Try Something New for a Change
A Five-Cigar Review

Have you tried a new cigar lately? Have you walked into a cigar shop, told the owner what you like to smoke and asked (in your own words, of course), if there's anything new on the market that matches the flavor, look and feel of your favorite brand? If you haven't, this is really a great time of year to give it a shot.

To be honest, most cigar fans are creatures of habit. They find a cigar they like after years of sampling everything on the market, and they stick with it. And why not? We have fewer and fewer places where we can enjoy a cigar and, therefore, we have fewer and fewer opportunities to light up. We have to be creative about finding the time to smoke. It's a precious time to sit back and relax. So why would we even dare to risk that ever important moment in our lives by sampling something we may not enjoy?

Believe me, I can be a creature of habit myself. One of my favorite non-Cuban cigars is the Davidoff Millennium Blend Churchill. I'll buy a four-pack of these smokes and I'll know that I can count on them no matter what the occasion. At lunch, during the afternoon over a cup of coffee, or with a glass of aged rum after a big steak dinner, the Millennium Blend comes through for me with enough flavor and strength. It's an extremely well-crafted cigar that's going to perform perfectly. This is my everyday stick, and loyal to the brand.

With that said, you may be wondering why I would tell you to give new brands a try. First of all, it's really fun. During the summer many of the non-Cuban cigar makers unveil their new brands at the Retail Tobacco Dealers of America (RTDA) show, and they are great at finding tobacco shops around the country to showcase their latest offerings. Plus, the packaging on these cigars is awesome and really great to check out. You'll find new brands designed to match the Spartan look of the Cuban Hoyo De Monterrey Epicure no. 2, or be as lavishly packaged as the Zino Platinum Series.

I also think it's important to expand your cigar palate, especially if you consider yourself something of a cigar connoisseur. The quality of cigars hitting the market continues to impress me. And many of the brands you may have tried as recently as a year ago have evolved. And by testing new cigars you can even save a few bucks if you find something you like costs less than your regular brand. Believe me, they are out there.

Just so you know, I'm smoking a new brand for me as I'm writing this. It's the Tatuaje Unicos Torpedo, and it's got a lot of the same character I look for in the Millennium Blend. Let me tell you a little bit more about this cigar, and four others that I thought complimented my favorite non-Cuban brand.

Tatuaje Unicos
The Nicaraguan wrapper is silky and cocoa-colored, and the cigar burns and draws very well. The aroma is sweet, and the flavor is buttery with hints of spice, currant and some leather. This is a medium- to full-bodied smoke.

Liga Privada No. 9
Dark and oily, this cigar is a beauty. The filler is made up of a blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran leaf, with a lovely Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. It starts out with spicy and herbal notes, and finishes with a creamy, vanilla flavor.

Nub, Cameroon
They call it the Nub because it measures 4 inches in length and boasts a 60 ring gauge. This cigar will turn heads. The wrapper is silky and the cigar delivers a generous plume of smoke and great aromas. It's filled with rich cedar and vanilla flavors.

J. Fuego Gran Reserva Corojo No. 1 Grande
Say that five times fast. This smoke has a dark, oily wrapper and a nicely crafted cap. It draws very well, and it fills the room with a plume of blue smoke. This is a medium-bodied smoke with flavors of toast, pine nuts and cedar.

The Edge Corojo Toro
This is a great looking corona gorda with dark Honduran wrapper. It’s filler and binder is made up of Nicaraguan leaf, and the cigar combines some sweet cedar and vanilla notes with a smoky, charred finish. It's a rich smoke with a lot of character.

All of these five cigars range in price, flavor and quality. They may not match the Millennium Blend in every category (few cigars do), but they are solid enough to share some room in my humidor, and I'd be happy to offer them to a friend. Most important, I had a great time smoking them.

John von Brachel

6/24/08

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