27th Mar2012

601 La Bomba Atom

by GoodFellasCigars

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Shape: Corona Extra

Size: 5¼” x 46

Country: My Father Factory in Nicaragua

Strength: Full

Production: Full

Price Range: $8.00

I’ve always enjoyed the Viaje Skull and Bones line due to the shear strength that these little guys pack. Recently someone told me about a cigar that was comparable to that line so I had to give them a try of course. This cigar is made by EOBrands Inc. which is the maker of the 601 brand. The 601 line was the original brand that the company lauched and currently its most successful. The cigar by 601 I picked is the La Bomba Atom and the name pretty much sums up how this cigar is, “The Atom Bomb”.

The Look:  Immediately upon seeing this cigar for the first time it reminded me of the Viaje TNT 2011 . It had an extremely long tail that went about half the length of the cigar like a bomb fuse. This further more just hints that this cigar is going to be strong! The construction on the La Bomb was excellent from the triple cap to almost no veins and a very smooth wrap. The pack was also nice and firm with no give which might mean the draw could be a little difficult but, we will have to see. The wrapper and foot had the same smell of rich sweet tobacco.

The Start: Now it’s time to begin and clip the cap. The pre-draw was very smooth even with the firm pack I noted from before and it had a light tobacco flavor. The initial draw on the other had was an intense warm spice. WOW! I can’t put in words how spicy the initial draw is. I can’t really compare the spice to any other cigar I have had either. It’s basically like a kick to the palate. But, it wasn’t all spice I also picked up a flavor of leather. The aroma was a musky burnt leaf smell.

The Beginning: The intense spice I encountered on the initial draw was only momentarily. For the first third it backed down to a red pepper that still gives a warm sensation and prickles the palate. Along with the red pepper are other flavors of leather, roasted coffee, and dark chocolate. The draw was very easy that took virtually no effort and the smoke that was coming off the cigar was a dark grey which produce alot of smoke when resting. I recommend taking your time on this guy since the draw is easy and also the strength on this cigar is pretty high. We don’t want anyone to have to stop due to nausea. The ash is a mix of white, grey, and black ad was also flaky and somewhat loose. The burn on the other hand is near perfect. Approaching the second third the spice continues to go down with earth tones coming into play along with the coffee and dark chocolate making a small amount of bitterness.

The Middle: The La Bomba is still staying strong as ever to say the least. I’m feeling it now. Thank the lord I ate something before smoking this stick. A sweet drink would go well with this cigar. Possibly a sweet tea? The flavors are the same for the most part compared to the first third except spice has went down a decent amount. The flavor profile as of now consists of a dark bitter earth with coffee and chocolate. The burn is basically razor sharp. Approaching the last third leather comes back in bringing tones of nuts and dryness. Also here the chocolate and coffee leave, never to be seen again.

The End:  I managed to drag my beaten body from this ass kicker this far. Everything through this part is consistent from what I last described just above with the final third’s flavor profile made up of spice, leather, and bitter semi-dry nuts. The finish was a bitter leather. Total time of the smoke was a little over an hour.

Final Thoughts: Overall this cigar was great if you want something that will challenge you and take you on a real journey. If you are a fan of the Viaje Skull and Bones line and have been looking forever to find a cigar that is comparable to them look no further this is it. My suggestion is make sure you take your time on the La Bomba because the draw can have you going too fast if you don’t watch it. Also don’t forget to eat something before smoking this cigar too. I’m going to have see what else EOBrands Inc. has to offer because the punch this Atom bomb packed has got me intrigued.

Category : 601
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24th Feb2012

Hygrometers

by GoodFellasCigars

By definition a hygrometer is any device that measures the relative humidity or the amount of water vapor in the air in relation to the maximum amount of moisture the air can hold at a given temperature. Leonardo da Vinci is credited with building the very first hygrometer in the 1400s. Over the years improvements in terms of practicality and functionality were brought about by Francesco Folli, Robert Hooke and, John Frederic Daniel.

 How do Analog Humidor Hygrometers Work?


Take a guess on what is really inside an analog hygrometer? Was one of you’re guesses hair? You wouldn’t know from looking at something that is mostly metal and plastic. Hair actually makes a hygrometer work. More specifically horse mane hair due to it’s durability and thickness. Why hair? Hair is made of layers of dry, dead cells centered around a protein matrix which provides structural support for the cells. When the dead cells are exposed to humidity they begin to absorb the water molecules in the air and expand slightly. This results in a net increase of the total hair length. 

Above you see the inside of a analog hygrometer and as you can see the hair is attached to a base inside the frame of the analog. It is then looped counterclockwise a few times around a spring-loaded axle and then lastly attached to a weak spring. As the humidity rises the hair lengthens, reducing the torque on the spring-loaded axle allowing it to begin to rotate clockwise. This in turn causes the visible metal pointer to rotate showing you that there is an increase in humidity. Also, when the humidity decreases the hair retracts and the metal pointer rotates showing the decrease in humidity.

Analog hygrometers relying on the horse hair are not as trust worthy as digital hygrometers. This is due to the hair over time becoming weak and loosing the properties as described above. Even worse though is the eventuality the hair will snap which will cause the hygrometer from working altogether. This make the metal pointer appear stuck in place.

How do Digital Humidor Hygrometers Work?


Digital hygrometers are overall a very simple mechanism. They are also more reliable than analog hygrometers for the simple fact they do not rely on hair which breaks down overtime. Above you can see the basic layout of the inside of a digital hygrometer. The yellow parts are two separate but interlocking pieces of metal that are mounted a top a non-conductive silicon plate. The two pieces of metal are then the attached to a wire that links them to a battery, micro-chip, and a voltmeter. From there the micro-chip compares the readings from the voltmeter to a database and then displays the calculated humidity on a digital screen. Humidity on these are very precise and only are off by +/- 2%. How does all this work though? Water is a conductive liquid and at higher humidity levels there will be more water vapor in the air. This water vapor then settles on the silicon plate and allows for electricity from the battery to transfer between the metal pieces. The more humidity means the more water vapor on the silicon plate which then means  the more electricity can flow between the metal pieces. The voltmeter measures this flow and then lastly the micro-chip calculates this reading in it’s database and then displays the humidity reading corresponding to it’s calculations.

Once you buy a hygrometer either digital or analog it will need to be calibrated first otherwise it will not read humidity right. Here is out to calibrate a digital and an analog hygrometer:

You will need:

  1.  A digital hygrometer
  2.  A bottle cap the size of a water bottle cap or bigger
  3.  Salt
  4.  Water
  5.  A sealable plastic container or sealable plastic bag

Complete the following steps calibrate your analog hygrometer:

  1. Take the cap and fill it with salt until it is just under level with the top of the cap
  2. Add a slight amount of water to the salt in the cap in order to just make a salt paste mixture. DO NOT over saturate.
  3. Place the cap with the pasty salt mixture in to the container or bag and be careful to not spill its contents
  4. Place the digital hygrometer into the container or bag as well
  5. Seal the container or sealable bag air tight
  6. Wait for twenty-four hours
  7. Take out the hygrometer out of the container or plastic bag
  8. Check and note the reading on the digital hygrometer
  9. (DIGITAL) If the hygrometer does not read seventy-five degrees you will have to adjust the reading. Adjusting varies depending on the make and model of the digital hygrometer. In this instance to calibrate the xikar digital hygrometer pressing and holding the center button for a few seconds will make it read seventy-five degrees. In other common digital hygrometers that have dials you will have to turn the dial either left or right until it reads seventy-five degrees. Always read the directions for your particular make and model to make sure your digital hygrometer is adjusted properly.
  10. (ANALOG) If the hygrometer does not read seventy-five degrees adjust by inserting a flat head screw driver in the back of the analog hygrometer in the center knob and turning either left or right until it reads seventy-five degrees.  Turning left will dial the hygrometer up and turning right will dial it down.

If you have followed these steps you have now successfully calibrated your digital hygrometer

Category : Cigar 101
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2 Comm
12th Jan2012

Viaje Exclusivo Atlantic Cigar Co 15th Anniversary Lancero

by GoodFellasCigars

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo 99

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Shape: Lancero

Size: 7 1/2 x 40

Country: Honduras

Production: 140 boxes of 25 cigars each (3,500)

Strength: Medium – Full

Price Range: $9.20

In celebration of Atlantic Cigar Company’s 15 years in business Viaje was commissioned and produced an exclusive commemorative cigar; the Viaje Exclusivo Atlantic Cigar Co 15th Anniversary Lancero. This cigar is the first and one of a handful cigars that will be crafted by various cigar companies that will celebrate Atlantic Cigar Co 15th Anniversary. All releases will most likely be extremely limited as the Viaje Exclusivo Atlantic Cigar Co 15th Anniversary Lancero has a production of a mere 3,500 cigars in total. Least to say these will be a target for any collector.

After cutting the Viaje Exclusivo Atlantic Cigar Co 15th Anniversary Lancero; the predraw provided a pleasant lightly spiced tobacco taste.  Then after lighting, the initial draw of the first third consisted of a dominating caramelized sugar flavor and tones of slight spice mixed with the caramelized sugar on the finish. The rest of the first third featured a spiced caramelized sugar flavor and a strong finish of caramelized sugar notes. The draw was decent and the burn was fairly even. As the cigar burned a small dark ash formed which remanded consistent throughout of the cigar.

Transitioning into the second third the flavor profile shifted to feature wood tones and the finish became slightly lighter but still quite strong which composed of strong caramelized sugar, faint citrus, and light wood tones. The draw improved becoming solidly decent.

The Viaje Exclusivo Atlantic Cigar Co 15th Anniversary Lancero’s final third continued on the improvement of the second third. Its draw opened up nicely, making this an enjoyable smoke. The overall taste flavor profile reverted back to the first third again featuring caramelized sugar and spice but the caramelized sugar flavor lessened. The finish contained a caramelized sugar, wood and with slight bitterness. The burn was a little wavy but did not take anything away from the cigar.

Over all the Viaje Exclusivo Atlantic Cigar Co 15th Anniversary Lancero was a good cigar but needed some relights that may have been due to slowly being smoked and had one interesting quirk. The finish was by far by far stronger than the fairly light flavors and tones of the flavor profile. That quirk though a bit surprising only added a unique character to an already very limited cigar. Get your hands on these and hold them for a while you may not come across any more.

Category : viaje
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03rd Jan2012

GFC Quickies

by GoodFellasCigars

It’s the New Year and we here at Good Fellas Cigars would like to bring you something new we are going to do on our site. They are going to be called GFC Quickies. The name was given to us by one of our close friends. They won’t be as long as our full reviews but, they will still give you all the information you need to know to make a decision on whether or not you want  to try the cigar or not. This will help us give more content to you, our readers. The layout will look something like this:

*Picture*

Wrapper:

Binder:

Filler:

Shape:

Size:

Country/Factory:

Strength:

Price Range:

Flavors/Notes:

Ash:

Draw:

Burn:

Appearance:

Other Comments:

We look forward to your feedback on this new type of review!

Thanks for the continued support from over here at Good Fellas Cigars.

Category : Uncategorized
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