The Stogie Guys

Arturo Fuente’s Solaris. Tatuaje’s Anarchy and Apocalypse. My Father’s El Hijo. Padrón’s 1964 Anniversary SI-15. Quesada’s Oktoberfest Dunkel. Room 101’s Big Delicious. What do these cigars have in common?

They’re all part of the Microblend Series that’s sold exclusively by Smoke Inn, a Florida-based cigar retailer. The Microblend Series is inspired by the growing popularity of U.S. microbreweries, harnessing how “limited production quantities allow for a greater emphasis to be placed on quality and consistency,” according to the Smoke Inn.

To bring the Microblend Series to fruition, Smoke Inn has partnered with some of the most respected names in the industry to produce one-time limited batches offered in one size each. The eighth—and latest—edition is the 601 La Bomba Bunker Buster (5.5 x 56), a figurado variation of Espinosa Cigar’s 601 La Bomba. It was created, according to the Smoke Inn website, “to honor our courageous troops” and their traits of “strength, honor, grit, and freedom.”

In addition to an “army-green design with ammunition-style boxes and military stripes across the band,” the Bunker Buster features a Habano Claro wrapper around a Criollo binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. The milk chocolate-colored exterior is silky and oily, the pre-light notes sweet, and the cold draw smooth despite the tapered head and foot.

With a name like Bunker Buster, and marketing copy like “a full arsenal attack on the senses,” you’d expect this figurado to be powerful. It is. Once the foot is evenly lit with a wooden match, a profile of dry cedar spice, red pepper, espresso, and warm tobacco. The Nicaraguan puro has a meaty, chewy texture with an herbal aftertaste. The nicotine kick is considerable, and the conclusion of the cigar is characterized by heat and even more spice.

Throughout, the construction is solid. The burn line may meander a bit, but it’s nothing a few touch-ups can’t quickly correct. The draw is clear, the smoke production adequate, and the gray ash holds firm off the foot throughout the slow-burning, enjoyable smoke.

The Bunker Buster is $8.95 whether you buy it by the 5-pack or the package of 10. I think that’s a pretty fair price as long as you concede you’re obtaining this smoke for pure power instead of complexity or subtlety. Seasoned cigar vets who crave strength will want to give this full-bodied, military-themed cigar a try. For my own tastes, the 601 La Bomba Bunker Buster is worthy of three stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Allow me to take a brief break from writing about rye whiskey to focus on a new staple bourbon in my collection. Rick Hill Farms has been around for a while, but I had never actually tried the spirit until recently (in part because, in my home state of Virginia, it is a “special order” item not regularly stocked by Virginia’s state-owned liquor stores).

Rock Hill Farms is made by Buffalo Trace, which crafts many well-known bourbons, from Blanton’s to Eagle Rare to George T. Stagg. Buffalo Trace makes bourbon with three different mashbills (this chart has the details). Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel is one of five made with the high rye mashbill, which features 10-12% rye and a small amount of malted barley along with a majority of corn. (Blanton’s, Elmer T. Lee, Ancient Age, and Hancock’s all derive from the same mashbill.)

Rock Hill Farms doesn’t have an age statement, but reports list it as 8-10 years before being bottled at 100-proof. A 750 ml. bottle costs $50-60, roughly the same as the 93-proof, more widely available Blanton’s. (The bottle is a square decanter that an imaginative mind will have no trouble finding use for after its contents are gone.)

Rick Hill Farms is a lovely deep amber color. The nose has a rich combination of rock candy, honey, baking spices, and just a bit of oak. On the palate, it’s a velvety combination of caramel, dried fruit, fudge, and creaminess. It has a restrained intensity that’s easy to appreciate and worthy of drinking straight. The finish is long and full of apples and spice.

As far as cigar pairings go, it’s a versatile bourbon that can stand up to all but the spiciest cigars. A rich Nicaraguan cigar like a Tatuaje Brown Label or Drew Estate Liga Privada goes as well as a more subtle cigar like a Cohiba Behike or Davidoff Colorado Claro.

The obvious comparisons for the Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel are Blanton’s and Elmer T. Lee, both of which are single barrel selections made from the same mashbill. For value, it’s hard to beat Elmer T. Lee, which is $20 less than the other two. But compared to Blanton’s, the higher proof Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel is a slight step above, perhaps due to the added intensity of its higher proof. That’s why it recently became a regular on my bourbon shelf and is a must-try for bourbon fans.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys