2009 Edition limitadas

this year following limitadas will be released:

* Bolivar Petit Belicosos (petit belicoso, 4.9 x 52)
* H. Upmann Magnum 48 (robusto, 4.5 x 48)
* Romeo y Julieta Duke (grand robusto, 5.5 x 54)

Partagas Serie D no5 Edicion Limitada 2008

This morning, the sun was shining. Time for a special smoke during my daily commute to Brussels (which normally takes me about 1hour). I looked around in my humi, to look for the best smoke on this day. It should be a small smoke, to finish in the hour. It left me with 2 choices: my last RyJ Short Churchill or the Partagas limitada of 2008.

I chose the Partagas, because I have never smoked this one. It looked perfectly, no bumps. It felt sweet, not silky like older cigars, and firm.

After clipping, the dry taste left me with a tobacco smell and taste, with a really good draw. So, I lighted it up.




Immediatly a lot of smoke..puffing went great, almost no resistance!! That is how I like my cigars !! first puffs revealed a strong spicy taste, a little bit too much on my empty stumach..

Getting in my car and puffing away, I could taste also hints of leather and earth (like every Partagas cigar). After 20 minutes the spicyness was still there, not to the liking of my bowel system. For the first time in over a year, my stumach was complaining about the cigar. Not that the cigar is that heavy, but the spicyness was almost upsetting.


The taste doesn't really change, it doesn't get softer of more other tastes..Perhaps they were just cloacked by the spices..
Great ashes, but I arrived at work too early to smoke it fully. The rest is waiting for my afternoon smoke in the sun.

Would I smoke this again? Definetely, but after a good meal.It looks like they packed all the action from a big cigar into this little one..

Great smoke, but beware ;)

Romeo y Julieta 1875 Reserva Real Corona

While it has been an interesting time to smoke cigars (the sun is shining again, spring and almost summer), I havent been posting on my blog since february. Since then, NUB's have been taking the market by storm (and indeed, they are delicious) and I had plenty of cigars to enjoy.

This RyJ was laying in my humi for quite some time, and since today is the day to vote (flemish and european elections), I had the time and occasion to smoke a gentle cigar.

I just came back from balloting my vote, sitting down at my new desk to enjoy a coffee and do some research.


My sister got me this smoke from her travels across the USA. And what a smoke it is! It looks smooth, the Ecuadorian wrapper feels not so oily, wit some large veins. As used from RyJ, the cigar is fabulously rolled. No imperfections, and after cutting, the dry draw is perfect.

The Nicaraguan binder and a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers taste great when lighting. The cigar lights up perfectly and the first draws produce a lot of smoke. I was surprised how light the taste is !


It produces a greyish ash, which is not too consistent, floaks fall of every now and then. No burn troubles, although it didn't smoke even, but no touch ups were made.

Flavors are light: definitely some wood, wet bark. Yes, it tastes like a morning walk in the woods, with a hint of nuts and almons maybe.

Being so light, a great cigar for people who are starting to smoke cigars. Definetely great, and more then fair-priced !!

List of 2009 regional cigars

James Suckling reported on his cigar-afficionado blog about the 2009 Regional cigars:

Bolivar - Germany - 5ta Avenida – 50 x 184 - Conde 109
Bolivar - Germany - Especiales No.2 – 38 x 192 - Delicados
Punch - Italy - Diademas Extra - 55 x 233 - Diadema
El Ray del Mundo - Italy - Torpedos - 52 x 140 - Campanas
Por Larrañaga - not allocated - Machu Picchu - 50 x 127 - Petit Piramides
Ramon Allones - not allocated - Los Andes - 50 x 141 - Gorditos
El Ray del Mundo - Baltic - Balthasar - 50 x 155 - Dobles
Por Larrañaga - Switzerland - Valiosos - 52 x 156 - Piramides
Punch - Switzerland - Pocerosos - 54 x 164 - Sublimes
Ramon Allones - Switzerland - Deliciosos - 50 x 102 - Petit Robustos
Ramon Allones - Asia Pacific - Celestiales Finos - 46 x 137 - Britanicas
Saint Luis Rey - Asia Pacific - Pacifics - 52 x 156 - Piramides
Punch - Benelux - Punch Royal - 50 x 141 - Gordito
Bolivar - Benelux - Fabulosos - 52 x 135 - Edmundo
Vegas Robaina - Benelux - Elegantes - 47 x 158 - Tacos
Vegas Robaina - Benelux - Magnificos - 52 x 135 - Edmundo
Punch - Spain - Grand Robusto - 50 x 155 - Dobles
Por Larrañaga - not allocated - unnamed - 50 x 155 - Dobles
Juan Lopez - not allocated - unnamed - 50 x 102 - Petit Robustos
El Ray del Mundo - France - Petit Coupania - 50 x 127 - Petit Piramides
Quintero - France - Small Club - 50 x 102 - Petit Robustos
Ramon Allones - Middle East - Beritus - 52 x 135 - Edmundo
Bolivar - Middle East - El Greco - 50 x 141 - Gorditos
Vegas Robaina - Canada - Petit Robaina - 52 x 110 - Petit Edmundo
Ramon Allones - Canada - Petit Unicos - 50 x 127 - Petit Pyramides
Juan Lopez - UK - Seleccion Suprema - 52 x 170 - Torre Iznagas
El Ray del Mundo - UK - Choix de L'epoque - 52 x 110 - Petit Edmundo
Punch - Scandinavia - Northern Light - 52 x 110 - Petit Edmundo
Vegas Robaina - Scandinavia - Great Northern Light - 54 x 164 - Sublimes
La Gloria Cubana - Unknown (Habanos S.A.?) - Deliciosos - 48 x 127 - Hermosos No.4
Punch - India - Platino - 49 x 194 - Prominentes



Like they say in pokemon, gotta catch em all ;)

Electronic cigars ?

hmmm, not sure about this..the Gizmodo website shows some pictures about a guy smoking an electronic cigar..the NROBO is good for 1500 puffs, yet it has no flavor..

What do you think?

Helsinki 's cigar shop Havanna-Aitta

At Newyear, I was visiting a friend in Helsinki, Finland. Because of the special day, I did want a great cigar to match the feeling.

I searched online, though no place came up..A lot of non-smokers in the streets of the city as well, until I saw a pipe-smoking man at the harbour. He told me there was a Havana house in one the parallel streets, so I hurried over to the Aleksanterinkatu 44, where I found the tiny shop "Havanna-Aitta".

A very friendly man behind the counter helped me in my search with great professionalism, although they had a very minimal range of cigars..and boy, they were expensive!!

So if you are stuck in Helsinki (which is a great city to visit by the way), be sure to bring your own, or be prepared to pay a large sum for smokes (because of the tax ?)..
Great shop to visit, a lot of accesoires, but only a small range of smokes.

cigar review: Cuaba Piramides Edicion Limitada 2008

This weekend I was craving for an absolutely great cigar as I was going to watch one of the best movies ever made..

This made me look in my humi for a cuban, perhaps something I never smoked before. It had to be one with a lot of flavour and a lot of body. That's when I opened my drawer with my special smokes..This drawer is my meeting place for all limitadas and special cigars I collected up to now.

I bought all the limitada's a few weeks ago in a little cigar shop in Lier. I immediatly saw the beautiful and big Cuaba smiling at me..

I picked it up and smelled it..a great odeur rose from the big torpedo. A smell that would later on become the main flavor when lit. The cigar felt good. lots of big veins, very oily outside and perfectly rolled.

I took my cutter and cutted the point away on about 1cm. The draw was perfect, and I could feel the cigar's spice burn on the tip of my tongue. All the signs were there to point out this was going to be a full cigar with a lot of body and flavours.

I took some matches and after the second match the cigar was properly lit. From the first puffs on, I could taste the primary taste in the fat, creamy smoke: wood. The cigar wasn't really balanced, but the wood taste was very much there and it hided all the other flavours. It also had some leather taste next to the wood.

The ash was very flaky, and the burn very uneven. Just the thing I would imagine in a cigar like this.

From the second part, a hint of flowers and moss came up next to the wood and leather. What an incredible taste! Such a power..

The last third came at the end of the movie and I was fully satisfied. I picked up a magazine after the movie to enjoy the cigar a little more, but I just couldn't take it anymore..I was completely exhausted after all that power.. I didn't enjoy it that much anymore and decided to toss it out.




Conclusion:
What a powerhouse!! Main taste is definitely wood and leather, a lot of full body tasty creamy smoke. Just a little too long for me. Definitely worth the money, while it is a costly smoke.

I am going to keep the others for a few years, to see how they age.