Graycliff Double Espresso Cigar Review
Ah, the Graycliff Double Espresso. This is one of those cigars that is touted for its exclusive tobaccos and its amazing flavors. Many people who I have talked with about this cigar say that they really liked it. Me? Well, that is another story (I gave it 86 points after smoking ten of them). But due to the positive reviews I have heard about this cigar there has always been this nagging suspicion left in my mind that I was the poor, stupid bastard that purchased the only ten Double Espressos that were bad.
Now I’m going to put that theory to the test by taking another look at the Graycliff Double Espresso (Thanks to Cigars Direct for providing the stick).
It’s not a site to behold. Snarled veins here and there, a wrapper that transitions from brown to a perceptibly darker shade of brown the closer you get to the foot and it is bumpy. Most of the deficiencies in appearance can be forgiven if the cigar tastes good.
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
Hunter S. Thompson Flame!
Honestly, it’s starting out well. Notes of chocolate and spice mainly. One of the things that I had a problem with previously when I smoked this cigar is that there was this general lack of flavor, which is something I don’t take too kindly for such an expensive cigar. Now the story is a bit different.
Let’s get one thing straight: this cigar is not a flavor bomb. What it is, so far at least, is a good mixture of flavors ranging from the aforementioned chocolate and spice to cedar and leather.
Things do pick up a little near the beginning of the second half in terms of both strength of flavor and strength of body. The main thing that I am liking about it at this juncture is that it is keeping my interest. The flavors are bouncing around like a ball in a pinball machine. One minor annoyance I have with this cigar is that I get this slight salty flavor that comes through. It’s not enough to ruin the experience for me but it’s enough to warrant a quick mention.
The final third does see some different nuances come into play. For example, there is some sweetness that comes on board. It is basically a sugary sweetness. There are also some coffee notes that are coming through.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this cigar. It is a lot better than I had remembered it being and I can see why so many other people like it. It’s full bodied, has a good draw and there a multitude of flavors that I always enjoy. On the downside the burn isn’t great and there was that salty flavor that was mainly apparent during the second third. With all that being said, it is a cigar many will like. Pick up a five pack here for only $40.
91 points
La Palina The Alison Cigar Review
Disclaimer: I received this cigar as a sample for La Palina and they also advertise on this site. Even so, all reviews are my own.
It has been a while since I have looked up the story behind La Palina cigars. I seem to remember that they have something to do with Bill Paley, the man responsible for CBS. So, in a way, without Mr. Paley we may not have had the ability to delight in the zany antics of Charlie Sheen.
All joking aside, their family story is important as is the family story of everyone who makes cigars. Many cigar operations are family run and because of that I think they special. La Palina cigars is one such company. Heck, this cigar is part of their Family Series of cigars. And here’s a little about the family that is responsible for the creation of these cigars:
[La Palina owner Bill Paley's] quest for the extraordinary took him to Avelino Lara, the expatriate Cuban Master Blender who created the famed Cohibas for Fidel Castro. Lara had abandoned Cuba and was heading Enrico Garzioli’s factory at Graycliff in Nassau. With the acquiescence of Garzioli, Bill worked directly with Lara to create a cigar that appealed to his discriminating palate.
Avelino Lara passed away in October 2009, but his inspiration lives on, guiding his son Abel, and his loyal Cuban torcedores. La Palina is honored to capture the joy and spirit of Lara’s greatness in its cigars.
The La Palina The Alison is a great looking cigar. It is a torpedo with a wrapper that is very toothy and comes with no seriously raised veins. The Alison and The Little Bill are the more full bodied offerings from La Palina The Family Series (Just to make sure that you know they have that little extra kick these two cigars come with an extra band that says “Ligero”).
Cigar Stats
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Costa Rica
Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
Price: ~ $20/cigar
It starts out very reserved striking a good balance between spice and wood. Unfortunately, it isn’t a very impressive cigar during the first third.
The second third is better than the first. Spice is still present, it’s pretty close to cinnamon actually, and there is a sweetness. As this third is progressing my impression of this cigar is definitely improving. The strength is increasing as well.
I think the most apt analogy for this cigar’s flavor evolution is this: a Mac Truck. It might start out slow and lumbering but once it gets up to speed it brings it. The final third is in full force with a good helping spice and some floral notes for balance.
The final two thirds of this cigar are absolutely awesome. Great flavors centering around spice is something that I really like in a cigar. Detracting from this cigar was an occasionally bad burn and that somewhat lackadaisical first third. If you haven’t had the chance to try one of these yet I would recommend you do so.
91 points
Liga Privada T52 Cigar Review
I’m trying to remember if I have heard anything bad about this cigar. Honestly, nothing comes storming to the forefront of my memory at this moment telling me that somebody doesn’t like this cigar. I’ve had a couple of these and, well, you will just have to wait to see what I think.
The Liga Privada T52 Belicoso is a wonderfully crafted quasi-torpedo (the head is rounded instead of coming to a point as is the case with most torpedos). Dark and oily are the best descriptors for this Connecticut grown Habano wrapper. I can detect no soft or hard spots on the cigar. I could ramble on about the back story regarding the wrapper for this cigar but, to cut a long story short, it’s special and grown the right way.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Brazil
Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
Price: $11.00/Single | $240.00/Box of 24
Bradbury Flame!
The first third is an example of restrained greatness. Creamy chocolate is bracketed by a soft and somewhat sweet spice and some cream (the actual flavor and not just the smoking characteristic). What is most impressive about this cigar in the early goings is that the flavors mix together so well with some complexity.
The penultimate third has pretty much the same flavors just in a different mixture. That creaminess has increased and so has the chocolate flavor, more like coco now. The spice has dissipated somewhat.
Spice has almost completely disappeared in the final third. That’s fine because the other flavors are still very enjoyable on their own. Speaking of those other flavors, there are some changes of note. Mainly, the chocolate has morphed into something that I can only describe as hot chocolate.
In order to conceptualize the totality of the flavors in this cigar takes a little imagination. What I have outlined above are the basic flavors. This cigar’s flavor profile goes much further than that. Overlapping all those flavors is a grittiness that increases the enjoyment of all those flavors. Furthermore, each individual flavor takes on a chameleon-like liveliness that you don’t find in many cigars.
Suffice it to say this is an extremely enjoyable cigar. Full bodied with an excellent draw and a decent burn. It excites and intrigues from the first puff to the very end, where I burned my fingers a couple of times trying to get just one more taste.
94 points
Tatuaje The Face Cigar Review
Today we have a special guest review from TriMarkC. Thanks buddy!
CIGAR STATS
Size: 6 3/8″ x 56
Wrapper: San Andreas Mexican Maduro Wrapper (Seco priming)
Filler: Nicaraguan Long Fillers
Binder: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium-to-Full Body
Price: Dress Box of 13, $169.00 (only 666 of these boxes produced!)
Plain Box of 10, $130.00 or about $13 each … if you can find them! (only 1300 boxes)
I have to admit, I’ve been very excited to try Tatuaje’s The Face after first learning about it. This is the third cigar in Pete Johnson’s special release series each Halloween to memorialize famous horror movie characters; The Face celebrates LeatherFace, the main character in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Since I haven’t been able to find any of his prior Horror series cigars I organized a group buy with several fellow BOTLs from CigarWorld.com to increase our chances this year. Luckily, we were able to acquire two boxes, which we shared together in a virtual herf; I’ve included their thoughts on The Face in this review, as well.
For this review, I smoked two Tatuaje’s The Face. Due to the reported strength of these cigars, I enjoyed both of these after a large meal. The first was 4-6 hours after a very large meal – Thanksgiving dinner, to be specific – and paired it with a light ale beer. The second was paired with a smoky sherry following another hearty meal after Christmas.
Pre-light:
When you first look at this cigar, you can immediately see Pete’s intent to mimic LeatherFace’s memorable look. It looks “rough” and leathery, and in fact, the well-known band is specifically designed to look like leather overlaid onto this cigar. The band is a rough-torn piece of light-brown Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, on top of the cigar’s darker brown Mexican maduro-like wrapper. Further, the primary wrapper has a toothy appearance, with the foot uncut and roughly wrapped. The head is also unique, with a slightly pointy double cap. The Face is solidly packed and has a hefty weight to it with no soft spots.
Its aroma is slightly musty, with a strong barnyard smell and slight hints of woody oak or cedar and cocoa. The wrapped foot is more of the same.
The pointy cap snips cleanly, and the pre-light draw is slightly tight but adequately open that I don’t anticipate a problem. Finally, the taste is of barnyard and tobacco.
Burn:
The burn on both of my cigars was perfect, although one cigar developed a soft spot which turned into a hot spot right after and next to the lit head. Of course, as the cigar progressed, that problem was eliminated. However, two individuals in our virtual herf had problems where the wrapper split or fell apart. “The wrapper did tend to unravel at the face, but wasn’t too much of a problem.” (ChatlieBob) “(The) one I smoked did not seem dry in anyway, but the wrapper came apart before I even got 1/3 of the way through it. It seemed to unwrap with the heat. It was just strange to be enjoying something so much that looked so cheap as it fell apart.” (TailFeathers)
Flavor:
It took a bit to get The Face lit, likely due to the loosely wrapped tobacco at the foot. Right away, on the second or third draw I got a ton of spice on my lips and throat, and a touch of vanilla. As the cigar progressed, the volume of smoke increased, as well, until near the very end, when it had almost no smoke.
As I progressed into the first third, that barnyard aroma at the prelight has gotten a bit stronger, with some sweetness and woodiness, while the spice has muted to the background to produce a smooth, delicious flavor. For me, this reminds me of a smoky scotch whiskey, which paired incredibly well with the sherry I had with one of my cigars. The ash is solid, but falls off flakey at ¾” – 1” each time, and the strength is a very nice mild-to-medium.
In the second third, the wood flavor has progressed into a smoky oak, and an earthy flavor and aroma has come to the forefront. The spice picked up again, and there is this occasional fruity flavor that teases you now and then. And while the strength has increased to a medium-to-full, I’m still thoroughly enjoying this cigar.
And that’s when The Face hits you in the face! Outta nowhere, in the final third, the strength suddenly and dramatically picked up, and to be honest, it overwhelmed me. The first cigar I had, I had to put it down at this point to recover, it was so strong. The second cigar I had, I was able to finish, likely because I knew what to expect. And the strength just kept ratcheting up as I finished through that final third, until at the end the wonderful flavors and aromas that I enjoyed earlier was lost and all I experienced was the pure strength of The Face. Again, this cigar has reminded me of who it has been designed to mimic. More experienced cigar smokers in our virtual herf felt that this cigar was a smooth full-bodied cigar, but were not overwhelmed as I was. But as Rookie57 put it, “It’s no rookie’s smoke!”
Overall:
Overall, all of us really enjoyed this cigar! I loved the flavors and aromas of The Face, and once I learned to watch for its stunning finish, I was able to enjoy the whole cigar’s experience.
“I thought it was an excellent smoke. Full-bodied but smooth the whole way through. Very earthy and a small amount of pepper and spice in the final third. I loved it.” (IronMikeCW)
“It was very good!” (ChatlieBob)
“THE FACE was a wonderful smoke. (It was) very smooth all the way through, lots of earth, some spice, but not overwhelming. I found that it had a hint of coco, and I really like the construction. I really can’t wait to smoke another one and see what happens.” (TailFeathers)
Chubbys Ultimate Cigar Review
Now I present to you the Chubbys Ultimate. Made by Cuban Stock Cigar Company (formerly Crown David International Cigar Company), this cigar, along with a few others, were given to me by Cuban Stock. (HERE is the page for the cigar that I am reviewing).
Here is a little taste of what they have to say about this cigar:
After years of trying to find the best tobacco for the Ultimate, we finally decided to grow our own tobacco. Using cuban seeds in a very unique area in the Dominican Republic, we managed to get a full flavored tobacco. We ferment the tobacco for two years in wine barrels, resulting in a very smooth, but strong tobacco.
Obviously, the first thing that you notice about these cigars is that they are very thick. A 60 ring gauge will do that to a cigar. The construction looks great, no raised veins and it is oily. It is packed full to the brim with tobacco but the pre-light draw is effortless.
Cigar Stats
Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 60
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: $125/Box of 20
Speaker Flame!
There is a bit of strength to this cigar; basically full bodied. Flavors are good. Sweet wood, mild cherry, warm spice and some other goodness make up the flavors early on.
Draw is good throughout; the burn requires a couple of touchups. The flavor takes an interesting turn toward charcoal. Cherry is still the dominant flavor nearing the halfway mark but its supremacy is being challenged by this charcoal flavor.
What I really love about this cigar is the fact that once you light it you have about two hours of cigar smoking joy. I won’t claim that this is a “can’t miss” kind of cigar but it is worth the time, in my opinion.
That charcoal flavor progressively takes over on the flavor front. It is not an altogether bad flavor but it does leave much to be desired. To put it succinctly, I find the charcoal a bit too abrasive for my tastes.
There are times during the final third of this cigar when the charcoal, for all intents and purposes, disappears. In fact, the charcoal becomes scarcer nearer the end. Awesome!
This cigar reminds me of the Punch Rare Corojo quite a bit. On the whole, I liked this one about the same as the Punch.
87 points
