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(Continued)
Posted: Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Last year's selection included the Ramón Allones Selección Suprema (5 3/5 by 46) and Punch Superfinos (4 3/8 by 42) for Italy, and the Ramón Allones Eminencia (5 3/5 by 44) and Punch Robusto (5 by 50) for Switzerland.
Romeo y Julieta Short Churchills.
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I have yet to try the new regional smokes, but I did puff on a number of the new and delicious Romeo y Julieta Short Churchills, a new robusto packaged in a cardboard-papered box as well as in tubes. It was supposed to be out a few weeks after the festival. It reminds me of the decadent and rich flavor you get in a good R and J Churchill. It's spicy, almost peppery with and meaty tobacco flavor that turns to cedar. I scored it 91 points.
Cohiba Siglo II in Tubes.
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Other novelties include seeing the Cohiba Siglo II in cool designer aluminum tubes, exactly like those for the Siglo VI. And Habanos is expected to give new life to the culebras cigars, those three slender smokes intertwined into one. Although it might be folklore, I heard that the culebras originated in the early 1900s as a way to control what cigar rollers took home every night after work from the factory. They were allowed one culebras, or three cigars twisted together.
In recent years, culebras were made by machine with short filler, and then twisted together to give a snake-like impression. Habanos is now having them completely hand-made with long filler. Just remember to take the culebras apart and smoke one at a time. I once saw some fool light up an entire braid at one time. He almost burned his nose off!
The new totally hand made Partagás Culebras.
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There were no culebras in sight during the final event of this year's cigar festival, the gala dinner. Cohibas were there en masse, from coronas especials to Siglo VIs as participants celebrated the 40th birthday of the brand. Many, however, were surprised not to be smoking the new behike Cohiba, the cigar inside the recently unveiled $18,000 Elie Bleu humidor. It's a big and exciting cigar, measuring 7 1/2 inches by 52 ring gauge. Someone gave me one before the dinner, so I brought it along to smoke. It was stunning, rich, balanced and extremely complex. It was like a glass of Chateau Latour from a young vintage. It was a prefect way to enjoy the evening, which raised close to $715,000 for the Cuban Health System.
Click here to read about actor Jeremy Irons and last year's Habanos Festival.
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