Review: NY Pipe Club August Meeting

The author at the March meeting smoking a Peterson Sitter 

Hi all, just got a free moment to bring you some wonderful news from the NY Pipe Club's August meeting.  We met at Florio's in Little Italy for a wonderful Italian meal and another fun night of pipe smoking.  This night was unlike any other night that I've had the pleasure to attend.  We had a special guest.  Russ Ouellette from Habana Premium Pipe and Cigar Shop, in Albany New York, was our special guest for the evening.  He brought six different pipe tobacco blends three of which will become the official NY Pipe Club blends.

I had the pleasure of trying two of the blend, being the Virginia / Oriental / Perique  blend and the Burley #1 blend.  These two blends were interesting blends that smoked very well in the two pipes I loaded them into.  The Burley blend is one that I would recommend to any pipe smoker who wants a blend that they can smoke all day without getting tired of them.

This coming Saturday we'll be attending the second annual club picnic where we'll be able to try all the blends.  Also those members that were unable to attend the monthly meeting will be able to try the blends as well.  I will be trying the aromatics as well as the the Straight Virginia blend plus the other burley blend.

Once we've all had our chance to try these six blends we will, as a club, decide on the three blends that will go into official production as the NY Pipe Club blends. The chosen blends will be tinned by Cornell and Dehil and will be available for sale to the general public which a portion of each sale going to the NY Pipe Club.

Looking forward to the picnic as this is my first one and will report back from the picnic with pictures and a detailed review of the blends that we're reviewing to become the Club blends.

The cigar ash has told me that Barclay Rex, Broad Street Store in NYC, will be hosting a Drew Estates cigar event on the 25th of August.  I will try to attend the event as I haven't smoke a Drew Estate cigar and will be looking forward to sampling this cigar and report back to my readers.

Review: La Flor Dominicana DL-700 Maduro

La Flor DL700 Maduro before smoking

Hi all, at long last on a nice and balmy NYC August evening I had the time to really enjoy the  DL700 Maduro and with a clear head which allowed me to compose, finally, my review of this wonderful cigar.  The cigar comprises of a Dominican binder and filler with an Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper.

PRE-BURN

Upon inspecting the cigar I found it to be well constructed.  The wrapper was dark in appearance, thanks to the Sun Grown Ecuadorian wrapper, with noticeable veins present.  In feeling the cigar it was firm to the touch with no soft sport present.  In putting the cigar to the nose I detected a hint of sweetness(cocoa) with an earthiness (hay and leather) as well.  Cutting the cigar with my trusty V-cutter and tasting it before lighting it gave me the aforementioned flavors plus a hint of chili pepper.  I was excited to see what flavors would emerge once I put flame to the cigar,

BURN

Upon putting flame to the cigar and taking the first puff I was greeted by a smoothness and the sweetness noted on the pre-burn was present as well.  This lasted thru approx an inch or so when the spiciness reasserted itself and hung on till I got to the second third.

The second third allowed the sweetness and the earthiness to shine thru while the spiciness disappeared.   The smoke produced was voluminous and hung around the face till the breeze blew it away.  The ash hung on for a good inch until gravity, a cigar smokers worst enemy, took over and it fell to the ground.  The cigar required frequent touch ups but that did not detract from the cigar in anyway.

The final third had the reappearance of the spiciness which was noticeable but not as pronounced as the Oscuro line.  Also the full body flavor of this smoke came thru on the final third which, for this reviewer, was welcomed.  As I smoked this down to the nub and beyond the hint of spiciness was welcomed and has become a hallmark of Lito's stronger smoke.


My hat's off to Lito and his wonderful team for creating yet another wonderful cigar which is a welcomed addition to the line of fine cigars.  Overall this is one smoke along with the non Maduro DL700 will become staples in my smoking arsenal.

One caveat: THIS is not a cigar for the novice or those who do not like a strong smoke.  Experienced smokers will enjoy the complex flavors this cigar has to offer.  A word of warning: This is a smoke, like the Patel Bros cigar reviewed earlier, that one should not smoke on an empty stomach as you may be overwhelmed and not be able to properly enjoy this smoke.

Until the next pipe club meeting which is just a week away, I bid you all good safe smoking.  As always I have my ear to the Cigar Ash to see if events, besides the ones that have surfaced, come to the surface.

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.

MONJOUR PIPE SHOW

Hi all, just getting a few minutes to put digital pen to paper to write about the Monjour Pipe Show.  The show took place on Friday June 11th, 2010 from 11am - 6pm at Barclay Rex, 75 Broad Street NYC.  As always Steve Monjour, the representative for Brebia, Rinaldo and Ardor, was on hand to answer any questions about any of the pipes.

There were, as always, some rather unique pipes including two with bowls so large that they could be used as a weapon.  There were a few that I saw that I really liked, but they were out of my price range.  I did find one, within my price range, that I purchased.  It has the same pattern as my squashed tomato bowl but this one is a straight pipe in what is called a Canadian style as the bowl has a canter that tilts the bowl away from the stem.  Will have pictures and a review once I get a chance to enjoy a few bowls in this wonderful pipe.

Here are pictures from the pipe show so can see the wonderful pipes. See images here: Monjour Pipe Show.

Well that's all she wrote, whatever that means, from the Monjour Pipe Show.   I will see what the cigar ash has in store for us in the coming days.  If nothing occurs I'll report back with my review of my 3rd Brebia Pipe in the coming days.