Editor’s Note: Each week, our friends at the Smooth Draws Radio Show, based in Atlanta, GA, do a review of ‘The Cigar of the Week’ on their radio show, which can be heard Saturday mornings on AM1230 ESPN the Fan 2 (WFOM radio) from 9AM to 11AM. That review is printed (in its entirety) here on Cigarweekly.com, usually on the Monday following its broadcast.

The Smooth Draws Radio Show Pick of the Week

THE CIGAR

This week, Gary and Alan took a look at the Tierra Volcán Clasico by Mombacho Cigars.

Editor’s Note: Each week, our friends at Cigar Guys Radio Show, based in Atlanta, GA, do a review called ‘The Cigar of the Week’ on their radio show, which can be heard Saturday mornings on AM1230 ESPN the Fan 2 (WFOM radio) from 9AM to 11AM. That review is printed (in its entirety) here on Cigarweekly.com, usually on the Monday following its broadcast.

The Cigar Guys Radio Show Smooth Draws Pick of the Week

Size: 6.2 inches x 54 ring gauge

I’ve often wondered where the names of cigars come from. I know the oldest ones have their own classic stories. Those cigars were usually named for either the owner or the factory. And I’m sure some of the newer names are strictly creations of the wonder-boys in marketing. But how about when a cigar is named? Is it before or after the cigar has been blended? 

While the Alec Bradley Black Market Vandal, introduced in 2013, sounds like it was named by an imaginative ad-man, it is indeed aptly named. The image presented by the name and labeling perfectly matches the nature of the cigar, suggesting to me that it was named after it was blended. Let me give you my review as a means of explanation.

Two-thirds of this cigar is covered by a huge yellow label that reads like a police report. Beneath that label is a smaller, more traditional label. Like it or not, this type of presentation seems to be the thing now. 

The Alec Bradley Black Market Vandal is a brawny cigar. It has an oily dark brown Nicaraguan Jalapa wrapper with a shadowy black patina. The leaves are uniform, with only a few small veins. It is a handsome cigar. The binder is Sumatran. 

The original Black Market cigars list the filler as a Honduran and Panamanian blend. However, the exact mix for the line extension called Vandal isn’t published.

Editor’s Note: Each week, our friends at Cigar Guys Radio Show, based in Atlanta, GA, do a review called ‘The Cigar of the Week’ on their radio show, which can be heard Saturday mornings on AM1230 ESPN the Fan 2 (WFOM radio) from 9AM to 11AM. That review is printed (in its entirety) here on Cigarweekly.com, usually on the Monday following its broadcast.

The Cigar Guys Radio Show Smooth Draws Pick of the Week

THE CIGAR

This week, Alan and Gary selected the ROMEO, which is a line extension from Romeo y Julieta, produced by Altadis U.S.A.

Ernesto's Humidor No.1 Edicion Colorado

Okay... So we continue the journey with the second of a trio of cigars offered by E.P. Carrillo. The first offering, the Connecticut, was nice. But it left me wanting a little more. Next up is the Edicion Colorado.

The nuts & bolts:
Wrapper - Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder - Nicaragua
Filler - Nicaragua
Size - 6 inches x 54 ring gauge

Giving this vitola the once over, I pass it underneath my nose and get a heavy dose of barnyard hay - a somewhat heavy, decadent scent. The wrapper has a reddish hue along with a fair amount of tooth on the surface. It has a nice firm feel to it, with no soft spots and just the right amount of give when squeezed between thumb and forefinger. I decide to use a v-cut, and slice the cap cleanly. Taking a cold draw, I get a sweetness in the draw with a hint of red pepper - very promising.

Editor’s Note: Each week, our friends at Cigar Guys Radio Show, based in Atlanta, GA, do a review called ‘The Cigar of the Week’ on their radio show, which can be heard Saturday mornings on AM1230 ESPN the Fan 2 (WFOM radio) from 9AM to 11AM. That review is printed (in its entirety) here on Cigarweekly.com, usually on the Monday following its broadcast.

The Cigar Guys Radio Show Smooth Draws Pick of the Week

THE CIGAR

This week, Alan and Gary selected the Xen by Nish Patel – a Rocky Patel Premium Cigar.

BACK STORY

It would be difficult to find a cigar smoker (whether a novice or aficionado) who has not heard of Rocky Patel. After all, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars is one of the most successful cigar companies in the world. With lines like Decade, The Signature Collection, Royale, Nimmy-D and the Edge Series, Rocky Patel offers a cigar for everyone to enjoy.

Rocky Patel charged his brother, Nish Patel, to blend a cigar – with a Connecticut wrapper – that would not be a traditional mild creamy smoke, but rather one that would have more of a medium strength and body with great flavor. During the 2011 IPCPR, the Xen was released with the slogan ‘Rethink Connecticut’. The cigar featured an Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper.

Editor’s Note: Each week, our friends at Cigar Guys Radio Show, based in Atlanta, GA, do a review called ‘The Cigar of the Week’ on their radio show, which can be heard Saturday mornings on AM1230 ESPN the Fan 2 (WFOM radio) from 9AM to 11AM. That review is printed (in its entirety) here on Cigarweekly.com, usually on the Monday following its broadcast.

THE CIGAR GUYS RADIO SHOW ‘SMOOTH DRAWS PICK OF THE WEEK’

As they’ve done each week, Alan and Gary stopped in at the Cigar Merchant of Roswell to meet with owner Scott Baily, as well as select and smoke the ‘Smooth Draws Cigar of the Week Selection’. This past week, Scott chose the La Aroma De Cuba Mi Amor by Ashton Distributors, Inc.

Editor’s Note: Each week, our friends at Cigar Guys Radio Show, based in Atlanta, GA, do a review called ‘The Cigar of the Week’ on their radio show, which can be heard Saturday mornings on AM1230 ESPN the Fan 2 (WFOM radio) from 9AM to 11AM. That review is printed (in its entirety) here on Cigarweekly.com, usually on the Monday following its broadcast.

The Cigar Guys Radio Show Smooth Draws Pick of the Week

THE CIGAR

This week, Alan and Gary selected the Plasencia Reserva Organica for reviewing.

BACK STORY

The Plasencia family has been growing tobacco, and producing cigars, for five generations. The family’s roots go back to Cuba.

Cigar name: Percy Ray
Cigar brand: Percy Ray Cigars
Wrapper: Dark Cameroon
Binder: Jalapa, Nicaragua
Filler: Jalapa and Esteli, Nicaragua
Vitola reviewed: Toro (6 inches x 50 ring gauge)
Strength: Medium-full

Price: About $9.00