Last October I spent the afternoon at Stixx Cigar Lounge in Woodland Hills, California (The Valley for those unfamiliarwith the area) smoking cigars and chatting with the owner, Johnny Mansour. He introduced me to his Stixx line of cigars and sent me home with a few more to try.
I have been to Stixx several times but this was my first visit since Johnny bought it. Not much had changed – it was still a clean, well ventilated place to watch the game or for a business meeting. If I was still living in the area I would definitely be a member.
Each of his vitolas is named for a breed of bulldog (which I appreciated). They are rolled in Costa Rica with leaves from Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua’s Esteli region, and Ecuador. He also claims there is Cuban leaf as well.
Friday evening I selected the Stixx Serrano (5.75” x 54 gauge) and I punched it with my Xikar 11mm punch. My cold draw concerned me that I did not feel air flowing, but that proved unfounded as soon as the fire touched the foot of the cigar. I was not overpowered by it, but the cigar was powerful from the first draw. I expected the bold flavours to taper down and they did. Nonetheless I decided to balance the flavours on my tongue with a Havana Club Reservation rum. The sweetness of the rum was an incredible balance to the bold flavours of the cigar, and it resulted in a tremendous tasting experience.
I should mention that I had a light fish for dinner; had I been aware in advance of the flavour profile of the cigar then I would have selected a lighter stick. I believe this cigar would have been a better choice after beef, and with the quality of the Serrano it could have been a nice rib steak or a New York Strip with a nice seasoning. While I do not feel the cigar complemented the fish, it did work nicely on its own.
I mentioned that I paired it with a rum; if I had them in the house I think the triad of the cigar, the rum, and dried apricots would have been tremendous. We who are dieting do have to make some concessions to our weight loss goals, but the dried fruits would have accentuated the fruitiness of the stick.
Halfway through the cigar I felt it was getting a bit harsh on the tongue. This is not a cigar for the faint of heart. I have always enjoyed a bold cigar and enjoyed it to the end. I was surprised that the original spices had tapered, and even the retrohale the smoke was smooth and even a little cool and minty.
While I did need to touch up the cigar once, the burn was mostly even. The construction of the cigar was extremely solid. The light silver ash held up beautifully and rolled off in one-inch ashes.
If the duty of a cigar is to provide enjoyment from beginning to end then this cigar played its full ninety minutes like a champion. But to fulfill your end of that contract you had better come to play. This cigar is not for beginners and it is not for weekend smokers who like a nice sweet or creamy stick. Some women like white collar guys in suits who would not hurt a fly, and others like the hard bar boys in leather jackets. If you are looking for a G-rated cigar then pick something else because this one shoots right past PG into the Restricted territory. If that is what you are looking for then this cigar is definitely worth a try. I know that I will be revisiting it.
The final third of the cigar has strong vegetal notes with green pepper and fresh cut grass. It was definitely nub-worthy, and I really did smoke it down to the last inch.
For the final third of the cigar I decided to pour a single-malt Islay whiskey (Lagavulin 16) which could match any powerful cigar punch for punch. The tastes melded into a symphony of exquisite flavours that made the end of my evening just glorious.
This should never be your first cigar. If you are smoking a number of cigars during an evening then this should be toward the end. It is the sort of cigar that you would be happy to have the taste of in your mouth as you drive home from the herf. It left me with a pleasant taste and sensation as I finished my movie.
While the lounge is a members only club, they are available online at https://houseofstixx.com/collections/all.
Tell Johnny I said hi!
Passion For Cigars 