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Home > What's New > The New Wave of Strong Cigars
The New Wave of Strong Cigars
Posted: Sunday, August 07, 2005
By David Savona This fall, when you smoke one of the new offerings just reaching cigar stores -- the cigars that I and the Cigar Aficionado staff will be smoking this week at the Retail Tobacco Dealers of America trade show -- you might want to wait until you've had a hearty meal. Many of these cigars are quite strong.
I've had the chance to smoke a few of these brands in my office, some of which pack quite a punch. And I have a taste for the stronger stuff.
One of the strongest I've tried is a yet-to-be-named Camacho. (There's a contest to choose the name on this Web site, click here .) It's leathery, peppery and about as subtle as a gorilla with brass knuckles. Fitting that Camacho's pitch line for this cigar is "Say Uncle." Another exceptionally strong smoke is from Oliva Cigar Co., which some people have nicknamed The Lobotomizer. A bit too strong for my tastes.
I haven't had Ashton's new Estate Sun Grown (or ESG), but I'm betting that it will be powerful. First, it comes from the Fuentes, who are capable of making some of the cigar world's strongest smokes, such as the Fuente Fuente OpusX. Second, the wrapper leaf is sun-grown on Chateau de la Fuente. I've smoked maduro Fuente Fuente OpusX cigars made with that sun-grown wrapper, and they're far stronger than the natural varieties (they're also not commercially sold.) If I were a betting man, I'd wager that the ESG will be stronger than VSG, which says a lot.
Even cigarmakers known for their mild offerings are bringing out powerhouse smokes. General Cigar, best known for the very benchmark of mild smokes, Macanudo, has reblended its Bolivar brand. The one I smoked recently is considerably powerful, and General's executives are calling it their strongest smoke.
The Toraños, who tend to make milder cigars, have brought back an old cigar-boom-era brand called Virtuoso and given it an entirely new taste. They say it's their strongest cigar ever.
Then there's guys like Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana, who started off making very mild cigars but now makes increasingly powerful stuff. "No more Mr. Nice Guy," he said with a smile on my last visit to his farm, where one of his Double Ligeros made a verteran smoker sweat after too light a breakfast.
What happened? Just last year I wrote from RTDA about the great number of medium-bodied, balanced smokes such as Maria Guerrero, Ashton Heritage Puro Sol and La Gloria Cubana Reserve Figurados. Cigar retailers keep telling me that their customers want more flavor and power. Sounds as if the cigarmakers are out to give them just that.
I love strong cigars, but I also prize balanced and easygoing smokes. When I'm conducting a blind tasting, I think one of the best things I can say about a cigar is the word elegant, which is the realm of milder, medium-bodied smokes such as an Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Robusto or a Montecristo White No. 2 Belicoso. I smoked one of each on Tuesday, and loved them both.
For you consumers, I suggest you enjoy the strong cigars that are coming your way this fall, but don't forget the lighter-bodied smokes. I hope cigar companies don't forget them either. Also in Cigar News:
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