スモーキングコレクション 2004
ファーストインプレシオン Day 1

A selection of first impressions on new cigar brands indroduced in the Japanese market at the Smoking Collection 2004 trade show.

Guantanamera
As a new brand, this is the latest addition to the Cuban cigar brands distributed by Habanos S.A. Introduced in the later part of 2002, it finally made it to the Japanese market, too. Entirely machine-made with tobacco from the Vuelta Arriba region this cigar line is very reasonably priced. Sold in 5 or 10 stick cardboard boxes and pre-cut it makes a good cigar for a beginner or the cigar smoker who likes a mild yet full-flavor Habana cigar. Taste-wise, the Guantanamera offers an interesting experience on new blends created in Cuba. The flavor profile of the Guantanamera is surprisingly close to the new vitolas recently added to the Trinidad brand. Granted, the new Trinidad vitola are more sophisticated, more rounded at the edges, but still blended in that particular "new" flavor profile of new brands like the Guantanamera coming out of Cuba these days. Importer: The Cigar Club

Soleares Mini Torpedo
This cigar instantly caught my eye. A full shaped, 54 ring gauge torpedo just the length of 4 inches. This brand is hand made in Costa Rica and was introduced to the American market in 1995. If you ever fancied what a fat but very short torpedo shaped cigar might smoke like, this is your chance. This cigar really compresses the torpedo smoking experience down to 15 minutes. The bland Indonesian wrapper needs improvement, but at 400 Yen a stick it is definitely worth a try. Importer: Akiyama

El Credito
The El Credito brand is hand made in the Dominican Republic by Ernesto Perez Carillo, the same man behind the famous Miami version of the La Gloria Cubana. Dominican and Nicaraguan filler with an Ecuadorian Connecticut seed wrapper. Taste-wise this cigars is a mainmainstream Dominican product. Medium body strength and well constructed it offers good value. Sold in 10-stick wooden boxes, starting at 500 Yen per cigar. Importer: Intercontinental Trading