Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo Rosado
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo ‘99
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo ‘98 (aged six years) & Corojo ‘99
Size: 4.5 x 48 (Box Pressed)
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $8.00
My cigars have been streaking naked across the quad at Marquette for 4 months.
BACKGROUND:
From Small Batch Cigar 12-19-2019 (This P.R. was taken from SBC when I reviewed this cigar Feb 4, 2022 ~ The price has not gone up.):
“Earlier this year, Guardian of the Farm Claude Le Chien was first introduced to the public. Named after Head Cigar Smoker Andrew’s very own French Bulldog, Claude Le Chien is a box-pressed 4 ½ x 48 Nicaraguan puro adorned with a closed foot.
‘Now, just before the New Year, we’re excited to announce the newest expression of Claude Le Chien to celebrate Claude’s fifth birthday!
‘In addition to the previous adjustments of the original Guardian of the Farm, our second release of Claude Le Chien also includes an adjustment of the filler tobaccos to include a Criollo 98 leaf that is five years old (like Claude himself)!
‘The same bold, spirited Corojo Rosado wrapper was included, and only minor adjustments were made with the filler ratios to accommodate the five-year-old leaf. Claude Le Chien’s size also remains the same iconic box-pressed 4 1/2 x 48. 200 boxes of 25 cigars (5,000 cigars total) were produced with an MSRP of $7.99.
‘Fans of the previous Claude Le Chien will be happy to know that they will be able to distinguish the two releases from each other by the bands, even though the artwork has remained the same. The original Claude Le Chien bands were folded over the artwork, while these bands display the whole intent of the band all the way around.”
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
I like the rustic woodsy look of the cigar. All dressed up for two teenagers to carve their names on it.
Aromas from the wrapper include lemonade, floral notes, baking spices, black pepper, cinnamon, cedar, and caramel.
I use my new PerfecPunch & Stand to open the Hellgate of this stick. The punch has three sized weapons…8mmØ, 11mmØ, and 14mmØ. I use the 11mmØ and it removes the cap like a hot knife through ferret butter. (You must know how to milk a female ferret to obtain this special dairy product).
Note that the cutting bevel is on the inside unlike every other punch on the market.
The cigar is jam up and jelly tight with tobacco. A heavy little bugger for such a small cigar. The draw is just fine…
Some nice flavors at the get go…creaminess, spicy red and black pepper, caramel, an earthiness that will soon morph into complexity. Already a nice richness of depth begins my journey towards the homeland. A lovely dose of malt, butterscotch competes with the caramel, vanilla, and a just right slice of tartness.
I’ve burned nearly half an inch and the blend tastes pretty OK to me. No idea what that means.
Andrew at SBC has worked with Kyle Gellis of Warped many times. They make a good pair for creating inexpensive delicious blends. After the promo code, this stick is only $7.20. Remember when that was an expensive cigar price? No? Ok.
Cinnabon. I taste decadent caramel nutty buns. Like Charlotte when she was young. I voluntarily stopped eating sugar in 1980. That is a fact, Jack. I truly believe it has given me a leg up as my health is damn good. I taste sugar now and it is pure toxin. So, I dream of eating doughnuts and cinnamon buns. But after 43 years, that memory is fading.
First sweet spot…alert…first sweet spot. Complexity slam dunks like Jordan. All air. Flavors fan out. The deep richness is standing naked before me, and I don’t have a single condom on me…except the one from my high school days we all kept in our wallet creating the profile in the leather. It was a badge of courage. Never used, but still…
The burn line is like the finish line at Churchill Downs. A camera finish.
Dried black cherries. The citrus turns from lemonade to sweet orange. Oranges have a ton of sugar in them…and they metabolize quickly. Haven’t eaten one since Nixon was born. But the smell drives me nuts.
Savory is made up of almonds, cashews, and peanuts. A touch of saltiness makes a nice addition to accentuate the nuttiness.
The cigar is aiming to become a flavor bomb.
The transitions have imploded at 2-1/2 miles down. The finish is a mix of creamy vanilla, caramel, beef jerky, and spiciness.
I can count on one hand the number of $7 sticks that are outstanding. This is one of them. This is absolutely a desirous go-to stick to have in your kit bag.
But do not smoke them too soon. You will be disappointed and blame me. Let them rest a few months until they can wear big boy pants. That is where the gold is.
This is a stick you can hand to friends without worrying that a drunken idiot will punch you in the ‘nads for giving him a cheap tasting cigar. We have all had idiots in our social groups as we look to the past. They were like having a Joey.
The cigar is packed so heavily that the burn never seems to move. Small puffs every couple of minutes, a few sips of water, and detonations occur smothering my palate in testosterone and gravy.
Oh yeah…strength is medium, but it is heading towards something more sinister…placing Saran Wrap on the toilet bowl.
The creamy caramel leads the pack. The citrus adds the kick. The light pepper is damn accurate at obtaining the right amount of oomph.
I have no self-control. I still have a couple more of these sticks. But every time I review a great blend, I want to stop writing and go buy another fiver.
The only upside to your wife having dementia is that she no longer cares about your cigar purchases. She only cares that she is taken care of, gets to eat her favorite foods, and can watch her beloved TV shows. Not really a fair trade up. Life is hard. Right?
1-1/2” burned. 35 minutes. A nice slow roll. I’m always hesitant to buy a short stick. I do not like paying $10+ for a smoke that lasts 25 minutes. This baby will be a 90-minute excursion. Bitchin’, Moon Doggies. Hang ten and be a cool Daddy-O. I never once used the term, ‘groovy’ in my life. It is the stupidest word in the English language…next to ‘colonoscopy.’
I love relaxing cigars. You?
The Zombies. “Time of the Season.” There is an organ solo and the guy hits a couple clams. Either they had only a couple tries at the take, or the guy was too high. And the producer said, fuck it.
“Good Times Bad Times.” Zep. First big hit. 1969. I worked part time at the first Licorice Pizza in downtown Long Beach. My friend Skip and I spent weekends hanging out there so the owner offered me the gig. Only Hippies worked there. I left the job for Knott’s Berry Farm to make an extra 20¢ an hour. Those trusted Hippies went on to become very rich as the record store became a huge chain…later bought by Sam Goody. I look back at that and wish I had a crystal ball.
Strength is officially medium/full. I feel the body buzz.
The halfway point arrives at 40 minutes. A lot of cigar in a small package.
New flavors show up…honey, raisins, peat, smoked brisket, and the citrus morphs once again and is now creamy lime.
Kyle and Andrew worked together on the Hugo for SBC. Another superb blend. I also loved The Devil’s Hands. Gellis gets better with age.
The Le Chien is anything but linear. Improvement is obvious with each new puff. The finish never disappears or dissipates. A mouthful of delicious confetti.
I’ve begun to ramble so I will sit back and smoke in total isolation with my music. Beautiful day outside.
BTW- The cigar has been a total flavor bomb. You name it, its got it. Uh huh, Uh huh.
1” to go. 75 minutes burned.
Again, a great go-to cigar that you can rely on.
Complex, rich, and uber flavorful.
Final smoke time is 85 minutes.
Only available from Small Batch Cigar. 10% off with promo code ‘katman.’ You can’t beat the price point for such a beautifully designed blend.
RATING: 95
And now for something completely different:
The photo of me playing banjo was taken in 1966. I was 16. And the folk music scene was on its last legs.
My banjo teacher was John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. I was 15 when I began lessons and John was 19. My lessons took place at the iconic hang out, McCabe’s Guitar Shop, on Anaheim St. in Long Beach. I took lessons for almost two years. McEuen stopped the lessons when he had to go on tour with the Dirt Band for the first time. But for me, by that time, I had already begun playing bass and in 1966, it became my main instrument. But having banjo skills came in very handy for club gigs. McEuen was a great instructor and I picked it up quickly.
Steve Martin also took lessons from McEuen. So, that makes Martin my blood brother 28 times removed.
From the Long Beach Press Telegram Jan 12, 2016:
“Fifty years ago, John McEuen was a regular at the now long-defunct McCabe’s Guitar Shop on Anaheim Street, west of Ximeno Avenue. He’d sit in the back room fiddling with a banjo, while Les Thompson, whose dad owned a jukebox repair shop a bit farther up Anaheim St., strummed one of the shop’s guitars alongside Wilson High student Ralph Barr. Joining in on the impromptu hoots were a couple of Jordan boys, Jeff Hanna and Bruce Kunkel, and Jimmie Fadden from Millikan. Sometimes Jackson Browne would come in from O.C. to join them.”
I went to Millikan High like Fadden did. He was a year ahead of me and was Mr. Cool. Ignored the rules about long hair. Wore a leather double bandolier full of blues harps in different keys. And he only made it a month into his senior year before he was expelled. He went full time with the Dirt Band.
I played bluegrass style. Picking with metal picks on three fingers.
JOHN MCEUEN
Major events that took place in the United States in 1966:
President: Lyndon B. Johnson (D-Texas)
Chief Justice: Earl Warren (California)
Sammy Younge Jr. is shot in Tuskegee, Alabama, the first African American university student to be murdered due to his actions in support of the civil rights movement.
United States President Lyndon Johnson states that the United States should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there is ended.
Batman premieres on ABC television.
The Chicago Bulls are granted entry to the National Basketball Association.
The Beatles: In an interview published in the London Evening Standard, John Lennon comments, “We’re more popular than Jesus now,” sparking a controversy in the United States.
The last Studebaker production facility is closed.
Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections, decided in the Supreme Court, rules that requiring payment of a poll tax as eligibility to vote in state elections is unconstitutional.
Demonstrations are held across the U.S. against the Vietnam War.
An artificial heart is installed in the chest of Marcel DeRudder in a Houston, Texas hospital.
U.S. troops in Vietnam total 250,000.
The album Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys is released.
Fidel Castro declares martial law in Cuba because of a possible U.S. attack.
Boat ride “It’s a Small World” opens at Disneyland.
Miranda v. Arizona: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that the police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them.
Bob Dylan’s seminal album Blonde on Blonde is released.
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act, which goes into effect the following year.
Groundbreaking takes place for the World Trade Center in New York City.
Rock band The Doors record their self-titled debut LP.
The classic science fiction series Star Trek premieres on NBC with its first episode, titled “The Man Trap”.
The Monkees television series premieres on NBC.
Timothy Leary forms the spiritual group League for Spiritual Discovery (LSD).
Walt Disney dies while producing The Jungle Book, the last animated feature under his personal supervision.
Adam Sandler, actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician and film producer is born on September 9.
Lenny Bruce, comedian (b. 1925) dies on August 3.
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