Bob interviews Mark Carlos McGinty, the author of "The Cigar Maker."

Cigar of the Week - Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Serie No. 7 Toro.

The Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta is a beautiful two-tone cigar. The two wrappers create not only a pleasing look but also a new tasting concept. The cigar is first rolled with the Ecuadorian wrapper and then the tip is covered with a rich, dark, sweet Nicaraguan wrapper. The smoker experiences a combination of flavors: a creamy, mellow taste coming from the burning side of the cigar and a sweet and spicy character from the rich Nicaraguan wrapper.

Dark Side - BOLIVAR BOLIVAR NO. 1 TUBOS.

Introduced in 1901, the powerful flavor of the Bolivar cigar range is almost as widely know as it's namesake, Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), the celebrated Venezuelan warrior who liberated what is today Venezuela, Columbia, Peru and Bolivia. The Bolivar cigar brand was developed by the Jose Rocha Cigar Company and manufactured at the El Crepusculo cigar factory, but was later acquired by Menendez, Garcia y Cia cigar manufacturers, and is now produced at the Partagas cigar factory.
In 1901, the Rocha company in Havana, Cuba commemorated Bolivar by naming a new brand of Havana cigars after him, and featuring his portrait on the label and cigar box. At one time the brand included the smallest Havana cigar - the Delgado, measuring 1 7/8 by 20 ring gauge.

Today it is one one of the most sought after Cuban cigar brands delivering quality construction, full flavor and tasty earthy characteristics with a spice overtone and just a hint of caramel sweetness. A well blended and rich habano for your humidor.

Length: 178mm
Ring: 42
Format: Corona
Weight: 9.29 gr
Year brand established: 1901
Tobacco Region: Vuelta Abajo
Cigar Factory: Partagas Factory

Herf Lines from ER Doc (262 Paradigm) and Angry Bill (Jaime Garcia JJ). If you call and leave a cigar review on the herf line and it is played on the show, you will receive a DogWatch Cigar Radio patch! You can reach the Herfline at 321-594-4373 - or cigar.radio on Skype. You can also send email to [email protected].

Origin of the term HERF: From Cigar Craig, http://cigarcraig.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/the-origin-of-the-word-herf/

What else have you been smokin' Dale?

Cain 550 Habanos 5" x 50 - made by Oliva in Nicaragua, these cigars were released a year ago and have become wildly popular. Three different ligero's make up over 80% of the filler blend, creating a rich, exciting carnival of flavors with enough strength & body to keep the seasoned cigar smoker on their toes. The Habano wrapper provides some smoothness and pepper flavors. Deep flavors of leather, roasted nuts and exotic spices provide a complex smoke.

Cubao Maduro No. 5 6.25" x 50 - Filler and binder are all Nicaraguan grown. Wrapper is an Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro. Tons of great flavors with that "Nic Zing"! Full bodied and some strength, but well balanced. Rich earthy tones, natural sweetness and some great spices.

Torano Noventa Torpedo 6.5" x 54 - Wrapper & Binder are of the Habano varietal, grown in Nicaragua. Filler blend is also all Nicaraguan from the Pueblo Nueva, Esteli, Condega and Jalapa regions - all aged 5 years. A very smooth, medium bodied smoke with subtle flavors.

What else have you been smokin' Bob?

Fuente Reserva Xtra Fuerte Anejo - A deep, dark well of flavor and an intoxicating experience. I don't know how long I had been hanging on to this churchill sized cigar. Each time I started to pull it out to smoke I would read Anejo on the band and decide that it deserved more attention. On this evening though I decided to light it up knowing it would be my first and last cigar of the evening (since dinner).

La Flor Dominicana Chisilito - As many of you know, I don't go in for really strong cigars (not talking flavor strong but pure nicotine strength). And so LFD is not my usual smoke, but like many things in life, there are exceptions and the Chisilito is one of the outstanding exceptions. I truly enjoy the berry flavors and spices of this fine perfecto. Perhaps because it is a small perfecto it smokes much lighter than you would expect and that's a good thing because otherwise you might miss the wonderful swirl of flavors from this cigar. If you have wondered what the fuss is about but have have not been able to pull the trigger on a cigar line known for its power, the Chisilito might be the cigar for you. Plus, my wife liked the cigar for its room aroma. She reported a noticeable aroma of berries while I was smoking this cigar.

Padron Londres Natural - At $3.30 each you cannot beat these medium filler cigars from Padron. A true value and worth smoking.

CAO Cameroon - Another of the box pressed cigars on the market. Surprisingly tasteless, this cigar lacked body and character. It was a tag-along smoke for my morning routine neither interferring with nor adding to the experience of my Black Dog Coffee and soft boiled eggs. An average smoke.

La Estrella Cubana Oscuro- Origin: Nicaragua; Wrapper: Costa Rican Maduro; Binder: Brazilian; Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan; Cost: $34.99 per bundle of 20. This is certainly the value cigar for this week. Not a pretty cigar. The pre-light does not reveal much at all as the aroma is very slight. First tastes are chocolate on top of a subtle coffee mixed with occasional tastes of burning paper. The ash looks good and seems solid enough, no burn problems. Overall a milder cigar than you might think which is probably good, as the one dimensional flavor and slight harshness would really kill if this were a stronger cigar. Overall not too bad and worth the price paid. Honestly though, I could not recommend this to anyone with a palate.

La Reloba Habano from Pepin Garcia - really an outstanding cigar and a very nice change up from My Father Cigars. MSRP on a five pack is $28 making these I think, a very reasonably priced cigar. I recommend trying out the La Reloba.

2000 Partagas Lusitania (could also have been 1997???)

Whats My Band - #928 from Joe Fuller at FullersPullers.com- Viaje Platino Reserve No. 5.

Do you have a suggestion for the unbanded cigar of the week? Every week Bob and Dale include an “unbanded cigar” segment in their show in which they smoke a cigar without any markings and give their honest opinions. Bob then opens a sealed envelope and discovers the cigar’s name and manufacturer. If you have suggestions for the "What's My Band?" segment, please send them to [email protected].

Music provided by 25 Smokin' Figurados and The Surfonics.