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This Month's Featured Cigar Selections
August 2008
Featured Cigar |
Shape |
Size |
Strength |
Country |
Panel Rating |
| Danli Reserve Robusto | Robusto |
5.0 x 50 |
7.5 |
Honduras |
89 |
| Gran Habano Habano #3 Gran Robusto | Toro Grande |
6.0 x 54 |
6.0 |
Honduras |
90 |
| Montecristo Afrique Jambo | Robusto |
5.0 x 52 |
7.5 |
Dominican |
90 |
| Santa Damiana Cabinet #100 | Churchill |
6.75 x 48 |
5.0 |
Dominican |
92 |
Danli Reserve is a complex, medium- to full-bodied cigar created by Julio Eiroa and his son Christian to celebrate the cigar-making capital of Honduras, Danli. Light it up and you can almost taste the rich Honduran soil. Made with an exquisite blend of rich, hearty, long-leaf tobaccos grown in the Jamastran Valley, the stick is wrapped in a smooth, leathery, dark, natural Habano-seed leaf.This smoke is powerful but balanced with a smooth, deliberate draw and a slow, even burn. The Danli Reserve produces a dense, light grey ash that clings to the cigar and must be coaxed off. The initial spicy pepper punch quickly transitions into a smooth, earthy, leather flavor that's both robust and densely nuanced. By mid-smoke the flavor picks up again to deliver an intensely hearty character, while filling the air with a pleasant aroma. Best after a meal, this no-nonsense dose of thick, wholesome Honduran strength should be taken to your favorite recliner and enjoyed with your favorite brandy or cognac.
Gran Habano #3 Habano Gran Robusto
The Gran Habano line consists of Honduran premiums that give today's biggest names a run for their money. The brand is comprised of a trio of Honduran-rolled blends, each with escalating fullness of body due primarily to the type of wrapper leaf used. So it's a great line for those who want to sample a wide range of flavors and intensities from the same cigar maker at an affordable price. The Connecticut #1, with its Connecticut shade wrapper and smooth Nicaraguan fillers, is mild-to-medium-bodied. The Habano #3, draped in a gorgeous, dark Habano wrapper, is medium-bodied, while the Corojo # 5, sporting a spicy Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper, is a bold, full-bodied cigar.
This month, we selected the Habano #3. The blend consists of sweet Costa Rican tobacco with Nicaraguan and Mexican fillers. The Habano's construction is flawless: firm with no soft spots whatsoever. This beauty opens with a burst of peppery spice that mellows toward leathery, earthy notes. Gran Habana #3 received accolades and an outstanding '90' rating from Cigar Aficionado: "A dark, attractive smoke with an elegant draw and burn. It's salty and rich. There are creamy, coffee notes and a touch of nuts and earth, and the finish is long. Medium to full bodied." Consider pairing it with a smoky single malt scotch.
Santa Damiana Cabinet #100 Churchill
Santa Damiana is a name synonymous with high quality cigars The brand originated in Cuba, and today's Dominican manufacturer introduced the Cabinet Selection in 1992. There are two Cabinet Selection series. The Yellow Series, which is what you're receiving, sports a blonde Connecticut Shade wrapper and can boast the highest quality Dominican binder and fillers, while the Blue Series offers a Habana 2000 wrapper grown in Nicaragua with a Dominican binder and Brazilian, Dominican, and Connecticut broadleaf fillers.
Montecristo Afrique Jambo Robusto
Handcrafted in the Dominican Republic from African cigar tobaccos (Cameroon and Tanzania) with a bit of Peruvian and Nicaraguan tobaccos as well, this is a unique cigar. The binder is Ecuadorian and the wrapper, Cameroon. The result is a wonderfully distinct and intoxicating smoke with an exotic, spicy core.
The cigar is firm yet pliable. Take a whiff. Even unlit, it smells rich and inviting. Panelists found the initial draw to be light and flavorful, the taste sweet and soft on the palate. At the halfway point, there were slight hints of pepper, then notes of coffee, and, finally, more distinct peppery flavors. The bright gray ash was firm and the burn almost perfect. Allow an hour-and-a-half for this medium- to full-bodied baby. A tawny port would work well with it.