Cigars are my passion! So much of a passion that I have a pretty well developed palate to discern a really great cigar from that of a dime store rip-off. I’ve worked as a tobacconist for over 10 years and I have seen cigars come and go- mostly go. Every cigar rep that I have come in contact with has promised that his cigar is the “Real Deal”, that their smoke is the best smoke on the market and all his customers are wanting to buy boxes and boxes. Most of the cigars out there are good ones, but rarely are there great ones- especially hiding in a well stocked humidor like the one at Knoxville's Leaf & Ale. Believe me when I tell you that I was dead wrong about the Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve! I have passed over this stogie time and time again thinking that it was just another big name brand full of hot air. I thought that this particular cigar didn’t have the moxie to be called a great cigar. Let me tell you how I was knocked on my butt by this brute and now call this divine cigar one of my new best friends.
The other day Leaf & Ale owner Mike Nelson tossed me this dark and oily Nicaraguan brute and said, “Chew on this. You’ll like it!” Never to turn down a free smoke I hurriedly had that stogie clipped, sparked and burning between my lips without so much a bat of the eye, never bothering to read the band the of cigar I was smoking.
WOW!!! What was this!?! This is no DOG-ROCKET!!! What am I smoking!?! Mike, where in the heck have you been hiding this baby!?!
It tasted good- I mean real good! Before I looked to see what I was smoking, I knew that this cigar had some profoundly earthy qualities, yet it was also very smooth in the way it tasted. It was bold with a hint of a pungent dark chocolate bouquet and at the same time it was creamy like a fine Dominican should be. I am definitely a fan a fuller bodied smokes and I was not disappointed in this selection that I was now enjoying.
The Nicaraguan binder and wrapper added to the deep richness of the expertly snug roll of this fine hand-made cigar. There were no stems or plugs to thwart a good inch and a half ash that was a bright white when I finally let it fall end over end into the ashtray. Then as my eyes rolled into the back of my head just like a great white shark sinking their teeth into its pray; I smoked this gem all the way down to the nub loving every minute of it!
When I awoke from my tobacco induced coma I glanced over at what was left of the well singed leather brown band to find out that this cigar was made by one of the more popular cigar companies in the world. I normally try to avoid the big name brands, but Altadis U.S.A. has hit a home run with their Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve. It’s not just another one dimensional stogie, but it is near perfection in taste, quality and construction. So impressed were my taste buds after smoking this cigar, that it may soon be one of my favorite go-to smokes; even besting the Padron 6000 which I love in taste and value for the price.
The next time you stop by Leaf & Ale you need to try out one of these exquisite blends. Not because of some ad in a magazine or what some cigar representative might be trying to sell you, but because if you don’t then you’ll be kicking yourself just like me. I learned my lesson! Never again will I ignore this gorgeous little spice bomb and I personally hope you won’t ether.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Sunday, September 25, 2005
One From The Vault
I still remember the first Heavy Metal I bought at a comic book store at the Baltimore Harbor when I was on a camping trip in the Boy Scouts. This magazine brought me to worlds of fantasy by Richard Corben, "Ranxerox" - Stefano Tamburini and Tanino Liberatore... and of course... Jean Giraud = Moebius!
Just picked this up and you need to have this in your library... THE INCAL: THE EPIC CONSPIRACY begins one of comics' greatest masterpieces illustrated by Moebius and written by Alexandro Jodorowsky. Together they present the classic adventure of sci-fi detective John Difool, a low class detective in a corrupt world. He finds his life turned upside down when he discovers an ancient artifact called, "The Incal." Difoo's adventures bring him into conflict with the galaxy's greatest warrior, the Metabaron and pit him against the awesome powers of the Technopope. These encounters and many more make up a tale of comical and cosmic proportions that has Difool fighting for not only his very survival, but also the survival of the entire universe.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
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