Perdomo Lot 23 Cigar Review
I received this cigar from Cigars Direct. My opinions are my own.
Even though I am sure that there are a lot of people who love Perdomos I cannot say that I particularly like them. It’s not that they are horrible cigars; they aren’t. They are usually constructed and burn well. For me, they tend to not have flavors that I love. But maybe this one is different.
It looks like a really nice cigar. No raised veins, just a couple minor discolored spots, oily and packed perfectly. Let me just say that the torpedo vitola is one of my favorites and I’m happy to be smoking another one for this review.
Cigar Stats
Vitola: Torpedo
Length: 5 ¾″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $100.00/Box of 13
The Wall Sizzle!
The prelight draw is wide open and gives off hints of wet wood. After being lit there are flavors ranging from sweet wood to burnt wood. Those flavors quickly transition into a meandering deep sweetness. It’s not a bad flavor; it’s actually kind of nice.
And then, like a rabid mongoose after a snake, the sweetness blossoms into this earthy bitterness with a hint of chocolate. Bitterness is a great addition when it is offsetting sweetness.
Both the draw and the burn are great. This is a medium bodied cigar but the flavors are in full force.
Sweetness all but departs after the first half. The earthy, bitter and chocolate flavors take over. It is a good grouping of flavors. I really like this cigar.
I just looked over my previous short cigar review of this cigar and everything is adding up. It is a good cigar and is a credit to the Perdomo line of cigars. But is it a great cigar? Yes, but just barely.
90 points
It looks like a really nice cigar. No raised veins, just a couple minor discolored spots, oily and packed perfectly. Let me just say that the torpedo vitola is one of my favorites and I’m happy to be smoking another one for this review.
Lizard Torch!
The prelight draw is wide open and gives off hints of wet wood. After being lit there are flavors ranging from sweet wood to burnt wood. Those flavors quickly transition into a meandering deep sweetness. It’s not a bad flavor; it’s actually kind of nice.
And then, like a rabid mongoose after a snake, the sweetness blossoms into this earthy bitterness with a hint of chocolate. Bitterness is a great addition when it is offsetting sweetness.
Both the draw and the burn are great. This is a medium bodied cigar but the flavors are in full force.
Sweetness all but departs after the first half. The earthy, bitter and chocolate flavors take over. It is a good grouping of flavors. I really liked this cigar.
I just looked over my previous short cigar review of this cigar and everything is adding up. It is a good cigar and is a credit to the Perdomo line of cigars. But is it a great cigar? Yes, but just barely.
90 points
Monte Pascoal Cigar Review
About half a year ago I was contacted by a cigar maker of Brazilian puros. They ended up sending me three samples of their Monte Pascoal Double Coronas and this is my review of that cigar.
Honestly, when I first received these cigars I wasn’t expecting much because I can’t think of any good Brazilian puros. But they looked like they were well made. The parejo shape was pretty uniform but there are these bumps that dot the entirety of the cigar’s structure. It’s oily but it’s also a little veiny too, which could cause problems with the cigar’s burn. Here is what the makers of this cigar have to say about the tobaccos used:
The Mata Fina tobacco is characterized by complex aromas and an elegant bouquet, while the Mata Norte provides the full-bodied flavour most experienced cigar smokers enjoy.
Here is what they have to say about the blend:
All of the cigars in the Monte Pascoal line are blended with these two tobaccos, in different proportions, allowing each smoking experience to be completely unique from one vitola (size) to another.
That is basically true for every cigar: different vitolas deliver different flavors whether that is in intensity, nuance or proportionality. Alright, enough with this egregiously long preamble, lets get down to business.
Cigar Stats
Length: 7 5/8″
Ring Gauge: 49
Wrapper: Brazil Mata Fina
Binder: Brazil Mata Fina
Filler: Brazil Mata Fina & Mata Norte
Price: $34.00/5 Pack | $166.00/Box of 25
Hitchens and the Bible Fire!
Before anything else this must be said: it’s unique. The two major flavor profiles that I am picking up are sweetness and herbal and they are paired with this molasses after taste that isn’t altogether bad. Additionally, the flavors are not all that strong in the beginning (can flavors get lost over 7″ of cigar?).
During the second third, which takes a while to reach since this cigar is fairly long, sees an increase in the intensity of the flavors. Another change is that the flavors are now sweet and floral. While this isn’t exactly my idea of what constitutes great flavors for some it might be more appealing.
As the final third commences there is an oakiness that starts to come through but the main flavor is still that sweet floral flavor. This cigar has a slightly tight draw and the burn is good. I would peg it in the medium bodied range.
I have heard that some other people really like this cigar, which is something I can understand. It’s unique because it is a Brazilian puro and should be tried so that you can expand your cigar smoking horizons. Personally, I thought it was a decent cigar.
87 points
5 Vegas Relic Short Cigar Review
Thanks to the good folks over at Cigars Direct for this cigar. Now onto business. And this is going to be a Short Cigar Review not because the length of this post is short but because I only smoked one of these cigars.
You would be forgiven if you saw this cigar from across the room and thought that it was a good looking cigar. For one, it’s a figurado, which, while not a rarity, is a different pace. Another reason to appreciate its look from across the room is its dark and alluring wrapper. Alas, you will need to eventually cross the room and pick up the cigar if you are going to smoke it.
When you do that be prepared for a haphazard cacophony of black blotches on a muddied, dark brown canvas. Look closer and you will see a series of bumps and other misshapen portions of the cigar. It’s not totally gruesome but it is, charitably, rough looking.
On the plus side there is a goodly amount of oil on the wrapper. Well, that and it’s a cigar.
The prelight draw was, as expected, nonexistent. But I was able to get some chocolate flavors up front followed by some spice on the finish.
Cigar Stats
Length: 5.7″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Dominican Corojo
Binder: Dominican Piloto
Filler: Three kinds of Dominican: Piloto ’96, Corojo and Criollo
Price: $5.25/Cigar | $100.00/Box of 24
Mamet Fire!
Surprisingly, the draw starts out nicely. Even though it requires a little effort to get some smoke through I am able to pick up some sweet spice notes. That’s pretty much all there is until the burn reaches the meaty part of the cigar.
Once the burn reaches the meaty part of the cigar I’m better able to pinpoint that sweet flavor – it’s fruity, like a peach. As the burn progresses spice takes on greater importance and that chocolate flavor I sensed on the prelight draw also comes on, but barely.
That peachiness has (mercifully) faded into the background. Now the spice is really making its presence known. Chocolate only grows stronger.
This is a medium bodied, maybe medium-full bodied, cigar. The flavors are actually pretty good. Even that peachy sweetness wasn’t too bad. Couple all that with this being a fairly cheap cigar and it is definitely worth a try.
3 points – Average
Camacho Coyolar Cigar Review
About a year ago I did a Short Cigar Review on one of these and I gave it the most points possible, five points. That doesn’t mean I think it’s perfect but it is one of those cigars that I really think every cigar smoker should try. The Camacho Coyolar is extremely flavorful with pretty good smoking characteristics. Take a look at my previous review; now lets get on to a proper review of this cigar.
This cigar has been sitting in my humidor for nearly a year at this point. Part of a box I bought shortly after Christmas last year and this is the lucky one that is going to get reviewed. Hopefully that extra time in my humidor will have helped the flavors mature some.
Made in Danli, Honduras this cigar is not only a puro but all of the tobaccos used to construct these gems are grown on the same farm; the Coyolar farm. That’s pretty unique.
The wrapper is dark chocolate brown and has a good helping of oils. It feels a little fuzzy to the touch and this cigar is slightly underpacked, which seems common with Camachos. The look of the wrapper is marred by a couple of gnarly veins and a divot near the band which kind of reminds me of the divots left in the skulls of people who just had brain surgery back in the olden days.
Cigar Stats
Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 60
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
Price: $8.00/Single | $170.00/Box of 25
Dark Passenger Flame!
Maybe something has been lost in translation but I just don’t feel the same way I use to about this cigar. It’s only the beginning, so things might change, I hope that they do, but it just seems different. There is spice that is most apparent on the sides of my tongue and it lingers and then there is also anise on the retrohale.
Alright, it just took some time to warm up because it is now beginning to remind me of those cigars I had a while back. The spice is picking up and there is some dark sweetness lingering in the background. Leather and meaty flavors are coming on strong after the first inch.
I’m looking back at the Short Cigar Review I did for this cigar and it’s matching up quite nicely, except for the added sweetness. More dark sweetness with this one than with the other one, which was the Rothschild (4 1/2 x 50). However, as was the case with the Rothschild, this Titan takes some time to develop. I’m a little past the halfway point now and it is immeasurably better than the first half inch.
A candied sweetness comes on strong during the last half of this cigar. It’s a change of pace that I was not expecting nor do I remember it from my previous dalliances with this cigar. It’s a good change of pace as well because it does bring some balance to this cigar.
What I like about this cigar is that there is a good deal of complexity to it. Spice, leather, meat and candied sweetness work well together. It is also smooth with the slightest tint of an edge to it, which is perfect in my book. The draw is great and the burn is pretty good, only requiring a couple of touch ups.
You know you are smoking a good cigar when you don’t want it to end. This nominally full bodied cigar is one of those cigars. It’s no wonder that these cigars are so hard to find; they’re just that great.
94 points
Guillermo León Cigar Review
The first time I smoked one of these cigars was back during the spring in the Dominican Republic at the La Aurora factory. Jason Wood, now the Director of Finance at Miami Cigar & Company (who provided the cigars for this review and advertises on this site as well), secretly handed us these unbanded cigars and told us to give them a try. Needless to say, we were all intrigued and got down to smoking these cigars.
I can’t remember anyone who wasn’t pleased with their cigar smoking experience. And then they told us that this was going to be the first cigar to feature Guillermo León’s name on the band. So that was a pretty cool experience. And now onto the cigar that should be available in your neck of the woods by December at the latest (Miami and New York already have access).
The dark brown habano wrapper looks good. There are a couple of veins that are sticking up a little bit but nothing major. Well packed from cap to foot and it is an oily wrapper. The ones I’ve smoked in the past have all been excellent so I am looking forward to this one.
Cigar Stats
Corona Gorda
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 47
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano (Vuelta Arriba)
Binder: Cameroon and Dominican Republic Corojo
Filler: DR, Brazil, Nicaragua, Peru
Price: $8.50/cigar
Rediscovery Flame!
This is one of those cigars that is good from the first puff on. Nicely balanced flavors that coat your mouth and an abundance of smoke. Cedar is the driving force behind the early stages of this cigar’s flavor development.
There is also a certain sweetness, not quite fruity but close to it. This flavor is most pronounced on the retrohale and starts coming through shortly after starting the cigar (less than an inch in). After that sweetness flavor dissipates on the retrohale there is a mixture of leather and a mild spice that lingers in the back of the sinuses for a while.
A great draw is accompanied by a somewhat wavy burn. This medium bodied cigar easily makes up for that at times erratic burn line with a great group of flavors. The main evolution of this cigar is from cedar notes in the beginning to a sweeter fruit flavor mixed with spice and leather as the cigar progresses.
93 points
