La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel Maduro Cigar Review
A very impressive cigar to behold. Oily, dark wrapper. Probably a bit too hard to the touch. There are some veins that run throughout. But, even though it does have some negative aspects to its appearance it is just looks like a cool cigar. Plus, it smells like one. It smells aggressive.
The prelight draw gives off a distinct chocolate flavor along with some spice, which was to be expected. For the couple of Chisels that I have smoked their draws have seemed a little tight before I lit them up. But after I have lit the cigars the draw for each cigar has been perfectly fine.
Cigar Stats
pyramid
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Ecuador Maduro
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: $75.00/Box of 10 | $8.50/Single
Smoke
Sure enough, this cigar starts out very aggressive. Spice and a grassy earthiness. The chocolate flavor is there as well. They mix together wonderfully well and the flavors are fantastically alive. And the draw is great as well. All is good!
In addition to the aforementioned flavors there are some sweet flavors. Toffee, anise and some leather as well. There are a ton of flavors going on in this cigar and they mix together very well.
Full bodied? Sure – but the strength makes sense with this cigar. In no way is it harsh or obnoxiously strong. Exquisitely smooth cigar. Oh, and the burn is even. Yeah!
Slow burning gem of a cigar. A little over an inch in and the flavors are still wonderful. Leather and meat are taking over as the major flavors but all those other flavors are still there and they are great.
While the flavors do not match up perfectly there is a smoky-woody flavor grouping that seems right for this LFD. But just because the flavors do match up perfectly I do not see that as a problem. This is a very complex cigar, there’s bound to be a flavor or two that I don’t think matches up perfectly.
At the halfway point now and meaty/salty flavors are taking the lead. Really complex cigar.
Somewhere around the two-thirds mark the flavors do begin to lose some of their luster. It’s still a very good cigar but just not as much. And that, unfortunately, brings this cigar down a notch. A very, very small notch since this cigar after losing a bit of its “luster” is still better than most anything out there in my book.
94 points
Another View from Cigar Jack.
Graycliff Double Espresso Cigar Review
This cigar hales from the known cigar Mecca of the Bahamas – created by a guy who owns a five star restaurant and so on. Basically, the whole Graycliff line of cigars came about because this gustatory maestro didn’t think any other cigar in the world could stand up to his blue plate specials. My first encounter with these cigars came with the Graycliff 1666 Pirate. My opinion of that cigar can be stated thusly: It’s a lot less Black Beard than it is Somalia youth with an AK.
But I held out hope for this cigar nonetheless. I was told that it was quite good and that it warranted a smoke or two. Well, after a few more smokes I can safely say that it is nothing extraordinary. While it is better than the other Graycliffs that I have smoked I cannot say that it’s worth the exorbitant amount of money that it costs.
Anywho, let’s give it another shot. Maybe months in the humidor will have imbibed it with some extra flavor that I haven’t tasted before.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves here I should mention that this cigar doesn’t look special. It is very veiny but it is oily. Other than that, it does look like a fine cigar. The pre-light draw is open.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 4.5″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Costa Rica
Binder: Costa Rica
Filler: Cuban Seed Corojo & Ecuadorian Ligero
Price: $18.00/cigar
Expectant Flame!
The initial round of flavors centers on chocolate and coffee, which seems, to me at least, to be fairly run of the mill. What makes this cigar more run of the mill, like all the other Double Espressos that I have tried, is that the flavors are watered down. Think hot chocolate laced with a healthy helping of river water.
Another thing about this cigar is that it is billed as being full bodied. It’s not. I have to seriously wonder whether or not the retailers I’ve seen call it “full bodied” to trick people into buying this cigar. It’s a medium bodied cigar. Maybe a little stronger than that but not much more.
On the bright side the draw is very good. Resuming the parade of ill feelings now. The burn needs the occasional touch up. And the flavors only get further watered down.
Honestly, this is a ho-hum cigar.
86 points
For another opinion check out the Stogie Guys’ Review.
PS: For those of you who think I am being overly harsh on this cigar I have my reasons. It just wasn’t that good of a cigar. The flavors were lacking and for the price that they are charging for these things I expected something a lot better than what I got. That’s all.
Room 101 Cigar Review
I must admit that I am a big fan of Camacho cigars. They are full bodied and extremely tasty – basically what I am looking for in a cigar. So, when I found out that they were releasing a new line in collaboration with a Los Angeles jewelery maker, I knew I had to try a couple. (And if I liked those couple I would definitely be going back out to find some more!)
The Room 101 cigars that I smoked were the 305 (robusto) series. It looks good with a slight sheen of oils. Well packed, although on the verge of being too tightly packed. The pre-light draw is actually a little loose and there is a slight sweet taste to this draw as well. I just hope that this fusion of tobacco and style leads to a great cigar.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Semilla 101 (Honduras)
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras, Dominican Republic
Price: around $7.00
Tricked Flame!
An effortless draw reveals what could turn out to be a very good cigar; even though, right now, it’s merely above average. There are a group of deep, dark flavors that add a certain grittiness to this cigar that I like. Chocolate and some spice add some of the accent flavors to what is an extremely earthy cigar. And, by earthy, I mean dirt – good dirt though. As was the case with the other cigar I have smoked it starts out really well after a brief lull in the beginning.
As the cigar progresses that “dirt” flavor only increases. Now, as a flavor in a cigar, I like dirt but this is a new frontier of earthiness for me and I’m not liking it all that much. Sure, the flavors are pure but is that really a good thing when that flavor is dirt? Luckily, the final couple inches of this cigar has a change in the flavor profile that I like.
Spice really starts to come through and it becomes a more robust, full bodied cigar. In addition to the reinvigorated spiciness there is an oak flavor. The draw, which started out effortless, has become a little too loose and, as a result, the cigar is burning too quickly. The burn itself is even. There is also a slight hint of an herbal flavor at this time.
As the final puffs of this cigar leave my mouth I am finding myself loving this cigar. But then I start to think of the dirt, which lasted for more than half of the cigar, and I realize that this cigar isn’t a great cigar for me. It was just too much dirt – rich, kind of tasty dirt, but dirt nonetheless.
If only the second one-third-plus of this cigar had been the flavor from start to finish I would have loved this cigar. The spice, with a little bit of dirt, and some oak really mixed well together. It was a dark, complex cigar nearer the end and that is what I liked about this cigar. Maybe I’ll pick up a few more if the price drops a little.
88 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
Cain Maduro Cigar Review
It is a nice looking cigar without much in the way of raised veins or discolorations. Not exactly the darkest maduro I have ever seen but it has a nice, chocolate hue to it. I am smoking the torpedo and I have noticed that most of the torpedos I got were cracking a little bit near the pointed foot of the torpedo. This is probably due to the care given to them by the cigar shop and, since the cracked wrapper is never too large, it gets cut off anyway. No harm, no foul in my book. It’s not very oily and has a number of soft spots throughout.
A lot has been made about the fact that this cigar is chock full with ligero tobacco from all the coolest locales. The little booklet that comes with a box of Cains states that it is “25% Esteli Ligero, 27% Condego Ligero, 30% Jalapa Ligero.” So, to put it bluntly, if you like a cigar that packs a punch then you would probably like Cain cigars.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua Ligero (Esteli, Condega and Jalapa)
Price: around $7.00
Crazy Light!
Even before I gently torch the foot I can taste the strength. The center of my tongue lightly touched the newly cut part of the cigar and it stung a little. Knowing that I am in store for a full bodied cigar I light it and can immediately tell that it’s got a great draw. A couple inches into this cigar reveals a steady, even burn and a really strong ash. And, yes, it is a full bodied cigar but, to tell you the absolute truth, the strength isn’t bowling me over like the Cain F has (review forthcoming).
What is really impressive about this cigar is that with all the strength there really isn’t a foul note; it’s a smooth cigar. When I started smoking these cigars I was at least expecting some harshness and maybe some bitterness as well but they are nowhere to be found in the Cain Maduros I have smoked.
The second most impressive thing about this cigar is that it burns evenly. When I got these cigars I was fully prepared to do the occasional touch up but, for the most part, I haven’t had to touch up any of the Cain Maduros I have smoked.
Coffee, chocolate, a dirty earthiness and some other rich flavors lead the way with this cigar. The spice, which is a cross between cracked black pepper and a warmer spice like cinnamon, play well as a secondary (definitely not background) flavor profile. There is also an underlying sweetness evident in this cigar that works to accentuate the Cain Maduro’s overall robustness.
Interestingly, the spice, which is a strong supporting flavor profile, is what lingers the longest on my tongue, which is preferable to me.
After the halfway point the spice takes over the top flavor spot. There is also a nuttiness that starts to come through.
Overall, this cigar does not live up to the amazing amount of hype that has been heaped on it. While there is a lot of different flavors evident in this cigar none of those flavors really stand out. All of the different flavors play well with each other but it’s not amazing.
This all brings me to the conclusion that it’s a lot better to ignore the hype surrounding a cigar and to just appreciate it for what it is. It’s a semi-enjoyable cigar flavor-wise with a decent amount of kick. Don’t expect great things if you pick one of these up.
88 points
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