Cabaiguan Cigar Review

It’s got a pigtail – and we all know pigtails are cool – so it must be a good cigar. If you haven’t guessed it already I am smoking the Cabaiguan Guapos Rx, which is a robusto. Besides the pigtail the cigar looks great: it’s oily, not too veiny and the imperfections are kept to a minimum.

Here’s what Pete Johnson has to say about this line:

Blended in the style of the flavorful yet Medium Bodied Cuban Cigars.
Cigars are rolled in classic Cuban tradition by Master Rollers.
Headed by Maestro Tobaquero Jose Garcia.
Cigars are rolled with a beautiful Cuban triple-cap and are Medium to Mild in flavor.

Not having smoked a lot of Cubans in my life (maybe one? I know, sad) I won’t be able to tell you whether or not that claim is realized or not. But if it’s a good tasting cigar I don’t care what the style is!

Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5 1/4″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $9.50

Garage Light!

Three matches and it is lit (well, four matches if you count the one that went out before its flame could touch the foot of the cigar, which I won’t count)!

While the draw is somewhat too tight for my liking it isn’t tight enough to deny me the bouquet of flavors that comes from a Cabaiguan. Really earthy, hints of licorice and woody flavors. It’s a nice, medium bodied cigar. No real hints of spice or anything aggressive – this is the kind of cigar you can smoke with your morning cup of coffee.

Even though the draw is a little tight the burn is even.

This is a flavorful cigar but there is something missing from it. Like the earthiness and all the other flavors (which now includes oak, sweetness, some burnt tobacco and a general lightness of flavors) it is an enjoyable cigar. There’s just something that would have put it over the top.

During the second half of the cigar there is a transformation from the deep earthiness to a sweeter oakiness. It becomes a lighter cigar – not necessarily worse but not better either, not at all.

Around this time the draw gets a little tighter and the burn goes awry at times. Maybe it was a combination of these two things that makes the cigar take a downturn or not but the cigar does become less enjoyable.

Overall, it is a good cigar. The high points all center around that dark earthiness because it’s just such a good example of what an earthy cigar should be. But, to be honest, earthiness is not one of my favorite front line flavors. And, once you add in the second half’s oakiness, it just doesn’t work out all that well for me.

87 points

Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Natural Cigar Review

Today, I am doing a review of the Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente (4 1/2″ x 50) with the natural wrapper and tomorrow I will be smoking the same cigar with the sun grown wrapper. Should be fun!

None of the veins are too pronounced. It is an oily cigar that may just be packed a bit too loosely. The color is a cross between the lightness you should expect from this kind of wrapper but there is a lot of darker spots as well; it reminds me of that painting that some people do on walls with a sponge to give the wall “life”. It works well with this cigar though, so I’m happy about that.

Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 4 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: $4.50

Eight Flame!

The draw is spot on and the burn starts out well. Spice, a sweet oak and a background of herbal flavors make up the beginning flavor profile for me. There is, however, a burnt flavor that I do not like.

After the first ashing at the 2/3″ mark, the oak flavor really begins to take over. It is still within the “sweet” oak categorization but less so than before. There is a new sweetness that has come on board. Even though I have talked a lot about the sweet flavors in this cigar they are more of a secondary group of flavors, which is fine by me.

The burnt flavor that left after the first ashing does not come back. While that is usually a good thing (and is probably also a good thing with this cigar since I did not like the type of burnt flavor that it imparted) I would have liked to have a little more burn for this cigar to cut the overbearing oak flavor – something like a burnt oak. It would also be a better cigar if the spice would have remained. In retrospection the spice is nothing more than a fleeting memory, which is to this cigar’s detriment.

This all leads me to the conclusion that this is a fairly flavorful cigar that is also basically one dimensional. There are not any really negative flavors to be found in this cigar but there is not much excitement about it for me either. It is a nice medium bodied, one dimensional cigar – nothing more, nothing less.

87 points

Perdomo 2 Limited Edition Robusto Maduro Cigar Review

This is the reintroduction of an old blend. It was introduced in 2008 with a natural (Cameroon) and a maduro wrapper by Tabacalera Perdomo. This cigar comes in four different vitolas: Robusto (5 x 50), Epicure (5 1/2 x 54), Churchill (6 7/8 x 50), and Torpedo (5 1/4 x 54).

The Perdomo 2 has a slight box press (so don’t fear getting cut on any sharp edges) and is expertly made. While there are a couple of minor stretch marks on the wrapper it’s construction is nearly perfect. Packed with the perfect amount of tobacco with a decent amount of oil on the wrapper. I did a Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary review a few days ago and I liked it very much; so I have high hopes for this one.

Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $6.00 or less

Sun Flame!

Spice may be the first thing that is noticeable but the predominant flavor is oak. Smooth cigar that has a draw that may be a little too tight. It is a medium-full bodied cigar with a burn that is not too bad. After a couple of touch ups it smokes just fine.

The draw does become quite a bit better after about the one inch mark. With the better draw comes a clearer picture of the flavor profile. The aforementioned oak flavor comes along with some sweetness. The spice is a background flavor and there are also some chalky chocolate flavors there, but barely.

Nearing the end of this cigar now and the flavors, while they are enjoyable, just are not that great. Overall, it is a good cigar but just not that good.

87 points

Graycliff 1666 Pirate Cigar Review

What is a man to do who has created the first five star restaurant in the Caribbean and has one of the world’s largest wine collections? He obviously creates his own high priced (dare I say overpriced?) cigar! It comes with a lot of exotic tobaccos, a maduro wrapper and the guy credited with the creation of the Cuban Cohiba as its maker. What could go wrong?

Just looking at it I have to admit that it looks good. It’s oily, packed firmly and the wrapper is just awesome, I am a sucker for maduro wrappers. It isn’t in the least bit veiny but the wrapper is a little rough to the touch.

Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Jaltepec maduro
Binder: Ecuador Sumatra
Filler: Peru, Columbia, Brazil and Mexico
Price: $14.50

Church Torch!

It starts off nicely. There is this floral and grassy flavor at first. Maybe a little bit stronger than medium bodied but not much stronger than that. I am also getting a little hint of coconut with this cigar. The draw is pretty good but the draw is not even.

Very creamy smoke. Weird cigar though. Yeah, sure, it’s refined and all that good stuff that you would expect from such a lofty upbringing. But there’s just something missing from it. There is no real complexity to it; no intrigue. Solid cigar? Sure. But at this price you would expect something much better.

Light and airy is how I would describe this cigar. There isn’t any bight to it and, well, it’s kind of a boring cigar after the halfway point. Instead of this cigar you can buy so many different cigars for a lot less money that are much better.

87 points

CAO Gold Corona Cigar Review

From CAO: “Flawlessly constructed, this nugget of smoking pleasure delivers a smooth buttery flavor laced with vanilla, cream and nutmeg creating an escape that is nothing less than golden.” They peg it as being a mild smoke.

Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Well, just going off of what anyone says about their cigars they would all sound wonderful. That is why I am here, to tell you who is fudging how good their cigars really are. Here’s my review:

Light brown wrapper that is a little misshapen. It does glisten with oils. There is a hole near the foot of the cigar. It gets thinner by the cap. Drinking Cherry Coke with water.

Cigar Stats
Corona
Length: 5 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 42
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $4.50

Z-Light!

Very mild (I don’t like mild cigars – so be forewarned). Kind of boring actually. Not very flavorful in the beginning.

There are some slight vanilla flavors. Draw is a little tight and there is this ashy flavor that I don’t like.

This review may end up being short unless this cigar gets better. It’s a fine cigar; it burns evenly, the draw is good, the flavors are not bad…. It is just that this cigar does not excite me at all. Halfway through at this point and unless it becomes more flavorful then I won’t like it.

Luckily, it does get better. The vanilla flavor is joined by a nuttiness along with an oak flavor as well. It does improve my overall perception of this cigar. Overall, it is a fine cigar.

87 points

Cohiba Black (Robusto) – Cigar Review

Very black and oily. The construction for this cigar looks perfect. I’m actually excited about this cigar even though I have had problems with Cohibas in the past. This, like all the other Cohibas I have smoked, is of the Dominican variety (sigh). I smoked this cigar with Wild Turkey and water.

Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: USA/Connecticut
Binder: Dom. Rep.
Filler: Dom. Rep., Mexico
Price: $13.50

Da Light!

The draw is a little tight (can I catch a break?). It’s a medium bodied cigar without much flavor (due to the draw) being able to come through. What I am getting is spice, leather, dark chocolate and some sweetness.

The cigar’s draw gets better as I smoke it further. More spicy now and the flavors, in general, are coming through better now. This is a fine cigar that won’t offend anyone. There’s also an earthiness and saltiness to this cigar as I near halfway through.

A little over halfway through now and the draw is getting better. More spice and I’m beginning to think that this cigar is more medium-full than medium.

But then it tightens up again. Maybe for an inch it was very good but then the draw tightens up again. The cigar burns evenly but who really cares if you can’t get the flavors?

In the end all I can say is that I did like what this cigar could have been. Due to the draw I can’t give this cigar a great score and it knocked off at least a couple of points in my book.

87 points

H. Upmann Churchill – Cigar Review

I smoked this cigar Monday on my way home from a database final. Lets just say that it was a very cold drive due to the fact I had to have a window down to let the smoke out of. But the cigar went better than the final did so all’s well that ends well.

The H. Upmann churchill is a good looking cigar with only one slightly raised vein. It looks well constructed.

I should also note that I had nothing to drink while I smoked this cigar.

Cigar Stats
Length: 5 5/8″
Ring Gauge: 46
Wrapper: Indonesia, USA/Connecticut
Binder: Dom. Rep.
Filler: Brazil, Dom. Rep.
Price: $7.00

Database Flame!

Nub Habano 464 (Torpedo) – Cigar Review

Cigar Stats
Shape: Torpedo
Length: 4″
Ring Gauge: 64
Wrapper: Nicaragua Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $5.50

This is one of those wildly successful and innovative cigars from the Oliva family. When I first smoked one I wsn’t expecting much but, I have got to tell you, it surprised me. It was a wonderful cigar!

Now I am expecting a lot and I hope this one does not disappoint.

Yo! The Light!

Since it is so thick it is somewhat difficult to light. However, now that it is lit it is drawing very well. The draw is a little tight but not bad at all.

I am about 1/3″ in now and it’s still burning a bit hot. There’s a good amount of spice and it is basically a full-bodied smoke, which I like.

Overall, the spice notes stick the whole way through but there isn’t much nuance to this cigar. I like the strength, the draw is pretty good, it burns evenly, and the spice is nice, but I cannot say that this is a great cigar. But it’s definitely good.

87 points

Man O’ War Torpedo – Cigar Review

Travis smoked a Man O’ War for the first time. Right off the bat it looks like it should be a great cigar. The band has a menacing Spartan-looking mask with two short swords. It is a maduro figurado and has been touted as being very strong. But is it?

It is a decent cigar but has some problems with it. While it is an interesting smoke right now it should probably be left in the humidor for a little while so that the flavors can better mesh with each other. As it stands right now this cigar isn’t a great cigar (90-95 points) but it is a good cigar with some upside.