E Doble by Erik Espinosa Cigar Review
Full Disclosure: I received a couple of these from Smoke Inn.
The first thing you should know about this cigar is that it is cheap. Just look at the Cigar Stats for this thing. Yeah, that’s really cheap. So it’s one of those cigars that if it tastes alright and you want to stock up on cigars for when you’re walking the dogs or doing yard work then this might be a good choice.
It’s not a beautiful looking cigar – scratch that – it’s a pretty gnarly looking cigar. There are stretch marks around a couple of the veins and the cigar itself is hard to the touch. The shape itself is pretty good and the wrapper is medium to dark brown.
Cigar Stats
Vitola: robusto
Length: 5”
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price (MSRP): $50.00/20 Pack | $16.25/5 Pack
Freezing Hot Water Flame!
Not bad. I wouldn’t say that the flavors are awesome but they are enjoyable. A little bit of spice and oak and grass. The mixture is nice and as long as this cigar doesn’t break bad then it’ll be a good cigar.
Dark chocolate, raspberry and cappuccino come through during the second third. It’s really quite exceptional for a cigar this cheap. The flavors aren’t amazing but they are very good.
Entering the last third and the flavors move towards the berry flavor more. The other major flavor is still chocolate.
This cigar did have some problems. Unfortunately, the draw was a bit tight but there was still enough airflow to not hurt the flavors too much. The burn was good and this is a medium bodied cigar. While the flavors weren’t great they are very good for the price point. It’s definitely worth a try if you are looking to fill up on cigars you smoke while doing a moderately physical activity.
87 points
Iron Horse Cigar Review
Full Disclosure: I received samples to use for this review. All reviews are my own.
My impression of cheap cigars is that most of them are not worth it. When I say “cheap” I mean the kind of private label cigar you can find on many websites being sold as an “everyday” kind of cigar. Basically, that translates into “It’s not a great cigar but if you smoke it while mowing the lawn or picking up dog crap you won’t think the cigar is bad by comparison.”
That was why when I received the Iron Horse from Famous my cigar id put on the brakes. Even though it doesn’t look like a bad cigar, with it’s nice maduro wrapper and few imperfections, I just couldn’t shake that feeling you get when you enter a dark room and you just know that there’s a monster you won’t be able to kill waiting to rip you open and use your intestines to do some knitting.
Oh well, let’s see how this cigar smokes.
Cigar Stats
Vitola: churchill
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Maduro
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: $50.00/Box of 20 | $19.00/5 Pack
Hilux Inferno!
It starts off well sticking mainly in the chocolate and earth flavor-sphere. The earthiness is tinged with a bit of grass and I think the best way to describe this cigar so far is by saying it’s pleasant. Being “pleasant” isn’t a bad thing but that limits the kind of role it can play. If you’re watching an episode of Top Gear then this cigar would work. If you’re outside doing something then it would probably lack enough oomph to make an impression.
During the second third the flavor goes more towards chocolate, which, while not my preferred option, isn’t horrible either. It’s a very dark chocolate flavor too; kind of chalky.
It slags off a little during the final third but, I have to admit, this cigar did perform better than I thought it would. Even though it won’t be a cigar I will ever seek out again I wouldn’t be aghast if I had to smoke another. And for those of you who want a pleasant cigar with earth and chocolate flavors this might be something you find you like.
It was a medium bodied cigar with a good draw but the burn was a little off. You pretty much already know what I think about this cigar but I do have one last piece of advice. Do not go out and buy a box before trying any of these. I have made the mistake of buying a box of cheap cigars off my experience with one or two. Try a five pack before you commit to any larger purchases not because $50 is a big outlay but because if you find you don’t like the cigar after the third or fourth stick you will be stuck with another 16 or 17 you will have to smoke (or throw away).
84 points
Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Serie Cigar Review
This cigar is part of a sampler that I received from Drew Estate – my reviews are my own.
My first reaction upon seeing this cigar is that it has a serious identity crisis. It has a light wrapper visible all the way from the foot to the band, which is Ecuadorian Shade (and it actually runs the whole length of the cigar), and then it inexplicably changes to a darker wrapper from the cap to the other side of the band, which is Nicaraguan Criollo.
There may be something to this whole “identity crisis” motif for this cigar. It’s from Joya de Nicaragua and its cigar cousin, the Antano, is a full bodied powerhouse. This is not. But it is a good looking cigar with no serious imperfections. Yes, it has a couple of veins and is a little dry to the touch but they have all (by “all” I mean the other four samples) performed well up to this point.
Cigar Stats
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Shade and Nicaraguan Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $140.00/Box of 24
Ron Washington Inspiration (Expletives) Flame!
It’s a cross between burnt and sweet nuts. I usually go for the full bodied cigars but this medium bodied flavor piñata is very nice.
In addition to those nutty flavors there is a dry, grassy flavor. Lots of smoke from this one and I should mention that unless you are going to retrohale this cigar you are going to miss out on a lot of the flavor.
Not exactly a smooth cigar this Joya de Nicaragua. Honestly, when I first received these cigars I didn’t want to like them. The double wrappers scream of gimmickry but with each successive cigar I am being won over.
After about the first third of the cigar creaminess comes into the flavor profile. It has also smoothed out a good amount.
At around the two thirds mark a mildly sweet floral flavor enters. The nuttiness is still the major flavor and it reminds me of a mild nut, like a cashew. It is a medium bodied cigar with a good draw and burn.
Once the burn line crosses over to the darker wrapper it takes on an earthy flavor. Unfortunately, this new flavor is too fleeting.
Fortunately, on the whole this is a great cigar. Very good flavors and the technical aspects of the cigar are spot on. Definitely give this cigar a try.
90 points
Cigar.com Cuban Label Cigar Review
Alright, here’s the deal. A couple of months ago I got curious about the quality of some of the private label cigars that are out there. Thanks to their easy and mostly color coded naming system my sights quickly acquired Cigar.com’s stable of cheap private label cigars. After smoking all of the different varieties that Cigar.com has to offer I realized that none of the cigars were really excellent and by that I mean something that I would give 90+ points to. But some of them are definitely passable cigars.
That is why I am going to change the format here a little and either give the Cigar.com house blends a PASS or FAIL. To keep things fair, all the cigars sampled are in the 5″ x 50 robusto vitola. I have already rated the Sun Grown Label and gave it a passing grade. Now onto this cigar.
Here is what Cigar.com has to say about it’s Cuban Label house blend:
For this blend we use a high quality Nicaraguan filler and binder. However, the Cuban Label gets most of its character from the special Cuban/Sumatra hybrid seed sun grown in Ecuador. With the perfect blend at hand, we depend on the expert cigar makers and rollers at Tabacalera Fernandez to put the finishing touches on the Cuban Label. This Nicaraguan factory has an esteemed reputation for making flawless cigars. The result is a peppery and earthy full-flavored cigar with a medium to full-body. The Cuban Label is complex and balanced with a long pronounced finish.
These cigars come in five different sizes: churchill (7.5″ x 50), gordo (6″ x 60), corona (6.5″ x 42), robusto (5″ x 50) and torpedo (6″ x 52). As of the publishing of this post, they cost less than $3.00 when individually purchased and can cost less than $2.50 when purchased in a box of 20 except for the gordo vitola which costs $4.00 for a stick and $60.00 for a box of 20.
Beautiful this cigar is not. Dull brown is the color and there are some veins and bumps all over the cigar. A sizable soft spot can be found from the foot to about an inch down from the foot of the cigar. With that being said I have smoked this cigar a couple of times before this review and I have liked it… pretty much… well, mostly.
Laundering Incineration!
What the Hell? I cut this cigar and as I am doing some maintenance to the cut, you know, making it look good and functional, and I see what looks like a very light brown stem sticking out. Alright, that is no big deal but then I start pulling it out and, honest to God, it doesn’t look like it is tobacco. It looks like it is a piece of paper! That is weird and I can say that has never happened to me with all of the cigars that I have smoked. Not a good omen.
The sensible part of my brain is having this inner dialogue about whether or not it is smart to smoke this cigar but, while debating with myself, the sensible part of my brain realizes that I have already lit the cigar and am smoking it. As the sensible part of my brain slinks off to whatever dank corner of my skull that it calls home I am struck by the fact that this is actually a pretty good cigar. The spice is good and is the dominant flavor. Like the description on the site says this is definitely a peppery cigar. There are also notes of cedar and some grass (I’m trying to pin that flavor down but the best I can come up with is that it has a Chinese food flavor to it). No paper flavor yet.
Entering the second third and the spice, while still enjoyable, has become a little bit overbearing and has a certain amount of harshness to it. By no means is this a deal breaker, especially for a cigar that is meant not for greatness but just for smokability. Still no paper flavor yet.
Nearing the end now and it’s still spicy. The spiciness, if you like that flavor in a cigar, is something that I think you would enjoy in this cigar; as long as your expectations are not over the top. It’s a good cigar but it is not very well rounded, especially after the first third when it becomes a monochromatic spice machine. But, since I appreciate spice, I enjoyed this cigar. Medium-full bodied with a good draw and burn. Never tasted paper, which means I probably pulled it all out.
PASS
Emilio AF2 Short Cigar Review
With an average amount of veins running along the length of the cigar and some minor discolorations here and there I can honestly say this isn’t a great cigar to look at. Fortunately, I don’t smoke cigars because they’re pretty. And I didn’t buy this cigar anyway, it’s a sample from Emilio Cigars. And yes, that’s right, only one smoked. That’s why this is a short review folks.
The feel of the wrapper is a different story. There is a good coating of oils along with the tactile sensation of very fine fur. It’s an interesting feeling and, from my experience at least, makes me think this will at least be a good cigar.
Here’s some information about this cigar:
Our AF2 blend, produced and blended by A.J. Fernandez is certain to delight. Crafted from rich Nicaraguan fillers combined with the strength of Pennsylvania ligero and a beautiful Ecuadoran Habano Oscuro wrapper. These cigars are available in cabinet boxes of 20 in four sizes: Robusto, Toro, Torpedo, and BMF.
I’m smoking the 6×50 Toro for this review.
California Sucks Flame!
It’s good. Spice at its core; grass, bitter chocolate and some toffee give it support. An extremely interesting group of flavors here, kind of surprised. Well, I’m surprised because I had not heard much about this company before, that’s all.
The second third improves on the first third. It’s spicy core, which was a little wild and harsh during the first third has moderated and become a fuller experience. Hay and sweet grass have also come on. The smoke leaves a warm and dry feeling in my mouth and the flavors linger until the next puff.
During the final third the spice dissipates quite a bit. During this third I did recognize some chocolate but the main flavor was smoky hay. This is a medium bodied cigar with a great burn and draw.
4.5 points
