Padilla Series 68 Corojo Edicion Limitada 2009 (Salomon) AND The Cigar Stub

ejrpostback: 2010.02.13

This is sort of a dual review, both of my Padilla 68 cigar and my new cigar accessory, The Cigar Stub, noted below.

I split a pack of 10 with my bro last year and have been slowly wheedling away at my stock of 5 sticks. This one, I smoked at the Outlaw after my wife gave me my brainchild-realized: the Cigar Stub. I have for years been proclaiming the benefits of an invention I conceived (I'd say back in 2003 -- aka "aught-3" -- or so) that I then called the "Cigar Arm". Evidently, some brilliant person actually stepped up and engineered just such a device. Wish it had been me!

Cigar Stub Review

The idea was that sometimes the truly best part of a cigar is the wee nub, when you most want to eek the last bits of heartiest flavor from it. Unfortunately, that's also when you find your fingers creeping further back on the most tenuous grasp as the burn encroaches on your fingertips and lips!

So why not invent a device that let's you grasp that last nub gracefully and smoke it down to the last drop? I first thought some kind of bar that t-boned into a horizontal spike at the top could 'spike' the cigar. But later I decided that such an approach would not only be inelegant, but would result in problems with your draw, plumage leak, and possibly destruction or damage to the nub of your stogie. So then I envisioned more of an extended 'clip' that would clamp only as tightly as needed. As some people have said "a roach clip for your cigar".

And with its easily pocket-sized, stainless steel cylinder shape, which extends out into a slick retractable pincher, including a slider to lock the clamp to the desired diameter, this looks like the perfect realization of my brainchild.

Upon further usage, I discovered that the Cigar Stub is the bomb, better than I even realized when I was imagining it years ago. The real incarnation of this idea turns out to do a good job of holding the cigar (no matter what the thickness) without squeezing it too tightly or damaging it. Plus a nice bonus I have come to experience using the Stub is that it actually seems to "focus" the draw a bit more -- delivering you slightly more "directed" puffs, which actually improves your smoking experience. The flavor and especially the draw and the plumage are a bit enhanced by its use.

Now, that said, it is extraneous and perhaps a little goofy-looking in usage, so I don't usually use it until halfway into the cigar or further, but for that last half or quarter of a cigar, I actually find that it not only lets me enjoy the cigar longer, but also actually becomes easier to hold in a relaxed way, without "worrying about it".

Padilla '68 Review

Now I am loathe to review this cigar right now... May have to redo it honestly, because it isn't nearly as awesome as I remember all my previous experiences with the same sticks of that batch.

... [time delay]

Aw, good. I will say the flavor has improved considerably after passing the bulbous peak at the far end. (Initially with THIS instance the flavor had been a bit bitter, but in most other specimens of this type, I didn't have that problem that I recall.) Now, though, after that first quarter, the plumage is thicker and more creamily aromatic, and the puffs are a mixture of tasty cream and spice. It really is a great cigar, and most of my experiences have been a little more straightforward.

• Appearance - 7 \ Large, dark wrapper, cool double band with serialized number, and a funky salomon form factor
  
• Burn - 9 \ Fine
• Draw - 5 \ OK, but a little tight- improved by the Cigar Stub
  
• Plumage - 8 \ Decent - also improved by the Cigar Stub
• Flavor - 8 \ Nice and spicy, full-bodied, with a creamy taste/aroma
  
• Overall - 8 \
• Rt scale - 3 \

That said, I myself am not actually a fan of the funky salomon shape, but it doesn't preclude a good cigar experience. I just find it unwieldy and a little clunky. Also, I did enjoy the cigar with a super-rich white chocolate mocha coffee -- delicious but may have made the stogie initially seem bitter, so you may have to disregard that bit.