Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan, Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan, Connecticut Broadleaf
Size: 5.5 x 54 “Belicoso”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $8.00

I reviewed this cigar about 9 months ago while working for an online cigar store. I felt it was time to do it on my blog. And besides, this was a gift from a terrific guy who I shall talk about in the little rock n roll story at the end of the review.

The cigar has been around long enough that most of you probably know its heritage. This stick was the conception of Janny Garcia, Pepin Garcia’s daughter. It has been produced in the famous My Father factory in Nicaragua.
And to up the anty, Pete Johnson of Tatuaje blended the cigar. And La Duena translates to “The owner, or boss.”

The band always startles me as it looks like grandma’s pendant from 1901. Or those portraits made from cutting paper of your profile and pasting it to some sort of backing and then framing it. It is a real throwback to the early 20th century. There is no telling if the profile is that of Janny. But common sense would dictate it is.

This stick has some decent aging on it. It has a mottled wrapper consisting of dark coffee bean brown with darker brown, or black, spots…sort of like a Brindle colored dog. There is a nice oily sheen.

The stick is hard as a rock…yet with gentle pressure has the right amount of give. Seams are tight but a little sloppy in places and there are very few veins. It looks like it is a double cap.

I snifferoo and detect notes of cocoa, coffee, earth, and spices. The scent from the foot is redolent of sweet tobacco. The pre-light draw has some cocoa and sweetness.

I decide to V cut the cap so as to leave the nice belicoso cap intact. And I light up.

The first puffs explode with cocoa. There is coffee in the mix of sweetness and cedar as well. A small amount of black pepper lies in the background. There is a great deal of earthiness in there.

This is not your typical Garcia or Tat start to a cigar. It actually starts off nicely balance. No Garcia, or Tatuaje, blast of pepper. And the flavors hit the ground running. I wasn’t expecting this as I haven’t smoked this cigar since my review 9 months ago. I’ve also noticed that the price has gone up around 20% since then.

The draw is great and the char line is close to perfect. I am sucking huge wads of cocoa so I grab my Diet Coke.

At the one inch mark, the cigar invites loads of creaminess to the party. Cocoa and creaminess make a great pair. I don’t remember the cigar I reviewed having this much oomph so early. But then this cigar is aged almost a year, and the other was aged a few weeks. I got a lot of pressure from that store owner to review the cigar ASAP. He didn’t care that it might not be ready to smoke. I finally left his employ because I was reviewing cigars on sheer potential only. I felt like a real whore.

The cigar’s sweetness adds the perfect component to the other two flavors. The spice still hangs back. I’m sure the aging took a little kick out of the pepper.

As I leave the first third, the sweetness leaps forward. It overwhelms the creaminess and the cocoa. Not by much. It’s not a fruity sweetness but rather, one that comes from the tobacco leaves without any interference from something fruity.
I take a few puffs and then a swig of my Diet Coke and the cocoa just rams itself to the front of the line. Very much like a chocolate soda…with vanilla ice cream.

The halfway mark brings a serious amount of complexity to the game. The flavors are on an even keel with a deep richness and earthiness. The balance is perfection and there is a nice long finish.

Throughout the first half, the draw has been perfect…the char line has not wavered, and not a single loose piece of tobacco at the cap. An extremely well-crafted cigar.

It’s obviously been a while since Janny Garcia released this cigar and there has been nothing since in her name. Don’t know why. She was definitely on the right track.

Due to the fine balance of the flavors, this cigar does not become a flavor bomb. The flavors are subtle and full of finesse. The body has been medium from the get go and remains there as I begin the last third.

The sweet tobacco, cocoa and creaminess flavors are a real delight. The cigar’s aging has done a real number on this stick giving it nuance and shading.

The ash is strong and at this point has only come off in two sections.

The last third sees the strength of the cigar increase and hit the full bodied mark. The sweet tobacco moves aside to add a sweet caramel-like flavor. Probably brought on by that natural sweetness and the creaminess. The cigar is so smooth; you could probably ice skate on it.
The body really ramps up in the last couple of inches. The nicotine has me by the balls. And won’t let go.

As I finish the cigar, all I can think of is getting some more. I highly recommend this cigar. It is extremely flavorful although the flavors are somewhat limited. But the experience of smoking this stick is very pleasant.
I hope Janny takes another step in working with Pete Johnson in developing another blend.

And now for something completely different:

This is the story of Dave the Griffgator. He was a roadie to some of the biggest English rock bands in the 1970’s. And my band, Curved Air was lucky to have him on several tours.

Now Dave had that nickname for one reason only. His last name was Griffis and he could pull chicks from the audience and present them to the band like no one else. He could move through the audience with the sleekness of an alligator; smooth and almost unnoticed.

Before each gig, the Griffgator would troll the audience and bring a dozen good looking chicks back to our dressing room. Darryl, the band leader, liked to grab a bunch of folding chairs and form then in a half circle facing me and him.

The Griffgator brought all the chicks in within minutes of the crowd getting big.

And Darryl and I would have some fun. We would interview them like a game show. We’d ask where they were from, what they did, were they in school, etc.

The young girls, all over 21 mind you. Back then, we played a lot of universities because that’s where the big arenas were. So there were also a few typical English pubs…and that’s where the Griffgator patrolled.

Now Curved Air had a dynamic chick singer. She was voted more than once, the sexiest female singer in Europe by leading rock magazines. And yes, I poked that. She went both ways and was once a Playboy bunny and in the original London version of “Hair.” Where she gladly took her clothes off.

Darryl and I had a marvelous time with the girls and then they would be ushered out and the Griffgator would bring in new ones. All the girls were giddy with excitement. They were in the dressing room of one of the biggest bands in Europe. And both Darryl and I were studs at the time.

Now back to the chick singer. She was the epitome of dynamic on stage. She provided a persona that the male band were her boys. Hers. Hers only. She swooped in and around us during our long improvisations within the body of the songs. With a classically trained keys player and a classically trained violinist, and me….we had oodles of places to go within those woodshed moments.

The chick dressed extremely sexy and one reviewer fixated his whole review about being able to see her nipple through the shredded dress she wore….
So the down side to being in a band like this is this….The band was bigger than life on stage. And so was our singer.

She intimidated the girls in the audience. And on average, maybe one or two would come back to the dressing room after the gig. They were all invited back but few came. The chick just scared the shit out of them. Of course, the chick singer loved having girls around too because of her proclivity to go both ways. So, she too, was disappointed.

It is a known fact in the rock n roll biz that the head roadies usually go back to the hotel with the best looking girls. They have the ability to work the crowd while the band is playing and charm the panties off these naïve girls.

The Griffgator would always have the most striking girl at his side after the concert. It made the band jealous. But the Griffgator was smoother than we were. And he was a magnificent looking man. As good looking as Darryl and I were, we were no match for him.

His opening line was to ask a girl if she would like to meet the band. From there, he would keep a keen eye on her throughout the concert; and as we retreated from the stage after our fourth encore, he would quickly, and efficiently, bring the girl back…a quick intro…and then whisk her away back to the stage where he oversaw the breaking down of an 18 wheeler’s worth of equipment.

The Griffgator would take breaks from his work and find a dark, secluded place in the arena to have sex with his new friend. He did this two or three times as breaking down the gear took a good two hours. After finishing their job, the roadies would take their women back to the hotel, do their thing, make them leave, and then get two hours sleep before they got up again in the early morning and take off to the next gig. Meanwhile, the band got up leisurely, had breakfast, and would take off for the gig in the car around 10 or 11am.

The Griffgator was famous in the rock community for his abilities. He was sought after by everyone.
I wonder what he is doing today.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS