Cigar Review

Hiram and Solomon Master Mason

Hiram and Solomon Master MasonHiram and Solomon is a line that was created by Freemason brothers Fouad Kashouty and Brother George Dakrat. The idea came from there thought that there was no accessible cigar on the market for Freemason smokers that carried the square and compass, nor any other Masonic Emblem. From that point they began working on the possibility of creating not only a Masonic-themed cigar, but a quality cigar that would not just physically represent Freemasons all over the world but contain within it a quality that could match the caliber of excellence that the Brethren themselves contain. From this diligent work the Hiram and Solomon line came to be. Additionally, being one of the most fundamental aspects of Freemason Teachings, a way to incorporate charity into such a meaningful company was a must. In order to have the opportunity to give back to their supporters, Hiram & Solomon Cigars donates part of the sales profits to various Masonic and non-Masonic community charity events.

I’ve had these Master Mason cigars resting for several months, not because I didn’t want to smoke them but because of the size. The Grand Toro weighs in at a hefty 6 x 60 and I knew I was going to need more than my usual 45-60 minutes to smoke. I finally had a day with some extra time and knew exactly which cigar to pick.

The cigar is covered in  a rich dark maduro wrapper, nearly black in color. There is some veining but not excessive or abnormal for this type of wrapper. It has a soft, velvety finish to it. Pressing along the body the cigar feels full with no noticeable dead spots. The smell is sweet, like chocolate or fresh baked cake. The same can be noticed from the foot. The cap cuts easily and does not damage the construction. The cold draw has sweetness to it that matches the odor along with full tobacco.

The first half has flavors of toasted nuts and the sweet smell translates to the flavor as well. It produces a fair amount of smoke that has a good weight to it. The weight of the smoke combined with the flavor makes for an enjoyable first half. The cigar burns easy and sharp while the ash holds for about 1/2 inch at a time.

In the second half the flavor really picks up, it changes from being a medium bodied cigar to very full. The taste of dark black coffee and tobacco take over along with a hint of cinnamon in the finish. Theres also a touch of meatiness to it as well. This flavor continues until the end resulting in a powerhouse of a cigar with one heck of a nicotine punch to it. There was no issue with construction throughout the smoking session, it continued to provide ample smoke that always had a sweet aroma to it.

While this is not my normal go to size for cigars it was definitely worth putting aside the extra time to enjoy. In whole the cigar was great and looking forward to having a few more of these. With a construction of this quality and flavor this rich I would recommend picking up these when you see them in the shop. If your shop doesn’t have them ask them to bring them in. You can also read about the Hiram and Solomon Traveling Man Lancero by clicking here.

Wrapper – Habano Maduro Oscuro

Binder – Indonesian Sumatra

Filler – Habano Jalapa, Habano Ometepe, Ligero Habano Estelí

Price: $8.50

Website: Hiramandsolomoncigars.com

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 pints

 

Diesel Whiskey Row

Diesel Whiskey RowBourbon seems to be the hot thing for the last while here, nearly overtaking the craft beer craze. So of course people started shoving leaves into barrels and aging them (that’s actually been happening for a while but I digress) it can, however, be tough to find one that actually tastes good. In comes AJ Fernandez to take care of that with a partnership between General Cigars and Rabbit Hole Distillery. In 2016 binder leaves were placed by AJ in Rabbit Hole whiskey barrels using a specific aging method and from there Diesel Whiskey Row came to life.

Diving into this thing the odor from the body is floral with lite notes of leather and oak. From the foot the smell is the same. The look of the cigar is attractive with a milk chocolate wrapper covering it. There is a light oily sheen to it and very few noticeable veins. Seams are tight and not remarkable but blend in with the body, the cigar feels full even firm to the touch. The cap is cut with no issues and it lights easily and evenly.

The first half brings flavors of rich tobacco with a slight bitter dark chocolate and spice on the finish. The burn continues to be sharp while the ash holds for about 1/2 inch at a time before falling. It produces plenty of medium weight, pleasant smelling, smoke. As the cigar progresses the spice dissipates.

The second half is more mellow with sweetness and bread flavors. This remains until nearly at the end where the spiciness does return. For the duration the cigar has burned properly and required no touching up of any kind.

While this is a barrel aged cigar it didn’t have that overwhelming flavor of being barrel aged and to me thats a good thing. Usually those flavors can over power the taste of the tobacco which is a disservice to it. The overall intensity is mild to medium which makes this cigar perfect to smoke at any time of the day. It also makes it accessible to all smokers regardless of palette. My recommendation is, if you see these in a shop pick some up

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Mexican San Andrés (Bourbon Barrel-Aged)
Filler: Nicaraguan (Ometepe | Condega | Jalapa)
Price: $8.00 per stick
Website: Diesel.com
Rating: 4.4 out of 5 pints

 

Dias de Gloria from AJ Fernandez

Dias de Gloria AJ FernandezWhen A.J. Fernandez came up with the idea for Dias de Gloria his idea was to pay homage to an idyllic time he believes were the glory days of Cuban tobacco—preCastro Cuba. While it is a nod to this time period in Cuba’s history, the new cigar contains no Cuban tobacco. It is, however, made up of aged tobacco from four of his oldest farms in Nicaragua: Finca los Cedros, La Providencia 1, La Lilia and La Soledad. All of them located in Estelí.

“These are the four oldest farms I own,” says Fernandez, “and I’ve been setting aside tobacco from each farm and aging it for years for this blend [some for as much as 7 years]. I want everyone to enjoy it like the glory days of old Cuba.”

The look of the cigar is quite nice, the wrapper has a tan leather color with a light oil sheen to it. It has some light veining with tight seams. The body feels well rolled with no discoverable dead spots or areas that give more than anywhere else. The smell from the body is chocolatey with leather and cedar notes. (Not uprising given that 1/3 of the cigar comes wrapped in cedar.) Same notes are noticed from the foot.

The cigar cuts easy using scissors leaving no damage, it lights easily and has a firm draw. From the first few pulls there is a great amount of pepper flavor which subsides relatively quickly to let the other flavors come in.

In the first half has flavors of leather and cedar with the pepper moving in and out. The ash hold tight for about 1/2-3/4 of an inch at a time. It provides a medium amount of light weight smoke, burns sharp and the draw remains firm. Approaching the 2nd half (fine I will say it, in the 2nd 3rd) the pepper starts to fall further to the back and so far over all has been an enjoyable mild flavored smoke.

In the second half the draw begins to loosen up a bit but not in a bad way. The mild nearly buttery flavor continues until approaching the final 3rd of this cigar. In this final 3rd the flavor really begins to pick up, filled with full spice and dark chocolate. The burn is even for the duration of the smoke and no touch up is required. The smoke remains light which creates an intriguing mouth feel when compared to the fullness of flavor.

As a general rule I do not break cigars down by thirds because I personally don’t notice a great deal of flavor changes in the cigar to warrant such a discussion but, Dias de Gloria could easily be broken down this way. The flavors are peppery in the beginning, then mellow to a mild flavor then come back as a powerhouse at the end. When you find this cigar in the shop be sure to add several to your humidor you won’t be disappointed

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $9.00 – $12.00 depending on vitola
Website: Ajfcigars.com
Rating: 4.6 out of 5 pints