My first post here, after being berated by my crew at the DFW Cigar Society....
Just got back from our semi-monthly herf, where I distributed part of a bundle of 50 stick I bought at Havana Dreams on a tourist-y trip through Ybor City/Tampa this past March: "Honey, you go to your convention and have fun, and ole Hubby will start a serious cigar crawl.... "
H.D. rolls a nice medium smoke called the Datil -- a Nic/Hond marriage with a Camaroon wrapper. They were green as hell when I bought 'em this spring, but for a fresh cigar smoked very nicely that day. (**see Green Cigars, below) I took the chance and bought the bundle. After resting for seven months aging in my coolidor, tonight's "proof" of about a dozen sticks brought thumbs-up from our crew.
A commercial rep at our meeting said he didn't think it was a "real" African Camaroon wrapper, but our guru Frank said the "teeth test" (examining the leaf surface for a telltale nap or bumps) wasn't considered a definitive sign of whether the wrapper was an African or West Indies grown Camaroon.
My first stick was a great flavor, but it scared me -- the construction was very loose, the draw way too easy with actual cold spots! I thought I had bombed out on the purchase and was ready to pass out the apologies. But the other members liked theirs fine, so I tried two more. They had consistently good construction, and a generous draw with lots of smoke, even burn, and a nice compact ash. (Nothing like a nice compact ash, I always say!) So, I consider my first stick a fluke. Glad it was mine and not one of my buds!
The Datil tasted mildly sweet on the tongue at first -- not flavored, or as pronounced a sweetness as say, a Baccarat -- but a rather pleasant surprise on the initial draw. The stick settled into a fine round smoke, and what I'd characterize as a great morning selection. For my "tourist gamble" in a low-volume hand-rolling boutique, I figured I came out way ahead.
If you've never been to Ybor city before, make it a must-see if you're ever near the Tampa/St.Pete area. This little shop is smack in the entry to Ybor City's main restored commercial center, easily accessible by the Trolley. Don't be put off by its retail look and their quaint tobacco-leaf thatch along the inside walls -- this is a good store for a well-made regional smoke at a very reasonable $3 price point. Add in that you get a "floor-show" watching them get rolled, and a nice Cuban coffee with the purchase of your "taste test" stick, and it's a nice relaxing start to your tour of Ybor's cigar heritage. Follow it up with a vist across the way to the Cigar museum and learn more about Ybor City's major impact in U.S. Cigar Mfg, then start wandering about all the shops.
**Caveat: Green (freshly rolled) cigars such as this should be smoked "today", or laid down in a humidor or coolidor for 6 months plus. The fresh one I smoked in their shop had a great taste, but at a few points had hints of ammonia (layover from fermentation). Trying them during the initial aging time of six months will be a disappointment. Let me re-phrase that -- you'll hate them while they're maturing. Let them rest and try them later. It's worth the wait.
Reminder: Fill up your tank before Election Day.
