DogWatch Cigar Radio Podcast Episode #328 - OMG OMETEPE!

This week Bob and Dale discuss the latest in the cigar industry, including Michael Herklots moving from Davidoff to Nat Sherman, Sam Leccia returning to the premium cigar business, Guillermo León Herbert becoming the independent owner of La Aurora, and Vanderburgh Humidors being selected by the Indianapolis Speedway to build its limited edition cigar humidor. The Cigar of the Week is the Punch Upper Cut.   The cigar featured on the "What's My Band?" blind smoke test is the Licenciados Toro.   

Check out the live show!  Go to http://www.cigarmedia.tv/live/ where the show is broadcast live most Friday evenings at 9 PM EST. 

Do you have a Herf Line Review?  Call and leave a cigar review on the herf line and receive a DogWatch Cigar Radio patch! You can reach the Herfline at 321-594-4373 - or cigar.radio on Skype. You can also send written reviews to theshow@cigarmedia.tv.

Cigar of the Week  - Punch Upper Cut by General Cigar.

The history of General Cigar began in 1848 when Ferdinand Cullman immigrated to the US from Germany. His grandson made one of the greatest contributions to the cigar world: the Connecticut Shade wrapper. In 1960, Cullman Brothers bought General Cigar Company and became the largest manufacturer and marketer of premium cigars with impressive brands.  In 1997, General Cigar acquired Villazon, the maker of such iconic brands as Punch, Hoyo de Monterrey, and Excalibur. Later, General Cigar assumed responsibility for marketing and selling El Credito, whose brands include La Gloria Cubana and El Rico Habano.  In 1999, General Cigar sold its mass market business to Swedish Match in order to concentrate strictly on premium brands. In 2000, Swedish Match assumed majority control of General through a stock purchase from Edgar Cullman and family members. Other important brands have been acquired recently, including Helix, Don Tomas and Astral in 2004.  Their factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic is run by General Cigar Dominicana, a subsidiary of General Cigar Co., which began processing tobacco in 1975, and started producing cigars in 1978.

The Punch Upper Cut was released in October 2009.  Handmade in Honduras with its filler and binder tobaccos grown in Ometepe, Nicaragua, this cigar is perfectly finished with an attractive dark and oily Ecuador Sumatra wrapper.  Each cigar has a footband complete with the image of Ometepe and its twin volcanoes

Toro | Length: 6.62 | Ring: 54

Grand Corona | Length: 6 | Ring: 45

Robusto | Length: 5.25 | Ring: 50

Dark Side - - No Dark Side this week.

What else have you been smokin' Dale?  

Man o’ War Salomone

El Credito Perridos

Bolivar Belicoso Fino

Cohiba Siglo VI 

What else have you been smokin' Bob?

PDR 1878 Cubano Especial Seleccion RL 2000 - Wrapper is Lancaster, Pa leaf; binder is the Criollo 98 from the Dominican Republic; and the filler is Nicaraguan and Dominican Republic.  Medium bodied but full of great flavors of aged tobacco; slightly sweet with a salty sensation on the tip of the tongue.  A mind melting experience that will cleanse the body of stress and free the mind.

Tatuaje Especiale - Great opening pepper that mellows into a sweet spicy joy punctuated with leather and mocha.
Size: 7.5 x 38 (Especiales/Lancero)
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo 99
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium

Black Pearl Morada - Doug Woods has survived more ups and downs and pure crashes than perhaps anyone in the cigar business.  In 2008 the Morado Torpedo was named Best Cigar of the Year, although the title came with an asterisk, “That you can't find and never heard of.”  We  first interviewed Doug way back at the 2006 IPCPR, before he was famous.  Doug has one of the most extensive and beautiful collections of cigar art to be found anywhere and he uses that art on his cigars.  The Robusto that I smoked had sweet chocolate, coffee and fruity elements in the flavor that finished with a distinctly herbal twist.  A well constructed cigar with outstanding draw and flavor.  A keeper and yes I would buy one again IF I could find someplace that carries them.
Doug Wood states:  "We wish we had enough of this tobacco to produce several years' worth of our new Black Pearl Morado (Purple) premium cigar but, its featured Cameroon wrapper is in shorter supply than we expected, so we can only offer limited supplies of Morado in three shapes: Robusto (4.75" x 52) Toro (6" x 50), and Torpedo (6.25" x 52)."

What's My Band? - this week's Unbanded Cigar is the Licenciados Toro 6 1/2 x 50.  

May Palio Cutter Contest Winner:  Tim Delaney, a proud member of our military, won the Classic Black Palio Cutter.  Enter the June contest now to win a Carbon Fiber Palio Cutter.

Check out the show at http://www.cigarmedia.tv/live/ where the show is broadcast live most Friday evenings at 9 PM EST. 

Do you have a Herf Line Review?  If you call and leave a cigar review on the herf line and it is played on the show, you will receive a DogWatch Cigar Radio patch! You can reach the Herfline at 321-594-4373 - or cigar.radio on Skype. You can also send email to theshow@cigarmedia.tv.

Origin of the term HERF: From Cigar Craig, http://cigarcraig.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/the-origin-of-the-word-herf/

Do you have a suggestion for the unbanded cigar of the week?  Every week Bob and Dale include an “unbanded cigar” segment in their show in which they smoke a cigar without any markings and give their honest opinions.  Bob then opens a sealed envelope and discovers the cigar’s name and manufacturer.  If you have suggestions for the "What's My Band?" segment, please send them to liz@cigarmedia.tv.

Thanks to Michael Howe for bumpers and special effects in this show.

Music provided by the Figurados from their new album, "Lesson Two," and The Surfonics. 

Please visit our sponsors and let them know you heard about them from DogWatch!

• Black Dog Coffee: http://www.blackdogcoffee.net/
• Cigar Tourism: http://cigartourism.com/ 
• Esencia Cigars: http://www.esenciacigar.com/
• Friends of Habanos Cigar Forum: http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/index.php
• La Palina: http://www.lapalinacigars.com/
• La Tradicion Cubana: http://www.tradicion.com/
• Miami Cigar and Company: http://www.miamicigarandcompany.com/
• Monte Pascoal Cigars: http://www.montepascoalcigars.com
• Palio Cigar Cutters:http://paliocutters.com/
• Primer Mundo Cigars: http://www.primermundocigars.com
• Vanderburgh Humidors:  www.vanderburghhumidors.com

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