Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Sun Grown Cigar Review

Yesterday, I did a review for this cigar with the natural wrapper and the green band that holds the cedar sheath. To cut a long story short, I did not really care for that cigar and I rated it at 87 points. The flavors were all fine but the cigar just lacked life, complexity and most everything else that makes a cigar truly enjoyable. But maybe with a different wrapper this cigar will be better – maybe an Ecuadorian sun grown wrapper will do the trick.

I effortlessly slide off the cedar sheath, with the black band this time, and a well constructed cigar is revealed. It’s definitely darker than the other one, maybe a little bit more oil and packed tighter but not too tight. I can smell something sweet from the foot of this cigar. Let’s see if it’s better than the other one or not.

Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 4 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: $4.55

Echo Torch!

I smelled sweetness from the foot and now I can taste it. There’s also a coffee flavor that has a good helping of cream added in. Unfortunately, there is a pervasive burnt blandness that sticks around as the main aftertaste. Fortunately, that negative flavor is relegated to the bottom half of my olfactory system. The flavors I get through the nose are good.

During the first half an inch or so the flavors I mentioned are the main ones. After that point a dirty earthy flavor comes on stronger and I actually like it. It gives the cigar some interest. Surprisingly, at about this same time that burnt blandness has begun to fade into the background, almost disappearing but not quite gone.

The Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Sun Grown is a medium bodied cigar with a slightly erratic burn and a good draw. That negative flavor of burnt blandness has come back for the last third of the cigar, which is too bad. I was enjoying this cigar, somewhat. With the negative flavor this cigar falls precipitously in my estimation. Without the problematic flavor this cigar is one or two points better than the natural wrapper (which scored 87 points) version of this cigar but, with the negative flavor, the sun grown wrapper version of this cigar is at least two points worse.

It has its ups and downs. However, its highest highs are not very impressive. Couple that with the lows and this cigar can be avoided. The natural wrapper wins!

84 points

Cu-Avana Short Cigar Review

Pre-Smoke

This cigar comes with a maduro or a Dominican grown, Connecticut seed wrapper. The one that I am smoking is the latter. It looks good, doesn’t have any significant imperfections and is somewhat oily. This Cu-Avana feels a little soft to the touch. I am smoking the Toro (6″x50) vitola that retails for less than $3.00 for this review.

Smoke

Oak, some spice and a lot of burnt tobacco flavors. It is a mild cigar with a good draw and an even burn. Vanilla and some sweetness are also present.

The flavors are not very strong nor are they complex. There are more negatives with this cigar than there are positives.

After-Smoke

It is just a boring cigar; mild and flavorless. Well, not completely flavorless. Beyond the slight spice, the faint vanilla, awful burnt tobacco and sweetness there is this grotesque aftertaste that comes on near the end. At first I wasn’t able to pinpoint at first. And then memories of childhood illnesses came flashing back once I realized that the flavor that I hated was exactly like taking some liquid antibiotic.

In a couple of hours I am going to post a review of the Alec Bradley Medalist, which, if you buy ten or more, will cost you only slightly more than this cigar. Plus, it’s better.

1 point

Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Short Cigar Review

Pre-Smoke

There are some holes in the wrapper, raised veins and bunched up areas on the wrapper. It is well packed and the wrapper is a nice looking coffee with a bit of cream added. For this review I am smoking the Robusto (5 x 50) vitola and if you want to know more about this cigar, like how Lot 23 is the farm near Esteli, Nicaragua where all the binder and filler tobaccos in this cigar comes form, then head on over to the Perdomo Lot 23 website page. It costs around $5.00 a stick. The maduro wrapper comes from Nicaragua.

Smoke

An effortless draw reveals herbal and some spice flavors in the beginning. Spice is short lived and gives way to chalky chocolate, earthy and some sweet flavors. The draw may be a little too loose for some smokers but I like it and the burn is relatively even.

A full flavored cigar that is medium bodied is the best way to succinctly describe this cigar. After a couple of inches the main flavors are dark chocolate and mocha. There is a bitter aftertaste that continually builds up throughout the cigar and it is beginning to detract from the good.

After-Smoke

I’m conflicted about this cigar. The flavors were great but that aftertaste just seemed to keep on getting worse. I think I can overlook the aftertaste this time since the flavors were really good.

4 points

Alec Bradley Tempus Cigar Review

From the Alec Bradley website:

ALEC BRADLEY TEMPUS… Latin meaning Time. Time is one of the most important factors when creating a great cigar; Time for the tobaccos to mature in the fields; for perfect fermentation, aging time, and time for the rich tobacco flavors to meld into one. In our industry and in our lives, time is the one component that is always in demand. Alec Bradley Tempus is created to enjoy most of what we have least… TIME

Alec Bradley Tempus is made at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras. Only 20% of the cigar rollers at the factory are chosen to make the Tempus brand. We use select tobacco from a farm in the Trojes region of Honduras, just north of the border of Nicaragua, and some of the finest tobacco from Jalapa, Nicaragua. All the cigars are rolled in the traditional Cuban style, tubing each filler tobacco and using a triple cap finished wrapper. The five popular Cuban sizes are packed in boxes of 20 cigars and now a new unique shape in Magistri.

There are parts of the wrapper that look gnarly, especially around the veins. A slight rip reveals a somewhat lighter binder beneath the wrapper. Not a very oily cigar and it does feel like it is too tightly packed. I am smoking the Terra Nova vitola for this review.

Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Trojes, Honduras Criollo 98
Binder: Trojes, Honduras Criollo 98 – Indonesia Embetunada
Filler: Trojes, Honduras and Nicaragua
Price: $7.25

City Light!

For those who are curious, Trojes is a municipality in the Honduran department of El Paraíso.

Spice is the major force with this cigar. But it is different from all the other spice flavors I have tasted. It is a cross between pepper, cumin and some other spices. Basically, it is the type of spice you would put on a nice steak.

The draw needs a slight tug at times but it is fine. The burn is a little off and the ash, well, I wore it once. So the strength of the ash could have been better.

Truthfully, I was expecting more robust flavors from this cigar. It’s still very flavorful but there is still room for improvement in this vitola. In addition to the kaleidoscope of spicy flavors there are meaty and sweet flavors as well. There is also a chocolate aftertaste. It’s a full bodied cigar.

This Alec Bradley Tempus is still a very enjoyable cigar. I like the fact that it is full bodied with the major flavors being spice. It is better than most cigars even though I think it could have been better.

91 points

El Beso Maduro Short Cigar Review

Pre-Smoke

The dark wrapper is gruesome looking. Bumps and raised veins pollute the landscape of an otherwise oily and well constructed cigar. This is the second cigar that I bought at El Beso in Whittier, CA the other day. Measuring in at 6″ x 54 the El Beso Maduro Torpedo has tobaccos from Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Brazil. As was the case with the previous cigar, the El Beso Reserve No. 11, this cigar made locally.

Smoke

Great draw and an even burn. I can feel the heat on my tongue from the spice but it definitely is not overpowering. Earthy, cocoa and a bit of sweetness round out the flavors. It’s a medium bodied cigar, maybe slightly more than that.

Working in the El Beso Maduro’s corner is the fact that the flavors are pristine; it’s really easy to pick out the flavors. Oddly, when I started smoking this cigar I was thinking that there was no way I was going to like it. But it is just getting better and better.

Chocolate takes on a more prominent role after the first ashing at the one inch mark. It’s an extremely rich chocolate. And then, as soon as that extremely rich chocolate flavor comes on the scene, it nearly disappears.

After-Smoke

It is difficult to formulate a conclusive verdict for this cigar. The flavors are good and they are very clean. But there is just something lacking from it. The flavors are not as vibrant as I had hoped. Perhaps my expectations for this cigar were too lofty after smoking the El Beso Reserve No. 11 to truly enjoy this good, in its own right, cigar. Still, something was missing.

3 points

Price: $6.50

Perdomo Habano Maduro Short Cigar Review

Pre-Smoke: It feels too tightly packed and the wrapper is dry. The wrapper doesn’t show any imperfections except for one raised vein.

Smoke: Weak flavors. Tobacco, dirt and a mild sweetness, which is grassy, that occasionally pops in. I think it tracks really nicely with a heavily watered down coffee.

Mild-medium bodied with a loose draw and an even burn. The wrapper begins to crack and unravel as I near the end of it.

After-Smoke: Frankly, I had no idea what to expect from this cigar but I expected more than what I got from it. Completely mundane.

2 points

Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte Barcelona Cigar Review

I recently posted a Sancho Panza review and I thought it was a good cigar. It got 88 points. This will be my first Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte review and this one is better than it’s conventional brethren.

It has pretty good construction. Box pressed cigar with an imperfect cap. Deep, chocolate brown wrapper. Supposed to be a really full bodied powerhouse of a cigar from what I’ve heard. We’ll see. Drinking Wild Turkey and a Cherry Coke.

Cigar Stats
Toro
Length: 6 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 48
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua
Price: $4.00

Late Night Fire!

It is not overly full bodied – not nearly as strong as I was led to believe. Draw is a little tight but not too bad. Mellow maple syrup flavor. Smoky flavor as well.

Not burning evenly. Some kind of licorice tinged spice coming to the fore in this cigar.

A third of the way through and there is a mild sweetness to it. It really is beginning to smell like a barnyard. The burn has thankfully evened out though.

Two-thirds of the way through now and I have found that retrohaling it makes it a lot better, much more enjoyable. I was already retrohaling it (blowing the smoke through my nose) but now I’m concentrating on it more. When I retrohale I get mocha and some spicy notes. I’m glad I concentrated on retrohaling this cigar.

Nearing the end and I am getting chocolate notes when I retrohale. Very complex flavor profile. The flavors, individually, are not great but when you add them all up it becomes very, very good.

90 points

CAO Criollo Pato Cigar Review

It’s been a couple of days since I smoked this cigar and the thing I really remember about it is the pig tail on the cap. I guess I’ve already given away the fact that I didn’t absolutely love this cigar but it was pretty good. Here’s my review:

I smoked this cigar during the AFC Championship game between the Ravens and the Steelers. I am glad I finished it before that brutal hit on McGehee because after that happened I wasn’t in the mood for anything fun. Seriously, McGehee could have died but, thanks to God, he’s alive and will probably be fine.

This cigar shines with oil and has that aforementioned curly head. Perfect construction except for a tiny hole near the foot of the cigar. Medium brown color. Drinking a Cherry Coke.

Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 4 7/8″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nic
Filler: Nic
Price: $6.00

Steel Curtain Fire!

Ashton Double Magnum – Cigar Review

This is a well packaged cigar with a cedar sheath and two bands; one at the foot and one near the cap, like normal. The problem is that the glue securing the bands to the cigar are actually securing the bands to the cedar sheath and when I went to take the sheath off it also took both bands off. Oh well.

The cigar itself has a nice, oily wrapper. The wrapper is unusually smooth. Looks nearly perfect with only a mild imperfection in the way the wrapper looks in one spot. Light brown cigar. I’m smoking this cigar with Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel and some water.

Cigar Stats
Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: USA/Connecticut
Binder: Dom. Rep.
Filler: Dom. Rep.
Price: $10.00

Evening Light!

Finally, a cigar with a good draw! It’s not the best drawing cigar ever but after the last couple of cigars I’ll take it. Even though in the past I have thought this was a mild cigar there is a little more bite to it this time around. (Note: It should be a mild cigar, I don’t know what was up with this cigar.)

Flavors: earthy, black cherry, peat; almost tastes like a single malt. It is also burning evenly and I think it’s medium-full bodied, which it shouldn’t be. It is supposed to be a mild smoke.

Guess my luck, the draw got a little tight about halfway through. The flavors are still mostly there but, for me at least, when the draw tightens up it lessens the flavors and thus my enjoyment of the cigar. Wait, I just ashed the cigar and the draw has opened back up. Weird.

Nearing the end now and there haven’t been any more problems with the draw for this cigar. There is also an added sweetness to this cigar now. I think it’s an excellent pairing with my single barrel bourbon. Good cigar.

89 points

CAO Mx2 Beli (Torpedo) – Cigar Review

First off, Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Hopefully you are reading this in between smokes with your loved ones. As luck would have it I don’t have anyone in my family who smokes cigars (sad, I know) but I did get the chance to smoke a very good cigar from CAO last night and here is my review.

This is an awe-inspiring cigar. Very long and thick torpedo with a nearly jet black maduro wrapper from the good ol’ USA (Connecticut, to be exact). There are bumps all over it but I’m not too worried. However, I am worried about the dryness of this cigar. I got it a week ago and maybe I should have let it age a little longer in my humidor.

Cigar Stats
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 56
Wrapper: USA/Connecticut
Binder: Brazil
Filler: Dom. Rep., Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru
Price: $7.00-$8.00

Candle Light!