This afternoon I finally made my way to Belle Meade Cigars to enjoy a good cigar.  It’s been a very long weekend and has been way too hot in Tennessee to enjoy a cigar outside on the deck.  The short trip gave me some time to reflect on the cigar I wanted to enjoy while watching this afternoon’s World Cup matches.  After some pondering I decided to go for something new that I hadn’t yet had the pleasure of smoking.

When I toured the humidor there was one new cigar that caught my eye; the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial.  I’ve been looking forward to sampling these cigars since first hearing they were being released.  I had also heard several good things about them a few nights before from several trusted sources.  I was a little disappointed that the Toro Gordo was the only size available because it’s not normally my first choice of vitola.  I was really looking forward to sampling the petite robusto which has been a favorite vitola of mine as of late thanks to the My Father Le Bijou 1922 offering of the same size.

The cigar was very well constructed, but I noticed it was a little wet which made it a little difficult to light.  However, once the cigar got going it produced loads of smoke and held a nice ash with very little flaking.  I picked up a nice sweetness right away which I’m sure was due to the wonderful dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.  The predominant flavors were cocoa and cinnamon along with a slight peppery spice.  The cigar almost seemed to flatten out a little toward the start of the final third, almost like it lost it’s oomph.  I still picked up a lot of the same flavors into the last third, but it never quite graduated to that “next level”.  I did purchase a few additional sticks so I could give this offering another try.  The flavors were nice and I think the cigar deserves a second chance, but I think I’ll dry box the next one for a day to prevent the same issue I experienced today.

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While of course, it’s perfectly OK to purchase these cigars, be aware that these packaged cigars are usually of poorer quality.  Most ‘drugstore’ cigars contain preservative or other non-tobacco ingredients.  Common ingredients found in packaged cigars may include paper, Glycerin, and saltpeter.  High quality cigars will contain only tobacco.  Packaged drugstore cigars will generally contain these extra ingredients designed to keep them stored on the shelves for extended periods of time.

In order to get the best quality cigars, you will have to visit your local tobacconist.  While many mail order businesses do carry good quality cigars, be aware that they usually will not sell singles, thus you will have to purchase whole boxes.  Visiting your local tobacconist allows you to test different brands before settling on a box.

Cigar lighters are much more involved than cigarette lighters.  They often have built in cutters or punchers or tools that are used when smoking cigars than your run of the mill bic at the gas station has.  Cigar lighters usually come on a keychain too so you aren’t as apt to lose it.  I know that may sound kind of kid-ish or dumb, but they still look high class, so no worries.

Cigar lighters comments can usually be found online at any site that actually sells the lighters and there are also reviews sites that you can read comments at.  Your best bet is to search for lighters online or actually start by searching for user reviews or ratings, then once you find one that meets all your needs, you can buy from the same place that the person with a good review did.  Then you’re guaranteed to have just a good of experience.

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