We've all been there. Happily enjoying your cigar, either your too wrapped up in conversation or just the cigar had an uneven element that caused a wonky burn, but every now and then, you get the uneven burn. And it sucks. So, how to fix your cigars burn when it does run a fowl? There are a few tricks you can do to salvage your cigar smoking experience. First, get the best possible light from the beginning as possible. This will help to ensure that your cigar smokes perfect nearly every time!
But say you got the perfect light and it still burning a little off, to correct, first rotate the cigar so that the slower burning portion is toward the bottom. As fire requires oxygen to burn, the lower portion will receive more oxygen and help it burn more. This is also a good reason to rotate your cigar as you smoke it.
Should this not fix the problem, applying just the littlest bit of moister to the faster burning side to slow the rate of burn. However, you don't want to apply too much as you don't want a soggy cigar. Just a light application of saliva should do the trick.
If this too should fail you, the last option is always pulling out the lighter or matches again and gently burning the wrapper of the slow side of the cigar until black. This will most likely cause the ash of the cigar to drop so give it a moment before smoking from the cigar again.
Hopefully these few tips will help you with those embarrassing moments of the wonky cigar burn. Happy smoking!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Cigar Review: Sardell Originals American Eagle Robusto
Fellow cigar enthusiasts, never before have I smoked a cigar whose purpose I have never endorsed more: The American Eagle by Sardell Originals! A clever design that is the original camouflaged cigar--followed by Davidoff's Recon--created entirely by hand in the Dominican Republic by cigar maker Hendrik Kelner, Jr. Portion of the sales for American Eagle cigars goes to the Semper Fi Fund (semperfifund.org) which provides financial relief for injured or critically ill veterans of our Armed Forces.
Now, at first, this cigar may strike you as something of a novelty cigar and I can assure you, I thought something very similar. The reason being is because that clever design is that the cigar wrapper appears in Woodland camouflage. This was done by taking an Ecuadorian Connecticut Natural wrapper and taking hand-cut, hand-placed pieces of Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro and CA Candela over the Natural wrapper to create the camouflaged effect.
The rest of the cigar is crafted using a Dominican binder and Dominican long-filler. Along with the superbly striking wrapper, the cigar itself is constructed quite well providing an appropriate firmness with no discernible malformations. After using my Cigar Spike to create the perfect punch, I light my cigar and once it's sufficiently going, notice that the draw is damn near close to perfect, not too hard, not too airy. As I puff away, I notice that the ash has a pretty consistent bright white ash with only a little bit of mottling; however, the ash will only cling for about an inch or so and then drops.
Truth be told, flavor-wise, I was not expecting too much out of this cigar, but it was for a good cause so I figured "what the hell!" I was, however, pleasantly surprised. The aroma of the cigar's smoke gave off something of a cedar scent with a hint of chocolate. When it came to this unique wrapper, I wanted to know if it changed the flavor as it reached different parts of the wrapper. Throughout most of the cigar, it had a spiced cedar flavor with a subtle creamy finish. I did notice on occasion as the cigar burned nearer one of the Candela wrapper portions, it became a slight bit spicier, but only ever-so-slightly. The overall flavor profile of the cigar is not complex and varies only subtly as it burns. It is not too overpowering and remained consistent throughout the whole cigar.
Overall, I enjoyed this cigar quite a bit. It was the perfect balance of a medium, light woody, and creamy flavor with a very unique wrapper design that made this cigar fun. I could easily see myself smoking this cigar while taking time off from patrols or latrine duty. To all my friends still stationed overseas and to all our proud and brave service members fighting abroad: thank you for all of your service and doing what many cannot. Come home safe!
Now, at first, this cigar may strike you as something of a novelty cigar and I can assure you, I thought something very similar. The reason being is because that clever design is that the cigar wrapper appears in Woodland camouflage. This was done by taking an Ecuadorian Connecticut Natural wrapper and taking hand-cut, hand-placed pieces of Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro and CA Candela over the Natural wrapper to create the camouflaged effect.
The rest of the cigar is crafted using a Dominican binder and Dominican long-filler. Along with the superbly striking wrapper, the cigar itself is constructed quite well providing an appropriate firmness with no discernible malformations. After using my Cigar Spike to create the perfect punch, I light my cigar and once it's sufficiently going, notice that the draw is damn near close to perfect, not too hard, not too airy. As I puff away, I notice that the ash has a pretty consistent bright white ash with only a little bit of mottling; however, the ash will only cling for about an inch or so and then drops.
Truth be told, flavor-wise, I was not expecting too much out of this cigar, but it was for a good cause so I figured "what the hell!" I was, however, pleasantly surprised. The aroma of the cigar's smoke gave off something of a cedar scent with a hint of chocolate. When it came to this unique wrapper, I wanted to know if it changed the flavor as it reached different parts of the wrapper. Throughout most of the cigar, it had a spiced cedar flavor with a subtle creamy finish. I did notice on occasion as the cigar burned nearer one of the Candela wrapper portions, it became a slight bit spicier, but only ever-so-slightly. The overall flavor profile of the cigar is not complex and varies only subtly as it burns. It is not too overpowering and remained consistent throughout the whole cigar.
Overall, I enjoyed this cigar quite a bit. It was the perfect balance of a medium, light woody, and creamy flavor with a very unique wrapper design that made this cigar fun. I could easily see myself smoking this cigar while taking time off from patrols or latrine duty. To all my friends still stationed overseas and to all our proud and brave service members fighting abroad: thank you for all of your service and doing what many cannot. Come home safe!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Cigar Review: Altadis Warlock Corona
Hey everybody! Cigar Czar here to talk to you today about the Altadis Warlock Corona. This cigar was given to me by my very close friend and roommate Jacob, a specialist in the U.S. Army, before his deployment. So in standard tradition at our household, Jacob, his wife and I enjoyed ourselves an evening of fun, and scotch, we found ourselves outside smoking. I found this to be the perfect opportunity to smoke my Warlock.
The Warlock cigar is a Nicaraguan with an Ecuadorean Cubano wrapper, a Nicaraguan wrapper, and filler from Dominican Republic-Nicaragua made by Altadis USA. It is a full-bodied cigar made by Omar Ortiz in Nicaragua.
So before lighting this cigar, I notice that it has a dark, chocolaty, appearance and the wrapper has a little bit of vein visible and smoothly wrapped. The cigar has just the right amount of firmness, it was not packed too loose or too tight, and after being cut allowed the cigar a perfect amount of draw. After lighting the cigar, the ash became a solid white color with just a slight mottled fleck to it. The ash was only able to cling for about an inch and a half or so before falling off each time it reached that length. The construction of the cigar overall was great.
The cigar smoke itself was chocolaty with a hint of chicory. The aroma of the smoke
had what can only be described as leather with some of the chicory wafting in through it. Toward the end of the cigar, the flavor had changed to include more chicory that was spiced. Throughout the whole cigar there also seemed to be a hard to describe flavor that can only be described as a creamy-like vanilla.
So overall, this cigar was a fantastic smoke, well worth the wait. This cigar is a smoke well worth the average purchase cost of $6.25 per cigar, or the average box price of $111.
The Warlock cigar is a Nicaraguan with an Ecuadorean Cubano wrapper, a Nicaraguan wrapper, and filler from Dominican Republic-Nicaragua made by Altadis USA. It is a full-bodied cigar made by Omar Ortiz in Nicaragua.
So before lighting this cigar, I notice that it has a dark, chocolaty, appearance and the wrapper has a little bit of vein visible and smoothly wrapped. The cigar has just the right amount of firmness, it was not packed too loose or too tight, and after being cut allowed the cigar a perfect amount of draw. After lighting the cigar, the ash became a solid white color with just a slight mottled fleck to it. The ash was only able to cling for about an inch and a half or so before falling off each time it reached that length. The construction of the cigar overall was great.
The cigar smoke itself was chocolaty with a hint of chicory. The aroma of the smoke
had what can only be described as leather with some of the chicory wafting in through it. Toward the end of the cigar, the flavor had changed to include more chicory that was spiced. Throughout the whole cigar there also seemed to be a hard to describe flavor that can only be described as a creamy-like vanilla.
So overall, this cigar was a fantastic smoke, well worth the wait. This cigar is a smoke well worth the average purchase cost of $6.25 per cigar, or the average box price of $111.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Selecting the Right Cigar
So for those who have never smoked a cigar before but are curious in figuring out the right cigar for you, there are a few things we can focus on to help you find the right cigar for you. A novice cigar smoker is faced with a great deal of questions regarding color of the cigar, brand of cigar, shape of the cigar, origin or origins of the leaf in the cigar, cost of cigar, the flavor, and ultimately, how will this enhance the overall enjoyment of the cigar? However, one need not fret. Cigars come in different shapes and range in flavor and strength to cater to the taste of different people who love the pleasure of a cigar. So rest assured there is a cigar out there for you. Here are some of the tips which can help you to pick the right cigar for you:
First, I recommend one of two methods to further explore your taste in cigars. The first option is if you have internet available. Utilizing one of the many online stores such as Thompson & Co. (thompsoncigar.com)is a great tool for novice cigar smokers! These companies are great for experimenting beginners because they have the ability to bundle great sampling packages together at prices that are nearly a steal! Bundles such as five random well known cigars, or company specific bundles like the Padron Aniversario Serie bundles, or fun ones like Rocky Patel v. the World bundles. These cigar bundles are priced anywhere between $20 and $50 typically which is well below what you would spend individually for such quality cigars. This allows you the ability to smoke a variety of cigars at a reasonable cost. The other alternative is go into a local, respectable, tobacconist and discuss with them what kind of flavors and strengths there are and what kind of tastes you might have. They may ask you what kinds of things you do while smoking your cigar, what you eat and drink while smoking your cigar, and what type of cigar you might prefer. Plus, these gentlemen are fantastic sources for teaching you how to handle, properly light, and smoke your cigar along with other elements of 'cigar etiquette.'
Some things to take into account when selecting your cigar is whether or not you want hand-made cigars or machine-rolled cigars. I prefer the former as greater flavor and subtly are derived from these cigars. Also greater "ingredients" go into hand-made cigars versus machine-rolled. An individual cigar roller will hand pick whole leaves and roll them into your stunning cigar; whereas, most machine-rolled cigars are made using short filler--fragments of tobacco leaves after processing--which tends to burn quicker and harsher with less flavor.
Another thing to consider when selecting your cigar is the size and shape of the cigar. When considering size, there are a few things you should think about; is time going to be a factor, what feels comfortable both in your hand and in your mouth, and what kind of activities you'll be doing while smoking? A term you may come across when looking at cigars is ring gaugeWhat is ring gauge? It is the thickness of the cigar around. It is based on 64ths of an inch, so, if you have a cigar which has a ring gauge of 50, it is 50/64ths of an inch. Length also plays a factor as the longer the cigar, obviously, the longer it burns.
The color of the cigar is also important while picking a good cigar. The color ranges from what is called claro to oscuro (or double maduro). Generally, claro is the light brown cigar and oscuro is almost black. A lighter colored cigar, such as Rocky Petal's Connecticut Vintage, will be lighter and spicier in flavor and have a more clean, less veiny wrapper. The darker the cigar, such as CAO's MX2, the more full bodied and sweeter it will be and the wrapper will be some what veiny with subtle lumps. The darker cigar is also considered more mature than its lighter cigar counter-part. There is also candela which is not really in the spectrum of brown but is still important to know. Candela cigars, suchas Camacho's candela, are cigars who have a greenish looking wrapper where the leaf for the wrapper was less ripe and remained greenish in color after the cigar was made, these also tend to have quite the spicy bite to them.
Keeping these few things in mind, a novice cigar smoker can now have the confidence to ask the right questions to help them determine which cigar they may enjoy. And remember,as with most things in life, this will be a journey, which is almost as fun as the destination itself. Happy smoking from the Cigar Czar!
First, I recommend one of two methods to further explore your taste in cigars. The first option is if you have internet available. Utilizing one of the many online stores such as Thompson & Co. (thompsoncigar.com)is a great tool for novice cigar smokers! These companies are great for experimenting beginners because they have the ability to bundle great sampling packages together at prices that are nearly a steal! Bundles such as five random well known cigars, or company specific bundles like the Padron Aniversario Serie bundles, or fun ones like Rocky Patel v. the World bundles. These cigar bundles are priced anywhere between $20 and $50 typically which is well below what you would spend individually for such quality cigars. This allows you the ability to smoke a variety of cigars at a reasonable cost. The other alternative is go into a local, respectable, tobacconist and discuss with them what kind of flavors and strengths there are and what kind of tastes you might have. They may ask you what kinds of things you do while smoking your cigar, what you eat and drink while smoking your cigar, and what type of cigar you might prefer. Plus, these gentlemen are fantastic sources for teaching you how to handle, properly light, and smoke your cigar along with other elements of 'cigar etiquette.'
Some things to take into account when selecting your cigar is whether or not you want hand-made cigars or machine-rolled cigars. I prefer the former as greater flavor and subtly are derived from these cigars. Also greater "ingredients" go into hand-made cigars versus machine-rolled. An individual cigar roller will hand pick whole leaves and roll them into your stunning cigar; whereas, most machine-rolled cigars are made using short filler--fragments of tobacco leaves after processing--which tends to burn quicker and harsher with less flavor.
Another thing to consider when selecting your cigar is the size and shape of the cigar. When considering size, there are a few things you should think about; is time going to be a factor, what feels comfortable both in your hand and in your mouth, and what kind of activities you'll be doing while smoking? A term you may come across when looking at cigars is ring gaugeWhat is ring gauge? It is the thickness of the cigar around. It is based on 64ths of an inch, so, if you have a cigar which has a ring gauge of 50, it is 50/64ths of an inch. Length also plays a factor as the longer the cigar, obviously, the longer it burns.
The color of the cigar is also important while picking a good cigar. The color ranges from what is called claro to oscuro (or double maduro). Generally, claro is the light brown cigar and oscuro is almost black. A lighter colored cigar, such as Rocky Petal's Connecticut Vintage, will be lighter and spicier in flavor and have a more clean, less veiny wrapper. The darker the cigar, such as CAO's MX2, the more full bodied and sweeter it will be and the wrapper will be some what veiny with subtle lumps. The darker cigar is also considered more mature than its lighter cigar counter-part. There is also candela which is not really in the spectrum of brown but is still important to know. Candela cigars, suchas Camacho's candela, are cigars who have a greenish looking wrapper where the leaf for the wrapper was less ripe and remained greenish in color after the cigar was made, these also tend to have quite the spicy bite to them.
Keeping these few things in mind, a novice cigar smoker can now have the confidence to ask the right questions to help them determine which cigar they may enjoy. And remember,as with most things in life, this will be a journey, which is almost as fun as the destination itself. Happy smoking from the Cigar Czar!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Buying cigars online.
So I have been smoking cigars now for a long time, close to ten years, and when you're 27, that's a long time. I have always purchased my cigars through different retailers in my hometown, Edwards and Al's News primarily. However, a few weeks ago, I was lured into an offer from Thompson Cigar Co. to purchase some product from them. I bought a new 25 cigar Humidor to replace my old hand me down one.
The offers for free stuff just kept rolling after that. I was given a 5 cigar sampler including a Rocky Patel, a Indian Tobac, and an Exodus 1959. I also received a butane torch lighter, a golf bag cigar "tote", a travel tube and 25 Don Lugos cigar bundle, all included with my humidor purchase. How much could this package all cost you wonder, a minuscule $45. For $45 dollars a person brand new to smoking cigars could get everything they need minus a cutter, to start storing and smoking those cigars. My recommendation is when you can, try some of these offers because what they throw in makes it more than worth its own value.
The offers for free stuff just kept rolling after that. I was given a 5 cigar sampler including a Rocky Patel, a Indian Tobac, and an Exodus 1959. I also received a butane torch lighter, a golf bag cigar "tote", a travel tube and 25 Don Lugos cigar bundle, all included with my humidor purchase. How much could this package all cost you wonder, a minuscule $45. For $45 dollars a person brand new to smoking cigars could get everything they need minus a cutter, to start storing and smoking those cigars. My recommendation is when you can, try some of these offers because what they throw in makes it more than worth its own value.
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