How can a cigar this bad be so good?

The thermometer was flirting with 50 yesterday afternoon, so with my wife and son both occupied elsewhere, I decided to squeeze in an afternoon cigar. By the end of the smoke I realized either a few more degrees on the thermometer or else some heavier clothing might have been in order, and the cigar turned out to be a disappointment (see below), but all in all, it was relaxing and pleasant enough to really get it me in warm weather mode.

The cigar was an Oliveros Classic Churchill. I received as a Christmas gift it in one of those "grab bag" deals you can get online, where you get 10 singles which can vary all over the board in terms of quality. Now, I should include a disclaimer to the following review to be clear that I'm having a hard time keeping my humidor damp enough, even with the beads I had purchased from Heartfelt Industries. In fact, this is for another post, but I'm seriously thinking about going a different direction in attempts to keep my humidor properly humdified this summer (so suggest away). That said, I've been monitoring it fairly closely over the last few days and have been adding water to the beads quite frequently--and a squeeze-test on the other cigars revealed that they weren't anywhere close to unsmokably dry.

The Oliveros Churchill is a nice looking 7-incher with a gold, very classy looking label. Sadly, that was the highlight of the smoke. Right away I was having a lot of problems keeping an even burn, which eventually resulted in portions of the Sumatra wrapper actually peeling off, revealing a lighter, veiny under-wrapper. In addition to the construction/burn issues, the draw resulted in a sensation similar to sticking a straw in a bowl of hard ice cream and trying to eat it by sucking.

While I didn't have any big problems with the taste, I had a hard time finding the "creamy" and honey undertones that others have reported with the Oliveros. I would have described the smoke as fitting nicely in the medium category, Oliveros' web page describes it as "mild to medium".

The good news is that you can land these for not more than $2.00 a stick with Cigars International, and that sounds about right to me. I'll give one of these a second chance, just because I don't want to unfairly pile on, but for now...

...I'll give it a 1.5 out of 5.

Time to dust off my pastel suit.

Well, it's official Luca's Humidor has returned from the dead and taken a new life in 2007. Instead of simply focusing on the joy that is smoking a fine cigar faithful reader, your friends here at the humidor will also be bringing you wine and beer reviews.

Essentially, we've gone from a cigar blog to a vice blog. We've added a permanent Ratings Database summarizing all the sinful items we have reviewed, complete with links back to the original posts. You'll find it under the links section in the left hand column. Someone better call Edward James Olmos and let him know the Crockett and Tubbs are up to their old tricks.

The only question is who is Crockett and who is Tubbs? Sure, JMitch is a little more brash and does have the East high football pedigree to make a run at Sonny and his smooth former-college football playing persona. Problem is, I look hella better in a suit. I guess we will settle the details later.

Lindeman's 2005 Shiraz

I've made an effort to start drinking a glass of red wine daily in hopes that all the recent medical mumbo-jumbo is correct and it has a beneficial effect on my long term health. Therefore, I'm hunting for a couple of decent red wines to be everyday options.

Hy-Vee had Lindeman's 2005 Shiraz on sale for $5.99 (regularly $9.99), and I am a general fan of Shiraz, so I gave it a try. The bottle states the wine is from South Africa, but the Lindeman's winery is actually based out of Australia, but has a far reaching source of grapes.

This Shiraz was very acidic, not especially smooth or enjoyable. It also seemed water-downed, not what I'm typically looking for in a wine. For the price, not dreadful, but certainly not worth the suggested regular price in my opinion, and I doubt I pick up another, even if it is on sale.

However, other families (read more expensive) in the Lindeman line have been highly rated, so I'll look for other options down the road.

I'll give the this one a 2.0 out of five.

The Rankings Database

I decided that this website wouldn't be complete without a tool we and our two or three readers could use to reference our ratings in one place. Since I've decided to adopt Luca's 5-point rating system, eschewing the 100-point snooty magazine norm, I thought I'd make a centralized ratings database post which we will update as well as link on the right side of the page.

Each rating will be made on Luca's proffered 5-point scale, as follows:

1. "Hyman Roth" These are to be avoided. A dog turd of a cigar, one I won't smoke again, and would warn others not to try; a wine more suited for paint thinner; an Old Milwaukee.

2. "The Fredo" Everything here just misses the mark. A stick that dissapoints, but is certainly smokeable; wine that does not excite or is painfully overpriced; or brew to be drunk for sake of quantity and frugality, not quality.

3. "The Brasi" These are the items you have on hand because they are easy on the taste buds and easy on the wallet. That trustworthy smoke pulled from your humi; your standby "house" wine you pick up by the case; the "good" beer you offer to your friends.

4. "The Consigliere" These are the ones that are to be enjoyed. A sophisticated smoke, recommend to friends with confidence; a wine that warms the soul; the ale which you wished was constantly on tap.

5. "The Don" These are something special, and, depending on the moment, are worth any price to try. An exceptional cigar, the choice smoke that I would pass out at a daughter's wedding; the bottle of wine you store for anniversaries; the beer saved for celebrating life.

I've adjusted my previous rankings from this board and elsewhere to the uniform scale below in order to get the database stocked.


Cigars
5 Vegas Gold: JM 2.5, LB-n/a

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic: JM n/a, LB 4.0
Arturo Fuente Flor Fina: JM n/a; LB 3.5

CAO Brazilia GOL!: JM 4.5, LB n/a
CAO CX2: JM 2.5, LB 2.5

Fonseca 5/50: JM 4.5, LB 3.0
Fonseca Serie "F": JM n/a; LB 3.5

Gurkha Master Select: JM 2.5, LB-n/a

H Upmann Corona Major: JM 4.0, LB n/a

IT Cameroon Legend Maduro: JM n/a, LB 3.5

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970 Consul: JM n/a; LB 4.0

K. Hansoita Symphony Robusto: JM n/a, LB 4.0
K. Honsotia Triple Ligero X3: JM n/a, LB 5.0

Oliveros Classic: JM 1.5, LB n/a

Rocky Patel Sun Grown Torpedo: JM n/a, LB 3.5


Beers
Cutthroat Porter: JM n/a; LB 2.0
Planet Porter: JM n/a; LB 3.0
Sam Adams White All JM n/a, LB 3.0


Wines
Goiya Shiraz/Pinotage 2004: JM 2.0; LB 2.0
Lindeman's Shiraz 2004: JM n/a; JB 2.0

What Ernie Els Drinks

OK, so I don't know if Ernie Els drinks it, but he was the first South African I could think of while I was sipping on Goiya's Shiraz/Pinotage mix from 2004.

If you haven't yet tried Goiya, it's far from inaccessable, as its now widely available at normal retailers (i.e. beyond bottle shops) around L-town, and its right in what I'd call that second tier of cheap wines (right around the $7-$9 a bottle range).

I first tried the straight 2004 Goiya shiraz a few months ago simply because of the intrigue of a South African wine, and was very pleasantly surprised, as the South African Shiraz grapes pack more of a spicy punch than do either their Austrailian counterparts or any of the California Syrahs I had tried recently. I later noted that Wine Enthusiast had rated the '04 Shiraz an 85, a good rating for that price range, and bestowed upon it a "Best Buy" label, always a good sign.

The Goiya mix I tried was 75% Shiraz, 25% Pinotage, a varietal unique to South Africa. Unfortunately, despite the exotic nature of the Pinotage, it added what I thought to be an odd, almost banana-like taste that trumped the unique qualities of the South African Shiraz. Apparently the Pinotage is supposed to include the best qualities of the Pinot Noir (of "Sideways" fame), but I found it to be a lot fruitier than than a Pinot Noir.

The Pinotage taste dominated immediately, and after a litte while, the spiciness that I liked in the straight Shiraz kicked in, but I found that taste severly dilluted. The bottle recommended matching the wine with Steak, Spicy food, Pizza or Pasta with red sauce, but I'm afraid that the former two options would severely overpower this wine. I'd stick this with a sweet red sauce on pasta, if anything. I'd give it a 2.0/5 on Luca's 5-point scale. Oh yeah, Dave Matthews is from South Africa. So is Reteif Goosen.

The Agony of Winter

I'm glad to see that Luca has decided to re-inject some life into this blog and I'm ready to do the same, probably because I need to do a little cigar writing to ease the pain of the smoking ban and horrible weather which have combined into the maelstrom that is the painful inability to have a relaxing smoke.

With that said, its time to review my favorites of 2006 and the sticks I'm hoping to try for 2007. I should note that I'm going to keep all of the smokes on this list under $10.00, as there's nothing better than a great value cigar--I'm not quite in the super-premium market yet, but hope to be at some point down the road, so my selections may make more explicit my newbie-ness.

My Favorites of 2006:

1. Fonseca 5-50 (Cigar Aficionado: 89, Top25Cigar: 7.11)



This was my second most smoked ciagar of '06 (behind the 5 Vegas "A" Series), and it was for good reason. My first chance to take on the Fonseca was on a 60 degree May night after a Husker Baseball game in Luca's backyard next to the firepit. I had just finished a stronger smoke (I believe it was a CAO Criollo) which I found a little rough, so I followed it with the 5-50. Normally, I'm critical of milder cigars as "tasteless", but this smoke fully realizes the marriage of mild body and smoothness. I don't know of a better mild-bodied cigar in this price range on the market. The taste was complimented by great construction for a cigar at that price-level along with one of the nicest Connecticut wrappers I saw all year.


2. Cigar CAO Brazilia GOL (Cigar Aficionado: 91, Top25Cigar: 8.26)





I went out on a limb and purchased a single one of these at Cliff's on a whim as I had decent experience with CAOs in the past (particularly the CX2), and as the World Cup was going on last June, I thought it appropirate. The stick measured 5/56, and as the name indicated, had a dark Brazilian wrapper which contrasted the lighter filler quite nicely. Somehow, the CAO found the way to be spicy without being unpleasantly strong. This was a great match for some bourbon Luca and I were enjoying outside on a June night. I'm going to guess this one would have been fantastic after about a year in my humidor, so I think I'll purchase a few of these at the end of this summer to store for Spring 2008.

3. H. Upmann Corona Major (Cigar Aficionado: 86, Top25Cigar: 7.29)

While I had Upmanns of various sizes this year, this one seemed to be the most appropriate. This may be the quintessential "everyday" cigar as each one I enjoyed has had impeccable construction, and although mild to medium, was not short on taste, starting out woody but finishing a little more boldly--I'd guess this is a great match with a lighter-bodied fruity white wine, maybe a Pinot Grigio if not a wheat ale (perhaps Boulevard or Goose Island's new 312). Some reviewers I've read have voiced their general distaste with Indonesian wrappers, but I found it nicely matched with the Dominican/Brazilian fillers. I should also note that Upmann's have had consistently great draws for me all year, and produced more voluminous and pleasant smoke than anything else in the price range.

10 I'd like to try for 2007 (all under $10):

1. La Flor Dominica Double Ligero
2. Padron 4000/6000
3. Padron Magnum
4. Peterson Gran Reserva
5. Gispert Maduro
6. Camacho Select Robusto/Super Robusto
7. La Aroma De Cuba Churchill/Corona/Corona Minor
8. Arturo Fuente Flor Fina 8-5-8
9. CAO Black Storm
10. Oliva Serie "G" Robusto