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Last week the wife and I rented a cottage up north. I brought up some "once a year" cigars such as the RA Phoenicio, RA 225, etc. The most special to me was a Hamlet Flying Pig. Legend has it that he used to roll this for some Royal types many moons ago and only rolled exceptions for friends now and then. Fortunately, I happened to be in a group of friends that he would roll these for (and Lanceros) once in a while. I have a stash of these from 2010 and 2012. I'v smoked about half since 2010 and have enjoyed everyone one of these. I don't have specific dimensions but here goes. As long as an 898. Two RG's. The Pigtail foot (yes the foot and I'll explain later) and the flat, head. RG of the foot is about 56/58 RG. The head about 52/54. Here's a side shot. Pigtail up top. A little home made band to help me differentiate between the 2010 and 2012 batch. A large punch cut on the foot. Hamlet was clear in advising us not to use anything else to cut it with otherwise... "You'll fuck it up Meng". Now, as for the Pigtail foot. That is where the magic is. You light the pigtail and maybe about a centimeter wide diameter around it to get it lit. He said he blended the pigtail to be more combustive and basically light the cigar. From the dozen'ish I've smoked of these. None have every faltered. Sure enough, that's what a did. Took a few puffs and when I flipped the cigar, the foot was lit perfectly. I won't do a review of this beauty in this post. But what I've found is that these smoke like a Habanos marca tour. I get everything from RyJ, to Montecristo, Cohiba, RA and some PL. These are true works of smoking art. Now that he's jumped shipped into the NC world there's little chance of him making these Cuban puros ever again. Though he has made NC ones when he tours various B&M's. Here's a few more "in action" shots. This cigar is good for 2-3 hours of smoking bliss. And finally, the nub. What a beautiful cigar. I've been very fortunate to have been able to spend time with Hamlet in Havana and in Toronto for an extended period of time around 2011/12 when he was touring B&M's across Canada. I still have many of his Cuban custom rolls in my humidor. I count them amongst my most treasured and personal cigars. There are probably many of you here on FOH that have had the opportunity to grab them as well. What are you thoughts?

Good article......? https://ministryofcigars.com/alejandro-gonzalez-releasing-a-nicaraguan-cigar/

Link to the short video . https://www.rockypatel.com/

As fortune would have it, Hamlet has landed in Toronto and will be in town for a few days. He was supposed to be in Nicaragua but given the tense situation down there, he was redirected up here. He co-headlined an event with a couple of other NC brand reps in town at a local B&M which happily is 10 mins away from my house. I had the opportunity to try a robusto from his new 25th Year release, And though I do not smoke many NC's, this one was a really pleasant departure from what I remember when I used to. I enjoy and still smoke his Tabaquero line now and then but I find this one aligns more with my Cuban cigar trained palate. Overall, it was medium bodied and had some very good flavour transitions. Couple that with a good draw and razor sharp burn line and you have a recipe for an enjoyable smoke. I picked up a couple of the other vitolas to see what they're about too. It was great to see him looking healthy and happy and as usual, he regaled us with entertaining stories throughout the night. If you ever get a chance to meet him at your local B&M or trade show, do so.

Hamlet is set to debut his new line at this years IPCPR Trade show. It will be called the Hamlet 25th Year. and it will come in three sizes. Robusto: 5 1/2 by 50 Toro: 6 1/2 by 52 Sixty: 6 by 60 The blend will be milder than his debut cigars based on feedback from his fans. They will come in boxes of 20 with MSRP range of $8.75 to $10USD. Read the full details on CA here. Best of luck Hamlet!

Riverside Cigars in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Hamlet custom Tabaquero rolling event.

Our good friend Hamlet Paredes has placed #23 in Cigar Journal's Top 25 of 2016 with his Tabaquero Toro. That is a huge achievement! Congratulations Hermano! Hamlet at #23

Back in November 2015, Hamlet had a few tour stops in PA while promoting his debut cigar. I contacted a friend and told him he should head out to meet him and try his cigar. In turn, he offered to pick up some boxes and relay them up to me. So I asked around, others were interested, so we did a group buy. Hamlet was gracious enough to sign and date each box as well. Below are the spoils. Closeup of the Coronas Closeup of Robustos Closeup of Salamones Closeup of Toros Kudos to Keith for bringing these up from the US. In all, the presentation of the boxes and cigars IMO are quite handsome. With only one exception. There was some paint dust residue from what I believe may have been some kind of silk screening process for the logos and type on the box. I wiped them off with damp paper towels and there was a yellow tinge that matched the box paint. Kind of a nasty oversight, but not the end of the world. It was easy enough to clean up.

Hamlet Paredes Tabaquero Robusto Review Review: Hamlet Tabaquero Robusto Release: Debut release for Hamlet Paredes under the Rocky Patel umbrella. Vitola: 50RG * 127mm (5 inches) aka Robusto Production: Unknown Box Code: N/A (possibly rolled Spring 2015) Date: Monday Sept 14 Start Time: 7:25PM EST Reviewers Notes: My style of cigar reviewing is “open”. I try to jot down what I’m experiencing with every draw. When you see a “/” consider that a break in between puffs. What I leave out in fancy prose is made up with observation. Consider each segment a play by play. This style works for me. I hope you enjoy it. Introduction. For those of you that know him, Hamlet Paredes was a mainstay in Cuban cigar culture. He traveled abroad exhibiting his rolling skills and unofficially acting as a sort of Cuban cigar industry ambassador. He plied his trade in Cuba in many places. He is well known as the ex house roller for the Romeo y Julieta factory and up until 2014, he was a salesman in the Partagas Factory store. He is a walking encyclopedia of tobacco, fluent in many languages and an engaging personality. He recently made his way to USA and landed with Rocky Patel. After many months of settling in and working in Rocky's Burn Lounge in Naples FL, Hamlet began his first project. The Tabaquero line. Scheduled for release October 2015. At the 2015 IPCPR, the line generated a lot of interest and I'm told a lot of pre-orders. Hamlet has since gone on tour in the US. His Visa restricts him from leaving the country for 1 year. A common friend of ours met up with him in Buffalo NY and was able to score a few samples. Fortunately, I was able to get one. Given that I've come to know this gentlemen over the past 4 to 5 years, I'm very happy for him and his new start Stateside. Nonetheless, I will be objective in smoking this cigar and giving my thoughts. What I will refrain from is giving it a score at this time. I'm confident that Hamlet has put something together that we fans of his Cuban custom rolls can find enjoyable. Hopefully, what I document here will have some appeal to you and you'll give this cigar and any others in its' line a shot. And so begins this journey. I hope you enjoy. Pre-light notes Visual: dark chocolate brown wrapper. great roll, smooth wrapper, solid, spongy at the foot. not a box press which is nice. Aroma is very NC like. cocoa sweetness on the wrapper and foot. hints of spice as well. pepper. Lots of different types of tobacco in this close up of the foot. A medium punch to the head comes clean, draw is very smooth. Time to begin! 1st Third good opening/ oily mouthfeel / earthy with a bit of sweetness / light but steady smoke output / vegetal notes / slight hints of bitter chocolate / aroma of grilled mushroom as i type / black pepper spice comes into play / lots of smoke / bitter chocolate / hints of cedar / getting strong / earthiness returns / cocoa / smooth draw / feeling black pepper in the back of the throat / bold cigar thus far / cocoa / huge volumes of smoke / oily mouthfeel on some finishes / decent burn, nice white ash / bready sweetness / bready sweetness / earthy again, , k peppery undertone persists / pepper anise / definitely an NC in terms of body and profile / even the smoke smells strong / slight hints of cocoa / still a relatively fresh cigar from what i understand, release isn’t expected until Mid October / 2nd Third chocolate / solid ash / perfect draw / calming down a bit in this third / oily / feeling tobacco strength / hints of sweetness now and then / huge plumes of smoke / a bit of cedar now and then / i tap off ash to avoid catastrophe / still medium ,full bodied / woody, earthy flavours now / oily finish on almost every draw / first band comes off / strength sneaking up / flavours steady in this third so far / nice, flavourful draw, similar to sourdough / pepper still persists / woody draw, cedary finish, very sharp / very slight hints of cocoa linger on the palate, which is pleasant / a bit of hickory with a sweet finish / more cocoa / it's dark out while i'm smoking, i hope this dark wrapper isn’t staining my lips and fingers LOL my first RP cigar ever, the Java did that to me. was a turn off / burn is good, but needs a touchup / feel strength creeping in, mind is swimming / sourdough again / still tons of smoke and a hint of licorice / most finishes are on the sweet side, which is good / earthy draw with a tangy finish / oily draw / pepper returns / licorice again , serious smoke monster / earthiness returns / cedar takes over the next few draws / second band off, aroma of cigar is still mushroomy / woody , earthy notes, pepper is back in a big way / not a boring cigar / super strong puff! lots of hickory and earth / 3rd Third woody / a return to some cocoa / dry tanniny feel on the finish / some bitterness / woody flavours / a bit on the medium bodied side in this third / Cubanesque “beany” flavour on a couple of puffs, very nice / a bit of cocoa / the cigar is still showing off some strength / earthy flavour / tangy flavours / woodiness again, cigar is still strong / a hint of licorice with an earthy twist / pepper again , the flavours aren’t as bold as before, but the cigar has a strong profile nonetheless / on a purge i get a fair bit of ammonia / cleaner draws follow / bit of cocoa / beans again / toasty tobacco / lots of smoke , woody flavours / beans / earthy draw / the finishes in this third tend to be on the woody side, but not cedar, though it does appear now and then / hickory / this third has been a lot more smooth, not as sharp or strong but the overall cigars’ strength has made its presence known / seems to be blended, geared towards the NC smoker's palate / very unlike his Cuban custom rolls which tend to be medium bodied / very strong, earthy, dirt flavour / Done @ 9:16 EST Conclusions Overall a very interesting cigar. Not boring or monotonous. If anything it is quite complex for an Non Cuban. And probably one of the better NC's I've had in a while. Apparently Hamlet tried about a hundred blends and this one was one of his first and he came back to it. The blend is strong and seems to waver in and out to give you a break now and then. The roll seems fresh and could do with some added sleep. As is stands, it smoked very well. It would be interesting to sample these every 6 months to a year. I smoke very few NC's as they cannot hold my interest. A week ago I lit up a 10 year old 1964 Series Padron and was expecting to be pleasantly surprised. It turns out I would have had better luck rolling up and smoking the Sunday comics in my local newspaper. This cigar and it's blend tells me there is some potential mojo in the NC game. Those of you who regularly enjoy NC's probably feel this way already. For my palate, this was the best NC I've smoked thus far. The only possible candidate to eclipse this, was the Davidoff 100th Geneva, which is an expensive, HTF cigar. After finishing this robusto I am very interested in trying the other vitolas in the line to see how the blend differs. Hamlet recommends the Salamones, which back in Cuba was his trademark custom roll. I'm sure he put a little bit extra in that vitola. As far as debut cigars goes. I think Hamlet did a splendid job. The overall flavour profile and complexity is worthy of his Cuban legacy. Pros: Tasty, complex smoke. Strong; if you like that in your cigar. Affordable. Much cheaper and easier to obtain that his Cuban custom rolls. Cool, retro style band eschews early 1900's design and aesthetics. Not a box press. I hate the box press trend in the NC market. Doesn't feel right. Cons: Not made with Cuban tobacco! But seriously. If there is any guy who could move from one market to the other and come up with an interesting smoke, its' this guy. Availability. Late September to Mid-October Youth. Mine smoked well, there was hints of ammonia towards the end. I'm sure by the time they're out they'll have had at least 6 months of rest. Strong. If that's not your thing, smoke this slowly, have a sweet drink nearby and plenty of water. A few more months rest should tame it a bit too. @Hamlet. Well done Hermano. I can only imagine that your next cigars will only get better. Especially since you'll be able to travel abroad and really get your hands dirty sampling various tobaccos.

Was fortunate to have won a pair of Hamlets in a raffle. Look forward to enjoying these hefty beauties in another year or so. Maybe on my 50th birthday. Many, many thanks to FOH for the opportunity.