Oh how I hate to agree with Cigar Aficionado. It pains me to think they actually got something right instead of bowing to whoever advertises with them.

Well in the case of the maduro Padron Serie 1926 80th Anniversary Perfecto, they gave it a “95″, one of their highest ratings.
I had the chance to smoke a couple of these while I was recently in Orlando. I can’t say I expected much to be different than the normal maduro 1926 line. Frankly, I thought this was something from the Padron family created just to keep their name out there. I should have known better.

This is a complex smoke…it is also a strong smoke. Sneaky strong for that matter. The shape of this cigar can condense the strength, and if you aren’t careful it will sneak up and deliver a knock out punch. As for flavor, your typical Padron with leathery accents and a sharp spiciness that is characteristic of good Nicaraguan tobacco.

As all Padron Anniversary cigars, the 80th was treated to perfect constrution. During the time I smoked both cigars, I was haunted by the sensation that I had tasted this flavor profile before. Unfortunately, it never came to my aging mind, and I am left wondering where the familiarity came from. The good news is I have a few of these left, and can try and spark my memory again.

This cigar is the “Chocolate Bomb”! Eddie Ortega and the boys at united Brands have another winner, and this may be the best one of the bunch.

It has been longer than I can remember where I felt the impact of smoking a cigar…years to be precise. The Oscuro La Fuerza did the trick. Don’t get up to quick after smoking this perfecto shaped gem. It’s hard to go wrong with a Pepin made cigar, but this takes things up another notch. Personally I worry that Jose Pepin is getting stretched thin with all the cigars he has his hands in. The La Fuerza is testament that my worries are unfounded.

Chocolaty and rich, this cigar brings the love early and often. From near perfect construction to the slowly increasing flavor profile, you’ll be best to get your hands on these cigars early. Perhaps my light headedness is a sign of a long day, but I doubt it. This Nicaraguan Oscuro left me wanting more, and remembering to have the next one on a full stomach!

By far the smoke of the RTDA so far. Granted I have not tried all the new cigars as of yet, and am eagerly waiting the La Aurora barrel aged Robustos, but the bar has been set. It’s hard not to like Eddie Ortega with his wry smile, and seemingly permanent enthusiasm for his cigars. The 601 Series Green Label Oscuro La Fuerza is even more reason to smile.

My third new cigar of the day was the El Rey del Mundo Olvidados, a large ring gauge robusto from Cuban Imports. The Ecuadorian Sumatra leaf wrapper was smooth with even color and no blemishes. The cigar was firm and had a good draw, but took a while to light. This cigar was packed with tobacco. The burn was perfectly even producing a firm grayish ash.

The Olivados is a full bodied cigar smoker’s cigar. Full earthy flavors dominate and push the taste envelope but do not go over the edge. The flavors and strength build and become more complex as the smoke continues. This full bodied cigar would go well after a heavy meal or with strong spirits however fanatics might have one on an empty stomach.

My first new cigar of the show was a Cuba Aliados 83rd Anniversary Rothschild at the Puros Indios booth. The cigar comes with either a natural or maduro wrapper. We received samples of the Connecticut shade to sample. The wrapper was perfectly smooth without blemishes. The cigar cut cleanly and had a perfect pre-light draw.

The cigar lit easily and burned evenly, producing a firm whitish ash and a lot of smoke. The cigar was mellow and medium bodied, but not bland with some complex flavors that did not grow tiresome. This would be a good afternoon smoke with a light beverage.

My second new cigar of the day was the new CAO American Potomac, a large ring gauge robusto. The America has the distinction of having a double layer of Connecticut wrappers, one maduro and the other natural as evidenced by a narrow “stripe” of the lighter wrapper showing through. The dark maduro wrapper dominates the appearance and is smooth without prominent veins. The draw was slightly tight but workable.

The America lit easily and burned evenly. The cigar tasted full bodied but without harshness. CAO marketing maven, Jon Huber, explained that the natural wrapper balanced the maduro wrapper’s flavor to create a full bodied, yet balanced earthy taste. It seems that they have succeeded. This is a cigar for the experienced smoker and would go well with a full bodied cabernet sauvignon or a glass of scotch.

In conjunction with Xikar comes Defiance Cigars. Defiance Cigars are unique in that 5% of theproceeds from each cigar will go to fund local political actions committees in the state of sale. This Nicaraguan Shade wrapper cigar was mild and smooth. If you are a fan of mild cigars this will hit home. Plus it’s nice to know you are contributing to defending the simple pleasure of smoking a cigar each time you buy one.

This 5 x 54 Robusto from Cuban Imports was the best cigar of Day one for me. It’s always hard to judge flavor profiles at the RTDA when you are smoking many cigars. One thing you can tell though is quality. This cigar was made like a rock, but drew like a dream. The ash stayed perfect and on the cigar for a long time.

The flavor profile was medium/heavy, but the cigar was not over-powering. The blending of Michael Argenti continues to be spot on, even with the distraction of having to work with his brother Al. (Just kidding, we love ya Al!) This is a cigar that should work its way into many smokers regular rotation.

We’ll try and breathe some new life into the blog at Top25Cigar.  In fact, we’ll see if we can use it to speed up our reporting from the 2007 RTDA in Houston.  We’ll try and post here daily about what we smoked, news, and basically what we are seeing at the show.

Yes, it is a recipe for disaster…two cigar smokers pretending they know how to use the web.  What the heck, maybe second time will be a charm!

I subscribe to Perelmans “Heard in the Humidor” newsletter. It’s a great weekly update on the industry. The most recent just popped in my inbox a few minutes ago. There is a blurb about the worlds most expensive production cigar, and obviously a little discussion about the new Cohiba Behike retailing at about $450 a stick in their custom Elie Bleu humidor.

They go on to talk about a more expensive Dominican cigar. Here is a quote from the email:

“The current champion comes from the Dominican Republic: Kaizad Hansotia’s Gurkha “His Majesty’s Reserve.” It has a suggested retail price of $750 per cigar. “That’s not a misprint; that’s the retail price,” said Hansotia. First shown to national retailers in 1998, these are now Dominican puros of 7 1/2-inches by 52-ring (same size as the Behike!) that are infused with Louis XIII Cognac.

About 100 boxes (20 cigars per box) are made annually and the distribution is discreet. But Hansotia, who offers a kaleidoscope of blends for his Gurkha, Symphony, Sherpa, Genghis Khan, Blend 101 and private-label lines isn’t satisfied. “We have something new in development, and it will be even more than the His Majesty’s Reserve,” he said. “I will let you know.

“Did I just read that right?!? Kaizad Hansotia is planning on releasing a cigar with a MSRP higher than $750.00? Here’s a hint Kaizad…if you want to establish yourself as the ultimate gimmick cigar producer, knock your lights out and release a $750+ per stick smoke….again.

Opus continues to do this for the Forbidden X line, and I can buy off on that. It’s usually around some charitable cause, and frankly they have earned the right to do this based on how they have built there little Opus kingdom with some quality cigars. Mr. Hansotia might want to note, they still are not charging “who gives a crap about our customers” prices like $750 a stick.

The cigar industry is not a race to see who can get the most out of a customer for a single cigar. Like many respectable manufacturers, focus on quality and reasonable prices and your company will prosper. I just lost some respect for the boys at Gurkha.

The Cuban Por Larranaga, at over 170 years old, is one of the oldest cigar brands around After the U.S. embargo of Cuba started, Consolidated Cigar Corp.gained the rights to produce and market the brand outside of Cuba. In 1999, when European tobacco giant Altadis purchased Consolidated and later half of Habanos SA, they gained control of the Por Larranaga brand and many others both inside and outside of Cuba.

As Paul mentioned, the brand has undergone a complete make over through a collaboration between Altadis and Cuban Imports founders Michael and Al Argenti. The line has been completely re-blended and sports new boxes, cello wrappers, and bands. He new packaging gives the line a badly needed fresh new look.

The Por Larranaga torpedo has smooth, tan wrapper of consistent color without defects. The cigar is supple to the touch and the cap is nicely finished. The cigar cuts cleanly and has a near perfect draw with a nice pre-light aroma. After lighting, my sample had an even burn that produced a firm whitish-gray ash.

In the taste department, the cigars were a little young. That aside, the Por Larranaga started with some mild spice and earthy flavors. These flavors continued throughout the smoke. The original blend was more on the creamy side and the last blend was somewhat woody, so this will be quite a change for people who smoke this cigar regularly. But the old blends were one dimensional and although mild, the new blend has some complexity. I like the new taste for this cigar.

It was a bold move for Altadis to bring in outside collaborators to re-launch an old name. From the outside appearances to the taste, I think they made the right move.

We smoked RTDA show samples which are just that… samples. The final product may be the same or slightly different. In this case, I hope the production cigars are pretty close to what we smoked.