General Cigar Company - Macanudo "Portofino" lancero (Connecticut / Dominican Republic / Mexico)

I'd like to share what I smoked today - a Macanudo "Portofino." It's a 7x34 lancero-shape cigar en tubo. It's got a Connecticut shade tobacco wrapper with mostly Dominican innards, except for a Mexican binder from the St. Andres Tuxtla Valley binder.

What makes this cigar special is that it's the first cigar I ever smoked. Not the same exact one, obviously, but a Macanudo Portofino was the first cigar I ever tried. But what makes it even more special is that 10 years ago, today, was when I had my first cigar. It was on the evening of my high school graduation, in 2005, and my late Uncle Mike picked it out for me. He was a big cigar smoker and gave me advice on how to smoke, what the different kinds of cigars there were, etc. He was there with me for my first puff! And when he passed away in 2013, I inherited some of his cigar collection (which I am still enjoying to this day.)

Here's to you, Uncle Mike!

So I figured what better way to celebrate my 10 years of bad habits than to have another Portofino.

It lit up nicely, despite being a little dry. I bought it retail at JR's downtown. It came in the tube, so it probably wasn't even opened. Still, I wrapped it in a hot moist paper towel and it seemed to bounce back OK.

The taste is very nice - a little minerally, but light and straightforward with some tasty earthy leather flavors. I like the format, as well; it's cool to have a longer but narrower cigar since you're not able to take huge puffs on it. This format is called, among other terms, "lancero." It smoked pretty much all the way down, and I had to put it out about pinkie length, which is nice for a 7" cigar. All in all, a good purchase and a very enjoyable smoke for a special occasion.