Punch Robusto Edicion Regional

Measures: 123 mm x 19,5 mm

Age: The cigar was bought from a highly respected shop in Geneva in January 2006. I don't know the box code.

Setting: The winter has started early in Helsinki, with snow on the ground since first days of November. Conditions for cigar smoking outside have deteriorated to a level that affects my consumption. Today, nevertheless, I wanted to smoke a good cigar despite the conditions: it was Father's day in Finland, and I had some reading to do. So I brewed some strong coffee, dressed up warmly, and then started to search for a cigar fitting the circumstances. It was then that the lone Punch Robusto winked an eye: why not?

The Edicion Regional cigar was a feast to the eyes: the wrapper is very oily and smooth, and the double bands give the cigar an exclusive flair. Closer inspection showed, however, one quite prominent vein in the otherwise flawless cigar. It turned later to be reluctant to burning. I clipped the cigar and found the draw to be relatively light.

I was not sure what to expect from the cigar: Punch is not a marca that I have a lot of experience of. What emerged was a quite surprising smoking experience. The Robusto started with a strong dose of cedar and something that reminded me of thick brown sauce: strong and unusual. This stayed essentially similar during the entire length of the cigar. At times, the youthfulness of the cigar became dominant with bitter tannins seeping to the front. The blend of the cigar must have had an extra leaf or two of ligero. The burn was not ideal due to the vein that refused to burn along with the rest of the cigar. Some corrections were needed to fix that.

So, the overall experience was interesting, but not uniformly positive. The cigar would probably have benefited from a longer rest period. How long? How good would it become? I do not venture to guess.

El Rey del Mundo Choix Supreme 1998

Measures: 124 mm x 18,5 mm

Age: I received this cigar in a trade from a cigar-smoking acquaintance. According to him it's from 1998.

Setting: Weather still permits (sort of) outdoor smoking in Helsinki, but for how long? Any time may be the last by this time of the year. Not wanting to waste the opportunity offered by the a bit chilly but otherwise bearable Sunday afternoon, I decided that this would be a good time to smoke the 1998 ERdM Choix Supreme I had received in a trade already several months ago. I have been contemplating the purchase of aged ERdM, and I hoped this experience would help me to make up my mind.

This cigar is considerably darker than the younger samples of the vitola that I have encountered before. The wrapper still feels oily; close inspection shows the tiniest bits of plume spread on it. The cigar is moderately box pressed. It feels firm with some resilience. I cut the cigar with my Sunday cutter, and found the draw to be a bit constricted, probably offering just right resistance. The cold aroma reminded of sweet fruits over roasted tobacco - very nice!

ERdM is generally considered to exhibit the lighter end of the range of Habanos profiles. Consistent with this, the aged Choix Supreme is surely not a powerhorse, not a spice bomb. Instead of those qualities, it started by offering a very nicely rounded and balanced melange of sweetish aromas. I found myself thinking of roasted almonds and butter. This soon transformed to a more woody tone where also some citrus-like whiffs were just perceptible. At half-way point, the burn of the cigar became a bit lopsided, forcing me to correct it a couple of times. The woody flavour had at this stage turned into a somewhat grassier tone; I found that I had to smoke the cigar with very slow pulls to enjoy it. The later stages did not change too much this. I found myself missing the initial nuttiness of the taste that unfortunately never came back. I finished the cigar after some 80 minutes of smoking.

The cigar left me with somewhat mixed feelings. The initial stages were very good and expressed the ERdM profile that I have learned to like very well. In comparison, the later stages left me a bit cold. I felt that I probably did not catch this cigar at its most opportune moment. Will I buy more of these? Perhaps not a full box: as a Partagás addict, my preferences seem to favour fuller bodied cigars. Yet I have liked my ERdM Demi-Tasses a lot, so I will not forsake this marca.

Saint Luis Rey Serie A

Measures: 141 mm x 17,5 mm

Age: The cigar is my first of a fiver bought in August, 2006. It is probably of a fairly recent make.

Setting: The uncharacteristically warm weather Finns have enjoyed this year is finally starting to cool down. Is is still possible to smoke outside, but one needs proper clothes for it, and something to keep warm. No problem: I went through these preparations, and picked one of the five SLR Serie A's that I received some time ago, judging that this would be a good time to finally try one.

The corona gorda looks awesome. Its strongly box pressed so that its cross section would have a racetrack shape. The wrapper is luxuriously dark and feels almost skin-like to my fingers. The cigar is quite supple to touch, making we wonder if it still is too humid. I clip it anyway and try the draw: it feels just right, so I decide to go on.

Bang! The cigar starts with an explosion of flavours, telling that this probably is a young cigar. Soon they settle down to somewhat more moderate level. The overriding impression is exotic sweetness, reminding me of honey and liquorice, on top of quite intensive salty tobacco taste. The wrapper adds to the sweetness, and I also sense a bit of nicotine tingle on my lips. The cigar is drawing well, but the burn is a bit lopsided, probably due to limited humidor time. A couple of corrections are necessary. Later on, cedary tones also started to appear in the quite decadent composite of flavours. The intensity increased again, and I had to purge the cigar to continue smoking. I nubbed the cigar after some 90 minutes of smoking.

This was my first encounter with the Serie A, so I should not draw hard conclusions on the basis of just this try. Nevertheless, the cigar delivered a quite unique experience, quite unlike the few SLR Regios and Lonsdales that constitute my past experience with this marca. Even though the cigar clearly was too young and restless, I enjoyed its decadence and richness. Time will tell how the cigar will appeal to me after it has settled down a bit: I think I will not touch the others until next summer.

New Cigars

Cigars are addictive - but the addiction presents itself as a compulsory need to buy more cigars rather than smoking them.

I have heard a lot of good things of recent Habanos cigars. The Cubans have supposedly improved their processing and storage methods of tobacco leaves during the last couple of years, with the result that all cigars are now rolled of tobacco aged at least two years. The results are said to be phenomenal: 2006 cigars smoke extremely well, and show great promise for further aging. More over, all cigars are deep frozen before final packing to reduce the risk of cigar beetles.

Hearing all this made it impossible for me to resist any longer, so I asked a friendly colleague working in Geneva to pick up a box of recent Montecristo #2's for me, knowing that he would be visiting Finland.



I mailed the shop and asked them to assist my colleague in selecting the box: I did not want too dark wrappers. They seem to have followed my preferences exactly: the cigars do look lovely, and the wrappers have just the kind of colorado tone that I prefer.

I am very tempted to try one right away, but no: experience tells me that they should spend a month at least in the humidor to adjust from the trip and lose some moisture. The box code tells that the cigars were rolled in February 2006, so they are still toddlers.

Just the box of MC2's? Well, I asked and received also a second box of 1990 El Rey del Mundo Demi-Tasses - the first box has turned out to be lovely. And I also received a couple of fivers: Cohíba Coronas Especiales 2001 and Cohíba Lancero 2000's ...

Sancho Panza Belicoso

Measures: 138 mm x 19 mm

Age: This cigar same from a large sampler set I bought in early 2005. It probably dates from 2004.

Setting: Summer is coming to its end in Finland. After a record period of drought, we again are receiving some rain, with the result that the yellow colours that dominated the July have become green again. It is still unusually warm for the season, so conditions for cigar smoking are still very good.

Today my choice for late afternoon cigar was one of the Sancho Panza Belicosos that I had bought last year. I had smoked one a couple months after receiving them, with somewhat mixed results. Therefore, I decided to let the others to gain some extra rest. Perhaps one additional year makes a difference? That is what I ventured to find out. So, I brewed some coffee, poured a couple of fingers of Larsen VSOP cognac, expecting that its robust and straightforward character might match the profile of the Sancho Panza.

The cigar was a well-built specimen of Habanos manufacture. It was clad in medium brown wrapper, with no prominent veins. It felt firm yet supple to my fingers, telling that the storage conditions have been appropriate. I clipped the cigar, and tried the draw which proved to be about right. I sensed very little cold aroma from the predraw, momentarily making me wonder whether the cigar might be suffering from some degree of sickness. Still, I was determined to continue, so I lighted the cigar.

The cigar started in a quite nondescript fashion, just exhibiting the taste of roasted tobacco. The first third remained like that, with whiffs of coffee and cream. After the first third, and my first ashing of the cigar, the flavour started to become more intense, with some spice (cinnamon?) appearing intermittently. This [i]crescendo[/i] continued steadily thereafter, with the final third becoming quite intensive. Throughout, the cigar nevertheless remained smooth and creamy. And no, the cigar exhibited no signs of sickness. Its pairing with the coffee and cognac turned out to be just right.

With this experience, I am led to think that there are no bad Habanos: there just are Habanos caught at the wrong moment. Today was a good moment for this Sancho Panza.

Punch Monarca 1997

Measures: 173 mm x 17 mm
Age: This cigar is from the stash of a cigar-smoking colleague and dates from 1997.

Setting: Today's weather in Helsinki was cloudy, with a chance of rain. As I felt tired after indulging in outdoor activities for much of the last two weeks, I decided to take this day easily and spend it on resting and reading the Karsten Alnæs book on European history. After lunch I felt also the craving of a good cigar, and decided that the time would be right to enjoy the Punch Monarca that I had received from shrink already some time ago.

The cigar was clad in beautiful colorado wrapper exhibiting a bit of teeth and a perfectly executed triple cap. Even after the long rest, it still felt oily and smelled of the familiar barnyard aromas. The construction appeared top notch; to my fingers the cigar had a very uniform feel with just the right amount of resilience, telling me that it had been aged in perfect conditions. "Looks good", I said to myself. So, I clipped the cigar and tried to draw, which confirmed by expectations by being a bit resistive, just in the right manner. I sensed a nice cold aroma of toasted tobacco, with hints of exotic fruits - mango?

After lighting the cigar, it started surprisingly slowly slow and peacefully - the first pulls were gave me only sense of pure toasted tobacco, with the flavour becoming present only slowly. After the first inch, things nevertheless had got going. The tobacco taste tingled deep in my palate, covered with a very satisfactory warm, earthy and creamy aroma with just a bit of spice. This intensified considerably during the process of smoking, nevertheless never becoming harsh or bitter, just as one might expect from a cigar that has reached school-going age. At later stages, the power of the cigar became quite apparent as my head started to feel a bit light. I nubbed the cigar anyway, but I think I might not have been able to handle another inch of it - at last the intensity of the flavour was on the brink of becoming overwhelming. Technically, the cigar was perfect: it burned absolutely evenly throughout the whole smoking session, requiring no further help.

This was my first encounter with the Monarca. I think I could sense the clean Punch profile that I have found in other cigars of this marca. I was especially reminded of the '01 Super Selection #2 I had smoked last week; the Monarca was nevertheless much smoother and lacked the tannins that still were present in the younger cigar. But make no mistake: this is a bold cigar that requires a special moment.

El Rey del Mundo Demi-Tasse BM-OLSO

Measures: 99 mm x 13 mm

Age: The cigar came from a recently bought box dating from May 1990.

Setting: This is my last week of holiday. The entire time has been blessed by (for Finland) uncharacteristically nice summer weather, with sunny skies and hardly any rain. Today I played a nice afternoon round of gold with two colleagues, and came home at 9 PM. After shower and a snack I desired a good cigar, but did not feel like smoking a big one. So I decided to try one of the tiny El Rey del Mundos that I had spent three weeks in my humidor.

This is indeed a small cigar: just 10 centimetres long and with tiny ring size 33. But make no mistake: the Demi-Tasse is still a hand-made, long-filler cigar just intended for a brief enjoyment. Hence the official vitola name Entreacto fits the cigar very well. If smoked slowly (as it should), the cigar will last some 20 minutes.

And these are very well spent minutes indeed. The long sleep has smoothed any sharp corners that the cigar may have had in its childhood and early teens. I have some difficulty to describe the experience: there is fairly strong, pure tobacco taste that blends with very pleasant flavour that reminds me of some rich sauce seasoned with Provencal herbs and tamed with cream. The small ring size probably contributed to the intensity and richness of the flavour. If this is what happens to ERdM in 16 years, then the long wait is surely highly rewarded.

I nubbed the cigar, of course. A small cigar, but a big experience. Smoking it while witnessing the sunset and enjoying the after-effects of physical exercise (I carried the bag, and walked) was just what I needed this evening.

Cohíba Lancero 2000

Measures: 190 mm x 14 mm

Age: The cigar dates from year 2000 and came from a cardboard box of five.

Setting: Midsummer is quite literally a magical time in Finland. There is hardly any darkness: the sunset in Helsinki is around 11 PM and sunrise at 3:50 AM. The time between is a blend of evening and morning dusk, and on a clear night it is quite possible to, say, read through the night. (Reading, nevertheless, is not the first choice for spending the Midsummer eve night for most Finns.) Following ancient (and probably pagan) customs, the Midsummer eve is a time for celebration involving the lighting of bonfires and a bit of white magic: unmarried girls gather a bouquet of seven flowers during the night, and if they place it under their pillow, they can dream of their future fiancé. If they manage to get any sleep at all, that is: it is not uncommon for young people to celebrate through the entire night.

I too attended a bonfire party with my family. Of course, I was prepared to light a small fire myself. The occasion called for a special cigar, so I pulled a Cohíba Lanceros from my humidor where they had spent a few months in rest, waiting for a special occasion such as this.

The Lanceros is a cigar of almost mythical fame: the original Laguito product that once was only available to dignitaries as a gift from the Cuban government. Thus my expectations were high. Judging from the external appearance, this cigar reached even the highest requirements of what a flagship Habanos should be. It was clad in perfect colorado wrapper, and rolled with perfect workmanship. Year 2000 is supposed to be a less preferred vintage for Cuban cigars, so I was a bit concerned when I originally shopped for the cigar. The vendor nevertheless assured that these cigars are of highest quality, and that indeed proved to be the case: after cutting the signature pigtail cap, the draw (which had been my main concern) turned out to be ideally resistive.

I timed lighting the cigar in sync with the lighting of the bonfire. My bonfire started rather more eagerly. From the first pulls, I received a rich Cohíba flavour that reminded me of espresso with a dose of cream. The flavour was strong from the very start, with an aftertaste that seemed to last forever, and only became stronger as I continued smoking in bliss. Somewhere along the session, sweet spiciness entered the profile, always in perfect balance with the very wholesome creamy flavour. Although I was smoking outdoors in windy conditions, watching the bonfire, the sea, and the setting sun, the cigar burned perfectly, never requiring any further interventions from my part during the entire smoking session that lasted some 100 minutes.

My choice of a special cigar for a special moment turned out to be perfect. I found that the Lancero can live up to the high mythos that surrounds it. The experience of smoking it blended perfectly with the experience of witnessing the bonfire, the slowly setting sun, and the merry company of fellow Finns celebrating the apex of the long-awaited Summer that will so soon be past.

Montecristo Especial No. 1 1997

Measures: 189 mm x 14,5 mm
Age: The cigar came from a wonderful selection of fine smokes I received from a fellow cigar smoker. It dates from 1997.
Setting: Today was my 51st birthday, although I somehow prefer to think of it as the third time I become 17. Other than that, 51 is not a special number, so the celebrations were quite modest: nice lunch followed by birthday cake with the closest family. A good cigar felt nevertheless a proper complement on top of this. This time I did not have to search long for the suitable choice: I had recently received aged Montecristo Especials from a fellow smoker as part of a selection of fine cigars, and by this time they had had a good rest for recovering from the long voyage.

Suggestions from more experienced smokers have lately turned my attention to the classical long thin cigars, of which the Montecristo Especial is a fine example. The Laguito No 1 format is indeed impressive, without being intimidating. It is substantial, but with a playful twist. This cigar was clad in very beautiful colorado wrapper that still felt oily after the many years of storage. It was uniformly covered with white dust particles that reflected the afternoon sunshine. Overall, the construction of the cigar appeared to just as perfect as one might hope. I cut the cigar, and tried the draw which proved to be perfectly resistive, confirming that this cigar indeed had been stored in perfect conditions. The cold aroma was slightly salty, with exotic spices over earthy tobacco.

The cigar lit easily and eagerly: a benefit of the small ring size. I was greeted with a substantial earthy aroma with hints of coffee and cacao, even chocolate. There was a good dose of spice too that tingled my palate: for once I was thinking of wasabi, intermittently also citrus. At later stages, the richness and intensity of the flavour increased gradually. While the cigar clearly had Montecristo profile, it still was a unique expression of it in its balance of mature tobacco and sweetish elements. The cigar produced very light grey ash with yellowish shade; it held quite firm in 1-inch increments. The burn of the cigar was perfect, never requiring any attention from my part. The smoking session lasted some 90 minutes.

All in all, this is indeed a special cigar, as the vitola name suggests. In my mind, the experience of smoking it was like admiring a classical piece of art: the mastery of expression, the balance of elements, the strong personality. This is perhaps a cigar that should be smoked in the top floor of a high-rise building, wearing a tuxedo, watching the city lights, thinking of the passage of time and the ups and downs of life.

My First Love

During a recent trip to Beijing, I bought myself a violin.

This was a planned thing. I knew exactly where to go: to a shop located in the third floor of a building on the Wangfujing Street, seemingly only containing a sports equipment store. I had bought one violin there before, an instrument that I had sold away to somebody who seemed to need it more than myself.

This time, the master violin-builder was not himself there. When I bought the previous instrument, he helped me the make the choice. Although he had no English, and I have no Chinese, we understood each other very well. This time, however, I was helped with his assistant, who also contributes to building the instruments.

My prime interest was to find an instrument that feels (relatively) easy to play. I spent a couple of hours browsing through the various instruments, until I finally decided on one of the first that had been offered to me. I ended up spending a bit more on it than what I had planned, so I went back to my hotel with somewhat mixed feelings. Do I really need another violin?

Violin was my first instrument that I picked up at the age of 7. In my early teens, I was (relatively) serious about it, until I realised that several of my friends were more talented, more committed, or both. I switched to playing viola, and downscaled my music-related objectives to a more realistic level.

This worked out very well: I ended up playing a lot on amateur level, especially chamber music. I like the viola, and the instrument has served me very well. I also started the play the piano, and deloped another kind of a passion to it. But violin was my first love, a love that eventually failed to bloom. Thus it was with mixed feelings that I started to explore the new instrument, initially playing this and that, various pieces of music that I had learned at some time.

What led me to play Bach again, I don't know. For sure, I had played some parts of the Partita in D minor already in my teens, but I had never dared to attack seriously the monumental Chaconne that forms the final movement of the Partita. It felt too formidable, too wide in scope and expression, and technically too difficult to make it sound right.

Be it as it may, I am playing the Chaconne now. I am not making a good job on it yet, but I am making progress, and I think I have a found an angle of attack to it that might work. It's a steep climb, but I think I can make it, if not to the top, then surely higher from where I am now.

Frankly, I had forgotten just how intensive playing the violin seriously is both mentally and physically. That my fingers and my back are hurting is just a trivial part of it. It's the intensity of concentration, the strain of pointing one's mind totally to the music, the keen alertness demanded by the composition that I had forgotten. They are both painful and seducing.

So, in my advanced years, I have found a link to my first love, the sweetness and bitterness of it. But I am also making a proposition that I did not have the courage to make back then. Will this (hopefully) more mature and realistic passion be rewarded its price?

Bolívar Belicoso Fino 2001

Measures: 136 mm x 20 mm

Age: The cigar came from a cabinet dating from 2001. Sorry, I don't have access to the exact box code.

Setting: It appears that the cool weather of the last couple of weeks is finally giving way to what Finns call early summer. It is still cloudy and windy, but clearly warmer than yesterday. I felt refreshed after having visited the gym in the morning, so everything was in place for a good after-lunch cigar moment. Thus the circumstances for cigar smoking, while not perfect, are reasonably good. There also was a cause for small celebration after witnessing the unlikely victory of the Finnish entry in the notorious Eurovision Song Contest last night - a somewhat watered-down monster metal piece called Hard Rock Hallelujah! So, our of the humidor came a Bolívar Belicoso Fino, one of the ten that I had bought from a 2001 cabinet last September. I had smoked one soon after that, but then left the others in peace. Time to try another. So I took the cigar and come coffee to the balcony.

I find the Campana shape very appealing. It is somehow much less formidable and more "user-friendly" than the full Piramide format. The Bolívar version of this vitola was clad in beautiful colorado wrapper with minimal veins. Close inspection revealed tiniest specs of crystallised oils on it; yet it still felt oily and smooth to my fingers. The construction appeared to be as perfect as one might have it; I almost (but not quite) felt sorry to take a small cut off the nicely finished cap. The predraw promised sweetish cedar over toasted tobacco, and the volume of airflow was close to perfect, perhaps a bit to the light side. Halfway through the cigar I had to take a deeper cut because some tar was seeping through the cap; this however did not affect the taste of the cigar.

This is an aroma cigar: while it has a recognisable Bolívar style, it does not have the peppery kick of the Coronas Junior or even Petit Corona. Rather I found the initial stages of the cigar exhibiting an extremely well balanced blend of cedar, earth and milder spices (citrus pepper?) over well matured tobacco. By the midway point, the spiciness increased gradually, but never got out of the balance. As I reached the final third, the so far veiled strength of the cigar kicked in, and fully occupied my attention. I purged the cigar at this stage, with the result that it never became harsh or hot. Throughout, the cigar burned perfectly, never requiring any care from my part.

During the entire smoking session, a nightingale was giving an afternoon concert on the opposite side of the yard. This blended nicely with the tour offered by the Campana. Overall, it was a good experience - much better than what I have received from younger Belicosos Finos that sometimes suffer from an uneven combustion. Still, I expect that further sleep will improve these cigars by integrating the elements it provides even better.

Ramón Allones 898 OSU MAR 02

Measures: 168 mm x 16 mm

Age: The box dates from March 2002.

Spring is my favourite season. This year the winter lingered long in Finland, finally really ending only during the first weeks of April. Then the progress of Spring was rapid and almost violent: suddenly the trees were blooming, birds came back from their winter residences, first flowers appeared, and people stored away their winter clothes, and started to crowd the streets in more colourful fare. Everybody is a little more light-headed and merry: this would be the time to fall in love.

Cigar smokers too can now indulge in their passion more easily as the weather allows outdoor smoking. Today was rainy and chilly, though, but surely warm enough for a cigar session on the balcony. I hesitated a while on the choice of the cigar to smoke, fumbling the shelves of my storage humidor until the attractive varnished box containing Ramón Allones 898's caught my eye.

I had pulled the trigger for a cab of the RA dalias in September 2005 after reading the fine reviews of Jazznut and shrink in this forum. To my considerable surprise, the first cigar I tried turned out to be in a state of sickness: the aroma was wonderful, but muted. Another sample a couple months later showed promise, but was still not in ideal condition. So, today I decided to see what the intervening months had done to the cigar, and removed a 898 from its resting place.

And what a resting place it is! A fully varnished 898 cab is a thing of beauty, but also dedicated purposefulness with its robust construction and tight fit. I almost felt hesitant to remove a cigar from what must be the perfect place to store it, and break the perfect symmetry of the 8-9-8 layout. Perhaps I should just be content to sniffing the cab? The aroma reeking from it is sinfully rich, and could make my head spin. But no, cigars are made for smoking, so I removed carefully one from the bundle.

The cigar I chose gives the impression of an expertly made Habanos. It is fairly solid, with a bit of uniform resilience to my fingers. The months of rest had made the cigar a bit softer: initially they were rock solid. The almost chocolate-brown wrapper feels oily and smooth; the seams are hardly perceptible. The appetising aroma from the unlit cigar is reminds me of warm rich soil, with some sweet elements. The draw appears to be ideally resistive.

The cigar started in a low-key fashion, making me wonder whether I should have waited another half a year. But no, a few more pulls launched the cigar on a high trajectory. The nutty flavour had previously been clouded by an alkaline taste that had made exhaling the smoke trough nose difficult: now that had disappeared, allowing the balanced mixture of exotic fruits and cocoa on top of well-matured tobacco to grasp my full attention for the 90 minutes of smoking that followed. What a wonderful cigar!

There is always something sad about smoking a cigar whose production has been discontinued: the Spring will never again come for this cigar. Thus it was with bittersweet feelings that I finally dropped the tiny nub of the RA Dalia, after it had given me a most exquisite cigar smoking experience, hence fulfilling its destiny.

Rafael Gonzalez Petit Corona

Measures: 125 mm x 16,5 mm

Age: I forgot to make a note of the box code of the cigar, but I believe it dates from 1999 or 2000.

Setting: When I visit Stockholm (which happens one or two times a year), I usually also take the time to visit one of the nice cigar shops therein, especially to see if they have any older stock. Usually I am not disappointed. The last visit in mid-March was marred by bad weather: wet snow and high winds meant that sightseeing was not really an option. Still I took the walk to the nearest shop. This proved not to be in vain: amongst other things, they had a half box of aged Rafael Gonzalez Petit Coronas, of which I bought a few. Today I decided that they have probably recovered from the bad weather and the trip to Helsinki: time to taste one. So, I brewed some Java coffee, and seated myself on the balcony with the cigar to enjoy the late afternoon.

This sample was a rough-looking cigar, with a veiny and wrinkled, grayish-olive coloured wrapper. The oils had seeped through the band, turning the while text in the label yellow. The cigar was covered by small oil crystals and glistened in the afternoon sun. I cut the cigar and tried the draw which turned out to be just right.

I was not sure what to expect from this cigar, only having tasted the Panetelas Extras of this brand before. I was greeted by a flavour that was reminiscent of the RPGE, yet was considerably deeper and fuller. Like with San Cristobal, I sensed the taste of the smoke especially in the back of my palate. Nevertheless, the similarity ended there: this flavour had intermittently a fruity sweetness in it, unlike SCdH. I found that the flavour was quite variable depending on how big puffs I took: deeper pulls delivered a strong and deep flavour, while lighter ones gave very nice tropical sweet overtones. By the time I had reached the final third of the cigar, these too became quite prominent. I nubbed the cigar.

All in all, this was a very positive first encounter. While the Rafael Gonzalez perhaps does not compete for the top position of Habanos PC's (a tough competition indeed), it occupies a unique position in the flavour space. This, and the variability it offered kept my attention totally focused on the cigar during the entire smoking session. On the basis of this experience, I would consider this cigar a good choice for a smoker who wants a flavourful (but not strong) cigar for leisurely afternoon smoking.

Petit Corona del Punch

Measures: 125 mm x 16 mm
Age: The cigar came from a sampler set bought a year ago. I think it's of fairly recent make, probably mid-2004.

Setting: Spring is supposed to be around the corner. Unfortunately, the prevailing high pressures in Scandinavia refuse to acknowledge the calendar, and the temperatures have been 5 to 10 centigrade lower than usual. So the winter is still on us. Still, I don't really mind: the skies have been clear and with plenty of sunshine reflecting from the snow Helsinki is very beautiful. Too bad for cigar smoking though: on this Saturday afternoon I had already taken a promising-looking SLR Lonsdale out of the humidor when I decided that it is too cold outside to smoke anything larger than a Petit Corona. So the SLR went back in to wait for warmer temperatures, and out came a Petit Corona del Punch, a survivor of a big sampler set of Habanos I had bought more than a year ago.

The cigar was clad in EMS-coloured wrapper that felt quite smooth and delicate to my fingers. Overall, the cigar appeared to be a fine sample of workmanship: nice triple cap, very uniform construction that had just the right amount of resilience. The cigar exhibited a slight box press. I cut the cigar, and tried the draw, getting some sweet spice over tobacco flavour.

After lighting the cigar, I was greeted by a very pleasant and balanced flavour over light roasted dry tobacco taste. The flavour had a measured amount of tingling spice - increasing at times to more intensity - with a whiff of some sweet element that I cannot give a name for. I find it impossible to describe my impressions without resorting to allusions suggested by the brand name. So, images of a stereotypical English club, with large leather chairs surrounded by bookshelves (no doubt carrying a complete collection of the Punch magazine bound in leather, in addition to accounts of Boer war and memoirs of colonels of their service in India) fleeted in my mind as I thought "This is an elegant and understated cigar". Indeed, this cigar spoke to me in low voice, in suggestions rather than insistingly, appealing as much to my rationality as to my senses. So, I stopped analysing the flavour, and focused on the actual discourse instead for the remaining 60 minutes of the very relaxing experience.

This was only the second PC del Punch in my smoking career. The previous experience was somewhat marred by a too tight draw and burning issues. Not so this time: the draw was just right, and the cigar burned beautifully, producing light grey ash that held solidly in 1,5 inch increments. A full year of rest had turned the insecure youth to a self-assured gentleman with perfect and pleasant manners.

After this experience, I am increasingly incapable of placing Cuban cigars in a one-dimensional order of preference. I have liked all Petit Coronas I have smoked (well, nearly all) but for so different reasons that direct comparison seems nearly impossible. In what the PC del Punch can deliver so expertly, it has no rival.

Partagás Serie du Connaisseur No 1 FPG OESU

Measures: 189 mm x 14,5 mm

Age: The cigar came from a box with the code FPG OESU = Partagás, 04/98.

Setting: After a series of meetings in the office, I felt the need to spend some time alone to think. I am very fortunate that an ideal circumstance for this is offered by a cigar-friendly café in the building just opposite my location, so I left the craziness of the office a bit early and seated myself there, with a cup of coffee and some ice water. And, of course, a cigar: the Serie du Connaisseur No 1 by Partagás which I had picked out from the humidor the previous evening, wisely anticipating a cigar session.

This is a cigar of unusual proportions: long and thin. It was clad in fairly dark brown Colorado wrapper. This, and the general rugged looks of the cigar make it fairly masculine in my eye: while it is expertly made, with very uniform feel, it looks more purposeful than pretty. After cutting, I tried the draw. It felt a bit to the tight side, and for a moment I considered the option of leaving the cut cigar for another day or two in my travel humidor. At the end, I decided against it because otherwise the cigar felt just right for smoking.

The first draws from the lighted cigar removed my worries about the draw: it was just right after all, in fact ideally resistive for this type of a cigar that benefits from slow smoking. The cigar produced a quite satisfactory volume of smoke. It burned perfectly evenly, producing beautiful ash that held easily in 1,5 inch increments.

But the story of this cigar is a story of flavour. It was so smooth and integrated that no description seems to make justice to it. I nevertheless sensed hints of pepper and sweet citrus, sometimes also earth (from burnt sugar field) and leather, sometimes even a bit of salt. These occurred on top of slowly intensifying core tobacco taste, the strength of which became apparent by the second half of the cigar. It was like bear's grip: soft but irresistibly powerful.

This cigar has been described as "old school Partagás" by those who know. Having never experienced old cigars of this make, I cannot comment on this. Yet this description caused my mind wander: I imagined that this cigar ought to be smoked at evening on a hacienda balcony, listening to sounds of crickets, exotic birds, and workers returning from days' toil in the cane fields. In short, this is an extraordinary and subtle cigar that gives an unique smoking experience.

Bolívar Coronas Junior IPL NISU

Measures: 107 mm x 16 mm

Age: The cigar came from a box with the code IPL NISU = Por Larrañaga, 12/98.

Setting: The winter is at its peak in Finland. The darkest period is past, and we can again enjoy sunshine and light, the intensity of which is doubled by the plentiful snow. I like snow, and I am glad there's a lot of it on the ground: schools have just closed for winter holidays, and many families with school-age children are traveling to Lapland for skiing. I'm sure they will have a great time. (I will not take holiday though: my kids are grown-ups.) The only downside is that it is a bit too cold for cigar smoking: even if one dresses up properly, the extremely dry air seems to cause bigger cigars to burn badly. Thus I decided to quench my cigar-crawing by selecting a small cigar, and so picked up a Bolívar minutos from the humidor for some afternoon balcony smoking, encouraged by the sunshine and the relatively warm weather (just minus 5 centigrade).

The small Bolívar was clad in darkish wrapper that still feels quite oily; it glistened nicely in the sun. The band slid easily off the cigar that must have lost a bit of its original girth during its 7-year sleep. I cut the cigar and found the draw to be acceptable, perhaps a tad to the light side. The predraw aroma was very nice indeed. So I lighted the Minuto and started to puff away.

And what a delightful cigar it was! I like the Bolívar line a lot, and this cigar delivered the characteristical flavour package in a very balanced and pure composite. The light draw turned out not to harm the smoking experience at all: the flavour remained smooth during the entire session, even though the cigar probably burned faster than usual. Most importantly, the cigar worked its magic on me: after a fairly stressful week (with little opportunities for smoking, or even rest), I again felt that balance and harmony that a good cigar moment carries in its wake. This is what cigars are meant for, I thought. I had taken a book to read while smoking, but I put it away and just lingered in the pleasant dolce far niente of the moment. After some 45 minutes, I re-entered the house as a very satisfied man.

The BCJ is a good cigar for any weather. For winter smoking, it is a godsend.

Trininad Fundadores 1998

Measures: 188 mm x 15 mm

Age: The cigar came from a box with a 1998 code.

Setting: Yesterday the local music school had its annual dance party. This is a tuxedo event with good food, good company, and a lot of live music of various genres. It is also an entirely cigar-friendly occasion. So, a special cigar was in order. It took me no time at all to pick one of the recently bought Fundadores as the after-dinner cigar for the event.

The Fundadore is a gorgeous and stylish cigar. Long and thin in shape, it challenges the more recent trend of big ring gauges. The wrapper was fairly dark, almost EL-style. It felt exquisite in hand: the oily surface was covered with the tiniest teeth. The smell of the unlit cigar was intoxicating. The construction appeared to be just as good as the most experienced rollers can make it: uniformly firm with just the right grade of suppleness. The characteristic pigtail crowned the generous cap. It was so beautiful that I hardly had the heart to cut it.

But I did, and lighted up the cigar. From here on, my (limited skills) of analytical observation went overboard. I can only report that the cigar performed just as excellently as it looked: the draw was perfect, and the cigar burned slowly and evenly. The aroma was pure heaven, increasing in intensity and spice as I puffed away in bliss. The burning cigar smelled even better than the unlit one; several people commented that its aroma was nice. At times while smoking the cigar I had some difficulty to fully participate in the lively discussion in the dinner table: I was on a trip. For how long, I cannot tell, but I suspect I spent nearly three hours smoking the cigar.

This may well have been the best cigar that I have so far had the privilege to smoke. Even better, it matched perfectly the festive, yet merry and relaxed mood of the setting. Life was good. This memory will stay in my mind.