MY MOST MEMORABLE CIGARS
Having now published the “What’s in your humidor”
feature for two months we have decided that it’s
important to balance out some of these super exotic
cigars with a feature of every day cigars which were
memorable to the people who smoked them. Our first
contributor is Greg Michael also known as Captain
Quintero on the Friends of Habanos Cigar Forum
I caught the cigar bug nearly ten years ago now and I've loved
every second of it. The camaraderie and generosity of the
people you meet still leaves me astounded to this day. I try
to keep a healthy balance between studying everything cigar
related I can find and burying my nose deep into the lore
of J.R.R Tolkien. Luckily a good book and a good cigar are a
fantastic partnership!
Cigar One: Quai d’Orsay
Panetela 2006
Where & When?
Sitting in my garden on one of the few English
Summer days where the stifling humidity is
offset with a gentle breeze. I dedicate a good
hour and a half to this brilliant cigar.
Why was it memorable?
Straight away the first cigar which pops into
my head has to be my first ever Quai d’Orsay
Panetela. This niche marca gets little to no
press outside cigar enthusiast forums, the
vitola even less, which may have sadly led
to its eventual deletion from the Habanos
catalogue in 2010. This particular stick was
from 2006. You have to smoke these pencil
thin cigars slowly and gently to experience
the delicate flavours and perfect balance. This
particular example was a sugar-sweet custard
journey; rich vanilla pod and a
decadent cream from start to finish,
all intertwined with a subtle citrus
element. The intensity of
flavours and sheer richness of
the smoke was incredible.
Cigar Two: La Flor De Cano Short
Robusto 2010 UK RE
Where & when?
Summer 2011, these were over a year and a half
late in hitting the stores, but the wait was worth
it!
Why was it memorable?
I was never going to try this release, I have to
admit I found the Short Robusto concept quite
frustrating in the wake of seeing so many of my
beloved Coronas and Petit Coronas deleted en
mass in the years following the millennium.
However on a whim I grabbed two singles late
one afternoon and decided to try one just for
the sake of novelty. What a cigar! I had never
experienced a cigar that could be described as
‘juicy’ before. The stick was a continuous wave
of lashings of fresh cream swirling around the
mouth mixed with perfectly
ripe, sweet crushed grapes.
I can still recall the way I
sat dumbfounded and
speechless during the
hour and a half I savoured
that delicious cigar for!
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