I recently had a birthday. No big deal really, but I’ll seize any opportunity to celebrate something with a good cigar. (Coincidentally, my wife’s birthday is the day before mine.) I began the evening meeting up with some of my wing-men at a nearby Champp’s for our weekly Friday happy-hour specials. After priming the pump with $2 pints, we rendezvoused back at the ranch were the missus was having her own little gathering. Add a neighbor and a few more of my cronies to the mix, and next thing you know we had ourselves a nice little party. Cold drinks, good friends, my own backyard on a beautiful summer night… The stage was set for a fine cigar.
I repaired to my home office and peered into my humidor* for something special, something large, something to commemorate just such an occasion. I noticed an El Rey Del Mundo 1848 Churchill squirreled away. El Rey Del Mundo translates to “King of the World”; so-named as a tribute to blender and cigar legend Frank Llaneza, who passed away last March. Frank was one of the pioneers of the premium cigar industry and was considered a trendsetter when it came to blends and wrappers. This particular cigar was the last of an El Rey Del Mundo threesome I received from the Cigar Dave Officer’s Club, April selection. (The nice thing about belonging to one of these cigar clubs is that it causes you to sample cigars that you might not normally try.) I’d already smoked the other two sticks and found them to be smooth yet complex, excellent cigars. I was saving the larger Churchill for a night like tonight.
Pre-cut/pre-light assessment presented a hefty, well-constructed log of a cigar with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, the binder and filler both being Honduran. The wrapper was dark and oily with some slight veining. The band was ornate, mostly gold and red with embossed raised seals and a crest of some sort; just the basic, classic cigar band, but nothing special. I held the foot to my nostril and inhaled deeply. Pre-cut flavor profile revealed an aroma rich with soil and cedar scents. The smell reminded me of fall camping in a pine forest several years ago. My trusty Xikar cutter rewarded me with another perfect cut, while a pre-light draw confirmed the earthy top note. Fresh beer in hand, I settled in and lit the fuse…
Ah sweet nectar, once again I suckle at your teat™. With my Xikar double-torch lighter I gently toasted the foot of this well-made cigar as if it were a marshmallow. I took those first few glorious puffs. I might as well have heard a starting pistol report because this cigar was off-and-running like a champ right out of the gate. Rich, creamy mouthfuls of smoke portended the beginning of another sublime smoking experience. Chocolate and cocoa middle notes were apparent in the opening draws, as well as some spice. The cigar became more powerful (in a good way) as I crept towards the center. Some pepper, coffee, maybe a touch of honey teased the palate. Into the finish the cigar remained flavorful without being overpowering; the earth, cedar and leather signatures held true, along with the others lingering in the background. The burn and draw remained fairly consistent throughout the smoke, and a firm grey ash held on for dear life, surrendering only on my command. (Some minor wrapper touch-ups were required, but nothing out of the ordinary for a two-hour plus cigar.) As I savored the final puffs of my El Rey Del Mundo Churchill I glanced around at my wife and friends. They were all sharing a laugh over some sort of anecdote (probably at my expense). I realized how lucky a man I am, and how appropriate a night it was to be enjoying a birthday cigar named “King of the World”.
To sum up: The El Rey Del Mundo 1848 Churchill is a must-try for any cigar enthusiast. Well-made, consistent, medium-to-full bodied yet flavorful throughout, and priced in the wallet-friendly $7.00 range, an excellent cigar for the cost. I would recommend these to any aficionado.
Grade: B+
Good day sirs!
* Much easier than rummaging around in your actual humidor, making a mess and screwing-up the humidity, is to have an online virtual humidor to keep track of your cigars; especially when your collection starts to get into the fifty-cigars + range. And on that note the website CigarGeeks.com has an excellent virtual humidor set-up for their members. Free.
I repaired to my home office and peered into my humidor* for something special, something large, something to commemorate just such an occasion. I noticed an El Rey Del Mundo 1848 Churchill squirreled away. El Rey Del Mundo translates to “King of the World”; so-named as a tribute to blender and cigar legend Frank Llaneza, who passed away last March. Frank was one of the pioneers of the premium cigar industry and was considered a trendsetter when it came to blends and wrappers. This particular cigar was the last of an El Rey Del Mundo threesome I received from the Cigar Dave Officer’s Club, April selection. (The nice thing about belonging to one of these cigar clubs is that it causes you to sample cigars that you might not normally try.) I’d already smoked the other two sticks and found them to be smooth yet complex, excellent cigars. I was saving the larger Churchill for a night like tonight.
Pre-cut/pre-light assessment presented a hefty, well-constructed log of a cigar with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, the binder and filler both being Honduran. The wrapper was dark and oily with some slight veining. The band was ornate, mostly gold and red with embossed raised seals and a crest of some sort; just the basic, classic cigar band, but nothing special. I held the foot to my nostril and inhaled deeply. Pre-cut flavor profile revealed an aroma rich with soil and cedar scents. The smell reminded me of fall camping in a pine forest several years ago. My trusty Xikar cutter rewarded me with another perfect cut, while a pre-light draw confirmed the earthy top note. Fresh beer in hand, I settled in and lit the fuse…
Ah sweet nectar, once again I suckle at your teat™. With my Xikar double-torch lighter I gently toasted the foot of this well-made cigar as if it were a marshmallow. I took those first few glorious puffs. I might as well have heard a starting pistol report because this cigar was off-and-running like a champ right out of the gate. Rich, creamy mouthfuls of smoke portended the beginning of another sublime smoking experience. Chocolate and cocoa middle notes were apparent in the opening draws, as well as some spice. The cigar became more powerful (in a good way) as I crept towards the center. Some pepper, coffee, maybe a touch of honey teased the palate. Into the finish the cigar remained flavorful without being overpowering; the earth, cedar and leather signatures held true, along with the others lingering in the background. The burn and draw remained fairly consistent throughout the smoke, and a firm grey ash held on for dear life, surrendering only on my command. (Some minor wrapper touch-ups were required, but nothing out of the ordinary for a two-hour plus cigar.) As I savored the final puffs of my El Rey Del Mundo Churchill I glanced around at my wife and friends. They were all sharing a laugh over some sort of anecdote (probably at my expense). I realized how lucky a man I am, and how appropriate a night it was to be enjoying a birthday cigar named “King of the World”.
To sum up: The El Rey Del Mundo 1848 Churchill is a must-try for any cigar enthusiast. Well-made, consistent, medium-to-full bodied yet flavorful throughout, and priced in the wallet-friendly $7.00 range, an excellent cigar for the cost. I would recommend these to any aficionado.
Grade: B+
Good day sirs!
* Much easier than rummaging around in your actual humidor, making a mess and screwing-up the humidity, is to have an online virtual humidor to keep track of your cigars; especially when your collection starts to get into the fifty-cigars + range. And on that note the website CigarGeeks.com has an excellent virtual humidor set-up for their members. Free.
Thanks for another great review ! Personally, I do not smoke cigars because of the increased risk of lung, oral and laryngeal cancers. However, I do enjoy reading your reviews ! You sir, are the Mickey Spillane of cigar reviews. Keep up the good work !! Well done, Touche!!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting comment !! The risks of cancer in a "once in a great while", "occasional" or the "special occasions only" cigar smoker that DOES NOT inhale is almost equal to that of a non-smoker living in an industrialized city like Detroit. So unless you are smoking 2-3 large premium cigars a day (and who can afford that?), I don't think you have to worry too much about cancer risks. I know this because I am a Doctor. I don't reccommend smoking of any kind to anyone, BUT your risk of cancer is much, much less smoking an occasional cigar then say,a pack a day ciggarette habit. The KEY to everything and anything is MODERATION !!