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.
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
Tatuaje The Face Cigar Review
Today we have a special guest review from TriMarkC. Thanks buddy!
CIGAR STATS
Size: 6 3/8″ x 56
Wrapper: San Andreas Mexican Maduro Wrapper (Seco priming)
Filler: Nicaraguan Long Fillers
Binder: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium-to-Full Body
Price: Dress Box of 13, $169.00 (only 666 of these boxes produced!)
Plain Box of 10, $130.00 or about $13 each … if you can find them! (only 1300 boxes)
I have to admit, I’ve been very excited to try Tatuaje’s The Face after first learning about it. This is the third cigar in Pete Johnson’s special release series each Halloween to memorialize famous horror movie characters; The Face celebrates LeatherFace, the main character in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Since I haven’t been able to find any of his prior Horror series cigars I organized a group buy with several fellow BOTLs from CigarWorld.com to increase our chances this year. Luckily, we were able to acquire two boxes, which we shared together in a virtual herf; I’ve included their thoughts on The Face in this review, as well.
For this review, I smoked two Tatuaje’s The Face. Due to the reported strength of these cigars, I enjoyed both of these after a large meal. The first was 4-6 hours after a very large meal – Thanksgiving dinner, to be specific – and paired it with a light ale beer. The second was paired with a smoky sherry following another hearty meal after Christmas.
Pre-light:
When you first look at this cigar, you can immediately see Pete’s intent to mimic LeatherFace’s memorable look. It looks “rough” and leathery, and in fact, the well-known band is specifically designed to look like leather overlaid onto this cigar. The band is a rough-torn piece of light-brown Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, on top of the cigar’s darker brown Mexican maduro-like wrapper. Further, the primary wrapper has a toothy appearance, with the foot uncut and roughly wrapped. The head is also unique, with a slightly pointy double cap. The Face is solidly packed and has a hefty weight to it with no soft spots.
Its aroma is slightly musty, with a strong barnyard smell and slight hints of woody oak or cedar and cocoa. The wrapped foot is more of the same.
The pointy cap snips cleanly, and the pre-light draw is slightly tight but adequately open that I don’t anticipate a problem. Finally, the taste is of barnyard and tobacco.
Burn:
The burn on both of my cigars was perfect, although one cigar developed a soft spot which turned into a hot spot right after and next to the lit head. Of course, as the cigar progressed, that problem was eliminated. However, two individuals in our virtual herf had problems where the wrapper split or fell apart. “The wrapper did tend to unravel at the face, but wasn’t too much of a problem.” (ChatlieBob) “(The) one I smoked did not seem dry in anyway, but the wrapper came apart before I even got 1/3 of the way through it. It seemed to unwrap with the heat. It was just strange to be enjoying something so much that looked so cheap as it fell apart.” (TailFeathers)
Flavor:
It took a bit to get The Face lit, likely due to the loosely wrapped tobacco at the foot. Right away, on the second or third draw I got a ton of spice on my lips and throat, and a touch of vanilla. As the cigar progressed, the volume of smoke increased, as well, until near the very end, when it had almost no smoke.
As I progressed into the first third, that barnyard aroma at the prelight has gotten a bit stronger, with some sweetness and woodiness, while the spice has muted to the background to produce a smooth, delicious flavor. For me, this reminds me of a smoky scotch whiskey, which paired incredibly well with the sherry I had with one of my cigars. The ash is solid, but falls off flakey at ¾” – 1” each time, and the strength is a very nice mild-to-medium.
In the second third, the wood flavor has progressed into a smoky oak, and an earthy flavor and aroma has come to the forefront. The spice picked up again, and there is this occasional fruity flavor that teases you now and then. And while the strength has increased to a medium-to-full, I’m still thoroughly enjoying this cigar.
And that’s when The Face hits you in the face! Outta nowhere, in the final third, the strength suddenly and dramatically picked up, and to be honest, it overwhelmed me. The first cigar I had, I had to put it down at this point to recover, it was so strong. The second cigar I had, I was able to finish, likely because I knew what to expect. And the strength just kept ratcheting up as I finished through that final third, until at the end the wonderful flavors and aromas that I enjoyed earlier was lost and all I experienced was the pure strength of The Face. Again, this cigar has reminded me of who it has been designed to mimic. More experienced cigar smokers in our virtual herf felt that this cigar was a smooth full-bodied cigar, but were not overwhelmed as I was. But as Rookie57 put it, “It’s no rookie’s smoke!”
Overall:
Overall, all of us really enjoyed this cigar! I loved the flavors and aromas of The Face, and once I learned to watch for its stunning finish, I was able to enjoy the whole cigar’s experience.
“I thought it was an excellent smoke. Full-bodied but smooth the whole way through. Very earthy and a small amount of pepper and spice in the final third. I loved it.” (IronMikeCW)
“It was very good!” (ChatlieBob)
“THE FACE was a wonderful smoke. (It was) very smooth all the way through, lots of earth, some spice, but not overwhelming. I found that it had a hint of coco, and I really like the construction. I really can’t wait to smoke another one and see what happens.” (TailFeathers)
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
I had a hard time giving this cigar 90 points. But, after careful consideration, the total grouping of flavors added up to something special. The imperfect burn and draw prevents me from going any higher than that.
Here’s what others have to say:
A Cigar Smoker’s Journal: This was actually a guest reviewer on Barry’s blog, who went by the name of TriMarkC (either a nickname or he had some mean parents, just kidding). He found that the cigar had pepper and leather notes. It was medium-full bodied for him and he gave the cigar, the Madrid, 87 points mostly because it had a horrible burn to it. “A lot of variety in flavor as you progress through the cigar. The inconsistent burn was an issue, and the constant relighting might have added to some of the bitterness I tasted at the end.” Great review, you need to read it.
Cigarfan: He noted the spice and “It starts out with a nice woody bang and a pungent aroma, like being next to a camp fire. The flavor is slightly sweet and quite woody with very little aftertaste.” He also said that it was kind of a boring smoke. He was smoking that Pamplona (robusto).
