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Excalibur 1066 Dark Knight; To Wrap or Not to Wrap? - That is the Question
May 27, 2003
Dear Fellow Cigar Lovers,
This week I've got a preview of the new Excalibur 1066 Dark Knight
cigar, more than you need to know about the cello wrappers on your
cigars and a survey about same. One of our customers reviews the
Arturo Fuente Curly Head Deluxe Maduro and former New York City
Mayor now newlywed, Rudolph Giuliani, makes this edition's celebrity
cigar sightings...
*** CIGAR PREVIEW ***
Excalibur 1066 Dark Knight (Honduras)
King Arthur has a new member in his court. He’s called the Dark
Knight, the most robust cigar in the Excalibur 1066 series and unlike
his Cameroon-wrapped comrades, he’s armored in a very unique,
extra dark Connecticut-grown wrapper.
The wrapper looks just like a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, but it’s
actually a rare Havana seed Connecticut leaf that was commonly grown
in the Connecticut River Valley during the 1880s. These plants yielded
a very dark tobacco leaf and were much smaller in size than the broadleaf
wrappers used on most maduro cigars today, which come from a strain of
Maryland seed introduced to the Windsor Valley in the early 1830s. The
Maryland broadleaf wrapper had bigger, thicker leaves and produced much
bigger harvests, eventually replacing the more predominant Havana seed
Connecticut leaf.
The Havana-seed Connecticut tobacco evaded extinction when General
Cigar began using the leaf as binder in its Macanudo Robust cigars. They
also use this leaf as the wrapper for their Partagas Black Label cigars.
Two of the most appealing qualities of this ebony-hued leaf is that it is
very oily by nature and its also virtually vein-free, therefore much
smoother in appearance. Like the Partagas Black Label, the Dark Knight
is also rolled to a wide ring gauge, measuring 5 ¾" x 54. The filler blend
is a mix of Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican filler with a Connecticut
broadleaf binder and promises to be very full-flavored.
The cigars should be arriving at our warehouse soon and I'm hoping to
receive a sample so I can share my opinion with you in a future issue.
*** SMOKERS ED. DEPT.***
Cigar Terms & Tips (Collect and trade em'!)
Cello - The plastic cellophane wrapper found on most cigars. It is
primarily used to protect the wrapper leaf from tearing during packing
and shipping.
To Wrap Or Not To Wrap - That Is The Question
Speaking of "cello," it looks like it’s time again for my semi-annual
tip on whether or not to remove the plastic cello wrappers on your
cigars. I mention this because in the last few weeks I have received
dozens of emails, mostly from new smokers, asking this question. For
those of you who’ve heard this one before, you can skip this section,
but for those of who may have been thinking about writing in about
this, here’s the deal:
The opinion of whether to remove the cello on a cigar, like most
opinions, tends to be split. "Traditionalists" prefer to remove the
cello, keeping their cigars in a properly maintained humidor where
they can "breathe" and mingle in their naked state with the other
cigars. Others contend that keeping the cello on has no effect nor
causes any detriment to the aging process of the cigar. This camp
may have a case. We have many cello-wrapped cigars in our humidor
that have been aging for as long as four years and in some cases
even longer. These cigars smoke perfectly fine. You may find a
brownish tint on the cello of these cigars, that’s all. I happen to
be one of those who remove the cello, b/c 1) I just prefer it. 2)
I like to give some of my cigars at least a month or more to settle
before I smoke them and I have found it to be a good way to mellow
them out.
Generally speaking, if you go through your cigars quickly, removing
the cello will make no difference. If you want to ‘age' your cigars
at home over a long period of time, say, 3 months and longer, remove
the wrappers. But here’s what I propose to just about everyone who
writes in with this question: Next time you buy a box of cigars, take
five of them and remove the cello. Keep the 5 without the cello and 5
of the cigars with the cello in your humidor for about 3 months and
compare the taste. Then you can be the judge.
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What about you? If you'd like to share your thoughts and experiences
on this week's cigar tip, please e-mail me at
*** SURVEY SAYS! DEPT.***
Our survey for this edition asks...
Before putting cigars in your humidor, do you leave the
cello wrappers on or take them off?
Send an email to
and in the SUBJECT line
type either, "Yes - cello on" or "No - cello off"
You may also include comments but it's not necessary.
Survey results for May 13th:
Do You Taste "Flavors" In Your Cigars?
The results of our survey on whether you tasted the "flavors" often
described in cigar reviews was:
60% NO
40% YES
Thanks to all of you who participated and even included your comments.
One naysayer even confessed to having been a former reviewer for SMOKE
Magazine! It seems that for many of you, taste boils down to strength or
"body" of the smoke and many others remarked that although they did not
taste flavors in the cigar itself, the smoke would sometimes have a distinct
aroma that could be described in terms of a "flavor" like coffee, cocoa or cedar.
*** SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DEPT.***
Have a question about the care and feeding of your cigars? Send your
questions and comments to me at: . I will
try to respond as quickly as possible, but some replies may take a few
days. (Please DO NOT use the "askGary" address to be removed
from the newsletter list. Thank you.)
*** RATING LUNATIC DEPT.***
Cigar reviews submitted by our customers. Reviews are selected at
random and may be edited for length, not content.
Arturo Fuente Curly Head Deluxe Maduro (Dom. Republic)
Size/Wrapper: 6 1/2" x 43 / Connecticut Broadlead Maduro
I was short on cash, and knowing that great Fuente taste, I skimped and
bought a few Curly Head Maduros, and I was pleasantly surprised! The
construction was not as good as their usual product, but for the price,
you really can't beat them. I am on my third box, and only found two that
did not have a decent draw, which of course, kinda ruins the experience.
Toward the end, the flavor gets stronger and keeps that sweet, oily maduro
taste that I like. When you compare price, I've spent much more and got
much less. They burn slow; some even, some not.
- JTB, Port Charlotte, FL
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(AGREE? DISAGREE? Your opinion may be similar or completely different and
is also appreciated, so don't be shy. Rate the cigars you smoke on our web
site.
What you say can help others make a more informed decision, even you!)
*** GIVE THAT MAN A CIGAR! DEPT.***
Cigar tasting events in our retail store at 1100 Conroy Place, Easton, PA
Call 610-559-8800 for details.
Romeo Y Julieta Rsv. Maduro - Thursday, May 29th - 4:00 - 6:00 PM (BOGOF)
Macanudo Club Macanudo Bus - Saturday, June 21, 2:00 - 5:00 P.M. (Special offers)
La Aurora 100th Anniversary! - Friday, July 18, 3:00 - 6:00 P.M. (BOGOF)
(Offers) for the above dates apply only to the retail store.
*** EYES ON THE PRIZE DEPT.***
Cigar Sightings!
The New York Post printed this photo on Friday, May 23, having spotted
former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani at Cigar Aficionado’s "Big Smoke," held at
the Marriot Marquis in Times Square last week. Giuliani joined 3,000 cigar
lovers to “sip good booze and smoke cigars.” The article also said, “The
puff party was legal because [Mayor] Bloomberg - at Giuliani’s urging -
created an exception to [Bloomberg’s] smoking ban, which took effect March
30th. The loophole allows smoking in hotels and catering halls ‘for the
primary purpose of promoting and sampling tobacco products’ several times
a year at each site.”
Other ‘Famous’ Cigar Smokers Caught in the Act!
Seen here atop his yacht, James Riley wrote:
"Absolutely enjoying the evening. Good news would be where can I buy
a truck load of Padrons at a warehouse price?"
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Have You Made A Cigar Sighting Recently?
It can be from a
movie, TV show or a celebrity you've seen elsewhere or in-person
puffing on a primo. If you can name the brand of the cigar, even
better! Or send in a herfing photo of you and your friends to me at
and please put "Cigar Sightings"
in the subject line. Limit: 1 sighting or photo (preferably, a JPEG)
per email.
Until the next issue, June 10th, Happy Smokes!
Gary
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