Cigar of the Month: Indian Motorcycle!

This is going to be a quick one, kids, because I'm going to try to get back on track after my hiatus. Had I been a wonderfully organized person, I would have come back on the 25th of a month, keeping the giveaways organized. Hahaha. But no. That could never happen.*

So this month, we're giving away this box of goodness, which includes a box signed by Phil Zhengi and five cigars, which, while at the Rhode Island launch of the cigar, organized and hosted by our pal Paul of Mr. J's Havana, Phil gave us to give to you:** We're giving you the basic info for now and we'll make it much more lively soon!***

Travel down to the bottom of the page for the contest entries!

Maybe one of us is a little obsessed with Lego people.
Maybe someone else who lives in this house should stop saying I have enough of them.

No, you do NOT get the Lego builder. We need him for cutting off our caps. And he only works for a little, so we can afford him.

The cigars come in two varieties:

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Dominican San Vincente
Filler: HVA Ligero, Nicaraguan Seco, Piloto Cubano
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (De Los Reyes)

...and the Maduro:

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic, Central America
Strength: Medium-Full

Available sizes:

Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52
Gordo: 6 x 58
Churchill: 7 1/2 x 50

Inside box reads:

Indian Motorcycles, America’s First Motorcycle Company™ and Debonaire® have joined to capture the essence of the brand’s heritage with a new ultra-premium cigar range.

Since 1901 Indian Motorcycles® has produced some of the most iconic American V-Twin motorcycles. The Indian Motorcycle® Ultra Premium Cigars developed by 6th generation cigar markers truly are ultra-premium.

These cigars a blend of the most sought after Central American, Dominican, and American tobaccos produced.  This exquisite blend an inviting, full-flavored, well-balanced smoking experience with a quality befitting of today’s most revered motorcycle brands.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Being organized, I mean.

**And we're passing them on to you, and not keeping any, because that's the right thing to do. Plus, I hid them from Valentino so he couldn't "accidentally" smoke them.

***Probably. added later: That was an empty promise. I haven't changed anything except adding these two sentences. And this kitten picture:

Me, wondering what you're getting me for my birthday.

The waiting is the hardest part. Or: Aging cigars is not fun for those of us with limited patience

Right now,* Valentino and I are transporting goods across state lines. (Teehee!)

 

We really are the world's most innocuous mules. I have nothing stashed in my bouffant hairdo** a la Marge Simpson. Valentino has nothing sewn into his jacket. (I was going to go with another image, one more traditional in the smuggling world, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Hi, Mom!)

 

Instead of being supercool and in the midst of a car chase with guns ablazin', we're driving along Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania, minding speed limits and listening to 70s on 7.  (I love Sirius/XM radio.)

 

And a backseat full of these:

In boxes, obviously. Not a back seat full of loose cigars.

We spent a couple of afternoons/evenings at Island Jim Robinson's Leaf and Bean this past week, but couldn't actually smoke any of his signature cigars. They were totally sold out. He told us some had been produced and were sitting in Honduras, silently aging.***  He stressed that he wouldn't have them shipped to himself or anyone else until they were practically perfect in every way. (I'm paraphrasing, obvs. I just can't see Jim quoting Mary Poppins.) 

 

Then we saw on Facebook (my major source for news) that the cigars were wide awake and U.S.-bound.

They were on their way here!!

THEN! Our friend Bobby from Broadway Cigars said, Hey, 10 boxes please! And through a series of cryptic messages, we wound up with a backseat full of boxes. 

 

The interesting point here, and there actually is a point, is this: Cigar makers want to make sure every cigar is as perfect as possible. Our friend Paul Joyal, he of J Grotto cigars, told us he was out of the Anniversary Series double perfecto, an amazing cigar in its own right. We saw them at Jim's place, and at Broadway Cigars, but Paul himself didn't have any in his own shop. 

(He's going to kill me for using this picture!)
The J Grotto double perfecto in PA!

 

Were they hand rolled and ready to go? Yep. 

 

Would they be travelling to the US? Nope. 

 

"I'd rather they be perfect," he said. "It's not a financial decision. It's a quality decision."

 

Valentino and I like to say, "You're only as good as your last envelope," meaning people remember the last thing you did for them, the last plate you served them at a restaurant, whatever. The metaphor crosses into a zillion professions--although I'm fond of the saying's mob ties. 

 

If you have a bad cigar, especially if it's your first time with that premium cigar, you might not go back to it, especially with so many other options on the market. Boutique cigar crafters make the right decision when they hold off until the cigar has enough aging under its belt.

Cigars International says in their article, "Properly Aging Cigars," "Aging is often what makes a good cigar a great one."

We actually know this from experience.

For his birthday, I bought Valentino a box of his own blend of cigars, thanks to George Rico, head honcho at Gran Habano Cigars. So cool (both George and the ability to create your own blend). Valentino chose the filler, binder, and wrapper, by using their  super-fun blending kit, which contains "10-20 puritos of each tobacco leaf available at the time...detailed menu of the tobaccos included, and a blending sheet," according to the feature article on cigar.com, from whence the kit comes.

The choices...

So he puffed away on the puritos, mixing and matching, trying to figure out his most favorite.

The choosing...
(Thanks for taking the pictures, Nathalie!)

Then, because Valentino is Valentino, much research ensued, including lots of discussions with our cigar pals in-the-know, including Mr. J Grotto himself. Finally, he settled on a blend.  And a few months later, this arrived:

Yes, those are angels you hear singing.

More angels singing.
This is the sticker that held the paper covering the cigars together.
(Weird sentence. Too lazy to fix it.)
(We do not promise perfection here. Just a few laughs.)

By all that's right and holy, he should have fallen in love with them on first puff.

That does not look like a man in love with his cigar.

Not the cigar's fault. It needs more time to, as we incorrectly say, "marinate."

Here's a general guideline, from Cigar Secrets:

• "3 weeks stabilizes the mechanical tensions and moisture of a cigar, making it smoke better, particularly if it was shipped ‘green’
• 3 months allows the oils to begin their natural dissipation so that the flavors of the blend ‘marry’ [Hahaha. I should have said "marryinate."]
• 3 years (in a temperature/humidity controlled environment) allows some more complex chemical processes of true aging to take place, creating deep, rich and subtle layers of flavor
• Beyond 3 years – Carefully stored, cigars just keep getting better and better"****

At the launch of the J Grotto Anniversary series, Valentino had a nice chat with Philip Zanghi, of Debonaire Cigars, about how fermentation during the aging process reduces the ammonia and other chemicals that make, if smoked too soon, the cigar taste like ass.***** Longer-aged cigars result in mellowed acridity.

So, yes, we know he shouldn't have smoked the Cabellero #1 so soon upon its arrival, but come on. That's like buying an edible gift early on in the shopping season and not eating it.

[source]

At least Island Jim and Paul Joyle keep their cigars in another country to ensure proper aging. Lucky bastards. Although I bet they would leave the edible Christmas gifts alone too. What are you guys? Robots? Sheesh.

Anyway, the moral of the story is this: We will certainly entertain offers to mule cigars for you, if necessary. For a price, of course. Like, maybe, some Christmas gifts you're still holding onto... nom nom nom. Please just don't make us wait too long.

Will's not happy with the Idiot Handler who took the lousy picture.
He says it doesn't show the extent or importance of his work.

 

 

*Hahaha. As if I could finish a blog post in the same year I started it.

 

**I wish I could even keep a bouffant bouffanted for more than 13 seconds. 

 

***Shhhh. The Island Jims are sleeping.

****Naturally, there are exceptions. But that's a post for another time!

*****My interpretation, obvs.

Another reason why we lurve lurve lurve Paul Joyle (Or: The New Kid on the Block is cool!)

Our dance card has been quite full lately, and we don't see it thinning out any time soon.*
 
We are very happy about this, but were especially happy because one of the best festivities centered around the newest line by one of the best people we know: Paul Joyal. Please welcome...
 

This cool dude.

You want to know more about that smoke? Oh, it's just the most fab newcomer to the cigar world, a celebration of Paul's 35 years in the cigar industry: The J Grotto Anniversary Series.
 
Paul swore us to secrecy this summer, which was very very hard because of reasons. (Reason #1? One of us can not keep a secret at all.) (Reason #2? See reason #1 and know that it's me.)
 
We couldn't tell you about the smooth smoke or the coffee flavors or the underlying sweetness or the brief hints of earthiness and pepper. Do you have any idea how hard it was not to shout about its goodness from the rooftops?**
 
But we did it!*** And now the waiting is over! You guys! You have got to get yourself one or ten or twenty (in each vitola) of these!
 
Here are your smoking opportunities, although you shouldn't force yourself to play Sophie's Choice. Just take them all with you!****
 


E660 (6" x 60)
T650 (Toro 6" x 50)
P555 (Perfecto 5" x 55)--This is the one Valentino's enjoying in the picture above.
L458 (4" x 58)


Back when we were keeping secrets, Valentino smoked the T650. He was scared at first, just a little, because the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is so dark. But two, count 'em, TWO things happened. 1. He trusts Paul and knew his friend wouldn't give him anything that would blow the top of his head clear off and 2. As Valentino gets more and more ensconced in the cigar world, he's finding that you really can't judge a cigar by its wrapper.*****
 
But man, oh, man, was the cigar gooooood! A cacophony of flavors wafted my way as he enjoyed this cigar. I sat next to him writing while he smoked, and I'd holler random words at him, the scents wafting into my waiting senses. "Pepper! But not that sneaky red pepper flakes you put in food to make me hate you. The good kind." "Citrus? Blow more smoke in my face! Yep! Citrus! Wheee!" "Mmm. Coffee! Why does coffee smell so good and taste so un-good?" Obviously, I am easily entertained, especially when I'm procrastinating.
 
“Time and time again, smokers have said they smoke full-bodied cigars, and then buy medium-bodied ones,” Paul said. “Many smokers mistake body for flavor, not realizing a powerful smoke can be short on flavor, and vice versa with a mild cigar. Anniversary is flavorful to the point it can be described as succulent. It is a departure from all our three previous J. Grotto cigars, which are medium-full to full-bodied.”
 
Actually, we're still keeping a secret. The J. Grotto Anniversary uses a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, Dominican habano binder and a proprietary filler disclosed as “Dominican and ‘other Central American.'” All tobaccos are aged at least three years and the finished cigars another 3-4 months. Maybe we know what the "other Central American" tobaccos are, and maybe we don't. We can't be bribed to tell you, although you can certainly try. We love a good bribe.******
 
By the way, don't go internet surfing to find these beauties. They're only available at B&Ms.******* And of course you should get them at Mr. J's Havana Shop so you can meet Paul in person!! No extra charge! Speaking of meeting Paul in person, who are these crazy kids?
 


Say "Hello!" to Phil Zanghi of Debonaire Cigars (left),
who collaborated with that tall gentleman, Paul Joyle himself.
And, of course, there's our hero Valentino.
What's that? You want to know what they're smoking?
Do you even have to ask?


 
You must know by now that we love, love, love a good story, especially when lots of significance lurks beyond what your eye sees.  (It's the literature major in one of us.)
 
The box and band artwork reflect 2014 as a pivotal year in the family’s history: Paul’s parents celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary, while Paul and his wife mark their 30th. Studying the gold coins on Anniversary’s artwork reveals several gold coins with the initials of immediate family members.
 

 
You're also probably wondering what Phil Zanghi from Debonaire Cigars has to do with this awesomeness! We're glad you asked!  Said Paul, "The Anniversary is made by cigar wizard Phil Zanghi’s Santiago, Dominican Republic, factory. Phil has certainly lived up to his reputation for service and product ... he nailed the blend and delivered on time in this, our first collaboration. Regarding the blend, I will say that Zanghi has close ties with the Reyes family, suppliers of 70% of all Dominican tobacco used on the island, Anniversary likely has some proprietary Reyes Dominican leaf, too.” [source]
 
At the celebration for the cigar's launch, held in West Warwick (at an undisclosed location, because we're all about the seekrits), Valentino had the opportunity to chat with Phil about this and other super cigar stuff. His head was spinning with all the info about this series and cigars in general, including why some cigars are head-blow-offy and some aren't.********
 
Paul actually sponsors a cigar dinner every month at aforementioned seekrit location, so you should stop by the shop to see what's coming up in the next few months!
 
 
*Not complaining. Nope, not at all!
 
**This is metaphorical. I have vertigo, so even looking at the rooftop makes me dizzy.
 
***Boom. Take that, non-believers.
 
****We are untrained, unprofessionals. You should still trust us.  We're very trustworthy.
 
*****But you can judge a book by its cover. My books have gorgeous covers. Just sayin'...

******Just kidding, Paul. We won't tell. Unless your check doesn't clear...
 
*******Brick and mortar shops--your local cigar shop rather than over the mighty mighty internets.
 
********That's a blog post for another day.