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IT'S a dreary morning as I write - dreach, I believe the Scots would call it; but last week saw some beautiful autumn sunshine and London made the most of it.
I popped into the old metrop for the first time in ages to catch up with cigar chums and set up some new and interesting articles for my magazine and website clients.
First stop was Davidoff of St James's Street. Never a chore to visit this store! Eddie Sahakian, joint owner, is the model of decorum, and we shared a little while discussing blends old and new and planning ahead. Good to see the store busy with cigar lovers choosing sticks left right and centre.
I then scooted five minutes up the road to see Danny at Alfie Turmeau's little shop in Shepherd Market, Mayfair. Great stock in the walk-in and my first chance to sample the newly-released Partagas Serie C No 3, LE for 2012.
It's a super smoke, nice maduro wrapper and a clean, sweet, earthy blend which should age really well. Not sure on numbers released yet, but really enjoyed this stick.
Good company and coffee too, at Alfie's, as I met two young cigar enthusiasts keen on experimenting further and expanding their knowledge. They were off to a good start - one was smoking a BHK 52!
Next stop was No Ten Manchester Street Hotel and a meeting on the cigar terrace. This was accompanied by a brand new full flavoured stick - but I can't tell you about it! Top Secret at the moment, but you'll be amazed and I hope to be able to reveal all before long.
Finally, my weary feet carried me to the oldest cigar store in the world. JJ Fox is celebrating an incredible 225 years of business and a gathering of friends, colleagues, partners and cigar lovers was invited to share the moment.
A specially-produced cigar from the Padron family was unveiled and Jorge Padron himself was on hand to introduce it and say a few words in praise of the Fox family institute. The 6 x 52 box pressed maduro is a very tasty stick, medium to full and complex. Pricey at £400 per box of 10, but a stick to mark an important anniversary.
It was great to chat to members of the Fox family, and I also enjoyed a smoke with cigar maestro Simon Chase and old pal James Leavey.
All in all, a packed itinerary and it was a weary Monty who climbed aboard the rattler to head home. Some great things going on in UK cigarland, you'll hear about them here first.
You can catch up with one of my latest articles here. It will soon be up on the Press Page with my other cuttings.
Happy Herfing.
M.
A LONG, lazy, blazy week in Madrid is the perfect antidote to the deluge we've been experiencing in England this summer.
With temperatures soaring to 37 degrees and barely a cloud in the sky all week, my all too brief holiday was spent lounging by the pool, shooting the breeze with my oldest pal, supping Rioja, eating wafer-thin slices of acorn-fed ham and smoking a nice variation of Habanos.
The children enjoyed the pool, my wife enjoyed the shopping and I enjoyed the tranquility and smokes of this very cool - although not temperature wise - city.
My friend and I spent a long, languid evening in the capital itself, dodging a protest by striking miners to enjoy some hotplate minute steaks in the 'Laughing Bubble' (inclusive of a bottle of fresh, tarty cider) a glass of palo cortado in the wonderfully evocative La Venencia sherry bar and finally, a middle-of-the-night smoke in what must be the finest cigar terrace in the capital.
Club Privado Pasion de Habanos seems to be a very well kept secret. Hard to track down, it is based within the inner sanctum of the Casa de America, a beautiful old building at Plaza de Cibeles 2.
The club itself is an artful leather and lighting affair where members (its free to join) can enjoy a drink and smoke during the week. But it's real treasure lies in the top class walk-in humidor, filled with a wide selection of Habanos. We selected a beautifully humidified BHK 52 each just before the Club closed and retired to the futuristic terrace bar outside where we enjoyed Mojitos, Talisker whisky and the statuesque blonde waitress. Drinks were very pricey, but it was a magical night, soaking up the warmth of the evening air and the atmosphere of such a vibrant city. Only the 2am closure of the bar could remove us from our seats.
During my stay I discovered plenty of cigar stores, but many with appallingly humidified sticks. My advice would be to shop around and look, feel and smell the smokes before parting with your cash. You should do that, wherever you are anyway.
A pleasant surprise was found at the Tabacos in Las Rojas, where a torcedor from the Romeo y Julieta factory was hard at work rolling freshies! After I purchased a few sticks from the outstanding selection in the humidor (full gamut of Cubans and also Padrons, Davidoff, Joya de Nic and more) I was kindly offered a freshly-rolled canonazo to take home. Make sure you take the drive to this store, very friendly manager and cigars in the finest condition. Best place in the region to stock up.
Overall, Madrid exceeded my expectations. The memory of a lingering Partagas E2 while bats swooped at giant moths in the starry sky overhead will always bring a smile to my lips.
Meanwhile, safely back in Blighty, I'm looking forward to meeting friends old and new at the Harts Hotel Cigar Night this Sunday. Looks a super menu of food, drink and cigars, and I'll also be interviewing an avid cigar collector for a newly-commissioned article.
Hope you enjoy a peaceful weekend full of smokes - I know I will.
Happy Herfing,
M.
DESPITE my debonair exterior, it's not THAT often I'm up and about at 1am on a school night.
But I was last week, all in the name of research. Well, cigars actually.
I tuned into the first event of its kind available on the internet - a live cigar blending seminar with the charismatic cigar guru Jose Blanco of Joya De Nicaragua.
A veteran blender, and a cigar rock star in the States, Jose may be little known in the UK, where Cuban smokes dominate the long filler market.
But he is worth listening to. And so, thanks to the technical wizardry and can-do attitude of Kevin Paige of Buttheadstobacco.com in Connecticut, there I was, sitting comfortably in my office as the rain lashed down, patiently waiting for the 1am UK start time.
I had received through the post my blending cigar - a fresh stick rolled with five different wrappers. And I would be smoking it simultaneously with scores of patrons in the Connecticut shop, and many more in several different countries around the world.
It looked like the team at Buttheads were having a blast as they herfed their way towards 1am. And then, with some microphone adjusting and judicious herding of the throng, we were live online with Jose, able to see and hear him - and ask questions via a chat link below the screen. Wonders of modern technology eh?
Anyway, it was a revelation. I've never personally believed the "wrapper accounts for 60%" of a cigar's flavour brigade; I mean how can it with all that filler in there?
But I was surprised by how much the flavours were affected as we went through the wrappers. Connecticut was fairly easily recognisable, but others were trickier. We went through the gamut of Nicaraguan, Cameroon and even Peruvian, and each definitely affected the flavour of the stick to quite some degree.
An eye opener indeed. And, dare I say it, an excellent lesson in palate education.
There's no doubt there are some stunning Cuban smokes out there with a host of different flavours and nuances. But don't forget the rest of the world; you are not embracing the true journey of a good cigar until you adopt more catholic tastes!
I'm looking forward to reporting on the Vintage Cigar Auction at Boisdales next week - always some mouthwatering lots on offer. One can but dream...
Until next time,
Happy Herfing.
M.
If it wasn't so enjoyable, I'd say it's all been a bit of a blur.
Recent weeks have zipped past but I can assure you plenty has been going on at Cristo Towers.
Good to see new cigar stores and venues still opening - a recent new smoking terrace in Mayfair was launched at the Millennium Hotel. C.Gars Ltd is stocking the bar with fine Havanas and newcomers smoked up a storm at the recent opening. Check it out at Grosvenor Square, W1K 2HP.
I've smoked some nice sticks recently - in fact, I can't remember a bad one, which is a good indication of how good both blending and quality control is at the moment. I particularly remember a really mouthwatering Bolivar Inmensas, slightly box pressed and loaded with black pepper. I will be sourcing some more.
I'm looking forward to a most unusual event this week - a live internet 'webinar' featuring the legendary cigar blender Jose Blanco. Jose, formerly of La Aurora cigars in the Dominican Republic is now plying his trade for Joya de Nicaragua in that country.
Jose is a really lovely guy and I'm looking forward to watching him 'do his stuff'. Organised by www.Buttheadstobacco.com the event is being 'shown' live in several different countries. I have taken ownership of my specially blended webinar cigar - wrapped and filled with a variety of different tobaccos so that Jose can explain the nuances and flavours of each.
The webinar doesn't kick off until 1am UK time - but I'm willing to suffer for my art.
I was also delighted to see my article on Cuba published in the Cigars & Spirits magazine from the US. It's the one with Charlie Sheen on the cover - preview available here. Once I have a hard copy in my hands, I'll scan it in and place on the press page of the website.
Anyhoo, enjoy what you can of the sunshine, it it's out there. And keep puffin'.
Best,
M.
HOW very special it is to be an Englishman on the cusp of another summer and in particular, another cricket season.
The finest time of the year - if only the weather plays ball - coincides with the finest sport ever devised by man beginning its life-affirming ritual and annual cycle.
The cricket lovers among you won't need telling of that indefinable tingle on the morning of a Test match. A spring in the step, a lightening of the heart.
And for cigar lovers, cricket is also, for the most part, a most generous host. For many years I've enjoyed memorable days of sport in some of our finest cricket grounds, nearly all of which offer at least a bolt hole where one can squeeze the pleasures of a fine cigar into the smorgasboard of delights a day at the cricket holds.
Trent Bridge, the finest Test ground bar none in my opinion, offers the casual decking of the Larwood and Voce pub where many a rained off session or lunch has been spent in friendly conversation along with a smoke and a pint of ale from the bar. Lords offers a lovely little undercover spot beneath the Compton Stand where one can stand to watch play. It's not normally too busy either, so it's no problem to light up something mild and thoughtful to enjoy with your sport.
Long gone are the days when you could enjoy an after lunch Upmann with your Champagne in the terraces; my last such cigar moment is poignantly captured in a still photo on my kitchen wall, which was taken from the final moments of Channel Four's superb TV coverage of 'those' Ashes of 2005. As England finally hammered the last nails into the Australian coffin at the Oval, I fired up a Monte 2 in my seat - and unwittingly became a shot for the nearest cameraman.
But in many county grounds around the UK, the open stands are still places where a peaceful pipe or cigar can be enjoyed.
Cigars and cricket are two of my great loves and I'm lucky enough to be able to combine them regularly during the glorious English summer. I live just across the road from the village recreation ground and so can stroll across on a summer's afternoon or evening with something refreshing, commandeer a park bench, and smoke a fragrant cigar while the gentle sounds of leather on willow permeate.
God is in his firmament and all is well with the world. Cricket is back.
Happy Herfing.
M.
WE'RE all guilty, I would suspect, of over egging the pudding once in a while.
When it comes to cigars and you're as passionate as we are, it's easy to get carried away.
We enthuse about the wrapper, extoll the virtues of the aroma, test the pre-light and seek colourful and original explanations of the tastes we're enjoying.
Dangerous game to play, imho. Nothing says 'steer clear' to me more than someone playing the expert.
There aren't many of them around, believe me, and those that experts are not the ones crowing about it!
I'm certainly no expert and although I like to think I'm learning about this fascinating subject all the time, I doubt I ever will be.
I try and relay my experiences vicariously through my keyboard because that's what I'm good at - words. It doesn't make me an expert on cigars any more than commentating on the Cup Final makes John Motson a great striker.
Of course, everyone has the right to an opinion and the right to express it however they like, within the bounds of decency. I'm just very wary of straying over the line and treading on the toes of those who really do know what they are talking about.
Which leads me to a cigar I enjoyed last night. Instead of striving for flavours or trying to find an angle to write about, I simply enjoyed a smoke from the bottom of my humidor. It was a non-Cuban, nothing to write home about, but it made me realise (again) why I love cigars so.
After a taxing time of late, when I sat in my armchair and lit up the stick, it was as if my subconscious finally had permission to switch off. I read a book, chilled out and enjoyed the simple flavours of the cigar.
I find its sometimes all too easy to strive for something from a cigar and forget the simple pleasure of just enjoying one.
Sit back, take the weight off and let the stick do the talking.
Happy Herfing.
M.
I was lucky enough to sample a 1990 Partagas Serie D Number 4 a while ago.
Now the D4 as many of you already know, is a classic Cuban cigar, and rarely lets you down. Lots of spice, top quality tobacco, signature rosado wrapper and a lovely aroma, these sticks are among the best selling Habanos worldwide and (touching all available) are very reliable on the quality control side too, in my experience.
But smoking one that's 22 years old and which came from the depths of the cigar vaults at JJ Fox of St James's? Now that's an entirely different kettle of fish. For starters, I got a kick from the old-fashioned band. I'm so used to seeing the newer version that every time I brought the cigar to the mouth I was mesmerised by it.
Anyway, before that stage, I had been pleasantly surprised by the delightful pre-light aroma; sweet hay and freshly cut grass mixed together. And then it was time to fire the beauty up.
I've discovered it's quite difficult describing an aged cigar. For one, I've not had as much experience as I'd like :)
And for another, it's a very unique experience.
If any of you have ever smoked any cigars that have 'gone over' - ie have been aged too long and are past their best, even though they've been well kept - you will know there is a cloying floral note that soaks across your palate.
This aged Partagas displayed elements of a floral note, but in an entirely different - and more pleasant - manner.
The tobacco had obviously matured slowly and calmly over the years, all the 'hard edges' having been knocked off the smoke, to reveal a smooth, clear, sweet and very rounded character.
The spice was there, but in a very refined form, almost tea-like. The draw and burn was magnificent, as you can see from the photograph.
I paired this beauty with a very nice bottle of Argentinian Malbec and I found myself staring at the cigar and wondering about all the things that had happened during its long life. I had married and had children; wars had been won and lost, boundaries ripped down, new world orders created. This beautiful stick was older than my nieces and nephews who were now off to university.
A quite remarkable and ethereal experience and the finish was everlasting and so pleasant that I avoided going to bed and brushing my teeth to keep the moment alive.
Thanks to JJ Fox for having the presence of mind to stash this cigar away 22 years ago. Just think, I was still in school. What a wonderful adventure.
Happy herfing.
N.
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