Monthly Archives: February 2013

Feb 28 2013

Fumari Spiced Chai Hookah Review

It’s high time for another hookah shisha review! Both Josh and myself love Fumari, and we no longer bother smoking anything else (aside from our beloved cigars that is). Fumari’s mint chocolate chill has been my preferred flavor for quite some time, but it’s possible spiced chai has knocked it off the block. Upon opening the baggie of chai, your nose is assaulted with vanilla and spice. I often find myself tempted to lick my fingers when preparing a bowl of Fumari shisha, that’s how good they smell. Fumari is characterized by a preponderance of glycerol, so you never have to worry about the shisha drying out. One small issue with this though is that you may get a severe amount of glycerol dripping down your hookah if you don’t have a vortex bowl (you should own a vortex bowl anyway, but that’s neither here nor there).

Smoking spiced chai is a dream. The flavors are extremely smooth, with vanilla and spice dominating.  Oddly enough, exhaling smoke through your nose will leave you smelling cinnamon, which isn’t evident on the palate. The burn is very clean, and I rarely if ever experience harshness of the smoke. There aren’t too many flavors I can smoke back to back, but spiced chai could go for hours no problem. Josh and I even experimented with altering the water we put in the base. To accent the spices in the shisha, we boiled nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, cooled it down, then filled the base. Spices became very prominent through the nose, with a small bit of tingling on the tongue from the cloves. Most of the smooth vanilla flavor present in the smoke before was eradicated by the spices, though.

 

Feb 28 2013

Isla del Sol Cigar Review

Been a while since I’ve posted, so I thought I’d kick us off with a flavorful stick by Drew Estate. Drew knows his shit, and though I’ve had an Isla del Sol before, this one just seemed to explode with flavor.

Vitola:

We’ve got here a beautiful 7×50 Churchill wrapped in Sumatran leaf. These stogies sport a very nice chocolate brown color, and they look good enough to eat. Inside you’ll  find Nicaraguan leaves, and in my experience, coffee and chocolate are common occurrences in tobacco from Nicaragua. Wrapper is clean, with only a few minor imperfections (noticeably a small vein near the foot). Drew Estate are excellent rollers, but this isn’t an elite stick by any means, which is great for me. Smoking a great cigar is awesome. Smoking a great, affordable cigar is more awesome.

Smoke:

You can never tell what the smoke will be like for a given cigar. The Isla is a Churchill, so not a small smoke by any means, but it gave off relatively little smoke. This can be a deal breaker for some people, but I don’t mind as long as the flavor is there. The smell coming off this thing was very nice. Cream and chocolate throughout the whole burn, with notes of coffee and hazelnut near burn’s midpoint. Though the cigar didn’t smoke much, I felt the bouquet hung around for a long time, even though I was outdoors. I thoroughly enjoyed this, but if you’re limited in where you can smoke or you have to worry about bothering other people (Cigar smoke bothersome? Never!) you may want to put some thought into where you smoke this.

Flavor:

The Isla isn’t a “flavored” cigar, but the flavor notes I picked up were so strong, I could’ve been fooled. As with the bouquet, chocolate and coffee featured predominantly, with notes of cream. I didn’t taste any hazelnut, despite it being in the bouquet, which was a bummer. The flavors stayed pretty much constant throughout the whole stick, with the only new addition being mocha in the final third. Though not very complex, this stick is delightful. Smoke this stogie right after a meal for a dessert-like finish and you won’t be disappointed.

Smoke Time: 57 minutes (Could have been prolonged, but it was delicious and I was eager!)

Feb 26 2013

Cigar Review: CAO America Potomac

My, my, where has the time gone? I haven’t reviewed a cigar since last year! This hiatus has gone on for too long. I should really stop studying so hard and focus on what’s really important haha. Well here you go readers, wherever you may be—my first review of 2013.

-Josh

 

Vitola:

I have here with me the CAO America Potomac by Drew estate, weighing in at 6” X 52. It sports a beautiful barberpole-style wrapper made with Brazilian aged connecticut. It is a chocolate colored wrapper with a thin stripe of caramel spiraling down its sides. The pinstripe wrapper complements the beautiful label as well, covered in stars and stripes of its own. The aesthetics cannot go unappreciated—this is a prime example of beautiful presentation. The wrapper is fairly smooth in texture but bumpy, with some minor veins here and there. The construction isn’t perfect, but it’s a damn good job considering it’s a barberpole.

I’ve been holding onto this one for a long time, probably five or six months. I’ve been looking for a good occasion to smoke this one, and I figured I’d break my hiatus with something special. I’ve barely punch-cut this cigar, and it turned out alright considering I have a broken fifth metacarpal on my left hand (yes, I’ve had a little accident). Anyway, now that I’ve made my cut, LET THERE BE LIGHT!!

 

First Third:

The draw is very good. After toasting and lighting the foot, the first few puffs are instantly toasty and nutty. I’ve seasoned this stick very well apparently. There’s a little bit of lingering sweetness in the scent as well, not sure exactly what kind, but something slightly saccharine. The distinctive scent of coffee also makes its appearance, making for a very pleasant combination of olfactory stimulation. The burn is very slightly uneven, but I am not too worried about it. It should correct itself soon enough.

Now the bouquet has developed into a deeper roasted coffee bean and sweet cocoa flavor. The scent is still very much nutty. It is also oily and savory, as any well-aged tobacco should be. Delicious. The flavor on the palate is mild but there. It’s slightly bitter but nutty, like cocoa. There is also the crisp woodiness of cedar on the palate, with a slight creaminess in the scent to go with. The combination of the tastes and scents give off the vibe of dark chocolate and coffee beans.

The flavors haven’t changed much but it is very pleasing and I am fine with them sticking around longer for my enjoyment. The burn has since become fairly even and the ash is holding on quite firmly despite a weak breeze.

 

Second Third:

Ah, a new arrival. A sweet and fruity tartness in the scent. Reminds me of craisins, actually. I might be crazy, but I’ve double and triple checked and am positive. Besides, considering this stick is by Drew Estate, hands down the best roller of flavored cigars, I suppose it’s not such a far-fetched claim. The creaminess has also picked up in addition to the introduction of a subtle but growing leatheriness.

After about a minute, the tartness is sadly gone. It was a very unexpected turn in flavor and I’m sorry that it’s gone so soon. Taking its place is a vanilla bean sweetness, creamy cedar, a raisins (without the tartness of course) and leather, so often seen together with raisiny notes. It’s a good mix and a very pleasant smell. The taste is toasty and bitter, giving the flavors and scents another level of complexity.

Two-thirds down the second third. The burn is good and the flavors have been consistently tasty. No significant changes were experienced, just a smooth, relaxing ride.

 

Final Third:

I am increasingly amazed at the relentless deluge of flavors and sensory stimuli. There is no time to rest, (but I am very far from complaining). The sweetness alternates between a creamy, saccharine sweetness and a fruity, nutra-sweet flavor. The creaminess is substantial, but not overpowering. Oily and cocoa-sweet smoke. The palate is toasty and nutty with just the right amount of spice from the tobacco.

Home stretch. The smell is mostly that of a creamy coffee with hints of leather. I think I also sense a subtle tartness coyly coming and going. It’s a nice, smooth finish.

 

Verdict:

Wow. Very rich flavors. Immensely enjoyed it. The nonstop flavors were a delight, as I normally don’t like hang time waiting for flavors to appear. The tobacco was rich, oily, creamy, and savory with very little spice. This stick had all the perks of a connecticut, and then some. This was not unlike the Gurkha Black Beauty, which is also a very flavorful and impressive aged connecticut. I can’t see this stick not being enjoyed by anyone, amateur or veteran. Awesome smoke and would definitely recommend.

 

Total Smoking Time: 50 minutes