Oliva Special “S” Torpedo Thursday, Jul 31 2008

Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Filler: Nicaraguan Habano
Size: Torpedo 6.0″ x 52 ring

The Oliva Special S is the Oliva’s top shelf offering in their regular production lines. The limited production Master Blends are the other top shelf line from the Olivas. One thing I noticed on the Oliva site is that they have an aging recommendation for their cigars. The Special S apparently should be aged for five years. I find this a little strange, because to the best of my knowledge Oliva does not date their boxes. I could be wrong because I haven’t bought a whole box of Oliva’s since I bought my box of the original Mater Blends several years ago. However, if I’m right and they do not date their boxes, the aging recommendation seems kind of silly to me because there is no real way to know how old the cigars are at the time of purchase. I guess you’d have to start counting from when you bought them. Anyway, as far as I know, this Special S is no where near 5 years old. It has been in my humidor for about 2 months.

The Special S is a handsome looking cigar with an elegant presentation. Unfortunately I failed to take a picture before I pt the cigar to flame and this one certainly deserved a photo display. I was unable to find an adequate picture anywhere on the web to share with you here. Thanks to the cigar band collection at StogieFresh.com I am at least able to display the band. In addition to the elegant band you see above, the majority of the cigars length is hidden in a cedar sleeve that is decorated at the foot with a deep brown band printed with the words “Special S” and the Oliva “O” logo in shiny gold lettering. The overall effect is a beautifully presented cigar. I have heard a rumor the the Special S’s days are numbered and that there are plans to discontinue this line. I have not been able to find anything to confirm that. I also heard the Master Blend 3 will become a regular production cigar, effectively replacing the Special S as Oliva’s regular production, top-shelf smoke. Again, these rumors are from a single source and I haven’t been able to find any more information on this to confirm it. If it does turn out to be true and you are a fan of the Special S, you may want to think about stocking up.

Even though the Special S sports some nice duds, the cigar can hold it’s own in the beauty department even if it were naked. The Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapped used on these smokes is flawless. Smooth with only very tiny veins, it is milk chocolate in color,has an oily sheen, and is perfectly applied to a well filled cigar. I clipped the tapered head with my trusty Palio and tested the draw. It was too tight so I trimmed a bit more off the head in hopes of opening up the draw a little more. It didn’t seem to help so I was left to hope it would loosen up a bit during the smoke. As it turns out it didn’t. The cigar wasn’t plugged and it was certainly smokable, but I had to pull harder than what feels comfortable to me. By the end, my jaw was tired and I developed a bit of a headache because of the tight draw. Other than the draw, which was probably a fluke and not common, there were no other construction related issues. The burn was perfect and the ash firm and well formed. Flavor wise this cigar was pretty good, but nothing I would call “Special” (pun intended). This was a very smooth smoke, medium bodied, and medium in strength. I tasted good flavors of leather and coffee and there was a bit of spice on the finish. The cigar never changed, never did anything to make me think wow, just good solid flavors that remained consistent from start to finish. Near the end it became difficult to keep the cigar lit because of the overly tight draw so I put it down a little sooner than I probably would have otherwise.

The Special S is a good smoke that is refined and smooth. Construction seemed excellent except for the draw problem and the flavors are very enjoyable but one dimensional. I would hope for a bit more from what is supposed to be a premium cigar.

You can get your Oliva Special “S” cigars at Cigars Direct.com.

Rating - B

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Nub 460 Habano Sunday, Jul 20 2008

Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 460 4.0″ x 60 ring

The Nub is the brainchild of Sam Leccia.  Sam spent an number of years working for the Oliva Cigar Family.  He believes that every cigar has a sweet spot where it achieves the pinnacle of its flavors at some point during the smoke.  Sam wanted to see if he could create a cigar that could capture this sweet spot from the very first puff and hold it to the very last.  The Nub is what he came up with.  These cigars a very short and have huge ring gauges.  The smallest of the line is 54 ring, but the majority of them are 60 and above.  The largest of the line is a whopping 66 ring gauge.  Each size is supposedly the equivalent to a more traditional sized cigar.  For example this 460 Habano is supposed to have the same amount of tobacco in it as a 6.75″ x 50 Churchill.  You can get the whole story on the Nubs by clicking here.  I have smoked three of the Cameroon Nubs already and why they were decent flavor wise, all three spit apart on me and unraveled.  I hope I don’t have the same problem with this Habano.  Let’s see how it does…

The Nub Habano has a smooth, oily wrapper the color of milk chocolate.  The beefy ring gauge is a bit awkward but the draw was excellent. This cigar really did start off great from the get go.  It had a strong woody core accompanied by nuts and rich creaminess.  The flavors were very good and consistent throughout.  It lacks complexity but the flavors are excellent making it a very enjoyable smoke.  The ash was a bit flaky on the edges but it holds very firm.  I would have never needed to tap off the ash if I didn’t want to.  I did have one problem with this smoke though.  Even though i took my time with it, it was a solid hour to smoke it, the burn was extremely hot and once I got about half way through it was almost too hot to hold and taking a puff became a dicey proposition.  It was difficult not to burn my fingers and lips while smoking it.  As short as this cigar is it becomes almost unsmokeable too early.  I had the same experience with on of the Cameroons that managed to hold together long enough form me to get that far.  On the bright side I did not have those kinds of construction issues with this cigar.

Overall I was impressed with this cigar.  The flavors were really great and I enjoyed it a lot, but the heat issue makes me hesitant to smoke these very often.  I’ll give it another try at some point but if I have the same experience I’ll have to write these off.

Rating - B

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Camacho 1962 Torpedo Friday, Jul 18 2008

Country: Honduras
Wrapper: 3rd priming Habano-seed Criollo
Filler: Honduran Cuban-seed long-leaf tobaccos
Size: Torpedo 6.0″ x 54 ring

Camacho cigars has made a name for itself among lovers of strong, robust smokes.  Their name is synonymous with powerhouse smokes but the truth is they have put out a few select cigars that are a bit more accessible to novice cigar smokers and those who enjoy a more refined smoke with less punch.  The Camacho Select comes to mind as a prime example of a medium bodied Camacho.  I’m giving a bit away at the start here to say the 1962 is another one of Camachos medium bodied offerings.  The Camacho 1962 was made to commemorate the year that Julio Eiroa began his journey in cigar making after fleeing Castro’s post revolutionary Cuba.

Wrapped in an oily Criollo leaf, the 1962 is filled with “extensively aged” Honduran tobacco.  I always wonder why terms like “extensively aged” or “extra aging” are used instead of just telling us how long the tobacco is actually aged for.  My cynical nature believes that this so they can use whatever they need to in the cigars to keep turning them out once the “aged” tobacco runs out. But that is just me being jaded and suspicious.  The Band is very ornated and elegant looking and it has a second band on the foot completeing an handsome presentation.

You may be able to see in the picture that the wrapper was cracked in a couple places on this specimen.  I don’t know why or how it happened but I can say upfront that it was minor and did not effect the smoke.  It still burned just fine and held together as if it wasn’t cracked at all.  This torpedo had a spngy feel to it which I have experienced in other Camacho Torpedos, in particular the Camacho Select Torpedos.  The pre-light draw was very light like sucking air through a straw.  It started off very mild.  The flavors were weak and muddled, basic tobacco with a hint of spice.  It didn’t take long for this cigar to start burning really hot.  I had to make a very concious effort to sip on it to keep it from getting bitter.  About midway through the flavors began to improve.  It started to become a nice medium bodied smoke dominated by leather and pepper with a nice leathery finish.  At this point the flavors stayed consistent and near the end the pepper starts to take over and it begins to develop some of that Camacho oomph.

Overall this was a decent medium bodied smoke once I got past the lack luster start.  That said, I still wasn’t that impressed with the smoke.  It was a bit one dimensional.  The promise it started to show at the end has me thinking this just may have been a bum stick so I may have to revisit this sometime soon.  I have another Torpedo in my humidor so this is a prime canidate for a Redux review. For now though I can only give it a “C”.

You can get your Camacho 1962’s at CigarsDirect.com

Rating - C

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Bolivar Belicoso Fino Friday, Jul 11 2008

Country: Cuba
Year: Unknown

This cigar was given to me as a Christmas gift from a very generous friend of mine in Denmark. Bolivar is one of the more famous Cuban marcas and the Belicoso Fino one of its most popular sizes. I enjoyed this smoke while on vacation at the beach this week. It was a beautiful coastal Carolina evening as I sat on the screened in porch at my families condo. I wanted to make sure I enjoyed every aspect of this special cigar so I paired it with a cool bottle of water. Bolivars are among the strongest cigars the Island puts out. Here is a little blurb about the marca from Habanos, SA.

Simon Bolívar was one of the great historic figures of the 19th Century who liberated much of South America from Spanish rule.

The Bolívar brand was created in 1902 and is based today at the Partagas factory in the heart of Havana.

It is perhaps not surprising that a Habano named after such a powerful figure is blended to match his might. Bolívar is among the strongest, most full bodied of all Habanos. It boasts an unrivalled richness of flavour in its blend of Vuelta Abajo region tobaccos that makes it one of the most sought-after marques amongst experienced smokers.

The Bolivar Belicoso Fino is a handsome looking cigar. Wrapped in a light brown, leathery leaf it has some small veins running across the surface along with a slightly larger puckered vein that seems to be a trademark of a Cuban wrapper. The cigar is firm its entire length and has a nice heft to it. It seems to be packed full of tobacco. The cigar has a musty barnyard aroma. After clipping the head, a pre-light draw delivers a leathery flavor to the palate. The draw is excellent providing just the right amount of resistance.

The BBF, starts of a little mild and easy going, unusual for a Cuban Bolivar. It is woody with subtle notes of what I will call spiced fruit. I had a hard time coming up with a descriptor for the flavor and I’m not sure I have it right but that’s the best I could come up with. About half way through it begins to pack a bit of a punch. It is full bodied and robust. The woodiness takes on a distinct cedar flavor with a slightly sweet undertone to it. I picked up flashes of fruit and pepper as I made my way into the last third of the smoke. The finale continues to be a full and robust smoke with lots of earth and wood, and a strong spice on the finish. The Cuban “twang” that is often associated with cigars from the island was present throughout the smoke.

Although a full bodied cigar, the BBF is not as full or strong as other Bolivars I have tried. I think that this vitola is an excellent introduction to the marca for a smoker new to Cuban Bolivars. It is a wonderfully complex smoke with refined, well defined flavors. It is a good cigar for a special occasion, or any occasion.

Rating - A

The Cigar Spy recently smoked one of these.  Checkout his take on the Bolivar Belicoso Fino.

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Showdown: Padron Ambassador Natural vs Maduro Thursday, Jul 10 2008

Country: Nicaragua Wrapper: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Size: Lonsdale 6.875″ x 42 ring Lucky7 and Cigarfan over at Keepers of the Flame invited me to participate in their Padron Series Roundup. My second assignment in this project is the Padron Ambassador. My first contribution to the project was the Padron 3000. The Ambassador provided me with a different experience than I’ve had with other sizes of Padrons.  Padrons are the only cigars that I prefer the maduros over the naturals.  But this wasn’t the case with the Ambassadors.  I found the natural to be an excellent smoke, perhaps the best $5 cigar I have ever smoked.  The maduro was a good cigar but nothing special.  The natural was an excellent cigar.  See the full compiled review over at Keepers of the Flame.

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Toraño Noventa Santiago Monday, Jun 30 2008

Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Habano Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaraguan - Pueblo Nuevo, Esteli, Jalapa and Condega
Size: Robusto 5.0″ x 50 ring

The Toraño Noventa was created to celebrate 90 years of cigar heritage in the Toraño family. In 1916 the patriarch of the family, Don Santiago Toraño made the move from Spain to Cuba to begin his career in the cigar industry. Eventually his three sons joined him in the family business as the Toraños became of of the largest tobacco growers in Cuba. Like a lot of cigar and tobacco families in Cuba, they had to leave after the revolution when Castro nationalized the tobacco industry. The family moved their business to the Dominican Republic and eventually Carlos Jr. moved it again to Nicaragua where it now thrives. I recommend checking out the full story on their website.

The Noventa is made with 5 year old tobacco from the family farms. The cigars are then aged some more before being sent to market, but I could not find any information on how long that additional aging may be. The Santiago is a beautiful cigar wrapped in an oily light brown Habano leaf that looks like it was cut from a piece of expensive leather. It is well filled with not hint of any rib veins in the filler. On the surface everything about this cigar says “top-shelf”, including the price tag. Besides carrying the Anniversary moniker, it also carries the anniversary price point around $11 a stick.

The Santiago is refined and smooth right from the start. Medium bodied, but mild in strength, it delivers strong notes of nuts and leather with occasional flashes vanilla. The bluish smoke is a little thin but is still delivers plenty of flavor. It has a wonderful aroma that is surprisingly very sweet. It is unique because there is no sweetness to speak of in the flavors but it is very prominent in the aroma. About half way through this cigar starts to behave like you’d expect a Nicaraguan Puro to behave. I starts to pick up delivering a bit of spice that replaces cream and nuts I tasted at the start. The spice mixes nicely with a woody core and it starts to develop a bit of strength that was missing in the beginning. The last third was more spice with strong notes of cedar and wood. This cigar ended up packing a decent little punch after starting off a bit mild.

This was a very good cigar worthy of being an Anniversary edition smoke. Construction was excellent with a perfect draw and a razor sharp burn. It had decent complexity with refined, identifiable flavors. It starts off a bit mild but picks up nicely turning into a solid medium bodied smoke with a good buzz factor without being overly powerful robust. This cigar is a must try for any fan of Nicaraguan tobacco.

Get yours at CigarsDirect.com:  Carlos Toraño Noventa Santiago

Rating - B+

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Litto Gomez Diez Americano Tuesday, Jun 24 2008

Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: Corona Gorda 5.7″ x 46 Ring

This Dominican Puro is Litto Gomez’s 10th Anniversary cigar. It is made exclusively from tobacco grown on his farm. The wrapper is a handsome looking, oily leaf with a reddish brown color. It’s color makes it look a lot like a Rosado wrapper. There are very small veins all across it’s surface. It is expertly applied with a neat cap and no rib veins visible in the filler. It appears to be a very well made cigar.

Don Litto has gained a reputation for making some of the strongest, full bodied smokes on the market today. That reputation is why this cigar surprised me. It was medium bodied at best, almost mild. The flavors were surprisingly one dimensional as well, although pleasant. From start to finish all I got from this cigar was wood and a creamy, toasted tobacco. It had very little strength to speak of. Not at all what I was expecting from a cigar made by Litto Gomez.

The construction was excellent. It burned evenly and the ash was well formed and held firm although just a little papery around the edges. The draw was excellent and it burned very cool. I found it to be a good cigar but not a great one, overpriced for what you get out of it.

Read another take on this cigar at The Berris Blog

Rating - B

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Showdown: Padron 3000 Natural vs Maduro Saturday, Jun 21 2008

Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Natural or Maduro
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: Robusto 5.5″ x 52 ring

Lucky7 and Cigarfan over at Keepers of the Flame invited me to participate in their Padron Series Roundup. My first assignment in this project is the Padron 3000. I have smoked both cigars and found them to be enjoyable even if they are bit ugly in appearance. I am not a big maduro fan but for some reason Padrons are the one marca in which I tend enjoy the maduros more than the naturals. To find out more about these great smokes, check out the full review at Keepers of the Flame.

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La Aurora Preferido Cameroon No.2 Monday, Jun 16 2008

Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Cameroon
Filler: Dominican, Cameroon, and Bahia
Size: Perfecto 5.0″ x 54 ring
CigarsDirect.com

The La Aurora Preferido line is a collection of top-shelf cigars. The tobacco is aged in oak barrels. Originally these were all perfectos, but recently they have become available in other sizes. This vitola is one of the toughest to make and only the best master rollers make these cigars. It is no surprise then that the construction of this stogie is consistent and exceptional. The burn is razor sharp, the ash perfectly formed and firm, and the draw is spot on perfection. The thing I like the most about perfectos is how they lend themselves to a complex, dynamic smoking experience.

I really enjoy Cameroon cigars. The unique sweet spice that this wrapper imparts on the smoke is unique and is a flavor I really enjoy. At the start, the thinner tapered foot allows the wrapper to dominate the blend delivering a rich blast of that classic Cameroon with a woody undertone. as I worked my way up to the thick bulge in the middle, the blend over took the Cameroon and all I could tasted was oak with a creamy finish. It wasn’t until I began to work my way back down the taper toward the head of the cigar that I was able to begin to taste the Cameroon again. I was surprised by this and admittedly a bit disappointed since this cigar has Cameroon in the filler as well.

The Preferido Cameroon No.2 is a very good cigar. It is very well made, medium bodied with good flavor. However, I was expecting to be a bit more wowed by this smoke given its reputation and its price. It wasn’t as complex as I would have liked, making it no better than any other quality Cameroon cigar. In fact, I feel there are more affordable Cameroon cigars to be had for less money that can hold their own with this cigar in flavor if not in quality of construction. That said it is certainly worth a try and I did enjoy the smoke.

Get yours at CigarsDirect.com: La Aurora Preferidos

Rating - B+

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Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic Lancero Tuesday, May 27 2008

Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Habano Rosado
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: Lancero 6.875″ x 42 ring

The Lancero is not a regular size in the Cuban Classic line of Pepin Garcia’s Name brand. The Lancero is a very limited release available in one of two presentations. There is a Holiday Sampler pack that sports two Lanceros in each of Don Pepin’s lines, the Blue Label, the JJ, the JJ Maduro, the Centurion, and of course the Cuban Classic. There were also just 100 cabinets of the Black Lanceros containing 50 cigars (I’m not 100% on that quantity but I think it was a 50 count). Part of the thinking behind the limited release of the Lancero size in all his lines was to give his fans a format for them to experience all the subtleties and complexities of the wrappers used in each of his line. The old Cuban purists believe that to experience the true essence of a blend you need to do so with a Lancero, Lonsdale, or a Corona. Who am I to argue with those guys. Those three sizes happen to be among my favorite vitolas, the Lonsdale being my absolute favorite. Some of the most complex and best smokes I have ever had have been in one of those formats.

Lanceros have a reputation for being a tough vitola to make, bring prone to various construction issues like plugging or splitting. I think it is an unfair reputation because if they are made right by skilled rollers they don’t have these issues. I think cigars with these issues are not isolated to just Lanceros, but you’ll find these problems in other vitolas of the line as well. The problem in my opinion is a lot of cigar makers don’t regularly produce Lanceros because in the US market they don’t seem to sell as well. Since they don’t produce a lot, they sometimes don’t do it well when they do make one. This cigar is very well made and the draw on it is perfect. It sports a smooth creamy brown wrapper and has a Cuban style triple cap tipped with a small pigtail.

It starts off with blasts of black pepper and a robust woodiness. About an inch or so in, it smooths out quite a bit. It is woody with a creaminess that has a buttery feel in my mouth. The aroma produced by the cigar is a rich smell of dark roasted coffee. Past the halfway mark it developed a rich earthiness with pepper and a slightly grassy finish. I have to say the end of this smoke was a little disappointing. The flavors became very muddled and not very distinguishable and it lost some of its body.

Even with the lack luster ending, the Black Lancero is a very good smoke. Medium to full bodied most of the way, it was a complex and engaging smoke. If I can find the cash, there are still some of the Holiday Samplers out there to be had, and I’d like to pick one up so I can try this size in Pepin’s other lines.

Rating - B+

What Others think of the DPG Black:
The Stogie Guys give the Robusto 3^1/2 stogies
Lucky7 at Keepers of the Flame liked the Robusto “Very Much”
The Stogie Baby wasn’t impressed with the Petite Lancero

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Ashton San Cristobal Supremo Monday, May 19 2008

Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: Toro 6.0″ x 50 ring

I have been looking forward to trying this new smoke from Ashton for a while so when CigarsDirect.com sent me one to review I knew I wouldn’t wait long to put it to flame. Still it wasn’t the easiest choice considering the amazing quality of smokes they sent me in the latest batch.

Bearing the name of the famed Cuban marca, the San Cristobal is made for Ashton by my favorite cigar maker Jose “Pepin” Garcia who also makes my favorite brand of cigars, the Tatuajes. By now everyone who smokes cigars is aware that Pepin is the hottest name in cigars right now. His portfolio has grown exponentially yet it seems everything he puts out is made of gold. As highly anticipated as the release of the ESG, the San Cristobal was 2 years in the making.

Released last year shortly after the RTDA (now called IPCPRA), it sports Pepin’s wrapper of choice. It is a leathery, dark brown Nicaraguan Corojo. The Supremo is a Toro and the 50 ring gauge is the perfect size for my new favorite cut, the butterfly cut. The butterfly cut was created by a friend of mine. It is a double V-cut. After making the initial V-cut you rotate the cigar and make a second V-cut perpendicular to the first. I really like this style of cut on larger ring gauges. This cut draws very nicely and it looks cool. Everything about this cigar says “top-shelf”. The wrapper is flawless and there is no sign of any rib veins in the head or foot. The bunching looks perfect and you can tell by the firmness and heft that it is packed full of tobacco. The band is beautiful with the vibrant colors of the Macaw and elegant gold trim on a background of an ancient map.

This amazing cigar is very different from any other Pepin cigar I have tried to date. It starts off so smooth and silky. Right off the bat it is very full flavored, woodsy with leather and spice, and nutty undertones. Notably absent is the trademark “Pepin Pepper” but it isn’t missed at all. This cigar is amazingly complex with a smooth finish. I read on CI’s site some tasting notes that referenced cherry flavors. I have never tasted anything like cherry in a cigar, so I was really surprised when at about the mid way point I detected flashes of cherry. It was amazing and truly unique. I found myself disappointed (in a good way) when those flavors faded as I got a little further into the smoke. I really wished that the cherry flavors hung around longer than they did. Towards the end, the leather and spice began to build to dominate the flavors with a woody finish.

This was an amazing cigar that engaged me from start to finish. The construction is impeccable and the burn razor sharp. The ash was a little loose and flaky which was surprising but didn’t detract from the experience. The San Cristobal has earned a spot on my list of favorites. This cigar is an absolute must try for any serious cigar smoker.

Rating - A+

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Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro Tuesday, May 6 2008

Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Broadleaf Maduro
Filler: Dominican
Size: Perfecto 6.0″ x 47 ring

As if the Cameroon wrapped Hemingway cigars weren’t special enough, The Cigar Family makes an extra special, aged, limited release of the Hemingways with a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper. Like the Anejos, the Hemingway Maduros are usually released around the holidays as a special treat for the fans and customers of Arturo Fuente cigars. I gave some more background on the Hemingway line of cigars in my review of the Hemingway Best Seller so click on over and check that out while you’re here.

The Signature Maduro has a oily, dark, toothy wrapper that is simply gorgeous. It has the look of old, well worn leather. Like all the Hemingway’s the foot tapers down to a slightly odd looking nipple. The Hemingway and Hemingway maduro provide an excellent example of how much a wrapper can affect the flavor of a cigar. The maduro is a completely different and unique experience compared to its Cameroon wrapped sibling. The Cameroon version provides a classic Cameroon flavor with a sweet spice. The Signature Maduro starts off with flavors of cedar and a slight sweetness typical of a maduro wrapped cigar with flashes of black tea. As the smoke develops it gets very creamy and mellow. In the last third it starts to exhibit black pepper with a unique earthiness that I find hard to describe. It makes me think of wet earth, almost like I am tasting the rich damp soil the tobacco was grown in.

The construction, as is always the case with any Hemingway was superb. The burn was razor sharp and the as was grey and rough looking but held firm. It produces thick clouds of white smoke with a rich aroma. There is just nothing bad to say about this cigar. It is a wonderful experience from start to end and as good as the Cammie version of this cigar is, it pales in comparison to the complex experience that the maduro delivers. The Signature Maduro and the Work of Art Maduro are by far my favorites of the Hemingway line. If you have never had one, you simply must find one and try it. I usually don’t give maduros this much love, but this is a superb cigar.

Get yours at CigarsDirect.com: Arturo Fuente hemingway Signature Maduro

Rating - A

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Tatuaje Havana Cazadores Sunday, Apr 27 2008

Country: USA
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan Long Filler
Size: Lonsdale 6^3/8 x 43 ring

The Tatuaje Havana Cazadores come in cedar cabinets of 25 and are packaged in the old Cuban style. They are packed wet and wrapped in foil with a yellow ribbon around the bundle. Here’s some pictures I took back when I bought them. You can click the pictures for an enlarged view.

This vitola is reported to be Pete Johnson’s vitola of choice and it also happens to be one of my favorites as well. I love Lonsdales. I think it is just possibly the best size for a cigar. When used with a good blend of tobaccos, the ring gauge and length lends itself to a wonderfully complex smoke with a near perfect duration, about an hour to 75 minutes. I have a hard time picking between this cigar and the Reserva SW as my favorite of the Brown Label line. When pressed I usually end up giving a slight edge to the Reserva SW only because I find it a little more complex.

Like almost all of the Tatuajes, it starts off with a full blast of pepper. Once you work your way into the smoke a bit, the pepper calms down a little. I find this stick to be the most “cubanesqe” of all the Tatuajes. It is a heavy, full bodied smoke with some serious strength. They are hard to take on an empty stomach. The smoke progresses nicely, first with black coffee flavors transitioning into a rich nutty/earthiness with brief flashes of cocoa. It picks up a lot near the end getting spicy and peppery again with notes of wood. It has black pepper on the finish throughout the smoke.

The burn goes crooked every once and while but if you’re paying attention, you can get it to correct itself. The draw is perfect and the ash is well formed. The thick white clouds of smoke produce a room bouquet is very reminiscent of that of a Cuban Montecristo. Tatuajes produce amazing aromas and this one may have the best aroma of all of them.

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Tatuajes and the Havana Cazadores are no exception. This is an exceptional cigar that I could be happy smoking everyday. I plan to make sure I never run out of these gems.

Rating - A

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Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Presidente Wednesday, Apr 23 2008

Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Cameroon
Filler: Dominican
Size: Toro 6.0″ x 50 ring

I provided a bit of background on the Don Carlos line of cigars back when I reviewed the Don Carlos #4 for CigarsDirect.com in October of 2007. Rather than rehash all that here I am just going to cut to the chase today and provide you this link to go back and read the review of the #4 if you are interested. Now onto the good parts, smoking the Presidente…

The wrapper on this cigar is vieny and a splotchy brown. This is unusual for a Don Carlos. They usually have very few viens and the color is usually very smooth and uniform. The rustic appearance had no adverse effects on the smoke though. It was mellow and smooth, the flavors were creamy and refined. It was slightly sweet, typical of a good Cameroon. I found this one to be a little one dimensional compared to the smaller No. 4, but the flavor was so good it was still a very enjoyable smoke. As is always the case with the Don Carlos, the construction was perfection. the burn was razor sharp and the smoke was thick and creamy. These cigars never disappoint.

I used a new style of cut tonight and I have to say I really liked it. I used a double V-cut. This technique was shown to me by my friend Jamie who is a regular at Capital City Cigars in Raleigh. He calls it the “Butterfly Cut”. You use a V-cutter to make a small cut across the head, then you turn the cigar and make a second V-cut perpendicular to the first creating a shallow X across the head. It makes for a very clean cut and a good draw. I enjoyed it so much, it may become my cut of choice. Of course, it is best suited to larger ring gauges. I don’t know that I’d use it on anything smaller than a 48 ring. i highly recommend you give it a try. i think you’ll find you like it.

Get yours at CigarsDirect .com: Arturo Fuente Don Carlos

Rating - B+

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Illusione ~cg:4~ Monday, Apr 7 2008

Country: Honduras
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: Corona 5-5/8 x 46 ring

The Illusione line of cigars are a somewhat unknown brand that is rapidly gaining in popularity. It won’t be long before everyone knowns about this Nicaraguan gem. The Illusione is the brainchild of Dion Giolito who is a veteran of the cigar industry. He wanted a cigar that hearkened back to the days before the Sandinistas took power in Nicaragua and nearly destroyed the cigar industry there. Since there was nothing like that available in the market, he went out and created the cigars he wanted. In an unusual twist, this Nicaraguan Puro is made in a factory in Honduras. Just another unique fact about this unique cigar. The Stogie Guys have a great interview with Dion Giolito that is a very good read. I recommend checking it out.

The Illusione ~cg:4~ is a good looking corona with a smooth dark brown wrapper topped with a cuban style triple cap. It is packed full with nicely bunched tobacco giving the cigar a good solid feel in my hand. The aroma of this cigar is rich and decadent. I could spend 5 minutes just sitting here smelling it, but the real fun is smoking a cigar so I put it to flame. Initially it is very spicy and thick. A cloud of white smoke fills the room with an amazing aroma. One of the most striking things about this cigar is how wonderful it smells both pre-light and during the smoke. It really enhances the experience. After the initial spice, my palate was filled with a robust toasted tobacco flavor with notes of leather and an underlying spiciness. In the last third of the cigar it started to develop a unique bite that is hard to describe. The ash is very dark and a bit flaky. I had to correct the burn a couple times when it went crooked and wouldn’t correct itself.

This is a very good smoke that I’d rate as one of the best in its price range, running $6 to $7 a pop. I want to say this is a medium bodied smoke if a bit on the fuller end of medium, but I wonder if that perception is skewed by the amount of full bodied, robust cigars I usually smoke. I have a feeling that to someone who typically smokes milder cigars, they would tell you this is a full bodied, more robust cigar. Whatever you want to call it, it is a top shelf cigar at a mid-shelf price.

Rating - B+

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