91 RATED SMOKES!!!

One of the precious few cigars to make it into the hallowed inner circle of 91-rated smokes as adjudged by Cigar Aficionado. Augusto Reyes Nativo takes its rightful place among the elite. The all-Dominican blend, delivers a rich and flavorful medium bodied smoke. Check out what cigar expert, Al Remp has to say about these premium cigars.

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3 Regular Guys Review: Cohiba Extra Vigoroso

Cohiba seems like it has been a staple on the scene even longer than it may have even existed. We all know the original origin of the brand, blended specifically for Castro, Fidel not Raul, to hand out as diplomatic gifts, but the Cohiba brand we’re concerned with is General Cigar’s Cohiba manufactured in la Republica Dominicana.

The standard Cohiba, sometimes called a red dot because of the red circle inside the “O”, entered the market in 1978. That specific cigar was the one that established the name and defended the mystique of a Cohiba brand cigar.
As seems to be the case with most things, tastes changed, and in response the Cohiba was re-blended in the 1990s to craft a slightly more rich and robust cigar.

The Red Dot was not destined to be alone for long though and now has three siblings: the Cohiba Black is wrapped in a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper; the Cohiba Puro Dominicana is as it sounds, a purely Dominican cigar; and the cigar the 3 Regular Guys reviewed, the Cohiba XV.

The Cohiba XV gets its acronym name from eXtra Vigoroso, because cigar legend Daniel Nuñez blended the XV to be the fullest bodied Cohiba to date. So, we gave it a shot and found out for ourselves just how tough the XV can be.

Seemingly true to any cigar that has ever donned the Cohiba band, they are all visibly attractive cigars. The XV has a beautiful wrapper leaf that is well-cured and displays veining that reminds you this is a natural product made from the leaf of a tobacco plant. Colm debated with himself if it was a Spanish Rosado leaf or a Sumatra, and, allegedly without looking it up, settled on the Sumatra diagnosis. He is entirely correct, as this is an Ecuadoran grown Sumatra leaf and bears that leathery color and shading so typical of this plant. We all remarked on the good looks of this cigar.

Corona Chris enjoyed the pre-light aroma and Scott noted that the cigar seemed very well constructed with a clean cap. The cap held up well to the cut; or even two cuts. Colm thought the initial draw on this stick was a bit too tight so he re-cut and resumed smoking. The second cut did the trick and mostly alleviated the difficult draw. This is also a lesson that, while you don’t want to make a habit of it, it is safer to undercut a cigar and then touch it up with a sharp cutter than to cut too deep and be smoking through a straw.

Taste-wise we had some disagreements on our experiences. Corona Chris noted some surprise that the XV was as mellow and smooth as it was with an almost Maduro flavor, but a quick check of the ingredients list will identify that flavor as coming from the Connecticut Broadleaf binder. Scott’s and Colm’s take on it was a bit more trying. The XV started out quite strong. We were open to this since it has a Sumatra wrapper and Ligero filler. However there was a harshness to the otherwise citrusy taste. After the first half-inch the cigar mellowed and smoothed out considerably as the blend seemed to come together.

The 3 Regular Guys all found some issues with the consistency of the flavor to the XV being too variable. When the Cohiba XV is smoking steady through the middle ¾ of the stick it is a fairly bold cigar. Be mindful that there is a heavy flavor to the aftertaste, but having smoked these on the job we lacked the option of strong libations. When smoked with a heavy dose of Cuban coffee or something with a nice proof-rating, like Lagavulin, you might actually be grateful for that strength of finish to stand up to your drink.

Cohiba XV is definitely extra strong compared to the Red Dot you know so well. Just the contrast of a Sumatra wrapper compared to the old standby sweet and smooth Cameroon sets those two cigars apart. But, if you are a true Cohiba fan you have little option other than to buckle up and give this stick a try. An aggressive cigar might appeal to you quite nicely otherwise it’s not a bad thing to give your tastebuds some zesty variety. Go smoke it yourself!

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3 Regular Guys Review: La Aurora

The La Aurora Cigar factory is the oldest continuously operating cigar factory in the Dominican Republic, with La Aurora cigars known as the first Dominican cigar. The reason they are still in business is because of the quality of their product and the integrity with which they run their enterprise. The León Jimenes Group, owner of La Aurora Cigars as well as Presidenté Beer and other ventures, began simply and honestly in 1903 when Eduardo León Jimenes founded his cigar factory. He was a young, ambitious man who was the son and grandson of tobacco growers. His singular purpose was to create a high quality cigar that would be well received by the market and which he could be proud to stand behind.
La Aurora has been in the business for over a century, lending cause to develop the Cien Años blend to commemorate this long history. For a cigar company with this many years under its belt, we think it is significant to point out the small amount of blends that they have developed and continue to produce. While many cigar brands out there seem to be introducing a new blend every other month, La Aurora hasn’t. They produce just 7 premium handmade long filler cigars. Among them is the cigar the 3 Regular Guys smoked, the La Aurora Robusto Cameroon.
This great little Robusto was very well made. It had a solid cap that cut great and held firmly. The wrapper is a Cameroon leaf that had subtle veins. Scott thought the wrapper color had a slight Rosado shade to it even. All in all, an attractive cigar from the outside from which Corona Chris noted a flavorful pre-light aroma.
Once lit, this cigar produced a lot of smoke with a bright, toasty aroma and a great draw. Colm, of course, enjoyed the medium bodied smoke of this La Aurora because it has nicely balanced filler, but most importantly it is wrapped in that Cameroon leaf that still feeds his current addiction.
Scott thought that the smoke was quite structured and dry overall but especially on the back of the palate. More subtly there was an intriguing flavor of vanilla coming through a woody, dry sweetness; likely more hints of the Cameroon wrapper shining through. Corona Chris gave high marks to this moderately spicy and enjoyable stick because of its excellent value, especially for a Cameroon wrapped cigar. He also has designs on hiding a couple of these in one of his humidors to see what a few months, or years, of extra aging will do to this blend.
This is the lower tier of the La Aurora cigar stable, but the 3 Regular Guys were definitely not let down. The cigar was well made and the blend was rather balanced. The Cameroon leaf is, of course, a favorite of all three of us. We’re pretty certain you cannot go wrong with anything coming from the La Aurora factory, but definitely positive that this cigar is well worth you checking it out too.

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3 Regular Guys Review: Augusto Reyes Nativo

Reyes is Spanish for Kings, which seems fitting when you look at the Reyes’ family resume in the tobacco business. A century and a half working directly with tobacco creates a positive sense of obligation, as trustee of a craft handed you by generations before. So it is with Augusto Reyes, who is known as a veritable king by industry insiders but less so by John Q. Smoker. Reyes has been crafting exceptional cigars in his factories for countless top brands, but only now, with his blend Nativo, has he put his name on the band.
Nativo, Spanish for native, is also well named as this cigar is a Dominican puro. The filler is a blend of Olor, Criollo 98, and Piloto Cubano. The binder on our Corona size Nativos is Olor and the wrapper is Criollo 98, which is evident by its trademark hue. Colm expected to feel some oiliness to the wrapper, but didn’t. Scott did detect some oil, which made him anticipate the richer flavor when lit. Corona Chris thought the wrapper was actually a bit fragile. But, on the whole this was a well constructed cigar. The cap cut and held exactly as it should.
Once lit, the draw was optimal and scored high by everyone, having just enough even resistance. This stick produced plenty of mellow, cool smoke. Corona Chris thought the Nativo tasted rich and smooth, but noted that after the halfway point it began to lose some of its smoothness. Colm thought the A. Reyes Nativo tasted fantastic, and was medium to full in body. Corona Chris and Scott both thought that this tasty cigar was a lot closer to the low end of medium strength. The Nativo has plenty of structure though and is satisfyingly balanced. Our Nativos burned well and turned into dense, light gray ash. The finish was short and clean.
Overall, Colm thought that this was a great smoke and a bit stronger than he expected. He immediately requested more samples for further testing. Corona Chris enjoyed the aroma of Nativo and thought it’d be a solid choice for a late-morning through afternoon smoke. Scott enjoyed this Dominican puro’s consistency as he had smoked quite a number of them previously and each was predictably satisfying. Almost without a doubt, you have already smoked a cigar that was made by Augusto Reyes. Now, it’s time to really give his craftsmanship a shot by smoking this first cigar to have his name on it.

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The Story of Davidoff

No other brand name has the universal “awe” as Davidoff, since the founder’s foray into his first Cigar Shoppe in Switzerland. Zino Davidoff has ennobled the words “the good life” to a class all to itself.
Zino Davidoff’s desire to the quality of a Product, presentation of that Product, thus assuring that a Davidoff cigar is the mark of excellence.
At his Cigar Shoppe, he met Dr. Ernst Schneider, who had a similar philosophy for his company, The Oettinger Group, one of Europe’s largest distributors of quality products.
Their friendship developed at once, and Dr. Schneider, considered by many a great judge of character, proposed to Zino, to take Davidoff cigars to the world.
Dr. Schneider also “liked” Zino Davidoff, the man, and their friendship blossomed.
As a spokesman for Davidoff, until his passing, Zino is still considered the finest cigar man in history.
From that small Cigar Shoppe in Switzerland, which still remains today, to the growing list of additional Davidoff stores, to the Appointed Merchants of Davidoff, the cigar industry continues to marvel at Dr. Schneider’s vision and the worldwide acclaim of the brand Davidoff.
Now to a new association for the manufacturing, once Davidoff departed Cuba, and meeting and eventual relationship with Hendrik Kelner in the Dominican Republic.
Once again, Dr. Schneider and his character assessment saw the quality of the man, coupled with his knowledge of manufacturing, to make not just any cigar, but a Davidoff. Their bond was quickly formed.
To this day, Dr. Schneider’s Commitment to the Zino Davidoff legacy is closely followed by Raymond Scheurer, the worldwide “ambassador” from the Corporate office and the Davidoff Master Blender Hendrik Kelner, Davidoff Dominican Republic, and to all Associates, to maintain the quality of product that speaks Davidoff “the good life”.

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By Al Remp, product specialist and trainer, Thompson Cigar.

Cigar World: Part 1 (Dominican Republic)

The Dominican Republic continues to be the largest cigar producer with an estimated 60-65% of all countries. With this portion, there are many thousands of those involved, some estimates of 200,000, from growers to producers of finished cigars. The Dominican Republic Government employs hundreds from the tobacco institute (which has a facility of experimentation) to a minister of tobacco, knowing that the cigar industry is a very important export and important to the countries economy. Cigar tobacco growing is generations old, and many cigar makers can trace their lineage from grandfather to father to son or daughters. As you will note, their pride in a finished product never is compromised. To list brands would be very difficult, it encompasses the very large producers to some that are small, but the same expertise is their everyday concern. Two (2) major cities for cigar production are La Romana and Santiago with the major growing areas in central and north, in the mountain ranges. All types of tobaccos needed are grown from wrapper to binder to filler. The quality of tobaccos grown and used today, are considered the finest available in many years, and from the reaction of cigar smokers, they agree. Finally the finished product either a puro (all Dominican tobaccos) to cigars blended from several countries, are excellent from the very mild to full body. Enjoy!

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By Al Remp, product specialist and trainer, Thompson Cigar.