Great Low-Buck Stogie: El Mejor Espresso Churchill

The El Mejor Espresso Churchill is a nice box-pressed Churchill that's dark and mean-looking and, last time I checked, available for the low price of about $45 a box online. Friends of mine are winning these like mad on cigarbid, and so I managed to get my greedy hands on one.

This is not a bad cigar for the price. In fact it would even be a decent cigar at twice the price - this time the marketing catalogs aren't lying.

The one I tried had a perfect draw and smooth, potent maduro flavor right off the bat. It reminded me of the lower-end Padron maduros (londres, ambassador, etc). Somewhat sweet, woody and salty, the flavor got more intense as the cigar burned down, maintaining quality until about the last third, which is about the most you can expect from a Churchill. The burn was a bit jagged and needed a touch-up or two, but I've had expensive Camachos that burned worse.

Worth a try. You might find yourself buying a whole box when you're done.

Finally a Good Hemingway: Short Story

Had my second Fuente Hemingway "Short Story" (teeny mini-perfecto) since trying one about 2 years ago and being generally unimpressed. This time I had to admit it was a quality smoke. It's the first Hemingway I've had that's burned right and tasted good from beginning to end.

I might change my opinion on the Hemingway cigar hysteria if I start getting more experiences like this. One thing I did differently was snip a tiny bit off the tapered foot so it would light easier. I've never had to do that with other perfectos, but it really seemed to make a difference on this one. The burn was consistent and the flavor stayed rich and robust.

I got this one from Cigars Direct and they take obvious care in their warehousing and shipping.

A nice little 30-minute cigar if you can afford it.