A dear friend of mine had said that her pretty cool neighbor had a cigar lounge that should be checked out. So one breezy Sunday, we all met at Blue Torch Cigars and Winery to see if it was as good as her neighbor had said. The answer is yes, a resounding yes! The lounge area is broken up with a variety of televisions to watch as well as a gorgeous outside patio area. The staff were informative, helpful, and friendly. The humidor is a fair size for the establishment, and had a few sticks I hadn’t seen elsewhere, though a few heavy hitters were absent. I neglected to go into the wine cellar room on this trip, but the chairs were cozy and comfortable and the volume in the lounge was such that I didn’t have to raise my voice for my friends to hear me. Very relaxing and mellow. Not only do I recommend this lounge, I look forward to visiting again soon.
On the advice of the associate, I picked up a Fuego Verde by La Palina. I had circled the humidor twice and the green wrapper for this cigar kept catching my eye, the ring is very simple but bright, and the associate said that it was a good cigar for a candela wrapped stick. When I first unwrapped it, the candela wrapper was leading the aromas with a strong hay scent. There was a hint of leather and a bit of cinnamon in that mix, so my curiosity was piqued.
After unwrapping that lengthy ring and lighting it, the cigar’s aroma remained strongly hay, but some of the more green grassy smells were noticed at the beginning of the smoke. The smoke itself was heavy, lingering around an exhale to keep the cut-grass aroma very prevalent.
The draw on the stick was tight, but it didn’t seem to lend to a difficult smoke. As I got to the midpoint of the cigar, notes of cinnamon, leather, and coffee came out to mingle with the hay and cut grass, and the stick seemed to have gotten a little bit darker. It started as a light medium bodied cigar but developed into a very solid medium body. And stayed as much through the end of the stick. I personally felt that the burn was very even for the tightness of the draw and made a healthy foot.
The cigar finished with more of a spicy cinnamon leather feel than the hay, which was a pleasant surprise. I had this cigar with Merlot and felt that this was a good pairing. I could also see this cigar going well with a range of beers(lager to stouts), any soft drink of your choosing, and probably any liquor of your choosing as well. It’s a solid smoke and a good accompaniment to any beverage.
