Smokeasy's top 4 memorable smokes for the month of June
Pictured clockwise: El Centurion H-2K-CT, CAO Flathead Steel Horse, La Dueña, and Montecristo Línea Clásica. All images are courtesy of the respective cigar manufacturers.
El Centurion H-2K-CT (My Father Cigars)
My Father Cigars debuted the El Centurion H-2K-CT at the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) annual trade show in the summer of 2015, as a line extension to the original El Centurion line released in 2013. What's different? This line uses a proprietary hybrid wrapper: Habano 2000 grown in Connecticut. It's not the typical shade grown or broadleaf, but the Habano 2000 Cuban-seed strain of wrapper tobacco grown in open sunlight and cultivated in the Connecticut River Valley. Outstanding smoke that's MUCH better than the original in my opinion!
Country of origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: United States (proprietary hybrid H-2K-CT)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua (aged 3 years)
Vitolas (2): Corona (5½" x 48); Toro, box-pressed (6" x 52)
Medium-full bodied | Medium strength
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CAO Flathead Steel Horse (CAO Cigars)
The Steel Horse is CAO's sequel to their ever-popular Flathead series. It's of a different blend than the original Flathead, but still has the signature flat head cap. This line was released in August 2015 and was created with the biker enthusiasts in mind - cigars packaged in individual boxes for easy transport on the open road. Though composed of tobaccos from 5 different growing regions, I still prefer the original Flathead - perhaps because of the Connecticut broadleaf wrapper and all of that ligero in the filler! Nevertheless, the Steel Horse is a very nice smoke...burns long, burns slow, nice flavors!
Country of origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut Habano Grueso
Binder: Brazilian Arapiraca
Filler: Dominican Republic/Honduras/Nicaragua
Vitolas (4): Bullneck (6½" x 66); Apehanger (5½" x 58); Handbrake (4½" x 50); Roadkill (5½" x 54)
Medium-Full-bodied | Medium-Full strength
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La Dueña (My Father Cigars)
This cigar is all about the broadleaf - and it's all about Janny! Spanish for "the female owner" or "the female boss", La Dueña was made exclusively for Janny Garcia, Don Pepin Garcia's daughter, and actually was a collaborative effort between Janny's brother, Jaime Garcia, and Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars. The wrapper, binder, and filler are all composed of Connecticut broadleaf, and apparently Janny was looking for flavor over strength, a nice balance of the sweet flavor of the broadleaf and and the spicy flavor of the Nicaraguan tobacco. La Dueña is my absolute second favorite of the My Father portfolio, next to Flor de Las Antillas.
Country of origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf/Nicaragua (double binder)
Filler: Connecticut Broadleaf/Nicaragua
Vitolas (5): Belicoso No. 2 (5½" x 54); Petit Belicoso No. 9 (4¾" x 48); Petit Lancero No. 7 (6" x 42); Robusto No. 5 (5" x 50); Petit Robusto No. 11 (4½" x 52)
Medium-Full-bodied | Medium-Full strength
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Montecristo Línea Clásica (Habanos, SA) Montecristo, one of the most well known and beloved of the Habanos throughout the world. All Montecristos are blended exclusively with selected filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba, the so-called birthplace of the finest tobaccos in the world. The Línea Clásica has been in existence since the 1930s. The Edmundo sizes with heavier ring gauges were introduced in 2004, and the Línea Open, which was blended for lighter flavor, was introduced in 2009.
I've always been a huge fan of the Montecristo No. 2; however, it's the Petit No. 2 that actually makes my list of memorable smokes for the month of June. I had two of these Petit No. 2s in my humidor resting for close to a year and a half - saving for a particular special occasion, my son's high school graduation. It's a boarding prep school tradition for the boys to light celebratory cigars immediately after the ceremony on campus, and I wanted my boy to have something special for his very first cigar experience. I took great pleasure in assisting him with the cutting and lighting, but especially enjoyed watching him smoke it like an aficionado (it was evident that he's been watching me over the years)!
Country of origin: Cuba
Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba
Vitolas (12): Edmundo (5⅜" x 52); Petit Edmundo (4⅜" x 52); Joyitas (4½" x 26); A (9¼" x 48); Especial (7½" x 38); Especial No. 2 (6" x 38); No. 1 (6½" x 42); No. 2. (6⅛" x 52); Petit No. 2 (4¾" x 52) ; No. 3 (5⅝" x 42); No. 4 (5⅛ x 42); No. 5 (4" x 40);
Full-bodied | Medium-Full strength
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