In part two of our lancero comparison series, we’ll explore the similarities and differences between two cigars of a very highly sought-after make. Pete Johnson’s Tatuaje brand has invigorated the cigar world with its range of extremely high quality full-flavored cigars. Master blender Don Pepin Garcia has achieved what some would consider unparalleled success in duplicating the Classic Cuban flavor profile for Tatuaje. Truly a dynamic-duo, Johnson and Garcia have created one of the best lines of cigars available today.

  Our present experiment pits the Tatuaje Regios, a 5.5 x 50 robusto, against the Especiales. At 7.5 x 38, the Especiales is an elegant and classic lancero- a perfect foil for the Regios. Both cigars, of course, are of the same Nicaraguan pedigree. A Nicaraguan filler, binder, and Corojo ‘99 wrapper make these beauties perfect puros, and rather strong ones at that. How exactly will the lancero stack up against the robusto? For a sneak peak at what to expect, we’ve been provided with the Tatuaje Relative Cigar Strength Chart courtesy of Andrew at Vitolas.net.

  Note that the Especiales is the mildest of this particular series, although still a full-bodied cigar; while the Regios packs approximately one third the ballbusting power of the legendary Cojonu 2006. An important theme of our Lancero Comparison Series is our attempt to determine whether the characteristic differences between the “conventional” sizes and lanceros are categorically do to the lancero’s relative lack of filler. Will this study in Lancero-logy yield the deciding results? Find out here.

  The search for balance between quality and frugality can be quite difficult in these trying and troubled times. As cigar enthusiasts we have the responsibility (and fortune) of enjoying high quality smokes, but at what point can you draw the line to separate your “top shelf” stock from your everyday sticks. In an imaginary perfect world I would smoke a couple Anejo Reserva No. 55’s a day, and what a world that would be. Unfortunately though cigars like that are usually reserved for special occasions and really bad days at the office. Even your “everyday” premium cigars can help drain your money bags quicker than you realize.

  With this mindset I have come up with an interesting quest suited for the Blog Of The Leaf. The search for a high quality “dog walker”. Now I know the term dog walker already has some negative connotations in the cigar world, but I’m taking a more literal viewpoint with this. I want a low priced—high quality cigar to smoke while walking my dog at night. Below are the guidelines that I’ll be using in this search.

1. The cigar has to be considered a fine cigar/quality cigar. Any asshole can buy a three-pack of Philly Blunts or Lysol flavored Dutch Masters, but we’re not animals so we’re not going to travel that path.
2. The first half of the cigar should be the dominant half. At any point this cigar can fall in a puddle, down a sewer drain or into a pile of my dog’s fresh work. It shouldn’t be a catastrophe if the smoke is cut short.
3. In constrast, the second half shouldn’t be painful or pointless. I should be able continue the cigar to completion, with or without a glass of scotch.
4. The price should be south of the $5 line.

  This is my mission for the next couple months or until the new england nights get too cold. Stay tuned, I expect to have the first list of contenders ready and hopefully in-hand for next week.

Edit: The Contenders have been announced.

  Walking down the bustling sidewalks of downtown Keene, New Hampshire, amidst the various shops and restaurants; you can’t help but feel that you’re in the very heart of New England. On a crisp Autumn day with the leaves falling all around you in Central Square’s gazebo, church bells ringing cheerfully from the towering alabaster steeple of Keene’s United Church of Christ, and the aroma of roasting coffee in the air; what more could you possibly ask? “I wonder where there’s a cigar shop around here,” you mutter half-aloud to the amazement and displeasure of your significant other.

  You’re in luck my friend. Directly in your line of sight is CC&H Framing. Yes, a picture framing shop. But CC&H is much more. As you approach the very nicely decorated storefront you’ll notice an enticing display of hot sauces with a sign proclaiming “Pepper Pete’s Hot Shop”; and to the right, that most important of salutations, one which has given hope to many a road-weary traveler: “Fine Cigars“.

  Upon entering, you’ll see that CC&H quite clearly is a large and functioning frame shop of very serious proportions. However, unlike the last frame shop you were in- the one where your wife drained your wallet to frame a four foot by six foot print of a snowy-roofed log cabin by Thomas Kinkade (he’s the Painter of Light, you know)- this one has a walk-in humidor. Feel free to browse through the very nice selection in the walk-in; if you have any questions or would like a suggestion, owner Clark Anderson will be more than happy to help. CC&H carries a variety of high-quality hand-rolled cigars including the largest selection of boutique brand Perdomo that I have ever seen in person. Other notable hard-to-find smokes you’ll find in Clark’s shop include Oliva Serie V and Padilla 1968. You will not be able to walk out empty handed. I know I wasn’t.

  As part of the CigarsEveryday commitment to exploring and supporting Brick and Mortar cigar shops, I sat down with Clark Anderson to get a sense of the mission and history of CC&H. Clark has been in the framing business for a long time. The current location has been in operation since 2000, and before that Clark was serving the community from another Keene location. When asked how exactly it came to be that a frame shop has a walk-in humidor, Clark relates that he had always wanted to have a cigar shop, but as a good neighbor, he didn’t want to compete with the establishment that had been in Keene’s Colony Mill shopping center. When they closed-up two years ago, Clark was finally able to hang his “Fine Cigars” sign in the window.

  There will always be a need for a purveyor of fine cigars in a diverse and cultured community such as Keene, Clark was able to fill that niche. “We get customers from 18 to 95 years old. All types of people; blue collar and white collar,” says Clark, perfectly describing the wide range of demographics that are part of the cigar lifestyle. This is something you can plainly see when you attend one of CC&H’s cigar tasting events. People of all ages at all stages of life gathered around, happily puffing away; all brought together for the love of cigars (there’s usually a deal or two to be had at Clark’s events as well). I asked Clark how the New Hampshire indoor smoking ban has effected his business and I was surprised and heartened by his answer. “I haven’t noticed any drop in business, whatsoever,” said Clark with refreshing optimism. Here is an example of one Brick and Mortar cigar shop owner who isn’t going to be intimidated by anybody. CC&H is going to be around for a long time. Plans for next year’s cigar tasting events are already in the works. I, for one, can’t wait.

  If you’re ever in the area, drop by and pay Clark a visit. You’ll probably catch him right outside the doors of CC&H Framing, cigar in hand, chatting with the wonderful people of Keene. I dare you to come out of there without at least a fiver and a bottle of hot sauce. Sounds like a good way to spend a night if you ask me.

CC&H Framing
41 Central Square
Keene  NH 03431
603-352-3777

“Balance is key”- Kesuke Miyagi

  As I rummage through the recesses of my humidor, fondling the lanceros with child-like glee, my reverie is disturbed by an assertive yet gruff voice rap-tap-tapping at the chamber door of my subconscious. Suddenly I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn on my left heel, my right fist chambered at my side, ready to strike. As my head whips around, my nostrils are the first to detect the true nature of my assailant. The fragrant aroma of Nicaraguan tobacco could never herald the presence of an enemy. At once I restrain myself and courteously bow to this unexpected visitor. The ghost of Pat Morita stands before me smoking a Padron 5000 between the wire frame of a catcher’s mask. “You remember lesson about balance, Mofo-san?”, he rasps.
  ”Yes sir,” I say, “but what does that have to do with cigars?”
  ”Tell them about the bigger ring gauges,” he said with finality. Then, in an eruption of pale blue cigar smoke, he vanished.

  About five years ago, thicker and thicker cigars began to appear in large numbers in a market that seemed squeamish about anything over 52. Many credit the Diamond Crowns of the mid 1990s as the first really successful thick cigars, weighing in at a solid 54 ring gauge; but it wasn’t until 2002-2003 that the big guys really became popular. Now it seems that every producer is coming out with at least one 54-plus vitola for each line. What are we, as cigar enthusiasts, after in producing and smoking such diametrically enhanced cigars? Is it pop-culture iconography that draws us to these behemoths? It might be Tony Soprano, Tony Montana, or Sigmund Freud (depending on how much time you have). Whatever the attraction that made them popular may be, the truth is that thick ring gauge cigars are an excellent platform for complex blending to come into play.

  Perhaps the perfect example of this idea is the Alec Bradley Maxx line. As the name suggests, these smokes are big. With an average ring gauge of 55(.428571429 for those of you who are keeping score) and a “max” of 62, these bad boys have plenty of room for a blender to play around with. Leaf from Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Honduras makes up the filler of the Maxx. With a Costa Rican binder and a Nicaraguan-Habano wrapper, I expect this cigar to be a veritable tour of the major tobacco producing countries. We’ll find out in this here review, part one in yet another ongoing series. Will all of that geographically diverse tobacco be able to come to some kind of agreement on how quickly to burn? Perhaps the thinner, lighter Mexican tobacco will outpace the heavy, rich Honduran leaf. In the face of droves of naysayers who disdain thicker ring gauges, canoed and tunneled coronas clamped between their teeth in cynical snarls of disapproval; I submit to you, dear reader, that any inconsistency in burn is the result of poor storage. Like any coming-together of disparate interests, it takes time and an even temper to sort things out. If not the varied origins of the tobaccos, then just the sheer volume of filler requires extra time in a well-maintained humidor for the cigar to achieve a uniform humidity level. Then, my friend, you’ll have your even burn and a great smoke. So for now, go out and get yourself a big ‘ol 60 ring gauge monster and stick it in the humidor. It should be ready to smoke at your Superbowl party. Say, is that a CAO Brazilia “Amazon” in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

  Well, B&M; Bricks and Mortar. There truly is no substitute for the atmosphere, service, and camaraderie of a good, real-life cigar shop. Sure, there are deals to be had from some of the increasingly prolific online vendors; but as we get further and further from the cigar shop we lose more and more of what this hobby (…lifestyle, passion) is all about. Man’s interaction with tobacco has always been firmly centered in a tribal context. Tobacco has been used for millennia by man to welcome friends, resolve conflicts, and commune with higher powers. For over five hundred years it has been a part of our western society (you all know the rhyme: “in 1492 Columbus found cigars for you”). It’s in our blood. When you walk into your local cigar shop and see a couple of guys standing around the counter, cigars in hand, shooting the proverbial breeze; you’re peering through a window in time, a facsimile of our collective past- that circle around a campfire that’s been recreated a thousand times for a thousand years. Some of the guys in the cigar shop may even look like they just came out of the jungle, but that’s beyond the scope of this discussion.

  There’s something for us in the cigar shop that can never be reproduced by an online vendor. Familiar faces, friendly conversation, a convivial atmosphere; these things are only available in real life. They’re not coming to your doorstep in a FedEx box. The human element of the brick and mortar cigar shop is irreplaceably important. A few words could also be said about the cigars themselves. When you buy cigars in real life, you can actually feel them and smell them and really see what you’re getting. Clicking on a link and adding a fiver of 8-5-8s to your online “shopping cart” may save you a few pennies as well as the hassle of having to emerge from your miserable cave of seclusion into the searing light of day; but you’re not getting the true experience. Let’s take a quick walk-through and remember what we’re missing.

  You stroll down the street approaching your favorite cigar shop. It’s a beautiful day- sunny, 70 degrees with a gentle breeze. That same breeze that swirls leaves in and out of your path as you walk also carries with it the pungent aroma of a quality cigar. On your way in you smile and nod at a couple of guys just outside the door who are having a “lively” discussion about yesterday’s game. As you pull open the door, the muffled sounds of laughter erupt into an absolute cacophony of riotous mirth. Entering, you’re greeted by a few friends- guys you met here and see here on a regular basis. You take a quick once-around the shop deciding what you want to smoke today. Having made your decision, you slide open one of the glass doors of the humidor that contains your cigar. Picking it up, you roll it in your fingers. Firm, but not rock hard, and silky smooth, not moist. Perfect. You walk up to the counter and snip the cap off of the cigar. As you apply the torch to the cigar’s foot, the owner of the shop leans across the counter to ask you how you’re doing. You are now experiencing the quintessence of the cigar shop and it can never be duplicated.

  In the spirit honoring these most important edifices of cigardom, I’d like to talk about two of the best brick and mortar cigar shops on the face of the planet. Hometown Heroes of CigarsEveryday, if you will. As we continue to build our enterprise, we’ll include reviews and stories about cigar shops from our readers’ neighborhoods across the country. This first shop I’d like to talk about is the absolute model for the small-town cigar shop; friendly, helpful, and accommodating with a great selection and a wealth of knowledge. They’ll also plug you into what’s going on in the town if you’re interested. Tobacco Road- Barnegat, New Jersey is run by a father and son team of cigar lovers. Jeff Sr and Jr will be more than happy to show you around their humidors and help you find something new or locate an old favorite. You can hang out up front with the guys and chew the fat or relax on a leather couch with the remote in your hand in Tobacco Road’s back-room lounge. Only a short trip from Long Beach Island or Atlantic City, you have to stop in if you’re ever in the area. Tell them “Ammo Cans” sent you, they’ll know what that means.

  In the heart of South Philly on the corner of Tenth and Tasker streets is the venerable Twin Shoppe. No trip to Philadelphia would be complete without stopping in and saying “hi” to owner Anthony Renzulli and the very friendly crowd of Twin Shoppe patrons. After perusing the selection of fine cigars in the walk-in humidor, you’ll experience true South Philly hospitality in the Twin Shoppe’s large back-room lounge. Kick back and relax or join in a friendly game of Texas Hold ‘Em; just watch out for those Aces and Eights.

  In these increasingly hostile days when anti-tobacco sentiment has reached feverish, McCarthy-esque proportions, and the long pen of the law drips its putrid ink on the once hallowed cloth of our personal freedoms; it’s more important than ever to support your local B&M. These guys are out there every day fighting unjust taxes and regulations to stay afloat and keep this lifestyle alive. Do yourself and them a favor and go buy a cigar…in real life.

  In continuing with the philosophical bent of this blog, I’d like to discuss the practice of indefinitely saving a cigar for a “special occasion”. Fundamentally, there’s nothing wrong with hanging on to that Padron 80th Anniversary Perfecto until your wedding day (or your divorce is finalized, as the case may be). In this perfectly ordinary example, you’re deciding to reserve a very special cigar for a very special day. What I’m talking about is when we surrender our free-will and reason and let the cigar decide for us when it will be smoked. Sure, such solid-citizens of the walk-in as Opus, Padron 64s and 26s, and Anejos demand special attention along with their special price; but it’ll do you no good to horde them in the dark recesses of your humidor, Smeagol. All across the country theres a gentrification going on in the humidors, coolerdors, and tupperdors of cigardom. We continue to covet and horde high-end cigars, arranging them carefully for “aging” like Ebenezer Scrooge (or Scrooge McDuck, if you like) counting his money. Have you ever thought to yourself “I have nothing to smoke” as you looked at a neatly stacked humidor full of your favorite special occasion cigar? That’s a horrible feeling that no one needs to impose upon themselves. Break glass in case of emergency, my man! Get in there, and smoke those masterpieces of agriculture and craftsmanship. That proverbial bus may just be turning a fatal corner as you step out onto the street, arms stretched out wide, taking in the crisp morning air and maternally warming sunshine. “Today is the first day of the rest of my life!”, you giggle, teeth clenched gingerly around a “Name Brand” Factory Second Torpedo (the twenty-seventh of a bundle of fifty you won on Cbid twenty-seven days ago). You turn your collar up and cock your head against the direction of the jasmine-scented morning breeze. Left hand shielding the shaggy foot of your ninety-three cent “dog-walker”, right hand greedily clenching your source of fire like the first caveman running bare-assed from a lightning strike in the forest; and just as you “flick your bic” WHAMMMO!!! 80,000lbs of Greyhound bus changes the course of your day.

  Hyperbole, you say? Maybe so. But that does nothing to allay the unpredictable nature of life. On a more serious note; in places like Tel Aviv, where the unpredictability of daily life is a cold fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find many collectors of fine wine or cigars. There’s an immediacy that has become part of the culture of such places, and with it comes the wisdom to enjoy what you can, when you can. On a cool Tuesday morning seven years ago-today, a terrible tragedy occurred that brought this idea to the forefront of our collective consciousness as Americans. In the intervening time, we’ve hopefully learned how to appreciate what we have. So in the spirit of living life in the “now”, as you find it, I say fire up a cigar that you’ve been saving for some unknown event, and in doing so transform now into a special occasion.

  The so-called “Lancero Craze” has captured the attention of much of the cigar-loving public. A recent feature concerning the Lancero size in a major publication had me wondering: is it true? Does the thinner ring gauge actually result in a prominence of the wrapper leaf’s flavor? That is to say, for a thinner cigar is the ratio of wrapper to filler really greater? My generally (some say viciously) skeptical nature mandated a closer, more scientific look at this phenomenon.

  Enlisting the help of all-around number crunching guru, man of science, author, and creator of debtsmart.com Scott Bilker, BSEE, I sought to determine once and for all the answer to this persistent question…through the work of others. Scott answers as follows.

1. Let’s assume that a cigar is a perfect cylinder.
2. Surface Area: SA = 2 * pi * r * h (excluding the surface area of the circular ends since one end is lit and the other is cut), where r is the radius and h is the height.
3. Volume: V = pi * r^2 * h (pi r squared h).
4. Question: People say that the thinner the cigar is, the more outside surface area (wrapper) there is in comparison to inside volume (filler).Math translation: Does the ratio of surface area to volume of a cylinder increase or decrease if the radius decreases?
5. Ratio: SA / V = 2 * pi * r * h / pi * r^2 * h this reduces to…
6. Ratio: SA / V = 2 / r
7. As r approaches 0, 2/r approaches infinity.
8. Therefore, it is true that the thinner the cigar, the more wrapper there is in comparison to the volume.

  Hell, I’m convinced. Now I won’t have to suffer through countless hours of hands on research. Of course, I would say such an outrageous thing only in jest. Scott’s geometrically intriguing answer has only piqued my curiosity. In part one of an ongoing series, we’ll compare a Lancero of a particular blend to a more conventional size of the same. First up, the Oliva Serie V. This cigar is one of the best “new” cigars of recent years. A truly complex, flavorful, bold, beautifully constructed masterpeice of a cigar. The “poor man’s Opus”, really. The spiciness and power of the Serie V are rivaled by no comparably priced cigar. The excellence of this cigar is nearly undisputed; but let’s see how the Lancero stacks up against a more familiar size. At 5×54, the Serie V Double Robusto should give us firm footing from which to view the Lancero phenomenon in the clear light of day.