolate. Additionally, there is a slightly savory note akin to beef jerky.
By half in, the peppers are still drawing down, and the texture of the Smoke is changing from very dry to slightly creamy.
In the final third, the smoke becomes dry again, a shift I’m not a big fan of.
Conclusion
Overall, I wasn’t impressed with the Perdomo 20th Anniversary Maduro. My favorite part of this cigar was probably the first 10 minutes, but I found after about an inch in the pepper notes and dry consistency of the smoke too much to be enjoyable. You’re better off sticking with other classic cigars from Perdomo like the Champagne 10th Anniversary or Champagne Noir.
I’ve been a well known fan of the team at Ashton and San Cristobal Cigars for a long time now. They create some of the most well balanced, flavorful cigars in their price range. So when I chanced upon a few San Cristobal Quintessence cigars at Nat Sherman on 42nd st, I picked them up for this review.
Enough chit chat, let’s find out how this cigar performs.
Blend Specifics
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Size: 5.5″x 50 (Robusto)
Appearance and Construction
Like other San Cristobal cigars, the Quintessence is moderately soft to the touch. There are some veins apparent, as well as other minor imperfections. The wrapper is just a shade lighter than milk chocolate. The band features the beautiful artwork so typical of San Cristobal, with the parrot centered dramatically.
Flavor and Smoke Characteristics
First third kicks off plenty with of smoke. Notes include black pepper, wood, toasted bread, and a slightly sweet, creamy flavor. It’s apparent right away that this is a sipping cigar: one that has a delicate balance of flavors and shouldn’t be smoked too quickly or flavors degrade. By an inch in, the flavors have diversified. The pepper has drawn back and joining it are notes of cloves, vanilla, and grass.
By the halfway mark, the flavor has moved from medium to medium full. Whereas in the first third the pepper was dominant on the retrohale, in the second third the retrohale is a bit gentler. By halfway, construction has remained solid and smoke production is still high
Moving into the final third, notes include pepper, some salt, floral, and creamy sweetness. Body is solid medium.
Conclusion
I don’t know what the guys at Halfwheel were smoking when they gave this cigar an 82 rating (ok, theirs is the Bellicoso size). The San Cristobal Quintessence is a phenomenal cigar for the new or veteran Smoker. You can buy the San Cristobal Quintessence from Famous Smoke Shop, our recommended retail partner, here.
Two months ago I was in Orlando and visited Cigarz at Waterford. It’s a beautiful shop with a select choice of premium cigars. Israel Markevitz who is part owner and a cigar connoisseur with over a decade of experience in the industry has managed shops in Florida as well as New York. Israel recommended I try a boutique cigar by a small company called Southern Classic. They have several lines which they produce out of a small factory in Esteli Nicaragua. I’ve smoked many so-called “Boutique” cigars that were no more than passion projects of someone who knew little of the industry and the cigars smoked like poorly processed tobacco. I was pleased to hear that the company owner Eloy employs a hands on approach with the production and quality of his cigars as well as meticulously working on the blends and profiles. I purchased the Cucubano robusto and was taken back by the way cigar tasted.
The Cucubano sports an attractive dark brown wrapper with a well made triple cap. It has slight veins and is packed well with tobacco. There is a distinct yet unassuming blue and silver band which covers a good portion of the top of the cigar.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
The cigar starts off with sweet cream and a bit of spice. The mouthfeel delivers savory notes and the creaminess coats the palate. Midway hints of cocoa and spice intertwine all the while keeping a clotted cream richness that compliments the smoke throughout. The construction and burn on this cigar was excellent.
The final third yielded the same creamy profile that made the cigar a pleasure smoke. The retrohale produced spice and cedar with a long finish. I smoked this cigar to the nub and was left wanting more.
Conclusion
Having no experience with this producer I was extremely impressed with this cigar. The attention to detail and quality is evident and I would not hesitate to purchase a box. This cigar is ready to smoke straight away and I would be curious to see how it develops with age. In an industry overblown with designer and boutique blends that can fall short, Cucubano shows that when you care enough to be involved with production from begin to end you can create a truly memorable cigar. I was pleased to happen upon Southern Classic and look forward to tasting the other lines in their portfolio. Unfortunately I do not believe they have East Coast distribution yet however I spoke to Israel and they can ship anywhere. If you are looking to try them you can contact his store as I believe you will not be disappointed.
Purchased at Cigarz at Waterford, Orlando Florida #(407) 704-6926
It isn’t often in the world of spirits (or cigars for that matter) that a new accessory creates the veritable firestorm of buzz on whisky social media that was created by the release of the Norlan Glass. In 2017, Norlan Glass announced its newest product: Norlan VAILD (not veiled or vailed!). In this post, I’m going to go into a lot of detail on my experience thus far with the Norlan VAILD. But, I’ll cut to the chase first so you can get the gist if that’s all you want:
The Norlan VAILD is an amazing product and elevates the scotch experience. Not only that, it elevates the experience in such substantial and emotive ways that I have to recommend purchasing a set to anyone who either loves whisky or has a loved one who does.
Why? Let’s find out.
For the purposes of this review, I’ll be taking a look at form (how is it made), aesthetics, and function (what do I like / dislike about using the product).
Form
The Norlan glass is made of hand-blown borosilicate glass. For the Norlan VAILD, a matte black exterior finish is added. Inside the glass, the designers of VAILD added a recursive infinity mirror that traps the light entering the glass and putting it on full display within the glass.
The lip is concave, giving it a width very uncharacteristic of most whisky glasses.
The shape of the glass, inside and out, is distinctive, and intentional. The unique shape was made to achieve two goals, and here I’ll let the creators do the talking.
Goal 1: Aeration Through specially developed protrusion forms inside the glass — adapted through studying bio-mimicry — when swirled around the glass the fluid forms a standing wave shape, which increases the surface to air ratio and rate of oxidization. The effect here is that considerably more ethanol evaporates. This resulting reduction in volatility allows the whisky to become significantly more expressive. This feature is an invention of the Norlan glass — no other whisky glass will do this for you.
Goal 2: Aroma Focus The second main performance feature is the shape of the inner walls, which close as they rise and then flare out again so as not to hit the nose. The height and diameter of the smallest aperture focuses the aromatics to the nose while simultaneously diffusing the ethanol away from the face, fantastically improving the taste of your whisky.
Marks for form: 15/15
Aesthetic
I was in Toronto on a business trip when I saw this video in a Facebook ad for this glass. As the camera panned over the glass and the whisky was highlighted by the light emanating from the infinity mirror, I fell in love and ordered the set on the spot. However, after ordering I had my post-purchase thought: it can’t be as awesome as that video. There’s no way that the scotch is going to glow in the glass, it’s a marketing effect.
Two weeks later, I opened up the box, dropped a dab of Glenfiddich XX into the glass, and behold: there was light. It really works as advertised. Even after testing in high light to low light rooms for this review, the glow ranges from a faint, dark gold to a bright shine. It is positively hypnotic, and gives every glass of scotch I have a sense of mystery.
The glass itself is gorgeous. It falls far outside the aesthetic of a typical scotch glass. Its angular curves are modern without being flashy. Its black color is modest, creating stark contrast to the light emanating from within and keeping the focus where it belongs: on the whisky. I think aesthetic deserves a perfect 15 out of 15, but I have heard some comment that the design seems snobby or pretentious. Since the world isn’t joined in agreement on the aesthetic, I’ll knock one point off
Marks for aesthetic: 14/15
Function
As of my writing of this post, I’m about one week in to owning my Norlan Glass. Here are the highlights of what I love most about the form of this glass:
Infinity Mirror:I’ve already mentioned it but I’m going to do it again: I love the infinity mirror on the inside of this glass. It is a brilliant touch. It works as advertised. I continue to be impressed.
Wide lip: the wide lip adds a ton to the experience. As I sip my whisky, I can’t help but feel that the additional thickness of the lip adds a sort of feeling of substance to the taste of the whisky. Almost a kind of chewiness. I won’t keep going into detail on this: you’ll have to try it for yourself.
Aeration: my experience thus far is that scotches I know to be heavier on the nose in terms of ethanol are softened with this glass. I couldn’t explain to you exactly how it works, just that it does.
Weight: I’ve seen some comments about the glass itself being too light and feeling almost fragile. I think the weight is perfect, perhaps a touch on the light side. But I like the delicate feel – it encourages me to pay attention more, to take my time, to experience my whisky intentionally.
Marks for function: 15/15
Overall score: 44/45
Numbers are, of course, symbolic when it comes to reviews. The point is, this glass ups the ante on any other scotch glass in existence today, including the original Norton Glass. Of course, price is an important component, and at $58 for two, they are the most expensive whisky glasses I’ve ever purchased. But the Norlan glass is also the only scotch glass I’m likely to purchase from this time on, and that’s saying something.
Conclusion
The Norlan VAILD is a no brainer for any new or veteran whisky enthusiast. If my experience of the glass changes at any point, I will of course come back and update this review. Until then, consider me a Norton glass fanatic.
