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
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
Camacho Select Cigar Review
It’s a fairly good looking cigar, nothing special though. Tobacco is flaking off the cap, a few pronounced veins, soft, kind of oily and a couple of discolorations. The pre-light draw is easy but without a lot of flavor.
In what is a total surprise to me (I’m just basing it off of the pre-light draw, which was boring) the Camacho Select comes packed with a goodly amount of flavor. Even better, they are flavors that I like. Spice, oak and a background of smokiness that is very pleasing.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Honduras – Cameroon Seed
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
Price: Box 21 – $120 | 1 cigars – $7.35
Go Flame!
After about an inch I wear the ash. Not a big deal, I was just entranced by this medium bodied cigar. Once that happened I regained my senses and realized that the burn had gone astray, quite a bit astray actually, and touched it up.
Now that I reach the halfway point I am at a crossroads. I really am enjoying the flavors but, alas, there is not a great deal of complexity. While that will prevent it from becoming an amazing cigar in my book it is still better than the vast majority of cigars that I have had the pleasure of smoking.
The oak flavor, mild at first, has almost vanished from this cigar. It was an imperceptible change and I didn’t really notice it gone until I started to really concentrate on trying to pick it up again. I get whiffs of it here and there but, for the most part, it isn’t coming back. In its place is a mild sweetness that is enjoyable.
Spice is still present, which I am thankful for, but the main flavor is still that smoky cross between what I can only describe as dry earth and leather. That makes it not a particularly smooth cigar but the flavors are definitely winning me over.
Even though the burn betrayed me at one point it righted itself after I corrected it. In the past I haven’t had a problem with the burn. I’m still at the halfway point as I write this and I don’t see any indication that the burn is going to misbehave any further. As is the case with nearly every Camacho that I have smoked, the draw is impeccable.
The final couple of inches of the cigar sees a little change. In addition to the smokiness there is a doughy flavor that comes on. Not bad but nothing special either. Actually, after my initial impression of this cigar it has tailed off a bit.
This cigar just seemed to fizzle before my taste buds. It started out really good and then, especially in the second half began a mini downward spiral. That being said, I do look forward to smoking another one of these cigars.
89 points
Diesel Cigar Review
This near-jet black beauty of a cigar is made by A.J. Fernandez who has made cigars for Rocky Patel, Padilla and the Man O’ War lines as well. I must be honest, this is one of the better looking cigars I have seen. In addition to the jet black wrapper it is a rather smallish torpedo that absolutely glistens with oils. There are no seriously raised veins either.
It is rough to the touch, though. And the cigar is tightly packed. Based off of my previous experiences with this cigar neither of those things should hurt the flavor at all.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 56
Wrapper: USA/Pennsylvania
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua (Jalapa, Condega, Esteli)
Price: $6.00/Single | $100/Box (30 cigars)
Funny Flame!
As expected, the draw is very good. Not too tight, not too loose. Also, as expected, the Diesel has a ton of flavor that runs smack dab through the “dark” flavor profile. Lots of espresso/coffee beans, earthiness/grassy and some charcoal. There is a little bit of spice but not a whole heck of a lot to speak of. Oh, and chocolate – milk chocolate to be precise – is a fairly prominent flavor with the Diesel.
The flavors coat the mouth and just won’t leave, which is a pretty good thing here. It’s a very good cigar throughout the first half and shows no signs of slowing down.
Medium-full bodied with a good draw and burn. One of the previous Diesels I smoked had the flavors drop off around the halfway point but, with this one, the flavors are sticking through – so far.
For the most part the flavors are staying strong even as the burn line crosses the three-quarters mark. There is some complexity with this cigar and, overall, I am liking it a lot. This isn’t to say that this cigar is special but it is above average for sure.
Leather starts to come through during the second half along with some spice. Further on, within a half inch of the nub, the flavors take a bad turn but, as long as you don’t smoke it way too far down, it’s a very good cigar. The bad flavors revolve around salt, which isn’t a horrible flavor but does diminish my enjoyment to a degree.
What amazes me about this cigar is that if you buy it by the box it is less than $3.50 per cigar. That’s amazing for a cigar that tastes this good. While the flavors are not mind blowingly great they are well above average for the majority of the stogie. If you can buy a box I would strongly suggest you do so; after all, Christmas is just around the corner.
89 points
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