Rocky Patel Puro Cubano Cigar Review
While it is not a particularly good-looking cigar I can safely say that I am not too worried. Sure, there are some rips in the wrapper, it feels dry, it’s a little misshapen by the foot and there are some pronounced veins on the wrapper. The reason why I am not worried about the quality of this cigar is mainly because it is a Rocky Patel (by the way, thanks to Cigars Direct for this cigar; much appreciated).
Recently, I decided to get a bundle of Rocky Patel’s “seconds.” These are cigars that didn’t meet his company’s stringent standards for a top flight cigar but are still good enough to be sold. It turned out that even these “rejects” were pretty good cigars.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Nicaragua & Dominican Republic
Price: $70.00/box of 20
Actuarial Torch!
A veritable bouquet of spicy flavors welcomes you in the beginning. Hickory, hay, a touch of a sweet spice, and a lot of accent flavors that are all wonderfully mixed together. Basically, if you want an idea of this cigar’s flavor profile all you have to do is go to your local spice shop and browse their offerings for an hour or so. Oh, and add in some leather flavorings as well.
The funny thing about this cigar is that it is nowhere near a full bodied cigar; it is comfortably medium bodied. Both the burn and the draw are great and the price, which is ridiculously cheap, all favorably recommend this cigar.
As far as I can tell there is nothing wrong with this cigar. Sure, it looked a little ragged (and that will hurt its final score a little bit) but the taste is simply great.
After the halfway point comes along the spice as it gently morphs into being sweeter. There were strong undercurrents of sweet spice during the first half but it is predominately sweet spice during the second half. I’ve seen on other reviews that there is also a coffee flavor that comes along with this cigar but I have yet to pick it up.
Nearing the end now and my main problem is that I’m trying not to burn my fingers. It really is a great cigar. The only drawbacks for me were the look and this cigar did require one minor touchup. The only thing left to say is: Try this cigar!
92 points
Casa Magna Colorado Cigar Review
There are two important things to know about the Casa Magna Colorado line of cigars: they are relatively cheap and they are the reigning #1 cigar according to Cigar Aficionado. I smoked a few of these recently and, for the most part, I have gone away with a positive perception of these cigars. For this review I am smoking the torpedo vitola, which isn’t the same vitola as the CA #1 cigar of the year (it was the robusto).
A couple of the cigars I have smoked have had some small holes in the wrapper but, for the most part, I have been impressed by how oily the wrappers have been. There have been some that have more veins than the others but the veins are not too pronounced. Beyond these aspects, the construction of this cigar is great. The reddish brown Nicaraguan wrapper houses a firm packing of filler and binder tobaccos.
Furthermore, I think if I was in a pinch and needed to stab an intruder I could use the Casa Magna Belicoso as some sort of icepick since the point of the torpedo is extremely pointy! Even though “use as a weapon” does not fall into my scoring rubric I will keep this little tidbit in mind if I’m torn between two scores. The only drawback from the ability to weaponize this cigar is that it could be difficult cutting it… but, no, it cuts just fine and the pre-light draw is fine as well.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 6 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $7.00
Glee Flame!
A core of spice is buffeted by a mild floral sweetness, woodiness and an oily nuttiness that all works well together. After the first half an inch the spicy core is superseded by those other flavors and only remains as a background flavor. There is a good deal of complexity and strength of flavor with this cigar that I really enjoy.
So far, this Casa Magna is burning and drawing really well. I have had some minor burn problems in the past with this cigar but nothing major.
It starts out as a really robust, full bodied cigar but mellows out once the spiciness takes a step back. Still full bodied but the finish is smoother and the other flavors really get to shine through.
The draw has remained even but I did have to cut a little more off the head of the cigar to open up the draw. For the remainder of the cigar it draws extremely well.
At the beginning of the final third of the cigar there is a faint cocoa flavor but it quickly fades away. The main flavors – spice, floral sweetness, wood (a heartier wood unlike oak) and nuttiness – remain throughout in some variation or another. It is an impressive cigar, that I am sure of.
Is it one of the best cigars ever? Probably not. It is complex, full flavored and the essentials (burn and draw) are average to above average. When you factor in the price (although I had to pay around $8.50 at my local tobacconist – damn cigar taxes!) it does make this cigar even more attractive. Let me put it this way, I loved this cigar and will definitely be smoking more of them in the future. Additionally, there is now a Casa Magna Oscuro that was recently released and I’ll get my hands on those as quickly as possible.
92 points
Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro Cigar Review
According to Perdomo’s website: “A Decade in the making, the PERDOMO RESERVE 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY cigars are here to celebrate the next generation of Tabacalera Perdomo’s award winning and highly acclaimed original La Tradicion Perdomo Reserve line.” Awesome but for the small fact that I haven’t smoked the original one so I can’t compare the two. What I do know is that the maduro version of this cigar is a Nicaraguan puro that comes in five different vitolas: perfecto, robusto, toro, double corona and a torpedo.
This Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro has a multitude of veins, bumps and an inconsistent color pattern. There are some oils on it and it feels like it is well packed. Maybe a little tightly packed by the cap and a little loose nearer the foot but, overall, well packed. The wrapper feels rough to the touch.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua Nicaragua
Price: around $5.50
Cabin Light!
This quite possibly represents the easiest draw in a cigar I have ever encountered and I like it. Tons of creamy smoke coats my mouth.
Chocolate is the main flavor followed by coffee grounds and dirt. The burn is even and I would peg this as a medium bodied cigar, maybe a little bit stronger than that.
Even though it is not an overly complex cigar the flavors are well above average. A cigar with these flavors relax me, very mellow. This is one of the better examples of this type of cigar: chocolate, coffee, etc.
But, in the end, there is just something that is missing from this cigar that would have put it up into another echelon of cigars for me. It’s missing spice, which would have cut the sweetness of the chocolate and brought in another level of complexity. While still being a great cigar it could have been better.
92 points
Examples of cigars I liked with more spice:
CAO L’Anniversaire Maduro Belicoso Cigar Review – 93 points
Partagas Black Label Piramide Cigar Review – 93 points
Cuvee Rouge Robusto Cigar Review – 92 points
I feel that the Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro could have been better than all of these cigars if it had some spice mixed in with it. Of course, by changing the mixture of tobaccos that would change the overall flavor profile for this cigar and that might mean reducing what is the best and most dynamic chocolate flavor I have ever tasted.
CAO L’Anniversaire 1968-1998 Cameroon Belicoso Cigar Review
This is the torpedo vitola and I have smoked the robusto vitola in the past. I gave that cigar 90 points, here’s what I had to say about it:
Lots of smoke and an excellent draw. There is spice, which tastes like red pepper flakes, and the flavors are crisp – not muddied down at all. The flavors just explode on the tongue. It is medium bodied.
That was one of those I smoked a while ago so my notes were a little sparse. Here’s my review of this cigar that I thought was even better.
Milky brown wrapper. Good amount of oil with a box press, which I have grown to really appreciate. Perfectly good construction, no problems with it. Drinking Makers Mark with some water.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $8.50
Afternoon de-Light!
Peppery and leathery. It has a perfect draw. Warm, moist smoke. Medium-full bodied with a bias towards being more full bodied.
Slightly salty undertones. There is also this molasses-like sweetness to it. Very complex array of flavors.
Inch in now. The molasses sweetness, which is very rich and deep and is actually quite good is the main flavor now. Next is spice with a small side of saltiness. Still a very most cigar and the saltiness isn’t anywhere near the point of being a nuisance.
A third of the way through and the saltiness is gone. It’s a net plus that that flavor has left but it wasn’t too much of a problem since all the other flavors are great. The burn is fairly even, haven’t had to touch it up.
Nearing the end now. I love this deep, molasses sweetness because there’s also some peppery flavors remaining. It really is an enjoyable cigar. The complex flavor profile stays for nearly the whole length of the cigar.
92 points
Other Takes:
It got great ratings from Epinions.com
Blank Mind Blog gave the toro vitola a 9.3/10 saying “From the initial light up the C.A.O L‘Anniversaire 1968-1998 Cameroon Toro teased my palate with a toast and straw base and slowly built up a caramel sweetness. I noticed that the caramel revealed itself when I rested the smoke for more than a minute or two. The sweetness would last for several draws before crossing back over to the toast and straw flavor.”
Pride of Jamaica Vintage Reserva Crystals Cigar Review
This isn’t a mistake. Even though I reviewed one of these yesterday (HERE) that doesn’t mean I can’t review another one today. The same thing goes for this one – I got it for free. Here’s my review:
Pale and dry to the touch. The construction on this cigar looks pretty good but there are some bumps and some mildly raised veins. The last one got 91 points. By the way: I’m smoking this cigar while recovering from being sick. I’m drinking Wild Turkey with some water.
Cigar Stats
Grand Carona
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 45
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Mexican
Filler: Jamaica
Price: $6.50
Second Flame!
Lots of spice; reminds me of cinnamon. There is also a mellow cedar flavor in the background. This one is at least medium bodied.
A half an inch in and that herbal flavor that I tasted the last time I smoked one of these cigars starts to creep back in. It isn’t a strong flavor but it is there.
This has to be one of the spiciest cigars I have ever smoked and I really like that about this cigar. Remember how I described the second half of the other one (“it’s like a little firecracker”)? Well, this one is like that from the beginning. The flavors I am getting are cinnamon and peppermint.
It’s an interesting cigar, very unique. It isn’t full bodied but the spice is extremely strong on the palette and when you blow smoke through your nose. You may not like this cigar if you don’t like your mouth numb from spice. But if you are like me then you will love this cigar.
This is the second one I’ve had and I have got to tell you that this is a great cigar. I love it.
92 points
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