Vitola: Petite Panatela- 4” x 38 ring gauge
- MSRP $3.75
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
I got word about the Little Hassells on January 10 from the shop’s Tatuaje rep. We were chosen to be one of the shops that could get ten 10-packs of the cigars as a gift from the manufacturer with a certain sized order. As we always seem to be short of something in the Tat lineup, we jumped on it and got our order in. It was barely a week later when the order showed up, along with the packs.
I asked the manager at the shop for something special on these…we have a few Saints and Sinners club members that are also faithful customers at Burns…can we reward them by selling them the 10-packs? Yes…but anything else goes out for all the other regular customers to have a chance at. Some shops elected to give away the packs with the purchase of a box of cigars, but I really feel like we’ve done that enough in the past couple years…most of our guys really don’t need to be strong-armed into buying boxes. I’m also an SnS member, so I took advantage of the decision (hey…I’m also strategic!) and bought a pack for full price (no employee discounting on these).
So far I’ve smoked a couple and given a couple away. The Little Hassells blend is undisclosed as far as specifics goes, but it’s a safe bet it’s Nicaraguan filler and binder. The wrapper was specified as Connecticut Broadleaf.
A day after we got the Little Hassells in, Monkey Town Brewing Company did their latest “can drop” on one of their beers. I was working but I sent my wife to pick up a 4-pack of this latest variation of their Imperial Milk Stout: Bismarck’s Birthday Cake. They are technically calling this the latest in their “pastry stout line-up.” It clocks in at 10% and is conditioned on shredded coconut, marshmallows, vanilla, and German Chocolate Cake coffee.
Notes
The question for today really was “Do I even bother going outside for a smoke?” Seriously, at 4:30 the air temp was 32º and the wind was blowing, producing a “feels like” temp of 23º. On the plus side, the side was shining bright on my front porch and I was bundled up and ready to smoke a half hour stick.
The chicken thermometer (an old round gauge that hangs on one of the posts with its metal back to the afternoon sun) read about 50º…so basically, if you are made of metal and sitting in direct sunlight you are about 20º warmer than the air temp. Being made of flesh and bone and sitting in the sun, it felt closer to about 40.
The Little Hassells has a deep earthiness, strong espresso bean note, and overtones of chocolate and pepper spice. To me, it’s kind of like taking a Verocu blend (which to me are notably stronger than the Cazadores Brown Label blend) and putting a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper on it. Essentially a cross between a Petite Cazadores and Verocu No. 5 then.
The Bismarck’s Birthday Cake beer was strong and sweet, giving up a fudge brownie note at first, with coffee and coconut coming in later. I definitely picked up the vanilla in the mix, but marshmallow flavor basically got subsumed in everything else. I can say this would not be a beer for everyone…but it’s definitely something I enjoy!
And it goes great with this small cigar, too. I do wish the weather was more cooperative and allowed me to pair it with a larger stick for a longer time off enjoyment…on the other hand, these little cigars showed up at exactly the right time for me. Not sure if we’ll see Little Hassells again…or Bismarck’s Birthday Stout again, for that matter. That means this may be a once in a lifetime pairing opportunity. Since I know the owners of both companies personally, though, I am going to take this chance to encourage Pete and Kirby to get in touch…maybe work together to create an even better pairing than this. Pete’s more off a wine and bourbon guy, but Kirby’s beers can make anyone a believer…I’m not sure Kirby has ever smoked a cigar, but Pete is one of the best ambassadors for cigars that I know of. If you’re reading this…you both know how to get in touch with me.
