uneven burn
La Riqueza Short Cigar Review
Pre-Smoke
Sitting in my humidor this cigar did not look like much. The band is unassuming and the cigar is well crafted but rustic. Some oils on the dark US Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper give me hope even though the cigar seems a touch too soft throughout.There seems to be a slight box press to this cigar.
I am smoking the La Riqueza #4, which is a robusto measuring 5″ x 48. The binder and filler come from Nicaragua. This cigar should cost you about $9.00 per stick.
Smoke
Leather and tobacco with a meaty aftertaste. After the halfway point there is an herbal flavor. Some bitterness is evident on the tip of my tongue – not a negative in this case.
It starts out a lot better than it finishes. The beginning is an explosion of flavor that is very enjoyable. The second half becomes harsh at times but it still has it moments.
This is a medium bodied cigar with a good draw and an uneven burn.
After-Smoke
Truthfully, after the first couple of inches I was getting really excited about this cigar. The flavors were very enjoyable. I just guess I was expecting more from a cigar that costs nearly ten dollars.
3.5 points
Tatuaje Cojonu 2006 Cigar Review
Ah, finally! A torpedo. It’s actually been quite a while since I’ve had one and, since the torpedo vitola is my favorite, I’m excited about this cigar. Well, I’m excited because it’s a torpedo but, slightly more importantly, it’s a Tatuaje. I’ve smoked a handful of Pete Johnson’s creations (Tatuaje Havana VI Nobles and Tatuaje Reserva J21) and I’ve loved them all. Hopefully this cigar, which is made in Miami by master rollers from that island south of Florida, will be just as good.
From the Tatuaje site:
All Tobacco is 1st Generation Cuban Seed Grown in Nicaragua.
Cigars are rolled in classic Cuban tradition by Master Rollers in Little Havana Miami, FL U.S.A.
Headed by Maestro Tobaquero Jose Garcia.
Cigars are rolled with a beautiful Cuban triple-cap and are Medium to Full in flavor.
Now onto what matters; the cigar itself. The Tatuaje Cojonu 2006 is a beautifully crafted torpedo that has a substantial coating of oils on its medium brown wrapper. Well packed and the shape is just spot on. Many torpedos tend to be a little lopsided because it is a more difficult shape to roll (I’m told – I’ve never actually rolled a cigar). My only qualm about this cigar are the two medium sized veins that are located right around where I’m going to be cutting it. Hopefully it does not turn into a big deal – that would be a shame.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 5 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo 99
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $13.00
Nuclear Torch!
An effortless draw reveals some really solid flavors. There is some spice, hearty wood and a syrupy caramel flavor that is the most dominant flavor. Another sweetness joins this group after about halfway through the cigar; it’s close to a floral sweetness.
During the last half of the cigar some tobacco flavors do come on. It’s a very good cigar that is thoroughly enjoyable. Medium bodied with a balky draw at first that, thankfully, evens out after the first inch, inch and a half.
This cigar perplexes me. I’m enjoying it but there is just something missing. Maybe it has to do with the flavors not being as robust as I would have liked. Not quite sure actually but I just wanted something more.
90 points
Arturo Fuente Chateau Series Short Cigar Review
Pre-Smoke
Full disclosure, I like Fuentes. They are quality cigars and some of the upper level Fuentes are good. Hopefully, this one is great as well.
This cigar comes with a cedar sleeve, which means something or another. After taking off the cedar a very nice looking cigar is revealed. There are a couple of minor veins but that is the only thing wrong with this Arturo Fuente Double Chateau Fuente Natural (6 3/4″ x 50). Not very oily.
Smoke
Spice, creaminess and some burnt wood are the first flavors. The draw is good and the burn starts out evenly but then begins to stray. It is a medium bodied cigar with some above average flavors.
A sweet spice flavor starts to develop after about the one inch mark. The burnt wood flavor has shed its burnt-ness and is now more of a clean oak flavor. The flavors are nowhere near exceptional but it is an enjoyable cigar. There is a foul, almost bleach-like aftertaste that comes in after the halfway mark.
After-Smoke
It’s a good cigar with some good flavors. That foul flavor that comes on after the halfway mark takes away any shot it had at 4 points for me. But it isn’t enough of a big deal to make this a bad cigar. As long as you focus on the flavors when inhaled and the ones you get after exhaling out your nose it is quite enjoyable.
3 points
Price: $6.00
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
Carlos Toraño Reserva Selecta Cigar Review
From Carlos Toraño’s website:
Lovingly and painstakingly developed by Carlos Toraño, the Reserva Selecta is crafted much like a vintage estate wine,with the most refined tobacco grown in the lush Esteli Valley in Nicaragua and the Valley of Jamastran in Honduras. Packed with soft cool smoke, the Reserva Selecta is mild- to medium bodied with notes of sweet cream and cedar. All cigars are wrapped in cedar and encased in crystal tubes to preserve freshness. Packed in boxes of 20 or 5-count gift boxes, all tobaccos are aged three to five years.
The wrapper is very light and it has a light sheen of oils. It is packed nicely and the construction is above average. The veins that are there are not very pronounced and the discolorations are minor.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 6 1/4″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua
Price: $10.20
Hero Torch!
The first flavor that hits me is, obviously, wood. I don’t think I would describe it as cedar but, rather, spruce or a Christmas tree. That is the flavor I get when I exhale out my nose. When I inhale the flavor is more akin to a forest fire. To be fair, it is not that bad, it’s more like the aftermath of a forest fire, charred wood. It’s not totally un-enjoyable but it isn’t exactly a plus either.
Between the one and two inch mark that charred wood flavor migrates from being a minor annoyance to being a pain. The charred wood gets stronger and does start to take away from the rich wood flavor, which I still get on the exhale. A couple other flavors that are barely perceptible are vanilla and peppermint.
A weak ash, an uneven burn and a good draw sum up the fundamentals of the Carlos Toraño Reserva Selecta Torpedo. Any good thoughts about this cigar I had before I lit it were snuffed out by that harsh, charred wood flavor. It’s a mild bodied cigar that has a lot of promise. It would have been a very good cigar if not for that harshness. Too bad.
84 points
Carlos Torano Virtuoso Short Cigar Review
Pre-Smoke: Good looking cigar without too many imperfections. It is tightly packed. I have smoked a couple of these in recent weeks in the car and while doing work and they have been solid cigars, just nothing special. I am smoking the Encore vitola (4 3/4″ x 52) for this review.
Smoke: Good draw, the burn is a little uneven and this is a medium bodied cigar. Not a lot of flavor to speak of. Some spice and cocoa but they are all just loitering in the background. Really, the main thing I am getting from this cigar is just smoke.
After-Smoke: If you are looking for a cigar that doesn’t have much flavor but is fundamentally sound (it draws and burns well enough) then this is the cigar for you. If you are looking for a cigar that has a complex mix of strong flavors then you should look elsewhere.
2 points
Price Range for all Virtuoso cigars: $4.00 – $6.50
Camacho Select Short Cigar Review
Pre-Smoke: This is part of the upper echelon of the Camacho lines; ultra premium is its designation. According to the Camacho Select page this cigar comes in five different vitolas with the binder/filler tobaccos hailing from Honduras and the wrapper picked in Cameroon.
This cigar has a couple of raised veins but, other than that, it looks perfectly fine. Not overly oily and the wrapper feels fuzzy, like velvet. Packed nicely. I’m smoking the robusto vitola.
Smoke: The flavors start out meaty and leathery. There is also a smokiness about this cigar that works out really well with the meatiness. After an inch or so a charcoal flavor begins to dominate.
It is a medium bodied cigar with a good draw. The burn is not even though.
After-Smoke: It was not that impressive of a cigar. The flavors are alright but any chance of me liking it a lot was dashed by the uneven burn and the charcoal flavors that came on too strong.
3 points
Price Range: $6.00 to $8.50
Graycliff 1666 Pirate Cigar Review
What is a man to do who has created the first five star restaurant in the Caribbean and has one of the world’s largest wine collections? He obviously creates his own high priced (dare I say overpriced?) cigar! It comes with a lot of exotic tobaccos, a maduro wrapper and the guy credited with the creation of the Cuban Cohiba as its maker. What could go wrong?
Just looking at it I have to admit that it looks good. It’s oily, packed firmly and the wrapper is just awesome, I am a sucker for maduro wrappers. It isn’t in the least bit veiny but the wrapper is a little rough to the touch.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Jaltepec maduro
Binder: Ecuador Sumatra
Filler: Peru, Columbia, Brazil and Mexico
Price: $14.50
Church Torch!
It starts off nicely. There is this floral and grassy flavor at first. Maybe a little bit stronger than medium bodied but not much stronger than that. I am also getting a little hint of coconut with this cigar. The draw is pretty good but the draw is not even.
Very creamy smoke. Weird cigar though. Yeah, sure, it’s refined and all that good stuff that you would expect from such a lofty upbringing. But there’s just something missing from it. There is no real complexity to it; no intrigue. Solid cigar? Sure. But at this price you would expect something much better.
Light and airy is how I would describe this cigar. There isn’t any bight to it and, well, it’s kind of a boring cigar after the halfway point. Instead of this cigar you can buy so many different cigars for a lot less money that are much better.
87 points
CAO “The Spranos” Edition Associate Cigar Review
From CAO: “Dark, compelling and rich with character, this smokin’ hot escape is riddled with decadence and forcefully pleases the palate with notes of straight coffee beans, cocoa and a smattering of black cherry. Tread lightly and enjoy the badness. Capiche?” They peg it as a full bodied smoke.
In the past I gave this cigar 90 points. Here’s what I thought about this one.
Perfectly constructed wrapper save for one minor bulge. Wrapper does feel a bit dry. Drinking Cherry Coke and water.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Brazil
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Columbia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Price: $10.50
Mafia Light!
Good draw with deep flavors. Chocolate flavors. Earthy as well. There is a slight bitterness to it. Tastes like cocoa. Not burning evenly.
Cigar is making me thirsty. I really do like these flavors. The draw is not as good as I would like but it’s not a major distraction. With a slight pull I am getting enough smoke. There is also this licorice-like flavor.
To fully appreciate the nuanced flavors of this cigar you will need to retrohale it. If you just get the smoke in your mouth you will miss most of he great flavors. So blow the smoke out of your nose and you will get those flavors loud and clear.
For example, if you don’t retrohale you will probably miss the chocolate notes. You need to retrohale this cigar!
Full bodied. The main flavor I get is chocolate throughout. The burn is uneven throughout though. But there are no bad notes to report.
91 points
CAO Vision Prana Cigar Review
Like almost every CAO cigar I have smoked in the past this one looks perfect. It’s very oily and has a light brown wrapper. I am drinking water with this cigar.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 6 1/4″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Dom Rep
Binder: Dom Rep
Filler: Dom Rep, Nicaragua
Price: $12.00
Go Light!
Recent Comments