Kevin Hoyt has a post over on his blog about the possibility of a Cigar BOF at this year's MAX. He's trying to gauge interest. In the name of all that is holy, drop him a comment. I'm looking at you MXUnit crew! Or Chris and Brian.
This is, of course, a combination of two of my personal passions, Adobe Geekery and Cigars, and I just hope it happens.
I'm on my way to Max. I'll be staying at the Palmer House Hilton.
If you run into me be sure to try and scam a cigar out of me.
A sentimental favorite of mine. review after the jump.
Yet another cigar review... after the jump.
Another new cigar, smoked at alternative happy hour, and reviewed today. Read all about it, after the jump.
Had a new cigar for the first time in awhile tonight. Let me tell you all about it, after the jump.
I'm working from Mahogany and trying new stuff. Enjoy the goodness that is the CAO Toro Maduro review... after the jump.
Two cigar posts in a week? Well the weather is improving, so I'm getting out there when I can. Review is in the extended section.
It's been awhile, but I finally had another cigar. I missed it. Review after the jump.
Mmmmmm. Alternative happy hour started back up this week.
Review in extended section.
| Country of Origin: | Honduras |
|---|---|
| Length: | 5.5" |
| Ring: | 50 |
| Type: | |
| Flavor: | full side of medium |
| Wrapper Type: | Natural |
| Wrapper Tobacco: | Connecticut Shade |
| Binder Tobacco: | Nicaraguan |
| Filler Tobacco: | Nicaraguan Dominican |
| Date Cigar Smoked: | November 16, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Cost for One: | $6.50 |
| Construction Rating: | 9 |
| Taste Rating: | 8 |
| Value Rating: | 8 |
| Overall: | 8.3 |
| Purchased At: | Holt's Cigar Company |
| Tastes: | cocca,cream |
| Notes: | Can Rockey Patel make a bad cigar? I bought this last week, but didn't smoke it until today. It kept well, and smoked like a dream. It's the first time in a very long time I've gotten the taste of cream from a cigar. It's in the same price range as Ashton, and Griffins, but I've got to say this might be better than both. |
| Country of Origin: | Dominican Republic |
|---|---|
| Length: | 6" |
| Ring: | 50 |
| Type: | |
| Flavor: | mild to medium |
| Wrapper Type: | |
| Wrapper Tobacco: | Indonesian |
| Binder Tobacco: | Connecticut Shade |
| Filler Tobacco: | Dominican |
| Date Cigar Smoked: | September 20, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Cost for One: | $5.35 |
| Construction Rating: | 9 |
| Taste Rating: | 6 |
| Value Rating: | 7 |
| Overall: | 7.3 |
| Purchased At: | Holt's Cigar Company |
| Tastes: | earthy,woody |
| Notes: | I don't normally smoke Romeo Y Julietta, but only because I have a vague sense I don't like them. But that wasn't concrete, so I decided to give one a shot. First off, the cigar bloomed in the tube. I bought it today, brought it home, opened up the tube and their was bloom. That was indeed a good sign. It also cut perfectly, and burned just as well. So from a construction point of view, it was extremely good. As for taste, well, it wasn't offensive, but it's not quite my favorite. And since I paid over 5 for it, I think the value of the overall experience left something to be desired. So if you like a woody, earthy cigar, then you will be pleased with this, as it is a decent value if you value those tastes. If not... well there are better values to be found. |
To distract myself from my impending marriage, I'm deciding to open up a little side project I've been working on. For that I need some testers. Since the web application is geared towards cigar smokers (anywhere from casual smokers to passionate smokers,) I was wondering if anyone out there would be interested in testing?
Any one? Just drop me a line in the comments, and I'll send you the information.
Yes, Ryan, I know you're up for it... Remember, you're already testing it.
| Country of Origin: | Dominican Republic |
|---|---|
| Length: | 6.5" |
| Ring: | 44 |
| Type: | |
| Flavor: | mild side of medium |
| Wrapper Type: | Natural |
| Wrapper Tobacco: | Connecticut Shade |
| Binder Tobacco: | Dominican |
| Filler Tobacco: | Dominican |
| Date Cigar Smoked: | August 27, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Cost for One: | $6.85 |
| Construction Rating: | 7 |
| Taste Rating: | 9 |
| Value Rating: | 7 |
| Overall: | 7.7 |
| Purchased At: | Holt's Cigar Company |
| Tastes: | cocca,coffee |
| Notes: | This is the first cigar I've ever got to bloom. Consequently I was eager to give it a try. I know Ashton's haven't been getting good reviews from me lately, but I figured I would give them another shot. This time the verdict was different in awhile. It tasted great, with that classic Ashton taste. It was propably intensified by the bloom and the fact that this is smaller gauge then I am used to. (Smaller gauge means the wrapper has a greater proportional effect on taste.) It was countered by the tightness of the draw, which was just a little tighter than I can excuse due to the thinness of the cigar. Maybe that's why I don't like smaller gauge cigars, or maybe I've been having bad thin gauge cigars, either way I don't like them. In the end, I did enjoy this cigar, but I won't be stocking my humidor with it. |
| Country of Origin: | Cuba |
|---|---|
| Length: | 5.5" |
| Ring: | 50 |
| Type: | |
| Flavor: | full |
| Wrapper Type: | Natural |
| Wrapper Tobacco: | Ecuadorian |
| Binder Tobacco: | Dominican |
| Filler Tobacco: | Dominican |
| Date Cigar Smoked: | August 26, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Cost for One: | $8.75 |
| Construction Rating: | 5 |
| Taste Rating: | 7 |
| Value Rating: | 5 |
| Overall: | 5.7 |
| Purchased At: | Holt's Cigar Company |
| Tastes: | leather,woody |
| Notes: | I figured I would give VSG another try. Again I was disappointed. It tunnelled, despite several attempts to keep it going. Couple all of this, with a taste that wasn't the best, and it's doesn't have a high value. It's a shame, but I feel like this cigar is overhyped. |
| Country of Origin: | Dominican Republic |
|---|---|
| Length: | 6.5" |
| Ring: | 54 |
| Type: | |
| Flavor: | fullest |
| Wrapper Type: | Natural |
| Wrapper Tobacco: | Ecuadorian |
| Binder Tobacco: | Dominican |
| Filler Tobacco: | Dominican |
| Date Cigar Smoked: | August 25, 2005 |
|---|---|
| Cost for One: | $7.90 |
| Construction Rating: | 9 |
| Taste Rating: | 6 |
| Value Rating: | 7 |
| Overall: | 7.3 |
| Purchased At: | Holt's Cigar Company |
| Tastes: | Tobacco,earthy,spicy |
| Notes: | I asked for a reccomendation for something full bodied. This was a Mack truck. It packed alot of flavor. It started spicy, and finished earthy, and made me say "whoa" more than a couple times. It was well built and didn't have any problems, except for a little inconsistency with the burn. It's a limited release cigar, available in limited numbers. Considering that, the quality, and the taste, a price of $7.90 isn't unreasonable. Probably won't pick it up again, but I'm glad I tried it. |
I recently discovered some white substance on some of my cigars. Unfortunately, I can't find definitive pictures of mold versus bloom, so I can't really be sure. I figured I would share with my readers and see if anyone out there knew.
The Facts:
There are a couple of sites that have discussion about this issue:
The Case for Mold:
The Case for Bloom
So I'm torn here. I really can't tell. If anyone knows the difference and can tell from the picture, please let me know.
Update: Clicking on the picture will take you to a full sized image.
| Country of Origin: | USA |
|---|---|
| Length: | 6.5" |
| Ring: | 52 |
| Type: | |
| Flavor: | full |
| Wrapper Type: | Natural |
| Wrapper Tobacco: | Nicaraguan |
| Binder Tobacco: | Nicaraguan |
| Filler Tobacco: | Nicaraguan |
| Date Cigar Smoked: | August 18, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Cost for One: | $13.00 |
| Construction Rating: | 9 |
| Taste Rating: | 7 |
| Value Rating: | 5 |
| Overall: | 7.0 |
| Purchased At: | Holt's Cigar Company |
| Tastes: | Tobacco,earthy,leather |
| Notes: | This is the first oppertunity I have gotten to have one of these. It's is a relatively new brand with a lot of marketing hype coming from a great rating in Cigar Aficianado. Considering all of that I expected to have to find them behind the counter at Holt's but they were right there on the shelves. I have to say, I usually don't like cigars with this blend of flavors. However for an earthy, leathery cigar, I'm finding it quite enjoyable. I have had some problems with it going out, but that may be due to my attention span and not the cigar. That being said, there are much better smokes that don't cost $15. If you like this type of flavor, then it is worth it. Otherwise, I say save your money. |
| Country of Origin: | USA |
|---|---|
| Length: | 5" |
| Ring: | |
| Type: | |
| Flavor: | mild side of medium |
| Wrapper Type: | Natural |
| Wrapper Tobacco: | Connecticut Shade |
| Binder Tobacco: | Nicaraguan |
| Filler Tobacco: | Dominican |
| Date Cigar Smoked: | July 22, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Cost for One: | $3.00 |
| Construction Rating: | 6 |
| Taste Rating: | 9 |
| Value Rating: | 8 |
| Overall: | 7.7 |
| Purchased At: | Tampa Cigar Inc |
| Tastes: | |
| Notes: | Mensch brought these babies back up from Tampa with him. They were fantasticly light with a perfect draw. There were some bits of tobacco that flaked out of the cigar, which is why I dung the construntion. However many non-smokers picked them up and loved them. Incredible a cigar that addicts and newbies both can enjoy. |
| Country of Origin: | Honduras |
|---|---|
| Length: | 6" |
| Ring: | 52 |
| Type: | |
| Flavor: | full |
| Wrapper Type: | Natural |
| Wrapper Tobacco: | Costa Rican |
| Binder Tobacco: | Nicaraguan |
| Filler Tobacco: | Nicaraguan |
| Date Cigar Smoked: | August 15, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Cost for One: | $3.53 |
| Construction Rating: | 8 |
| Taste Rating: | 9 |
| Value Rating: | 9 |
| Overall: | 8.7 |
| Purchased At: | Holt's Cigar Company |
| Tastes: | coffee,earthy |
| Notes: | This was a gift from my fiancee as part of an early wedding present. But that didn't influence me one bit. Because this cigar was amazing. It's a second because of blemishes, but you would never know it from the smoke. I smoked it in the dark and couldn't even tell. It did tunnel a bit, but it didn't detract from the experience. For those interested in trying a Rocky Patel, but put off by the demand driven price, this is a must smoke! |
This was forwarded to me from the developer, Cigar Register. It's a desktop application that will help you manage your inventory of cigars, and keep a journal of your smokes.
It's free, and definitely done as a labor of love. You should check it out.
I have to admit I was worried about it, as I've been working on an online application that is a little similar. However, the focus is a bit different so hopefully we won't tread on each other's toes.
I got a wedding gift early today. Janice wanted to get me something big for her wedding gift to me. She always wanted to show off how ridiculously cool she is.
Thus she got me humidorzilla. I think she hit her target.
It fits 200 cigars. It has 1o interconnected chambers of differing sizes, 2 humidification units, a glass enclosure and an externally readable hygrometer. In short... it rules.
It's currently sucking up some distilled water. I'm very excited. I'm buying some boxes to fill it tomorrow. It's a nice end to a crappy, crappy week.
And don't worry, I did something equally nice for Janice for her wedding gift.
| Country of Origin: | Dominican Republic |
|---|---|
| Length: | 6.75" |
| Ring: | 48 |
| Type: | |
| Flavor: | full side of medium |
| Wrapper Type: | Natural |
| Wrapper Tobacco: | Cameroonian |
| Binder Tobacco: | Dominican |
| Filler Tobacco: | Dominican |
| Date Cigar Smoked: | July 26, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Cost for One: | $9.00 |
| Construction Rating: | 8 |
| Taste Rating: | 7 |
| Value Rating: | 6 |
| Overall: | 7.0 |
| Purchased At: | Holt's Cigar Company |
| Tastes: | earthy,leather |
| Notes: | I was given one of these as a gift for my bachelor party. So my value rating might be a bit skewed. That being said, I definately enjoyed this cigar. Construction wise, it held up very well, considering that it wasn't humidified at all, just stored in cellophane in a small cigar box. It burned very even, despite some cracking. It's very light and very mild. Compared to other Ashton subbrands it's a bit under powered. (I think it is possible that it is being overwhelmed by the sherry I am drinking.) However the taste that is getting through is very good. For a free cigar the value was amazing. At the $9 I would have paid in the store for it, it might be pushing it. Definitely a good alternative to mild cigars for for a light smoke, or for novices looking for a mild smoke without the lack of taste. |
Bear with me, I'm trying out a new thing to generate my cigar reviews.
| Country of Origin: | Honduras |
|---|---|
| Length: | 5.75" |
| Ring: | 54 |
| Type: | |
| Flavor: | full |
| Wrapper Type: | Dark Sumatran |
| Wrapper Tobacco: | Ecuadorian |
| Binder Tobacco: | Connecticut Shade |
| Filler Tobacco: | Honduran Nicaraguan Dominican |
| Date Cigar Smoked: | July 12, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Cost for One: | $4.65 |
| Construction Rating: | 8 |
| Taste Rating: | 8 |
| Value Rating: | 10 |
| Overall: | 8.7 |
| Purchased At: | Holt's Cigar Company |
| Notes: | I had another one of these for Alternative Happy Hour with Dan, Scott and Dave. I was not disappointed by it again. This brand has just taken a hold of me. If you can get your hands on one, go for it. |
As part of an experiment in working and what not, I am going to work one afternoon a month remotely. This Thursday I went to Mahogany for the afternoon before alternative happy hour, and worked while I waited for Dan and Andrew to show up. In the process I wanted to try a new cigar.
For this, I went back to Hoyo de Monterrey. I haven't had one of these since my recent cigar renaissance. I used to love Rothschild's, but wanted to try something I had never had before. I saw this, and it definitely wasn't something I tried before.
Construction: No complaints here. It burned evenly, it didn't need to be relit, and burned perfectly.
Taste: It was absolutely wonderful. It started sweet and ended a bit spicy. It reminded me of what I remembered Maduro tasting like before I lost my tasted for it. I liked the taste so much that I went back for another cigar.
Stats: This cigar measures 6.5" with a ring gauge of 52. In terms of tobacco, this is a pretty unique blending. The Binder comes from Connecticut. The "Sumatran" wrapper is from Ecuador. The filler is made of Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Dominican tobacco. The cigar cost $4.95 a pop at holts.
Overall: This was the best new cigar I've had in a long time. It was so good that I hit up Dan and Andrew to pick me up another one on their way to Mahogany. A less than $5 per smoke, they are a tremendous value. Do yourself a favor, stop reading this, and pick up one of these babies.
I'm sitting in Mahogany, a cigar bar in Philadelphia, smoking a cigar, enjoying free WiFi and learning Model-Glue. That's right Ryan... working and smoking a cigar. (I have to pretend I not unhappy that I'm not at CFUnited.)
It's all part of my plan to spend one day a month working out of the office, but not at home. It's actually been pretty good. Thanks to Ray Camden's 11 part series on writing a Model-Glue application, I now understand view stacking a bit better.
The third of my alternative happy hour cigars, this was an impulse buy after a number of drinks. It was a happy impulse as it was another good choice.
Construction: I repeat myself. This cigar had fantastic construction. The draw was perfect. I let it go out to eat a sandwich and had to relight it with no ill effects.
Taste: This cigar was very good tasting. It was very spicy, with a bit of a kick to it. I liked it, even though I usually don't like this type of taste.
Stats: It's mostly Honduran, with some Nicaraguan thrown in to the filler. It was 5 3/4 inches by a 48 ring gauge. It costs $5.10 at Holt's but I paid $9 for it at Mahogany.
Overall: For $5.10 it is a great value. For $9 it is a great value... if you are drunk. Definitely go for the cheaper option.
This is the second of my alternative happy hour cigars. I figured I would give Rocky Patel another try. I was extremely happy with my choice.
Construction: Perfect. The burn was geometrically perfect. The ash was perfectly white. The draw, as you may expect, was... perfect.
Taste: The cigar was fantastic tasting. It was very full-bodied but not overpowering. It did a good job standing up to the scotch I had.
Stats: It's made of Dominican and Nicaraguan filler with a Nicaraguan binder and Honduran wrapper. It was 5 1/2 inches by a 50 ring gauge. It costs $6.50 at Holt's.
Overall: For $6.50 a pop, this cigar is a great value. Additionally, you can buy them in a box of 20 for $116.95. Definitely give these a try.
Three words: Alternative Happy Hour. We started this tradition back up, and I can't believe I did without for so long. Dan, Joe, Andrew and I spotted Scott on our way down and we dragged him out too. It was the longest we ever had.
I wanted to go with an old standby, one that I knew I would like. So, I figured I would give an Ashton Cabinet a try. Can't go wrong there, right? Well maybe not quite.
Construction: No complaints here. As always, it burned perfectly. The draw was a little rough, but no huge deal.
Taste: Here's where I was a little disappointed. It was good, but a little milder than I expected. I expected rich and creamy, but I got a weak and inoffensive.
Stats: Like most of your Ashton's its mostly Dominican, with a Connecticut wrapper. It was 5 1/2 inches by a 50 ring gauge. It costs $9 at Holt's.
Overall: It was good, but not great. It certainly didn't warrant $9. Who knows, I may have to remove Ashtons from my pedestal.
I've been sitting here using the WiFi provided by King Corona Cigars in Ybor for two days now, but I've been brining in my own cigars. I felt kinda guilty so I figured I would buy one here. However they didn't have their own brand from what I could tell, so I figured I could get away with buying a ringer.
Construction: It's an Arturo Fuente maintained in a proper humidor, so it should be perfect. But I'm finding it a little tougher on the draw than I prefer. Just a bit, but enough to mention.
Taste: Perfect. It's medium bodied with a wonderful set of tastes, that are common in Dominican cigars. Again, I'm going to be short on specific flavors, but there's some chocolate, and some creaminess to it.
Stats: It's almost entirely Dominican, with just the wrapper being the wildcard, and it comes from Cameroon. It's 5 and 3/4 inches by a 52 ring. I bought it here for $10 and change, but Holt's has them for 2 dollars less. I don't think this is an outrageous difference, especially in a specifically cigar touristy area.
Overall: This cigar was extremely good, as expected, for $10, it better be. At $10, it's value is a little dicey, at $8 it's still not quite perfect. However, you won't be disappointed by it. Additionally, the joy of having it indoors, with WiFi, in 90 degree weather is just priceless.
I was lured into the La Herencia shop by its logo, which looks awfully familiar to another cigar company. I picked up one of my favorite sizes and figured I would just give it a whirl. I got no input from the store at all on my purchase.
By the way, I'm smoking it as I type. Also, I'm drinking coffee with caramel and cayenne in it. I'm not sure if that's cool or a little wussy. Either way, it's really good.
Construction: Really solid, the draw isn't effortless but it's close. It's burning evenly, and I haven't had to relight or anything.
Taste: The taste is also pretty good. It's a medium to full-bodied cigar, it's got some sweet notes that my aforementioned coffee is bringing out.
Stats: I can't find any info about the tobacco. If I had to guess I would say it was Honduran and or Nicaraguan. I can say that they are constructed here in Ybor. They sell them for $5 a pop in their store or online. That price goes down if you buy them by the bundle.
Overall: This cigar was very good. At $5 a pop, they are pushing it a little when it comes to value, but that could easily be worth it to someone who really has a subjective preference for the taste of these cigars. All in all, I would say, give them a try.
In contrast to my experience with Havana Dreams, this place was all content, no production value. I call it "Tampa Cigar" but frankly I have no idea if that was the real name of the place. We (Mensch and I) were lured into the store by a salesman, and it was the happiest little impulse buy I've had in a while.
They also bribed us with free refills of Cuban coffee, which is sort of like espresso, but with sugar being a bigger portion of the ingredient list.
Construction: They were rolled right there in the store (although not while I was there,) and man did they do a n excellent job on it. The draw was perfect, just perfect. It burned perfectly even too. Ash? You may have guessed, perfectly white.
Taste: It tasted wonderful. I don't have details on the taste, but it was a medium bodied cigar that went perfectly with the coffee.
Stats: The filler was Dominican, the binder was Nicaraguan, and the wrapper was I think Connecticut. (The sales guy had a bit of an accent.) They sell them for $5 for one, $20 for 5, or $75 for 25.
Overall: This cigar was fantastic, and at their prices a great value. However the store was an incredible place to hang out. If you're ever down here I recommend you seek it out. Unfortunately, I can't remember the address. But it's on 7th Ave. I want to say 1725 7th, but I'm not really sure.
As I write this, I'm in Ybor City, which is part of Tampa, and a Historic District that used to be home to many domestic cigar factories. Now it's sort of touristy section of the city, but not too touristy. It feels a little like South Street in Philadelphia, but with less Goth teens.
After a few days of being down here in Florida, but unable to get my hands on one, I grabbed the first one I found. I bought it at Havana Dreams, which is a cigar shop in the new entertainment center of town.
Construction: I have to admit, I've been spoiled by Holt's. I'm just not used to poorly constructed cigars. This cigar had an extremely tight draw. It also tunneled. After that, it doesn't matter what color the ash is cause it's too much effort to smoke. I didn't even come close to smoking the whole thing.
Taste: It tasted okay, but not fantastic. It was very tobacco-y, but not much other flavor going on. Frankly, it was so hard to smoke, that I didn't get much flavor out of it.
Stats: I didn't get any information on what the cigars were made of. I imagine that they used tobacco. Where it came from I can only guess. If I had to guess, I would say Nicaragua, but It's really only a guess. I can tell you that according to the store ,they were made in Florida. This cigar was $5 a pop, but they sell it for a bit more at their online store.
Overall: The store is really nice on the inside, and it looked like it would be a great place to sit down and relax with a cigar. I just don't recommend that you buy one of these.
It's been awhile, but it's time for another cigar review. This is the second cigar I received it from Ryan Brown at buymycigars.com in exchange for some advertising.
I was excited because all Onyx cigars are maduro, and I was looking to get my maduro on. I left it in my humidor for quite a bit, but all of my other cigars which also were stored for the same duration were fine.
Construction: Like the other cigar from buymycigars.com, it held up very well to shipping. Also like the other cigar, it was thin and therefore a tough draw. It burned evenly and the ash was bright white.
Taste: It tasted like the maduro cigars I remember from my younger days. But I'm beginning to think I don't really like maduro cigars anymore. I don't want to get my maduro on anymore.
Stats: This cigar measures 6 3/4 inches by a ring gauge of 44. It's wrapper is from Connecticut, the binder from Nicaragua, and the binder come from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and a first for me, Peru. Buymycigars.com sells them by the box for $76.50 per 20, which comes to $3.83 a smoke. (But remember I got them for free.) Holt's is still the better value by the box ($63.75), but they sell their singles for $4.25 a pop.
Overall: The price, at either store, is not too shabby for these cigars. Granted, they aren't my favorite cigars, but when I factor in value, they're not too bad.
It's been awhile, but it's time for another cigar review. This time I'll be doing a first for me. Reviewing a cigar I got in exchange for advertizing. I received it from Ryan Brown at buymycigars.com in exchange for some advertising.
For my first review back, I figured I'd go with a cigar I'd never had before, namely the Domincan Cohiba. Now, I can't be certain I've actually had the Cuban version, and since the two aren't really connected by anything other than name, I figured I wouldn't bother comparing the two.
Construction:Despite shipping and waiting in my house for a few days, this cigar was very well preserved. The skin was properly oily, and didn't show any signs of drying. The cigar burned like a dream, and the ash was bright white. The draw was a little tough on it, but it is a small thin cigar, so it is to be expected. It also had that coo thing where you don't feel like you've taken a big puff, but there's a ton of smoke. So all in all, very well constructed.
Taste: The taste was not bad, although it wasn't my favorite. It was hard to pin down, but if I was to give it a pretentious label, I would have to say "woody." Certainly not bad, but I wouldn't turn it into an ice cream flavor or anything.
Stats: This cigar measures 4 inches by a ring gauge of 42. It's made of Dominican filler, surrounded in a Cameroon wrapper. The filler is from Indonesia. I received it for free, however buymycigar.com's price for the them is $6.72. However you can get them at Holt's for $4 a pop.
Overall: I can't recommend buying these cigars at either price. They're just not a good value. Sure they're well constructed, and you might like the taste, but there are plenty of cheaper cigars that fit that bill. Which I guess means that you're paying for the name. But since Cuban Cohiba's are a post embargo brand, there's no connection to that name to be had here. I say don't bother with them.
Last Thursday, we had our last alternative happy hour with Ryan. Even if Dan and I lure someone else out with us, it will never quite be the same. I also lament the fact that given a few for months I would have converted Ryan to a full blown liberal, instead of the closeted liberal he is now.
In celebration of his new job, and impending move to Seattle, we lit up some Davidoff's. I haven't had one of these since the mid 90's so I was very curious.
Construction: I expected it to be built well, considering the caché of the brand. However, I was still impressed by the wonderful burn, perfect drawn, and perfect ash of this smoke. I was also impressed by the really great feeling of the wrapper. I hate to say it, but it was "silky."
Taste: The taste was likable. The cigar was pretty mild, perhaps a little too mild for my tastes, but not unpleasant. It has a slight taste of coffee. If I have one in the future, I would probably pair it with something more subtle than the Black Label I had with it.
Stats: This cigar measures 7 inches by a ring gauge of 48. It's made of Dominican binder and filler, surrounded in a Connecticut wrapper. I couldn't find Holt's price for them, but the cheapest I can find them on the web is $17 a cigar.
Overall: These are good celebration cigars. They are high quality, and great tasting. However at $17 a pop make sure you don't have to pay for the celebration.
I was inspired by the wonderful value of the LGC Churchill I had in December, (or the value that they would have been had I bought them in Philly.) I decided to go in with someone on a box of these for a friend for Christmas. Luckily I bought them on a Friday, which is Holt's specials day, where they give extra cigars with every bulk purchase. So this was a freebee, and nothing tastes better than a free cigar.
Therefore I smoked it on a bad day, and hopefully that will temper the exuberance that comes with free tobacco.
Construction: It was a little dry, and looking back at the other LGC review, that was a problem with that one too. I might be mishandling them, I should check the humidity level in my humidor. It was so dry that it cracked when I started smoking it. It still burned evenly, and the ash was perfectly white.
Taste: Still great tasting, despite the dryness. Like other LGC's it was pretty medium strength. Shortly after smoking it, I drank a Diet Birch Beer, and all of a sudden it tasted like coffee... very strange.
Stats: This cigar measures 5 inches by a ring gauge of 50. It's made in the US with filler from Nicaragua and the Domincan Republic, binder from Nicaragua and wrapper from Ecuador. Holt's sells them for around $2.75 a smoke.
Overall: I think my friend Dave, (who got the box,) summed it up when he say "Oh yeah, LGC's are reasonably priced again." They're fantastic cigars, usually well constructed, and perfectly priced. Pick some up today.
Alex picked me up one of these when he came to town for the holidays. We had them together at our New Years Eve party. My impression may be a bit colored by the alcohol, however I distinctly remembered asking him to light up with me before we got to drunk.
Construction: It burned perfectly even. The draw was perfect. The ash was bright white. It never needed to be relit.
Taste: I have to admit that I was taken aback by this cigar. It was much stronger tasting than the usual Ashton. It must be part of the trend towards stronger tasting cigars. I didn't detect, (or can't remember) subtle tastes, but I did generally enjoy it.
Stats: This cigar measures 4.38 inches by a ring gauge of 44. They're made in the Domincan Republic of Domincan binder and filler, with a wrapper from Ecuador. Holt's sells them for $7.50 for a single cigar. I think that they don't sell them in bulk because they're made in small production runs.
Overall: It was an absolutely awesome smoke, but at $7.50 a pop, let your friends buy them for you.
I spent my birthday in Florida at Walt Disney World. To celebrate I bought myself a cigar. I figure in Florida for my birthday I would go with a brand I like, instead of something new. So I went with an LGC.
For various reasons I didn't get around to having it until today. Consequently, it had suffered through a flight, and a week of being sealed in a plastic bag in my freezing house.
Construction: It was a little dry, and consequently it started hard to draw and needed to be relit after little time being unsmoked. Granted, it was mistreated so that might not be it's fault. It still burned fairly evenly, and turned into white ash.
Taste: Absolutely incredible. Power-wise, it was pretty middle of the road. It started with chocolate mixed with tobacco, and stayed that way the entire time. I smoked it down to my fingers.
Stats: This cigar measures 7 inches by a ring gauge of 50. It's made in the US with filler from Nicaragua and the Domincan Republic, binder from Nicaragua and wrapper from Ecuador. Holt's sells them for around $3.35 a smoke.
Overall: For $3.35 a pop I'm considering adding a box of these to my humidor.
Note:While Holt's sells them at a good price, the Sosa store at Downtown Disney charged me $8.50 for this smoke. Next time, I'll bring my own.
Dan, Ryan and I once again made our way to Mahogany on Walnut to get our stogie on. Becky pointed out that it was the Great American Smokeout. We did the only responsible thing, we invited her. She declined.
I was in a mood to just have something I could enjoy. So I went with a brand I liked when I was younger.
Construction: As always, the established brands have quality under control, which is another way to say what I've been saying a lot, this cigar was well constructed. The burn was even, the ash white, and the draw good.
Taste: There was not a lot to be offended by here. It was mostly a tobacco taste, with some sort of undertones that I couldn't identify. It was really mild, to the point of weakness.
Stats: The cigar measures 7 inches by 48 ring guage. The cigar is completely Dominican except for the good old US of A Connecticut wrapper. Holt's sells it for $10 in the store. (The website quotes a lower price.)
Overall: I was really disappointed with this. It was constructed well, but bland. Add in the $10 I payed for it, and it really isn't a good value.
It's been awhile since I last had a cigar. I was out in LA for a week, then sick for a week. Finally, though, Dan, Ryan and I were able to slip to have alternative happy hour. I was excited about trying this brand, as I've never tried it before ever.
Construction: This cigar burned evenly with great oily feel. The draw was a little loose, maybe close to a little too loose, but still acceptable. It never needed to be relit. In short, it's the good construction that has become predictable these days.
Taste: The cigar tasted mostly of tobacco. It was full bodied. It wasn't an offensive taste, but it didn't stand out to me either.
Stats: This cigar measures 7.5 inches by a ring gauge of 52. They're constructed of mostly Honduran tobacco, with a little Nicaraguan filler thrown in. Holt's sells these for $5.10 a pop.
Overall: For the most part it was an well constructed but bland tasting cigar. However at $5.10 for a Double Corona, I can get my flavor from glass of Scotch. I definitely recommend this to be tried.
Scooter Libby was indicted today, so I owe some people cigars. I believe Dan, Ryan, Mensch and (I think) LilB took me up on it and get a Punch London Club a piece.
I don't think I'll be giving out any Ashton Coronas, but I hold out hope for the Ashton Cabinet #2's.
Today was a beautiful day in Philadelphia. So I lured Janice out for a stroll in Center City. I wanted to stock up for my trip to California. I figured cigars will probably be more expensive out there than here. But I couldn't resist picking up an LGC for today.
Construction: Fantasic; it started burning evenly right from the start. The draw was perfect. The wrapper oily and smooth. It never had to be relit. I didn't have to concentrate on smoking faster or slower.
Taste: It started out very tobacco-y with a full bodied taste. At about the one third mark a little explosion of chocolate and coffee came through. I wish that it had started a little earlier, but it was very good.
Stats: This cigar measures 4 and 3/4 inches by a ring gauge of 52. It's constructed of a diverse collection of tobaccos, wraper from Ecuador, binder from Nicaragua, and filler from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Holt's sells these for $5 a pop.
Overall: $5 is a bit much for such a short cigar. However, it does have perfect construction and a great taste, so the $5 isn't that much of a stretch. I would say that if you like full bodied cigars, it's definately worth a try.
Atrios keeps talking about the Champagne he's going to drink if one of the major jackasses in the administration get's indicted.
I'm going to do one better. I'm going to have cigars if Libby, Cheney or Rove get indicted. Not only am I going to have cigars, but I will share them with anyone who signs up on this entry. This will be up to a limit of 24, or a box of 25 minus one for me.
However, there are qualitative differences between the relative worth of these convictions, and also of their likelyhood. So I'm establishing the following payoff chart:
I figure this deal will be good for one year. As soon as the indictment is confirmed, I will buy the box and distribute within a month. If all three get indicted anyone who signs up gets all three. If more than one gets indicted within a month of another I will stagger the payouts. The only catch is that you have receive them from me. I'm not shipping them anywhere. Come to Philly, or wait until I get to your city.
So if you are a raging a liberal and love cigars, get in on this while the getting is good. Also if you have any other cigar/jackass combo drop me a line.
Once again I go to my trusty Ashtons. This time for a cedar wrapped one. However this was not the typical one.
Construction: This cigar had great draw, even burn, and a great oily wrapper. However the wrapper is where the weirdness began. The wrapper was covered with a thin layer of a sticky substance. At first I thought it was glue, but it was evenly distributed. After a while I could only assume that it was cedar sap. I've never seen this happen before. Anyone out there have this happen?
Taste: This tasted like an Ashton - a mild to medium taste, which some sweet hints in it. However something was off about it. I think it was, what I think was sap. I have another one, so when I have it I will update if the next one tastes differently.
Stats: This cigar measures 60 inches by 50 ring gauge. Like all Ashtons (classic) they are Domincan binder and filler, with a Connecticut wrapper. Holt's sells them for $8.85 a piece.
Overall: If this had tasted as I expected it to, it might be worth it's steep price. However, whether it was the sap, or maybe the large ring gauge it just didn't taste great. So I can't mark it as a good value. Maybe I'll be proved wrong when I have the other one.
I've been a little hard on Arturo Fuente of late. I was not happy with the Anjeo and I downright negged the Opus X. I figured I would give one of there more established labels a chance. One of the Hemingways caught my eye because I love the torpedos.
I decided to smoke it during a walk today. It wasn't raining that hard. Until I got down to Logan Circle, then the sky opened up. I ran back home and the cigar got a little wet, despite that I finished the it in the covered stairwell behind my place.
Construction: The burn started out tough, which is to be expected with a torpedo. It's just physics or fluid dynamics or something. However every good torpedo has that moment where the lit end opens up and this one was no exception. The draw then became perfect. The burn was pretty much the same way, uneven at first, then perfect. This was all in spite of the fact that it had gotten some water on it.
Taste: I loved this cigar. It tasted fantastic. It started out tasting like just mild tobacco; however as the cigar kept going, I got an explosion of flavor. I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden it just hit me. It was really sweet, maybe a little vanilla in there. Whatever it tasted like, it was fantastic.
Stats: The Signature is 6 inches with a 47 ring gauge. They're made up of Dominican binder and filler and finished off with a Cameroon wrapper. Holt's sells them for $6.10 a piece.
Overall: Great construction and incredible taste. So if cost isn't an issue, I would pick these up. If someone gives you them as a gift, put them in your will. However at $6.10 a pop, they are a little pricey. I would still say it's worth it.
Alternate happy hour came early this week, and Dan, Ryan and myself hopped down to Holt's and Mahogany on Walnut. These cigars caught my eye because they both looked beautiful but were relatively cheap for the size. These cigars are by Rocky Patel, a label I had never heard of before these past few months, but which seems to be an up and comer.
Construction: They started off rocky. It was hard to light them, all three of us had that problem. It didn't burn that evenly for me but it was even worse for Dan and Ryan. The draw was fine for me, maybe a little tight, but Ryan felt it was more than a little tight. Despite the problems with it, held up pretty well, and I would rate the construction as okay to good. There were problems, but they were all just a little annoying, not major.
Taste: Now this is what I remember maduro as tasting like - sweet, smooth and mellow. It had almost no aftertaste. All in all this is exactly what I want in a thick maduro cigar.
Stats: It's 6 inches by a 52 ring gauge. I couldn't find much on what the county of origin is, but most of Rocky Patel's cigars are from Nicaragua, and I assume these are too. Holt's sells them for $5.50.
Overall: It's a little weak on construction, but tasted pretty good. The tie breaker is the price. At $5.50 per cigar, it's worth a try.
This is another free cigar I picked up when I bought a box of Punch London Club's at Holt's. It's been in my humidor for a long time. But for the most part it seemed fine when I inspected it.
Construction: The cigar burned very evenly, and the ash was extremely dense which tends to indicate good construction. However, the draw was terrible, it seemed like I was sucking through a coffee stirrer. For a cigar of it's ring guage that's inexcusable. It did loosen up after about a third of the cigar.Shortly after being lit up cracking started around the burning end and the cut end, this indicates improper handling. This is very possibly due to the time it spent in my humidor before I refurbished it. However, the rest of the tobacco in the filler and on the rest of the wrapper seemed fine.
Taste: It was tasty. It has pretty much the same flavor as the London Club, but with a thicker ring guage, the flavors were a little more pronounced, and oddly enough more mild. I even detected a little bit of coffee flavor.
Stats: It's 6 3/4 inches by 48 ring gauge. It's quite the hodgepodge of nationalities, with a Connecticut seed grown in Ecuador for a wrapper, binder from Honduras, and filler from Nicaragua, Honduras and the Domincan Republic. Holt's sells them for $4.50 a pop.
Overall: I wouldn't pay for these cigars. However, I'm willing to concede that it might have been improperly handled by me. Hopefully, I'll pick up some free ones the next time I run out, and I can reevaluate.
I found this really cool article on cigar wrappers at Blogcritics.org linked from MyCigarBlog.com. Wrappers, for those who read this but aren't into cigars, are the outer layer of tobacco on a cigar.
Once again Dan, Ryan, and I journeyed to Center City, Philadelphia for a stop at Holt's and Mahogany on Walnut. It's becoming a regular event for us. We find ourselves wanting to go back again and again. I think there is only reasonable explanation: someone is slipping opium into our cigars.
A weird thing happened tonight. Not Andy Dick in a car commercial weird, but never happened before weird. Dan and Ryan ordered the Dalmore Cigar Malt and the bartender brought over a small cup of dark chocolate shavings. He said that the tastes tend to blend well, and they must of because Dan had some sort of flavorgasm. Which explains why he suddenly got really tired.
Anyway, no more stalling on to this disappointment of a cigar.
Construction: For such a highly touted cigar I have to say that this cigar was not well constructed at all. the draw was too loose. It didn't light well. To get it to light I had pull on it pretty hard which of course made it burn hotter. It went out a bunch of times. It thought it was just me, but Dan had similar problems.
Taste: It started a little spicy, but that toned down as the cigar cooled. It was very mild, but it did have a complex flavor. I would have to say that the taste was good when all was said and done.
Stats: It's 5 5/8 inches by 46 ring gauge. It's entirely made of Dominican tobacco, even the wrapper. Holt's sells them in store for $9.00 a piece, but they are a behind the counter cigar and you are limited to 2 per customer.
Overall: This was supposed to be Jesus tobacco. C'mon multiple sites referred to it as the Holy Grail of cigars (Luxist, Just for Him). For $9 it should be perfectly constructed, which it clearly wasn't. The taste was good, but not exceptional. This was not a good use of cigar money. Sorry, Arturo Fuente, I love all of your other cigars, (and I've heard that you manufacture my beloved Ashtons) but these feel short of the mark.
I was lamenting the other day in comments here that I needed to get my hands on more free cigars. Then I remembered that I already had. Holt's had a special that when you bought any box of Punch, you would get two of these for free. Even if you only buy a lowly box of Punch London Clubs. I don't know where it fits in but Janice reports that these cigars made me especially "stinky" so consider your self warned. (I had to trim my goatee to get it all out.)
Construction: It was constructed a lot better than I remember, but it could be my previous tries of them had been before I redid my humidor. (I replaced the humidifier.) It burned evenly with a good draw. It got really hot during the last half, and I had to really pace myself to get it to cool down.
Taste: It's was a pretty mild cigar for a Punch. Frankly that was pretty much the downside. It was shockingly mild. It won't offend anyone, but it's not that exciting.
Stats: It's 6.5 inches by 48 ring gauge. It's comprised of nothing but Honduran tobacco. It was free for me, but Holt's has them for $2.88 a piece. It took me an hour to smoke 2/3's of it.
Overall: For free, this cigar is a fantastic value. (I've said before that some free cigars aren't worth it.) However at $3 a pop, I'm not so convinced. It was too bland for me. I guess Ryan would like it.
Mahogany on Walnut opened in Philly just after the apex of the cigar boom. It was probably fueled by the success of Holt's at the same time. Holt's has in the back of it's walk in humidor a little lounge for cigar smoking. A sweet little old lady sells coffee and bottled water. However, the hours were limited to the store hours, and there was no alcohol. Enter Mahogany, located one story up from Holt's.
Mahogany is very upscale with rich leather chairs and sofas, beautiful wood paneling, and a fine spirits menu thicker than the food menu. They have a decent supply of higher end cigars, at an inflated price. Additionally the literal atmosphere is highlight by a great air handling system that clears up smoke faster than you can produce it.
The one thing that always shocked me was the lack of pretension. The staff are all very decent to you whether you're in a business suit or shorts. Sure they have Fox News on, but I think that's more for the clientele than the staff. I always try to face away from the TV as to avoid that unpleasantness.
The bill will hit you. I can't sugar coat that, but I'd contend that you're not there to get drunk, you're there to enjoy your cigar and company. They do have a good range of drinks too, so you're not stuck buying a $12 glass of water. Prices start at $4 for a beer and up to the mid hundreds for Cognac touched by Jesus or something.
By all means I highly recommend this place. Grab some friends. Time it right to hit Holt's before it closes, and grab a good cigar there at a good price. Bring them up to Mahogany at Walnut, and stay there until your cigar is done. Then go drink somewhere else. You won't be sorry.
I tried an Avo for the last time when I was 18. My brother was graduating from Penn, and my mother wanted to celebrate with a cigar. My parents stayed at the Four Seasons the night before the graduation, and these were the only cigars in the hotel gift shop. At the time I thought they were okay but overpriced, even though I didn't pay for them. They were nothing special, and there were plenty of other cigars of similar taste that weren't as expensive. But the other night I figured I would give them another shot.
Construction: Since the last time I went through a sampling phase, cigars seem to be better constructed all around. In the mid 90's there were at least dozens of companies that never existing before trying to capitalize on the boom, and therefore rushing product to shelves. This is all a way to preface yet another report that this was a well constructed cigar with an even burn, and a great draw.
Taste: It's a mild complex flavored cigar. It's got a bit of spicy bite to it. It was definitely not as lack luster as I remembered it, but it wasn't extraordinary.
Stats: It's 5 inches by 50 ring gauge. It's Dominican tobacco throughout with the exception of the wrapper which is Connecticut Shade from the US. I got this one at The Fox and The Hound and paid $8 something for it, whereas at Holt's it can be found for the more reasonable $5.65 or there abouts.
Overall: This is a decent cigar, and worth trying especially if you like Ashtons, Griffins, or Davidoffs it's another one to try. If you're at The Fox and the Hound and are drunk, then the $8 is well worth it. If you're sober, then get down to Holt's and pick it up at the better price.
This is the third and final cigar in the Holt's grab bag from the other week. Little bit of trivia, the name means "white house." Actually it refers to "The White House," and was made for the Republican National Convention during the Reagan years. My feeling towards Republicans being what they are, I burned the cigar in protest.
Construction: As seems common from Holt's, the construction was fine. The draw was good, the burn perfectly even. The wrapper was nice and oily.
Taste: I thought I was going to hate this cigar from the smell of the wrapper, however I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that it did not taste like suffering. It's definitely the first cigar I can remember tasting leather when smoking, but it wasn't overwhelming. I can see someone liking the taste of this cigar, but that person wasn't me.
Stats: It's 6 inches by 50 ring gauge. Its wrapper comes from Ecuador, the binder from Mexico and the filler is from the Domincan Republic. Holt's sells them for $2.40 a pop.
Overall: The taste wasn't to my liking, but it wasn't objectively bad. At $2.40 for a cigar of this quality, I would say that it's a great value, and if you like leathery cigars grab yourself a bunch.
I stopped into Holt's after work today and picked up yet another cigar behind the counter. I was intending to try and an Opus X, but was told by a clerk that the Anejo is the made with the same binder and filler as the Opux X but with a maduro wrapper. If I had been thinking, I would have stuck with the Opus X, as the whole point behind it was that it was the first quality cigar using Dominican wrapper. Not that this was a bad cigar because of the wrapper but I wanted to try the entirely Dominican cigar.
I went up to Mahogany on Walnut with Dan and Ryan. Soon, I will record my true feeling about the place, but suffice it to say, we're thinking of making it a regular event. But on to the cigar...
Construction: As should be expected for a behind the counter cigar, the construction was mostly excellent. This particular size is not that thick for it's length, which I think tends to screw up the draw a little. Consequently it was not my favorite draw, but it could have been much worse; it didn't need to be relit. It burned pretty evenly.
Taste: I have to admit, there wasn't that much going on with this cigar tastewise. It wasn't bad, it just didn't light me up. Like a whole bunch of other cigars, it tasted like a cigar.
Stats: It's 7 inches by 48 ring gauge. The binder and filler are Domincan, while the wrapper is Connecticut shade that's been aged in Cognac barrels. That sounds really cool, but I didn't notice the difference. They cost $8 at Holt's but you can't buy more than a couple at time, cause they are limited release cigars.
Overall: They're okay. I wasn't a huge fan of the taste. Couple that taste with an $8 price tag, and I felt they weren't a good value. However, when I was researching this article, I discovered that almost every other place sells this cigar for about $26 a pop. Not that it makes the $8 price a value now, but I have to say I was shocked.
This is the second of three that I picked up in a grab bag at Holt's last week. Of course this is a Dominican Montecristo and not the Cuban kind. I didn't know until I looked up the stats on it that Cigar Aficionado rated it a solid 90 (at least according to Montecristo's site.)
I'm enjoying it on my porch while I write this, killing two birds with one stone. So if I talk about it in the present tense, that's because it is in the present tense. The joy that is 802.11G.
Construction: The draw is pretty good, and the cigar is still perfectly moist despite being sealed in plastic for God knows how long (in the grab bag that is, I know how long it's been here.) The burns kinda uneven but it's not tunneling or anything.
Taste: It's very mild, but not bland. Not as tasty as my beloved Ashtons, but still good. I'm picking up some chocolate. It's going very nicely with my Diet Vanilla Coke. Yes, you heard me Diet Vanilla Coke. It's can't be scotch and port every night.
Stats: It's 6 inches by 50 ring gauge. It's a pretty diverse cigar with a Mexican Cubano wrapper (milder than normal Mexican,) binder from Nicaragua, and filler from the Domincan Republic, Nicaragua and Peru. This is the first time I've ever had Peruvian tobacco. At $7.20 a pop, I can't say it's a good value.
Overall: The cost is way too much to really recommend this cigar. It tastes great, and is of decent quality, but if you want something this mild but flavorful there are better cigars to pick.
This is the first cigar from the grab bag I bought from Holt's early this week. I expected that the grab bag would give me the opportunity to show that there are cigars I don't like. My expectations have been exceeded.
Construction: The cigar burned evenly. That's where the goodness ends. The draw was awful. This made the cigar go out often, this made me puff faster, this made the cigar burn hotter, this made me burn my tongue. This made Terry angry! Angry! Fire bad! Well you get the idea.
Taste: It started strong in a bad way, but then the taste grew more mild, then it disappeared. However as the taste waned the aftertaste waxed, and the aftertaste was craptastic. It wasn't quite fecal, but I'm not sure that it was better than fecal.
Stats: It's 5 1/2 inches by 43 ring gauge. It's a mostly Dominican cigar, with a Cameroon wrapper. Holt's price for them seems to be about $3.20. I don't know how long it would take to smoke, like the owl in the Tootsie Roll commercial, I took a shortcut. I hope sewer rats enjoy crappy cigars.
Overall: I would not recommend them to anybody. Even if you get one for free. Turn it down, then realize the person trying to give it to you hates you.
Yet another cigar taken from top25cigars.com, this one is number 10. I have tried the brand before, but not this particular size. The brand does have a unique touch; a lot of the sizes come wrapped individually in tissue paper. I'm not sure what that does to the taste of the cigar, but I can say that it doesn't have as tasty an effect as cedar.
Construction: The cigar burned unevenly, but not terribly so. It did have to be re-lit once. The draw was nearly perfect however. All in all the construction was pretty good, but not great.
Taste: This was another full bodied cigars, but it was a much simpler combination of tastes than the Padron I had yesterday. Oddly enough, I think this made me like it more, because I could focus on it more, and really enjoy it. Again, the maduro wrapper didn't really make a note of difference to me, (maybe I will go back to natural for awhile just to see a difference.) Overall the taste was very good.
Stats: It's 5 inches by 54 ring gauge. It's a quite the Banana Republic tour, as the company is based in Honduras, the wrappers come from Ecuador, the binder and some of the filler come from Honduras, with some Domincan filler thrown in. Holt's sells them for $3.75. It took me about an hour to smoke, but I slowed down to enjoy it, and sipped a glass of scotch with it.
Overall: Although the construction wasn't great, the taste was very good. The clincher was the price. At $3.75 a pop, these cigars are a great value. Pick them up, or buy them for a cigar lover you know.
I had a goal of buying a bunch of cigars I have never had before, and really review them, instead of just recommending. So I went to top25cigar.com and picked a bunch of cigars of their top 25 list, and figured I would evaluate the best non-Cuban cigars on the list. Number 3 on the list, the Padron 1964 Anniversary Exclusivo Maduro, was the first non-Cuban in the bunch. So I am reviewing, possibly, the best non-Cuban cigar in the world. Cigar Aficionado rated it high, but not that high. I should have known it was going to be an event for me as Holt's does not sell them online, and when you go to the store, you have to ask for them behind the counter.
Construction: These are dense cigars. As Alton Brown would say "they are heavier then they look like should be." The are also "box pressed" which means they are bar shaped instead of round, this could have lead me to unevenly burn it as they are a little harder to roll as you smoke them. The draw was perfect, I was hardly aware I was taking a puff, but then my mouth was filled with smoke, which was surprising to me, given their density. It burned a little hot in the beginning, but I consciously slowed down the smoke, and that went away. Additionally they were packed with nicotine, as I'm a little woozy while I write this (not a bad feeling.)
Taste: Good but not great. They were a strong flavored, but not too overwhelming. Nothing too noteworthy, it had some sweet notes, but I couldn't identify them as particular flavor. If I didn't know it was a maduro, I would not have been able to tell from the taste.
Stats: It's 5 1/2 inches by 50 ring gauge. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke, but I slowed down to enjoy it. Holt's sells it in the store (behind the counter like I said) $10 and change, which is less than top25cigar.com said was it's average price.
Overall: It's a good smoke, and quality-wise I agree with the high rating. Taste-wise, I wouldn't have given it so high. When you add in cost, it's not worth it, but if someone offers you one for free, or they go on sale, definitely jump on it.
Another day left to my own devices, another cigar. This time I went with one La Gloria Cubana. Despite the name, they make cigars out of Miami, not Cuba. However to add to confusion, this particular cigar was made from their Domincan holdings. Additionally, this is a tubo, or a cigar in a aluminum tube, with a cedar strip. Tubo's are pretty cool, since they transport easily, and stay properly moist, but in my experience they tend to be over priced. I'm sure the tube adds cost to production, but I wonder just how much.
Anyway, it tastes great. The cedar strips give these cigars a particular taste that I never quite remember until I start smoking one. I can't describe it, except to say, it tastes like a cigar wrapped in cedar. In terms of strength it's middle of the road. I had it with some tawny port, and it didn't completely overwhelm it. (But a ) It was very well constructed, had a great draw, and burned like dream. Nice white ash, which is supposed to be a good thing, but I've never seen it correlated to my enjoyment of a cigar. I think it's related to the amount of magnesium in the soil.
Stats: It's a 6 3/4 inches by 48 ring gauge. It's going to take about an hour to and hour and a half to smoke. Holt's has them for $5.45 a piece in the store, otherwise you have to buy them in a box or 7 or 14. This is a very good price for this type and quality of cigar. These are a great cigars to give as a gift, as the tubo can keep the cigar moist and intact for a long time. Definitely try one if you get a chance.
Note: I will start picking cigars I've never tried before. It's not that I'm overly positive about all cigars, it's just I've been picking cigars I've enjoyed in the past. I fear that I've been more recommending cigars then reviewing them. I'll try and remedy this in the future.
The guys at somethingawful.com have started a cigar wiki. Odd combo, but then I like both, so why shouldn't more people. The objective information I red there seems legitamate, but who knows it might turn out to be an elaborate prank.
Day two of my vacation time, and what could be better than writing about cigars... Unless it's smoking cigars while writing about them. I may need a new definition of fun.
Today, my choice is a sentimental favorite. Back when I first started smoking cigars at 17, the easiest place to get them was this convenience mart/cigar shop/porn store in Voorhees, NJ on Route 561. The best brand of cigars they had there was the Royal Jamaica. By the time I was at Penn, and going to Holt's frequently, either my taste changed, or the cigar boom was killing of the supply for well established brands. Either way, Royal Jamaica went down in my esteem and I smoked my last one circa 1996.
Flash forward to yesterday, and I see this rebranded Royal Jamaica , or "Royal Jamaica Oro Rojo" (Red Gold.) And I saw they kept the old size names in place, searched and found the Park Lane. Perhaps my favorite size, as in addition to it's size, is a Perfecto, like the Ashton Cabinet Selection #2, and I have a weakness for the odd shaped cigars. So I took a risk and bought it, figuring it would be a win-win. Either the brand had rebounded and I would enjoy my cigar, or the brand still sucked but I could give a negative review thereby increasing my credibility.
Like the rest of it's Jamaican brethren, it's pretty mild, but it's not weak like I tend to find natural wrapper Macanudos (as opposed to the maduro Macanudo. ) That might be due in part to the reddish wrapper (I'm not sure what effect the Colorado wrapper has on taste.) It's not my favorite tasting cigar, It doesn't taste as well as I remember when I liked them, but it's not as bad as they were when they went downhill. It's well constructed, it's burning (that's right present tense) really even. The draw started out tough, which is to be expected with a perfecto but once the burning end opened up it's been a pleasure. The smoke is cool, and I haven't had to relight.
Stats: It's a perfecto 6 inches by 47 ring gauge. It's going to take about an hour to smoke. Holt's has them for $5 a piece in the store, otherwise you have to buy them by the box.
A $5 bucks, the cigar is a little pricy for my taste, but well within average for a brand name cigar of it's size. I would recommence them to somebody who likes Macanudos but is eager to try something a little bolder. I don't think I will pick up any for awhile, but it would be nice to have from time to time.
I'm enjoying my time off, and I wanted to show off. I went down to Holt's to buy a few random cigars to review, and figured I would also stock up on my regulars.
Somewhere out there Ryan is wishing he didn't have to give up cigars when he got married.
I know I'm being vague about the brand, but I can't find it on their site. I think it's only available in the store. You can find it in large boxes by the register in their humidor room. They're not wrapped in cellophane, and there's around 10 boxes with similar cigars around the same price. You can't miss them.
So how was it? I picked a maduro and it tasted great, and had that great full cigar taste (not too strong though) with the sweetness that you expect to get with that wrapper. If the taste was great the construction left something to be desired. It tunneled (burned really unevenly.) It needed to be relit several times in the beginning to get going, but stabilized in the middle. The draw also started tough but ended easier.
Why bother? Because the cigar costs $2. $2 for a 6 inch 52 ring gauge maduro pyramid with long filler. Stop in at Holt's and try one. They aren't great, but they are very worth the money.
Yet another Ashton review... What can I say, they are my favorite brand... It was taking up too much space in my humidor... It was the only one in there... Oh, hell, I just like them a lot.
It pretty much has the same taste as the Ashton Corona. It is, however, longer with a larger ring guage so it takes much more time to smoke. Being larger, the draw was a little better than it's smaller sibling. The one bad thing about it was that it kept going out. This might not have been the cigar's fault, it might have been stored improperly as the other Churchills in the batch of 4 I bought were fine, but I smoked them over a month ago.
Stats: 7.5 inches with a 52 ring gauge, it's going to take you 1 to 2 hours to smoke depending on how fast you smoke. You can get them at Holts, for $8. They're not the cheapest smoke, but the days of a good $.05 cigar are long past us.
Over the weekend I attended the wedding of a good friend of mine. Cigars were distributed, Cuban cigars. Now don't get me wrong, I won't fly in the face of every cigar expert out there, and say that Cuba does not produce the finest cigars in the world, but I do not put Cubans on the exalted pedestal that everyone else does. Don't get me wrong, the Cuban Montecristo Especial No.2 is perhaps the finest cigar I have ever had, but my other experiences with Cubans have not lived up to their reputation. In fairness, Cubans are so sought after by people who "only smoke Cubans," that there are many counterfeits. Since I don't travel outside the county very often, my cigars are usually supplied be people who don't know cigars. Consequently, my experience with real Cubans might be limited.
Disclaimer over, on to the cigar. I was presented with it at the after-party for the wedding. It had an incredible draw, perfectly smooth. It burned freakishly even. It tasted good, not incredible, but good. It packed a great nicotine buzz. In short it was an incredibly satisfactory experience and I smoked the thing pretty much until it burned my lips. It was very good.
Stats: It's about 5 inches by 50 ring gauge. You can't buy them in the US, but if you could they're about $21 bucks a pop. That's definitely over-priced, but since I didn't pay for it, I'm not complaining.
Now, I held off until I had written the review to determine if it was a fake or not. I looked up the wrapper, and it turns out there is a good chance it is a fake. However I didn't get a load of the box, and supposedly that's a more important indication. Either way, I feel slightly vindicated. If it was real, then Cubans are not so good that they stand out when you really have them. If it was a fake, then goes to show you that you don't have to have a genuine Cuban to have a good cigar.
This will be the first cigar I've reviewed that I'm not so keen on. I got it free from Holt's when I bought a box of Punch London Club's, otherwise I would not have bought it in the first place. I was never a big fan of Macanudo's but I like maduros so I figured I'd give it chance.
It was very strong tasting, but not any particular taste other than "cigar." Sorta like a hot sause that's hot, but not much else. The draw was pretty stiff but losened up over time. On the plus side the wrapper was very oily (in a good way) and it burned pretty evenly.
All in all, I would probably accept it for free again, but I wouldn't pay for it.
Stats: It's a Dominican cigar, made from Mexican binder, with Dominican, Mexican and Jamaican filler. It says that the wrapper is Connecticut, but I didn't think maduro wrappers came from Connecticut. It's 5.5 inches with a 49 ring gauge. It took me about an hour to smoke.
Yet another Ashton, owned by Holt's; a cynical person would accuse me of trying to wrangle free cigars out of them. That person would be correct, but I'm also trying to limit myself to cigars I've had recently, and Dan and I grabbed one of these over at Mahogany last Friday, so it's what I'm writing about.
The first time I had an Ashton Cabinet cigar was the last day of classes of my senior year of high school career. I left Paul Vi, came home, and smoked one of these pacing out by the pool. Then as now I was struck by the fact that the smoke actually tastes creamy. That's what all the other reviews and marketing says, but it's true. It's weird, I don't know why, but they do. That only happens for the first half of the cigar, after that, it's still great, but no dairy. I highly recommend them if you like other Ashtons, and other pricy medium bodied cigars (Davidoffs, Dunhills, Griffins),
At first glance it would be a good celebratory cigar; however, it's expensive (for the average guy.) What does this mean? In the midst of an event (bachelor party, graduation, birthday) you're really not going to give it any attention, and you certainly won't get the full worth of it. You'll be left thinking the experience wasn't worth the price. Solution, save it for a time when you can enjoy it.
Stats: It's a Dominican cigar with Dominican binder and filler, with a Connecticut wrapper. It's 7 inches with a 48 ring gauge. Additionally it's what's called a Perfecto, which means that it's tapered at both ends. (Every jackass boss in a comic strip smokes these.) This is one that you'll want to be comfortable for. It took me close to two hours to smoke it last Friday. Far from cheap, it's pretty pricey at $13.25 per single at Holt's. It's not one to have everyday, unless you're independently wealthy, but it's one I would definitely have. But like I said, don't bother saving it for a special day, have it sometime when you can really enjoy it.
This is one of my favorite cigars of all time. I had my first when I was 17, after sneaking across the Delaware on PATCO to Holt's. It's not an overpowering taste, but there's a lot of flavor in it. I don't know all the right cigar terms like "hints of cocca, or slight chickory taste," but there's a sweetness to it, and there might be some chocolate in there.
If you're going away on a vacation, or celebrating something minor, these are a good way to go. These would also be a good gift for a father or boss who smokes cigars.
Stats: It's a Domincan cigar with Dominican binder and filler, with a Connecticut wrapper. (For those that don't know, yes really good cigar wrappers can be found in the left testicle of Massachusetts.) It's 5.5 inches by 44 rg (ring gauge) This is a fancy way of telling you that it will take about 45 minutes to an hour to smoke it. It's not cheap, $6.25 per single at Holt's (which since they own the label, should be the cheapest place to buy it) but it's worth it.
I started smoking cigars 12 years ago, right before the cigar boom, and did a pretty good job of not being robbed too much by the pricing gouging that went on. Whenever there's a special event that requires cigars I get asked what to get. Here's my recommendation:
They're priced really well at Holt's ($1.15 per cigar.) At 5 inches with a 40 ring gauge (2/3 inch diameter,) they don't take too long to smoke (about 30 minutes.) They've got a full flavor, but their small size keeps them from being overpowering. Additionally since some people feel bad about "wasting a cigar" because they don't usually smoke, at a buck a pop, no one's wasting anything.
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Squidhead creates scaffolds for MS SQL based applications using stored procedures.
Copyright 2003-2008
Terrence Ryan.
This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed here are mine and not those of my employer.
