Monthly Staff Picks

Chris

chris

There are very few cigar producers that consistently make amazing & highly-rated cigars. One of them is Arturo Fuente. We just received some of the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Shark from them. The #1 cigar in 2017 of the annual Cigar Aficionado ratings, this is a very unique cigar. Even though the blend is shrouded in mystery, it uses a core of aged Dominican tobaccos surrounded by a gorgeous Cameroon wrapper. While it appears to be a regular rounded belicoso, the foot of the cigar is actually box-pressed (a demi-press so to speak). Flavours of baking spices, butter, coffee, & nuts abound along with a creamy finish. A must try cigar!

Every year our pipe smoking customers eagerly await the release of the Santa’s Smoke, and he is hard at work on the Santa’s Smoke 2024. We are only a few weeks away from its release on November 15th!

Smoke and Enjoy!

Aaron

aaron copy

Back from his Thanksgiving trip to BC where he got to smoke his Brigham Sesquicentennial at Craigelachie, he greatly enjoyed the bowl of MacBaren Vanilla Cream he had within it. Rich & creamy with plenty of notes of Vanilla, this blend is a big crowd pleaser and one that Aaron will surely enjoy while he awaits his next pipe to arrive in store (the Brigham 2024 Pipe of the Year).

He is also quite excited by the number of new cigars in store, but especially for the Hiram & Solomon Veiled Prophet Lancero. This cigar showcases a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper (one of Aaron’s favourite tobaccos). It brings about flavours of cedar, coffee, & caramel along with a finish of earth & pepper. These are becoming one of his favourites.

Stephen

While chocolate and spice and everything nice can be pleasant, sometimes one desires a blend that is easy & reliable! That’s the descriptor for Eau Claire, a mild & smooth burley/cavendish that has plenty of notes of a nice creamy milk-chocolate. This is a great blend to sip on while coming up with your Christmas shopping list.

The My Father Flor de las Antilles line of cigars is one of Stephen’s favourites. Always dependable and consistently well-made, these come in a variety of sizes including a Maduro Toro. They are very reasonably priced and are perfect for any cigar smokers humidor.

Anna

Happy November dear friends!

This transitional part of the season has inspired Anna to recommend a so-called ‘transitional blend’ – one that should help your transition from one style to another of pipe tobacco. There is no shame in enjoying tobaccos with added-flavours, but sometimes a palate can shift, move-on, evolve, or just needs a reset. These are just some of the motivating factors that can lead one towards trying a more natural-tobacco tasting, but still very flavourful blend. Often helpful for moving from aromatics to English blends, in this case she suggests a great one going from aromatics to Virginia blends in Cantina, a blend that provides the aroma of an aromatic but is very Virginia forward. This allows the tobaccos to be highlighted with an aroma of ripe & juicy peach along with a hint of rich cavendish sweetness to keep it approachable. This allows an aromatic smoker to take a big step forward in better appreciating the natural tobacco flavours that can be present.

Speaking of naturally flavourful tobaccos, the Burlington 30th Anniversary XXX is the perfected version of our own House cigar. It is a great example of the expertise in blending San Andres Maduro tobaccos along with Latakia, a smoke-cured tobacco most commonly associated with English-style blends. This toro is rich & smooth with notes of peat, smoke, coffee, & luxurious cocas. It is a super-flavorful specimen with a mild-medium strength & a great price to boot!

Cody

Gird your loins and leap headlong into the fray with the Rocky Patel Edge Maduro Battalion. This medium-bodied Honduran has Nicaraguan filler and binder with a sultry Costa Rican wrapper. A pleasant richness accompanies notes of cocoa and a hint of spice. Put this number in your war chest and you will surely be victorious!

While you ponder what pipe might be appropriate for your early holiday list, puff on a bowl of Nirvana. Soft smoking with fruit and spice notes, this blend will create the perfect atmosphere for transcendence. No matter what you face this coming season, be prepared with exceptional tobacco.