CAO Cx2 Cigar Review
First off, thanks to Famous Smoke Shop for supplying the stogies for this cigar review.
One of the good things about this cigar is that it’s pretty easy to figure out what is in it. The “Cx2″ refers to the fact that both the wrapper and the binder are from Cameroon. If for no other reason the fact that there is so much Cameroonian tobacco in this cigar should make you want to try it out. How else will you get to know what Cameroonian tobacco tastes like?
It’s a decent enough looking cigar. There are a couple of pin-sized holes on the wrapper but other than that I don’t see any problems with it. Not very oily, not veiny, nicely packed, smells spicy at the foot and the prelight draw is open.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Columbia & Nicaragua
Price: $100.00/box of 20 | $5.70/single
Civic Flame!
This sample from the stable of CAO Cx2 Cigars starts off very earthy. Lurking in the background is a little bit of spice – just a pinch for flavor – but the secondary flavor to the earth is a mildly sweet woody flavor.
Actually, this is a very relaxing cigar. There is just enough spice in there to give the earthy and woody core an extra kick. Medium bodied for sure.
Comfortably into the second third now and there have been some changes in the flavor profile. That earthiness has faded a great deal. In it’s place the wood and spice have melded together quite nicely.
The final third of the cigar transitions back to the sweet wood flavor. The earthiness is still sticking around but isn’t a major flavor. The spice is all but gone. A new sweetness, basically a floral sweetness, comes on a little nearer the end.
It is a tasty cigar with some good flavors. The draw and the burn are both excellent. Very good cigar.
89 points
Quesada Tributo Cigar Review
This is a very special cigar from the Quesada family. According to Cigar Aficionado “…the Tributo brand was made by Quesada and his team of daughters, nephews and nieces—known as the “Fifth Generation”—at Matasa (Manufactura de Tabacos S.A.) in Santiago.” Before I jump headlong into the review I would like to thank Cigars Direct for this wonderful cigar.
It’s a great looking cigar; well-made and feels solid to the touch. The wrapper is oily. The only drawbacks I can see (and feel) is that there are a couple of discolorations on the wrapper and the cigar may be a little too tightly packed.
Doing some research on this cigar I found out from A Cigar Smoker’s Journal that the wrapper is unique. According to the indispensable Barry, the cigar “utilizes a special hybrid wrapper which was created using the seeds of the Corojo, Habano 2000, Habano Vuelta Arriba and Sumatra in Ecuador.” So lets see if this is a hybrid that we can all like.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Ecuador Heinz 57
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
Price: $6.50/Single
10 Light!
It is definitely an interesting mix of flavors right out of the gates. Instead of the spiciness that I was expecting the flavor profile is much more tame. Sure, there is some spice but there is also sourdough, darkly mild fruitiness and something else that I can’t quite pin down yet. It’s a seemingly minor flavor yet it slices through the other flavors like a light saber through a Jedi. The best I can come up with is something like a tangerine or some other kind of exotically fruity flavor.
The draw requires the slightest of tugs to get a good amount of smoke coming at your taste buds. Good burn and, after about the first third is through, I’m going to go out on a limb and peg this one as a medium bodied smoke.
As the burn line migrates from the first to the second third the flavors are meshing together very well. It is an interesting cigar. There are a good amount of flavors but I cannot say that any one of them stands out as being amazing. What I am willing to say is that these flavors are great when combined. Plus, it is just an interesting cigar. This may sound stupid but this cigar is actually making me think about it.
I’ve let it burn down quite a bit, nearly to the beginning of the final third, and here is what I’m getting. Basically a bunch of heavy but good flavors. The sourdough flavor is gone, it’s more like toast now. Burnt wood, that dark fruity flavor I mentioned earlier and some wheat. Still like it.
The only other mentionable change is in the strength of this cigar; it moved from being a medium bodied cigar to a medium-full bodied one. Thanks again to Cigars Direct.
89 points
La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel Maduro Cigar Review
A very impressive cigar to behold. Oily, dark wrapper. Probably a bit too hard to the touch. There are some veins that run throughout. But, even though it does have some negative aspects to its appearance it is just looks like a cool cigar. Plus, it smells like one. It smells aggressive.
The prelight draw gives off a distinct chocolate flavor along with some spice, which was to be expected. For the couple of Chisels that I have smoked their draws have seemed a little tight before I lit them up. But after I have lit the cigars the draw for each cigar has been perfectly fine.
Cigar Stats
pyramid
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Ecuador Maduro
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: $75.00/Box of 10 | $8.50/Single
Smoke
Sure enough, this cigar starts out very aggressive. Spice and a grassy earthiness. The chocolate flavor is there as well. They mix together wonderfully well and the flavors are fantastically alive. And the draw is great as well. All is good!
In addition to the aforementioned flavors there are some sweet flavors. Toffee, anise and some leather as well. There are a ton of flavors going on in this cigar and they mix together very well.
Full bodied? Sure – but the strength makes sense with this cigar. In no way is it harsh or obnoxiously strong. Exquisitely smooth cigar. Oh, and the burn is even. Yeah!
Slow burning gem of a cigar. A little over an inch in and the flavors are still wonderful. Leather and meat are taking over as the major flavors but all those other flavors are still there and they are great.
While the flavors do not match up perfectly there is a smoky-woody flavor grouping that seems right for this LFD. But just because the flavors do match up perfectly I do not see that as a problem. This is a very complex cigar, there’s bound to be a flavor or two that I don’t think matches up perfectly.
At the halfway point now and meaty/salty flavors are taking the lead. Really complex cigar.
Somewhere around the two-thirds mark the flavors do begin to lose some of their luster. It’s still a very good cigar but just not as much. And that, unfortunately, brings this cigar down a notch. A very, very small notch since this cigar after losing a bit of its “luster” is still better than most anything out there in my book.
94 points
Another View from Cigar Jack.
Ashton VSG Cigar Rights of America Special Edition
Here we have another one of those Cigar Rights of America Special Edition cigars. So far I have not been disappointed. Heck, to be honest, joining CRA is enough for me – the cigar sampler is just icing on the cake (Is there a cigar-related analogy that can be substituted for that? I don’t think so!).
This particular cigar is the Ashton VSG, Virgin Sun Grown. It has a dark wrapper, a slight box press and it feels a little loosely packed. There aren’t any serious veins and the ones that are there are very few indeed. It is an oily cigar.
Even though the pre-light draw was a little tight the draw after being lit is just fine. Even more, there is a lot of flavor coming through. But before I start describing the flavors of burning tobacco in a colorful way I need to mention that this is a dry cigar from the get go. It’s a good dryness though.
I think the best way to describe the flavor profile of this cigar is to compare it to beef jerky, perhaps even the best beef jerky you have ever had. It’s meaty, has a good mixture of spice and has a distinctly smoky flavor to it. There is also a slight cherry flavor underneath.
It starts out as a more full bodied cigar then settles down nicely in the low full bodied range, maybe even medium-full bodied. The flavors are pretty consistent, which I’m thankful for. Love these flavors. The burn is even and the draw is very nice.
After the halfway point the flavor profile does begin to change. The meatiness of the first half begins to fade away and is replaced by a smoked woody flavor. Still an excellent cigar.
I know that there are some people out there who absolutely love Ashton cigars but I cannot honestly claim to be one of those people. They are very good cigars though and well worth smoking.
As is the case with all of the Cigar Rights of America sampler cigars that I have smoked I will refrain from giving this one a score.
Nestor Miranda 1989 Cigar Review
I received these nice-looking cigars from Miami Cigar and Company. Thanks guys.
In the past I have been impressed with the Nestor Miranda Special Selection and the Dominicano; they are flavorful cigars. After smoking a few of these cigars I can say that the Nestor Miranda 1989 is a good cigar as well.
For this review I smoked a few of the torpedos with the Rosado wrapper from this line. Each of them was well made and oily. A couple of these cigars had a number of somewhat pronounced veins and there were only a couple of minor imperfections in the wrappers. The cigars were fairly tightly packed.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 6 1/8″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Rosado
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua and Honduras
Price: $80.00/Box of 20 | Less than $5.00/Single
Fighting Flame!
The first third of the cigar is dominated by the commingling of oak and spice. In no way are these flavors overpowering. To be exact about the flavors, while the spice is apparent from inhale to retrohale to aftertaste, the oak is most pronounced as an aftertaste.
What I like the most about the spice in this cigar is that it is a warmer spice. It doesn’t get in your face or overpowers you in the least. So, when the spice starts taking on an even more prominent role in the flavor profile during the second third it is a welcomed development.
In addition to the increased dominance of the spice are some nutty flavors. This is one of the things that I like from all of the Nestor Miranda cigars: understated complexity. While the flavors will never overpower they will keep you interested; and, after all, that’s what is most important about a cigar.
The Rosado version of the 1989 is medium bodied (the Oscuro is supposed to be medium-full bodied). The draw is good but the burn might require a touch up every once in a while – nothing major though.
During the final third the spice recedes and a burnt oak takes over. Not exactly thrilled about it but, when you consider the cigar in its totality, I’m not too bummed about it either. It is a very good cigar and for the price it is very hard to beat.
89 points
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