San Lotano Oval Cigar Review
Disclaimer: I received some of these as samples from the manufacturer many months ago. All reviews are my own.
I have smoked the maduro and the habano varieties of San Lotano and even though I do not have a review up for the habano wrapped variety I have to say that I do like it quite a bit. The maduro is a good cigar – just not something that really got me going. What about the Oval?
Due to its name the first thing you are going to think about is its unique shape. It’s oval and I do think that aides in the comfort level of this cigar. One of my favorite cigars of all time is the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel Maduro and while the shapes aren’t exactly the same they are similar. In both cases the top and the bottom of the cigar are flat and that helps create a better seal with your lips. Does this actually improve the cigar though?
The chocolate brown habano wrapper for the Oval is nearly flawless. There are some very thin veins but they are few in number. Oily to the touch, the cigar does give a little when squeezed on the flat sides but not so much when I squeezed the rounded sides. How do A.J. Fernandez’s torcedores roll this cigar?
Cigar Stats
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5 ½″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Habano 2000
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras & Redacted
Price: $156.00/Box of 20
Chuck Torch!
By “redacted” I mean it’s a secret. Not my secret but Mr. Fernandez’s secret. And since it is a secret it can be from anywhere your imagination can take you. Maybe you are thinking that this unnamed filler tobacco could be from someplace where it is illegal for Americans to buy cigars from. Could it be?
The initial flavors are good. Nuts, buttery pound cake and some spice that lingers on the outskirts of the retrohale. It’s different and the flavors are more than capable of keeping your attention. There’s also this toasted flavor that permeates every last inch of the flavor profile; not a disagreeable flavor characteristic in this setting. While I’m at it, there’s also a sweet, creamy flavor going around as well. Anything else?
Slowly but surely the flavors migrate towards buttery toast, which is more a combining of the flavors than a transformation. Spice is mostly gone but the nutty flavors are sticking around. Is the shape making a difference?
I don’t know. It feels better, that’s a plus. And the cigar is very enjoyable. Plus, the final third does evolve somewhat. Singed wheat and oatmeal make a pretty good mix. How good?
It’s a medium bodied cigar with a good draw and burn. The flavors do have some evolution, especially at the end. While it isn’t exactly the type of cigar I normally go for I thought it was still a very good cigar. So, how good?
90 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
Casa Magna Colorado Cigar Review
Yes, I have reviewed the Casa Magna Colorado before but this is a different size and it has been quite a while since I reviewed one of these cigars. There’s that and the fact that Cigars Direct sent me this cigar and I am somewhat obligated to review it. Thanks guys!
The Casa Magna Torito is short and stubby measuring in at 4 ¾” x 60 ring gauge. While that is a little bit thicker than I prefer I have liked some cigars from this line in the past. Perhaps this one will surprise me.
Good construction with a fairly uniform medium-dark brown color to the wrapper. There is a small hole that is close to the foot of this cigar but that is the only imperfection worth noting.
Cigar Stats
Length: 4 ¾″
Ring Gauge: 60
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $27.00/5 Pack | $162.00/30 Pack
JJ for JJ Flame!
It’s starts out pretty good but I am trepidatious about how the flavor profile is forming up; almost like it is watered down. But the flavors I am getting are good. Mole sauce, dark wood and some nuts. Spice is prominent throughout the nasal passages.
Meat comes on during the second third along with a smoky presence as well. Tobacco flavors are also here. Flavors from the previous third are still there but not as much as before.
The last third is a diminished continuation of the last third. I fear that this cigar is just too thick and it has diluted the flavors. It is also a little harsh in the final bits.
Overall, this is a pretty good cigar but not as good as its thinner brethren. It has a good draw and burn and is in the medium-full bodied range. By all means, smoke some Casa Magna Colorados but pick something thinner.
89 points
Padilla Cazadores Short Cigar Review
I like my Padillas. They are always well made and they almost always taste great. This cigar, the Padilla Cazadores Torpedo (6×52) is one Padilla made stogie that I have been reticent about trying. It’s basically one of their down market offerings but, who knows, right. The Cazadores come with an Ecuadorian wrapper, Ecuadorian binder and filler tobacco from Ecuador as well. This cigar is from Cigars Direct. These cigars all retail for around $5.00 a stick.
0/3: Hardly any veins, very smooth wrapper, light brown color and a slight sheen of oil. Obviously a well made cigar but I just don’t think it will hold up to most of the other Padillas that I have smoked.
1/3: It starts out somewhat promising. Creamy coffee, burnt hay and some oak to start out.
2/3: The second third isn’t so good, it gets a little harsh. Burnt hay coupled with nuts isn’t a great combination.
3/3: As I entered the final third I could not say that I liked this cigar. At the very end, however, there was one redeeming quality: the harshness mellowed enough for a somewhat sweet creaminess to come through.
4/3: Overall, it is a little below average. Medium-full bodied with some good flavors coming through mostly at the beginning and then again near the end. It does have a good draw and burn though, so that’s a plus.
2 points
Fonseca Habana Selection Short Cigar Review
First, thanks to Cigars Direct for this Fonseca Habana Selection cigar. Now onto the down and dirty review.
Wrapper: Nicaragua | Binder: Nicaragua | Filler: Dominican Republic
Vitola: Cosacos (robusto) | Price: $30/5 pack
0/3: Oh, neat! The cigar is wrapped in wax paper. With the wax paper now disposed of there is a cigar to look at. It’s not a particularly good looking cigar. A couple of significantly raised veins and bumpy. Sort of reminds me of a witch’s arthritic finger. It is very oily though, the wrapper that is, and it is uniformly packed with a little bit of give whenever I press down on an area.
One last thing; this cigar is made by Manuel Quesada, who also makes the Quesada Tributo, which I liked.
1/3: I’m getting this tangy flavor that is not at all appetizing. Behind it there are a couple of good flavors: oak and some sweetness. Weird.
2/3: Sometimes things happen that can’t be explained and this is one of those times. After I ashed the cigar about 3/4″ down from the foot that tangy flavor mostly disappears.
It now has a fierce group of flavors all fighting for predominance. Hay, oak and some nuttiness but not in that kicked back, “let’s enjoy the sunset together” sort of way. It’s more like “let’s put a bunch of hay, oak and nuts in the back of the truck, loosely tie it down, and head down the highway at 100 mph!” Basically, it’s feisty.
3/3: The final third sees a bit of a departure from the previous third. There’s earthiness and some cocoa.
That tangy flavor never completely leaves though. It’s just weird but, all in all, doesn’t ruin the cigar for me.
3 points | Try it sometime
