The first time I ever heard of Paul Gamirian would be at a cigar ship in Princeton, NJ called a Little Taste of Cuba. There were two employees back then, one by the name of Chris and the other Dan. I was working as a private investigator at the time and our legal consultant had an office around the corner. So we would schedule a meeting, go for Indian food with our lawyer and finish up in the cigar shop. Years later I would work with Chris at Miami Cigar & Company and even years after that I would work with Dan at my former employer and Dan is my tobacconist at Twins Smoke Shop in Londonderry, NH.
So who is Paul Gamirian? He majored in International Politics where he would lecture for decades and he would manage his own real estate firm. He is also the author of the book, “Gourmet Guide To Cigars” which has been reprinted countless times and would lead to a working relationship with Henke Kelner of Davidoff fame.
According to their website, Celebrating 25 years (1990-2015) 25,000 Connoisseur were made in 2015 packed in 1250 boxes. The cigar transitions effortlessly, many have called it, “A Masterpiece” A beautiful dark and oily Oscuro Maduro wrapper, four complex fillers and a Dominican barrel aged binder produce a rich, complex and balanced smoke that is sure to impress the most discriminating aficionados. The strength is medium to full body, but full in flavor. 150 boxes of Short Robusto were released in November 2016.
Cigar Review: Paul Gamirian 25th Anniversary
Size: 6 x 52 (Connoisseur)
Wrapper: Oscuro (Country Not Disclosed)
Binder: Not Disclosed
Fillers: Not Disclosed
Factory: Occidental
Release Date: November, 2015
Box Count: 20
The Cigar: From the first time I smoked a Paul Gamirian cigar I remember saying the wrapper doesn’t match the price point. I did enjoy PG cigars so I quickly learned when it came to cigars you can’t judge it based on appearance. I think this helped me on my cigar journey like no other. The oscuro wrapper has some notable veins and poor cut lines but in the hand the cigar has no voids and a nice weight. The bands that adorn the cigars, let us just call it retro.
The Taste: Figs are the dominant note on the cold draw with a hint of molasses and earth. The foot has aromas of manure and earth. I know I said it before, but tobacco smelling like manure is considered the highest compliment possible. I can’t wait to light this up so I quickly toast and light the foot of the cigar. My eyes quickly water from the smoke production and the spice to start things off.
As we smoke the first third that initial bite of pepper quickly fades away as the cigar becomes what I expected it to be considering Eladio Diaz and Henke Kelner had their hands in on it. The cigar is earthy, with notes of wheat, and cedar. The retrohale reveals a touch of lemon rind and espresso.
As we cross over into the second third notes of cedar remain dominant with water chestnuts, lemon rind and some saltiness. The cigar has a nice complexity and is medium-full in perceive strength. The retrohale sees the addition of nuttiness and a touch of chocolate with a lingering pepper that causes me to sneeze.
The final third sees the nuttiness become dominant with an abundance of lingering earth, hay and wheat. It’s at this point of the cigar it reminds me a lot of Davidoff but with considerably more strength. The retrohale and finish of the cigar is salty with some black pepper.
Conclusion: Paul Gamirian operates McLean Cigars in Virginia where he features his cigars. But this isn’t a house brand as they have had great distribution in the past and the cigars are actually good with no corners being cut for the sake of profit like so many house brands across the marketplace.
If you are a fan of Davidoff from back when Eladio Diaz and Henke Kelner were a part of the brand, these cigars are a must have. They are hard to find, but if you look hard enough you can find them still. As far as me, this was an incredible walk down memory land and I will be grabbing more from PG in the future.
Score: 92
Price: $24.00 (Before local or state taxes)
Site sponsor Small Batch Cigar carries Paul Gamirian cigars
