Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 7 x 50 “Churchill”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: Unknown

My good buddy, Sam Morales, spoke to production manager, Chris Caban, of Kings Cigars and asked him to send me some samples. Chris kindly obliged. He sent me one Conde and two King of Kings. That was about 3 weeks ago. So this will be the first time I will have tried the Conde.

Everything I know about Kings Cigars comes directly from their web site. They attended the trade show this month in Vegas to seek out distributors for their new line of cigars.

I tried to contact Chris to get more info about the company and the cigars but he didn’t return my two emails. I guess he is busy.

“Distribution for Kings Cigars is based in Pompano Beach, FL, while the company boasts a factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and Esteli, Nicaragua. Officials expect that early production ending with a very long aging process will conclude just a few days before IPCPR.”

About Kings Cigars:
“Kings Cigars opened in Pompano Beach in 2011 and is owned by Anwar Mithavayani.
“Kings Cigars has two factories, the first in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and the second in Esteli, Nicaragua. We are blessed to have access to the finest tobaccos in the world, and even more blessed to have the most skilled of hands roll our cigars. Our cigars go through a very rigorous aging process before they end up at our Headquarters in Pompano Beach, Florida. Once the cigars are in the United States we age them a rich Spanish Cedar Humidor room for weeks before they are shipped to the stores. We don’t cut corners; it is what makes us the Kings.”

Now you know as much about them as I do. Will they be big winners? Let’s check out this Conde blend and see what their chances are.

“The Conde is produced in a Churchill, Robusto, Double Corona, and Torpedo sizes with a San Andres Wrapper, Habano Binder, and Nicaraguan Filler. Leathery undertones dominate this highly complex smoke that is sure to please.”

Construction is a bit rustic with a lot of big veins. It is also lumpy in places. The stick has several soft spots. And is rock solid in others. The cap is very sloppy. The dark Mexican wrapper is very oily and smooth.

I clip the cap and the aromas of spice, deep, dark cocoa, leather, cedar, and citrus. Not bad. The spice is very potent on the nose. It is actually making my eyes water just from smelling it.
Time to light up.

The first puffs are enticing. There is a strong earthiness. The draw is perfect and plumes of smoke emit from the foot. The spice gears up immediately in the form of red pepper. Almost jalapeno in its intensity. The char line is excellent, so far. A small amount of creaminess appears which is surprising for it appearing so soon in the process.

There is a strong leather and cedar combo. Clearly, this is a high premium cigar. My gut rarely lies to me.

I tried the King of Kings which is a monster of cigar. It is a 6 x 60 in a perfect box press. But I tried it only one week after receiving it and it was too early. I am going to wait one more week and then review it. That will give it one month and should be enough to test the waters.

The spiciness is on an upward trajectory. And I am only half an inch into the cigar.

This is a big cigar in its own right. I usually shy away from big sticks like this. There is the danger of becoming bored unless it is just a dynamite cigar. Plus a Churchill, or larger, just doesn’t usually have the oomph of a smaller stick. They are flavor challenged compared to a robusto. If given the opportunity to pick, I usually tell a manufacturer to send me robusto, or smaller, for samples.

There is one company that sent me cigars recently. They sent me some sticks that are 8 x 54 or 56. My lord. Who in the hell is going to smoke a cigar that big? And do they know how long it will take to mature in my humidor? Size doesn’t impress me. But then I’m not a woman.

OK, I was killing time because this is a slow burning cigar even though there seems to be spots where there are bits of tobacco missing.

The early ascension of the creaminess makes this a nice cigar from the very start. The combination of the cream, spice, earth, cedar, cocoa and leather make for a great start.

Halfway through the first third a lovely sweetness appears. A caramel treacle kind of sweetness.

If you visit their web site at: http://kingscigars.com/, you will see they have six blends to offer. I don’t know if all six will be available at the same time. You can contact them at: info@kingscigars.com.

The first third ends with a nice flourish. The cigar is meaty with flavors. The body is a classic medium. And an all-around delicious cigar. I plan to eat my words because if this cigar continues on this path of turning into a flavor bomb, then its size is a nice benefit. The last cigar that was rather huge that I loved from start to finish was the Nica Puro. It was a flavor bomb from the beginning, like this one. I ate my words on that review as well.

In fact, I find some similarities to the Alec Bradley Nica Puro in this cigar. The leaf stats are similar. I can’t speak for the processing of them though.

The second third begins like a Creamsicle. The spice has diminished quite a bit. And has become a background flavor like the cedar and leather. The cream, cocoa, and sweetness dominate the profile. With a rich earthiness as their bedrock. Pardon the pun.

A dark and dreary day today in Milwaukee with a thunderstorm about to begin. I apologize for my photos as I depend on sunlight to get the best from them. The rest of the country is sweltering and its 70° here.

The burn line becomes very wavy and I must touch it up a bit. The ash never seems to make it past half an inch before falling off. I’m sure that’s due to the inconsistency of the tobacco rolling. I would have liked a second Conde so I could compare them but it is what it is.

I love the flavor profile on this cigar. I’m trying not to write the King James Bible here as I tend to do when smoking and reviewing a big cigar.

So I will just kick back and watch the lovely big trees from my vantage point at my work station in the dining room.
At the halfway point, the flavors explode. They are joined by a salty pretzel component.

The body is shifting from medium to full now. The nicotine is taking its toll on my head. The laptop screen is getting a bit fuzzy and I am light headed.

The second third begins and the flavors become emboldened. The cigar’s complexity relies on the main flavors I’ve already described. Creaminess, cocoa, sweetness and earth. A new flavor appears. It is a dried fruit element. I believe it is a combination of dates and raisins.

While the cap looked sloppy, it has maintained itself like a champ. No loose tobacco emerged.

I now look forward to reviewing the King of Kings blend as soon as possible.

The last third is more of the same with the flavors going deep and rich. I highly recommend this cigar and you should keep an eye out for it when it appears on the market. In fact, I am very curious about the other blends of this line. Clearly, these folks take their task of blending very seriously.

And now for something completely different:
No sex. No rock n roll. Just some nostalgia.

The ashtray I am using in the photos is 58 years old. My mother and I came to L.A., in 1955, riding the luxurious Santa Fe Super Chief. We departed Cleveland and it was a 3 day trip, if I can remember that far back. My father had gone ahead, a month earlier, to start his new job.

We had a wonderful compartment for sleeping. Even had a shower in it. Meals were gourmet. And the service, impeccable. Yes, I can remember that. Back in the day, train stewards were always African American men. And they were the nicest people on the planet. They looked out for your every need. And a couple took me under their wing for the entire trip. The showed me all the interesting things on a train. And they made sure I finished my vegetables at dinner. I can still see their faces. I had my first bromances at the age of 5 with those men. I followed them around like a puppy. Of course, back then, there was no fear of child abduction or abuse. No one gave that a thought. And I’m sure my mother appreciated me being out of her hair for a bit now and then along that ride.

My mother saved that ashtray which came from the bar car. It was called the Turquoise Room. And is now a legendary part of train history.

I found it out in the garage when I was 18. It was stowed away in my father’s workshop.
I have managed not to lose it or damage it all these years and is one of my prized possessions.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS