Wrapper: Nicaraguan Candela
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo ‘99
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo ‘98
Size: 6.75 x 48 “Corona Gorda”
Body: Full
Price: $6.80

I’ve never been a fan of the Candela leaf. As a wrapper, it is exceedingly delicate and tears like tissue paper. Next to that, I’ve found that the cigars I’ve smoked with a Candela wrapper weren’t very good cigars to begin with; or they were just too mild. And flavorless.
But now we are talking about Don Giolito. I have great respect for this man and I doubt he would do anything to his blends just to be hip and happening. So there is a deliberate cause and reason behind this addition to his line of fine cigars. Not to mention, his brand is synonymous with “Full Bodied.”

And if you ask your comrades about their thoughts about Candela you will probably hear back the same thing I just wrote. “Really not interested.”
Yet, back in the 1950’s, Candela was all the rage. This was called the American Market Selection. But as palates became more sophisticated, the desire for this wrapper declined. And I’m sure that manufacturers took a deep breath of relief as desire faded. Why? Because the Candela wrapper is extremely hard to cultivate and is not user friendly for the torecedores.

There are three blends that use the Candela wrapper: “88’, ‘888’, & ‘hl’.

I have a couple given to me as a gift by a wonderful friend who wants to remain anonymous. These sticks have some serious humi age on them and they show a bit of wear from being tousled. A nick, here and there, of the wrapper.

Construction is very good on this difficult cigar to construct. It has the triple cap. The wrapper glistens with oils. And is extremely smooth to the touch. The veins really stand out as white thorough fares on a map. This cigar got a little smooshed and is close to being an oval. There is a softness to both of the cigars in my possession. I don’t know if this is because of how it is manufactured, or it is a glitch, or they were over humidified. I dry boxed them and they seem to be a bit more solid than yesterday. So who knows.

I clip the cap and sniff for aromas. I can’t help but notice that after clipping the cap, staring down at it, there is a beautiful scene of the offset between the green wrapper and the brown tobacco. Almost like art.

I can’t seem to smell much; some spice, some grassy notes, and some dark cocoa.
Time to light up.

The first puffs are delightful. There is a punch from the black pepper. And a wonderful natural tobacco flavor. A slight hint of cocoa. The draw is spot on. And reams of smoke fill the room. Too early to determine the char line. The cigar does not start out as mild bodied; but rather, just shy of medium.

Exceptional in its delicacy. And delicate in its flavors. The cigar’s strength is on a quest to climb this ladder to full body. Each puff feels stronger than the previous.

Flavors that emerge are vanilla and sweetness which go hand in hand nicely. I go by the old Cigars 101 rule of only taking puffs about once a minute. This stabilizes the cigar’s burn and flavors. And gives the palate a chance to re-fit.

Surprisingly, this is not an expensive cigar. Other good Candelas can cost much more. So Dion is doing us all a solid.

I like the shape and size of this stick. I specifically like the small ring gauge of 48. This allows for the flavor profile to really shine. And the almost 7” length allows for an enduring enjoyment length of time. A lot of cigar makers call this size a Churchill. Which is ridiculous. Have you ever seen the size of the cigars that Winston Churchill smoked? They were huge. Not 7 x 48. They seemed, at least, 6 x 60; if not bigger. I have no idea how the mis-naming occurred.

The char line, at the 1” point, is near perfect with only the slightest bit of wave. And it seems to want to stay put. I would think that the delicate wrapper would induce the ash to fall off in smaller increments. And as I finish writing this, the ash falls down.

The flavor profile has not changed. It is what I call a very pleasant cigar. It is clearly a premium cigar worthy of the brand. But, inherent to its wrapper, there is a delicacy that cannot be overlooked.

The trifecta of flavors: cocoa, vanilla, and tobacco sweetness are the driving force.
The cigar is nearly at the end of the first third and the strength is now classic medium.

The second third sees the spiciness ratchet up. And the two flavors seek a bolder stance. This is one of those special cigars that is an experience rather than a byproduct of your environment. It should be savored and never ignored. It requires focus and intent. Like making love, for the first time, to someone you love dearly, it must be attended to with care and finesse. This ain’t a golf course cigar.

Creaminess joins the fray. It gives the other flavors a giant boost. The sweetness, especially.

I hit the halfway point and the cigar is delicious in its own delicate manner. The creaminess is really bringing out the cocoa now. There is no “grassy” taste like I read in so many other reviews. Aging, my friends, aging. There isn’t a hint of green flavor.

The body is stuck at medium. I am hoping the last third explodes on my palate.

The last third begins and the cigar is officially a flavor bomb. The only flavors to have been added are subtle ones. Like some light coffee, dried fruit, and honey.

The strength begins to kick up now. As my eyesight deteriorates, the cigar is heading towards full bodied.
So far, I have invested more than an hour in smoking this stick.

My only criticism of this cigar is minor. The waviness of the burn line. It started out fine but then became a constant wave. Once, I had to retouch it. But it never got even close to the canoe stage.

The cigar finishes out wonderfully. Full of flavor and character. And a delicate balance between strength and content. At this price point, everyone can enjoy this cigar. And if you are not a Candela lover, this cigar will change your mind.

And now for something completely different:
The “Back in the Day Chronicles”

I had lightly touched upon, in an earlier review, about what it was like being a teen and young adult in the 1960’s. Seeing and hearing all those wonderful “classic rock” bands that were making huge strides in the music business…and for the era.

I saw them all. Jimi, The Doors, Mamas & Papas, Simon and Garfunkel, Buffalo Springfield, CSN & Y, The Who, the original Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and a gazillion other burgeoning bands. I even saw ZZ Top in a dive bar in Anaheim. Wearing matching three piece business suits with short hair. There were about 10 people there and during their breaks we were privileged to listen to stories from Billy Gibbons. The guitarist in my band, Homegrown….noticed that they had Marshall amps, turned towards the wall with packing blankets over them. From that day forward, Mike used that exact same method when the band played out.

This is an anecdote about the great band, “The Byrds,” “Mr. Tambourine Man, 8 Miles High, So you Want to be a Rock and Roll Star, My Back Pages, Feel a Whole Lot Better, and Turn, Turn, Turn.” Just to name a few.

This band was like a comet. They appeared and disappeared just as quickly. They flamed out early. But in their wake, they left a huge list of songs that are now classics. They also covered a lot of Bob Dylan songs. They were actually compared to the Beatles. And I agree with that. They were innovative and brilliant.

But they couldn’t stand each other. In the 80’s, I met their lawyer. That is to say, their lawyer while they were together and he told me all the dirt on the band. It was heartbreaking to hear his stories because they had so much potential that was never reached.
They played very few concerts. So getting a ticket to one was like gold.

And then in the summer of 1967, they decided to play a legendary folk club in Huntington Beach, Ca. Called “The Golden Bear.” It was right on Pacific Coast Hwy across from the pier. It was a club, not an arena. And maybe sat 150 people if squeezed in beyond fire code rules. The seats were church pews.

Obviously, I had no chance of getting a seat. They were all taken my music insiders. So my good friend, Elliot; who wrote for the high school newspaper…came up with an idea.

Why not pretend we were reporters for the Long Beach Press Telegram and ask to interview them for the paper. Now we figured that there would be a gaggle of press, but not a single reporter covered this night.

We called the Bear and asked to come. Later in the day, the Byrds’ manager called me at home and said we could cover the event. I almost shat myself.
I told Elliot and we were ecstatic. We had no idea at the time, that we would be the only reporters there.

So I grabbed the nice Sony reel to reel tape recorder that my grandfather bought me for my Bar Mitzvah at 13. And we brought note books for interviews.

We got there before the concert and just in time to be escorted to the band’s dressing room. And there they were: Jim McGuinn, David Crosby, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke. The original and founding members.

They whole heartedly accepted us and wouldn’t let us leave their company. They were the nicest rock stars I ever met. Down to earth. Centered. And high as kites.

Crosby took my expensive Polaroid and showed me tricks I could do with it by double exposure techniques. McGuinn let me hold his famous Rickenbacker 12 sting guitar. The core of the band’s sound.

The band did three sets for three different audiences and we got to stay the entire night. I got so cocky that I actually walked out in front of the stage to take photos while they were playing. And while they were playing, they all yelled into their microphones, “Hi Phil!!”
I can’t describe the thrill.

Chris Hillman played a Hofner (Beatle bass). I had one too. My first bass I bought used at a pawn shop. His was all tricked out.
During the breaks of the sets, they just hung out in the dressing room and we were expected to hang with them. They smoked joints but would not let us smoke any. Rock stars with a conscious. As the booze flowed, they got funnier and funnier and began to tell road stories that had us laughing so hard, we cried.

After the gig, McGuinn agreed to do a taped interview. 45 minutes. And I still have the tape.

It was over way too soon. You would have needed a winch to pull me down from Cloud 9. We hung as long as possible as we watched them load their guitars into the cases. We followed them out to their limo and both Elliot and I, got big hugs from the entire band. They left us with something I will never forget. “You know…we wish all the reporters that dog us were like you fellas. You are a great couple of guys and we will always think of you when we do those lousy interviews.”
I swooned.

Crosby grabbed me once more and actually gave me a peck on the cheek. He told me, “You’re a cool kid, my friend. Don’t change.”
The next day, I wrote an article about the evening and submitted it to Tiger Beat Magazine.

Two weeks later, I got my document back totally engulfed in red ink. With a note saying thanks but no thanks. I was crushed for a moment. But then I remembered that night and no dipshit at a teeny bopper magazine would ruin it for me.

Elliot and I had balls. And a lot of luck, with the Cosmic Muffin smiling down on us that night.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS