Cigar Review: Graycliff Chateau Grand Cru

Time for another Graycliff! So I bought the Graycliff Top Ten Sampler from cigarbid.com, and the Chateau Grand Cru was the next in line to get smoked. What can I say, I love Graycliff cigars!

Right away you knew this was another great cigar. The presentations of these cigars are always flawless. I really admire the label on them; the Graycliff "G" has the power of the Nike Swoosh, but in the cigar world. Back to the actual cigar though, the wrapper is a fine Costa Rican leaf and filled with aged Honduras and Nicaragua tobaccos. This combination produces a nice sweet and rich flavor. It is filled with plenty of complex and subtle nuances as well. It was a little espresso, a little toast, and a little almond taste. The cigar was smooth and easy to smoke, but with all those nice flavors it really made for a delightful experience. This cigar was a pure joy to burn; the only problem is that hefty price tag. They are definitely not cheap, and their elegance may not be entirely worthy of that price tag. Other than that, it was a great cigar and worthy of praise. I rate this expensive little jewel a 9 of ten (I am an elastic consumer).

Cigar Review: Graycliff Espresso

I have been waiting for months to have cigarbid.com come up with their Graycliff Top 10 Sampler again. It is the best of all the lines, the Professional, Espresso, 1666, G2, Gran Cru, Original, and the CI Legends. I got 10 amazing Graycliffs for 37 dollars! The espresso alone is 20 bucks. Anyway enough plugging cigarbid.com. To the actual cigar...

The Graycliff Espresso was everything I thought it would be. It had an excellent wrapper and good draw. No burn problems and was easy to smoke down to the very nub. The cigar smelled light and slightly sweet. The smoke was very thick and had a pleasant leathery smell. The taste o the taste! It was a mild sweet espresso and chocolate with lots of nutty flavors. It was complex yet subtle. It had a nice roasted taste to it as well. There was a negibale spice note but not worth highlighting.

All in all, this was a fantastic smoke. Once again Graycliff fails to disappoint, time after time their entire brand just rocks my world. It is definitely one of my favorite cigars. After all these amazing cigars I just might have to make a visit down to their super prestigious and world renown resort. It would be so cool to chill in an atompshere where smoking cigars is ENCOURAGED! Overall I give this great smoke a solid 9.5 of 10.

Cigar Essentials: The Humidifier

A humidor is basically useless without a good humidifier. I have bought many humidifiers to try to find one that keeps perfect humidity, but doesn’t require changing it every week. Through my trials and tribulations, I have found a few good ones that have worked for me. They all work the same way, fluid is added and slowly evaporated into the humidor, simple! The price, operations, and frequency of care are the most important aspects of a humidifier. When you talk about humidifiers you need to address the different kinds of humidifiers….

Traditional Sponge Humidifiers: These are the most common and some of the cheapest. They are basically an antifungal sponge housed in a plastic casing. They can be fitted to the inside of humidors using Velcro or magnets. They require “cigar juice” or polypropylene solution to keep them moist and humidifying your stogies. I have several of these from many different brands, but my favorite are the VG humidifiers. I have found that these are very effective but require some attention to keep the right humidity. I have found that after some time they need a “time out” and need removed from the box temporarily, to dry out. I place new ones in and let the older ones dry out completely before cycling them back in. This works great and seems to help the humidifiers work more efficiently.

Gel Humidifiers: These are great and require very little care. They are a crystalline gel substance that is saturated with the solution. They usually have markings on the container to show when to fill them up and when to replace, making them very simple. The only problem I have seen is that they are very moist and certain containers are basically open and can spill those little jelly crystals into your humidor. They also seem to have a shelf life and are a little pricier (over the long run) compared to the traditional sponges. Some good brands are Dry-Mistat and HUMI-CARE. 

Electric Humidifiers: These are by far the best and also the most expensive. There are many different models and brands but most have a hygrometer built in and release the evaporated solution to keep that perfect humidity. The biggest problem with these is the large size and battery requirements. If you have a humidor with over a 200 cigar capacity you might as well keep them perfect with one of the best and least maintenance oriented humidifiers. When I get my big cabinet humidor, I am definitely getting one of the mini electric humidifiers. Some good brands are Cigar Oasis and Hydra.





Packet or Pillow Humidifiers: I have had limited experience with these but they have been pretty effective. Most of my online orders come with the pillow humidifiers. They have kept the cigars moist but they are wet and have caused swelling because of the cigar being pressed against the actual wet pillow. They now have plastic trays that can be inserted into humidors that house the pillows and separate them from the actual cigars to keep them from touching. I think this would make changing out the pillows every month or so, very easy but my only concern is that your spare pillows will dry out over time and require constant ordering. It is much easier to store a bottle of cigar juice than to store pre-moisten pillows. A good brand is Boveda




So there you have it! That is everything I have learned from taking care of my precious little stogies, I hope this has helped. As for my recommendation, just use the traditional ones till you get a big humidor for all those fancy cigars you will be smoking! At that point the mini electric ones will fit your needs better.

Cigar Review: Oliva V

Sometimes it is better to give than receive....

That is just about what sums up this cigar, for me that is. It would make a nice gift, but definitely not a personal favorite. I have seen the Oliva V cigar in cigar aficionado, on cigar.com, and on cigarbid.com and I couldn't wait to smoke this bad boy! It was given a 94 rating and has won its share of awards, it looked like a real win! This is where you may want to stop reading, I may offend any Oliva fans out there, but man I was disappointed.

This cigar had a very strong smell and nice hearty weight. It cut and lit very easily and everything was going pretty good! It billowed a nice thick smoke and its full earthy smell came through. It tasted like a very strong maduro would, earthy sweet and hints of espresso or chocolate. Now comes the problem.....It was like smoking 3 maduros at ounce. Everyone claims this cigar is full of complexity and a smooth richness. It was complex and rich but there was no smooth! It was so strong and direct that there was nothing for the senses to look for, everything was smashed into them. Instead of subtle tastes and smells, it was like sensory overload. I was not enjoying this cigar. I smoked it through but was not impressed. Maybe it was just me, maybe it was too strong for my liking but regardless I am giving this brute a 6 or 10. Next time turn down the strength if you want to highlight rich flavors.

Cigar Essentials: The Portable Humidor

Cigars should be enjoyed everywhere you go! That can be the golf course, a neighbor's BBQ, or even a camping trip. The portable humidor is the ideal way to safely and comfortably transport those little stogies! The hard case of the herf-a-dor keeps the cigars from getting smashed and damaged in transit. The built in humidifier keeps the cigars nice and moist till you are ready to smoke them. They can comfortably stay in the case for days, maybe weeks! There is nothing worse than packing up a nice cigar for a trip, only to find it crumbling from drying out…

Many herf-a-dors come in various sizes and designs. I figured it was not worth splurging on, and so I decided to purchase the one pictured left. It is simple, strong, and effective. I have used it many times to take cigars on trips and to local get togethers. My cigars never even knew they left their comfortable humidor! All you have to do is put a few squirts of cigar juice in the humidifier and place those cigars in the case! The case comes with two snap seals, and all around the opening is a rubber lining to keep the seal till you are ready to smoke. Works great, and they are not going to break the bank.

Delicious Pairings: CAO LX2 and Mount Gay Rum

You have to try this! I recently read an article from a Cigar.com catalog about pairing rum with cigars. I am very familiar with pairing cigars with Scotch, but I have yet to try rum! So this post will be all about what I learned and what you should try.

After rummaging through my man cabinet, (every man needs a man cabinet by the way) I selected a darker more complex cigar and a smooth unflavored rum. The article specifically said to not use a flavored rum, the sweetness can ruin whatever subtle flavors you are creating by the pairing. So what did I select? I selected Mount Gay Barbados Rum, it is relatively cheap and a great rum! It is like the St. Luis Rey of rums. I went with a CAO LX2 for the cigar, for its complexity and dark earthy taste. I also haven’t had a CAO in a while so this was great.

Now to the actual tasting. The whole point of pairing a cigar with a drink isn't to "cleanse the palate" from the cigar. It is to enhance the taste from the cigar, with the drink whether that be coffee, whisky, or rum. The LX2 provided a deep earthy and petty taste that was enhanced with sweet sugar from the rum. It created a truly fantastic pair and keep the mouth happy for hours! I was sitting on my porch just enjoying a sunny day, and the taste of earthy sweetness filled my senses! It was great and I will definitely try further pairings. I am planning on getting some more rums, because I think I may like a rum better with a cigar than a Scotch. I dare say it...

Cigar Essentials: The Lighter

You can't smoke a cigar without lighting it first! With that being said, you need a good lighter or specific cigar matches if you want to smoke a cigar the right way. There are plenty of lighters out there, with plenty of bells and whistles, so what should you look for? Well for starters the price range will probably be the biggest factor in your lighter purchase. So for myself, I choose ones right in the middle price range, with a lifetime warranty. I currently have the Xikar Element lighter pictured here. It is great and works every time flawlessly. It also features a window to see how much fluid I have left and a little punch cigar cutter built right into it. There are plenty of really cool Xikar lighters but this one was a great bang for the buck. 

So other than this model, what should anyone look for? For starters, make sure the lighter is butane! Butane makes a great flame and is odorless and tasteless. Traditional lighter fluid will alter the taste of the cigar and no ones wants to smoke anything that taste like lighter fluid. This means most Zippos will not do for cigar smoking, and most matches for that matter. Also make sure the lighter has a window to see how much fluid is in there! I can't tell you how frustrating it is to not know how much fluid is in the lighter. You get your cigars in your Herf-A-Dor and head out to golf, and you cant lite anything because you are out of fluid and didn't know it! Happened to me all the time. Also this is not a must, but the built in cutters make life easier for when you forgot your cutter as well. People forget stuff, so why not include everything you need in one package!? As far as the number of flames that the lighter produces, this is a personal call. The more flames the faster and more spread out the heat is when lighting your cigar. This means a better lite in the beginning and that will elevate some burn problems down the road. With more jets, it lites more of the cigar foot and will make for a better burn. I have two jets and it works fine for me! The last thing to look for is design, the design of the lighter is just as important as the functions! Who wants a lousy looking lighter when they are lighting up a great, expensive cigar?!

In conclusion, just pick a lighter that you can afford that is at least butane! I personally recommend lighters with warranties, cutters, and windows. The multi-flames are nice but can really get pricey. So go out and do a little research to get that perfect lighter for you and enjoy those cigars!