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

Perdomo Habano Connecticut Short Cigar Review

Pre-Smoke

The light Connecticut shade wrapper that adorns this cigar has some discolorations. This Perdomo is packed nicely but there is not that much oil on it. Other than that, it looks like a well made cigar.

Beside the American wrapper, the filler and binder tobaccos are grown in Nicaragua (Esteli, Condega and Jalapa). For this review I will be smoking the robusto (5″ x 52), which retails for around $6.00 (the rest of the line will cost you more).

Smoke

Creaminess is the first noticeable flavor followed by oak. Those are the main flavors but there is also burnt toast in the background. It is a relatively smooth cigar but there is just something in the background that wants to burst out – sort of like a caged tiger or something like that.

At times I can almost taste the spice breaking through and then the mellow oakiness takes back over. Not a bad cigar by any means. It’s medium-full bodied, has a good draw and an even burn. And, truthfully, this cigar is growing on me. It’s laid back flavor profile is endearing.

After-Smoke

Overall, it is an enjoyable smoke. The flavors are more than adequate but there is not a lot of complexity with this Perdomo. I will say this: it is better than most of the Perdomos that I have smoked.

3.5 points

Tatuaje Series P Short Cigar Review

Pre-Smoke

The Tatuaje Series P is significantly cheaper than the other lines from Tatuaje. The robusto costs between $3.00 to $4.00 per stick, depending on how many you buy at one time. So, is it as good as it’s much higher priced brethren?

Just based off of looks and feel I would have to say no. It looks like a dried out leaf with only a slight sheen of oils. Beyond that, it does feel a little squishy to the touch. Not a good start for this Nicaraguan puro.

Smoke

With a good draw and burn and a medium body this cigar is starting off alright. While I don’t think it measures up to the premium Tatuaje lines (which is an unfair expectation considering the price) it is actually a somewhat enjoyable smoke at the beginning. A slight amount of spice, a decent helping of maple sweetness and woody flavors.

Working against it is that it is not a smooth cigar and the flavors don’t meld all that well together. In fact, as the cigar progresses it does get harsh and then it gets better and then it gets harsh all over again. Basically, it’s an inconsistent cigar that does have a couple of kind of good moments.

In addition to the aforementioned flavors there is a nuttiness and meatiness to it.

After-Smoke

Upon reflection, the best way to describe this cigar is that it is dry. The flavors are there but they are intermittently harsh. It’s a cheap cigar and it shows.

1.5 points

Camacho Cigar Rights of America Limited Edition Cigar

I have waited long enough. This cigar has been taunting me from my humidor for a few weeks now and, even though I have been patiently letting it rest, the time has come to clip the head and toast the foot.

This Camacho, which comes adorned with a Cigar Rights of America and Camacho Limited Ed. bands, features a dark, oily wrapper. It may not be the prettiest looking cigar nor is it densely packed (it’s actually a little loose) but the point of these cigars is to raise awareness for CRA, which this post is doing, and to reward people who sign up. This is my reward and I’ll be damned if I get bummed out over a couple of imperfections!

The pre-light draw is mostly sweet, with a little bit of spice and leather. It is also surprisingly tight before I light it but once the flame hits the foot everything is right with the world. With just a firm tug leather and meaty flavors are coming through. I know this is a limited edition but if I was a betting man I would bet that this cigar shares a lot of tobacco with it’s Triple Maduro brother.

I didn’t measure this cigar but by the looks of it I would say its in the double corona vitola. And now that I am thinking about it, I sure wish I had taken a picture of this cigar before I started smoking it – oh, well. Life goes on.

This Camacho is a full bodied cigar, well above average on the taste scale, but the burn and the draw are a little disappointing. Neither the burn nor the draw are to the point where it is taking away from my enjoyment of this cigar but they are irksome nonetheless.

Now I’m torn about which cigar this one reminds me the most of. At first I was thinking it’s close to the Triple Maduro but now I am thinking the Coyolar. Whatever the case, in addition to the meat and spice there are also flavors of anise, raisins, saltiness and a general creaminess that coats the mouth.

There is no way I am going to actually give this cigar a score (because I have only smoked one and it’s not readily available) but, if you pressed me, it’s a 93 point cigar give or take a couple of points. The flavors are more than good enough to make up for its faults.

Whilst smoking this cigar I am watching the season finale for the second season of Oz. Truthfully, it just isn’t a fitting cigar for a show like this. Oz, if you don’t know, was a series on HBO that chronicled life in a fictitious jail. It’s an extremely gritty tragedy. This cigar would have been great for The Sopranos’ series finale but it is just too refined for Oz.

Just finished the cigar and I can safely say that I am certainly glad I got a membership with CRA. If you haven’t done so already you should get a membership as well. Even if you don’t get the Camacho as one of your freebies there are many other cigars that are well worth it. Furthermore, it’s just the right thing to do as a cigar smoker. So few are fighting for our rights but CRA is doing a good job at it.

Nub Maduro Short Cigar Review

Pre-Smoke

The 460 (4″ x 60 ring gauge) Nub Maduro is a good enough looking cigar. Not too tightly packed, somewhat veiny, no glaring imperfections.

Smoke

Due to its large ring gauge, it does take a little bit longer to light than most cigars. The predominant flavor is espresso with a good helping of a low-octane spice (i.e. not very spicy spice – if that makes sense).

After the one-inch mark the flavor profile makes a dramatic shift towards earthy/grassy flavors. However, it appears that was nothing more than a brief intermission since the spice and espresso return.

It’s an up-and-down cigar as far as flavor goes. The flavors alternate between being crisp and muddled.

On the bright side, the draw is good (maybe a smidgen too tight for my liking) and the burn is for all intents and purposes, even. It is a medium bodied cigar.

After-Smoke

The Nub Maduro was one of those cigars that I don’t have any real negative or positive feelings for. It’s a fine cigar but, as I was merrily puffing along, I found that I was waiting for the end of the cigar to come along. It’s just a boring cigar.

2.5 points

Man O’ War Ruination Cigar Review

I get it, the marketing whizzes behind the Man O’ War’s branding really want to get across the point that they are extremely bad ass by calling their newest creation “Ruination.” Well, it’s either they want to position their cigars as the bad boy of cigardom or their Ruination line is an ode to America’s economy. Alright, now that I have done the requisite mocking of the bad boy image thing I can actually get to reviewing this cigar.

Two bands adorn this dark and oily cigar. It is very hard to the touch and has some imperfections (veins, minor holes, discolorations) but, based on the other cigars from this line I have smoked, those negatives do not translate into a bad cigar.

One thing that I do have to mention is the sheer size of this cigar. I am smoking the Robusto No. 1 that measures 5 1/2″ by 54 ring gauge, which is fairly substantial, to say the least. Cigars of this magnitude will almost always take longer to smoke than their smaller brethren and, when you also factor in the price, which is north of $10.00, you would be well advised to take your time with this cigar.

Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Ecuador grown Habano-seed ligero
Binder: ???
Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan and Honduran long-leaf ligeros
Price: $10.00

Legion Flame!

While the draw is definitely too tight with this cigar, it’s not to the point of being unsmokable by any means. Flavors are definitely rolling through. A phalanx of warm spice is followed up by a cacophony of other flavors ranging from leather to herbal notes to sweet wood.

After about the one inch mark the draw does noticeably open up so that it is no longer a problem. The burn is very consistent and the strength of this cigar is definitely in the full bodied range.

This is definitely one of the best cigars I have smoked in a couple of months. With robust flavors and some strength this cigar is definitely growing on me – and I’m still in the first third of the cigar!

The second third of the cigar features a smokier flavor profile that features leather and a slight hint of charcoal. There is also a vein of sweetness that runs throughout the flavor profile.

Nearing the last third and it this Man O’ War Ruination is still great. What is really great about this cigar is the shear number of flavor layers. Sweetness, spice, leather and a couple of other tasty layers make up what is a great cigar.

Near the end a blend of salty and meaty flavors come through.

93 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

Cain F Cigar Review

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the Cain Maduro and, even though I do think it is a solid cigar, it is not worth all the hype. Unfortunately, I can’t say anything about the Cain with the Habano wrapper since I have yet to have the pleasure of smoking one of those stogies. But I have smoked a few of the Cain F, which is only being offered in five packs right now (either as an incentive to buy a box of the two other Cain lines or to be sold on its own).

On a side note, over the past week and a half I have been sick (not H1N1) and didn’t have much of an opportunity to smoke any cigars. After a couple of days of recuperation I have smoked a couple of good cigars and now feel ready to really delve deep into another cigar. From what I have seen with the Cain F series is that they are above average cigars in terms of both flavor and strength, better than the Cain Maduros for sure. The only bit of advice I can give is that if you do get some of these cigars let them rest in your humidor for at least a month because they need the extra time.

All the Cain Fs, which are only being offered in one size right now, come unbanded. A dark wrapper glistening with oils holds together a lot of ligero tobacco. According to the box from which these cigars came from the tobacco in every Cain F is 32% Esteli Ligero, 25% Condega Ligero and 25% Jalapa Ligero.

For those of you paying close attention that means the percentage of ligero tobaccos is equal between all the Cain lines but each region imparts its own flavor. According to the educational booklet that came with my Cain cigars Esteli Ligero is a ball buster, Condega Ligero is strong but not insanely so and Jalapa Ligero is smooth (which would explain the smoothness of the Cain Maduro).

Beyond the genetic makeup of this cigars it does look and feel like it is very well made. The only soft spot is near the foot and even though it has its fair share of veins none of those veins are too pronounced and should not cause too many problems for the burn of this cigar. Having as much ligero as this cigar does can turn out to be a problem though and I do expect having to do a couple of touch ups throughout the course of this cigar.

Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Nicaragua (Fuerte)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua Ligero (Esteli, Condega and Jalapa)
Price: ???

21 Lights!

The pre-light draw is nice, maybe a little too loose. As a prelude of what is to come, my tongue is still stinging 30 seconds after my first draw. Should be interesting.

As expected, there is an onslaught of aggressively tasty spice. For my taste, it’s not on the edge of being too strong at all. The spice has a tinge of sweetness to it and is predominately a black pepper kind of flavor. I like it very much.

Unlike with the maduro wrapped Cain, the Cain F does not have a very smooth finish. That does not mean that I don’t like it though because I really do. It isn’t a complex cigar the first couple of inches but it is getting better. The spiciness is calming down and other flavors – nuts, oak, peppermint and earth – are coming into the mix.

The burn is surprisingly even with this cigar. With some of the others that I have smoked I have had to do a couple of touch ups. The draw is perfect. It is a full bodied cigar but not overly so.

I am somewhat conflicted about this cigar. Even though I did like it I just think that it was lacking in complexity. Working in its favor is the fact that the flavors that are there are very good, it burns well enough and the draw is quite good. In the end I can comfortably say that it is better than the maduro version of this cigar and I will not hesitate to smoke more Cain Fs if the price isn’t too extravagant.

90 points

StogieRate iPhone App Review

When I started to really pay attention to cigar bloggers one of my favorites became Doc Stogie Fresh. I also started following him on Twitter (@Doc_StogieFresh). Basically, if you are new to cigars or just want to learn more about your pastime then you should read, watch and/or listen to this guy’s stuff (yup, he uses all types of media).

Alright, enough with the introductions, now onto the fun part, his new iPhone/iTouch app: StogieRate.

For me, the most important part of this app is that it gives you an easy-to-use mechanism for reviewing your cigars. This means scoring the cigar in three different categories: Burn & Feel, Flavor & Aroma, and Burn & Construction. For each category there is a five point scale with most of the weight going to the Flavor & Aroma category (the way it should be, in my opinion).

There is also a notepad available to type in tasting notes for the cigar. For me, that meant typing in the different flavors with an adjective or two thrown in (i.e. “peppery spice” or “decent burn”). I also rate each cigar at the end of each note. (More on this later.)

All of this is done well and is the main reason why I bought this app (retails for about $5.00) but there is some room for improvement. (I’ve been talking with Doc on Twitter – btw: you can tweet me @Travis_Lindsay – and he has assured me that there are going to be many free updates on the way, so the more input we give him the better this app will become.)

For example, there are not a lot of cigars put into the app. In order to put, for example, the Cain Maduro into the StogieRate system so you can rate it you will need to fill out all the information about the cigar yourself. But this is a minor problem and considering the gigantic cigar universe that is out there it is somewhat unreasonable to expect every cigar to be in the StogieRate database whether this be version 1.0 or version 10. In order to get all the information correct you will probably have to go online and find the right info.

My other quibble with the rating function of this app is that if you tell it you have 24 Cain Maduros then you only get to rate those cigars as a batch. As we all know, there is going to be variations amongst cigars of the same line no matter what. Some will have a tighter draw while others will have a more pronounced cocoa flavor to it. That’s just the way things are and, with the current version of this app, I cannot rate the cigars individually unless I put in 24 unique instances of the Cain Maduro. That would be a pain so I just rate each cigar in the notepad and tweak my overall ratings as time goes on.

Those are the only deficiencies with this app that are worth mentioning. Now onto some of the other features.

Besides the rating functionality available there are links to some of the great videos that Doc has done. This would be especially valuable for the novice cigar smoker or, if you’re waiting at the airport for your flight to arrive, you can pass the time by watching Doc talk about cigars, which is fun no matter what.

You can also assign your cigars to different humidors. So, if you have a main humidor, an office humidor and a bedroom humidor you can put your cigars in the right place. Of course, if you rotate your cigars then things may get a little hairy or if you only have one big humidor then this is a superfluous functionality. This type of information will help you identify any problems you may be having with your humidors or will just help you keep track of your stashes of cigars.

There is also a section that describes the different cigar shapes, cigar sizes, and a section about the different wrappers.

The StogieRate iPhone app is a great tool for any cigar fan. I definitely recommend this app.

Arturo Fuente Cuban Corona Cigar Review

Good looking cigar save for a large vein near the cap. Tons of oils on the wrapper. The cigar tapers down from the foot to the cap and I’ve got to say that the cap looks a little weird. But, since I’m going to be cutting it off shortly, I’ll let it slide. I should also note that I’m smoking the cigar with the natural wrapper, not the maduro version.

Cigar Stats
Corona Extra
Length: 5 1/4″
Ring Gauge: 45
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: $5.50

Baseball Light!

Great draw with an even burn. The two initial flavors are earthiness and roasted nuts. There’s also a subtle spice that lingers on the tongue. I’m going to peg this as a medium-full bodied cigar.

The spice is slowly becoming a bigger part of the flavor profile for this cigar, which is nice. No poor notes to mention whatsoever. The previously mentioned roasted nuts reminds me of almonds. When I inhale this cigar it comes in spicy and then when I exhale out of my nose it is nutty. The earthiness is a tertiary flavor at best. It’s a very good cigar.

I started out smoking Fuentes and, for the most part, they are solid cigars. And so is this one. While they do have high-end lines that are much better than the Gran Reserva line that I am smoking right now the Gran Reserva is good for its price.

Two-thirds of the way through this cigar and the nuttiness has almost completely dissipated. The spice has taken over where the nutty flavor left off; both when I inhale and when I exhale out my nose there is spice. That nutty flavor is present in the aftertaste, but barely. The earthiness is gone.

Even though it’s not possible to claim that this is one of the best cigars out there, it is solid. While the flavors are tasty they are not all that provocative and this isn’t an extremely complex cigar. It smokes well though and is worth smoking again.

90 points