Polar vortex blues got you feeling like the risk of catching a bit of frostbite just isn't worth the flavors found within that 3-hour-long "toro grande" smoke time? Well, now might be the time to weigh your options.
After extensive amounts of scientific research, we here at Klaro have concluded that cold weather calls for either one of two forms of action:
- Stop smoking cigars entirely and wait until spring.
- Brave the frigid arctic tundra and start smoking short stogies instead.
Personally, we like the sound of the second option a hell of a lot more. So here's a fresh winter smoker's bundle brimming with stubby boutique blends from some of our favorite small-business cigar manufacturers. Happy, smoking ya'll, and don't forget your fuzzy earmuffs.
Tobacco Nerd Note: Don't forget to dry box your cigars in winter. The process of temporarily removing tobacco from humidity prior to smoking can mean the difference between a beautiful burn and a smoldering mess. For more on this crucial tobacco related topic be sure to read Klaro's "Art of Dry Boxing Cigars" article for a quick crash course on the subject, and don't forget to pick up a Spanish cedar-lined Maxwell travel humidor to make the process even easier.
[Buy Bundle]
Caldwell Forever Fresh Shorty
[Buy 5-Pack]
A super obscure short smoke. So obscure that a Google search only pulls up four results for this vitola: Caldwell's distribution website and its corresponding product pages, and Klaro Cigars, where coincidentally we just so happen to sell this smoke. Does that mean we are the only online distributor currently stocking this specific stick? Maybe so...
Unlike the vast majority of Caldwell's "Lost & Found" projects, this Forever Fresh Shorty was actually a contracted blend that was created from the ground up for Robert Caldwell by Oliva, thus making it rarer yet. This stubby 4x48 firecracker comes cloaked in an oily Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper and is loaded with Cuban-seed Nicaraguan binder and filler tobacco. Expect a rich, earthy smoke that somehow remains medium, with touches of oak and bittersweet chocolate throughout, followed by a heavy handful of walnuts and a mellow mineral aftertaste.
Warped Sky Moon
[Buy 5-Pack]
Sky Moon is a hybrid limited-run smoke that takes the very best from Warped Cigars and its Sky Flower and Moon Garden blends, and turns it all up a notch thanks to the addition of some Nicaraguan long-filler leaf. As the official Klaro review of Sky Moon clearly illustrates, the smoke produced is strong but not something we'd classify as intense either.
In fact, we find this fuller-bodied corona to be an ideal option for those looking for a quick smoking session and are interested in something rather lively, which is made possible thanks to its elusive Nicaraguan shade-grown Corojo '99 wrapper. Apparently, only 500 boxes were made, so consider yourself lucky that we were able to secure some for this special winter bundle.
La Palina KB Series
[Buy 5-Pack]
The La Palina KB Series is a peppery, earthy mix of Honduran corojo wrapper and a Honduran criollo leaf binder, and a filler mixture that is also corojo and criollo, but of Nicaraguan stock instead. The result is a smoking experience that is invigorating but not overwhelming.
During our review of the La Palina KB Series, it became apparent that Fuji apple notes, along with a nice kick of cedar, and a creamy almond taste were the primary cigar flavor profile. Like a pair of Chuck Norris boots, it also is a bit on the leathery and tough end, and the addition of a secondary criollo binder makes for a pleasantly sweet earthen aftertaste.
Like the rest of the La Palina line, the smoke itself is a real joy, as it adds a full-body feeling to the experience and really coats the senses, especially in the second portion of the cigar, when a shift toward criollo tobacco can be detected. Expect distinct flavors of gourmet red licorice and toasted tree nuts, as the corojo contents become burly and more citrusy the deeper in you go, with baking spice notes and cinnamon causing the palate to tingle long after the last exhale.
Artesano del Tobacco El Pulpo "The Fry"
[Buy 5-Pack]
This cigar gives a whole new meaning to the term "small fry." At 4x48, this stubby maduro is tied with the Caldwell option in this bundle for being the tiniest smoke in the stack. However, don't let its diminutive size fool you, because The Fry by Artesano del Tobacco is massive in flavor, body, and aroma.
Engineered with the same 94-rated blend and San Andrés maduro wrapper as the regular version of El Pulpo we reviewed, these little gems from AJ Fernandez offer all the wonderful qualities of the larger vitola, but in a far more manageable size. Produced at the AJ Fernandez factory in Nicaragua, the wrapper on The Fry receives a special treatment, as it is fermented differently to achieve a distinct flavor.
Lovely Cigars No. 162
[Buy 5-Pack]
While heavy, oily, maduro, and meat-cleaver strength Sumatran cigars remain the most widely recognized... there is a place for light, floral, effervescent, and utterly unobtrusive stogies sporting the exact same seed strain. As our official review of No. 162 by Lovely Cigars clearly proclaims, this blend sits in a very special spot, where mild Sumatran smokers are sure to celebrate. Especially in winter, when the swift burn of this slim robusto gets you back inside in under an hour.
As the first Sumatran offering from Lovely Cigars, this stick relies upon fillers from Nicaragua for its core and then turns toward a Sumatran binder that is enrobed in a light, silky-soft Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper. The verdict? A short smoke that throws flavors and aromas of honey, milk tea, sappy cedar, hay, and vanilla at the senses without ever getting harsh or heavy in body.
Gellis Family Cigars Saunter
[Buy 5-Pack]
A new face at Klaro, Saunter is a recent release from master blender Kyle Gellis and his Gellis Family Cigars spinoff project, that comes rolled exclusively in robusto form, making it ideal for winter smoking.
Featuring an Ecuador-grown Connecticut shade wrapper, with an Ecuadorian binder and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic inside, this is easily the lightest cigar in this year's Klaro Winter Sixer Bundle. While it may be light in color and minuscule in size, it is very big in flavor and intensely aromatic. Heavily-aged tobacco lends a hand, forming tasting notes of lightly tanned leather, sweet cedar, roasted tree nuts, and baking spice, all rolled up in a medium-bodied mix that is both mouthwatering and memorable.