Southern Draw’s Jacobs Ladder

Souther Draw Jacobs LadderAfter having The Rose of Sharon at Cats Fest in Texas this year I was very excited to try Southern Draw’s Jacobs Ladder and being a fan of full-bodied cigars my anticipation level was very high. The cigar boasts a dark, full flavored maduro broadleaf wrapper from Pennsylvania. Inside is Nicaraguan long filler including Estelí Ligero and an Ecuadorian binder. Like the rest of their cigars the name comes from a flowering plant, Jacobs Ladder was used in ancient Greece for medicinal purposes, of course there’s also the biblical reference as well as the founders son’s middle name also happens to be Jacob.

The wrapper of the cigar is fairly smooth but has some large veining through portions of it. The roll feels tight and solid all the way along the stick but, as it should, gives when pressed between the fingers. The pre-light draw is not as difficult as I would have expected from how tight the roll felt. (Note: This cigar has a covered foot that I removed to inspect the bunching and aroma. If the foot were left covered the draw would feel more difficult.) The smell has a sweetness to it that reminds me of dried fruit and licorice and the pre-light draw is reminiscent of fresh brewed un-sweet tea.

Lighting was easy and the draw was smooth. With the first few pulls there is a large wave of spice and pepper, it’s the kind of flavor you’d expect from a blend like this. It burns evenly, the ash hangs on for easily an inch or so before I decide to knock it off vs. seeing how far I can go then getting upset when it falls in my lap. It produces plenty of nice heavy smoke that you can almost chew on. This flavor profile carries on for about the first half of the cigar.

Entering the second half the pepper and spices take a back seat to a nice punch of rich sweet tobacco and leather flavor. It’s the kind of flavor you would imagine WWII tank drivers must have gotten from their cigars. The burn remains even throughout the last half of this cigar with the pepper coming back in a bit more again towards the last third and continues to produce plenty of rich smoke.

This cigar was an absolute joy to smoke; in fact I took this guy down to a nub, which I rarely do. While it’s being said that it is a complex flavored cigar I think people are over thinking it, to me this is a great straightforward full flavored and full-bodied cigar. It is clearly on the heavier side so I wouldn’t recommend it for the novice smoker but any seasoned smoker that wants to remember what it’s like to taste what you are smoking should pick this guy up.

 

Wrapper: Pennsylvania broad leaf maduro

Filler: Nicaraguan long filler including Estelí Ligero

Binder: Ecuador

Sizes: Gordo (6 1/2 x 60), Robusto (5 1/2 x 54), Toro (6 x 52)

Price: $9.50 – $10.50

Website: Southerdrawcigars.com

Knives by Panhandle_Iron

Fixed Blade Knife

A solid reliable fixed blade is a necessary part of your EDC. I’ve been looking for a good utilitarian everyday blade that was small enough to conceal carry easily but had enough balls to it to get the job done. After some investigation, about a month ago I was lucky enough to get one from Joe Gilliam AKA Panhandle_Iron on Instagram.

When I received the blade it came packaged with a horizontal carry olive drab Kydex sheath. The sheath measures 4 7/8″ long and 3″ wide counting the belt clip. The over all size of the knife is 7 1/4″ with the handle being 3 1/4″ and the blade 4″. A perfect size for everyday use and.

The blade is forged from 1095 steel, which is a basic form of carbon steel, and has a carbon content of .95% which serves to harden the steel, and reduce the amount of wear that a blade will experience over time. It holds a great edge which can be seen by Joe’s efforts in sharpening the blade before shipping it and is very easy to re-sharpen when needed. With the properties of this type of steel it can rust but as long as you make sure to not leave it wet after use and occasionally oil it up this is not an issue. After the initial photos taken at the beach and a month of use there has been no problems of rust what so ever.

 

The blade also has a noticeable hamon on it which makes for an overall esthetically pleasing look to the final product but shows the effort put into the blade. Hamon is a visual effect created on the blade by the hardening process, it is the outline of the hardened zone which contains the cutting edge. This means that the cutting edge is harder than the spine make for a better edge but a more durable spine. 

The handle is fitted with natural micarta scales and brass pins that fit very nuclei in the hand and is Fixed Blade Knifecomfortable to hold on to. Micarta industrial laminate sheets are a hard, dense material made by applying heat and pressure to layers of prepreg. These layers of laminations are usually cotton fabrics, synthetic yarn fabrics, glass fabrics, or unwoven fabrics. When heat and pressure are applied to the layers, a chemical reaction transforms the layers into an incredibly durable industrial laminated plastic.

 

After carrying this guy around everyday for over a month and beating the crap out of it I can’t say enough good things about it. It’s easy to carry, holds a great edge, can be used in almost every application and is just an overall fantastically made knife. Joe knows his way around a knife and can custom make a blade to your specifications for whatever you might need. If your looking for a great fixed blade that you’ll get years of use out of I strongly suggest you talk to Joe. Prices will vary depending on what you want,but are going to start around $100 which for a custom made blade is not a bad price at all. You can find him on Instagram under the name @Panhandle_Iron, just shoot him a direct message with what you’re looking for and he’ll make it happen.

 

Dim Mak From Moya Ruiz

Moya Ruiz Dim MakThe Dim Mak from Moya Ruiz is the third installment in their yearly limited edition line of cigars. While its been almost a year since it’s launch and only 700 boxes of 10 cigars were made, they have been one of my favorites and since there are still a few of these guys floating around figured why not get a review up about them. Like the two limited edition cigars before it, it has an Asian inspired motif and name as a nod to Cigar Dojo for their help in promoting the brand during inception.

Visual inspection of the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper reveals a smooth wrapper with little veining and a milk chocolate color. The construction looks clean and the seams are tight. The roll feels solid all the way down with no apparent dead spots, it feels full but also yields to light pressure.

The body gives a large fragrance that reminds me of an old library, that leather mixed with old books aroma. The cap was removed with a straight cut and came off with no rips or tears to the overall body. The cigar lit easily and the burn started smooth.

The start of the stick offers a good dose of pepper and spice to the flavor profile, with a bit of grassy notes. There was good full medium bodied smoke production and the burn went well and evenly. The ash was a little on the loose side. Not to the point that you had to ash after every draw but you’re not going to win any long ash contests here. This continues through the first half of the smoke.

The second half mellows a bit with the spices calming down and more of a zesty citrus note coming to the front. Smoke production remains constant while the burn gets slightly wavy from time to time but overall mostly even.

Overall this is a great cigar with an excellent construction with great strength and full flavor. In my opinion this is one of Moya Ruiz’s heaviest cigars. If you’re new to the smoking world be prepared for a lot of flavor and strength, if you’re a seasoned smoker you’re in for a treat.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder/Filler: Nicaragua/Dominican

Size: 5” X 54 Robusto

Price: About $10.00