Habanos, aperitifs and terraces

Now that the good weather seems to have arrived, everybody will be able to enjoy their best wishes outdoors, and in this case, Habanos aficionados will be able to enjoy our favorite vitolas at aperitif time, be it in the patio of a Cordovan house, on the terrace of a restaurant in Madrid’s Puerta de Alcalá or on an Asturian beach.

And at the beginning of summer temperatures, open-air places will be useful at aperitif time to pair our Habanos with those drinks and snacks we prefer in times of short but unhurried smokes to get the best minutes of those moments.

One of the habits of many smokers is that while waiting for lunch or dinner they want to enjoy smaller vitolas that are not particularly strong so that their palates are well prepared for what comes next.

Tasting a Havana cigar with a zurito or a short beer, with a fino or simply anticipating the wine we are going to enjoy at lunch or dinner, is a most pleasant moment to pair the tobacco flavors with our aperitif drinks.

So now that the doors are “open” (in the best sense of the expression) to cigar smokers so that we can sit quietly on the terrace of our choice and enjoy our Havana cigar alone or in the company of others, it is time to think about the vitolas of our choice for those moments.

It is a selection in which there are several characteristics that are part of each of these Habanos, as all of them correspond to smaller vitolas, which means rather short smokes to keep us company in those minutes of the aperitif time.

In our quartet chosen to commemorate the arrival of the times of open-air terraces, the first of them is the Romeo and Julieta Club Kings, whose vitola de galera is a Mareva, which has the honor of having been the first of the Habanos to inaugurate the Retro Series, whose cigars arrive in the cellars in five-cigar metal packs in line with the designs of the 1960s.

Another one of those selected is the modern Quai D’Orsay No. 50, a brand that until not so many years ago was only made for French tobacco shops and now we can taste it anywhere in the world, with an absolute certainty as to its overall flavors and very much in line with the lower strengths of Habanos’ vitolarium.

The third is a Habano that stands out especially for its strength, such as the Bolivar Petit Coronas, which, being another Mareva, has a great character and strength from the very first puffs, in accordance with the blend of tobaccos in its filler.

Finally, we also have the Robustos from the Montecristo Open Line, which in its tasting offers a short time, not much more than 45/50 minutes, in a journey in which we can face a medium strength character, while very rich and tasty traces of dark tobacco grown in the plains of Pinar del Rio (Cuba).

ROMEO AND JULIET CLUB KINGS

FORMAT: Length: 129 mm. Diameter: 16.67 mm. Strain: 42. Weight: 9,29 gr.

TOBACCO: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Río, Cuba)

BEFORE LIGHTING: Color: red. Aroma: herbaceous and cedar.

COMBUSTION: First third: soft and not very aromatic, produces simple perceptions. Second third: very balanced and remains with light spicy touches with some woody hints. Third third: sweet notes appear but very soft and in the balance the flavors are maintained over the aromas.

Smoking time: 30/35 minutes

SHOT: Perfect

ASH: Medium-toned gray

TASTING: This cigar of vitola de galera Mareva, maintains its freshness thanks to leaving the factory in its packaging and is one of the simplest cigars, so it can be advised to smokers who begin their journey in the tasting of cigars because there is no rejection for its strength and becomes a pleasant pleasure.

MONTECRISTO OPEN JUNIOR

FORMAT: Length: 110 mm. Diameter: 15,08 mm. Strain: 38. Weight: 6,37 gr.

TOBACCO: Vuelta abajo (pinar del río, cuba)

BEFORE LIGHTING: Color: red. Aroma: herbaceous

COMBUSTION: First third: spices and aromas over soft flavors. Second third: strength is enhanced with earthy touches and spicy notes. Third third: somewhat woody, spicier and stronger flavors.

Smoking time: 20/25 minutes

SHOT: Perfect

ASH: Medium gray

TASTING: This vitola of galera called trabucos offers a short smoke, with good tobacco traces, and in whose tasting the thirds are accompanied thanks to its small format, with a medium strength character.

BOLIVAR PETIT CORONAS

FORMAT: Length: 129 mm. Diameter: 16,67 mm. Strain: 42. Weight: 8,75 gr.

TOBACCO: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Río, Cuba)

BEFORE LIGHTING: Color: light colored. Aroma: herbaceous 

COMBUSTION: First third: shows character and strength already in the first puffs. Second third: very present pepper with a background of strong cocoa bitterness. Third third: powerful traces of tobacco with a very strong strength and some hints of wood.

Smoking time: 45/50 minutes

SHOT: Perfect

ASH: Gray with darker stands

TASTING: The five out of five strength of this vitola from the galley called Mareva clearly shows that it is bound with a good amount of light tobacco, which makes it grow in the mouth with traces of tobacco and a very dense smoke.

QUAI D’ORSAY Nº 50

FORMAT: Length: 110 mm. Diameter: 19,84 mm. Strain: 50. Weight: 12,16 g.

TOBACO: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Río, Cuba)

BEFORE LIGHTING: Color: light colored. Aroma: spicy

COMBUSTION: First third: wood and spices with very soft and sweet traces. Second third: the honeyed notes are maintained accompanied by some very light spicy touches. Third third: increased traces of tobacco with a good balance of flavors and aromas.

Smoking time: 40/45 minutes

SHOT: Perfect

ASH: Mid-tone gray

TASTING: Tasty, smooth and without any hint of aggressiveness in the mouth, this vitola de galera called D No. 5 represents the triumph of tobacco flavors over strength, since it is one of the lowest (one out of five) in the Habanos vitolario.