Illusione f9 Short Cigar Review
Wrapper: Nicaragua | Binder: Nicaragua | Filler: Nicaragua | Box of 25: $158.00 | Single: $7.50 | Lonsdale | 6 ¼″ x 44
0/3: This one is known as the f9 Finesse, which can lead to some lame joke making like “this cigar looks like it was made with a lot of finesse” or “there’s a real finesse to these flavors.” But you’ll get none of that here!
The cigar looks adroitly made by someone with a skillful hand. It’s oily, dark brown wrapper conceals filler and binder tobacco that is less densely packed than most cigars. A webwork of veins crisscrosses the wrapper.
And a big thanks to JJ for gifting me this cigar.
1/3: Yes, there is a reason why most other cigar smokers like these cigars. Salty leather, cherry and graham cracker. It’s a medium-full bodied cigar with very forceful flavors.
2/3: With flavors much like the first half the second half is continuing on in its goodness.
3/3: More of the same during this third. The only difference is a faint sweetness on the retrohale but it isn’t much.
4/3: I liked this cigar because of the leather and graham cracker flavors. The burn was pretty even but the draw at times just disappeared because it was too loose. That probably hurt this cigar more than I realized at the time. When it was going well it is definitely a very good cigar.
4 points
Punch Cigar Rights of America Cigar Review
This one has been in the humidor a while; just sitting on its tray minding its own business… until now! Being part of a CRA sampler I got a long time ago it’s slightly oily, wonderfully constructed, maybe too tightly packed but it does look like a great cigar. Plus, it is a Punch, so I’m sure it will be, at the minimum, a solid cigar. This is in a toro size.
Spartacus Flame!
Definitely more than a “solid” cigar, this one is. Forthright spice, fleeting cherry and a few woody notes make up the flavors in the beginning of this cigar. I’m going to go ahead a peg it as a full bodied cigar, but just barely.
There is this smoky flavor that creeps its way into every nook and cranny of my taste buds. It is a nice extra dimension of flavor; it complements the other flavors well.
While the flavors are above average what I like the most about this cigar is that there is an edge to it. I like it when a cigar has a little edge to it.
In the beginning it was a full bodied cigar but after the first inch it dialed the strength down to the medium-full bodied range. After the halfway point I noticed a certain amount of earthiness creep its way through. This cigar has a good draw and a good burn.
As is the case with all the other cigars from the Cigar Rights of America sampler I will abstain from giving it a score. It suffices to say that this was a great cigar and well worth the price that I paid for it. If you haven’t already done so I would like to urge you to join CRA and help them stem the tide against those anti-smoking zealots that are becoming ever more brazen.
Ave Maria Short Cigar Review
Full Disclosure: I received this as a sample from Cigars Direct. All reviews are my own.
Wrapper: Brazilian Habano Oscuro | Binder: Nicaraguan Habano Ligero | Filler: Nicaragua (Esteli, Condega & Jalapa) Habano | Box of 12: $195.00 | Single: $20.00 | Torpedo | 7″ x 54
0/3: It comes in a coffin. The fact that some cigars come in “coffins” has always been a little disconcerting for me. Who wants to smoke something out of a coffin? But it’s a cool coffin because when you lift the lid there is this little piece of wood attached to top that raises the cigar from its slumber so that you can easily pick it up.
The cigar itself looks really nice. Very dark brown wrapper, almost mahogany. Looks well made and is very oily to the touch. There are some veins but what you will probably notice first about this cigar is its ostentatious band. It’s a mishmash of heraldic symbols from the Crusades. I wonder if this has gone over well with many of the brick and mortar cigar stores that are owned by people of Arab descent?
1/3: Very refined flavors hit my palette immediately. Slight black pepper on the retrohale that sticks around for a while, dry oak and a general warmness of flavors. It’s quite good.
2/3: During the second third a smoky woodiness starts to come through. The black pepper starts to fade into nothingness and there is a mild sweetness bordering on floral lurking in the background like a stalker (a fun one, if there is such a thing).
3/3: There really isn’t much of a change from the second to the final third. It’s still tastes very good.
4/3: Medium bodied with an excellent draw and a fairly even burn; this cigar is very good. Standing in your way is the fact that this is a fairly expensive cigar. The matter of value I leave up to you as I review only the cigar and not my perceived value of the cigar. All I can say is that I absolutely enjoyed it and thought it was a very worthy cigar.
4 points
La Aurora 107 Short Cigar Review
This sample comes from Miami Cigar & Co. All reviews are my own.
Wrapper: Ecuador | Binder: Dominican Republic | Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua | Box of 21: $114.00 | Single: $6.34 | Robusto | 5 ½″ x 43
0/3: This is the La Aurora 107 corona, a cigar that I have smoked a number of times but only feel like doing a short review for right now. I have reviewed the La Aurora 107 before and I liked it. They are good cigars and I can honestly tell you that I have not heard anyone say anything truly negative about these cigars.
This cigar feels a little soft to the touch. A little veiny but not too pronounced. The wrapper is a little oily to the touch and it is pretty obvious that these cigars are well made.
1/3: One of the things that I like about smaller cigars is that it seems, to me at least, that the flavors are more concentrated and that is what I am getting with this cigar. While I liked the other vitolas that I tried the corona seems to be the best fit for me. Spice, buttered toast and some woody notes make up the bulk of the flavors for me.
2/3: This cigar seems to be a little stronger than the other vitolas as well. While not full bodied I would peg it in the medium-full bodied range. The flavors are still very strong during this third and it is a very enjoyable cigar.
3/3: While the final third stays pretty much the same as the previous two thirds I am not disappointed because the flavors were very enjoyable. Add to the mix the fact that this cigar has a good draw and burn there is nothing negative that can be said about it.
4/3: Very solid cigar, definitely my favorite size of the La Aurora 107s. And they smoke quickly too. So, if you find yourself with a lot of 30 minute to hour long gaps of time fill it up with one of these cigars.
4.5 points
Undercrown Cigar Review
What the heck is an “Undercrown” anyways? As far as I can tell, before Drew Estate got it’s hands on the name the only other time in the history of mankind this term was used was for the creation of a clothing company that is “The brand for champions.” Alright, that is kind of disappointing. I was hoping that the term Undercrown had some sort of medieval history about it; maybe the Undercrown could have been an English king in exile. Even though there is no link for this name to anything historical I think it still makes sense.
According to the Drew Estate legend this cigar is the product of the creativity of their torcedores who were told they could no longer smoke as many Liga Privada cigars as they wanted. So, they did what any other enterprising employee would do and used the same tobacco to make a different cigar: the Undercrown. My only problem with this story is that just because the torcedores put the tobacco in a different cigar doesn’t mean they are smoking any less of that tobacco. I wonder what new cigars the torcedores will come up with once the bosses over at Drew Estate cut the torcedores’ personal supply of Undercrowns.
They’re solid cigars. The first one I smoked was at a cigar lounge in Fullerton and even though the air was more smoke than oxygen the cigar was pretty amazing. And it makes sense that it would taste so good when you look at it: perfect shape, the wrapper is smooth to the touch, it’s oily, evenly packed and no raised veins. Another reason why it isn’t a shocker I liked this cigar is because those industrious torcedores over at Drew Estate were Wile E. Coyote enough to put some of that delicious T52 Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut tobacco into it. And I loved the T52.
Cigar Stats
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Otapan Negro Último Corte
Binder: T52 Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut & Cured Habano
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaraguan Cuban Seed
Price:$167.00/Box of 25 | $35.50/Pack of 5
Coronal Mass Ejection Torch!
Isn’t all tobacco that is used to make a cigar cured? Don’t know why that was put in there but, hey, I just report in Cigar Stats.
When a cigar produces a tactile experience akin to smoking a pixy stick I love it. It’s almost like the flavor molecules have granulated and you can pick out each individual flavor granule. This is one of those cigars and some of the flavor granules I am picking up include: somewhat sweet spice, meat, yeasty sweetness as well and some cherry.
Pretty much the same during the second third but with some chocolate added into the mix. And that is fine. The flavors are still very good and the Undercrown is one of those easy going smokes that provides a lot of flavor.
As you near the end of this cigar the spice retreats into the background and leaves an earthy tableau in its place. Chocolate, meat and some sweetness for character. Each puff reveals some nuances to the flavor profile that puts a nice spin on the flavors I mentioned. Sometimes the flavors are more chocolaty and then at other times they are more meaty. I hate to say that the granulated effect has worn off now and in its place is creamy smoke, which is better than fine.
Ironically, this was the cigar that my friend found too strong when he first started smoking it. Personally, I think this is right in the middle of the medium bodied range. Keith, over at Tiki Bar Online, pegs this as a full-medium bodied smoke, which I think gives more credence to the thesis that strength is subjective. The draw was good and the burn was good as well, requiring a couple of minor touch ups at the end. Drew Estate’s Undercrown is a complex cigar with good smoking characteristics and enough variability in the flavor profile to keep even the most jaded cigar smoker interested for a couple of hours.
92 points
