Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Ecuadorian Cuban Seed
Filler: Triple Nicaraguan Cuban Seed
Size: 5 x 52 “Robusto”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $9.00

Unveiled at the 2013 IPCPR trade show, this line of Galerones blends produced a very positive reaction. According to Glen Case, owner of Kristoff, this is one big step for mankind. Of the four blends, the Intensivo is the strongest one. This line is also the most expensive.

The blends all come in four sizes: Robusto, Toro, Torpedo and Gordo.

And they are: Kristoff Galerones Series Ceniza De Plata, Kristoff Galerones Series DR4, Kristoff Galerones Series Sentido, and the Intensivo reviewed on February 2.. Only the Intensivo is box pressed in all four sizes. In order of strength starting with the strongest are: Intensivo, Sentido, Centiza de Plato, and the DR4.

The cigars are being manufactured at the PDR Cigars factory in the DR. Abe Flores provided some very distinct directions and help in developing this line. Case liked Flores so much that he plans to continue working with him in the future.
From Kristoff’s web site:
“Ceniza De Plata, meaning “Silver Ash”, is an extremely rich medium-full bodied cigar with pronounced notes of spice, a hint of black pepper, sweet milk chocolate and a smooth coffee and cream finish. When you smoke this cigar, you’ll know why it’s called “Ceniza De Plata”.”

The construction is extremely rustic. The triple cap is very sloppy. Some seams are visible and the stick is covered in small and large veins. The San Andres wrapper is a dark cocoa brown with plenty of oil and very toothy.

I clip the cap and get aromas of spice, coffee, cocoa, and fruit…maybe blackberry.
Time to light up.

The first puffs are fruity and spicy. Then cocoa and espresso. Like the Intensivo I reviewed, the cigar gets down to business quickly. No hanging about. The spiciness is black pepper this time out. And I’m getting a blast of it.

The cigar finds a nice richness within the first half inch. The earthy character delivers that to the flavor profile.

And then I get some excellent sweetness that pulls everything together. It won’t be long until the cigar becomes very complex.
The price point is perfect for this cigar. There are a lot of $9 sticks out there and this cigar falls within the parameters of a high premium within that price point. Real quality from the start of the experience.

The draw is nice but not overbearing. The char line is a bit wavy. But no corrections needed.

The cigar is a slow burner which I appreciate for the size I am smoking. At the 1” mark, creaminess appears. Now we just about have all the flavors of a Nicaraguan puro. The fruitiness hasn’t been truly defined yet, but it will.

In descending order: Creaminess, cocoa, sweetness, spice, earthiness, coffee, nuts, and fruit.

The strength has been a tad higher than medium almost from the start. The char line has behaved beautifully.

But now the secondary band must be removed. A little too much glue causes some leftover paper on the band. But no wrapper injuries.

I passed the second third and am near the halfway point. I choose robustos when I can due to the increased chance of the cigar being a flavor bomb much earlier. But when a cigar tastes this good, my high falutin’ opinion falls apart because a robusto is not enough cigar.

Construction has remained impeccable despite the rustic quality. The cap stays intact. The char line is close to being dead nuts. And the draw is perfect. For me, perfect means I can hold it in my mouth and type at the same time.

My wife has been in the room while smoking powerfully smoky cigars and as she passed on her way to the kitchen, she turned and asked why I was crying? This makes no sense to her.

Yesterday was our 29th anniversary so I will add an anecdote about her at the end of the review.

The cigar is incredibly rich and earthy. The complexity is spot on. The stick has a very long finish and is perfectly balanced. I have the other two Galerones yet to review and can’t wait. If the manufacturer won’t come to Uncle Katman, then UK opens his wallet. And at $9 a stick, I am prudent with my budget.

The fruitiness is a combo of blackberry and black cherry.

The last third begins. The cigar is so smooth. The boldness of the flavor profile is outstanding. Strength hits medium/full.
There are no major changes. None are needed.

The cigar finishes out with a bit of a nicotine kick but without harshness and it stayed cool to the end.
Yes, I recommend this cigar. Another in the line of the Kristoff Galerones blends that proves to be a winner.

And now for something completely different:
1984

My musical world had crashed down around my feet. My recording studio partner was embezzling while I was on the road with Eddie Munster promoting the single. The record company got shut down by the FBI. And I couldn’t pay my bills as the second check from the record company would have not only covered my expenses for the project but put me on easy street…for a while anyway.

I lost everything. I ended up going from one friend to another with my sleeping bag. I was technically homeless.

At a club one night, I ran into an old high school friend that had a four piece band. They were superb and did great covers of The Who and other terrific bands of the 60’s and 70’s.

We talked during their break and told them I could do their sound the next night because the roadie currently doing it was terrible. He took me up on it.

The next night, the club was packed. The band had a huge following. I did my magic at the mixing board. After all, I had just finished several years of producing bands of all types in my studio.

The crowd went nuts when the sound was impactful due to my skills. Eric offered me the gig to manage them. They were based out of Lake Tahoe but came down to So Cal to see family and play gigs. They were going back up north in a couple of weeks.
I said yes. I was directionless and this seemed a great way to get back on my feet.

I still had my 1981 Nissan station wagon. It was the top of the line and can’t remember the name of the car. But it had all the bells and whistles of the era.

Eric’s wife had a family house in Tahoe and the whole band crashed there. I slept on the floor in one of the bedrooms.
The first gig was at Rojo’s. The band stand was downstairs in a grotto. Getting equipment down there was a real pain in the ass.

We had just finished setting up for that night and the band had a plan. In walked my future wife. She was friends with the band and was a poker dealer at one of the casinos.

We were introduced and she sat down in a big circular booth with the rest of us. And then she spoke.

Every other word was “Wad da’ fock!” She swore more than a teamster. I was told my mouth dropped every time she spoke. She was funny. She was smart. And she was beautiful.

See, this was a big joke for the band. They thought it would be funny to match me up with a German national who was also Catholic. And me being a Jew should make for a hilarious time.

We hit if off right away. But I was besieged by chicks there. She asked me out a couple weeks later. I agreed and then had to cancel because the band was going into the studio.

Finally, we went out. We went to a casino where the all black rock band, The Bus Boys who had a hit called, “The Boys are Back in Town” that was featured in Eddie Murphy’s movie, “48 Hours.”

My band, The Attitude, did a ton of recording at a studio in Beverly Hills and so did the Bus Boys. We got to know each other and played on each other’s tunes.

So here was a perfect opportunity for me to show off and I planned to introduce Charlotte to the band during a break.

We had a nice German dinner and lots of wine. But I don’t drink. Charlotte could but I didn’t want to look like a wuss so I kept up and got completely sloshed.

At the band’s break, I took her by the hand and approached the stage. I said hi and the look on the band’s faces were totally blank. They had no idea who I was. So I kept explaining for 5 minutes and then they finally got it…or at least pretended to. I was so embarrassed.

Charlotte took me back to her apartment and I plopped on the bed. She went into the bathroom to change and when she came out, I was snoring.

We got pretty tight over the four months we were in Tahoe. But I tired of the band I was managing. I was really poor. They paid me like a 5th member. But that was only around $400 a week.

So I decided to go home to Long Beach and go to work for my old man using my structural engineering degree to be a project manager at his structural fab shop.

I convinced Charlotte to go with me.

All we could afford was a bachelor single apartment. The first few months, we lived out of a cooler because no fridge was included.

We got married on February 8, 1985 in Indio, Ca. No wedding. We stood in the clerk’s office of the county seat offices. And a clerk married us. A big window separated the two rooms. We were on one side and people paying their speeding tickets were on the other. And they all watched. How humiliating.

3 months later, Charlotte was pregnant and we spent the first year of our marriage getting fat. Well..at least she did.
So the big practical joke backfired on the boys in the band in Tahoe as the Jew and the Catholic got married. As a descendant of Holocaust victims, I was sure they were all rolling in their graves because I married a German.

I worried what my dad and his wife would think. But after 6 months, they liked her more than they liked me.
Happy anniversary darling.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, glen case, kristoff cigars, Kristoff Galerones Series Ceniza De Plata Cigar Review