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"Viva Bolivar!"
New Bolder Bolivar Due Later This Month
(Posted September 8, 2005)
*** IN THIS ISSUE ***
1. Feature Story: Cigar Review: "Viva Bolivar!"
2. Survey Says: September survey question
3. Smoker's Ed (Cigar Terms & Tips)
4. Rating Lunatic: Customer Reviews
5. Cigar in the News: Heard in the Humidor
6. Eyes on the Prize: Celebrity and Customer Cigar Sightings
*** FEATURE STORY ***
"Viva Bolivar!"
New Bolder Bolivar Due Later This Month
by Gary Korb
Bolivar Toro (Dominican Republic)
Size/Strength: 6" x 52 / Full
Wrapper: San Agustin Ligero grown in Honduras
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan (Esteli) and Nicaraguan (Ometepe)
Binder: Havano Medio Tiempo grown in Connecticut
At this year's RTDA in New Orleans, General Cigar re-introduced several cigars that have enjoyed a fine reputation through the years. Among them was the renowned Bolivar brand, which has undergone a major blend makeover for 2005. The sample that was distributed at the show was the Bolivar Toro, which I chose to review for this issue of Shop Talk. The new Bolivar cigars comprise four frontmarks (Lonsdale, Robusto, Toro and Churchill), which are slated for release later this month.
For those of you who are not familiar with the history of this cigar, the Bolivar brand was introduced by the Rocha Company of Havana, Cuba, in 1901. In the 1950's, Ramon Cifuentes, the creator of Partagas cigars, began manufacturing the Bolivar brand. Due to the relationship between Cifuentes and General Cigar Corp., Bolivar is now handcrafted in the Dominican Republic by General Cigar Dominicana.
Talk about a shimmering wrapper. I thought that if I shook this cigar hard enough oil droplets would spurt out of it. The wrapper also has an attractive copper hue with a black marble pattern. Although it was not overly veiny, there were a few scars that bulged through here and there. However, I do not consider these a detriment to the overall appearance of the cigar. If anything, it was a sign saying, "Are you ready for me?"
As stated in my introduction above, this is the new blend with a much heartier mix than the current edition with the Connecticut shade wrapper and Dominican filler. This version sports a Honduran-grown San Agustin Ligero wrapper and a much more complex filler blend, composed of Dominican tobacco plus two Nicaraguan leaves: one grown in Esteli, the other on the volcanic isle of Ometepe. It is the rich, volcanic soil of the island that gives this tobacco its unique character and contributes to the complexity of this cigar. The binder is a Connecticut Havano Medio Tiempo binder, which is used for the wrapper on the Partagas Black Label cigars.
The cap was perfect and clipped off perfectly without a snare. The band is a bit gaudy but the gold, brown and red colors seem to do justice to the wrapper. Despite General's claim that this is one of their more potent offerings, the pre-lit flavor had nary a trace of spiciness, unlike most full-bodied cigars. In fact, I found it to be quite pleasant. Upon lighting, the cigar lit cleanly across the foot and the first puff produced a warm, earthy aroma and an excellent draw. A few more puffs and there it is - the mother load. It's almost insidious. The smoke draws very smoothly, pulling a lot of smoke with it and rests quietly on the palate. Then BANG! Rebounding off the back of the throat, a riptide of spiciness takes you under. Note, this is not an uncomfortably hot sensation, just very peppery, like a good salsa. At about the one inch mark, the ash is still quite firm and the cigar is beginning to round out. By its midpoint, the cigar was demonstrating a remarkable consistency in both balance and flavor. The earlier spiciness had smoothed out, yet enough remained on the finish to keep your taste buds paying attention. During the last half the flavors intensified again, while retaining a full, well-balanced flavor.
Here's how I scored it on our Famous Smoke Shop 1-10 scale:
Appearance - 9
Construction - 10
Burn - 9
Draw - 10
Aroma - 9
Flavor - 9
Final score: 9.3
For the cigar smoker who's become accustomed to the fine richer blends that have emerged in the past four years, the Bolivar seems to be right on target.
~ G.K.
*** SURVEY SAYS DEPT. ***
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| Last time you said... |
If you were made aware of one of the following during the order process, which would most likely cause you to add more items to your cart?
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| Free shipping |
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49 % |
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| Free single cigars (up to 5) |
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26 % |
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| 5% off your total order |
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11 % |
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| Free accessories (cutters, lighters, hats, T-shirts) |
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11 % |
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| None of the above |
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3 % |
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August Survey Comments: With 849 votes counted at press time, our poll on flavored cigars showed that 46% never smoke them, while only 4% do on a daily basis. Surprisingly, 35% do smoke flavored cigars on occasion. What I thought was most interesting was that many of the comments that came back referred to Acid cigars, which I consider an aromatic cigar, not a flavored cigar. Curious about the market's perception of the Acid brand, when I brought this up to Rick Ardito, Sales Manager at Drew Estates, he said he had no problem with it. Here are a few of the comments that came in:
“I agree that most flavored sticks are crap, not all are. There are brands like the C.A.O. and some of the Drew Estates that give the flavored genre a little shine, personally I don't mind a quality flavored smoke once in a blue moon-as a change of pace. Another plus is that out in public the flavored smokes seem to be a bit more tolerated, I guess because most are smaller and a bit more aromatic. Nothing seems to garner forgiveness for the stinky room or car like sitting down to puff a robusto with your wife and her chocolate flavored petite corona.” - Joshua Morale
“I don't purchase cigar flavored chocolate, I want the chocolate for its flavor. Same goes for cigars, I purchase the cigars for their unique tastes.” - Glen Fry
“Why put flavor into a cigar? It is like putting catchup on a good steak!” - Todd Ittershagen
“A good Gurkha cognac or Makers Mark bourbon seasoned cigar are just the ticket for those times when I want something with extra flavor.” - Bob (last name withheld)
“They aren't for real men!” - Lyle Harbertson
Cigar Terms & Tips (Collect and trade em'!)
Bull's-Eye Piercer - A device for opening the closed head of a cigar before smoking. It creates a circular opening like a target's bull's eye. Also known as a punch cutter.
Q&A
Q: Why does one side of a cigar, particularly the wrapper, sometimes burn faster than the other?
A: The first and most common reason has to do with the thickness of the wrapper leaf. If the leaf on one side is thicker, it will tend to burn more slowly. Alternately, the same problem may affect the binder. If so, not as much heat will be transmitted to the wrapper, therefore also slowing its burn rate.
Q: Why do some cigars burn evenly while others burn into a conical shape?
A: This has to do with the blend. The filler leaves are usually comprised of ligero (for flavor/strength), volado (for burn) and seco (flavor and aroma). Depending on the blend, the ligero leaves may predominate. Being from the top of the plant, they are thicker and burn more slowly. That creates the conical shape on the end of some cigars, particularly if the ligero is rolled in the center of the cigar.
Reader Feedback and Tips from our mailbag
Traveling with cigars, cutters and lighters
How is one supposed to travel these days and still be able to enjoy a Cigar when you arrive at your destination? I have no problem packing the cigars themselves, but if you carry on your luggage what do you do for a cutter and lighter when you arrive? It's almost like you have to ship them to your arrival location. It may be easy to find a store in Las Vegas for example, but other locations it could be next to impossible much less practical to go hunt out such shops.”
- Kevin Torner
Making room for one more, or two
Most people like their own brands to smoke when traveling but I have found it interesting to carry one or two of my own, then when in a new city look for a good cigar store to shop. You get to meet different people, see a new shop and talk to the locals about what goes on in their area. Exchange cards, spend some money, and make new friends. Hopefully they will do the same when they come to your town.
Basically I will travel with one or two cigars from my humidor in a leather cigar travel case that holds three. Just enough to get me to my destination then I enjoy visiting different shops to check out their inventory. Nothing is more pleasurable than the aroma of entering a cigar store! Well almost!! Thanks!
- Tim Nates, Charleston, SC
Got a good cigar tip of your own? Send it in and share it with our readers by
sending an email to
. Please be sure to put "Cigar Tip" in the subject line.
*** SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DEPT.***
Free Advice!
Have a question about the care and feeding of your cigars or another
cigar-related topic? 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.
For cigar information, including cigar ratings, news and reviews, cigar tips, blogs and more, log onto CigarAdvisor.com!
Subscribe To Famous Smoke Shop Talk
If you'd like to subscribe to Shop Talk, simply click on the "Your Account" link in the left margin and check the box that says, "Email me your newsletter (issued monthly)." While you're there, you can also subscribe to our Weekly Email Sale. It's packed with money-saving specials on cigars, humidors and accessories you won't want to miss.
Shop-Talk Archives
Want to catch up on your Famous Smoke Shop Talk reading or reference an article, tip, or other bit of information that appeared in a past issue? Go to our Famous Smoke “Shop Talk” archives page.
*** RATING LUNATIC DEPT.***
Recent cigar reviews from Famous Smoke Shop customers. (Reviews are selected at random and may be edited for length, grammar, spelling, etc., not content.)
Padron 40th Anniversary 1926 (Nicaragua)
Size/Strength: 6½"x 54 Torpedo / Full
Wrapper: 5 year-aged Nicaraguan Maduro
Filler/Binder: 5 year-aged Nicaraguan
I am stationed in Germany and have access to all the Cuban Romeo Y Julieta, Montecristo and Cohiba's I want. This Padron 40th Anniversary 1926 is the best cigar I have ever smoked! Because of the cost, I was expecting a great stick, but almost hoping it would not be good enough to make me want more. No such luck. If I had the money, my humidor would be full of them. Love the Cubans, but this Padron is number 1 in my book. - Stu Gregory (U.S. Armed Forces)
Troya Cameroon #72 (Dominican Republic)
Size / Strength: 5 x 52 Mini Belicoso / Medium
Wrapper: African Cameroon
Filler/Binder: Dominican
Troya has been around a long time, they are a bit pricey for an every day cigar, but you can expect a well built cigar. This cigar looks great, the Cameroon wrapper is oily and has great texture and color. The taste is that of a super premium, complex flavors but smooth. I recommend to check out CigarAuctioneer.com first for specials. Good Luck! - Jose Espinoza of sunny California
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 and write a review. You might even get your quote re-printed in our monthly mailorder catalog! What you say can help others make a more informed decision, even you!
*** GIVE THAT MAN A CIGAR! DEPT.***
If you live in or near the verdant Lehigh Valley of PA, stop by our retail store at 1100 Conroy Place in Easton, PA for one of our cigar tasting events. For details and more information call 610-559-8800.
*** CIGARS IN THE NEWS ***
The following cigar news items come to us courtesy of Richard Perelman's "Heard in the Humidor" column, which features highlights of the week in cigars and smoking from his website, CigarCyclopedia.com.
HEARD IN THE HUMIDOR
Week of September 5-9, 2005
A bit more Havana cigar history was unveiled this week, when a "Branch of the Tree" humidor was sold on eBay, made for a brand and size not thought to be in production at the time it was made. The item was the odd, but not unknown, tree-trunk-style humidor which was made at least until 1979. But this one was for Siboney Coronas, probably a 5 1/2-inch by 42-ring cigar made in the 1960s. No production of Siboney was officially reported until 1998, but here was the proof of earlier production, sold to a California buyer (without any cigars in it!) for $502.00.
British tabloids were all atwitter last week, reporting that Victoria Beckham (wife of soccer star David Beckham and formerly known as Posh Spice) was seen enjoying cigars at a private party on the yacht of Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli and that the Beckhams are quite enamored with their new hobby . . . A Southern California smoking tradition ended this month as Schatzi, the Santa Monica, California restaurant formerly owned by now-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, ended its monthly program of cigar dinners which stretched back to at least 1995. A blues and jazz band is now the Monday night highlight.
Week of August 29 to September 2, 2005
Cuba takes every opportunity to tell the world how much they hate the United States, but the Cuban people have to eat. So, a deal was struck last week for the Cubans to buy $30 million in beans, corn and wheat from the state of Nebraska . Nearly 80,000 tons of food will be sent to Cuba over the next 18 months.
U.S. cigar imports continue to zoom, with figures for June 2005 almost 19% ahead of last year’s total. For the first six months of 2005, imports totaled 131.7 million cigars, 10 million ahead of 2004's strong totals and a year-over-year gain of 8.8%. Imports are on a pace to crack the 300 million barrier for the first time since 1998, the last year of the Cigar Boom, and for only the third time ever.
Have trouble clearing your mouth of the taste of cigars? Try a three-step process that includes cutting the cigar taste with citric acid with a drink like Schweppes Bitter Lemon, then give your mouth something else to occupy it like sharp cheese or even cereal like Grape Nuts or Rice Krispies, then brush your teeth and tongue!
Week of August 22-26, 2005
Swedish Match sold the New York headquarters building of General Cigar to a local real estate development group for $70 million and will see a post-tax profit of about $12 million as it consolidates its workforce in Richmond, Virginia next year . . . General Cigar’s Club Macanudo was in the news as it refused entry to Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez, who came in a t-shirt and jeans, strictly forbidden under the club’s dress code. They did allow him to come for a few minutes to buy some cigars. Said a Club Mac staffer, "He’s been here before and he was pretty cool about it." ¶
It’s Like eBay® for Cigar Lovers!
Now you can get the cigars YOU want at the prices you want to pay by logging on to CigarAuctioneer.com. It's FUN, it's FAST and the ACTION is great! You'll not only find RARE cigars, closeouts, and discontinued cigar brands, but now you can bid on humidors, cigar lighters and more!
(“eBay” is the registered trademark of eBay, Inc. Famous Smoke Shop-PA, Inc. is not associated or affiliated with eBay in any manner.)
*** EYES ON THE PRIZE DEPT.***
Cigar Sightings
 
About the Chrysler TV spot I featured last month: The cigar Mr. Iacocca is smoking is a La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 7. Thanks to everyone who chimed in with this one. You've got good eyes, and Mr. Iacocca has very good taste in cigars.
In a scene from Vegas Vacation, Beverly D'Angelo spots Wayne Newton looking at her from across the casino, at which time he is lighting up a cigar. Several shots later, he walks out of the frame with the lit cigar, which I believe is also a large caliber La Gloria Cubana Serie R.
Other Famous Cigar Smokers Caught “Infumare Delecto”
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Picture of me on a recent cruise to the Caribbean enjoying a domestic Romeo y Julieta before
picking up some Havana’s in Jamaica. The Princess Caribbean has a nice cigar lounge and
provided cigar buying tips for your shore excursions.
Regards,
Leonard Li |
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Hi Gary,
Khaos WolfKat in Seattle here. Just thought it might be time for me to send in another photo
of me enjoying one of life's finer pleasures. In this one, I'm puffing on a Martinez Don
Antonio Numero 5.
Cheers,
~ Khaos |
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This is Joseph Walter (age 18) of Memphis, TN at the end of a morning of bird hunting in
Argentina on July 4, 2005. He is holding his first parrot. - H.G. Walter
(The bird still looks alive to me, so I'll assume it is. - GK) |
WANTED! Cigar-smoking photos of you and your friends
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 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 .JPG) per email.
That's all folks. Happy Smokes!
Gary
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