Snub the NUB

 I am sure you have heard of the expression “good to the last drop”, or “great to the last” well that was the idea behind the NUB cigar. It was said by someone, that the best part of the cigar is the last part, where you get the entire flavor and the best burn and why wait through a whole cigar when you can just smoke the best part all at once and immediately.

 

 I call Bull-shit on this one, sure I agree that there are some cigars where the best part is from the middle to the end of the cigar, but it’s the buildup of the flavor of the leaf and the wrappers that make that last part the best, without the build up what is the sense. Now as far as why waste your time smoking a whole cigar, I say why smoke one at all if you are in such a hurry. Not to mention the NUB is not that inexpensive that you are getting a deal on them. So I say SNUB THE NUB and get a size you like. Smoking a NUB is like hearing only the punch line to a joke; it takes the fun and enjoyment out of the whole process.

 

 For the folks that say try it and you will like it, I give this as my review of the nub.

It was OK that is all, not enough of a cigar to give you my honest opinion, and it was gone before I could tell what I tasted or where it was from. All I will say is it did not fall apart probably due to the fact there wasn’t enough of a cigar to fall apart and it burned even.

 Here are the Stats on the NUB, a NUB Size is 4 inches with a ring gauge of 60 they come in a box of 10 and go for $64.00 to $70.00 dollars U.S.

 Don’t like my opinion on the NUB try one and see what you think, and let us here at the Cigar Stop hear from you.

Thanks for reading see you next time

B.T.O.L.

~CigarAsh~

CigarAsh’s Review of Victor Sinclair’s Vintage Doppel Gordo cigar

Victor Sinclair’s Vintage Doppel Gordo cigar

Origins: Dominican Republic

Wrapper: Brazilian

Filler: Nicaraguan and Dominican

Strength: Medium

Size & Shape: Gordo 6 x 70

Box Pressed

 What can I say about this cigar? I say please pass this offering from Victor Sinclair bye. This would be so far the only blemish on an otherwise good cigar line.

  I bought a bundle of these along with Smokehouse Brown (Also of the Cigar Stop Blog) and it was a triple threat, they burn bad, they taste like yard clippings from your lawn mower and a Box Press on a Gordo is just foolish the cigar is large as it is why make it an awkward shape. Putting this thing in your mouth is like putting your television remote in your mouth! The Cigar is almost bigger than a U.S. Quarter.

 

  Some cigar smokers love them, but I don’t get it. Out of the 20 only 4 did not canoe on me, the smoke was heavy and not appealing at all, the ash was flaky so any breeze at all and you are covered with cigar ash, and the taste was that of dirt and very gritty. I smoked all that I had, but one just to see if I would change my mind and guess what? I didn’t, in fact the one I gave away for someone else to try, said he did not like the flavor the size and that it burned only on one side (it Canoed) and he had to keep lighting the other side to make it burn even.

 

 So there ya go 3 of us that did not like them, but as I have said before this is only my personal opinion on them, I am just a regular guy that likes cigars and I am no expert nor do I represent any manufacturer, company or website. If you try one please let us know here at the Cigar Stop know what your thoughts are on them.

 I rate this Cigar a 1 out of 10

See you next time

B.T.O.L.

~CigarAsh~

Cigar Ash’s Review of the 5 Vegas Gold

             5 Vegas Gold

Size: 5 x 50

Shape: Robusto

Binder: Honduran

Filler: Honduran

Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut

Origin: Honduras

Strength: mild to medium

 I find that I am always satisfied with all the 5 Vegas line of cigars, and this one was no exception.

  The Gold series has excellent construction, had no blemishes on the wrappers. I smoked 5 of these and found them all consistently burning even without hot spots or canoeing of any kind. The flavor was light and the aroma was just as light with a mellow soft scent. The ash was solid and light gray, no flaking at all.

 

 I love my Oscuro and Maduro wrapper cigars and I was not sure how I was going to react to the flavor and feel of a Natural wrapper, however I had this particular one right after a heavy meal and it was the perfect topper to the experience. The Fillers themselves have been aged for 5 years and creates a nice mild leathery and woody taste that just relaxes your whole body.

 A box will set you between $60.00 and $80.00, defiantly not one of our budget bundles we usually review here at the Cigar Stop, but I can tell you they are well worth the asking price. The other good thing about the Gold series is that several dealers and companies offer them as singles and or sampler packs of 5 and 10 counts. There is also a 5 Vegas Sampler where you can try almost their complete line.

 

 I will be giving this one a high rating of 8 out of 10 for flavor, construction and taste.

See you next time

B.T.O.L.

~CigarAsh~

CigarAsh reviews the 1876 Reserve

1876 Reserve

Origins: Dominican Republic

Filler: Dominican

Wrapper: Connecticut

Binder: Sumatra

Size: 6 x 50

Shape: Toro

Strength: Mild

 Here is another one from the Budget Bundle Brigade. It’s the 1876 Reserve; this one is going to be short and to the point ….DON’T Do IT!

 

This is a very Mild Dominican and by very mild I am saying it is like smoking air! They come in a Bundle of 20 and in one catalog I have seen them listed as a “2fer” 2 bundles for between $49.99 and $59.99. They are about a buck a stick and they taste like you should get change back from your dollar.

 Despite them being handmade with 100% long leaf filler the ash is flakey so it is all over you when you smoke, the feel to the wrapper is smooth to the touch, but feels as light as they taste and it is so bland looking it should be over looked!

I have gone to great lengths for you my loyal readers I bought a bundle of Robusto’s 5x50 and a Bundle of Toro’s 6 x 50 and let me just say That if my wife reads this and sees how crappy I say they are and that I bought more than one bundle she may reduce my cigar fund.

 

The only people who should smoke these truly bad boys of the Budget Bundle Brigade are the folks that are just starting out smoking cigars because they are inexpensive, not harsh and it will show them what not to buy ever again.

This one rates 1 out of 10

Thanks for reading – Remember keep your Cigars moist.

B.O.T.L.

CigarAsh14

P.S. They have a Maduro version of this cigar now and it isn’t any better than its predecessor.

CigarAsh looks at 1844 – Anejado 50-xtra

                         1844 – Anejado 50-xtra

Origin: Nicaragua

Shape: Perfecto

Size: 6 x 50

Wrapper: San Andres

Filler: Nicaragua

Strength: Medium-Full

 

 

This is the my first experience with the 1844 brand and all I can say is wow…This is a medium to full bodied cigar leaning more to the full than medium, but not so strong you get light headed despite the long leaf Nicaraguan filler with a strong San Andres maduro wrapper. You get an earthy flavor to it with a small peppery flavor and a hint of a cedar finish.

 The 1844 is now in my regular rotation, the smoke is dark and a bit heavy, the ash is a dark grey ash with no flaking at all, the cigar produces a heavy ash so it may burn a bit hot at times. The constructions is perfect, chunky and with the small rolled tip at the end makes it is easy to light and helps for an even burn, the “perfecto” style shape feels great in your hand and in your mouth.

The size that I have chosen was a No.50 xtra which is a 6 x 50. I have seen these cigars in a local “brick and mortar” as well in multiple mail order catalogs so they are not real hard to find.

 I think the only bad thing I found with this cigar is it is only packaged in a box of 18, but still that will not sway this cheep bastard from purchasing them on a regular basis. The average price for this one is $50.00 U.S. and as of the past month I have seen them listed at sale prices of $40.00 bucks a box… Time to stock up on this one.

I would have to rate this stick a happy 6 1/2 out of 10.

B.T.O.L.

~Cigar Ash~

Humidor 101: The Humi-Do’s and Humi-Don’ts

 This entry gets us back to basics and I thought storing of your cigars is a must or why bother with them at all. Before I begin this entry, let me state once again that I am just a regular guy, I do not represent a cigar company or a cigar store and by no means am I an expert, this blog is about myself and my friends adventures in cigars and the things we have learned along the way that we thought we could share with others to help them along. As with anything new it can get overwhelming with experts and others pushing and pulling you in all sorts of directions. That being said, let us kick this pig and get down to the regular guys look at Humidors, with Humidor 101.

Step 1: Size matters

 My opinion when it comes to humidors and cigar storage it comes down to this, if you are new start small.

 My thought for the beginner is think small, a 25 or 50 count wooden box humidor; you don’t want to go hell bent for leather and get a 150 count or bigger until you get the feel of how to keep or where to keep it and what to keep in it. So step one is to decide size, and I recommend you start with the easiest one and that is the 25-50 count Humidors.

 Step 2: For here or to go?

Will you be using it for storage at home or will you just need one for traveling?

  I recommend the standard at home model despite that there are a whole line of travel humidors. You will not learn what you need to know about caring for your cigars and how they react to certain things like humidity and travel and storing them with different brands.

 They make several styles and colors and what you want in that regards is all personal taste, there are glass top ones, domed ones, cherry, oak, and maple and, plastic the choices are almost endless. The specifics however in my experience come down to this, you want a hard wood humidor that is cedar lined. It can have glass and such if you like, but hard woods make the best humidors. The second thing you want to make sure is it comes with a humidification device (Step 3) and a Hygrometer (Step 3), they should always come with them or do not buy that model; they are essential to caring for your cigars.

Step 3: Care and feeding of your Cigars

 Cigars need humidification or they are just dried up leaves that will taste like yard clippings on fire and smell like Uncle Brian’s BBQ grill when it catches fire at a cook-out.

 Most humidors come with a humidifier which is a sponge of sorts or glycol crystals or beads that hold liquid (Distilled water or “Juice”) when wet they give out humidity in your closed cigar humidor, your cigars need 70% humidity and to stay at an average of 70% degrees Fahrenheit (21.1 degrees Celsius) to be at their best smoking goodness.

 Most will also come with a Hygrometer which is a device that reads the temperature and the humidity inside your humidor. Now not all humidors come with these, but they are necessary to care for you cigars, so I would stick to the models that provide both the humidifier and the hygrometer.

The other the two things you need to know about step 3 is. First the humidifier, I recommend you use distilled water instead of the “Juice” product. The Juice is a product that is a chemical in nature and if you use that in your humidifier you cannot go back to distilled water, it will not react the same, you can use it in tandem in a different humidifier, but I would just tell you as a beginner to use the distilled water it is inexpensive and can be bought at the local grocery store. Always use Distilled water never tap and for god sake never toilet water, it will turn everything blue and taste like crap (so I have been told, Insert laugh track here) Tap water and spring water have minerals that can act up with the taste or your cigars and can promote mold, where as distilled water is boiled water vapor, it is pure of all minerals that could damage your humidor and cigars.

The second thing is the hygrometer, you have many choices, digital for a precise reading or analog for an average reading, both work great and are a matter of preference.

The last thing to know about the humidifier is when you wet it you want it moist and to suck up as much water as it is able to, you do not want a pool of water or be over wet because when you put it in there it can make cigars to moist or the excess water will just drip all over everything and that is not good.

Step 4: Location, Location, Location.

 The real estate your humidor will occupy can affect your cigars as well so you want to pick a nice spot for it, not in direct sunlight so no window seat for your cigars, they do not need a room with a view. Some say it needs to be located in a cool dark place, however I disagree, and any room will do so long as it is not in a window. Being in direct sunlight can cause the temperature inside to become too warm and it turns the cigars to soggy sticks and then when the sun goes down it dries them a bit and eventually the cigar just breaks apart on the ends and that makes them trash.

Step 5: Add Cigars and Stir

 The last step is simple add your cigar of choice and enjoy the fact you can just go to your own humidor and get one at your whim.

So as we review our 5 steps to cigar storage and enjoyment is goes like this.

1.    Size of your humidor of choice

2.    Home or travel humidor type

3.    Humidifier and hygrometer set.

4.    Where to put your humidor

5.    Enjoy!

Those are the basic steps to Humidors, check it once a week and if you think it needs water according to the hygrometer then add a little if it is too wet then open the humidor for a very small amount of time (15 minutes). You will get the feel for it and discover your own way of maintaining your humidor and cigars as you go.

 Many humidors come with instructions as well and if not there are online sites that will help or people like myself you can ask.  Remember a Happy Humidor is a full humidor

B.O.T.L. Thank you for reading

~Cigar Ash~

No rest for the wicked…

To rest or chew that is the question for many of us. I was told and taught by the powers that be that a cigar should rest between puff, in an ash tray, that way it doesn’t get to hot or bitter, or even so moist that it falls apart or goes out.

 However me being the average Joe cigar smoker, I usually just hold mine or keep it in my mouth. The brands and lines of cigars I smoke are affordable so that it doesn’t matter if it rests between puffs or not. I can’t afford to be smoking $200.00 to $300.00 boxes of cigars, so the case for resting my cigars is moot.

I have seen many amusing rest stops for cigars. Between the Pickets of a stockade fence, on the brick foundation of a bar, the rail of a fence and one time on my refrigerator door handle (that fat bastard). So I guess whether you use an ash tray and rest your cigars is a personal preference, do I have them yes, do I use them occasionally, would I use them if I smoke very, very expensive cigars? You bet your ash! there would be a cigar in every room resting in an ash tray because if I could smoke cigars that were that expensive I would be rich and would have nothing better to do than sit in every room of my domain and smoke and rest my cigars everywhere.

So I say to you, you upstart cigar Aficionados that push your cigar etiquette on others I will rest no cigar before its time…There is No rest for the wicked.  

This blog entry was inspired by a Fellow Cigar smoker who thinks that he knows what is better for your cigars and us as cigar smokers to the point of annoyance. It is all about enjoying cigars not being chastised because we do not stop and let our cigars rest, cigar Nazi.

Happy Smoking

 B.O.T.L.

~Cigar Ash~

Honored

 
I was honored to receive a very special gift this past weekend, something so special that it proves to me that I have exactly the right friends and family surrounding me.

 A quick background before I tell you about the gift. I had a best friend Justin, he and I got into so much stuff, we raced a stock car, started a blog, smoke cigars, we watched movies, Shot guns, fished and listen to music, all the usual stuff buddies did.

 He and I were friends all his life. I lost my friend 4 years ago to a motorcycle accident, as you can expect His family (and mine) as well as myself were crushed; the man was a shining star and had potential oozing out of every pour of his body.

 Now that you got the very brief background on to the gift, Justin has a younger brother his name is Bob. Bob Made Justin a 100 count humidor when he was in high school. It is beautiful and solid you would be hard pressed to find something made this sturdy.

 So It is Sunday morning I am sitting in my usual spot drinking coffee, smoking a cigar and having a gab-fest with a couple of friends when I see Bob come around the corner and he doesn’t say a word to me just kind stares at me and then smiles and puts this very same humidor on my lap. I recognize it immediately and feel a lump in my throat. I say “what’s this Bob-o”? And Bob replies “it’s for you, you will treat it better and it was made to be used and I knew you would appreciate it and put it to good use”

 That humidor will have a place of Honor on my shelf and after I season it and bring it back to the perfect humidity I am going to fill it with some of my favorite cigars and I will always have 1 in there in memory of my friend, brother and ying to my yang . . . Justin Robert Dilks.

Thank you Bob for a gift I will never forget, and I am honored to poses. I will think of him every time a get my cigar and it will be like he is having one with me like we used to do.

 Next time we get back to basics with Humidor 101 for the regular guy.
see you next time B.O.T.L.
~Cigar Ash