Monthly Recap – July & August

Number of Cigars Smoked: 64

Of those smoked:

• Purchased: 25 or 39%
• Gifted: 16 or 25%
• Samples Provided: 22 or 34%
• Traded: 1 or 2%

Of those purchased:

• Brick & Mortar: 8 or 32%
• Online: 17 or 68%

Most Memorable Cigars Smoked

#1. Crowned Heads – Jericho Hill – During a work trip back to El Paso in August, I had an opportunity to burn a handful of cigars with Tony. He also hooked me up with a bunch sticks. The Jericho Hill being one of them. If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you know that I am a huge fan of Mexican San Andres tobacco. The Jericho Hill wears a San Andres wrapper over its Nicaraguan binder and filler and delivers flavors of molasses, chocolate, woodsy notes, and pepper. The profile is balanced and the performance is solid. The Jericho Hill is a great addition to the Crowned Heads’ line-up. Check out Tony’s full review of the Jericho Hill by Crowned Heads HERE.

#2. Crowned Heads – JD Howard Reserve – Being my 2013 Cigar of the Year, you would think that I would be constantly smoking them. However, with the constant flow of news cigars to the market, it is easy to forget about last year’s sticks. After months of not smoking one, the JD Howard Reserve is still all its cracked up to be, one heck of a good stick. The Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper adds a level of uniqueness to the profile. This is a stick I highly recommend. Actually anything from Crowned Heads is worth searching for and smoking. Check out my full review HERE.

#3. E.P Carrillo – New Wave Connecticut – I won’t focus on the flavors or performance of the NWC, but my experience. I introduced my step-dad to this cigar a couple years back and he has been a faithful smoker of them since with a readily available supply in his desktop humidor. As mentioned earlier, I had a work trip back to El Paso in August where I stayed with my mom and step-dad, Rick. The evening I arrived, Rick and I lit up a NWC and hung out late into the evening catching up with each other. I always enjoy Rick’s company and especially enjoy having a cigar with him. I look forward to my next El Paso trip to burn another E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut with him.

August Cigar Reviews

Tatuaje – Cabaiguan Guapo Lancero

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect first experience with a cigar. The cigar burned cool and even. There were no touch-ups or ashes dropped in my lap. Just a complex, flavorful cigar to sit back and relax with.

Montecristo Espada

The middle and final thirds flavors were enjoyable, but I don’t smoke a cigar to only enjoy two thirds of it. I think additional rest and aginng of the Espada may relieve the bitterness in the first third. I am going to put my last sample away and revisit in 6 plus months.

Sindicato Cigars – Sindicato

I have only smoked a couple great cigars this year and the Sindicato by Sindicato Cigars is one of those. Actually, this may be the very best I have had this year. I was caught off guard with how much I enjoyed this absolute treat. 

Asylum Cigars – Asylum 13 “99 Problems” Lancero

For the first forty-five minutes of smoking the Asylum 13 “99 Problems” Lancero, I thought I may have found a top 10 candidate for 2014. The flavors met my palate just right and hit on all cylinders. Then a weird thing happened at the halfway point, the flavors flat-lined.  Not that the flavors became hard to palate, but there was just not much to them.

July Cigar Reviews

H. Upmann – The Banker

Total Flame Cigars – Dark Line

Total Flame Cigars – FTW (Forever Two Wheels)

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Being a big fan of motorcycles myself, I really dig the packaging/branding by Total Flame Cigars. The Dark Line is available in five sizes with vitola names continuing the motorcycle theme: 8 Ball (4 by 52 Preferidos), Bobber (5 by 60 Super Robusto), Old School (6 by 52 Torpedo), World Trip (6 ½ by 56), and Custom (7 by 47 Churchill).  This is what Total Flame Cigars’ website has to say on this vitola:

The Custom vitola, the thinnest and graceful cigar from collection Total Flame, undoubtedly is an embodiment of motorcycles Custom. Which was born to be enjoyed in a circle of friends on long pleasant evenings. The cigar is both simple in its form and complex in its taste, with bright dynamics and earnest evolution.

The Facts

Samples Provided by Total Flame Cigars
Price: $8.50
Vitola: Custom (Churchill)
Size: 7 by 47
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Havano Clara
Binder: Dominican Cubano
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Brazilian, and Peruvian
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 25 Minutes
Drink: Water

Pre-light

As I remove the cellophane from this Ecuadorian Havano Clara wrapped cigar notes of barnyard and sweet hay greet me. There is also this unique smell that reminds me of Play-Do. The foot of the cigar gives off a thick, rich cedar and some cinnamon.

The wrapper is toothy and a couple of medium to large veins run down the leaf. This Dark Line Custom is packed evenly and firmly through its entire seven inches. The wrapper color is golden tan in color. Upon clipping the cap, I find a beautiful cold draw where the rich cedar pops.

First Third

The flavor profile of the Total Flame Cigars Dark Line begins with deep, chewy flavors of cedar, earth, coffee, and pepper. The coffee rests on the palate for a considerable amount of time between each draw. The easy draw is delivering a mouthful of smoke. The retrohale is absolutely amazing. While the pepper pops a bit more in the sinuses than it does in the mouth, it remains balanced with the other flavors. I am already feeling a small amount of nicotine, which is probably a result of retrohaling the smoke so often. A very dark, firm  ash is forming as the cigar burns evenly with its eyeliner burn.

Middle Third

The name Dark Line was a bit odd as I examined the wrapper color, but now that I am well into the cigar I am beginning to see the name much more fitting. The flavors are deep, the strength is full, and I am enjoying this Churchill cigar. All of the flavors are shifting up. The pepper is much more sharp but still not overwhelming. Some sweetness has joined the mix and a nutty, almond-like flavor has arrived.

Final Third

The coffee and earth are now at the forefront of the profile and the pepper is full in flavor. A chocolate flavor is now noticeable on the finish of the smoke, which compliments the coffee notes nicely. The woodsy notes have shifted from the cedar early on to more of a piney flavor. Each ash has help past an inch and the burn-line remains right on at the close of the Dark Line Custom.

Wrap-up

Total Flame Cigars is 2 for 2. I have enjoyed both lines I have smoked from the company. The FTW may suit my palate a bit more than the Dark Line but that doesn’t mean this stick did not deliver in all the areas. Like the FTW, the performance was spot on with an easy draw that produced a copious amount of smoke and a firm ash left behind by an even burn. Absolutely no babysitting this bad boy. All I had to do was sit back and enjoy. The flavors were deep and, well, dark. The earth , coffee, and pepper gained footing as the smoke progressed pushing the cedar to the background of the profile. The middle and final third kept me intrigued with the sweetness that arrived and evolved into a chocolate finish. If you enjoy deep flavors and a good amount of spice, Total Flame has a cigar for you.

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Today, I will be reviewing the FTW (Forever Two Wheels) by Total Flame Cigars for your reading pleasure. Total Flame Cigars was founded by two Russian motorcycle enthusiasts who have a passion for cigars – Vladimir Roshchin and Maxim Privezentsev. FTW  is one of four lines with the other lines being Bright Line, Dark Line, and Nicaragua. The FTW was released in 2013 and  is currently available in two vitolas: Robusto (5 by 54) and Toro (6 by 52).  A brochure I received with the cigar has this to say on the FTW:

Consisting of a robust yet smooth blend of three aged Nicaraguan ligeros, this cigar represents the strongest of the Total Flame Cigars. The FTW was made to represent the essence of the biker spirit; strong, bold, fearless and powerful.

The Facts

Samples Provided by Total Flame Cigars
Price: Unknown
Vitola: Toro
Size: 6 by 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan “El Corojal”
Binder: Mexican
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes
Drink: Water

Pre-light

The FTW Toro is dressed in a medium brown wrapper that has a deep red hue. The oils on the Nicaraguan “El Corojal” leaf glisten in the sun. The cigar feels smooth and oily to the touch but the wrapper does not lack in small and medium veins and bumps. I encounter no soft spots as the cigar is packed evenly through and through. The wrapper has a faint pungency, barnyard, cedar, and chocolate aroma. The foot gives off much heavier cedar and chocolate notes.

The cap is large and has been applied neatly. Upon clipping the cap with a double guillotine cutter, I find a draw that has a touch more resistance than preferred but still within the acceptable range.  The cold draw showcases thick notes of cedar, exotic spices, and some chocolate.

First Third

While the draw remains firm once lit, the FTW is pouring out thick, chewy smoke. The flavors consist of cedar and pepper that balance nicely. As I push a small amount of smoke through my nasal passage, a heavy pepper spice jumps out. The burn, which began a bit wavy, has just about corrected itself within the first inch. The flavors are borderline full and the strength is not overpowering but noticeable. At this point, I would mark the strength as a solid medium.

Middle Third

The core of the smoke continues to be of cedar and pepper with the pepper intensifying as I burn into the second third. Additionally, there is a faint tartness that is barely noticeable but is a flavor I commonly pick up on with Mexican tobacco. A toasted bread flavor is also coming through. The finish is now bringing out notes of chocolate similar to those that I picked up on foot aroma. The flavor remain at the same level but the strength has gradually increased bringing it to full.

Final Third

The flavors have become deeper as I enter the final third of the cigar with a newly found coffee flavor building upon the  toasted bread, cedar, and peppery profile.  The smoke production has decreased as I am fighting a small tunnel that is forming but with only an inch and a half left, I am not too worried about it. Other than the tunneling at the end, the performance has been spot on all the way down to the last puff.

Wrap-up

Prior to the samples received for review, I had absolutely no experience with any of the offerings from Total Flame Cigars. First impressions are huge. Right or wrong, a first impression will determine if I ever pick up a cigar again or visit any of the other lines from a particular company. The FTW presented itself well in both samples showing consistency in flavor and performance. The burn-line was spot on, the ash held to an inch, and the smoke production was to par. The smoke delivered balanced yet bold flavors of mainly cedar and pepper, along with some toasted bread and coffee as the profile developed. This is a cigar I would love to try again and could see myself grabbing a handful when I stumble across them. And finally, I want to say “Thank You” to Total Flame Cigars for providing the samples.

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