It's A Wrap...

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.