Smokeasy's top 4 memorable smokes for the month of September
Pictured clockwise: La Antiguedad (My Father Cigars), Partagas Black Label (Partagas 1845, General Cigar Co.), Sobremesa (Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust), and Sancho Panza Double Maduro (General Cigar Co.). All images are courtesy of the respective cigar manufacturers.
La Antiguedad (My Father Cigars)
My Father Cigars debuted La Antiguedad in 2014 on the heels of the huge success with the Flor de Las Antillas line, which won the 2012 Cigar of the Year from Cigar Aficionado magazine. Spanish for "The Antiquity", La Antiguedad was created to once again pay homage to and embrace Jose Pepin Garcia's Cuban heritage, and the Cuban culture and arts. The cigar's filler is composed of tobacco from 3 different proprietary growing regions in Nicaragua (San Rafael, Las Quebradas and San Jose), all owned by the Garcia family. The Garcias haven't topped Flor de Las Antillas in my opinion, but this La Antiguedad (as with ANY My Father Cigar) does not disappoint. A box-pressed beauty!
Country of origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua (Nicaraguan criollo and Nicaraguan corojo double binder)
Filler: Nicaragua
Vitolas (5 box-pressed): Robusto (5¼" x 52); Toro (5⅝" x 55); Corona Grande (6⅜" x 47); Super Toro (7" x 56); Toro Gordo (6" x 60)
Medium-full bodied | Medium-full strength
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Partagas Black Label (Partagas 1845 - General Cigar Co.)
I revisited an old friend this month and loved it - still trying to figure out why I stopped smoking these. Partagas Black Label Magnifico had been one of my "go-to" everyday sticks for many years. Not certain when this particular line was released, but it has been around for quite some time. Since the re-branding of Partagas 1845, Black Label is no longer a featured frontmark; however, there are still plenty in circulation and still relatively easy to find. Very heavy, pungent, savory, full-bodied smoke that's not for lightweights. And it pairs with damn near everything - scotch, bourbon, Irish whisky, cognac, rum, coffee, cappuccino, lattes, espresso, root beer, cola, Dr. Pepper...you name it! Putting this back into rotation...
Country of origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut USA (Medio Tiempo)
Binder: Dominican Republic (La Vega Especial)
Filler: Nicaragua (Ligero and Piloto Cubano Ligero)
Vitolas (10): Gigante (6" x 60); Pirámide (6" x 60 figurado); Magnifico (6" x 54); Maximo (6" x 50); Clásico (5¼" x 54); Colossal (5" x 60); Crystal Tubo (5½" x 50 glass-tubed); Bravo (4½" x 54); Purito (4" x 32); Pronto (4" x 36)
Full-bodied | Medium-full strength
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Sancho Panza Double Maduro (General Cigar Co.)
Another old friend I revisited this month! The Sancho Panza Double Maduro Escudero ALWAYS ran shotgun with the Partagas Black Label Magnifico in my everyday travel humidor, but again, not sure why I stopped smoking these either! No sense in trying to figure out why, it's going back into rotation. This is another General Cigar brand that has been around for many years now, and while not marketed, is still in circulation and easy to find. There are 3 Sancho Panza lines: the original Sancho Panza, the Extra Fuerte, and the Double Maduro. The Extra Fuerte, a Honduran puro, is supposed to the fullest and boldest of the 3 - while it's definitely the most spicy, I find the Double Maduro to be the boldest and the most flavorful, with its beautiful 4-year aged Broadleaf wrapper.
Country of origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Connecticut Shade Maduro
Filler: Honduras/Dominican Republic (Piloto Cubano)/Nicaragua
Vitolas (6): Escudero (7¼" x 54); Cervantes (6½" x 48); Alicante (6" x 60); La Mancha (5½" x 44); Lancero (5¼" x 54 [Lancero by name only, not a true Lancero)); Quixote (4½" x 50)
Full-bodied | Medium-Full strength
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Sobremesa (Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust)
When news broke in 2015 that Steve Saka, the then CEO of Drew Estate, was leaving to embark on a new endeavor, the cigar industry waited with bated breath. Saka's respect and high regard in the industry, not just as a businessman but as a master blender and tobacco expert (the man behind the Liga Privada), had us all eagerly anticipating his first release, Sobremesa, under his newly formed company, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. This line is manufactured by Joya de Nicaragua in Estelí. Sobremesa is composed of 5 different (and very select) fillers - 4 from Nicaragua and 1 Connecticut Broadleaf Ligero - highlighting Saka's blending prowess. These fillers, bound with a Mexican tobacco and wrapped with Ecuador Habano tobacco, make for an extraordinarily robust and very complex smoke - truly for experienced smokers only. I've smoked 3 of them this month, and each experience was different, the flavor is all over the fuckin' place! Man, this is a serious smoke...I will need to smoke quite a few more before I can figure this bad boy out and make any comments about its flavor profile.
Country of origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Mexico (Matacapan Negro de Temporal)
Filler: Nicaragua (Gk Condega C-SG Seco, Pueblo Nuevo Criollo Viso, La Joya Esteli C-98 Viso, ASP Esteli Hybrid Ligero)/Connecticut Broadleaf Ligero
Vitolas (11): Corona Grande (5¼" x 44); Cervantes Fino (6¼" x 46); Robusto Largo (5¼" x 52); El Americano (6" x 52); Torpedo Tiempo (6" x 54 figurado); Gran Imperiales (7" x 54); Diademas DeLuxe (6¼" x 60 perfecto); Short Churchill (4¾" x 48); Short Robusto (4¾" x 52); Short Torpedo (4¾" x 54 figurado); Elegante en Cedros (7" x 50)
Full-bodied | Medium-Full strength
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