Thursday 19 December 2013

Christmas smokes

Family and friends, great food, drinks, presents, the whole nine yards. Christmas time is here, no doubt about it. But what about cigars? where do you fit cigars in all this?

The answer is simple: anywhere you want! After the Christmas dinner (or any meal), pairing a fine drink, enjoying special moments smoking special cigars with your friends or family, surprising the aficionado husband or wife of yours with quality cigars, and so on. It is all about enjoying the season the way you want.

So light up, enjoy and have a Merry Christmas!


cheers!

Thursday 26 September 2013

No. Ten Manchester Street opens Cigars at No. Ten

While waiting to travel to London myself next time, i am pleased to share some great information on the new cigar shop and indoor tasting room at hotel No. Ten Manchester street:


No. Ten Manchester Street, a boutique hotel just off Marylebone High Street, is pleased to announce the opening of their new cigar shop and indoor tasting room, Cigars at No. Ten, just in time for the onset of the Autumn chill.



Combined with No. Ten Manchester Street’s awning-covered, heated Cigar Terrace or COSA (cosy, outdoor smoking area), Cigars at No. Ten is conveniently placed to sample and purchase cigars whilst the intimate Tasting Room, inspired by the old Havana streets of Cuba, is also ideal for guests and cigar enthusiasts to unwind and indulge in their favorite passion. Cigar concierge, Maurizio Zatti will help guests select their cigar and match their drink to suit.


Cigar shop customers and guests are allowed to sample full cigars, which change in flavour and depth throughout smoking, before making a purchase. Cigars at No. Ten houses one of London’s finest selections of cigars supplied by Hunters&Frankau and stored in a magnificent bespoke floor-to-ceiling humidor. The selection includes both Cuban and New World offerings including Punch serie D'oro No2 Limited Edition 2013 and Montecristo 520 Limited Edition 2013.  The hotly anticipated La Flor De Cano Gran Cano will also be available from the 17 October following a special presentation by Hunters&Frankau and further events are planned with Hunters&Frankau and additional partners including Hennessey cognac.


Cigars at No. Ten
Open from 12pm - 1am for non-hotel residents and is open 24/7 for hotel residents.
The private Cigar Terrace is open from 12pm – 9pm.
cigars@tenmanchesterstreethotel.com  I 020 7317 5928
www.tenmanchesterstreethotel.com

cheers!

Sunday 22 September 2013

World of Cigars Charity Cigar Sales 2013

Time to make room in the humidor for new things, so...

World of Cigars is now offering all excess stash up for charity sale! 


Few basic things:
  1. Seller (me) is a private person. (all taxes and duties with initial purcahse have been paid by me)
  2. This campaign is in any way NOT related to any company or organization 
  3. The charity sales will be open for at least 2 months
  4. All "orders" through mikko@worldofcigasrblog.com
  5. Paypal preferred - depending on location
  6. All cigars available will be listed in my Humidor page HERE (click link - list updated weekly)
  7. Prices are estimated lower than retail price
  8. All money gained will go to charity (TBD, most likely the new Helsinki Children's Hospital)
  9. The amount gained will be reported frequently on worldofcigarsblog.com
  10. Any donations (in form of cigars or other items for sale) are welcome. Please contact me through email
  11. All cigars have been stored in a cabinet humidor in controlled environment
  12. Estimated shipping and handling has to be paid by the buyer
  13. All cigars will be shipped in ziplock bags
  14. I will not take responsibility of shipments lost, cigars damaged, duties or taxes, only sending the Cigars through mail to a defined address
  15. All inquiries, feedback and questions should be addressed to mikko@worldofcigarsblog.com
  16. Enjoy!
cheers!

Just in: Cohiba Behike BHK 56

I just had to share this.


A couple of days back i received this gorgeous box in the mail. As i have not written a review on these before, i thing one of these will have to face the burden to be analyzed. I will keep you updated.


Cheers!

Tuesday 17 September 2013

World of Cigars special discount at Rauchr.de


My friends at Raurch.de have created an exclusive discount for my readers. They are offering 5% off  your first purchase with a discount code

woc2013

I also recommend international customers to create an account and login, as the prices shown without login are higher. Click through the logo and start shopping!

Enjoy!

Sunday 15 September 2013

Review - Screwpop punch cutter

I got this cool little tool for review a while back, but unfortunately have not had the time to post anything. The Screwpop punch cigar cutter is a decent little cutter combined with a crown cap opener and lock to clip on your keys. It is lightweight, compact and looks great. Only thing i would have done differently, would been a bit sharper cutting edge on the punch. Nevertheless, a cool little thing to carry around or as a present to a cigar enthusiast. Well done. 



Thursday 5 September 2013

Guest Post: Gifting Cigars - A Non Traditional Gift

I am pleased to present a guest post from Luzzie Normand. She is a cigar enthusiast and freelance blogger. When she isn't blogging, Luzzie enjoys writing her own serial comic books and slinging ink at tattoo shops.


Gifting Cigars: A Non Traditional Gift

Often times, picking out a gift for that special someone can be a daunting task.  There are tons of things that need to be considered and one misstep can result in some pretty awkward and drawn out, “no, I really like it…”.  To avoid scenarios such as these you’ll probably want to steer clear of more traditional gift giving follies such as clothing or even the dreaded gift-card.  Getting that perfected gift for that perfect man in your life should be a reflection on what you think of him.  Cigars have long been associated with class, sophistication and like wine; there is a lot that goes into distinguishing the different tastes and aromas that can be present in a stick.  For the man who appears to have everything they need, follow some of these simple steps to selecting one of the most unique gifts you can give, the cigar

Narrowing it Down

For the newer cigar smoker your emphasis should be on variety and not specifics.  Instead of getting a box of one variety of cigars choose instead to pick out a couple of different varieties letting them discover which ones are best suited for their palate.  This can be accomplished a number of ways but most easily through a sampler pack.  Depending on the manufacturer you can usually get about five to eight different varieties of cigars in a sampler pack.  These small packs are a great way to turn on the beginner cigar enthusiast to the world and culture of cigars.

If you are getting a gift for someone who is a little more sophisticated in nature and you want to impress them even further with some cigars that are a little more specific, consider a box of top brand cigars. Nothing too strong or heavy but definitely chose a brand that will be at once recognized for its prestige or excellence in the industry.  A good choice might be something by Macanudo, particularly their Macanudo Maduro Crystal.  These stogies come encased in crystal tube to preserve their freshness.  They offer up a sweet to mild smoke so you don’t have to worry about alienating any tastes buds.  At about $40 bucks a box these cigars exude a certain amount of elegance all while remaining pretty accessible.

Accompanying the Cigar

When gifting a cigar, don’t just stop at the stogie, there are a number of other things that you should also incorporate into the package such as a quality humidor and a nice cigar cutter and perhaps even a butane lighter (you should never light a cigar with a your average run of the mill lighter or a sulfur based match as these methods can impart chemicals on to the cigar and alter the smoking experience).
Humidors are small to medium sized rectangular boxes that keep cigars and tobacco at the appropriate temperature through an airtight locking mechanism.  These can be purchases separately and often in conjunction with a set of cigars so keep your eye open for a great paired deal.

You might also want to consider getting a cigar cutter for your special someone.  These are also fairly inexpensive but are essential to getting the cigar in perfect smoking shape.  There are a couple different varieties of cutters out on the market today.  From cutters that resemble scissors to the more sophisticated cigar punchers there is quite the gamut of variety when choosing the best cutter for the job, lucky for you, one of the best cutters (the double bladed variety) is only a few bucks and can be picked up at any good cigar shop.

For the literary buffs in your life you might also want to accompany the cigar with one of the great books on the subject that are out on the market today.  While there are literally hundreds of different titles to choose from, I recommend the Cigar Companion by Marvin Shanken or even the aptly titled, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cigars 2nd Edition by Tad Gage.

If you have any other questions about securing one of the most unique gifts around I would be more than happy to answer them in the comment section below or you can email me directly at luzzie.n@neptunecigar.com.  Happy puffing!

Thursday 28 February 2013

TAG Heuer Monaco - Time for a Champion?

As the Formula 1 season start creeps closer day by day, i thought it would be a great time to start my new post series called Timepieces with featuring one of the most iconic watches for the racing world:




In 1969 the Monaco was the first ever water resistant watch with a  square case and working on the Chronomatic Calibre 11, first ever square automatic chronograph. What helped to make the Monaco legendary was the fact, that Steve McQueen wore it in the film LeMans. Since then, the Monaco has remained as a highly desired piece of elegant watch and racing history.

I myself carry around this version of the beautiful piece of design history - TAG Heuer Monaco Calible 12 Automatic Chronograph in black:


I love every variation of the Monaco watch. Here is one of them featured separately:





And how has Monaco developed? Take a look at the Monaco v4 - the first belt driven timepiece! Talking about sweet!


If you have any opinions on TAG Heuer Monaco watches or would like to share pics of yours, please feel free to comment or send me email through the "contact me" button in the navbar!

cheers,


Saturday 23 February 2013

Review - Cuenca 5 Anniversary Torpedo Box Pressed - 89/100



Celebrating their 5th anniversary, Cuenca Cigars has released a limited production cigar called, surprise surprise, 5 Anniversary. 

The cigar comes in a form of a box pressed torpedo, sized 7x54. 

The dark Habano wrapper gives out a silky hue which is a pleasure for the eye. The cigar feels good in hand (although i do not prefer pox pressed) and seems to be of a good construction. The unlit aroma gives promise of something flavorful with hints of cocoa bean and black pepper.

The large torpedo starts out with an abundance of smoke and a sting of spice and pepper, soon to mellow down. When past the blast in the beginning, the flavor profile offers a good balance of spice, leather and black pepper underlined with a sophisticated sweetness.

This medium bodied cigar offers good balanced complexity, which does not, however, develop quite enough down the road for my palate. Nevertheless, a great cigar to celebrate anyone's birthday.

Happy Birthday Cuenca! Well done.


Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nigaragua

Points: 89/100

Friday 22 February 2013

How many cigars to fit in your next humidor?


My friends at humidordiscount.com have launched an useful service on their site.  http://www.humidordiscount.com/humidor_calculator.php leads you to a page where you can feed in the measures of the humidor you are considering to purchase (or any other) and see how many cigars of different vitolas fits in. You can set default to your favourite cigar to quickly see the results.


The only improvement i suggested to them when reviewing the service was that you should be also able to feed in the quantities of the cigars you are going to store in the humidor, and the service gives you back the minimum measurements and suggestions from the product range. Now wouldn't that be convenient? If this suggestion flies and they introduce this service, i will most definitely utilize it when considering the choices for my next humidor.


I greatly recommend you all to check out the service.

Friday 15 February 2013

Light. Smoke. Remember.



When i review cigars here on World of Cigars, i usually write down notes to what ever paper i happen to grab with me. Usually i then forget about the notes and they end up in trash, preventing me to go back to them if i do a comparison of certain cigars with different age. There most probably was some notes on the paper which did not reach the review on the site and might be significant when returning to the cigar when there is few years on them. A shame really.

To help me out, my Friend Kyle Gellis sent me this really nice cigar journal!


Nice execution and attention to details. A great high quality product.


I love the quote from Winston Churchill on the first sheet.


I will most definitely use this notebook for all my future notes for my reviews.


You can all get your own at warpedpuro.com

Thank you Kyle!


Thursday 17 January 2013

Wooden Wonder humidors by Christos Karnabakos

As you all probably know, a good humidor is essential in keeping your cigars safe from the evil of going "stale". Controlling the correct level of humidity and temperature ensures that all the characteristics of the precious cigars do not get ruined inside the humidor. High quality hand-rolled cigars are entitled to a high quality humidor for storing and protecting them.

A humidor is therefore a luxurious necessity to enhance the perfection of the smoking ritual for the ultimate connoisseur.


Christos Karnabakos’s Wooden Wonder has provided the world with handmade, unique humidors since 1991. He specializes in the design, manufacture and installation of these handmade humidors, from desktop humidors to complex storage units. The humidors are custom made in various sizes and types, depending on the wishes and tastes of even the most demanding cigar aficionados. There are also humidors, upon request, for cars, yahts, planes, etc.


The Wooden Wonder humidors are manufactured from the most high class timbers in the world, while their hardware may be silver, 24k gold plated or even platinum. Karnabakos has also handcrafted exclusive humidors for some of the worlds leading hotels and has been featured in various magazine publications.


For more information, please visit Christos's website humidors.gr

cheers, 

Mikko