There are a lot of misconceptions about Cuban cigars. To non-smokers, Cubans represent some kind of forbidden fruit. Even many cigar smokers hold Cubans, or Habanos, in some elite high regard, thinking that they must be better than any Nicaraguan or Dominican cigar because, after all, they’re Cuban. Many think that a Cuban cigar must be powerful, or ultra-strong, just because of where it was grown and rolled. Sure, some of them are big, strong, complex smokes. A lot of Habanos, however, are rather small. If there’s anything that the 1990 classic film Home Alone taught us, it’s that Micro Machines can be just as effective as a gallon-sized paint can to the head.
In the past couple weeks I have smoked a Bolivar Petite Corona, a Montecristo no. 4, and a Partagás Short. All very small cigars, but sticks with great flavor. They’re not flavor bombs like some of the Nicaraguans that i love, or complex like some of the larger Cubans, but just purely pleasant smokes. Some cigars are like an event, a party, or a wild night out on the town. To me, these smaller Habanos are like a laid-back conversation with a very dear friend, pleasant and effortless.
We all pick the cigar of the morning, evening, or afternoon looking for something specific. I used to think a Cuban cigar was going to be some miraculous, shimmering spectacle of a smoke. Sometimes they are, but these smaller ones are good enough, and refined enough, to just be damn good tobacco, full of mild almond and sweet milk chocolate, or salty cocoa bean and espresso flavors. You could always go with a Bolivar belicoso for a more complex experience, but sometime you should sit down with a well-aged Monte 4 and an espresso, and just enjoy a damn good, pleasant Habano.
The smell of cigar smoke reminds me of my dad. I’ve always had a thing for pirates and I love your writing. God you sound so hot.