Oliva Connecticut Reserve Short Cigar Review
Pre-Smoke
Silky, light brown Connecticut wrapper. Oily, veiny and there are a couple of dark color splotches. The feel of the cigar is a little spongy.
For this review I am smoking the churchill (7″ x 50) vitola. It costs about $7.00.
Smoke
A burnt oak flavor is the first and main flavor to start off and it is pretty good. It burns evenly and the draw is great.
The cigar stays very consistent throughout. Oak is the mainstay and, if you like that flavor a lot, then you will like this cigar a lot. It ranges from burnt to sweet but it’s oak all the way.
After-Smoke
For the Oliva Connecticut the complexity is confined to its oak flavors. It’s a fine cigar and an enjoyable enough cigar. Now, if you are thinking there are going to be a lot of flavors then you need to look elsewhere.
3 points
Carlos Toraño Signature Collection Short Cigar Review
Pre-Smoke
The Carlos Toraño Signature Collection features a sun grown Brazilian maduro wrapper, a Connecticut broadleaf binder and the rest of the tobacco is Cuban-seed ligero from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Very good looking cigar with tons of oil. This cigar is truly a fine piece of craftsmanship. I am smoking the toro vitola (6″ x 50) for this review and it retails for a little more than $7.00 a stick.
Smoke
Earth and cocoa are the first flavors I get. Most of the flavor is evident in my mouth and not when I exhale out my nose, which is different than my normal experiences with most cigars.
There is an almost tart flavor on the tip of my tongue. The burn is basically even, the draw is good and this is turning into a tasty medium bodied cigar. The flavors are moderately above average.
Sweetness is apparent in the immediate aftertaste associated with the cocoa and then fades. On a side note, the cocoa becomes watered down.
After-Smoke
If I had to teach the “law of diminishing returns” I would have my pupils smoke this cigar. It starts out as a solid example of earth and cocoa. But then it progressively got weaker. Still, at its low point, it is a decent cigar. For the most part… I liked it.
3 points
Alec Bradley Medalist Short Cigar Review
Earlier today I did a review on a Cu-Avana cigar that costs under $3.00. To say the least, I didn’t like it. The Alec Bradley Medalist is a cigar that, when bought in quantities of 10, will cost $3.00. So I figured that Sunday would be as good of a time as any to have a cheap cigar grudge match.
Pre-Smoke
It is a nearly perfect looking cigar; dark and alluring. There are a couple of raised veins, one being near the cap. Oily cigar that is packed very well. I am smoking the robusto (5″x52) vitola for this review.
Smoke
The wrapper is not the only thing that is alluring. The flavors are nice: chocolate, hot sauce (more on that next sentence), earthy and chalky (not a plus). By “hot sauce” what I mean is a grassy spice flavor that is analogous to the salsa from my favorite Mexican restaurant.
Even though I do really like these flavors I am not head over heals for them – still very enjoyable though. Medium-full bodied, good draw and a decent burn.
After-Smoke
It’s an impressive cigar once you consider the price. If you take away the price component then it is an average cigar. Technically great but the flavors just are not robust enough. It handily beats the Cu-Avana
3 points
Arturo Fuente Chateau Series Short Cigar Review
Pre-Smoke
Full disclosure, I like Fuentes. They are quality cigars and some of the upper level Fuentes are good. Hopefully, this one is great as well.
This cigar comes with a cedar sleeve, which means something or another. After taking off the cedar a very nice looking cigar is revealed. There are a couple of minor veins but that is the only thing wrong with this Arturo Fuente Double Chateau Fuente Natural (6 3/4″ x 50). Not very oily.
Smoke
Spice, creaminess and some burnt wood are the first flavors. The draw is good and the burn starts out evenly but then begins to stray. It is a medium bodied cigar with some above average flavors.
A sweet spice flavor starts to develop after about the one inch mark. The burnt wood flavor has shed its burnt-ness and is now more of a clean oak flavor. The flavors are nowhere near exceptional but it is an enjoyable cigar. There is a foul, almost bleach-like aftertaste that comes in after the halfway mark.
After-Smoke
It’s a good cigar with some good flavors. That foul flavor that comes on after the halfway mark takes away any shot it had at 4 points for me. But it isn’t enough of a big deal to make this a bad cigar. As long as you focus on the flavors when inhaled and the ones you get after exhaling out your nose it is quite enjoyable.
3 points
Price: $6.00
Another take from Cigar Inspector
Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Cigar Review
Pre-Smoke
I did a full review of an Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story about a month ago and went into the unique shape of this cigar. The previous review I did had a score of 89 points, so, if this one scores 3 or 4 points (it’s a short review, which means that I didn’t want to spend every second thinking about the cigar and don’t want to put a definite score to it but, rather, a range of scores), that’s pretty much all there is to know about what I think about this line. I am smoking the Classic (7″ x 48) vitola with the Cameroon wrapper for this review.
This cigar looks good and it feels like it is a little too loosely packed. There are some oils on it and there aren’t any raised veins or glaring imperfections on the wrapper.
Smoke
Due to its odd shape at the foot it is a little difficult to light. But, after it gets past the shoulder, it opens up nicely. The main flavor is oak. This is a very smooth cigar. There is also a warm spice and a meaty flavor.
It is a medium bodied cigar with a good draw and an even burn.
After-Smoke
It is not as good as I had remembered. Like with the other one the flavors are a little weak but there are many flavors. Still a good cigar. I’m going to give it three points, or, roughly, 87-89 points.
3 points
Price: $10.50
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