Oh (Come On), Canada

I can't feel my lips!

Being a person who travels extensively and is an avid cigar lover, I am sometimes subjected to local smoking laws that can be harsh, silly or even downright sinister.  I am constantly reminded of how narrow-minded, hypocritical and self-righteous government officials can be.  My recent travel to the Great White North, however, opened my eyes even further to the assault being made on the rights of cigar smokers (and other tobacco smokers, for that matter) world-wide. 

I traveled to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada for business, and looked forward to the fact that I would then be able to stroll into any of the local tobacconists and pick up a few puros Cubanos without the risk of being taken down and dragged away for treason.  Little did I realize what startling reality I was about to face.  They do still sell Cuban cigars, however you cannot smoke them ANYWHERE indoors.  There are no cigar lounges, no smoker-friendly pubs, no lobby bars, not even a smoker-friendly casino!  As of June 8, 2005, the entire Province of Ontario went smoke-free.  It is now illegal to smoke anywhere indoors, even private clubs.  The only real exceptions to this law allow hotels to have smoking rooms, but most hotels have elected to follow the ban. 

The end result for this and many other cigar smokers that I met while in Canada is that if you wish to smoke a cigar, cigarette, pipe, hookah, etc. is to enjoy the wonder of the great outdoors on a brisk winter day.  There is nothing so cheery and de-stressing than cutting and burning a delicious Cuban puros without the ability to feel your lips, hands, or any other extremity.  To top off the insult is the fact that many restaurants, hotels, and pubs do offer patios to smoke on, but do not provide heaters or any other means of preventing frostbite. 

My recommendation is if you wish to enjoy the wonder of buying and smoking a Cuban cigar legally in Canada, do so during the summer months, or get a hotel room in a hotel that has smoking rooms.   The bottom line is, Ontario, Canada is no longer a destination for those of us Americans seeking the pleasure of enjoying a Cuban cigar without the nagging prison sentence or in the case of Ontario, frostbite.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Nicaragua, Peru, Dominican Republic

Smoking Time 1 hour and 20 minutes

Tags: teds made by hand

Justin smokes the belicoso of the line.

Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Costa Rican Corojo
Filler: Honduran and Nicaraguan
Price: $155 for a box of 21

Tags: Delirium, J. Fuego

Xikar, being known as one of the best cigar accessories manufacturers in the world, dipped their proverbial toes in the cigar making world by introducing a line of cigars in 2008, named “Defiance”.   Jesus Fuego (best known for blending cigars for Rocky Patel, Plasencia, and his own line, JFuego), was called upon to blend and roll the cigars for Xikar.  The Defiance line was also created to assist the fight for cigar smoker rights by giving 5% of all sale proceeds to cigar rights coalitions across the United States.  The release of the Defiance line was only the first in a series of cigars planned to be released by the collaboration between Jesus Fuego and Xikar.

Enter the HC line of cigars.  This line of cigars was again blended by Jesus Fuego and is rolled in Nestor Plasencia’s Tabacos de Oriente factory in Honduras and Segovia Cigars factory in Nicaragua.  The line comes in three different wrappers and blends: Connecticut Shade (mild), Criollo (medium) and Habano Colorado (medium to full-bodied).  Both the Connecticut Shade and Criollo lines come in a 5×50 Robusto, 6×52 Belicoso, 6×46 Lonsdale and 6.5×52 Toro sizes, and the Habano Colorado includes all previously mentioned sizes and adds the 7×48 Churchill and 4.5×44 Petit Corona.  Prices range from $8.25 for the Toro to $9.25 for the Belicoso, on average. 

For this review I chose the Habano Colorado Lonsdale.  The wrapper on this cigar line is a Habano Colorado grown in the Jalapa Valley, the binder is Esteli, and the filler is a combination of Costa Rican, Jalapa and Honduras tobaccos.  Smelling the foot of the cigar gives hints of cedar and dark chocolate.  The cigar itself is very well rolled, and glimmers with its natural oils.  Upon the light, notes of spice, cedar and semi-sweet chocolate were noticed, with a light Brazilian coffee finish.  The burn of the cigar was very even and continued burning very evenly throughout the entire cigar.  Once past the first 1/3 of the cigar, the complexity kicked up a notch and provided background notes of French vanilla and light cinnamon.  The spice continued throughout the second 1/3 and translated heavily at the last 1/3.  Peppery notes were dominant at the end of the smoke, but were tamed a bit with background notes of dark chocolate and Columbian dark-roast coffee. 

The flavors of this cigar are immense and delicious, but they do not overpower the palate.  This is not a cigar that you need a turkey dinner with all the trimmings in the belly to maintain your consciousness through.  This is a great first-of-day smoke or a wonderful way to close out an evening with.  Beverage pairings for this cigar range from a good amber ale to a nice bold Cabernet, and is complemented nicely with a single-malt scotch or Irish whiskey. 

As an additional note, the original line of Defiance cigars can no longer be found on the shelves in their original banding, although they do still exist.  They are now the HC Criollo line.  This is the identical blend to the Defiance line, so for fans of the original line, don’t fret!  Run out to your local tobacconist and purchase the HC line of Xikar cigars today.  You will not be disappointed!

-Doug

Tags: Habano Colorado, HC, Jesus Fuego, Xikar

These cigars were sent to me by La Caridad and this review covers the robusto. More later…

Justin sits down with Dane Maralason, inventor of Repuff, a cigar relighting solution. In part 3 we discuss retailer reaction and how to get a free sample.

Justin sits down with Dane Maralason, inventor of Repuff, a cigar relighting solution. In part 2 we discuss optimal length of cigar to save, the different sizes the product comes up, the upcoming cigar tube from Repuff, and how to best store the cigars that have the Repuff solution on them.

Doug is a native to Las Vegas (yes, they actually do exist!) and has lived there most of his life.  Doug also lived in Phoenix and Scottsdale, as well as a brief and freezing stint in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Doug is a passionate cigar aficianado, wine connoisseur, and Minnesota Vikings fanatic.  Doug has smoked cigars for over 20 years, and the smoke that started it all was a Macanudo Hampton Court Café.  Doug then got a taste for premium cigars by stepping up to the H. Upmann Corona with a Connecticut Shade wrapper.  This blossomed his passion for cigars and their intricacies.�
Doug is a freelance writer and has written articles for ePinions.com, Cigar Magazine, and Cigar Press Magazine, as well as several cigar reviews for various publications.    His  “day job” is a training specialist and project manager for a casino gaming company.  He is required  to travel the world for his work, which gives him the opportunity to visit many tobacconists in the towns that he has projects in.  When actually back home in Las Vegas, Doug can often be found at one of the local tobacconists, or enjoying a few sticks with his fellow Hump Day Herfers (a social club started by he and several friends).

Justin sits down with Dane Maralason, inventor of Repuff, a cigar relighting solution. In part 1 we talk about how he came up with the idea and the name.

Beautiful Las Vegas, where people come to try and win big at the casinos, or just want to get away. Nothing is ever just ordinary in this wonderful city and that is why many people come here. Chosen as only one of five destinations for the Benji Menendez Social, the others being Dallas, LA, Chicago and New York, you know to expect a fanstastic event. The Las Vegas event was held at the amazing Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay. This is a members only oasis set 52 stories high. With breathtaking views, ample seating and an interior that just screams luxury, this is a great place to enjoy a cigar. After taking the elevator up and checking in, you are handed two fantastic cigars, the Benji Menendez limited edition Partagas along with another Partagas cigar. These cigars are limited to 5000 boxes and each are numbered. The cigar was fantastic. My burned for almost 2 hours and never went out once, even during my 5 minute interview with the master himself.

What I really liked about Benji was his openness and modesty. During our interview, he made sure to point out it was a team effort to create this cigar and he was more like a coach. He credits this cigars success to surrounding himself with a great team. Normally I don’t call people I don’t know by their first name, and especially not a master like Benji. I feel that out of respect, he is Mr. Menendez, however he told that was his father and he is Benji. Remember that modesty thing I talked about.

The event was packed. I would guess there were at least 200 people there, probably more. I wish the night was less windy as I would have loved to sit outside on the fantastic balcony over looking the strip and enjoy my cigar. If you get a chance to try this cigar, do NOT pass it up.

As I was walking around, a gentlemen tapped me on the shoulder and introduced himself as Lawrence and he is a fan of our show. I really enjoy when people stop and tell me that. He is a Vegas local and I look forward to having a cigar with him soon.

Check out the video below and you can get a sample of what the event was like. Unfortunately people don’t understand to not walk in front of a camera when someone is doing an interview, so there are a few places in my interview where you will see that.