Jameson Cigar Co. Resolucion

  The Jameson Cigar company out of Huntington West Virginia is another small boutique cigar maker with a new product the Resolucion. I got this cigar at the Charmed Leaf boutique event held at the World of Beer in Orlando. I don't know if it was one of the 5 I was supposed to get at entry or if it was handed to me while talking to everyone. I am a newbie so to go into how the cigar is made, which wrapper is being used, I'm sorry I don't know, and a little research of the makers site didn't tell me either.

  The Resolucion is handmade in the Dominican Republic. The wrapper is a medium caramel color, well made with the typical triple cap. The cold draw and overall smell of the cigar was very earthy. I lit the cigar using a V cut, but due to a small tear in the wrapper at the head I wasn't getting huge amounts of smoke and the burn was slightly uneven, but once I got past that the draw and burn were excellent. The Resolucion has a nice earthy taste to it and on the draw it is not overly spicy but has a nice little bite on the retrohale. The first third of the cigar was an even smoke with only small variations in the spice level, and no real changes in the flavors. The burn and smoke remain consistent throughout. I'm into the second third and I am getting a small tear in the wrapper but so far it hasn't affected the smoke or the burn. The flavors are picking up with my first hint of a sweetness and a stinging red pepper on my tongue. My guess is this is a medium, heading toward the full body cigar but definitely in my palate range. I am into the final third of the Resolucion and it keeps getting better. The only way for me to explain the flavors is to compare it to other cigars in it's flavor range. I think that the Resolucion is most comparable to the LFD line or a milder version of the 86th anniversary Trumpeto which in both cases are very nice cigars.

  If you have read my stuff before, you know I don't use numbers because I am not qualified to do so,  but I ask myself would I buy a box. I have 5 humidors plus a 42 count travel case that I use at work with easily over 200 cigars and I have only bought 2 boxes ever. I would not buy a box of the Resolucion but I will definitely be on the hunt to see where I can get five to age and enjoy. I liked the Resolucion enough to make some room for them in my boxes. So Brad thank you for the cigar, the only thing I don't know at this point is, does it fit in my budget category of under $10 per stick.

The Newbie

the AJ Fernandez Pinolero

I was smart enough during cigar week in Orlando to pay my way into the Charmed Leaf boutique party at the World of Beer here in Orlando. I ran into some of the people I had already met and learned a lot from. I stayed to the end and was lucky enough to meet some of the BOTL that I tweet with as much as I can. The night was a $20 ticket and you get 5 cigars and 2 beers, a worthwhile investment in my book any day. I ended up with 22 cigars and 4 beers just the kind of bargain I am always up for. I didn't win any of the raffles and I didn't get to meet Eddie Ortega, or Gary Griffin, big disappointment. I did get to meet Skip from hava cigar and he is as nice as can be. I want my Knuckle Draggers dammit. I took all the cigars from the night put them in my small perfect humidor for as long as I could wait, and tonight we start our Journey. I ran into Jeff from AJ Fernandez and he gave me one of the new Pinolero.

  The Pinolero is a nice looking cigar, and the wrapper feels like the velvet from an Elvis painting in the 70's. The band has a lot of nice artwork and the foot has a nice knotted cap. The cold draw has a nice maple syrup flavor to it. the lighting was very easy and the burn even through the 1st third. The draw on this cigar is perfect just the right amount of smoke, I don't have to work to get a nice plume of smoke to enjoy. The first puffs started out with a lot of promise but unfortunately was sort of bland through the first third. the second third is a little more flavorful with some spice and pepper mixed in.  The light pepper and lime or citrus flavors are the overtones of the second third of the cigar. I am enjoying this better than the start, My toungue is getting a nice little sting during the intake but the retrohale does not burn.  This cigar is a long way away from the oval and the maduro and I would say in the lighter to medium body. My palate tends to like the medium to fuller body flavors so it's not knocking me out and making me think I need to get me some more of these. I'm thinking maybe they need to age a little more, but if that's the case don't rush them on to the market. I won't be trading in my ovals for this cigar. Unfortunately the Pinolero has not earned any spots in my humidors. The final third is picking up in flavor but not enough to change my mind. I still like the San Lotano oval, Connecticut, and Maduros and they are staples in my Humidors.

The Newbie

My Father's Cigars

I want to start by apologizing for not keeping up with the blog more frequently. Both the Aficionado, and the Newbie, have had some major job changes that don't allow either of us to spend as much time writing as we used to. The good news is we are still able to enjoy our cigars, and I have bombed the Aficionado with lots of different cigars to try.  I have been to several events since my last writing and gotten together with other BOTL, compared notes, shared information, and opinions about cigars.

The My Father's event at the Corona Cigar Company was a typical sales event with a unique feature. I was able to meet Don Pepin the head of the My Father Cigar company. You were allowed to purchase 20 cigars and be treated with the same extra's as if you bought a box.  For me this was great, because I was able to get lots of different cigars in their line to try out. I of course took the opportunity to add several of the high end My Fathers, and le Bijou 1922's to my stock. In keeping with my staying under $10 per stick, I needed to fill in with some lower priced cigars. The Pepin's have a good selection of cigars available in the lower price levels. My personal favorite is the La Reloba selection Mexican. They are also available in Sumatra, and Habano.

My Father's Cigars has released a new cigar this year, La Flor de Antilles. Since it was a new cigar I got 5 of them to try out and evaluate. Typical of a My Father's cigar the Antilles starts out with a bang of pepper that continues for the first 3-5 puffs. The Antilles is a nicely made cigar with a medium brown wrapper. The burn was even and consistent. The first third of the cigar moved from the pepper to smooth sweet tobacco flavor. The second third was very nice with a caramel smooth flavor that continued right up to the last third. This is where the cigar fails the final third starts out going toward the leathery flavors but turns bitter almost right away. I really like The Pepin cigars so I gave this cigar 5 tries before I wrote this. I will not be buying any more of these cigars especially at the $7-8 price range. There are so many good cigars at that price range that to not enjoy the whole cigar it's just not worth it. I will continue to enjoy The My Father's cigars The Le Bijou 1922 is so good.

Are you looking for a good $7-8 cigar? Which one is your favorite?

The Newbie

My Humidors Stock

May has been very interesting to say the least and I have smoked some great cigars, but have not had the time to break the experiences down to evaluations yet, though  I have some notes.

 I was looking at something on twitter and came across Cigar Geeks humidor log, so even though I know what I have, I thought it would be interesting to see what I "really" have. Here is a list of most of my cigars I probably have 10 more San Lotanos in varying types. I have smoked at least 1 of all of these but 5 or 6 total, and there are some I have smoked not on this list. I also didn't add the Store brand cigars that were either won, or throw ins, they aren't worthy.


 

Humidor	Cigar	Quantity		Age		Notes
My Main Humidor	601 Serie Blue BP Maduro Toro, NIC (6.25 x 54, NIC)	1		74 Days		the only cigar so far to kick my ass had to find a chair
My Main Humidor	A.J. Fernandez San Lotano Connecticut Churchill , NIC (7 x 52, NIC)	2		74 Days		My favorite golf cigar
My Main Humidor	A.J. Fernandez San Lotano Habano Robusto, NIC (5 x 52, NIC)	2		74 Days		nice cigar but the ovals are better
My Main Humidor	A.J. Fernandez San Lotano Oval Maduro Petit Robusto, NIC (4.5 x 54, NIC)	5		74 Days		my favorite quick cigar
My Main Humidor	A.J. Fernandez San Lotano Oval Toro, NIC (6 x 54, NIC)	2		18 Days		when i have the time to really enjoy an oval
My Main Humidor	Alec Bradley Black Market Gordo, HON (6 x 60, HON)	1		18 Days		I really like the black Market nice Medium cigar
My Main Humidor	Alec Bradley Family Blend GS57, HON (6 x 60, HON)	1		18 Days		Though a nice tasting cigar I find it flat and not very complex
My Main Humidor	Alec Bradley Prensado Torpedo, HON (6.25 x 52, HON)	1		57 Days		My favorite of a good line of cigars Alec Bradleys are all good this ones great
My Main Humidor	Alec Bradley Tempus Magistri Maduro, HON (6.5 x 54, HON)	1		18 Days		another very nice cigar
My Main Humidor	Alec Bradley Tempus Terra Novo, HON (5 x 50, HON)	1		18 Days
My Main Humidor	Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 Rosado Sun Grown, DR (6 x 47, DR)	2		23 Days		These were recommended by a BOTL at a Fuente event
My Main Humidor	Arturo Fuente Magnum R (Rosado Sungrown) Vitola 52, DR (5 x 52, DR)	1		23 Days		smoked 1 already letting the other ones age a bit fantastic cigar in my top 10
My Main Humidor	Arturo Fuente Magnum R (Rosado Sungrown) Vitola 54, DR (6.25 x 54, DR)	2		23 Days		resting nicely wonderful cigar
My Main Humidor	CAO Brazilia Box Press, HON (5.5 x 55, HON)	1		23 Days		got these to fill in the 6 for last stick standing
My Main Humidor	CAO Italia Ciao, HON (5 x 56, HON)	1		18 Days		same
My Main Humidor	CAO OSA Sol Lot 50, DR (5 x 50, DR)	4		23 Days		I always have some of these on hand I like them, they are cheap and they are consistently good
My Main Humidor	Carlos Torano Casa Torano Toro Maduro, HON (6.13 x 50, HON)	1		74 Days
My Main Humidor	Casa Magna Colorado Robusto, NIC (5.5 x 52, NIC)	2		97 Days		I haven't tried these yet I have 2 so might have to fire one of these up soon
My Main Humidor	CroMagnon Knuckle Dragger	2		79 Days		I bought 8 sent 3 to the aficioanado and have smoked 3 myself. Skip says they don't need to be aged but their is definitely a difference after aging them yourself. Skip admits he likes them best after about 6 months
My Main Humidor	Davidoff Aniversario No. 3, DR (6 x 50, DR)	1		79 Days		hidden below with the opus X
My Main Humidor	Drew Estate Liga Privada #9 CRA Toro, NIC (6 x 52, NIC)	1		57 Days		Amazing cigars my #1
My Main Humidor	Drew Estate Liga Privada #9 Robusto, NIC (5 x 52, NIC)	1		18 Days		same as above
My Main Humidor	Drew Estate Liga Privada T52 Corona Doble, NIC (7 x 54, NIC)	1		57 Days		waiting for the right moment
My Main Humidor	Drew Estate Liga Privada T52 Robusto, NIC (5 x 52, NIC)	1		74 Days		friday 06/01/12 I go back into management after a 6 year break, might be a good celebration cigar
My Main Humidor	Drew Estate My Uzi Weighs A Ton (MUWAT) Toro, NIC (6 x 60, NIC)	3		18 Days		want something big fat round and tasty one of my favorites
My Main Humidor	E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2011 Inmensos, DR (6.25 x 60, DR)	1		57 Days		nice but I like the 2012 better
My Main Humidor	E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2012 Exquisitos, DR (4.875 x 50, DR)	1		57 Days		very nice I pick some of these up every time I can
My Main Humidor	Emilio AF1 Robusto, NIC (5 x 50, NIC)	2		74 Days		bought 5 down to 2 left these are a very nice cigar when in the mood for something chocolate, coffee feeling
My Main Humidor	Emilio AF2 Toro, NIC (6 x 50, NIC)	2		74 Days		the first one I had was bitter but I blame that on trying to smoke it quickly because the 2 I have smoked since then have been spectacular
My Main Humidor	Emilio Grimalkin Robusto, NIC (5 x 50, NIC)	2		74 Days		I really like these. a little spicier than the AF's with interesting tatstes.
My Main Humidor	Gurkha Ancient Warrior Torpedo (6.5 x 54)	1		97 Days		bad experience with one I had gave 2 to aficionado and letting this one sleep for a long time I have been told it is very good with age
My Main Humidor	Hammer & Sickle Berlin Wall Churchill, HON (6 x 52, HON)	2		79 Days		My favorite in the Hammer and sickle line right in my medium bodied palate.
My Main Humidor	La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Robusto, NIC (5 x 50, NIC)	2		18 Days		my favorite pepper bomb if i want some spice I go to this one
My Main Humidor	La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Belicoso, NIC (5.5 x 54, NIC)	1		18 Days
My Main Humidor	La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro No. 3, DR (5 x 50, DR)	1		74 Days		These are very interesting cigars earthy tasting and quite complex in the flavors
My Main Humidor	La Reloba Seleccion Habano Toro, NIC (6.25 x 52, NIC)	1		18 Days		This was a throw in on a show bag I bought from my friends @ TNT and I was shocked nice cigar for the money
My Main Humidor	My Father #3	1		57 Days		I know I need to smoke this one I just want to really enjoy it maybe with friends
My Main Humidor	my Fathers le bijou 1922 torpedo	2		57 Days
My Main Humidor	nish Patel xen belisco	1		18 Days		these were recommended to the Afficionado when he met Nish Patel and we both really like them
My Main Humidor	Nomad Drifter, DR (6 x 60, DR)	1		57 Days		local Orlando maker these are really good
My Main Humidor	Oliva Cain Daytona 60 (Double Toro), NIC (6 x 60, NIC)	1		74 Days		not my favorite Cain I like the Ligero better
My Main Humidor	Oliva Cain F 550 (Robusto), NIC (5.7 x 50, NIC)	1		74 Days		and I love this one wow a great cigar
My Main Humidor	Oliva Master Blends II Robusto, NIC (5 x 50, NIC)	1		74 Days		haven't tried it yet
My Main Humidor	Oliva Serie G Double Robusto, NIC (5 x 54, NIC)	1		74 Days		boring throw in on a sampler I am hoping age will help it
My Main Humidor	Opus X Lost City Toro, DR (6.75 x 48, DR)	1		57 Days		recommended bought for special occasion this one might be going to Nashville in Sept maybe..
My Main Humidor	Ortega serie D #8	4		3 Days		Had my first one Friday night wow a great cigar for the money
My Main Humidor	ORTSAC 1962 Toro Corojo, DR (6 x 54, DR)	2		79 Days		This is very nice medium smoke with some great flavors
My Main Humidor	Romeo y Julieta 1875 Belicoso, DR (6.12 x 52, DR)	1		57 Days		my golf partners smoke of choice it good but for less money I like the lot 23
My Main Humidor	Room 101 LTD OSOK (One Shot One Kill) Trucha, HON (6.5 x 50, HON)	1		18 Days		haven't tried it yet but aging nicely
My Main Humidor	Tatuaje Miami Reserva Series Cojonu 2009, USA (6.75 x 48, USA)	1		74 Days		nice cigar nothing special
My Main Humidor	Warlock Toro, NIC (6 x 54, NIC)	1		57 Days		haven't tried it yet I read good review then an ok one so letting it age
New Humidor	Alec Bradley Tempus Robolo, HON (4.5 x 60, HON)	2		18 Days		Tempus are a nice cigar
New Humidor	Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente King T (Tubo), DR (7 x 49, DR)	1		27 Days		a whim buy the tube packaging got me in a weak moment
New Humidor	Crowned Heads Four Kicks Sublime, DR (6 x 54, DR)	1		18 Days		aging this one my 1st one wasn't the knock out every body says it is
New Humidor	Drew Estate Undercrown Belicoso, NIC (6 x 52, NIC)	1		57 Days		undercrown in my opinion is the best under $10 cigar on the market
New Humidor	Drew Estate Undercrown Gran Toro, NIC (6 x 52, NIC)	2		57 Days		and have never let me down
New Humidor	E.P. Carrillo Core Line Churchill Especial, DR (7.125 x 49, DR)	1		57 Days		CRA sent this one it's resting
New Humidor	Perdomo Lot 23 Churchill Connecticut, NIC (7 x 50, NIC)	1		57 Days		my cheap favorite golf cigar
New Humidor	Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Criollo Figurado , NIC (5.75 x 56, NIC)	4		57 Days		I use these for a quick work smoke I don't care if I get interupted
New Humidor	Rocky Patel Edge Cabinet Selection Churchill Corojo, HON (7 x 48, HON)	1		57 Days		CRA sent me this one too
New Humidor	Rocky Patel Xen by Nish Patel Robusto, HON (5 x 50, HON)	1		18 Days		nice lighter to medium cigar the first Patel I really liked
New Humidor	Rocky Patel Xen by Nish Patel Toro, HON (6 x 52, HON)	1		18 Days		same

  There are several cigars that I like to have but have run out of  Ghurka Royal Challenge comes to mind. I have some others I have smoked that are not on this list because at this point this is just what I have on hand. Please let me know if there is something you might think I should try. But considering this started in February 2012 not a bad start for a newbie.      The Newbie  

A Crazy May

May has been an incredible month business wise, thus it takes away from the time it takes to write stuff down. I apologize but without the business, I can't buy the smokes.


So in May I won 2 different items, one from bestcigarprices.com and 1 from cigarsolutins.com . The cigars that came with the bestcigarprices.com contest were cigars made for them by Patel, Perdomo, and Alec Bradley. The Cigar solutions win was a travel humidor that holds 25-40 cigars. The Perdomo made cigars have a very cheap wrapper that has unraveled on every one I have smoked, but the Alec Bradley's have been  fine.

Since we are talking about Alec Bradley cigars I can give you a breakdown of the ones I have tried and broken down this month and even though I now have 6 humidors I still won't buy a box.

The easy one first the Prensado this is just an amazing smoke with a dark corojo box pressed wrapper. The Prensado has a consistent burn throughout the cigar, the smoke comes at just the right amount per draw, and the flavors are complex and changing from beginning to end.

 I could go into great detail about this cigar but it has been reviewed many times by writers much more talented, and knowledgeable than me. The Prensado has been a staple in my humidor from the beginning and will always have a place for several resting and waiting for the proper moment.

The Black Market. I had bought one of these several months ago and waited a while to let it age and besides it looked very nice in my humidor. This was a cigar that I liked very much and at it price point of less than $7 per cigar it is right in my budget.  The total construction of the cigar was flawless, from burn to draw everything was as it should be. The Black Market is packed with Honduran, Jamastran and Panamanian long filler with a dark Nicaraguan wrapper. This is a medium bodied smoke that was not necessarily complex, but was still enjoyable to smoke. I am sometimes in the mood to smoke a cigar that has a consistent flavor and feel throughout. The Black Market does this very well. I will probably always have several of these on hand too.

The Family Blend was probably my most disappointing Alec Bradley cigar.

There is nothing wrong with it but it was just flat it didn't get me excited and was overpowered by a mild bourbon that should have been complimentary instead. The construction again was perfect with no flaws in the burn or the draw. I was just looking for something that just wasn't there.  If you wanted to give me a Family Blend I would happily smoke it and it would be fine, I just like my cigars to wow me and so many of them do that I concentrate on them instead.

The American Classic is a  lighter to medium bodied smoke that is actually very flavorful. My palate tends to run medium to full bodied smokes so when I get a lighter cigar that makes me take a pause and enjoy it just that little bit more. The Creamy nutty, buttery flavor is enjoyable throughout the cigar. like all the Bradley's the construction again is flawless, the draw and burn are perfect.




I really like the Alec Bradley line and remember the Store brand cigars I was mentioning from bestcigarprices.com  well they have one called the Kensington that is very nice and very close to the American Classic.

The Newbie

Alec Bradley Event @TNT in Deland Fl

I try to go to as many events as I can, so I can learn from people who are much more knowledgeable than I am, when it come to cigars. I was really looking forward to this event because it was being held at a place I have become to feel more comfortable with after each visit. TNT Tobacconist in Deland Florida is a very comfortable atmosphere run by 2 brothers Greg and Mike, Mike is also known as @cigarhustler on twitter. It's great to watch a customer regular come in and get greeted as if he was Norm on Cheers. These guys have built a nice place to go have a smoke, and talk cigars, sports, business or whatever else pops up.

The guy in the middle is Kevin, he is the Representative from Alec Bradley. Kevin has a very engaging personality and welcomed everyone to the event as if he was having you enter his home for a small party, or to watch a game. This was the first event I have gone to where they had a raffle, and you didn't have to buy a box, to be a player. You know me I don't buy boxes I have 5 humidors now filled with cigars from research, recommendations, winnings, and I have a local cigar maker that sent me a couple of  cigars from all his lines. These boxes are full and I don't have room for a box, besides, as I recommended the other day to someone even more new to this than me, don't buy a box of cigars, and only smoke one, there are just to many cigars at reasonable prices, that are excellent cigars. Alec Bradley does a good job in that category with the Black Market, the Tempus, and The Prensado all under $10 per smoke. With the help of Kevin and the guys at TNT everybody was enjoying sitting around and smoking some kind of Alec Bradley product.

I got there a little early so I had time to peruse the humidor room, and look for that something different, that I haven't tried yet. It took a while because I was looking for something special, and they have lots of special cigars, but I walked by the Liga #9's, looked for a feral pig, but couldn't find one. After a good 20 minutes of searching I finally landed on this bad boy. I have smoked at this point I feel a good amount of cigars. This cigar was different than any other cigar I have smoked and when I mentioned this to Mike he said the same thing. The only one that I feel might even be near would be the LFD Dominica Oscuro. The flavors until the final third were totally new, like nothing I had ever had before. It was so interesting to smoke something so totally different.

Any way that's my Friday night, and as normal I did not win anything at the raffle.

The Newbie

Meeting a Legend

Monday night I had the pleasure of meeting a true Cigar legend. Carlos Fuente Jr. 

I am The Newbie so I of course had to try to get to Corona Cigar Company on Monday night and meet him. I didn't really know or understand how big a deal this was. I drove the 30 miles away from home and arrived with lots of time to spare. I got there and the place was packed with excited people, smoking cigars, having a drink and getting the opportunity to meet Carlos. I walked in to the store where I have never been, and ran in to the people I visit regularly at the Lake Mary Corona Cigar Company store. You've probably read my stories about Tommy and all the great guys at the Lake Mary stores and how they have been very instrumental in my journey into the world of cigars. I asked Tommy "What are you doing here," his response " I had to come and meet the Legend" to me that said it all. Tommy is one of the most knowledgeable cigar people I have had the opportunity to meet, and I value his opinion. I was also lucky enough to meet Jeff the owner of the Corona Cigar Company stores. Jeff was very hospitable and actually took his time and talked to me about some cigars and the business in general, and I took the time to tell him how much I appreciated his operations. I have been in retail since I was 16 and that is a very long time. I told Jeff my opinion of his people, his stores, and his whole operation as I see it. I told him he definitely has done it right, there is definitely a need for the stores he has. Now I'm not saying I don't like the Mom and Pop stores or the small individual stores I do, but Jeff and his people fill a bigger need.

Well as you can see I had the opportunity to meet and talk with Carlos that night. I told him a little about my journey and what I was doing, and then explained a little about my $10 rule. Everybody was smoking opus X's that night. Carlos said "you don't need a lot of money to smoke a really good cigar" "go pick out a magnum R they are my special blend and I think you might like that" So after exchanging our pleasantries, talking about the blog's Aficionado who Carlos knows from some big time events, I went to find the Magnum R. I got one and some other things to add to my collection. I lit the Magnum R and though I don't grade or rank cigars at shows because there is just too much going on to really concentrate on flavors, draws, burns and all the other things we reviewers talk about when we are in evaluation mode. I really enjoyed the Magnum R and these are definitely going to be a staple in my collection, because for $7 I can get A Robusto Magnum R that is especially blended by one of the master blenders of all time, a Fuente, and they are very enjoyable.

A note to Jeff if you take the time to read this, Thank you for having the people and processes you have, that allow someone like me, to meet Cigar people from all walks of life, enjoying cigars in a friendly comfortable atmosphere. Without you and your operations I would not have met some great people in the cigar industry like Carlos, or Victor, or Jason. To all the people that make your special blends for us to enjoy, I want to say thank you. My journey has been short but luckily for me I have had the chance to try many cigars and meet several important people in the industry, and of course tweet with some of them every day. 

The cigar industry seems to be very special. I have not met hardly anyone that I wouldn't take in to my home, go out for a cocktail, or just sit and have a cigar and great conversation with.

The Newbie