CroMagnon Cigar Review
A few months back I ordered some cigars that a Twitter buddy makes. Probably every cigar smoker on Twitter knows who I am talking about: Skip Martin. Anyways, the cigar is named CroMagnon because, I guess, it sounds menacing and harkens back to a more primeval existence where men were men and cigars… I think you get the picture.
ROTT I smoked one of their Knuckle Draggers (4×52) and it was insanely powerful and very flavorful. Honestly, I liked the extra kick in the cigar but many others probably wouldn’t have. Fortunately, or, depending on how you look at it, unfortunately, every other cigar I smoked from my sampler of all the different vitolas never matched the raw power of that first cigar. They were all still powerful cigars but the main thing was that the flavors were better than I experienced during the first one.
For this review I am smoking a CroMagnon Anthropology. It’s extremely oily and has an almost velvety feel to it. Dark brown wrapper with some minor veins on the wrapper. The shape is spot on and there are no obviously hard or soft spots.
Cigar Stats
Length: 5 ¾″
Ring Gauge: 46
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $37.50/5 Pack | $236.25/Cube of 35
Pyongyang Flame!
After some months resting in my humidor it has lost that audacious amount of strength that nearly made me sick when I first smoked one of these cigars. However, it does still retain all of its flavor. There’s this dark sweetness that lingers on the tongue that is a nice counterpoint to the bright spice notes and there are also raisin and leather flavors as well.
The second third is a more well rounded experience. The sweetness has morphed into being more floral and the spice and leather are working together better now. Basically, it’s a savory sweetness in the mouth and a simmering spiciness on the retrohale. Very nice.
Nearing the end of the final third and, while it’s not as good as the first two thirds, it’s still a very good cigar. The flavors are just muted somewhat. It’s a full bodied cigar with a great draw and and burn. Overall, I really have liked this line of cigars and will go back to them frequently.
92 points
Illusione Cigar Review
Conspiracy theories are as abundant nowadays as Wiemar currency before WWII. There are conspiracy theories about the Bilderburgers, the Trilateral Commission, Area 51 and even conspiracy theories about the names of Illusione cigars. Without trying to give too much credence to the cretins who traffic in such insanity let it suffice that the conspiracy theory has something to do with the Occult. Not true.
Illusione cigars are boutique cigars, which means they are made in limited quantities. There are other boutiques and other companies claiming that their brands are boutiques. Words are wind and the claim of being a boutique means little and less to me. What matters is how well the cigar tastes, how well it smokes and other things like that. I am not going to deny that there is something psychologically intriguing about smoking a limited production cigar but that psychosomatic high quickly wears off if the cigar is substandard.
That whole diatribe is not directed at Illusione though. They’re great cigars and every size, according to their website, has received scores of 90 or more from Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider. But the score that really matters is the one at the bottom of this post, so let’s get to it.
The Illusione 2 is a 5.25″ by 52 ring gauge torpedo. Personally, I like torpedoes and that is the major reason I picked this vitola while I was perusing the offerings at a local tobacconist. This is the third one I have smoked recently and it looks decent for a cigar. It’s not smooth – there are ripples, a minor stretching in the wrapper by one vein and the veins are slightly pronounced – and it’s not very oily to the touch. Actually, it’s pretty dry. Solidly packed though and I do appreciate their humble cigar band, which bears no resemblance to the usually more ostentatious bands found on ever other cigar.
Cigar Stats
Length: 5 ¼″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $9.50/Single | $205.00/Box of 25
$1.5M Cups Torch!
Also known as Crowned of Thorns (I’m pretty sure that is a reference to Christ and his crucifixion – the explanation behind the numbers is on their website) it starts out with a smattering of bold flavors ranging from leather, steak and a light spice.
During the transition from the first to the second third spice becomes more prominent. It is the kind of spice that tastes good and doesn’t overpower the other flavors around with the other flavors being a dusty earthiness and some more leather.
The final third sees the spice fading a little. Leather still remains and there is this thin sweetness in the background.
In the end, this is a very solid cigar. The flavors keep your interest from beginning to end. The draw is good and the burn is pretty even. It’s a medium bodied cigar that does not scrimp on flavor.
91 points
My Father El Hijo Cigar Review
When I first received my samples of this cigar from Smoke Inn I was impressed because it was a My Father production and they make good cigars. But I was a little confused by the “El Hijo” name attached to it. From my three years of high school Spanish I thought that translated into “Hi Joe.”. Feeling good about learning something in high school I went to Smoke Inn’s site to make sure that I was right. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Here is what they have to say about this cigar:
The third installment of our Microblend SeriesTM, the My Father “El Hijo” (meaning The Son), is a 5.5 x52 box pressed cigar with an unfinished foot, where the binder and filler protrude beyond the wrapper of the cigar. The unfinished foot gives the smoker a flavor experience before the very limited 2009 harvest of select Ecuadorian Habano wrapper kicks in. The experience is unique and very interesting.
This select wrapper had been set aside by the Garcia Family, due to the small quantities produced, and we were very pleased and honored that we were allowed to have it for this project. You will find this medium to full bodied smoke has an extraordinary savory quality.
Now onto the review.
This cigar has a slight box press to it. It is oily with a medium brown wrapper and some small to medium sized veins. It’s got the coveted triple cap as well. But, as a sign of the times, it looks like the cigar maker has cut some costs by ending the wrapper about a quarter of an inch down from the foot. That’s a joke.
Cigar Stats
Length: 5 ½″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $48.75/5 Pack | $146.25/Box of 15
One Man Army Flame!
Right from the beginning you are greeted with bold spice. Spice that lingers for minutes on the back of your throat in the form of black pepper. Through the nose is a combination of warm spice and red pepper. Red pepper is on the tongue as well. As you can tell, there is a lot of spice here in the beginning but there is also a little bit of cashew.
During the second third the flavor profile does go through a bit of a metamorphosis by transitioning partly away from spice to sweetness and wood. Over the course of this third the spice really dissipates; almost into nothingness, which is something I’m not liking.
Around the transition from the second to the final third there is yet another change in the flavors. Wood, nuts and a nice smokiness make up the flavor profile now. Think of it this way: this cigar came in like a lion and went out like a lamb. A tasty lamb though.
I would have much preferred if the flavor profile would have stayed similar to what it was during the first third but that was not meant to be. In both of the samples that I tried there was a change in the flavor profile away from the spice after the first third. While the first third was amazing the last two-thirds were less than spectacular.
It is a medium-full bodied cigar with a good draw and burn. Is it worth trying? Yes. Pick some up here and only here (unless you live in Florida and can go to one of the Smoke Inn shops, that is).
91 points
Cuban Stock Extra Cigar Review
What the extra stands for… I know it stands for something but I forget. Early onset senility, I suppose.
Oh well, on the bright side it is a good looking cigar. Well crafted with a couple of small indentations along one of the veins. Oily. There is a bit of tobacco coming off the apex of the cap but, since I’m going to be shortly cutting it off anyways, I won’t hold it against this cigar. This is the torpedo vitola for this cigar.
By the way, I got this cigar as a sample from Cuban Stock. I appreciate it guys but if the cigar is a stinker I’m going to have to tell the truth. And here is what they have to say about this cigar:
The Cuban Stock Extra is made from pure Dominican grown tobacco. The filler, binder and wrapper are all specially fermented in the Dominican tobacco fields for phenomenal flavor. The tobacco is aged for many years in oak wine barrels. They rival any Cuban cigar out there! A delicious blend, full and spicy, the wrapper is mocha colored with an oily finish. You have to taste it to believe it.
Cigar Stats
Length: 6 ¼″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: $27.00/5 Pack
CigarCyclopedia Flame!
It starts out with a fairly aggressive spice (could that be why they tagged it with the “Extra” moniker?) and a subtle grassiness. Shortly thereafter, the spice takes over.
Savor this cigar. This is the third one of these that I have had and the first two were merely very good; probably because of the fact that I smoked them too quickly. It’s not like I was sucking on them nonstop but it was a healthy clip nonetheless.
[For all reviews and for the vast majority of the time that I smoke I take my time with a cigar. Those two times of fevered puffing were a result of extenuating circumstances that required a quicker pace. If you are going to spend money on something you should take the time to savor it, I didn't.]
After nearly an inch the flavor profile has added on a touch of sweetness and leather. The spice is still, thankfully, in charge.
It is a full bodied cigar with a full boat of flavors. Good draw and burn. This Cuban Stock Extra has a little kick to it that fits what I look for in a cigar nearly perfectly.
The flavors stay fairly consistent after the first inch. The burn goes a little awry after the halfway point, requiring a few minor touchups the rest of the way. But I still really love this cigar.
92 points
Graycliff Double Espresso Cigar Review
Ah, the Graycliff Double Espresso. This is one of those cigars that is touted for its exclusive tobaccos and its amazing flavors. Many people who I have talked with about this cigar say that they really liked it. Me? Well, that is another story (I gave it 86 points after smoking ten of them). But due to the positive reviews I have heard about this cigar there has always been this nagging suspicion left in my mind that I was the poor, stupid bastard that purchased the only ten Double Espressos that were bad.
Now I’m going to put that theory to the test by taking another look at the Graycliff Double Espresso (Thanks to Cigars Direct for providing the stick).
It’s not a site to behold. Snarled veins here and there, a wrapper that transitions from brown to a perceptibly darker shade of brown the closer you get to the foot and it is bumpy. Most of the deficiencies in appearance can be forgiven if the cigar tastes good.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 4.5″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Costa Rica
Binder: Costa Rica
Filler: Cuban Seed Corojo & Ecuadorian Ligero
Price: $18.00/cigar
Hunter S. Thompson Flame!
Honestly, it’s starting out well. Notes of chocolate and spice mainly. One of the things that I had a problem with previously when I smoked this cigar is that there was this general lack of flavor, which is something I don’t take too kindly for such an expensive cigar. Now the story is a bit different.
Let’s get one thing straight: this cigar is not a flavor bomb. What it is, so far at least, is a good mixture of flavors ranging from the aforementioned chocolate and spice to cedar and leather.
Things do pick up a little near the beginning of the second half in terms of both strength of flavor and strength of body. The main thing that I am liking about it at this juncture is that it is keeping my interest. The flavors are bouncing around like a ball in a pinball machine. One minor annoyance I have with this cigar is that I get this slight salty flavor that comes through. It’s not enough to ruin the experience for me but it’s enough to warrant a quick mention.
The final third does see some different nuances come into play. For example, there is some sweetness that comes on board. It is basically a sugary sweetness. There are also some coffee notes that are coming through.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this cigar. It is a lot better than I had remembered it being and I can see why so many other people like it. It’s full bodied, has a good draw and there a multitude of flavors that I always enjoy. On the downside the burn isn’t great and there was that salty flavor that was mainly apparent during the second third. With all that being said, it is a cigar many will like. Pick up a five pack here for only $40.
91 points
