Tobacco Haven- Worth the Drive

I make a good deal of my cigar purchases online, however I take a chance each time I make an internet purchase due to the fact that I cannot examine the product before buying.  This is a luxury offered by the  B&M shops, and there is a great shop located in Brookline, New Hampshire, Tobacco Haven. 

Tobacco Haven is a modern store front with old world cigar shop class and charm.  Nearly every tobacco need can be met by the large inventory that the shop carries.  The front of the shop offers numerous humidors in all shapes and sizes, a great selection of lighters, ashtrays, pipes and other implements of the hobby, and an impressive collection of machine rolled cigars and pipe tobaccos.

The back of the shop contains a smoking room complete with leather  couches and chairs, a large poker table, and a nice television for the patrons viewing pleasure.  Right along side this great relaxation space is one of the largest walk-in humidors I have visited.  Inside is nearly every selection of cigars one could ask for.  All of the major names are represented, in singles and in box form, and the shop even boasts a section devoted to budget friendly bundles of lesser known hand rolled productions.

The shop is smoke friendly, allowing patrons to enjoy their purchase in complete comfort.  The staff is highly knowledgeable about the products that are offered, and are willing to stop and chat about the  products at length with any patron.  The prices are surprisingly reasonable given it is a B&M, and I was able to find some sticks that had been eluding me at that point, at a price point that may not be quite as inexpensive as an online purchase but is as close as one can get from a traditional retail site.

If you find yourself in the area, stop in and have a cigar.  You will not be disappointed.

La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Obelisco

The team at La Gloria Cubana has produced a great new series of cigars in the Artesanos, and thanks to my Tobacconist Cullen Burke at Vigilant Smoke Shop in Julio's Liquors, Westborough, Massachusetts, I am able  to review their newest release in the Obelisco.

Size: 5 x 57, taper to 44
Shape: Obelisk
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan
Binder: Connecticut Broad leaf
Strength: Medium to Full

Price: $9 retail

The cigar is one of the more interesting I have smoke in regards to shape.  The obelisk shape is an homage  to the Monument to Heroes of the Restoration in Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic, and the cigar is a 57 ring at the foot tapering to a 44 ring at the cap.  To add to the tapered roll, the cigar is also a box press, which gives it even more character.  The pre-light inspection reveals a good wrapper with nice veins, and a consistent feel along the entire length.

Cutting the cap is quick given the small ring gauge, and the foot toasts quickly with my torch.  The draw is smooth with only a little resistance, and the initial flavors are of leather, toasted nut, and a hit of mint that was unexpected.  The first 3rd of the cigar settles quickly into the leather and nut with the mint disappearing, and a distinct stream of cinnamon appears remaining through the entire smoke.  The small ring gauge at the head directs a tight stream of smoke to the pallet, which keeps the strength of the cigar bouncing between medium and full. 

The second 3rd opens up the dominant flavors of the first 3rd, but with additions to the complexity of cocoa and a sweetness on the finish of maple syrup.  The burn is crisp and straight requiring no touch ups or relights, and the cigar produces good amounts of smoke and a very tight ash that needed to be coerced of the cigar at the end of the second 3rd.  As the  final 3rd is entered, the strength builds toward the full range, and the cinnamon begins to build on the tip of the tongue.  The complexity continues through to the end, leaving a strong finish on the pallet.

This is a good cigar for the winter months, taking under an hour from start to finish.  Due to the higher strength of this cigar I would not recommend this to a new smoker, but is more fitting for the seasoned smoker.

La Gloria Cubana Serie N

I have heard a bit of buzz that this new addition to the La Gloria Cubana family existed, but I have not been able to find any around.  My luck was with me last weekend, and I was able to pick one up.

Size: 5.5 x 54
Shape: Robusto
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium to Full

Price: $6.25 retail

The first highlight of this cigar is the construction.  A nearly black wrapper with a good amount of veins and no imperfections is tapped in the center of the stick with an "N", which is cut from a natural leaf and stuck on the cigar.  When I first started seeing pictures of  this stick around, I was concerned that the stick may be dyed to the deep blackness, but that appears not to be the case.

A clean cut of the cap, and a toasting of the foot get the cigar off to a good start.  The aroma is earthy and pleasant, inviting you to sit and start to draw.  The first draw is easy and stays smooth through to the end.  The first 3rd displays flavors of leather and wood, with a creamy molasses streaming through.  The flavors begin to develop more as the second 3rd is transitioned.  Notes of dark roast coffee appear, and are complimented by touches of mocha and a floral sweetness on the  finish.  As the second 3rd gives way to the final 3rd, these flavors erupt into an orchestrated symphony of enjoyment.  The strength of the cigar builds a bit more at this point adding to the full complexity of the cigar. 

The Serie N ends wonderfully leaving me wishing I had purchased a few more sticks.  The cigar did not require any relights, however I did need to touch it up a few times to bring the burn back in line.  This requirement was a small price to pay for such a wonderful smoke.

Oliva Serie V Torpedo

 Last weekend I wanted to pick up a torpedo, as I have not smoked many of these shaped cigars.  My choice was the Oliva Serie V.

Size: 6 x 56
Shape: Torpedo
Wrapper: Nicaragua Habano Sun Grown

Filler: Nicaragua Jalapa Valley Ligero

Binder: Nicaragua

Strength: Medium to Full

Price: $6.25 retail


This is a beautiful cigar.  It has a nice sheen to the wrapper, and has no noticeable imperfections.  The cigar takes a sharp cut, and the foot toasts evenly and quickly with little effort.  At this point, I take the first draw, and notice that it is very tight.  This appears as though it is going to be a difficult smoke.  There are no overly hard spots on the cigar, which leads me to believe that it is just very tightly rolled rather than plugged.  Even with the tight draw, the cigar produces large amounts of smoke and a tight gray ash.


The first 3rd of the smoke is a blend of developing flavors.  Coffee and leather dominate, with a creamy sweetness on the edge.  There is no pepper noticed in the smoke at all, a trait that carries through the entire stick.  These flavors build further in the second 3rd, developing some additional flavors of chocolate, and a bit of peat on the finish.  The cigar through the second 3rd is a solid medium strength, and the flavors are full.

The final 3rd goes nicely, with the flavors remaining consistent from the second 3rd.  My initial thought was that the cigar would take about and hour to smoke, but to my surprise the end did not arrive until a full 90 minutes had been completed.  The burn on the cigar is razor sharp throughout requiring no touch ups.  The cigar produces a fragrant aroma, adding nicely to the entire experience.  The cigar feels great in your hand from beginning to end, having a good heft to it.  This is a nice cigar that can be found at a reasonable price point in any B&M.

Macanudo Cru Royale- The New Macanudo

Macanudo has recently launched a new cigar, the Cru Royal, that appears to be a move in the right direction for the cigar line.

Size: 5 x 50
Shape: Robusto
Wrapper: Ecuador
Filler:  Brazil, Domincan Republic, Nicaragua
Binder: Dominican Republic
Strength: Medium
Price: $5.60 online

My choice of test cigars is the robusto sized cigar.  The pre-light inspection shows some variation in the coloring of the wrapper, but with out any imperfections and with a good firmness to the stick.  The cap takes a clean cut and the toast takes a good coal quickly.

The first draw on the stick is a blast of pepper with some wood undertones.  This powerful pepper flavor stays through the initial 3rd as the dominant flavor, at times threatening to be a bit overpowering.  As the stick transitions from the first 3rd to the second 3rd, this powerful pepper diminishes to an afterthought, and a blend of creamy wood and leather begins to prevail.  Moving further through the second 3rd, some notes of chocolate appear, and a bit of toasted nut hit on the fringes of the pallet.

Noted at this point is that the burn starts to move a bit off track, requiring a touch up from my torch to bring it back in line.  The burn begins to become a problem from the second 3rd until the very end, and adds a bit of frustration to the enjoyment of the cigar.  Since I am enjoying this smoke at the Macanudo Cru Royal launch party, I query the other smokers and the tobacconists about this burn problem.  It would seem that the problem exists only with the robusto and toro sizes, and it is quickly attributed to the cigars arriving late for the launch party giving them a less than ideal rest time from shipping.  The lonsdale and gigante sizes did not have the same problem.

The second 3rd transitions to the final 3rd smoothly, and with very little change in the flavor profile retaining a nice complexity.  The pepper remains on the edges of the smoke, and the earth tones remain dominant with the threads of sweetness.  The cigar has an easy draw which produces beautiful clouds of creamy white smoke and a tight gray ash.  The final tally reveals the Cru Royal to be a great break from the norm for Macanudo.  It is a solid medium strength cigar that hits a reasonable price point for the average smoker.

VUDU Cigars- Dark Secret Revealed

In my search online for a cigar that is new and relatively unknown I came across the dark art of Voodoo- or as Rocky Patel's Tabacalera Villa Cuba, S.A. calls it "VUDU".

Size: 5 x 50
Shape: Robusto
Wrapper: Mexican Maduro
Filler:  Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium to Full
Price: $5.00 online

Using a dark Mexican Maduro wrapper and Nicaraguan filler and binder, Amilcar P. Castro has designed a beautiful cigar brimming with flavor. The pre-light inspection of the VUDU reveals a nice maduro wrapper with only a few noticeable veins and no flaws. The cap takes a clean cut, and the toasting of the foot releases an inviting aroma. The first few draws deliver an earthy base with streams of peppery spice and sweetness that blend smoothly on the pallet.

The second 3rd of the cigar develops these flavors more. The cigar burns nicely through, producing huge clouds of gray smoke. The strength sits at a medium- to full-body, and the cigar produces a nice ash that drops easily on demand. Moving into the final 3rd of the cigar the complexity of the flavored begins to build. Still with the dominant earthy flavor and the threads of spice and sweetness that have been present from the  begining, the cigar begins to add a smoked almond tone and a rich, deep coffee flavor that lingers on the pallet. The conclusion of the cigar adds some faint tastes of coco to the mix, leaving me fully satisfied and pleased with the purchase.

The VUDU is a great cigar that sits nicely in the $5 range, making this an affordable smoke to stock in any humidor.

CAO Gold

After the full strength of the CAO Gol!, I was ready for something a little more tame to smoke.  The next cigar I tried from a recent sampler purchase is another high quality stick from CAO, the CAO Gold.

Size: 5 x 50
Shape: Robusto
Wrapper: Ecuador, Connecticut Shade
Filler:  Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Strength: Mild to Medium
Price: $5.00 online

A blend of Nicaraguan filler and binder, and an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, the gold is a presentation of the milder side of CAO.  The construction of the cigar is nice, with a reasonable amount of veins present and no noticeable defects.  The cigar is firm, but gives a little when pressed springing quickly back into shape.  The natural wrapper has good color and a light sheen inviting the smoker to enjoy.

The cap takes a smooth cut and the  foot toasts quickly and evenly.  The initial draw is light, with a thread of sweetness on the pallet.  As the cigar develops the wood notes become stronger, and the sweetness builds into a caramelized vanilla flavor.  Through the second 3rd the strength remains mild and the flavors full, and there is large amounts of the smooth  gray smoke.  Nut flavors begin to arrive at this point, mixing with the creamy sweetness and the wood into a nice complexity.

The final 3rd provides consistancy with the progression of the smoke.  The  cigar remains mild to medium in strength through to the final draw, and the flavors are full on the pallet.  The draw is easy, and the smoke smooth with a great burn throughout requiring no touch ups.

The CAO Gold is a mild to medium strength cigar with great flavors.  And at around $5 a stick, it is as easy on the wallet as on the pallet.