Good Cheap Shortie

I went to my local shop last night and searched out the smallest hand-rolled cigars they had. One of them was the El Rey Del Mundo Cafe au Lait, a slim panatella/demitasse sized cigar measuring 4.5 inches by 35 ring.

The guy behind the counter said it was a decent smoke with a bit of eastern spiciness. He also qualified that by saying no small cigar can truly mimic the experience of a good thick-ringed cigar, and that slender cigars are bound to burn hotter.

I don't mind, I said. I'm on a quest to find a decent 20 minute cigar to aviod freezing my ass off in winter. I told him my preferences ranged from Rocky Patel to Puros Indios to Gurkha. On the strong side, not mild. Well then, he said, the El Rey is as good a bet as any.

Upon first lighting, I was delighted to find that this skinny specimen churned out ample amounts of hearty smoke, with a bit of dusty spice on the palate. It had a nice, dry fullness, not the throat-constricting kind that makes you lunge for a glass of water. Yes, it burned slightly hotter than I'm used to, but by slowing the pace between puffs, I was able to keep it from becoming a problem.

This cigar was excellent for the job at hand: To provide a robust smoking experience that didn't require me to sit for 90 minutes in a lounge full of sad-looking cigar lizards avoiding eye contact with each other and pretending to be enthralled by a Brad Pitt movie. I spent about 15 minutes chatting with the shop owner, another few minutes watching the Pitt vehicle, and a few more minutes outside finishing the cigar as I walked to my car. I was surprised to find that a cigar this small would occupy me for half an hour. Not quite the 20 minute cigar I was looking for, but close enough.

And the price? Although I paid $2.50 for it in the shop (in this most highly taxed of states), I looked it up online and found that you can get a 24-count box for 24 bucks. So basically, it's a one dollar cigar. Not bad for a buck. In fact pretty darned good.

I'll be comparing this to a few other brands in the 35-ring size, to see if anything in particular stands out. So far this one's the winner.