Kinky Friedman Texas Jewboy

Cigar: Kinky Friedman Texas Jewboy
Filler: Honduran and Nicaraguan
Wrapper: Honduran Habano
Binder: Costa Rican
Ring Gauge: 56
Length: 6
Shape: Torpedo
Origin: Handmade in Honduras for Texans Everywhere
Manufacturer: Kinky Friedman Cigars
Accompanying drink: Zacapa 23
Accompanying (attempted) reading material: Tourist Season by Carl Hiassen
Accompanying company: Dogs and wife; later just one dog.



I got this a few weeks ago from Dogcatdaddy, a Texas BOTL on my skateboarding forum. I started a thread wondering whether there were any other cigar smokers on board, and he kindly sent me a little sampler in response—including this Texas Jewboy and a Kinkycristo that I had been wanting to try. Thanks Mike!

My first impression was of the band—obnoxious, garish, colorful, and complicated—just like its namesake.



The exterior was oily and bumpy with a few minor veins. The texture reminded me of stuffed grape leaves, or perhaps a Baby Ruth that got stalled on the assembly line and received a larger than normal coating of chocolate. Surely there must be some sort of cigar-specific adjective for this bumpiness, but damned if I know what it is.



Upon pre-cut inspection, I noticed that it had a rather uneven and misshapen tip, reminiscent of the shape of the Pope’s hat or perhaps even something a little more personal that most of us hold in our hands first thing in the morning. I’m not sure whether this is simply an asymmetrical tip resulting from a construction oversight or a deliberate joke by the Kinkster. Neither would particularly surprise me.







The shape of the tip made me think of the obvious comparison when cutting it. Perhaps this is Kinky’s attempt at thinly-veiled briss humor. After cutting, pre-light draw was rather loose, with a slightly bitter tip, and a woody/coffeeish taste. My wife thought it tasted like a combination of chocolate and B.O.


First Third

After firing it up, it immediately began to burn a little unevenly. Signs of things to come.



It had immediate runners, conspicuously blue smoke, and a coffeeish, chocolaty taste. The chocolate reminded me of one of those elitist chocolate bars in their own little section of the grocery store—something that comes with a prominently displayed cacao percentage on the packaging. It also had mild whispers of fruit, while the chocolate alternated from very sharp, baker’s chocolate-like bittersweetness to something more bland akin to chocolate cake. There was plenty of nice, mild smoke (easy on the nose), along with a very striated grey and white ash.

Twenty minutes in.



Thirty minutes in.



My wife and other dog decided to go inside just as it became too dark for me to read outside. Thanks ladies. Wingo (my most reliable smoking companion) remained outside to keep me company and bark at passersby.



Continued below due to picture limits. If someone would kindly let me know whether bifurcating a post in this manner is forbidden, please notify me and I will keep the number of pictures under 10 in future reviews.

Sorry, but when your post merges with your previous post, you will have used too many images in your combined posts

Click to expand...

If I'm unable to post the remainder of the review and accompanying pictures here once someone else has posted in this thread, I'll break it into two threads like I saw someone else do recently.

Sorry about the mixup--I didn't realize there was a maximum number of allowed pictures when writing the review, nor do I know all of the intricacies of the forum mechanics, and I don't feel like going back and editing the hell out of the whole thing...

well we did have that useless pics thread, where there were literally HUNDREDS of photos in one thread. It may slow bandwidth, but the forum should let you do it.

Otherwise, nice start on the review. You should find that the Texas Jewboy (Name of his Band: Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys) is slightly more enjoyable than the kinkycristo. But Ill wait for the end of the review to post my thoughts.

Thanks for posting something. We'll see if that works.

Middle Third

Mild, mild pepper tastes begin to emerge as the chocolaty taste fades. Leathery notes pop up periodically. A very anis/Sambuca/Jagermeister-like aftertaste develops, later changing to a sweeter, more Good ‘n Plenty-ish taste. Intensity is picking up towards the end of the middle third. I begin contemplating running inside to get the unbent paperclip in case I decide to nub this one. Burn continues to be uneven and untreatable.

Fifty minutes in.






Final Third

Increasing spiciness, still with a sweet lingering aftertaste. The spiciness later gives way to a more generic hot and spiciness, and the aftertaste begins to be more pleasing than the taste itself. I’ve had to touch it up regularly throughout the entire stick, and it becomes impossible to maintain any longer. Scalloping develops, leading to an increasingly uneven burn towards the end.

Seventy minutes in.





Regrettably, the final stages of it are not noteworthy enough for me to want to nub it.

Eighty-five minutes and getting put down.





Total elapsed time is just under 90 minutes. I really liked the first two-thirds better than the way it ended. During the entire smoke, there was some additional familiar underlying flavor that I just couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Overall, I’m definitely as big of a fan of his cigars as I am of his writing, music, and politics, which is to say I liked it a lot, despite the disappointing end. I look forward to trying his other sticks, in particular the Utopian, the profits from which go directly to Kinky’s no-kill animal rescue ranch.

An hour after putting it down and going into the house to watch some basketball, I cracked open a can of Dr. Pepper. That was the exact flavor match that I couldn’t place earlier. Perhaps that’s what Texas must taste like.

Not a bad review. If you look at my profile, you can see a picture of me smoking with the man. In fact, Most of us are pretty close with him. His cigars are pretty good. My favorite is the Willie, and I don't think I will ever touch another Kinkycristo.I always felt these more like $5 sticks, not 8+ However, if you liked it, then you pay what you are willing.

Impressive review, I thought it would work.

I bought the sampler from Jake and have thoroughly enjoyed the whole line. I agree Jake, should be sub $5.

Jake--awesome that you Texans get to hang with him. He must be a real hoot.

I haven't had whatever ISOM Montecristo the Kinkycristo is supposedly based on, so perhaps I won't find it as unfulfilling as others may for that reason. I'll definitely check out the Willie along with the Utopia whenever I track down more Kinky's.

Glad you enjoyed it GM. It was a decent smoke for me too, although I think I struggled with keeping it straight a bit more than I care to.

May have to try that Utopian after the Kinkycristo that I already picked up. Just need to get the time to relax and enjoy it rather than just on the way from the office to the house.

Right on, Mike. Glad to see you here, and thanks again!

Sweet review! I posted looking for info on these cigars before I went to Houston. I have since picked up a few of these. This is the first cigar I have ever had that I could definitively say will benefit from some aging. The price could be better but I got a buy 3 get 1 deal wich made them about 6 a pop. These definitely have some awesome characteristics that will mellow out. I have no idea how long, but I figure I will give them another go in about a year.

Billy

This made me laugh so hard. Love the quarter! Very awesomely thorough review.

~Billy

Great review i am adding this to my growing list cool looking dog. I have read some carl hiasenth to not a bad writer if you like to read check out the book pif maybe something you like in there.

Thanks!

The dog is one of our retired racers. We couldn't be happier with them.

I'll check out the book thread, but school has been keeping me pretty busy lately. I haven't finished Tourist Season--I've had 30 pages to go for a couple of weeks now.

Very entertaining review :thumbs:

Double D said:

Great review i am adding this to my growing list cool looking dog. I have read some carl hiasenth to not a bad writer if you like to read check out the book pif maybe something you like in there.

Click to expand...

Jakes "lair" stocks these, Dale. Move this to the top for our next split round?

BTW Jake, did your sweetie get you anything good from Thompson's?

I saw this thread yesterday and remembered I had a TX Jewboy resting. Pulled it out last night and fired it up. It was suprisingly good. I really enjoyed. The draw was a little tight, but not enought to be a problem. And the ash was very firm, firmest ash I've smoked in awhile.

I wish the price was lower on these, I would pick up a box today. But $10 each???

Good review, I also am a fan of Kinky, and was looking forward to this Cigar waiting till a good day by the river to enjoy it, Draw was great, full of different flavors but the constrution has some be desired, not sure if I got a bad one, some aging would probally fix the burn issue I also experienced. Overall a quality cigar, pricing was a little more than I would expect, but not too much that I wouldn't give it a 2nd shot, if I can find them again.

Thank you for the review. I picked up a Willie from the Musical Cheese Pass. Haven't tried it yet, but looking forward to it. Even moreso after your review of the Texas Jewboy.

Looks like I'm sparking up a Kinky today. Thanks for the review!

Wilkey

Thanks for the interesting reviews! :thumbs:

I didn't need a millimeter by millimeter pictorial but I didn't miss a thing, either!