Top Hat Tobacco Blog

Sorry guys we’ve been quite busy this summer, and while we’ve burned a lot of cigars, we haven’t written about them very much!!  So back to it, here’s a new cigar to check out over at Top Hat Tobacco when you get a chance.

Brand: Nub
Type: 460
Length: 4.00
Ring Gauge: 60
Wrapper: Connecticut (Ecuador)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Price:$4.60 ea at Top Hat Tobacco

Brand:
The Nub line of cigars is a creation of Sam Leccia, a former sales representative for the Oliva brand. In mid 2007 the idea of the Nub was pitched to the Oliva Family and they were skeptical. After having smoked numerous samples the excitement began to grow on them and the line went into production.

Pre-Light:
The very first thing that stands out about the cigar is its girth. With such a large ring gauge of 60 and its short length of 4 inches, it feels a little strange when held. As I handled the cigar more, I found the wrapper to be smooth with only a few small veins. When held to the light its oily sheen is easily noticed. When pinched, the Nub Connecticut felt firm from head to foot. The aroma on the wrapper and at the foot was a mild peppercorn scent which did not carry through into the pre light flavor once the cigar was cut. The draw of the cigar was excellent with some minor resistance which kept me from over puffing.

After a lengthy toasting and lighting process (keep in mind this is a lot of cigar to get burning) the burn was even and produced a generous amount of smoke. After just a few short minutes I quickly became accustomed to the large ring gauge and began to appreciate the cool and rich smoke it produced.

The first third of my Nub Connecticut kicked off as a mild to medium bodied smoke with a smooth finish which was both soft and short on the palate. The base flavor is interesting in that it doesn’t take any time at all to get warmed up and start producing deep, rich flavors.

The core component of the flavor profile at this junction of the smoke was that of the Connecticut wrapper. I immediately noticed a buttery toast sort of flavor that began to make me salivate. I also picked up a wood flavor as well as a blush or rose wine flavor, which I found to be the mildest yet most interesting flavor in the bunch.

One Hour:
After an hour of smoking I found myself at the second third of my Nub 460 Connecticut. The body at this point was now firmly seated in the medium spectrum and in doing so, made a slow and steady transition that was difficult to notice until after the transition was finished. The finish remained light on the palate while remaining short and smooth.

The burning characteristics of the cigar were nicely behaved. The ash was very light in color while holding a firm shape. The burn line was both thin and even while producing a medium volume of resting smoke that did not offend. Each puff produced a generous supply of cool and thick smoke.

Two Hours:
As I came close to the two hour mark, I found myself into the final third of my Nub 460 Connecticut. The body remains in the medium spectrum and seems to have come to a plateau. The finish has built slightly and is a touch heavier on the palate while remaining smooth.

The subtle and enjoyable flavors of the first and second third began to fade and were replaced by a pepper and spice flavor that is prominent when the smoke is blown through the nose. The pepper and spice make for a pleasant end to a very enjoyable smoke.

As the cigar burns down to the nub, it begins to get a little warm on the fingers and requires the smoking pace to be slowed a bit. Even while warm on the fingers the smoke doesn’t burn the tongue and mouth creating a harsh flavor.

Conclusion:
Overall I think that this was a very enjoyable cigar. With its short length and large ring gauge it isn’t nearly as unwieldy as many other cigars that contain this much tobacco. In fact, packed in its small size it holds more tobacco by weight, than a 52 x 8.00 Presidente, which makes it both cool burning and easy to smoke.

Written by Eric Cigar Reviews and Related Topics www.tophatcigar.com

We get this question often enough to post about it: “Should I keep my cigars in my humidor in their sleeves or not?”

There’s no right or wrong answer here.  Just a couple of things to be aware of.  These might help make your decision for you.

1. Most of the plastic sleeves are not air-tight, so they can be placed in your humidor and will make use of the humidity.  Some sleeves are even perforated for this purpose.  But be aware that because of this, if a sleeved cigar is not placed in a humidified environment, it will loose it’s humidity in a day or so.

2. Make a note of how you use your humidor.  Do you store cigars for smoking at home or for smoking when you’re out.  If you’re smoking most of your cigars at home, I would recommend taking them out of their sleeves.  This will ensure that your cigars maintain the full effect of the humidor and they will also benefit from the Spanish Cedar that your humidor is made of.  If you use your humidor to store you smokes for outings like golf days, trips to the beach, or travelling you might want to leave the sleeves on.  You never know when you’ll be smoking them and the sleeves will help retain the humidity.

3. If you are concerned about protecting your cigars from anything other than drying out, then leave the sleeves on.  Such concerns can be infestation, mold or crushing.

Hopefully these tips will help you make your decision!

Written by Chad Cigar Reviews and Related Topics www.tophatcigar.com

The answer:  Just a couple things…

1.  TopHat’s got game! Make that games.  We’ve got a new mini-standup arcade game here that will play several classic arcade games.

2.  TopHat’s got balls! Golf Balls that is.  We’re now selling golf balls for your hitting pleasure.  Next time you stop by on your way to the golf course, check your golf ball stock.  If you’re in a pinch, pick up a pack!

Written by Chad Cigar Reviews and Related Topics www.tophatcigar.com

This cigar immediately presents itself as full-bodied and flavorful with some spicy overtones. Even with the firm draw, this cigar produces a ton of smoke. First ash around the 1″ mark, although the rest of it held on tight.

About an inch and a half in, I noticed a small split developing in the wrapper about a 1/4 inch above the burn line. Once I smoked to this point, the wrapper unfurled a bit, but nothing too bad. I got through this slight problem and noticed another split developing the same way the first one did. This continued off and on throughout the middle third of the cigar. While annoying, the only real problem it created is some flaky ash that I ended up wearing. The flavor continued to develop more complexity and I noticed an earthy, slightly woody flavor beginning to come through along with the merest hint of sweetness (a touch of caramel perhaps?)

In the final third, the wrapper problems disappeared and the flavor got much more robust. The smoke was thick and almost chewy with the woody overtones becoming much more pronounced. I smoked it all the way to the nub before finally putting it down.

Overall: A rich, complex cigar that is definitely geared toward the more experienced smoker as the strength and subtleties of the ligero would be lost on a newbie. I believe it would pair up well with a peaty single malt. This was a wonderful cigar and without the wrapper problems, it would easily rate a 9. With the problems however, I can only give it a 7. However, I am looking forward to trying another one again soon.

Written by Eric Cigar Reviews and Related Topics www.tophatcigar.com

The Picture says it all. If you’ve been to one of our Cigar Parties, you know the deal. If you’ve never been, you don’t know what you’re missing. Put in on your calendar and come by and see us!

Written by Chad Cigar Reviews and Related Topics www.tophatcigar.com

For all you who were smart enough to come, we sure had a great time! We learned some about the Ashton San Cristobal line, and how the flavors played with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Donnelly’s 5-spice dark chocolate, and unsalted pecans. It was interesting how you could taste the three flavors in the San Cristobal cigars.

We also gave away a lot of door prizes, and I think just about everyone won something. Great night overall, here’s some pics for your enjoyment.

Super time had by all, don’t miss the next one!

Written by Eric Cigar Reviews and Related Topics www.tophatcigar.com

We have lined up an Ashton Cigar Reservations-Only Party. It is coming April 3 to Top Hat Tobacco, located in (of course) downtown Kirkwood, Missouri. This party will feature tasting combinations including cigars, bourbon, and chocolate. This will be a nice one, so get your reservations in early. There will be a cover charge of $10 per ticket, which gets you a free cigar, bourbon and chocolate tastings, AND $10 off any Ashton purchase made!!

Written by Eric Cigar Reviews and Related Topics www.tophatcigar.com

So today the 3 Amigos sat down to try out the Hoyo Dark Sumatra line. I personally really enjoy this line of cigars, and was happy to have one after lunch. The 3 Amigos today consisted of myself, Shawn, and Josh, and we smoked the robusto (Noche) version of this cigar.

You can see my big black and white girlfriend, Nikki, in the picture. We recently determined that she is part “Karelian Bear Dog”, which I think is pretty cool.

The Dark Sumatra is one of the fullest flavored Hoyo de Monterrey blends, featuring an extra fermented dark wrapper.

Here’s the sales stuff from the company for Background Info:

It takes a great cigar master to spot the potential of a new tobacco–and an even greater one to turn it into an outstanding cigar. So it was with Estelo Padrón when he discovered an unusually dark Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper curing in his barn. One look at its deep color inspired him to create this singularly rich, robust Hoyo de Monterrey cigar that is as deeply satisfying as it is authentically Honduran.

A line extension from Hoyo de Monterrey, this extra-rich cigar called “Dark Sumatra”, is named after its wrapper tobaccos, which are hand-selected from the very darkest and richest Ecuadorian sun-grown, Sumatra seed leaves. These choice, extra-dark Sumatra leaves are then aged in “tercios”, wood-textured bales made of thick, dried palm leaves. This special selection and aging process guarantees that the Dark Sumatra is one of the best-tasting cigars ever to come out of Honduras. Dark Sumatra also has a rich textured Connecticut Broadleaf binder and a special robust blend of premium Honduran and Dominican filler tobaccos that all contribute to the extraordinary taste.

Pre-Smoke: This is a nice looking cigar, very firm with a dark rather oily looking wrapper, as advertised. The packaging is cool too, with a nice gold, white, and brown Hoyo band, and a neat spanish cedar wrapper on the bottom half of the cigar. They look really good in the humidor, and are cheap - only $4.50 each at Top Hat Tobacco in St. Louis, Missouri.

Burn and Taste: This cigar had a nice pretty even burn, producing a strong white ash. What I mean by that is the ash didn’t flake off or spit little bits of ash on me while I smoked it, it stayed together nicely until I decided to break it off in the ashtray. It actually produced a pretty decent amount of white smoke while burning. All of the 3 Amigos decided that we liked the flavor of the second-hand smoke. The cigar has an earthy, nutty taste that I would classify as a “medium” body cigar.

Overall: Superb smoke for the money, come on by to try them, or buy a box online from us here: Hoyo de Monterrey Dark Sumatra Noche Cigars.

Written by Eric Cigar Reviews and Related Topics www.tophatcigar.com

Last night the wife was off to a meeting, so I couldn’t resist the chance to review a smoke one of our reps brought by, the New Don Diego Playboy. I had heard from some of my buddies that this was a pretty good cigar, even some who didn’t think it would be.

Don Diego Playboy Cigars

Size: Toro, 6 inches long, 52 ring gauge
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Conn Broadleaf
Filler: Dominican, Nicaruaguan, and Peruvian
Price: $17.00 for a 3-pack at Top Hat Tobacco.

Background: The new Playboy cigars are a richer, fuller version of the original Playboy by Don Diego. These stylish Dominican gems are handmade with a blend of the finest, aged Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian long filler tobaccos paired with very nice Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper leaves.

Don Diego is one of those names that have become synonymous with “mild.” It’s a go-to brand for beginners – they know the name, it’s easy to say and you’ll find it in just about any cigar shop across the country at a reasonable price. But this new version has just a bit of kick in it, which was very welcome.

The New Playboy is a nice compliment and a positive change-up in the Don Diego line. It is a very smooth cigar, but more complex and flavorful than the long-running Don Diego tradition suggests. This cigar is a good one for any level of cigar smoker, beginner or not.

Context: A few years back, a respected cigar smoker told me that any cigar with the name Don in it was not very good. This stuck with me. Though this may have been a fair generalization, although a negative stereotype from years ago, I know for a fact that it is way out of date today. Arturo Fuente’s Don Pepin, Don Carlos, the Don Tomas Cameroon and now the New Playboy by Don Diego shattered this dated notion, yet another indication of an ever changing industry.

Pre-light: These are great looking cigars. After my usual double guillotine cut, I took a couple of draws (before lighting). I was surprised by the taste. It may sound a little funny, but it was reminiscent of the Fig Newtons that my mother used to pawn off on us kids while growing up. It’s a more welcome taste today than it was as a kid decades ago. I felt one or two “soft spots” in the construction, under the wrapper, which would be the only negative I saw.

Burn and Taste: The opening, through the first half of this cigar, provided a little stronger than mild, yet flavorful smoke. The cigar makes a nice white ash which was not very strong, so you have to make sure to knock it off eveery inch or so. This cigar epitomizes a term that aficionados throw around – creamy. Believe it or not, the taste is the same as taking the whipped cream can and spraying it in your mouth. I know I’m not the only guy out there who does this trick. As the cigar reaches the mid-point, the cream flavor gives way to a little more of a blend of earthiness and cream. The finish is notable, leaving just a little peppery spiciness to savor throughout the cigar. The draw, burn and aroma were all fine.

Overall: Not a bad smoke at all, come on by and try one!

Written by Eric Cigar Reviews and Related Topics www.tophatcigar.com

I finally got around to doing my review on the Hoyo Excalibur line. This cigar was picked for the group review a few weeks ago. I’m glad it was picked to review by the members or I don’t know when I would have got around to trying it. Chad, Mark, and I each tried it and our thoughts are below.

Hoyo De Monterrey Excalibur #1
Country: Honduras
Size: 7 1/2″ 54 ring gauge
Wrapper: Conn Shade
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: A blend of Honduran, Domincan, and Nicaraguan tobaccos
Price: $5.75 ea

Pre-light: The Excalibur #1 stands out mainly because it is BIG. Make sure you have plenty of time before starting in on one of these! The construction is very good with a pretty wrapper.

The Burn: The burn is as good as I have seen in a while only going off slightly. So no issue at all with the burn line. The ash is grey/black and holds on well. It dropped at about an inch and a half on my demand. I got two different draws on two different cigars. The first one I had was tight the other was good with both having a good amount of smoke. It never thought about going out on me. It seems out of the guys reviewing this line I’m the only one so far to run into a tight draw so I will not hold it against this stogie.

The Taste: This is where I got really surprised and puzzled why I have not had these yet. This is my kind of cigar, this is definitely a medium smoke with a great nutty flavor throughout. It never got bitter on me and it only got a little hot the last inch. Plus it goes good with a Bud Select. Chad thought it was a nice light smoke, but the taste was unimaginative. Mark thought the same about the taste, but did admire the nice straight edge on the burn.

Overall: Burn: good, Taste: good, Price: good. I like this cigar a lot, it makes a great smoke while drinking some beer that has a great flavor but something you don’t have to think about much. At $5.75 it is a good smoke. I recommend you giving this one a try, it makes a great beer drinking cigar.

This cigar is currently available at Top Hat Tobacco for $5.75 each, stop by and try one!

Written by Eric Cigar Reviews and Related Topics www.tophatcigar.com