A long time ago, i bought a couple of sticks of the Cohiba Siglo V and had them stashed away in the back of my humidor all this while. I had forgotten all about them, and if not for the labeling i had on their individual ziploc baggies, i would probably not even remember when i bought them.

The twin sticks had aged gorgeously well. The wrapper was supple and slightly oily, the aromas were robust and sharp. When i saw them, i knew that this was the time to have them, because i had someone to share them with.

A good friend recently opened his photo exhibition in the heart of KL, and i had been invited along with a few others on a personal tour. Quite a stunning exhibit, and he showed us his work with the pride of a proud parent. I was very very happy for him, and wanted to celebrate properly, thus the cigars.

While chatting about the exhibition and other photography related topics, he and i lit up these cigars after i challenged him to tell me what he thought they were — they were a shade darker than what you’d normally expect from Cohibas, so since i had removed the bands earlier, there was no way for him to guess just from appearance alone.

The next couple of hours went by in a happy breeze of smoke. The cigars were delicious. Spicy with a bite, chocolate, though not rich on the palate. Smoke volume was prodigious, and each draw was added a wonderful aroma to the air. We smoked them down until they burned out fingers.

Verdict: 90/100. A lovely example of how well Cohiba as a brand ages. I’ve recently had a fresh Siglo V and it was a very different experience; not bad, just different. But put nearly 10 years on it, and it becomes a memorable experience. The fact that we shared such a special cigar on a special day to celebrate a significant life event, made it all the better.

Smoke less, smoke better, a wise man once said.

Have the great pleasure of smoking the new Partagas Serie D No. 5 today. Quite a small cigar compared to it’s elder cousin, the venerable Serie D No. 4, one of my all-time favourite cigars. And it offers a flavour profile that is quite distinct as well. While the No. 4 tends to be punchy and full bodied, the No. 5 was much smoother, at ease with very pronounced beans and vanilla. A very easy cigar to enjoy during the day, and without the benefit of a heavy meal beforehand.

This will certainly not be the last time i visit this cigar, it probably deserves a box in my cabinet.

Verdict: 90/100. A lovely cigar, easy smoke with a good serving of rich, smooth flavour. A little bit divergent from the classic Partagas profile, but good enough to deserve it’s place in any discerning rotation.

After my latest cigar from 2011, a Montecristo Edmundo from ABR2011, i came to the conclusion that 2011 will be an excellent year for the Cuban cigar. The last time i was able to enjoy such a wide range of consistency, and “true” blends to classic flavour profiles of brands was 5 years ago in 2007. Back then, it seemed like nearly every stick i picked up was a cracker, clean flavours and very well rolled. It’s not that other years have not had their great sticks, but for me, it’s the consistency that matters.

It might be early days still, but the signs are evident. It’s going to be a wonderful year, a Year of the Cubans.

2011 was a bit of a barren year for me as far as piramides went; smoked very few of them, not because i don’t enjoy the vitola, but just because the opportunity and the inclination never seemed to be there. Piramides tend to be quite flavoursome cigars with fantastic profile evolutions over the course of the cigar simply because of how the shape helps concentrates the flavours as you smoke it. That’s one of the reason why seasoned aficionados enjoy them so much, besides the fact that the tapered head feels great in the mouth.

The Sabrosos feels good in the hand; a good balanced heft, well packed, well constructed. No soft spots, yet not hard. Supple and oily exterior. The wrapper is a bit toothy but that’s common in most Cuban cigars nowadays. Unlit, the cigar has a pleasant woody aroma, but its quite faint. A quick cut, a few touches of the flame, and we’re away.

The first draws are classic Punch — nutty, creamy peanut butter wood chips. The draw is easy, not loose, and smoke volume is fantastics. There is a reason why the Punch flavour profile has been so successful over the years, and the first few inches of this cigar tells that whole tale.

As i entered the second third, that’s when the youth of the tobacco began to show itself. A touch of tannic bitterness, the same mark i found in the QDO Superiores. Not as pronounced as what i found in the QDO, but certainly enough to darken the mood somewhat on what was otherwise an excellent tasting cigar up to that point. The leaf that went into this is very young and that’s more a shame since the blend is perfectly spot on otherwise for a Punch.

Makes me start to wonder whether the Punch Platino RE India 2009 was so good because it had 2 years of age on it before i lit in up last year. Are the REs being made with youthful leaves? A sign of rushed production to meet supply demands? Or, like the LEs, an intentional design for a cigar that was meant not to be smoked young, but with some age on them?

It’s an unusual pattern i’m seeing. The H Upmann Half Corona i smoked with friends just a few nights ago, received massive acclaim from. The leaf was outstanding, perhaps a tad youthful as well, but well within range of what would be acceptable for a regular range production that was barely a few months old. But in a limited run cigar such as the Punch Sabrosos, the tobacco seems far from mature enough to command the premium price an RE fetches. It’s not bad, it just isn’t very good. Well, not yet, at least.

The flavours in the second half open up nicely, dark leather strips dipped in luxurious cocoa butter. The tannicity recedes somewhat, but is still perceivable. In the final third, the flavour profile intensifies nicely, with nice vanilla evolutions thrown into the mix. It really is very tasty at this point, and the punchy (pun intended) kick is pronounced. Not a cigar to be had on an empty stomach this one!

It performs quite well in this mode all the way to the nub, when i finally put it down to rest.

Verdict: 88/100. A good cigar, a clear current winner of the Asia Pacific REs. Like the QDO, it will perform even better with a bit more time to mature; the difference being, at it’s best, it will probably be heads and shoulders above the QDO. Worth buying a box or two of these and putting them down for a long-ish nap.

Conversation was light and fun — from stories about how bad the traffic was on the highways as the traditional Kuala Lumpur exodus occurred as it always does on the eve of major celebrations, to gear talk about the latest cameras coming onto the market. As lunch was served, we were happy to tuck in.

Maduro’s has come a long way in it’s first year of operations. The best move so far has been the introduction of a kitchen and a solid food menu, my favourite of which are the nice range of pasta dishes. Large, hearty servings, just right to satisfy the appetite before having a cigar. For lunch today, we were served a couple of grilled meats, pasta and pizza. Not too heavy, and extremely tasty. Dave had a surprise for us afterwards, a box of Cohiba Behike 52s!

It was the first Behike 52s for me; i’ve had the 54s several times, but never the 52. What a treat! I had brought with me a box of Bolivar Corona Juniors as well, and we merrily passed both boxes around. The Behike 52 was stunningly good. Impeccable construction, perfectly rolled, filled precisely to a gram of correctness. None of this business of underfilled, or loose/soft sticks that we have come to see from recent production Cuban robustos.

Cold, the cigar had a woody, cedar aroma. Expected considering the lovely cedar cases they come in. Quite little pigtail deserves some mention, if for no other reason than it adds to the persona of the cigar and the obvious skill of the rollers who make them in El Laguito. The draw was excellent, just the right amount of resistance to make it interesting. The flavours, the first few puffs of luxurious smoke was divine. Fresh tobacco, fantastically light and cool, with a touch of minty chocolate smoothness. Creamy like melted Baskin Robbins mocha ice cream would be a good way to describe the sensation. For me, it was quite special, a class of it’s own, and rare. The best cigar i’ve had in a while? Certainly, perhaps the best i’ve had in the last 12 months, almost surely.

The cigar delivered waves and waves of flavourful pleasure over the next 90 minutes as we sat back, relaxed and enjoyed each other’s company. Never getting in the way of conversation, except when we felt the urge to praise it, it was a wonderful companion.

Past the second half, it evolved into something a tad bit spicier, more intense, more commanding. Lovely turn of delivery that we all remarked on. Letting it cool between draws was the best approach, and we were rewarded with bitter citrus notes, and a delicate, distinctively Cuban aroma. Medio tiempo indeed!

The toothpicks came out for this cigar, as we burned it past the line where we could hold it. When we finally laid our cigars down, one by one, a silence fell over the group: we had just witnessed and experienced something truly extraordinary.

Verdict: 95/100. The highest rated cigar on My Cigar Blog in a long time. Don’t ask. Just buy it when you can.

Since most of the bloggers polled are American, it goes to reason that the majority of the cigars on The Consensus are non-Cubans. I would love to try some of those cigars, my access to those great cigars are extremely limited (as in non-existent). As good as i love my Cuban cigars, i’m don’t discriminate, and appreciate the value of a good cigar, regardless of their country of origin. But i can’t try what i can’t get, i suppose.

Having said that, if you’re wondering what the best cigars (non-Cubans) were for 2011, this list is outstanding. Check it out.

CONSENSUS TOP 25 FOR 2011

1. Undercrown (Drew Estate | La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate | Estelí, Nicaragua)
2. San Lotano Oval (A.J. Fernandez | Tabacalera Fernandez | Estelí, Nicaragua)
3. E.P Carrillo NWC (E.P. Carrillo | Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. | Santiago, Dominican Republic)
4. Emilio Grimalkin (Emilio Cigars | My Father Cigars S.A. | Estelí, Nicaragua)
5. Casa Magna Domus Magnus (Quesada/SAG Imports | Plasencia Cigars S.A., Estelí, Nicaragua)
6. Adrians CroMagnon (Adrians/Galveston Bay Tobacco LLC | n/a | Estelí, Nicaragua)
7. Tatuaje La Casita Criolla (Havana Cellars | My Father Cigars S.A. | Estelí, Nicaragua)
8. Tatuaje Black Label Petite Lancero (Havana Cellars | My Father Cigars S.A. | Estelí, Nicaragua)
9. Four Kicks (Crowned Heads | Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. | Santiago, Dominican Republic)
10. Quesada Selección España (Quesada/SAG Imports | The Quesada Factory | Licey, Dominican Republic)
11. My Father Le Bijou 1922 (My Father Cigars | My Father Cigars S.A. | Estelí, Nicaragua)
12. Illusione Epernay (Illusione | Fabrica de Tabacos Raíces Cubanas S. de R.L. | Danlí, Honduras)
13. Quesada Oktoberfest (Quesada/SAG Imports | MATASA | Santiago, Dominican Republic)
14. Tatuaje Avion 2011 (Havana Cellars | My Father Cigars S.A. | Estelí, Nicaragua)
15. Emilio AF1 (Emilio Cigars | Tabacalera Fernandez | Estelí, Nicaragua)
16. Padrón 1964 SI-15 (PILOTO Cigars Inc. | Tabacos Cubanica S.A. | Estelí, Nicaragua)
17. Room 101 LTD Namakubi (Room 101 Cigars | Tabacos Rancho Jamastran | El Paraiso, Honduras)
18. Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition 2011 (My Father Cigars | My Father Cigars S.A. | Estelí, Nicaragua)
19. E.P Carrillo Edición Limitada 2011 “Dark Rituals” (E.P. Carrillo | Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. | Santiago, Dominican Republic)
20. La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro (La Flor Dominicana | Tabacalera La Flor S.A. | Tamboril, Dominican Republic)
21. My Father El Hijo (My Father Cigars | My Father Cigars S.A. | Estelí, Nicaragua)
22. Viaje Exclusivo Tower Cigars 45th (Viaje Cigars | Fabrica de Tabacos Raíces Cubanas S. de R.L. | Danlí, Honduras)
23. Tatuaje Fausto (Havana Cellars| My Father Cigars S.A. | Estelí, Nicaragua)
24. Tatuaje The Wolfman (Havana Cellars| My Father Cigars S.A. | Estelí, Nicaragua)
25. Man O’ War Armada (Cigars International | Tabacalera Fernandez | Estelí, Nicaragua)

On New Year’s Eve, Ming Thein (a Guest Reviewer here on My Cigar Blog) and I took a trip down to Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) to soak up the festivities of the night, take photos of people and fireworks, and smoke a cigar. The cigar of the night was a Hoyo de Monterrey Des Dieux from 2009. A wonderful smoke, burned perfectly for 2 hours, and offered a rich, spicy coffee treat of flavours. What a way to welcome the new year!

We took photos of each other, and with his permission, i entered the photo he took of me for the FOH contest. This is the winning shot:

My photo set from the night can be found below:

But in my mind, H Upmann is a brand that i want to like, a brand that i want to be enamored with because of it’s rich history. One of the oldest brands to survive today, it was established circa 1840s. Quite a feat considering that literally hundreds of cigar brands have come and gone since.

The thing is that Upmanns tend to be less flavoursome to my palate, more herbal than most, and certainly not very punchy. It doesn’t take much effort to smoke an Upmann, they are characterized by their easy going, relatively mild blends. I’ve heard some aficionados label Upmanns “tasteless”; i wouldn’t agree but that tends to be the opinion of many.

Still, i was eagerly anticipating how the latest edition to the brand, the H Upmann Half Corona, would measure up. Slated by many, but loved by others, there is one universal truth about this cigar: it’s hard to find. There aren’t available yet in retail in Malaysia as of writing this, all the other REs and LEs from 2011 already are. Even on most other regular sources worldwide, they are on constant backorder. If they aren’t any good, why are they in such short supply, despite some scathing negative reviews? My curiousity was piqued.

With some luck and well planted seeds of friendship, a box of these ended up on my desk one day. I didn’t want to smoke these on my own, so i took them over to Maduro’s, called a few friends, and passed the box around. 5 sticks went up in ash last night, and all 5 were EXTREMELY well received, one person even asked for seconds and was even more impressed with the second stick than he was with the first.

The construction on these tiny flavour bombs is very good. Well packed, solid with a remarkably heavy heft for such a tiny cigar (90mm x 44RG), the draw was excellent. Just enough resistance to make it interesting. The burn was perfect, razor thin and even. Wrappers were good too, some of the smoothest wrappers i’ve seen on a regular production Cuban cigar in a long time.

The flavour is where this cigar received the most praise last night. I detected classic H Upmann leather, sea salt and fresh tobacco, very well blended, delivering a superb creamy and smooth flavour profile. Well refined, it certainly didn’t taste like a cigar that is barely 8 months in the box. Pleasant woody notes through the middle half, ending with a spicy vanilla kick. 2 of the 5 sticks smoked did offer a mild tannic bite, indicating the cigar is still a bit young and has room to improve over time.

One question i’m sure is on everyone’s mind is how long does it take to smoke such a short cigar. We had a “Last Stick Standing” contest last night, so for two of us, the cigar lasted a very long time indeed, more than 1 hr. But under normal smoking patterns, about 30-45 minutes would be expected. The cigar seems to burn quite slow naturally, i smoke through a RASCC or a Partagas Shorts or Diplomaticos #5 within 30 minutes. I would attribute this to the construction and rolling of the cigar — a lot of leaf gets squeezed into this tiny stick, so it’s small size can be deceiving.

Verdict: 89/100. A really very very good cigar, and given a year or two of age may push low 90s. Well constructed, packed full of quality leaf, and very classic H Upmann flavours. Partagas Shorts tend to be my favourite short format cigar, but this new entrant into the fray comes very close.

ps. “Last Cigar Standing” is an awesome fun game to play with friends. I won the pot last night after a grueling battle with Ming Thein in the last inch or so of our cigars; a Punch Royal #11 and a RyJ Churchill were my spoils!

pps. The other highlight of the night was the amazing food on serve. Spicy Lamb Balls and Chicken Pasta Carbonara capped off a great evening with friends. Massive kudos to the chef. Maduro has come a long way indeed since it’s opening in last year. Props to the fantastic service as well.

There is such a game, it’s called “Last Stick Standing” (trademarked by My Cigar Blog!)

Here are the rules:

1. Every player puts a cigar into a pot, his ante.
2. Every player smokes the same cigar, from the same box is possible. (which makes this game a fun one to play when breaking out a new box for tasting)
3. Every player lights up at the same time, and gets their cigar going. The objective of the game is to keep your cigar going as long as possible without requiring a relight, touch up or any additional touches of the flame. If the cigar goes out, the player is out; if the cigar, at the nub, becomes too difficult to keep smoking and the player puts it down, he is out.
4. The winner is the person whose cigar goes out last; “Last Stick Standing”. All the cigars in the pot go to him/her.

Proper draw technique is something i rarely see in cigar smokers nowadays. They tend to either draw too quickly, or too deeply (thus making the cigar burn too hot thus leading to hot smoke thus leading to bitter tar yuckiness) or they draw too slowly or too shallow (thus stalling the cigar, starved for oxygen the cigar goes out, thus requiring relighting that leads to bitter yuckiness).

It takes proper pacing and patience to draw on a cigar correctly, to ensure that each draw provides a cool, flavoursome mouthful of smoke. The pacing for each cigar, depending on a variety of factors such as density of the roll, type of tobacco, and vitola will be different. But a seasoned aficionado, someone who understands the characteristics of how the draw works in the process of combustion, and how this leads to the smoke, will be able to judge and pace out each draw to maximize the enjoyment of the experience.

This game helps you learn things from both ends: if you draw too quickly, your cigar will burn too fast, reaching the nub too soon, and you’ll be out. If you draw too slowly, your cigar will go out, requiring a relight, and you’ll be out. Exact and proper pacing is the key to success.

Have fun with this! Let me know if you play it with your friends and buddies sometimes, and what your experiences were with the game!

It’s quite a find to be able to snag a box of these, they are quite rare due to issues with supply. They have only surfaced with any real quantities in Europe, and the UK market in particular. Can’t wait to do a review of these!