Just got back from a 4-day business trip to the city of lights and thought I would update you all on the cigar-smoking aspects of the trip. Smoked some great sticks, many of which I had never tried before; I took this opportunity to sample a side variety of Cubans that I don’t normally lay my hands on. Before I go on, and before I get any replies or rapprochements, let me acknowledge for the record that I am an American citizen; I understand that I am prohibited not only from bringing Cuban products to the US (which I most certainly did NOT) but also from consuming said products in other countries. Ok…’nuff said.
Checked into the hotel at 10:30 AM on Thursday the 13th, following an overnight flight. After a 3-hour restorative nap and shower, I went directly to the George V Tabac store, an unassuming little shop from the outside which I had read possessed a great humi. Indeed this little store was very well stocked. I purchased a Mag 46, Punch Punch, Sir Winston, and a RASCC and made for a nearby sidewalk café.
THURSDAY
Mag 46: Following a nice light lunch I sparked the Mag 46 and smoked this with a few espressos. I chose the Mag as I had a meeting to attend in a few hours and didn’t want a longer smoke but also felt I had more time than what would be required for the RASCC. I had never had a Mag 46 before and I really liked this stick. Spicy in the beginning, yielding to a creamy texture over the middle, and finishing strong with a leathery twang. Nice but not overpowering nicotine punch when I stood. I will definitely incorporate this into my rotation. B+
Punch Punch: After my meeting and a business dinner, I grabbed the Punch Punch and made for the street. This is always a solid smoke. Nice and pungently spicy, very aromatic. Never really disappoints. Certainly would have been even better with some age, but all the sticks smoked on this trip were 2005. B
FRIDAY
Hoyo Epicure #2: Meetings all day on Friday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and we were to meet again at 8:00 for a business dinner. So as soon as the meeting ended I ran to the George V again and purchased the Hoyo, a Partegas Serie P #2 and a Mag 50 EL. I clipped the Hoyo and sparked it before I left the store. I then walked down rue de George V and smoked this while standing on a walking bridge spanning the Seine that leads to Eiffel Tower while the sun set over the Parisian skyline. Wow. Let me say that again. Wow. I had never had this stick before and I absolutely loved it. Not nearly as strong in flavor as I am used to smoking, but it delivered a depth of taste you don’t normally find, and something that I have really come to think of as a Hoyo taste. In fact it occurs to me that I have never had a Hoyo I didn’t like and some (the 2003 EL pyramid and this little #2) are really outstanding. I nubbed this #2 and it was solid, creamy, complex, and beautiful throughout. A-
Mag 50 EL: Business dinner ended by 11:30 and I smoked the Mag 50 while strolling back to the hotel up the Champs Ellesse. I had not tried this stick before and really wasn’t expecting much. True, the ELs are never bad, but many are not great. This was fantastic. Very impressive flavors from the beginning through the end. Spicy, thick, voluminous smoke. Great burn. Complex coffee, cocoa, spicy taste that was really nice. I will definitely smoke more of these. A really pleasant surprise. A-
SATURDAY
Business meetings scheduled from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM today. Surprise. Meetings ended by 3:30 and most clients left early for home. As my flight was not leaving until 1:50 PM Sunday, I changed out of business attire and made for one last visit to the George V Tabac, where I purchased a Hoyo 2004 EL Epicure Especial.
RASCC: Sparked the RASCC as I wanted a quick smoke before a little sightseeing to the Sacré Coeur. This was a nice stick. Not overpowering in flavor or strength, a little tight on the draw but not too bad. Picked up with a nice little spicy flavor in the middle and finished strong. A good, quick stick that could indeed come in handy in the Northeast winters. B
Hoyo 2004 EL Epicure Especial: Rode the metro to the Sacré Coeur, little sightseeing. Decided to spark the Hoyo 2004 EL Robusto over coffee and before pre-dinner drinks. Perhaps this stick needs more time. I found it almost overwhelmingly spicy in an unpleasant way, very strong in terms of nicotine, and very one dimensional in flavor. No complexity; strength for the sake of strength. Very underwhelming EL IMHO, but again, perhaps this will improve with some age. C
Sir Winston: Off for pre-dinner drinks at a little café where I sparked the Sir Winston. This was undoubtedly the second disappointing smoke of the last day of my French tour. Far too mild for my tastes with a bready, yeasty flavor that I found unpleasant. It was the only stick I did not finish on this trip; I left about one-fourth in the ash tray. For all the hype, this Churchill does not compare with an Esplendido, let alone a Sig VI as I’ve heard some wax on about, IMHO. I have read many positive comments regarding this stick, most of which refer to aged Sir Winstons, and as I mentioned earlier this was 2005 fresh. Perhaps these improve dramatically with age. C-
Partegas Serie P #2: Treated myself to a great dinner of foie gras and tuna steak with a nice bottle of French red thrown in for good measure. I was feeling quite good by the time I walked into Mojito Habana, a VERY cigar friendly bar/restaurant near the Arc de Triumph, which I would strongly recommend if you find yourself in Paris. Staked out a nice big leather chair in the bar area, ordered the first of many 7 year Havana Clubs, and sparked the Serie P. I was really hoping this stick would save the last day of this trip, especially following the 2 early evening disappointments. It came through in fine fashion. This was the best stick I had during the entire trip. Beautiful chocolate wrapper, perfect construction and burn, great aroma. This stick delivered a host of strong, spicy flavors for the first third to half then got very creamy, complex and smacked of coffee through the finish. The smoked lasted about 90 minutes and an unknown number of rums. A great cigar that I believe has the potential to improve with age. I nubbed this till it nearly burned my fingers and stumbled back to the hotel around 2:00 AM, head spinning from caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. A
So overall, a great smoking experience in Paris, one of the most cigar friendly cities I have ever visited. Nobody even raised a head when I sparked in the street or at the table next door. I love this city and I loved some of the sticks I had there. Besides the Partegas, Mag 50, and Epicure #2, which were outstanding, I will certainly come back to the Mag 46 and RASCC (glad I tried this one); the Punch Punch is an old favorite. As for the Hoyo 2004 EL and the Sir Winston, I will try these again if the circumstances are right, but as of now they don’t measure up IMHO.
Checked into the hotel at 10:30 AM on Thursday the 13th, following an overnight flight. After a 3-hour restorative nap and shower, I went directly to the George V Tabac store, an unassuming little shop from the outside which I had read possessed a great humi. Indeed this little store was very well stocked. I purchased a Mag 46, Punch Punch, Sir Winston, and a RASCC and made for a nearby sidewalk café.
THURSDAY
Mag 46: Following a nice light lunch I sparked the Mag 46 and smoked this with a few espressos. I chose the Mag as I had a meeting to attend in a few hours and didn’t want a longer smoke but also felt I had more time than what would be required for the RASCC. I had never had a Mag 46 before and I really liked this stick. Spicy in the beginning, yielding to a creamy texture over the middle, and finishing strong with a leathery twang. Nice but not overpowering nicotine punch when I stood. I will definitely incorporate this into my rotation. B+
Punch Punch: After my meeting and a business dinner, I grabbed the Punch Punch and made for the street. This is always a solid smoke. Nice and pungently spicy, very aromatic. Never really disappoints. Certainly would have been even better with some age, but all the sticks smoked on this trip were 2005. B
FRIDAY
Hoyo Epicure #2: Meetings all day on Friday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and we were to meet again at 8:00 for a business dinner. So as soon as the meeting ended I ran to the George V again and purchased the Hoyo, a Partegas Serie P #2 and a Mag 50 EL. I clipped the Hoyo and sparked it before I left the store. I then walked down rue de George V and smoked this while standing on a walking bridge spanning the Seine that leads to Eiffel Tower while the sun set over the Parisian skyline. Wow. Let me say that again. Wow. I had never had this stick before and I absolutely loved it. Not nearly as strong in flavor as I am used to smoking, but it delivered a depth of taste you don’t normally find, and something that I have really come to think of as a Hoyo taste. In fact it occurs to me that I have never had a Hoyo I didn’t like and some (the 2003 EL pyramid and this little #2) are really outstanding. I nubbed this #2 and it was solid, creamy, complex, and beautiful throughout. A-
Mag 50 EL: Business dinner ended by 11:30 and I smoked the Mag 50 while strolling back to the hotel up the Champs Ellesse. I had not tried this stick before and really wasn’t expecting much. True, the ELs are never bad, but many are not great. This was fantastic. Very impressive flavors from the beginning through the end. Spicy, thick, voluminous smoke. Great burn. Complex coffee, cocoa, spicy taste that was really nice. I will definitely smoke more of these. A really pleasant surprise. A-
SATURDAY
Business meetings scheduled from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM today. Surprise. Meetings ended by 3:30 and most clients left early for home. As my flight was not leaving until 1:50 PM Sunday, I changed out of business attire and made for one last visit to the George V Tabac, where I purchased a Hoyo 2004 EL Epicure Especial.
RASCC: Sparked the RASCC as I wanted a quick smoke before a little sightseeing to the Sacré Coeur. This was a nice stick. Not overpowering in flavor or strength, a little tight on the draw but not too bad. Picked up with a nice little spicy flavor in the middle and finished strong. A good, quick stick that could indeed come in handy in the Northeast winters. B
Hoyo 2004 EL Epicure Especial: Rode the metro to the Sacré Coeur, little sightseeing. Decided to spark the Hoyo 2004 EL Robusto over coffee and before pre-dinner drinks. Perhaps this stick needs more time. I found it almost overwhelmingly spicy in an unpleasant way, very strong in terms of nicotine, and very one dimensional in flavor. No complexity; strength for the sake of strength. Very underwhelming EL IMHO, but again, perhaps this will improve with some age. C
Sir Winston: Off for pre-dinner drinks at a little café where I sparked the Sir Winston. This was undoubtedly the second disappointing smoke of the last day of my French tour. Far too mild for my tastes with a bready, yeasty flavor that I found unpleasant. It was the only stick I did not finish on this trip; I left about one-fourth in the ash tray. For all the hype, this Churchill does not compare with an Esplendido, let alone a Sig VI as I’ve heard some wax on about, IMHO. I have read many positive comments regarding this stick, most of which refer to aged Sir Winstons, and as I mentioned earlier this was 2005 fresh. Perhaps these improve dramatically with age. C-
Partegas Serie P #2: Treated myself to a great dinner of foie gras and tuna steak with a nice bottle of French red thrown in for good measure. I was feeling quite good by the time I walked into Mojito Habana, a VERY cigar friendly bar/restaurant near the Arc de Triumph, which I would strongly recommend if you find yourself in Paris. Staked out a nice big leather chair in the bar area, ordered the first of many 7 year Havana Clubs, and sparked the Serie P. I was really hoping this stick would save the last day of this trip, especially following the 2 early evening disappointments. It came through in fine fashion. This was the best stick I had during the entire trip. Beautiful chocolate wrapper, perfect construction and burn, great aroma. This stick delivered a host of strong, spicy flavors for the first third to half then got very creamy, complex and smacked of coffee through the finish. The smoked lasted about 90 minutes and an unknown number of rums. A great cigar that I believe has the potential to improve with age. I nubbed this till it nearly burned my fingers and stumbled back to the hotel around 2:00 AM, head spinning from caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. A
So overall, a great smoking experience in Paris, one of the most cigar friendly cities I have ever visited. Nobody even raised a head when I sparked in the street or at the table next door. I love this city and I loved some of the sticks I had there. Besides the Partegas, Mag 50, and Epicure #2, which were outstanding, I will certainly come back to the Mag 46 and RASCC (glad I tried this one); the Punch Punch is an old favorite. As for the Hoyo 2004 EL and the Sir Winston, I will try these again if the circumstances are right, but as of now they don’t measure up IMHO.
right?
