Wesley's Cigar Dinner
Monday July 21, 2014

Featuring
        Luis – Master Roller from the Dominican Republic

Invitation
Monday July 21, 2014 : 6.45 pm for 7.30 pm

R450.00 per person    (Strictly limited to 70 guests)
Dress: Elegant Casual

Price includes:
• 3 course meal • 3 cigars (value R414.00 - see descriptions below)
• Welcome drink • Limited wine (Cash Bar available)
• Free entry to draw for cigar case: German leather with belt loop
• Surprise Raffle (Tickets R50.00 or 3 for R100.00)

Katzy’s at The Grillhouse - 32a Cradock Avenue, Rosebank
Secure parking in The Firs, entrance Bierman Ave. (under The Hyatt Hotel)

To book: Phone 011 440 2717

Payment: Pre-pay by Credit Card or direct deposit.
No refunds after Friday 18 July 2014

The cigars you’ll be smoking at the dinner – 21 July 2014:

Two from La Aurora :
In 1903 Eduardo León Jimenes opened a cigar factory in the Dominican Republic, making La Aurora cigars. Through wars, poor infrastructure and dictatorship he continued to roll cigars, and today they are some of the finest from the Dominican Republic. Just over 100 years later, Jose Blanco (then sales director for La Aurora cigars) created the La Aurora 1495 series to honour the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the fertile valley of Cibao, and the founding of the city of Santiago de los Caballeros.
In a 2006 interview with Cigar Aficionado, Jose Blanco said
“There has to be a story, there has to be romance behind it. In1495 we have a Sumatra Ecuador wrapper, a Corojo [Dominican] binder, Corojo ligero, Nicaragua piloto Cubano and Peruvian ligero. We're working with six types of leaves. These six types of tobacco, they all harmonize. Sometimes you take two good leaves and you don't get anything out of them. It's not appealing. But with these six they blend very well. I think it's a medium- to full-bodied, but totally different smoke.”
Of the Ecuador wrapper “To me, it adds a lot of flavor. It has body. It's a different type of tobacco. I'm a firm believer that the soil does everything. You have to have a good seed, but the soil is the main thing.”
The 1495 you is reputed deliver a full, satisfying smoke, with a smooth, spicy flavour throughout, and no harshness towards the end.
The 1495 series scored 90 points and more in Cigar Aficionado tastings.

We start with the small “La Aurora 15 minute break” – just 90mm long, and a comparatively thick ring 42.
The thicker ringsize on this small cigar allows the filler to contain more leaves to give a more complex, fuller taste. Cigar Aficionado awarded it 92 points
A larger La Aurora cigar is next, rolled during the visit to South Africa of Luigi – the chief cigar roller of La Aurora, who will be with us at the dinner – in a shape chosen by him for the occasion.

A Unique finish -  a Cuban Edicion Limitada (Limited Edition) cigar
Every year, since 2001, Habanos releases two or three Edicion Limitada. In the Habanos 2007 Newsletter these cigars are described: “The Limited Edition distinguishes itself for the inclusion of sizes which are not part of the usual range of the brand, and is characterised by a special manufacture. The careful selection of the two-year aged wrapper from the upper level of the plant grants it a darker color and turns this product into something unique. Binder and filler leaves used for the making of the Limited Edition cigars have been aged for two years as well, turning these smokes into something far more great.”
James Suckling in an August 2007 article for Cigar Aficionado talks of a conversation he had with Hilda Baró, head of the Partagas factory, when she said: “These cigars are not maduro. They are simply made with aged wrappers which have been coming from the upper parts of the plant, particularly the top ones or coronas.”
Because wrapper leafs come from the top of the plant, they are richer and slightly thicker, which gives them a slightly darker color brown after processing. In fact, for many years, numerous tobacco growers in the Vuelta Abajo didn’t even bother picking their coronas because they took too much time to cure and process.

H.Upmann Robusto Limited Edition 2012 (124mm x Ring 50) Herman Upmann, a German banker with a branch in Cuba sent gifts of cigars to his clients with the bank’s name stamped on the box. Thus in 1844, the H.Upmann brand was established.  H.Upmann Cuban cigars are of high quality – smooth, normally medium flavoured. However, as usual, the wrappers of the superior Ediciones Limitadas are richer and slightly thicker, giving the cigar a darker colour and a unique, full flavour. Reviews of the Upmann Robusto 2012 cigars have commented that they are slightly loosely packed, so make a smaller cut than usual and test the draw before lighting. (You can enlarge the opening if necessary.)