Tag: Cigar Review

Smoking a Liga Privada 10 Aniversario at Mareva Beirut

Have a Cigar: Liga Privada 10 Aniversario

Chris Khatsch1 Comment

Name: Liga Privada 10 Aniversario

Country: Nicaragua

Shape: Parejo

Size: Toro (6 inches x 52)

Strength: Medium to Full

What can we pair cigars with? For starters, you can pair your cigar with all sorts of beverages: coffee, rum, champagne, and whisky are but a few examples. You can also pair your cigar with food. I know a lot of people who enjoy their cigars with desserts, chocolates, and even red meat. But have you ever met a man who paired his cigar with another cigar? Very likely, your answer will be no. But I’ve been down that path on many occasions, my friend. I promise you this: One can get drunk enough to smoke two cigars simultaneously. I even have pictures of it. However, that’s not the reason why I’m writing this down today. There’s another thing you can pair your cigar with. That thing is music.

I smoked the Liga Privada 10 Aniversario at a cigar lounge surrounded by friends. It’s an excellent cigar. With it, I had espresso and sparkling water. But all the time I was smoking it, I was thinking of only one thing. I wanted to be alone, listening to Arctic Monkeys’ “Sculpture of Anything Goes.” I wanted the smoke flowing from my lips to turn into… song. I longed for the solitude a song provides.

PDR A. Flores Gran Reserva Maduro Toro at Swings, Lebanon

Have a Cigar: PDR A. Flores 1975 Gran Reserva Maduro Toro

Chris Khatsch1 Comment

Name: PDR A. Flores 1975 Gran Reserva Maduro Toro

Country: Dominican Republic

Shape: Parejo

Size: Toro (6 inches x 54)

Strength: Medium

The A. Flores 1975 Gran Reserva Maduro Toro is a good-looking, medium-bodied cigar that burns with strong notes of cocoa and almonds. It’s a well-built cigar with a maduro wrapper that is soft and shiny. Its smoke is thick and creamy. Overall, it is an excellent cigar.

I smoked it outdoors after a good meal on a Sunday afternoon and paired it with a 12-year-old Scotch.

The cigar burned calmly as if time was abundant, as if tomorrow wasn’t announced yet. Time burned, but it burned slowly. I was with my wife and friends. We were having a very good time, and we were going to have a very good night.

Smoking a good cigar, the Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez Torpedo, at a wedding in Yerevan, Armenia

Have a Cigar: Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez Torpedo

Chris Khatsch1 Comment

Name: Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez Torpedo

Country: Nicaragua

Shape: Torpedo

Size: (6 1/2 inches x 54)

Strength: Medium

I paired the Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez with Armenian vodka, which is also known as oghi. I drank so much that night that, at one point, I had two cigars in my mouth. I found myself smoking both simultaneously. It was the first time I pair a cigar with another cigar. I even have a picture of it. But I’m not sharing it here because I look so wasted in it.

Branding: The Ramon Allones Toro is a well-ornamented, good-looking cigar. The gold and the red used in the band design make the stick look royal and sophisticated. Moreover, the cedar sleeve the cigar comes in sends the right message, that this cigar is worthy of being protected.

Construction: Well-built; expertly rolled. My fingers could find no weaknesses. I had a solid Torpedo in my hands.

Pre-light: The virgin draw was promising. I closed my eyes and imagined a beautiful woman baking a cake. She wore nothing but an apron, and she had an inviting smile on her face. I could smell the dough.

Cut: Straight cut.

Burn: Nice and even. Smoked it indoors. No wind, no problem.

Duration: I smoked it on and off because I was at a wedding party and I was also dancing. But I’d say the smoke time was somewhere between 90 and 120 minutes.

Draw: Great. Not too firm, not too loose. Just right.

Smoke: Could have been thicker and creamier.

Ash: Good.

Flavor: Coffee, earth, bread, wood.