This week Big Pete from Australia calls in on the Herf Line to review the 7-20-4 cigar that he won in one of DogWatch Cigar Radio's recent contests. The Cigar of the Week is the Toro Y Leon Habano Claro Exclusivo. Bob interviews Andrei Llona, the owner of Toro Y Leon. Bob and Dale are stumped by Jeff Curtis in the What's My Band? segment of the show by Jeff's Avo Heritage Short Robusto cigar. Ron Barker of The Virginia Wine and Cigar Trail interviews Unicorn Winery staff about cigar pairings. CigarJockey shares a video review of the Esencia Robusto at http://youtu.be/pzFNm0ibV0c. Scott Rohrer wins a box of Commonwealth Cedar Spills and Carl Holtman wins a five-pack of of La Tradicion Cubana cigars during the live show chatroom. Bob gives a special thanks to Derek Mathews for his recent letter.

JOIN DOGWATCH CIGAR RADIO AT ITS VERY FIRST HERF on July 27th and July 28th at Tranquilo Cigars in Melbourne Florida (about 1 hour's drive from Orlando, 2 hour's drive from Tampa and 3 hour's drive from Miami). Tickets are $35 and only 25 spots are available for this intimate gathering. Friday night will feature a live DWCR show with everyone in the crowd experiencing the Cigar of the Week and the Unbanded cigar. Saturday we will have a Tasting seminar, meetings with manufacturers, lunch and door prizes. Each registrant will receive a gift bag worth more than the $35 admission fee. To reserve your spot now, email [email protected].

Check out the live show! Go to http://www.cigarmedia.tv/live/ where the show is broadcast live most Friday evenings at 9 PM EST. Be a part of the show while participating in the chatroom.

Enter April's Palio contest to win a black Palio cutter by sending a photo of you or your friends enjoying a cigar to [email protected]. (Don't forget to include your mailing address and type "Palio" on the subject line.) To see the contest pictures, click on the Contest icon on the www.cigarmedia.tv home page. Remember you must re-enter each month to be eligible to win. March's contest winner of a black Palio cutter is David Dennis.

Cigar of the Week - Toro y Leon Habano Claro Exclusivo

This exceptional cigar is a mélange of carefully selected and extremely aged tobacco leaves from Toro y Leon's fields in Esteli and Jalapa Valley in Nicaragua. Born from Cuban-seed long-filler and binder, these cigars are all draped in a rare Habano-seed “desflorado” wrapper. The plants require constant vigilance and when the flower buds are just getting ready to bloom they are cut off giving the tobacco an extra rich and smooth flavor, making this type of wrapper to be among the best and the most expensive available anywhere. Other Habano Claro sizes:

RETAIL NAME


FACTORY NAME


RING GAUGE


LENGTH
Dorado No. 2 Viñetas 50 6"
Prominente Selección No.3 50 7-3/4"
Histórico Selección No.1 48 7"
Exclusivo Julietas 46 7"
Elegancia Calypsos 35 7-1/4"
No. 4 Populares 42 5"
Famoso Deliciosos No. 2 52 5"
Prestancia Centro No. 2 38 6-1/4"



What else have you been smokin' Dale?

El Centurion Robusto - 5” x 50 - A Nicaraguan puro made by Pepin Garcia utilizing Criollo ‘98 and Corojo ‘99 tobaccos that were matured for 3 years prior to rolling wrapped in an oily Habano leaf. This line was kicked off with only 850 boxes in 2007. Coffee, spice, caramel, cedar and roasted nuts are just some of the well balanced flavors in the full bodied smoke. The cigar starts off with that signature Pepin pepper in a creamy base. A light fruitiness like Bartlet pears appears occasionally throughout the cigar. The room aroma is bold and leathery. A truly wonderful cigar that pairs well with coffee or good brandy. Thanks to Paul P. for sharing this cigar - it’s right in my wheelhouse!

La Escepcion Edicion Regional Italia, Selectos Finos (panatela) - 6.5” (166mm) x 38 - This regional edition revives an old Cuban brand that was established in the 1850’s and was discontinued in 1989. Habanos SA released 2000 boxes of this in 2011 for the Italian market, packaged in dress boxes of 25. Many thanks to Mark Neff for giving me the opportunity to try this cigar, which by the way, is a cigar worthy of a limited edition. Superior construction with a silky smooth Colorado Claro wrapper. The draw is just barely snug at the start, but opens up nicely after about ½”. Medium bodied, cool smoke is produced in spades, with a sweet cedar and light earthy core of flavors. The cigar is complex, offering additional flavors all along it’s length - black tea, citrus, sugar cane sweetness, light coffee and mild white pepper are just some of the overtones that easily were noted. A very nice cigar with a sophistication to it. Perfect anytime, but one I’d especially choose for a formal occasion.

What else have you been smokin' Bob?

CAO OSA SOL Lot 50
Cabaiguan Maduro Robusto - Craig inspired me.
Also smoked more of the Flor de Copan - not a bad filler stick..

What's My Band?- This week's unbanded, the Avo Heritage Short Robusto cigar was provided by Jeff Curtis.

Bob:
Distinct hay aroma on the prelight sniff test. It's a nubby or what is now being called a half corona by some. Paired with Frogs Leap Chardonnay 2010 which is a herbal, astringent, crisp wine, the cigar is medium flavored but too much strength. The Cigar has a nutty retrohale. Together, the cigar is elevated with more smoothness and less bitter flavor. This cigar seems to burn hot and has a leathery, nutty retrohale but with too much nicotine. Wine was GR8T with or without the cigar. Last ⅓ of the cigar I got some leather and coffee flavor but it was too late to save this stick. Now I need to brush my teeth...

Dale:
Peaty barnyard aroma on the prelight. Wrapper is a gorgeous, oily Colo Maduro color. Good draw and good construction. Full bodied with a leather core. Some toffee sweetness, coffee and a touch of toasted nuts. Copious amounts of cool smoke. Some tannins in the last half gave good balance to the savory flavors. A bit strong, but not overly - best for pairing with a peaty Scotch like Lagavulin or Talisker, or maybe a big tawny Port. I think Honduras tobacco, no guess as to mfg.

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, or would like to provide 2-4 What's my Band? cigars, please email [email protected]. Anyone providing samples will receive a DogWatch Cigar Radio pin and sticker!

Do you have a Cigar Review or a comment about the show? If you call and leave a cigar review or comment on the herfline and it is played on the show, you will receive a DogWatch Cigar Radio pin and sticker! You can reach the Herfline at 321-594-4373 - or cigar.radio on Skype. You can also send email to [email protected].

Music provided by the Figurados and The Surfonics.

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