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
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 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
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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