Cigar Reserve has been a longtime supporter of Blind Man’s Puff as they have provided cedar spills for giveaway contests. They have provided some more boxes for giveaways and we figured it was time to put together a review of their product.
A little about the cedar spills: Cigar Reserve only uses grade “A” Spanish cedar and in a fully controlled process. They buy the Spanish cedar logs from Portugal and they are shipped to North Carolina where they are cut into a certain thickness veneer. They are then shipper to Cigar Reserve where they are cut, and in a lot of cases, laser engraved into the spill design they use today. The design is none other than a Spanish sword. The design was engineered for a controlled and perfect flame.
The cedar spills come in a box made of nice quality cardboard. The Cigar Reserve name is on one side along with a stamp stating that the contents are custom engraved. On another side is the Spanish sword design of the spills. You press in on one of the ends of the box and a try slides out that contains the spills. I pull out one of the spills and immediately see the laser engraving of the Blind Man’s Puff name and logo on the handle end of the spill. It’s always nice seeing something customized to fit your style and wants and Cigar Reserve is able to customize what you want on there as long as it doesn’t violate any copyrights or trademarks.
One of the caveats to keep in mind when using cedar spills (the same could be said for matches and most soft flame lighters) is that they are not wind proof, so you will most often times be using them indoors or in a location that has little to no breeze. Using a soft flame from the cedar spill also takes a little bit of practice as you need to experiment with the right angle to hold the spill as well as how to hold the flame near the cigar. Cigar Reserve recommends holding the spill at a 45 degree angle when lit. To put it out, hold it upright like a candle and it will go out or put it into an ashtray and let it extinguish on its own.
An advantage of using a cedar spill, is that the soft flame is a much lower temperature than a torch flame. The reason this is important to know, is that the lower temperature makes it less likely that you will scorch the tobacco which can impart some nasty flavors. The spill gives you a little more insurance that you will get a cool light and really get to experience the correct flavors from the cigar.
The way I like to use a spill is similar to how I use a soft flame lighter or torch. I toast the foot of the cigar, trying not to touch the flame to the tobacco, until the tobacco at the foot is combusting. This process takes a little longer and usually takes an entire spill to accomplish.
The other method you could use, is to light the spill, hold it to the foot of the cigar while the cigar is in your mouth and puff on the cigar while rolling it to get it lit. This method is typically faster and you would be able to extinguish the spill and use the second half to light a second cigar.
When puffing on a cigar to get it lit, you may impart some flavors from your lighting method, so if you were using a butane lighter, you may get some flavors that you don’t care for. Using this method with the Cigar Reserve cedar spill imparts a slight cedar flavor which is a flavor already typically found in cigars and isn’t unpleasant, so it doesn’t upset the flavors intended by the blender.
I went through about half a box of spills as part of this review and each one had a consistent burn. I used both lighting methods I outlined above and never found that the spill overpowered the cigar flavors. Something to keep an eye out for is the ash from the spill. It is very thin and light, so the slightest breeze could get pieces floating around, so just be conscious of this when using them.
The spills can be purchased through the Cigar Reserve website, along with approximately 50 stores nationwide. A box of 25 spills retails for $12.95 and a box of 50 retails for $19.95. They offer customized engraving which adds on an additional $15. These are meant to be a personal statement, so you should make them personal to you. These also make great gifts.
Contest
We are going to give away this box of Cigar Reserve Cedar Spills with the Blind Man’s Puff name and logo on it. The winner will get to light with spills while having some sexy Blind Man’s Puff and Cigar Reserve swag.
See the rafflecopter entry below for all of the different ways to get entered into the giveaway. Contest ends 11:59 pm 3/4/15.
a Rafflecopter giveaway