Cigar Club

My Father Le Bijou 1922

My father Le BijouMy Father Cigars makes several great cigars and the My father Le Bijou is one of them.  Le Bijou (The Jewel) 1922 is a blend that has been created by Jose “Pepin” Garcia in honor, appreciation and memory of his father, who was born in 1922.

The cigar is rich dark brown brown in color and a slight oily sheen given off from the Habano Oscuro-Oscuro wrapper. There is some light veining and the seams are nearly invisible. The body feels dense but pliable with no dead spots found.

From the body notes of leather and cedar are found along with a chocolaty sweetness. From the foot these odors are stronger but the same. In the cold draw there are flavors of sweet tobacco with pepper but the draw feels a bit loose.

The first half of of the Le Bijou has the tase of earth and pepper with notes of dark chocolate on the finish. Even though it felt loose on the cold draw when lit the resistance is fine. It burns evenly and provides plenty of light weight smoke.

Through the second half the earth notes become stronger and the pepper replaces the sweetness at the finish with a bit of saltiness. There was one touch up required to the burn line but after that correction it was sharp for the duration. The smoke stayed plentiful and had a pleasant aroma as well.

This was a wonderful smoke from stat to finish. Medium full in both strength and flavor this is definitely one that will start your day off right or is a perfect way to spend the evening paired with a nice bourbon or scotch. Once again, the Garcia family incorporates into their profile the passion for the Cuban Cigar tradition. With its excellent look and construction be sure to add some of these to your collection.

Wrapper: Habano Oscuro-Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: Around $7.00 – $12.50 a stick depending on vitola.
Rating: 4.8 out of 5 pints

 

Tarazona 305

Tarazona Cigar 305

Until last week I had never heard of Tarazona Cigars, much less the Tarazona 305. That all changed after talking with Eddie Tarazona when I discovered they have been around for quite some time. During our conversation I received an assortment of his cigars and once I smoked one I knew the next article needed to be about the 305. Named 305 for the area code in south Florida he is in and according to Eddie the “305 exemplifies everything a connoisseur ever wanted in a true, full-bodied maduro.”

The Tarazona 305 is wrapped in a milk chocolate colored Costa Rican maduro that has some light veining and a velvety finish. The seams are tight, the body feels full with no dead spots found. From the body I notice scents of fresh bread, leather and floral notes, these odors are greater from the foot. The cap cuts causing no damage, from the pre-light draw I pick up flavors of sweat tea, nutmeg and tobacco.

The first half of the cigar gives notes of citrus, wood and a punch of red pepper for the finish. The burn is sharp with ash that holds tight for about an inch along with ample light weighted smoke production.

The second half has the pepper mellowing a bit and wood and leather being the stand out flavors. This profile remains until the end of the cigar. For the entire duration the burn was even and required no touch ups. The ash kept tight and the smoke continued to bellow generous amounts.

This cigar, just like the others I’ve smoked from Tarazona, was a great smoke. Full in flavor and body it never disappointed. While Tarazona has been around for a while they can be a little tricky to find. Eddie doesn’t believe in flooding the market as he likes to focus on the quality of production and that quality is noticeable in each cigar you smoke from his lines. When you see any of his cigars in your shop make sure to grab enough to stock up your humidor and if you don’t see them ask your shop to bring some in.

Wrapper: Costa Rican Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: Around $7.00 – $9.50 a stick.
Rating: 4.7 out of 5 pints

 

 

Alec Bradley’s Tempus

Alec Bradley TempusWith so many great cigars in the Alec Bradly line it’s always a difficult choice deciding which one to write about next, in this case it was the Tempus. The Alec Bradley Tempus is a great Nica puro and it’s made in the Raices Cubanas (Cuban Roots) factory in Honduras. This factory is one of the go to factories for Alec Bradley.

The wrapper has a lovely color of tanned leather. It has a bit of toothiness and a slight oily sheen. Some light veining is present but not excessive and the cigar feels firm and dense. The smell is mild and reminds me of dried fruit and pepper while the cold draw is sweet and crisp and, while I generally stay away from ridiculous comparisons and my next statement is what one, it almost reminds me of flavors from a fresh apple.

In the first half there are decidedly spicy notes along with the flavor of toasted bread and cream. The draw has the correct resistance that you would want and, not too loose but not a struggle to smoke. The burn is accurate and sharp with plenty of well weighted smoke.

The second half increases in intensity. The spice picks up quite a bit but the smooth cream never leaves making it a wonderfully relaxing and easy cigar to smoke. The burn remains sharp and the smoke never fails to produce ample amounts.

In all, this was a great well rounded cigar, a real tribute to the blending style and to the torcedors at Raices Cubanas. While I consider this to be a slightly strong cigar, the flavor profile is such that either a novice or experienced smoker will enjoy it. Check your local shops for these cigars and when you see them its defiantly worth grabbing a fiver or if you’ve had them before you know you should just grab a box.

 

*Footnote. Honduras shut down all non-essential business due to coronavirus, Raices Cubanas being one of them. People were only allowed to leave they’re homes in segments based off of identification numbers making it increasingly difficult to get basic supplies needed to live, especially considering that Honduras is a developing country. In order to support the people that support them, Alec Bradley for an entire month, provided both food and hygienic supplies to the factory workers and their families and older retired factory works and their families from Raices Cubanas. (A number around 2,800 people.) Since the restrictions were so stringent, if the employees were not able to get the supplies themselves they made arrangements to have them delivered. For storage of the food they converted the tobacco freezers into food coolers. It is gestures like these that make me proud to be a part of the tobacco industry and happy to continue to support companies like Alec Bradley.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan (Jalapa)
Binder: Nicaraguan Double Binder
Filler: Nicaraguan (Condega, Estelí & Jalapa)
Price: Around $7.00 – $9.50 a stick.
Rating: 4.6 out of 5 pints