Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6.5 x 52 “Toro”
Body: Medium
Price: $6.50
I hadn’t heard of this cigar. But thanks to Atlantic Cigars, I was made aware of it.
The entire name is Alec Bradley JAM Dylan 652 Toro. It is a small batch blend. I don’t think I found two reviews on this cigar. And none of the A Listers came within a mile of it.
So the Katman shall be your guinea pig for the day. There is nothing mentioned about this blend on the Alec Bradley web site which makes me think it is a house brand. But Atlantic makes no mention of this. And I cannot find it on any other web site. This befuddles me.
The cigar band is simple. It has a music motif whereas the background is music staffs with barely visible notes on the staff. Plus the word, “Jam.” The connotation of improvising, wood shedding, laying down some riffs, etc.
In keeping with rock and roll, each blend has its own name: Dylan, Jagger, Morrison, and Page.
Construction is excellent. A very firm stick with the proper give. A dark, bittersweet colored wrapper that is a bit sandy to the touch. Seams are neatly tucked away and veins are minimal. It appears to have a well-placed double cap.
The blend comes in four sizes: 5.5 x 52, 6.5 x 52, 6 x 54 (Torpedo), and 6.5 x 60.
I clip the cap and find aromas of chocolate cookies, spice, a rich earthiness, and coffee.
Time to light up.
Wham. A blast of red pepper. And then I am awash in chocolate. The draw is perfect as smoke fills the room. The char line is razor sharp. A light sweetness complements the flavor profile.
By the half inch mark, a creaminess invades Poland. The sweetness increases and leans towards a gooey caramel element.
And then coffee appears and with the creaminess and caramel becomes a Starbuck’s treat.
The red pepper is still going strong. The strength of the stick begins at classic medium bodied.
The cigar balances out nicely as the second third approaches. A nice balance of flavor met by an extreme rich smoothness. It will be very hard for this cigar to make any large transitions after a beginning like this.
I almost never smoke a log this size. I’ve had it 4-5 weeks and figured, why not? It has all the benefits of a smaller cigar in flavor status but the duration of a red wood tree.
The second third begins and the spiciness is quite persistent. It has the power house qualities of a strong Pepin Garcia cigar. Yet, not overbearing.
Here are the flavors, in order: Spice, creaminess, sweetness, cocoa, caramel, coffee, and the rich earthiness.
A nutty component is added. And the cigar becomes an official flavor bomb. Where did this stick come from. Why can’t I find a shred of info on this cigar?
The price point is more than perfect. It has the best qualities of the more expensive A/B blends. Did Atlantic get first crack at this stick? Is it theirs only? Am I late to the party and it was discontinued? Blank stare.
This is an excellent cigar. It has all the trappings of a New Breed Tattooed Ones’ style of blending.
The char line needs a minor correction.
I approach the halfway point and the flavors are banging away like “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.”
The cigar is back to a razor sharp char line.
I grab a Diet Coke because the cocoa, creaminess and sweetness demand it of me. My NYC egg cream experience. You should try it sometime.
The nuttiness becomes stronger and I think I can identify it. Marzipan, hazelnut and raw cashew. All sweet.
A small seam unravels near the foot and I use my Kingpin glue to fix it. I don’t know what I would do without this stuff. One bottle lasts a year. And I have four of them around the house. The price is cheap (Between $3.25 a bottle). The quality is good. And while they are described in fruity flavors, they don’t affect the taste of the cigar. My regular place for buying the glue no longer carries it. So I am sending you somewhere else.
Just gives off an aroma while gluing the cigar. Here is the link: Kingpin Glue.
Another online store carries a glue I haven’t tried called Juicy Jay’s Rolling Glue. It only costs .49 cents.
The cigar continues its upward climb of flavor boldness and intensity. The stick takes on some complexity. The balance is good with a nice long finish.
The last third begins with explosive flavors. This is one helluva cigar. It remains in the medium body range.
As only Atlantic Cigar has them, you will have to pay full retail. Even with a VIP Club membership, the price is the same.
Something is going on here and I don’t get it. Yes, I am a dunce. Someone please fill me in if you know something more about this blend.
With a couple inches to go, the nicotine level kicks in. It is still medium in body, but now has a blinding after effect.
The cigar band comes off without a hitch.
The cigar finishes out nicely. Loads of flavor. Complex and balanced. I wish I knew more about this cigar. The only place to go to purchase this blend is Atlantic Cigars.
And now for something completely different:
1982
My recording studio in Long Beach, CA was near the beach. And in the gay section of downtown. We got a lot of lesbian bands recording in our studio. I gave it a never no mind. Having spent several years in big time rock and roll, there were lots of gay people and I’ve never been a bigot or intolerant.
There was this one lesbian band that scared the shit out of me. They would come in and record about once a month. Use a block of 8 hours which we had an ongoing special on. Normally, we only charged $35 an hour. But for a solid 8 hours, we brought the price down to $25 an hour. The bait and switch we pulled was that unless a band only recorded one or two songs, it always took longer than 8 hours when you take into account mixing and producing.
My partner, Dave, was the head engineer. Although, I had all the skills needed to do that. But my main gig was being the producer. I got a good rep of being able to get the best out of people. Something I learned from good buddy, Rick Tunstall of The Attitude. He was an old salt at producing and taught me everything. I must have produced a thousand bands.
I loved it when a band came in and wanted to produce their own music. Knowing absolutely nothing about producing. So I let them do their thing. And just when they were smiling and kicking back, I would tell them I would produce a song for them, on my time, and they could choose.
I got a lot of selfish gratification when I saw the looks on their eyes after I finished. Now they had to plunk more money on the barrel head to allow me to produce their sound.
I used to get comments from guitarists and singers that no one else had ever gotten a performance out of them like I did.
Sometimes, I cajoled, pleaded, whispered or downright screamed at them. I had good people skills and could tell what certain musicians needed.
Back to the lesbians…
They always came in with an entourage. 75% of them were bull dykes. Big burly girls with men’s haircuts and built like wrestlers. They were very hostile. Meanwhile, the band itself was made up of normal people. No hostility towards men.
Some were so hostile, they refused to come in. And they would sit, parked on the curb, for the entire session. That really weirded me out.
One day, I was in the booth, kicking back and listening to them record while Dave mixed. I saw a beautiful girl that seemed to be totally out of place. I stared at her. I was single.
You know how sometimes you can feel the eyes of someone on you but don’t see it? Well, the biggest bull dyke stared at me staring at the pretty lesbian. Clearly, this was her property and no lookers allowed.
All of a sudden, she pounced on me. Her fists were flailing. She had 100 pounds on me. Back then, I was thin and good looking. Weighed maybe 170lbs but was not match for this gorilla.
The other lesbians tried to pull her off of me but she was too strong. I finally blacked out from being pummeled.
I woke up and they were gone. My partner told them they were no longer welcome at the studio. My partner was a really big guy and he tried to help pull Godzilla off of me. But this bull dyke was on a mission.
I was dating my ex-wife, Teri at the time. Dave called her and she came racing over. She took me back to her place where she attended to my wounds. Teri worked in a hospital. I can’t remember exactly what she did but her mother was a registered nurse and Teri was good at nursing.
The next morning, I could barely move and was stiff as a board. I got to the bathroom to pee and saw myself in the mirror. I was bloated and cut and looked like Frankenstein’s monster.
I spent the next three days at Teri’s. She had the innate talent of being a caregiver. I don’t know what I would have done without her. I lived alone in my house in north Long Beach.
She fed me and tended to my face. So did her mother. My partner, Dave, took care of things while I was mending.
On Day 4, I went back to the studio and leave it to Dave….he had an all gay band recording. Men, not women. Gay guys were always cool.
In fact one of the best friends of the studio was gay and allowed us the use of his Yamaha electric grand piano for sessions.
A couple weeks later, a coterie of that lesbian band showed up at the studio pleading to be allowed back. Dave told them unequivocally, “NO!”
Being the nice guy, I said they could come back but without an entourage. Just the band. They quickly agreed.
Being beaten up by a lesbian is something everyone should try just once.
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by the Katman 
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