In which we invest in The Banker

During one of the many Italian feasts this summer that must surely annoy the residents of Boston's Hanover and surrounding streets, Valentino traded one of his beloved Leaf by Oscar cigars (Hi Jim! Hi Oscar!) for a Banker by H. Upmann with the fab guys from Rolling Stogies.

You already know our love for the Leaf (and of the leaf, obviously, but that's a different thing) and Valentino has been spreading the word like it's his job. (Which it isn't. He just loves them. Me too, of course--otherwise I totally wouldn't write about them. I'd be all, "What? No. Never heard of them." But we all know that's not the case.*)

Anyway, that night, he received and lit up this:

 

Ooooh. That looks like a million bucks!

Then, not too long ago, we had the opportunity to meet up with Tom Borio (Hi Tom!) from Altadis. (Just so you know, Altadis is the company that owns a boatload of brands, including H. Upmann, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, and many more!) The Banker was coming to Habanos** and we were super excited, since we already knew much love existed between Valentino and his new discovery.***. He and Tom chatted for ages about all things cigar, and then Valentino suggestively sold (but not sold suggestively because that's something else entirely) them to all our pals.

 

Here's the thing about Valentino: He's very (very very very) persuasive. To quote my mom, "He could charm a hungry dog off a meat wagon." But he's also incredibly trustworthy and straightforward, so if he says, "You have to try this cigar," chances are, you're going to like it. And he really did like The Banker.

 

The cigar is composed of a dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder from the Jalapa region, and aged Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers.

 

Keep in mind, when we first encountered the classiness that is The Banker, we were surrounded by all the smells (pleasant and otherwise) that are part of a massive festival in the middle of Boston, so I took Valentino's word that the cigar achieved purchase-level status.

 

Once we were in the confines of the cigar bar and I could fully enjoy the Currency size (48 x 5.5--also available are Arbitrage at 56 x 7 and Annuity at 52 x 6).

 

 

As I jumped into the wake of his first couple of exhales, I liked the combination of coffeeness (It's a word now. Quiet, you.) and chocolateyness (Shut. Up.) with a hint of pepper. I guess that would make it mocha (with pepper, ew), but each flavor alternated, weaving in and out of each's presence rather than blending together to make something completely new. Think of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup--You can taste both the PB and C separately, which is fab. So too The Banker.

 

Then he wandered around, chatting, charming dogs off meat wagons, whatever. When he returned, the cigar was very different. The coffee and chocolate were still there, as was the pepperiness, but all had settled into the background, with an earthiness, not the dirty-kind of earthiness (you know what I mean), moving up to the front. The original creaminess that accompanied the first moments had split for parts unknown, its place taken over by rich tobacco.

 

"I was thinking I should buy a box," he said.

"You should totally buy a box," said the enabler, er, me.

[source]

 

We decided it would serve as an everyday, hanging around kind of smoke, the answer to "What should I have?" as he stands in front of the humidor, its door wide open and lights on, not unlike standing in front of a full refrigerator, wondering if there's anything to eat.

 

As you have probably figured out by now, I love a good (or great) backstory. Here's The Banker's story, according to the Montecristo Social Club website: "German bankers Carl and Herman Upmann traveled to Cuba to craft an exceptionally unique cigar in 1844. They locked it in the vaults and gave it as a special gift to their most important clients." We all know that means richest, right? Apparently, the bank burned down in 1922, and after all this time, the folks at H. Upmann are finally able to bring back, not quite the original, but something very close, from what I understand. I mean, I read it on the internets, so it must be true, right?

"Bonjour."
[source]

 

*Someone has obviously had way too much caffeine today. 

**Actually, The Banker comes to Habanos frequently and we love him! Hi Brian! :)

***The love was, and remains, one-sided, obviously. 

In which I am Solely Responsible for my Son's Corruption (Part the First)

The other day I received this picture via text:

Yeah, he's going to need a better cutter.
I already got him a lighter because matches...too much work.

Along with the message "Well...am I cigar-ing correctly?"

I called him immediately, mainly because I was driving to work and the audio book* I had been listening to just finished. Starting a new one right away is like ending a relationship and starting a new one moments later. A small period of mourning must be observed.

Anyway, the other day he said he stopped by a cigar shop in his West Virginia town only to find them closed. Like, closed forever, not "Back in 5 minutes" closed or "On vacation" closed. Closed closed. Apparently he was all "Yay!" on his way there and "Boo!" upon his discovery.**

Then he found another humidor, which happened to be tucked into a liquor store. After a couple of misses (read: cigars that fell in the no-way-again category) he hit upon this Romeo y Julieta Vintage, which he loved.

He only recently started his cigar adventures because "Your blog makes me want to smoke cigars." Yay! Wait. Boo! No smoking! But then again, Yay!

His liking this RyJ makes sense. With an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, Mexican binder and Dominican filler, the Vintage is a "mild-to-medium bodied smoke," according to the company website. "The discerning*** smoker will never tire of this superlative cigar that is 'truly a cigar for special occasions.'"****

According to CI, "Introduced in 1993, the Vintage series is a luxury cigar, mild with a very round flavor and made in extremely limited supply."

Since I wasn't around while he smoked--well, on the phone, but obviously that's not helpful!--I went in search of a flavor profile descriptors, because I'm nice like that. "The cigar had a creamy, almost cappuccino flavor, with hints of cocoa that are just delicious," said the Stogie Guys. "I’ve found that in the past it seems as though mild cigars tend to burn a little hot, but this stogie also bucked that trend with it’s [sic] cool, easy pull. Combined with its flawless even burn and steady ash, this cigar was a true joy to smoke."

Don't tell him, but maybe, just maybe, a certain mom might be purchasing a certain box (or at least a shit-ton) of a certain cigar for a certain offspring. I'm not naming any names, though. Shhhhhh!

"Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow."
--Juliet (and me)



*The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness, the third book in the All Souls trilogy. Yes, you must read them in order. No, you will not be disappointed. Yes, I recommend the audio books. No, you will not fall asleep listening to an audiobook while you drive. Yes, I think that's a dumb statement when people say it.

**The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

***Well of course he is. See the sparkles above.**

****You know, like coming home to Mass for the first time in a year and a half.  If that ain't special, I don't know what is!

Three Men and a Little Lady

Yesterday, after a craptacular day capped off with a loooong-ass teaching stint, which Valentino valiantly suffered through with me because he is THAT awesome, I begged* to go to Habanos for a drink.**

Friends already occupied the bar, cigars in hand and Nathalie held down the fort and held up the conversation. (She's awesome. She's the lady in this scenario, by the way.) We nestled in and everything seemed just a little bit better. But like the Girl of Empty Promises that I am, I could neither muster the energy to drink more than ginger ale, nor hold an actual conversation. My brain. She was fried.

Know what? It's nice when you walk into a place and people are genuinely happy to see you. That really helps perk up the day, even if it is 10:30 p.m.

Valentino lit up a Rocky Patel Decade, which has been a favorite for a couple years, since we happened upon a box of lanceros at Mr. J's Havana. (They don't have any more, so don't ask. We made off with the rest, as we are wont to do.) This time he lit a box-pressed 5 x 50, which had a bit of nuttiness, although that certainly could have been my frame of mind (also a little on the nutty side). Or both. A woodiness and creaminess also filled our airspace, a perfect reminder of non-sucky days.
 

From the I-stink-at-taking-pictures files. The one on the right is what it's supposed to look like. [source]

To my left, Eric (Hi, Eric!), who said he'd found this La Sirena Merlion (Sea Lion) perfecto (5.5 x 47) lurking in his humidor...

Of course it didn't look exactly like this when he took it from the humidor.

...and he pulled the Sea Lion up for air (and the lit it on fire, which is where the metaphor dies and the cigar comes to life).


I know what you're thinking: Stop being awesome, La Sirena!



It was a dark and stormy cigar, starting off in the medium range, and then as the storm blew in, becoming more and more full, with pepper and oakiness. (Is that a word? Yes.) But within that all lurked little rays of sunshiny sweetness, floral notes as the rain swept across the garden. I swear I have not been drinking.

According to CI, this cigar is "A fusion of two of the best in the business - La Aurora (Guillermo Leon) and La Sirena (Don Pepin) – this half-mermaid half-lion handmade is all substance. Carefully crafted in the esteemed La Aurora factory in the Dominican, Merlion brings smooth, uber-complex flavors in spades."

They continue, "It all starts with a feisty, yet silky smooth Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper. This lovely leaf hugs a Brazilian Sumatra binder, housing an impressive long-filler bouquet of Dominican Corojo, Dominican Criollo 98', Nicaraguan ligero, and finally Brazilian Mata Fina. An adventurous blend no doubt, each brand's influence is evident, as the Merlion asserts a bold, well-balanced array of rich medium to full-bodied smoke."

I thought about getting Valentino a box, but 1. We're in dangerously low on humidor space and 2. I know he would never smoke any of them because the box and its contents are so cool. 

But wait! There's more!

This was my first Saint Luis Rey. I asked him to please be gentle.

Shawn, a fan of the fuller cigars, (Hi, Shawn!) worked on a Saint Luis Rey Reserva Especial, a 6 x 50 Toro. Talk about dark and stormy! Although I wasn't sitting next to him, I noticed some spiciness wafting my way...  Want more details about the smoke? Take a look here! And I'll try to get closer next time I'm in the vicinity of one of these beauties.

According to the website, "The origins of this cigar’s name are cloaked in mystery. One theory is that a Thornton Wilder play, 'The Bridge of San Luis Rey,' was the inspiration behind this smoke’s moniker. Another is that it was named after the town of San Luis in the Vuelta Abajo tobacco region in Cuba, where these cigars were originally rolled.

"Now handmade in Honduras, these exquisite cigars achieve their renowned full flavor and aroma through a unique blend of Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian long filler tobaccos, a Nicaraguan binder, and a dark, rich Nicaraguan wrapper."


And now, on to the little one:

Contraband!!!
(Distributed to all who helped de-suckify the day!
A small price to pay. Thank you!)

We just happened to be in Jamaica in January and we just happened to happen upon (after extensive research) La Casa del Habano. In the flurry of purchasing, I may happened to have thrown these on the counter. I swear I had every intention of laying out cold hard American Express for them, but Valentino accidentally paid for them himself. My intentions were true! My speed and accuracy at pulling a credit card out of my bag...not so much. I blame the cognac the shop proprietor forced*** upon us. 

So, crappyish day over, ending on a pleasing note...like a cigar you're not sure you like in the beginning but you give it a chance because what other choice do you have?**** And at the end, you acquiesce, "That wasn't so bad."

Word.*****

*Actual conversation: "Can we go to Habanos?" "Sure."

**I do not ever question why high school teachers drink, and if they don't, they 1. should or 2. are much better people than I will ever be. Probably both.

***Actual conversation: "Would you like some cognac?" "Yes, please."

****Valentino refuses refuses to quit a cigar. Only once, in all the time cigars and I have been around simultaneously, has he thrown down the stick, cursing it and its evil taste to the end of time. No, I am not going to tell you what it was. That's not how we roll here. We're a kind lot.

*****Whenever I try to sound cool, using the kids' crazy lingo (from this century or last), my dear-hearted son says, "Please don't ever say that again." I expect a text from him in 3...2...