In The Humidor

Paul Joyal’s Ocean State Cigars debuts a Double Robusto addition to the J. Grotto

Anniversary boutique premium cigar line. The 5-1/2" x 54 cigar is offered in box-pressed configuration, sought after for its comfort in the mouth and fingers.

The Anniversary line is hand-made with 100% long-filler tobacco. The Double Robusto shares the same blend and construction details as the four original Anniversary shapes. Its double-capped wrapper is a naturally fermented maduro Connecticut-grown broadleaf, while the binder is a Dominican-grown Habano. Joyal is guarded about the special blend the factory has provided, saying only that it is Dominican and “other Central American tobaccos.” The Anniversary line is blended and manufactured by Phil Zanghi, whose Dominican operation shares factory space with the Reyes’ family of tobacco producers, who supply 70% of all the

tobacco used by Dominican cigar makers. One can expect the Anniversary to use some of these top-quality tobaccos.

Like all Anniversary shapes, the Double Robusto is a medium-bodied cigar, departing from

all other J. Grotto cigars, which are medium-full to full-bodied. Joyal, with decades of premium cigar experience, notes that, “Although many cigar lovers rave about full-bodied cigars, most buy medium-bodied brands. Make no mistake, Anniversary’s rich flavor is the full equal of highly-touted full-bodied cigars … many of which actually lack flavor, despite their power.

“Anniversary has earned the term ‘succulent,’ with a classic Connecticut broadleaf sweetness, plus some subtleties like cocoa, coffee and nuts. For smooth smoking, all tobaccos are aged at least 3 years; the finished cigars another 3-4 months.”

The high-quality Spanish cedar box holds 10 cigars and bears artwork that reflects the special nature of the Anniversary name. The line’s 2014 debut marked a year of wedding anniversaries for Joyal’s family … his parents’ 65th and Joyal and his wife’s 30th. Gold coins in the box art also bear the initials of several immediate family members. Joyal describes what he thinks is Anniversary’s most appealing feature … “superpremium quality and performance at a consumer- friendly price … $8.50.” Like all J. Grotto cigars, the Anniversary Double Robusto is available only to brick-and- mortar tobacco shops … not Internet and mail-order discounters.

Fans of premium-quality San Andrés wrapper leaf are gonna want to check out, Black Abyss, a brand-new handrolled premium cigar crafted by José “Jochy” Blanco, the guy who grows the leaf for a bunch of Boutique Blends cigar brands, including Aging Room and Swag, both of which have collected tons of high ratings in cigar magazines (the Aging Room Quattro F55 Concerto took second place in Cigar Aficionado’s top 25 of 2013). Anyway…

Black Abyss is handmade at Tabacalera Palma in the Dominican Republic and, while it is full bodied, it’s cleverly designed for not just smokers of super-strong cigars. It’s got that big, rich, bold flavor often associated with a San Andrés wrapper and it does contain some potent ligero leaf, but along with the blend’s hearty, zesty notes of dark coffee, this cigar begins and ends with a sweetness while a smooth creaminess remains throughout, making it a great choice for medium-bodied cigar fans who want to step it up in strength.

Black Abyss’s construction is top-notch, as evidenced by its extremely even burn and draw, which are made even better by an exceptionally appealing aroma.
Jochy Blanco’s Black Abyss is made in four sizes (each featuring a somewhat sinister name: Banshee, Cerberus, Hydra, and Wraith) packed in boxes of 20 cigars. If all that’s piqued your interest, you’ll be glad to know that Black Abyss cigars are also pretty reasonably priced. Starting in July, you’ll find them exclusively at JR Cigar.

Kurt A. Kendall has introduced a new boutique cigar in time for Fall, 2014. “Factory 57” is a 100% long-filler, all handmade premium cigar that features a complex five-nation blend.  Kendall’s continuing research into the history of his boutique cigar company’s namesake, 7-20-4 Cigars has unearthed information on the venerable brand, whose factory was located in Manchester, New Hampshire, near Kendall’s present headquarters. Opening its doors in 1874, it grew to become the world’s largest supplier of premium cigars, until the Cuban Embargo cut off its supply of Havana leaf. The original 7-20-4 Cigars died in 1964.  The name “Factory 57″ refers to the US federal government’s official designation of 7-20-4 as a licensed and taxed manufacturer of premium cigars. The tax amounted to 20 cents per box of 20 premium cigars.

Factory 57 is a medium-to-full-bodied cigar. Kendall describes the flavor profile as “bold, full, yet very smooth, with distinct creaminess. The filler consists of a high-primed Jalapa (Nicaragua) Habano wrapper leaf, whose upper location on the plant produces a more resinous tobacco. The binder is from the Costa Rican fields of tobacco giant Nestor Plasencia, while the filler blend is Honduran, Nicaraguan, San Andreas (Mexican) and Colombian. Three years of tobacco aging and six months of cigar aging can be credited for the mellow and harmonious smoking experience.

Factory 57’s shapes and manufacturer’s suggested retail pricing are: 6″ x 46 Corona ($6.75), 5″ x 50 Robusto ($7.25), 7″ x 50 Churchill ($8.25) and 6″ x 60 Gordo ($9.00). The cigars are entubado bunched for plug-free, even-burning smokes. The wrapper tobacco is triple-fermented, which prevents bitterness in the latter part of the smoke. About then, the smoker also notices the head does not get soggy and unravel in his mouth, due to the double cap on the head.

When asked what sets this cigar apart, Kendall responds with, “It’s a small-batch limited release. If Factory 57 goes the way its predecessors have, it’ll find its way into our regular catalog of boutique cigars.”The cellophane-tubed cigars are packaged 20 cigars to an attractive Spanish cedar box. They will be appearing on retailers’ shelves in October.