January 13th, 2012 / 4 Comments » / by Tom
Today’s review is a random cigar that I’ve had in the humidor for a few months. Where I got it and why I picked it up eludes me. I’ll pick up almost any cigar at a shop that I know I haven’t reviewed, and I think this is a result of that. The only thing I know about this cigar is that it is a product of Altadis. It is touted at a “Wonderful smoke that will satisfy cigar connoisseurs time and time again.” That sounds like a challenge, so here are my thoughts…
Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: San Andreas Morron
Filler: Honduran & Nicaraguan
Size: Romantico 6.5 x 48
Price: Around $6.50
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The dark wrapper had a nice somewhat oily appearance with minimal veins or flaws. The smell of the wrapper was woody and earthy. The cigar was rock solidly packed, and had some major tight spots, especially near the head. As expected, the draw was pretty tight, so I clipped off the nipple. This loosened up the draw a bit so I could at least move air through the cigar. The pre-light flavor was a bit chocolaty.
The ash held for just over an inch, and the burn required a couple minor corrections.
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Posted in: Cigar Reviews
Tags: altadis, cigars, Romeo_y_Julieta_Reserva_Real_Maduro
January 10th, 2012 / 4 Comments » / by Tom
I picked up this cigar at Ed’s shop a couple of weeks ago. Gurkha has quite a large following of fans and bashers alike. I sit somewhere in the middle. They have quite a few blends that I like, and some that I’m not so fond of. I haven’t smoked a Gurkha in a long time, so I figured it was time to revisit a cigar I used to smoke from time to time – the Ancient Warrior. I paired this cigar with water as always.
Wrapper: Brazil
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican republic
Size: Robusto 4.5 x 50
Price: $6.95
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The dark oily wrapper looked great, with only a ding here and there. The smell of the wrapper was a mild sweet earthiness. The foot had almost no odor at all, perhaps a generic sweetness. The cigar was evenly packed, with slight give when squeezed. The pre-light draw had slight resistance with a mild earthy flavor on the pre-light draw.
The ash held for around an inch, and the burn required several corrections.
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Posted in: Cigar Reviews
Tags: Ancient_Warrios, cigars, gurkha, K._Hansotia
January 6th, 2012 / 4 Comments » / by Tom
It’s a common occurrence… I walk a shop humidor and something will catch my eye. That is the story behind the cigar up for review today. It had a nice presentation, and more importantly, the cigar looked good. Let’s see how it smokes.
Wrapper: Connecticut BroadLeaf
Binder: Olor Dominican Republic
Filler: Nicaraguan Viso, Olor, and Criollo 98 Dominican Republic
Size: Torpedo 6 1/2 x 54
Price: Around $6.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The chocolate brown wrapper had a smooth velvety appearance and basically looked nice. The wrapper and foot had almost no odor at all, maybe a slight woodiness. The cigar was solidly packed, with a tight spot here and there. This probably explains a draw that was a little tight. Almost too tight for my liking. The pre-light flavor was a mild tangy flavor that I couldn’t put my finger on.
The ash held for just under an inch, and the burn required no corrections. The draw loosened up a bit after the first third.
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Posted in: Cigar Reviews
Tags: cigars, Legacy_Box_Pressed, Victor_Sinclair
January 3rd, 2012 / 3 Comments » / by Tom
Todays review is another cigar I used to frequent years ago. Like the Padron 3000, it slipped off of my radar and I never reviewed it. I rediscovered the Hoyo de Tradicion earlier this week while scavenging the shelves at Ed’s shop. As always, I paired this cigar with water, and here are my thoughts…
Wrapper: Honduras, Jamastran Viso Rosado
Binder: Habano Connecticut
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican
Size: Epicure 5.25 x 50
Price: $5.70
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The wrapper looked good, with minimal veins and the appearance of no seams. The wrapper had an odor of poop, or barnyard as they call it. The foot had a similar smell, just milder. The cigar was solidly packed, and got a bit tighter feeling towards the foot. The pre-light draw was a tad bit stiff, but within my tolerances. The pre-light flavor was a sweet bitterness.
The draw loosened up after I got past that tight spot in the foot. The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for just over an inch.
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Posted in: Cigar Reviews
Tags: cigars, General_Cigar, Hoyo_De_Monterry, Hoyo_de_Tradicion
December 31st, 2011 / 8 Comments » / by Tom
A recent post from Walt over at Stogie Review rang true to me in a way. Walt’s dilemma in 2011 was his local cigar shop closed. This limited his ability to reach to the shelf for new stuff, BS with reps, and be connected. Also there was a decline in “Perks” AKA free stuff. He is aware we are not privileged and he wasn’t complaining. It was just a combination of financial issues, priorities, and life. Not a complaint.
How does this relate to me? My issue was sort of the opposite. Walt’s post inspired me to inspect the shelves at Ed’s shop. I started to realize, I’ve reviewed a lot of stuff he carries. It seemed like I reviewed myself out of doing reviews. Obviously I did eventually find some stuff that slipped my mind. As far as the perks go, 2011 had some generous people sending me some cigars to smoke. I can’t complain, nor would any of us. As for me, I am to the cigar industry what Shaquille O’Neal is to major motion pictures. And I’m fine with that. This place is a hobby after all.
This brings me to today’s review. I used to smoke the Padron 3000’s fairly often, and I wonder how it slipped off of my radar. Once upon a time Matt and I reviewed a Padron thousand series, but the footage ended up screwy and ultimately shelved. So my last review of 2011 is below. Let’s see how revisiting this old friend went.
One last update… After these holidays are over, Ed and I will be back on the small screen reviewing something. We are going to go old school and just roam his shop until we find something that inspires us.
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder/Filler: Nicaragua
Size: 5.5 x 52
Price: Around $5.50 to $6.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The dark wrapper was a bit toothy looking, had minor blotches in color, but overall looked nice and shiny. The wrapper had a slight barnyard and earthy smell, and the foot was more woody and sweet. When squeezing the cigar, I found minor soft and hard spots, but nothing of concern. The pre-light draw had some resistance, but fell within my tolerance.The pre-light flavor was dark and reminded me of a bitter chocolate.
The burn required no corrections, and the ash dropped off at just under an inch.
Read more…
Posted in: Cigar Reviews
Tags: 3000_Series, cigars, Padron_3000, Padron_Series_3000 Maduro
