So, for those of still stuck in Ireland and in need of a good cigar session, join us on Monday July 16th 2012 in the No Name Bar in Fade Street, from 7pm onwards.

As always, there is no formalities in our herf, just bring your favourite smokes and come along to join us. And remember; good cigars are always enjoyed more in good company!

See you all there!

With June almost here, it is time for another herf. This coming Tuesday, June 5th, we will be meeting in The Market Bar, Fade Street Dublin 2 for our monthly herf from 9pm onwards. The Market Bar boasts a brand new, comfortable smoking loft, which we are all looking forward to check out.

As always, there is no formalities in our herf, just bring your favourite smokes and come along to join us. And remember; good cigars are always enjoyed more in good company!

Yiorgos

All attendees will have the chance to sample the Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill, alongside some of the finest Irish Whiskeys from Irish Distillers, including Middleton Very Rare, Red Breast, Green Spot and Powers John’s Lane.

Also on the night Ludovic Faxel, Marketing Manager of Xikar Europe will be introducing the new range of Xikar cigar accessories.

Ticket can be purchased from JamesFox.ie, at a cost of 25EUR each, and include a 25% discount off Xikar’s range of accessories, purchased from James Fox.

We are in May already and despite the rain, there is a smell of summer in the air… And there is no better way to welcome the summer than a smoking session!

So, this Monday May 14th from 8pm onwards, we will be meeting up for our monthly herf. Our venue will be the cozy smoking area of Mc Grattan’s Pub, 76 Fitzwilliam Lane, Baggot Street, Dublin 2. So grab your favourite smokes and join us for a fun evening of cigars and pints.

As always, there is no formalities in our herf, just show up and join us. And remember; good cigars are always enjoyed more in good company!

See you there!

Casa Cuba is a company which hosts Cuban themed parties throughout Dublin. With authentic Cuban cuisine and live Cuban entertainment, it will be a night not to be missed.

A three course Cuban dinner will be available from 7:30 to 9:00 @ €20 per person, while the Cuban Band “Sabor Cubano” will be performing live from 9:00pm.

For more information and reservations, please call the Bia Bar on 01 475 1988.

Bia Bar
Drury Court Hotel,
28-30 Lower Stephen’s St.
Dublin 2

So this coming Monday, April 23^rd, we will be meeting in the Morgan Hotel in Temple Bar from 8pm onwards for a few cigars and a few pints. So grab your favourite cigars and join us; and remember, good cigars are always enjoyed more in good company.

See you all there!

Habanos have been changing their strategy with the release of their Reserve and Grand Reserve Series. The previous two releases in the Reserve line were the Montecristo No.4 in 2007, using 5 year old tobacco, and the Partagas D4 Reserva in 2005, using also 5 year old tobacco. The use of 4 year old tobacco for the Churchill Reserva makes me wonder if this released was scheduled for 2013, but was brought forward by a year. Either way, we have had great experience with previous Reserva vitolas, so I am hoping that this one will keep up the tradition.

The RyJ Churchill Reserva has a striking appearance. The wrapper is smooth and oily, with a beautiful red hue and some very thin veins. The triple cap is rounded and perfectly applied and the bunch is firm and consistent throughout the whole body of the cigar. Strong aromas of wood and apple emerge from the wrapper and the foot of the cigar and the prelight draw is perfect. Time to light it up…

The Churchill Reserva delivers plenty of rich flavours from the start; sweet on the foreground, with honey, coffee beans and nuts, with wood following closely. All the flavours are perfectly balanced, with a soothing, creamy texture. The finish is long and leathery, with a touch of spice. The draw is on the tight side,and without muting the cigar, it prevents it from becoming overwhelming. The body is medium to full, the burn is even and the ash is flaky. So far, the Churchill Reserva is great!

In the second third the Churchill reserva changes profile and gets even richer. The sweeter flavours subside, giving way to the traditional woody and earthy Romeo y Julieta flavours. These two flavours dominate, followed by coffee, nuts and pepper on the background. The body is still medium to full and the cigar still burns perfectly.

On the last third the cigar turns full bodied. The two dormant flavours of earth and wood are in full control, covering up almost everything else. The complexity of the first two thirds has now disappeared, giving way to pure strength! The Churchill Reserva requires a few touchups to get going, but there is no more surprises until the end.

The expectations of the Reserva and Gran Reserva Series are always as high as their pricetag, but it seems that Habanos are doing a good job producing some good cigars for this line. Although I have yet to smoke last year’s Montecristo Gran Reseva, all the rest of their releases have one thing in common; they keep the flavour profile of their brand, and amplify it by using top quality, aged tobacco leaves. The Churchill Reserva is, without a doubt, a RyJ Churchill on steroids. It ticks all the boxes that the “plain” Churchill sometimes doesn’t. It is rich and complex, full bodied and creamy, with the first two thirds being exceptional. The last third failed to keep me at the edge of my seat, but that was not enough to affect my overall impression. 5 stars and a big thumbs up for the Romeo y Julieta Churchill Reserva!

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Friday was the last official night of the festival, with the Gala Dinner bringing a closure to all festivities. Traditionally, the Gala is where the “big guns” are being launched and this year the brand showcased was Romeo y Julieta. All attendees had the chance to sample two new cigars that will be included in the brand’s portfolio for 2012; the Churchill Reserva and the latest addition to the Churchill family, the Petit Churchill, which is the cigar I will be reviewing today.

Since the release of the Hoyo Petit Robusto in 2004, the Petit Robusto size has proven a great success for Habanos. Cohiba, Montecristo, Partagas and Trinidad also jumped on the wagon, with similar variations but same characteristics. A short, stout cigar that combines a short smoking time with the coolness and comfort of a larger ring gauge. The response was great, so it was only a matter of time before another brand released a petit robusto.

The Petit Churchill is a classic petit robusto, measuring 4″ in length with a 50 ring gauge. The only confirmed packaging at the moment is dress boxes of 25, with 3 packs of tubos soon to follow. My Petit Churchill had some time to rest after the long trip from Cuba and I am really looking forward to see what it has to offer.

Appearance-wise the petit churchill is almost flawless. The wrapper is smooth and shiny, with a moderate amount of veins and almost no imperfections. The bunch is firm and consistent and the triple cap is rounded and perfectly applied. Strong scents of wild flowers and walnuts emerge from the foot and the wrapper of the cigar and the prelight draw is perfect. Time to light up…

The Petit Churchill kicks of with strong, rich creamy flavours of vanilla, honey and a touch of wood. The body is medium and the flavours are well balanced. Smoking in the first third, the cigar shows a great deal of complexity; flavours of coffee, fruits, leather and dark chocolate are sharp and dominant, with hints of cedar on the background and the slightest touch of ammonia. The burn is good and the cigar produces clouds of smoke. So far so good…

In the second third the cigar settles down. The hints of ammonia have now disappeared, and the petit churchill is now sweeter. Honey, vanilla and coffee are the main flavours, with some cedar and earth still in the background. The body is still medium and the cigar draws well. It burns slightly unevenly, which is not a problem so far.

In the last third the body changes to medium to full and the flavours are now sharper again. Bitter chocolate, earth, leather and cedar are now the main flavours, with the sweeter flavours now subsiding. It is not as sweet and complex as in the first two thirds, but still enjoyable nevertheless.  The Petit Churchill smokes well until the end, without getting hot or harsh at any stage. With less than an inch left, it is time to put it to sleep.

I have to admit the Romeo y Julieta Petit Churchill is the most enjoyable of the three cigars I have tasted so far. It kicks off with sweet and earthy flavours, turning to sweet on the second third and finishing off with a bit of a kick. Great progression for a cigar of its size. With a bit of age on its back, it will surely refine its flavours more and discard the tiny bit of harshness from the start and the finish. If the cigars that will be released in the summer have the same characteristics as this one, I think we will be on a winner… I am a fan already!

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This Monday March 26th 2012, we will be meeting in the Morgan Hotel in Temple Bar from 8pm onwards, for a few cigars and a few pints. So, bring your favourite cigars and come along for a fun evening, full of Cuban stories!

And remember, good cigars are always enjoyed more in good company!

See you all there!

The Bariay is similar in size to the gigantic Diadema, with a 54 ring gauge and 9.2″ length. It was presented in a single coffin, with its top half wrapped in silver aluminum foil that has the same star pattern we have seen previously in the original release of Diademas in 2001. The Bariay will be the second cigar that will be featured in the Collection series, after the ulra rare Cuaba book in 2001, which contained ten Salomones. 1000 book shaped humidors each including 20 Bariays are expected to hit the market later on this year.

The Bariay is an impressive cigar; the wrapper has a lovely reddish hue, with some veins and a few wrinkles. The bunch seems slightly inconsistent, being looser on the bottom half and tighter nearer to the top. Sweet, floral aromas emerge from the wrapper, while an earthy scent is present on the tightly closed foot. So, its time to blaze this new Cuaba; with an expected smoking time of 2.5 to 3 hours, the Bariay should better have something to keep me interested till the end…

The Bariay kicks off with plenty of flavours of coffee, grass and pepper. Lighting a double figurado can be tricky,  and I made a mess of it!  But amazingly, within five minutes and after smoking past the shoulder, the Bariay has corrected itself and is burning away happilly. The draw is on the looser side and the cigar seems to burn quickly. The body is mild, but the cigar shows a good complexity. Wood, coffee and nuts are on the foreground, while grass and vanilla can also be noticed on the background. The ash is dark grey in colour and flaky, reaching more than an inch in length.

Only half an hour after lighting up and I have found myself smoking in the second third. Earthy flavours have now appeared and taken over, with fruity, woody and coffee-y notes. The body is now mild to medium and the complexity and balance of the Bariay are satisfying. The draw is still good but the burn is has started to become more difficult. Unlike the first third where the cigar was almost burning on its own, the burn has slowed down dramatically. The cigar requires a lot of attention and a few touch ups to keep going.

The burn problems are still continuing in the final third. Once you manage to keep the Bariay lit though, it rewards you with its complexity and flavours. The body is still mild to medium, with rich flavours of earth, wood, grass, vanilla and coffee, all in good balance. The burn is now very slow and the cigar produces a modest amount of smoke. Despite the continuous touch ups, the flavours are not affected and there is no sign of bitterness. Almost three hours since lighting the cigar and it is time to put it down, with about an inch and a half left.

Although very impressive. double figurados are always tricky, both for the roller and the smoker. We have all had salomones that smoke like they were made in heaven and ones that just did not smoke or burn right. The Bariay is a good cigar, and I am sure that without the odd construction issues it can be a cracker! Maybe not ideal for the smoker that prefers fuller smokes, but lets face it, this will not be anyone’s every day or even casual cigar! Its size and especially its rarity and price combination will make it more of a collector’s item. And judging from the value of the other Collection Series, you will be sure that a box of Bariays can be a good investment!

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