San Lotano Oval Maduro Short Cigar Review
I received this cigar from Cigars Direct; as always, all reviews are my own.
Wrapper: Maduro Especial | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan & Honduras | Box of 20: $139.00; Single: $8.20 | Robusto | 5″ x 52
There’s actually a band below the San Lotano Oval band that says “MADURO” but that wasn’t on the AJ Fernandez website.
0/3: It’s a pretty flat looking cigar with bowed out sides (hence, the “oval”) with a smooth and oily dark wrapper. I have previously reviewed the San Lotano Oval and the San Lotano Maduro; both were good cigars.
1/3: Wonderfully dark flavor profile in the beginning. Earth, dark sweetness and general goodness.
2/3: Dirt, in a good way, plays a pretty big role during this third. Creamy texture. The dark sweetness takes a little step back.
3/3: The flavors coalesce into a good mixture of the flavors I’ve already mentioned. It’s still interesting.
4/3: Medium bodied with a good draw and burn; this cigar doesn’t really have any drawbacks but it’s not overly impressive either. All of the flavors were good but they didn’t pop either. It’s pleasant, which is a plus but it isn’t enough.
3.5 points – Solid cigar that most everyone will like but won’t love
Casa Magna Colorado Short Cigar Review
Wrapper: Nicaragua | Binder: Nicaragua | Filler: Nicaragua | Box of 27: $150.00; Five Pack: $28.95 | Lancero | 8 ½″ x 40
0/3: Got this from one of my cigar smoking buddies; thanks buddy!
This cigar is extremely long, is rather rustic looking with all those veins and bumps but it does have a pigtail cap and the wrapper covers the head. And there’s a little bit of oil on the wrapper.
1/3: Pretty strong flavors from the beginning: pepper and a general hot spice, some chocolate in the background. There’s also oak and wheat. Lots going on.
2/3: Oak and nuts are the big flavors during this third. Spice is gone and so is the chocolate (wheat is sort of still around).
3/3: Still tastes good with oak and nuts being the major flavors at the end. There’s a bit of spice coming back.
4/3: Medium bodied with a good draw and burn; this cigar is consistently good from the beginning to the end.
4 out of 5 – Definitely worth a try
PS: I have reviewed this line of cigars four times in the past: short robusto, corona and robusto (double review!) and the torpedo. All scored very well.
Arturo Fuente King B Short Cigar Review
I received this cigar from Thompson Cigar; all reviews are my own.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown Rosado | Binder: Dominican | Filler: Dominican | Box of 18: $118.23; Six Pack: $39.41 | Torpedo | 6″ x 55
0/3: I have had this cigar sitting in my humidor for about a year. Oily and slightly rough to the touch, the wrapper is marred by a couple of minor veins. These cigars come wrapped in a cedar sleeve with a black cloth band at the foot. It’s a beautiful cigar to look at and I’m hoping that the flavors are as good as the looks.
1/3: Spice, light cedar, nuts and some other nice flavors. The burn gets a little ragged but is quickly corrected. Medium bodied.
2/3: Sweetness starts coming through during this third. Cedar and nuts are still major factors.
3/3: Chocolate comes along during the final third. The flavors seem a bit washed out but, underneath that, there’s a decent amount of flavor variety.
4/3: Medium bodied with a good draw and a decent burn; this cigar wasn’t as good as I had hoped. It had breadth of flavor but those flavors were average. Decent cigar.
3 out of 5 points – Good cigar
Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary Short Cigar Review
I received this cigar from Cigars Direct – purveyors of premium cigars. As always, all reviews are my own.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Box of 20: $189.00; Single: $10.50 | Toro | 6 ½″ x 52
0/3: This cigar has received a number of accolades from a variety of different media outlets. Supposedly, it’s one of the better offerings from Rocky Patel. Let’s see.
The Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary is box pressed with the flat top and bottom being about 1.5 times as wide as the flat sides. The edges are a bit rounded, the wrapper has a bit of oil on it, the wrapper is a fairly dark brown and there is this network of superficial veins crisscrossing the wrapper.
1/3: It starts out very understated with flavors in the wood, mild cotton candy sweetness and some nutty flavors as well. Loose draw.
2/3: Sweetness is gone. Nuts and dry wood are the main flavors. The draw is better. Medium bodied.
3/3: Floral sweetness comes on during the final third. Wood and nuts are still present. Pleasant.
4/3: Medium bodied with a decent draw and a good burn; this cigar is good. None of the flavors were very strong but they were all good.
3 out of 5 points – If you are looking for a pleasant cigar with flavors that won’t overpower you then this is the cigar for you
Tatuaje Apocalypse Short Cigar Review
I received the cigar I am using for this review from Smoke Inn, all reviews are my own.
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Box of 15: $134.25; Singly: $8.95 | Perfecto | 5 ¼″ x 48-52
0/3: About a year ago Smoke Inn released their first in a series of micro blend cigars with the Tatuaje Anarchy. It was a wonderful cigar and I rated it at 94 points, which is a pretty damn good score. Supposedly, the blend for the Apocalypse is a tweaked version of the Anarchy blend so that the Apocalypse has more concentrated flavors. Or, to put it in layman’s terms: it’s like cracking an egg and getting two yolks.
Now, this is a pre-release cigar but, according to the good folks over at Smoke Inn, this is the same cigar everyone else can purchase starting at midnight on Thanksgiving Day. I’m not exactly sure but I’m pretty confident that you will be able to purchase these cigars on this page at the appointed time.
Of course, your buying decision is going to solely rest on what my verdict is. Starting off, it is a really cool looking cigar. A perfecto, the chocolate brown wrapper feels like fine grit sandpaper and is very oily. The pigtail is back for this iteration and, to be honest, it doesn’t add anything to the cigar. It actually looks like an impressionist Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll but one I cannot eat.
1/3: The draw gets good once the burn line overcomes the perfecto’s hump. Whereas the flavor profile for the Anarchy was dry and “rugged” this one is warm. Leather, spice, graham cracker and some sweetness. Good mix.
2/3: Gritty, chalky earthiness comes through. The leather, spice and graham cracker flavors are still there with roughly the same intensity but the sweetness has pretty much left.
3/3: During the final third there is a marked change in the flavor profile with a movement towards dark, floral sweetness. Earth is still present but the other flavors have definitely receded into the background. Some fruity flavors as well.
4/3: Medium-full bodied with a good draw and burn, this cigar is pretty good. But I didn’t like it as much as the Anarchy. Still, I think it’s definitely worth a try.
4 out of 5 points – Definitely worth a try
