Review: Rocky Patel's Patel Bros Toro Cello

Patel Bros Toro Cello

Hi again folks, I know I said in my last Tweet I said I'd be reviewing the La Flor Dominicana DL700 Maduro.  Well that review is in the works and will appear at a later date.

Today I'll be reviewing the Patel Bros Toro Cello cigar. This is the second one I smoked and have been impressed with this cigar line. This cigar is a Toro shaped cigar measuring 6 inches by a 52 ring gauge.  It is manufactured in Nicaragua comprising of Nicaraguan filler and binder with a Pennsylvania wrapper giving it a maduro color.

PRE-BURN

The cigar is a nicely constructed toro which provided ample flavors on the initial nose.  I has a woodsy flavor with a hint of sweetness.  Also it has a strong peppery flavor that I'd compare to snuff (not having done the stuff tho) which made me sneeze twice (imho a good thing).

BURN

Upon lighting the cigar I was presented with the sweetness plus the spiciness was present though the first two thirds.  It produced voluminous amounts of smoke and a nice grayish-black ash that hung on for a good inch, before succumbing to the effects of gravity before falling off.  The spiciness disappeared for the last third, but reappeared once I hit the nub section providing a great finish.

Overall this is a well blended and constructed smoke and imho another good smoke from the Patel line.  I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a full bodied smoke and has some time to savor the complex flavors it presents.

Well the Cigar Ash has been very active and has presented three events upcoming for the month of August.  On August 10th I'll be attending the NY Pipe Club meeting where, hopefully, we'll be getting the club meerschaum we ordered back at the July meeting.  Also on Saturday August 14th we be attending the second annual Pipe Club picnic being held at member Todd Platek's  NJ home.  Hopefully we'll have great weather for the event where we'll be smoking corn cob pipes with, as always, some wonderful aromatics.  Also Barclay Rex will be hosting a Joya De Nicaragua event towards the end of the month.

Will report back from all events as time permits.  Looks to be a fun month for us pipe and cigar lovers.  Will Report back soon.

Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Maduro Cigar Review

Cigar before smoking

Hey all, standing in Times Square after a less than productive Saturday night, I figured it was time to relax and review the Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Maduro Toro Cigar. Super Fuerte translates to Super Strong.

The cigar is comprised of a mix of Honduran, Nicaraguan and Costa Rican tobaccos with a maduro wrapper. It is produced in Honduras and is also box pressed.

This cigar is made by legendary cigar maker Rocky Patel. It's a nicely constructed cigar with an oily wrapper.  It comes in at 6" with a 52 ring gauge which is right in this reviewer's neighborhood.

PRE-BURN

Putting the cigar to my nose revealed a nice strong tobacco flavor hinting of things to come. Construction of this cigar is solid, with no soft spots.  Cutting the head with my mahogany V cutter again spoke to the cigar's construction. A taste before putting flame to the cigar again hinted at what's in store.

BURN

After lighting the cigar and taking the first puff I was in cigar heaven.  I haven't smoked one of these in a few years and it brought back memories of meeting Rocky at the big smoke in 2008.  But I digress, back to the review.

The cigar produced volumes of smoke and a nice woodsy flavor that's pleasing on the pallet. It also produced a nice grayish-black ash that hung on for about an inch before falling off due to gravity.  The burn was a tad uneven  but easily fixed and didn't affect the cigar in any way.

Cigar  at the first third showing the lovely grayish-black ash

The first third was uneventful in flavor but it did produce mouthfuls of wonderful smoke throughout.

Cigar in the final third

The second and third thirds is where this cigar began to show itself. It produced a wonderful spiciness coupled with a hint of sweetness (cocoa) underneath that last right through the second and third portions. This was enjoyable right down to the nub.

Overall this cigar delivered what it promised, even though it wasn't as Super Strong as labeled. However I enjoyed it thoroughly and I will gladly smoke this one again in the future. I would recommend this cigar to anyone who enjoys a medium to full bodied smoke.

One caveat to keep in mind, this cigar is not one that you can quickly smoke as you won't enjoy the complex flavors that occur. This cigar, depending on how quickly you smoke requires a minimum of one hour from start to finish.

I will definitely be adding this one to my repertoire as I enjoyed almost every inch of this cigar.

Until either the cigar ash gets wind of another tasting event or I get another fabulous cigar to rave about, I will be trying to stay cool during this New York heatwave.

July Pipe Club Meeting

Some of the New York Pipe Club Members

Hey all, it looks to be a warm and miserable day here in NYC perfect time while still in my air conditioned room to write my latest post on the July New York Pipe Club meeting.  

As always the meeting took place at Florio's Italian Restaurant, 192 Grand Street NYC.  At this meeting we tried four blends from the L.J. Peretti Company located in Boston MA.  Here is the description from their website:

TASHKENT: Named for "The most beautiful city in Central Asia", this spicy, full flavored blend is made from Izmir Turkish and Latakia

PARK SQUARE: Red Virginia, Matured Virginia, and Stoved Virginia are delicately spiced with just the right amount of Perique to create a rich and complex blend whose character evolves and emerges throughout the bowl.

ROYAL BLEND: A blend of the choicest matured Virginian and the finest Oriental tobaccos.  It contains a high percentage of the finest Yenidje (Turkish) leaf.

BLEND No. 333: A splendid blend for those who like a fairly heavy tobacco that is not aromatic, but is full of flavor.  Very slow burning and cool.

We also placed orders for the club meerschaum which is going to be a fluted dublin with a silver band and an earth-toned mottled stem.  According to Peter Guss we should see these pipes by the August meeting.  If not we'll definitely have them by the September meeting.

A good time was had by all and we, those who ordered the club pipe, are looking forward to receive the club pipe.

Well this is the end for now, will keep my ear to the cigar / pipe ash to see if any events transpire. 

3rd Brebbia Pipe Review

Hey again, I figured today was a good day to start writing my review of my latest pipe acquisition.  It is a rather steamy day here in NYC with the temperatures slated to hit 101F

A while back, as reported in an earlier post, at the Monjour Pipe Trunk Show I fell in love with, now my fourth straight pipe in my collection.  It is a Canadian style pipe with the same cut pattern as my previous Brebbia squashed tomato pipe.

I've had a few opportunities to smoke this pipe and it smokes as well as my other Brebbias.  This pipe has a nice  9mm bowl which allows me to pack it with a good amount of tobacco.  I have smoked both aromatic and non-aromatic tobaccos in this pipe with no noticeable tongue bite.

According to the Cigar Ash there will be a cigar event at Barclay Rex (75 Broad Street NYC) this coming Friday July 9th.  I will try to attend this event and report back to you with the details

Also will be attending the July New York Pipe Club meeting this coming Tuesday the 13th where we'll be sampling, yet again, new and unusual tobaccos.  Also we'll be placing our orders for the New York Pipe Club's meerschaum pipe.  I will try to get some photographs of the sample pipe so I can post it here for you to see.

Until we meet again, hopefully it won't be as steamy then.  CIAO.